Which CPU liquid cooling kit should I go with?

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evans74

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Oct 22, 2012
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Alright so I am building a gaming PC and am curious about going with a liquid cooling kit for my CPU. I plan on having a 3rd gen. i7 processor with an 1155 socket, 16GB RAM (if it matters..) a Corsair 1050W PSU, a EVGA GTX690 GPU (stoked) and an Asus maximus V formula mobo while throwing it all in the cooler Master HAf-X. I will mostly be using this rig for gaming, however I will be editing some GoPro video footage every so often as well (but not enough to switch to a 2011 processor). I have never done water cooling before so I am in need of any advice as far as what to go for and what to steer away from. Price isn't too big of an issue, but then again I'm not necessarily wanting to spend $250-300 either. Thanks guys!
 
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Since price is not too much of an issue then go for real/custom water coolers rather than the already filled all-in-one water coolers that require no maintenance but perform just as good as high end air coolers which is quite sad. I know you said money is not a factor but how about time? You will need to maintain your water loop cooler around 10-12 months for refilling the coolant for optimal performance.
 
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Recommended Watercooling Kits



The following are common recommendations for entry-level watercooling. Most are aimed at the beginner, but all offer very good to exceptional performance for the price. They include everything you'll need in a single box...just add water. Most, if not all, have the ability to expand into larger, custom loops capable of supporting multiple radiators and the addition of one or more GPU blocks.





XSPC Rasa RS/RX 240/360
Older XSPC CPU-only kit utilizing their RS and RX series radiators in 240/360 versions coupled with their X20 750 (750 l/h [12.5 lpm]) bay/pump/res combo. There are also 120 versions, but they utilize the weaker X20 200 (200 l/h [3.33 lpm]) and aren't typically recommended except in very SFF cases. The X20 750 is a decent flowing pump and good for a CPU only loop, or even with a video card block and additional radiator, but once you start to consider multiple video card blocks, you should likely consider a better pump.


These kits are easy to setup and maintain and have used 7/16" ID tubing and fittings out of the box. The Rasa block is a very good performer in terms of CPU blocks, and the RX radiator series is excellent for price and performance. The RS rad series has since been replaced with the EX series rads, but do offer good performance for the price. It should be noted that there are updated versions to these kits that utilize an XSPC bay res combo with either a D5 or DDC pump (for additional cost).
Rasa RX360 http://www.xs-pc.com/products/watercooling-kits/rasa-750-rx360-watercooling-kit/
 
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I like the XSPC RX240. To be honest I have no idea on where I would even begin if I built my own custom water cooling loop.. I think I might save that for another build down the road. I do have a silly question though. My mobo and LED's are red and I am wanting to stick with that color (even though the chipset on the rx240 is blue..) would it be possible to swap out the clear tubing that comes with the kit for red tubing with relative ease?
 
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Any particular reason as to why you would go this route? The 690 is actually two 680's built into one card.
 
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Planning on going with two GTX680's in SLI after doing some more research. I think it would be a good idea to consider water cooling both GPU's, as well as possibly upgrading my PSU. I have a 1050W Corsair PSU picked out already, am I going to need to upgrade? What all am I going to need to be able to expand the Rasa Raystorm rx240 WC kit to be able to compensate for cooling both of those GPU's? sorry for all of the questions.. I just want to be sure that I do this right.
 
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Your power supply is fine more then enough so no need to upgrade want proof ? Here is Guru3D's power supply recommendation:

GeForce GTX 680 - On your average system the card requires you to have a 550 Watt power supply unit.
GeForce GTX 680 SLI - On your average system the cards require you to have a 750 Watt power supply unit as minimum.

If you are going to overclock GPU or processor, then we do recommend you purchase something with some more stamina. Source: http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/evga_geforce_gtx_680_classified_with_evbot_review,8.html No Raystorm rx240 WC kit is not going to be good enough to cool two 680's plus your cpu to find out how it all works and what you need read this http://tinyurl.com/73tkccb
 
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Yea I kind of figured that. what about the 750 RX360 model? DO you think that would get the job done?
 
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Just finished reading the sticky and doing some more research. It appears that if I am wanting to cool both my CPU and my two GTX680's I should go with an xspc kit that has a D5 pump. I was looking at this one http://www.frozencpu.com/products/17221/ex-wat-224/XSPC_Chrome_Raystorm_AX360_Extreme_Intel_CPU_Water_Cooling_Kit_w_Twin_D5_w_Free_Dead-Water.html but my question is is would this be considered overkill? I know I still have a lot of research left to do but if i can get away with just using a single D5 pump with that same type of rad than that would be great.
 
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Sorry I couldn't reply in time but it looks like you took research into your own hands :) Good luck with the build dude sounds like it will be wicked
 
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I'm hoping so! I'm really excited. I just need to figure out if I'll be able to cram two 360 rads into the haf x with ease and not too much modification..
 
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Yea that's true. I'd have to conjure up something to mount them in to make it look nice and presentable. Back to watercooling though, would anyone be able to provide me with a drawing or diagram on the best way to run the loops?
 
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