[Hexstatic Loonatic]

So I'm planning a custom loop build for the end of the year. Probably looking at a 3080 and a 5800x if the market has stopped going insane. Now this is my first venture into water cooling, but still I wann try and pull off something extreme, and yes it's extremely overkill but it's more of a "can i make it?" kinda thing. So I'm looking at two options (I'm aware either one will be stupid expensive). My aim is near is near ambient Temps at the lowest noise possible.

Now the first is a more classic triple rad, one loop build with rigid tubing (glass or copper) which should be relatively straightforward, and I might ask help with in the future.

The second idea I got from a JayzTwoCents video (click for yt link). Basically I want to remove the side panels from a case, and replace them with arrays as shown in the video, ergo three 480 rads side by side in a mount, one array for each side. Do you think I could get away with basically passive cooling and no fans, while achieving acceptable but not necessarily very low temps while overclocked, with this setup? I mainly want to know of this could work, and what rads, cases or what else you'd recommend

Looking forward to discussion, cheers!

 

[o1dschoo1]

So I'm planning a custom loop build for the end of the year. Probably looking at a 3080 and a 5800x if the market has stopped going insane. Now this is my first venture into water cooling, but still I wann try and pull off something extreme, and yes it's extremely overkill but it's more of a "can i make it?" kinda thing. So I'm looking at two options (I'm aware either one will be stupid expensive). My aim is near is near ambient Temps at the lowest noise possible.

Now the first is a more classic triple rad, one loop build with rigid tubing (glass or copper) which should be relatively straightforward, and I might ask help with in the future.

The second idea I got from a JayzTwoCents video (click for yt link). Basically I want to remove the side panels from a case, and replace them with arrays as shown in the video, ergo three 480 rads side by side in a mount, one array for each side. Do you think I could get away with basically passive cooling and no fans, while achieving acceptable but not necessarily very low temps while overclocked, with this setup? I mainly want to know of this could work, and what rads, cases or what else you'd recommend

Looking forward to discussion, cheers!

Dude you've never touched a water loop before. Start with soft tubing and a basic dual or triple rad loop.

You won't get near near ambient without a mo-ra rad.

Passive ain't happening either.

 

[Avacado]

Save yourself some money and get one of these if you don't want a MO-Ra Alphacool NexXxoS XT45 Full Copper 1080mm Nova Radiator

Also comes in a 1260 Variant Alphacool NexXxoS XT45 Full Copper 1260mm SuperNova Radiator

 

[Slaughtahouse]

You may be able to obtain passive with the radiator linked above, or with three (3) 360mm x 45mm radiators @ idle.

However, during a gaming load, you will still need to remove the heat from the radiator. The surface area is still not enough to be passively cooled considering the fin density. I would expect over sustained load, the heat will slowly climb. This is assuming a load that triggers ~70% on the CPU and 99% on the GPU. So approx. 400 watts+ with a 5800x / RTX 3080.

The radiators for PC have fin densities too tight for passive design. It's like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. The approach you're seeking is wrong with PC radiators. IMO.

PC radiators are designed for high static pressure fans. Your best bet is to find high static pressure fans with the lowest noise possible.

Edit: Just for some context, see below the new passive heat sink coming from Noctua later this year. The gaps between the fins appear to be around 1cm+.

Spoiler

I won't discourage the use of hardline - I have no grasp or understanding of your technical skills. For all we know, you could be a plumber BUT I recommend starting with soft tubing first. You'll benefit from the flexibility and you can quickly go through trial and error with soft tubing. There is a large upfront time to building a hardline loop vs. a soft tube.

 

[o1dschoo1]

Not to mention with hardline your cuts need to be close to perfect and barb selection is ideal. One screw up in this realm and you can lose your whole pc.

 

[Hexstatic Loonatic]

Save yourself some money and get one of these if you don't want a MO-Ra Alphacool NexXxoS XT45 Full Copper 1080mm Nova Radiator

Also comes in a 1260 Variant Alphacool NexXxoS XT45 Full Copper 1260mm SuperNova Radiator

Oh wow didn't know about these! Definitely look like something I'd be interested in, and definitely much simpler than building my own janky set up, lol. Thanks!

 

[Hexstatic Loonatic]

You may be able to obtain passive with the radiator linked above, or with three (3) 360mm x 45mm radiators @ idle.

However, during a gaming load, you will still need to remove the heat from the radiator. The surface area is still not enough to be passively cooled considering the fin density. I would expect over sustained load, the heat will slowly climb. This is assuming a load that triggers ~70% on the CPU and 99% on the GPU. So approx. 400 watts+ with a 5800x / RTX 3080.

The radiators for PC have fin densities too tight for passive design. It's like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. The approach you're seeking is wrong with PC radiators. IMO.

PC radiators are designed for high static pressure fans. Your best bet is to find high static pressure fans with the lowest noise possible.

Edit: Just for some context, see below the new passive heat sink coming from Noctua later this year. The gaps between the fins appear to be around 1cm+.

Spoiler

View attachment 2475139

I won't discourage the use of hardline - I have no grasp or understanding of your technical skills. For all we know, you could be a plumber BUT I recommend starting with soft tubing first. You'll benefit from the flexibility and you can quickly go through trial and error with soft tubing. There is a large upfront time to building a hardline loop vs. a soft tube.


I won't discourage the use of hardline - I have no grasp or understanding of your technical skills. For all we know, you could be a plumber BUT I recommend starting with soft tubing first. You'll benefit from the flexibility and you can quickly go through trial and error with soft tubing. There is a large upfront time to building a hardline loop vs. a soft tube.

I'm a decently handy person, and I've spent (and will continue spending) months of research to figure out how I'm gonna do this. I know bending hardline isn't a beginner endeavor, but it shouldn't be rocket science either, though it'll definitely take some trial and error (gonna order plenty spare tubing). I'll definitely take the advice though if i can get soft tubing that matches the dimensions of my hardline tubing, so i can easily test the setup first. However, i assume i would then have to order twice the amount of fittings, as i recall hardline and softline fittings not agreeing with each other, correct?
PS oh wow that noctua cooler sure looks different!

 

[o1dschoo1]

I'm a decently handy person, and I've spent (and will continue spending) months of research to figure out how I'm gonna do this. I know bending hardline isn't a beginner endeavor, but it shouldn't be rocket science either, though it'll definitely take some trial and error (gonna order plenty spare tubing). I'll definitely take the advice though if i can get soft tubing that matches the dimensions of my hardline tubing, so i can easily test the setup first. However, i assume i would then have to order twice the amount of fittings, as i recall hardline and softline fittings not agreeing with each other, correct?

Hardline fittings won't work on softline.

It's not rocket science none of this really is.

 

[Hexstatic Loonatic]

Not to mention with hardline your cuts need to be close to perfect and barb selection is ideal. One screw up in this realm and you can lose your whole pc.

Could you expand a little on your comment, the barbs in particular? And how precise a cut are we talking, what are the tolerances?

 

[0451]

It will be important for you to read radiator reviews and select radiators that perform best at the fan speeds and push or push/pull configuration you want to run.

For example, the Black Ice GTX and Black Ice Nemesis GTR are the worst 2 radiators at 700 RPM but they are the best 2 at 1700+ RPM.

Hardware Labs Black Ice Nemesis GTR 560 Radiator

Navigate to: Unboxing and Overview Liquid Flow Restriction Air Flow Restriction Thermal Performance Conclusion Introduction This is a follow up article to the review of the Black Ice Nemesis GTR 48…

thermalbench.com

 

[Hexstatic Loonatic]

Furthermore, what are the differences between a mo rad and an alphacool rad setup? if you have the time to explain, that is. Leaning more toward the 200mm version should i go with something like that, as id like it to be as silent as possible

 

[Hexstatic Loonatic]

It will be important for you to read radiator reviews and select radiators that perform best at the fan speeds and push or push/pull configuration you want to run.

For example, the Black Ice GTX and Black Ice Nemesis GTR are the worst 2 radiators at 700 RPM but they are the best 2 at 1700+ RPM.

Hardware Labs Black Ice Nemesis GTR 560 Radiator

Navigate to: Unboxing and Overview Liquid Flow Restriction Air Flow Restriction Thermal Performance Conclusion Introduction This is a follow up article to the review of the Black Ice Nemesis GTR 48…

thermalbench.com

Oh wow, this is definitely stuff I wann know and didn't! Thanks! Ill be focusing on low rpm rads seeing as I'm going for silence. But thanks again, very important piece of info to keep in mind!

 

[gftgy]

No one here has mentioned that the pump has to spin (and make noise), too. So even without fans cooling the radiators, you'll still have noise from the pump. Your PSU may or may not also activate its fan, as well. PSU manufacturers are generally quite aggressive with their fan control.

You're right, forming hard tubes isn't rocket science, but I would also recommend soft tubing. I use Tygon A-60-G whenever possible. The only two reasons to go for hard tubing imo are if you want the looks of rigid tubes, or if you need to make a supremely tight bend that fittings and soft tubing won't allow even with a kink coil.

 

[0451]

No one here has mentioned that the pump has to spin (and make noise), too. So even without fans cooling the radiators, you'll still have noise from the pump. Your PSU may or may not also activate its fan, as well. PSU manufacturers are generally quite aggressive with their fan control.

You're right, forming hard tubes isn't rocket science, but I would also recommend soft tubing. I use Tygon A-60-G whenever possible. The only two reasons to go for hard tubing imo are if you want the looks of rigid tubes, or if you need to make a supremely tight bend that fittings and soft tubing won't allow even with a kink coil.

Agree with this. The only way to have a silent PC is to have all the moving parts in a separate room.

Also a fan of soft tubing. I actually think black rubber tubing looks better than clear rigid.

 

[Slaughtahouse]

Could you expand a little on your comment, the barbs in particular? And how precise a cut are we talking, what are the tolerances?

Soft tubing relies on compression fittings and a barb.

1. The soft tubing goes over the barb.
2. To compress the tubing onto the barb you slide over a ring.
3. As your torque the ring, it compresses the tube over the barb to create a tight seal.

Barb has to match inner diameter (ID);
Ring has to match outer diameter (OD).

Fittings and Tubing Guide - ekwb.com

Choosing the right fittings and tubing is almost equally important as choosing any other component in a liquid cooling loop and usually very confusing to beginners.

www.ekwb.com

Hard tubing (plexi, copper, etc.) does not rely on a barb. The fittings compress against the rigid structure of the tubing itself. The two fittings that both fit over the tube. So only OD matters.

See example below.

Fittings are not cross-compatible. To compress on soft tubing, you need the rigidity / strength of the barb.

Hope this helps

I also second the comment above, soft black tubing is the way to go IMO. If you want to go rigid from the beginning, just stick with hard tubing fittings.