EX, RX or custom build? (lol, yes I know)

Personally, I'm not a fan of the kits. they always cheap out on a component or two...an example would be the pumps in those kits...By building a custom loop, you are going to get better quality parts that you won't immediately want to replace.

it's better to get what you want the first time than to replace a second-rate part down the road...

Still not a fan...although they are a little better than they used to be...

I personally prefer custom water cooling versus kits, better quality going custom! Do you have to have the Fusion reservoir? You could spend the extra money on other things, just a thought. As for tubing right now they all pretty much blow chucks except for Durelene tubing. I like your custom setup BTW.

The Raystorm Kit is very good. They are all high quality parts. Best pump, good dual bay Res, good Rad, good fans, compression fittings and good tube.

Depends on the rad.

If you want a quiet setup, get the RX series rads. (both of them will fit in the Switch 810)

If you dont care about sound, get the EX series rads and run push/pull.

I am building a loop in a Switch 810 also, welcome to the club

First off, I am no expert when it comes to water cooling, especially compared to many of the people on this forum. I have done six months of research at this point, talked to many people who are very knowledgeable, and generally have done my best to learn everything possible. I mention this only as a disclaimer, as I would not want you to take my word for something without doing your own research, I just hope I can help set you in the right direction


Ok, so regarding your loop... I gather that you will be cooling your CPU and 1x GPU's, Specifically a 2500K and GTX570 (1.25 or 2.5GB?)?
That's a good set of components to cool, IMO, as the CPU is not known for being crazy hot but the 570's are (although less so than 4xx cards). I would think that this will mean that you can expect to see better-than-average GPU temps, if only slightly, due to the CPU dumping minimal heat compared to a Phenom II X6, a 2600K (@ equivalent clock speed), and especially Ivy Bridge 3570K/3770K chips.

However, it also means that you likely don't have to fret about the extra couple dozen of watts dissipated by the good thick rads vs the good slimmer rads (i.e. RX vs EX).

I personally am looking to cool a 3930K + 670 (eventually 2 670s and possibly the chipset), and I am 99% certain that the EX rad, combined with either an RX240 or UT60 240 will be plenty for my cooling needs.

I would recommend looking at the EX420 radiator as it is only $70, cheaper than an RX360 with better high-speed performance, and with slightly more surface area than a 480mm radiator. This rad can be fit into the top of the Switch 810 with only a few mounting holes needing to be drilled (fan spacing).
Even better, it can be used in push-pull while still only taking up 61mm of space inside the case! That means that you can use something like the Phobya 140x140x7mm shrouds on the interior push fans to better the airflow while still being free from clearance issues. I have been looking at 140mm fans for a while, and I think that the Bgears Blasters 140mm 1800rpm fans with their 103cfm and 3.5mmHg SP are an excellent choice, especially at $11/ea at FrozenCPU.
Other good fan choices would be the Akasa Apache or Viper 140mm fans, Bitfenix Spectre Pro 140mm fans, NZXT FX140LB 1k-2krpm 140mm 98.3cfm/2.2mmHg fans, and the higher-speed Noiseblockers (although too expensive IMO).

You could also use an additional radiator, such as an RX240, EX240, HWLabs Black Ice GTX/SR1/Stealth, or Alphacool NeXXos UT60/XT45/UT30 mounted in the bottom of the case while only losing one of the two HDD bays. Even the thicker rads should fit in push-pull in the bottom location, making it an excellent way to increase the capacity of your loop.

Regarding the CPU block, I would stick with either the XSPC Raystorm or the Swiftech Apogee HD. Both are great blocks, but the Raystorm is less restrictive while the Apogee HD offers more customization and, according to Martin, the best mounting system available. Temps between the two are within 1-2C of one another, so I say get whichever is easier/cheaper.

As for the pump, I am a proponent of the MCP35X as the PWM control is phenomenal, the pump has huge amounts of pressure meaning that loop upgrades will have minimal effect on flow (to a point; 2 rads + cpu block + 2 GPU blocks should be a breeze), and there are some amazing tops available for it (especially the XSPC DDC top with or without the reservoir). The D5 pump is also very loved, but it is the reverse of the DDC 3.5 in that it offers huge flow rates at the expense of some pressure, which is really not a big deal unless you have a very restrictive loop. Plus, the D5 can be had in a variable speed version, though it must be manually changed, and it doesn't get as hot as the DDC's can get (although $13 for the MCP35X heatsink + $5 for a decent 80mm fan negates any heat issues).

Reservoirs are a rather personal decision. Some like bay reservoirs which look nice, keep the pump/res out of the inside area of the case, are easy to mount, and keep tubing runs clean; however they are difficult to bleed, tend to be the loudest, require some slack in the lines to be able to be filled easily (unless you install a permanent fill port), and can be expensive. Tube reservoirs are the other big option and they can be extremely modular (check out the EK Multi-Option X2), are easier to fill/bleed, can be positioned just about anywhere, but often require mounting holes to be drilled and will take up more internal space (although they won't prevent the use of an ODD).

Going by your budget above, I would suggest getting the XSPC EX240 Raystorm kit w D5 pump (I think it's $300), an EX420 for the top, and either an XSPC or Heatkiller GTX580/570 waterblock + backplate. You may be able to find sales on the GPU block, so you are looking at $300 (pump/res/240rad/tubing/fittings) + $70 (EX420) + $90-110 (GPU Block) = $460-480. You may need to get a few extra fittings, which could be super cheap (barbs), moderately priced (XSPC Compression Fittings) or expensive (Bitspower comps and rotary/angled fittings/adapters).

I realize that is a bit over the previous setups you mentioned, but it also has vastly more radiator area (close to 750x120mm worth) meaning that you can run fans quieter if you like for general use, then ramp them up when running Crysis or something similar to get massive cooling ability. It will also give you more than enough overhead for just about anything you would like to add (i.e. 2nd GTX570 + block now that prices are plummeting).

I believe that you can't have too much radiator space, too many pumps, or too many or too powerful-of fans.

I didn't include any fans in the budget, but at 10.99/ea, the 140mm Bgears Blaster fans are the best $:performance you will find.

BTW, you can get 5% off your entire order @ Jab-Tech with the promo code "facebook", and there is a 5.1% discount code for FrozenCPU or Performance PCs but I can't recall which one or what it is, and I will let you know when I get to my computer later (typing this on my phone).

I hope that I offered at least some useful info, and I wish you the best of luck on your build!