[Sparkron]

Edit: I have chosen the Phanteks Enthoo Primo =)

Hey guys,

I'll start by saying this is my first post on overclock.net. I've often lurked around soaking up useful information, and finally my time has come to ask directly for assistance =). Also, thanks to the entire community, you guys are awesome and I have gotten so many answers from here. Everyone seems super friendly too.

Ok, onto the topic. for the past week I've been looking at parts for my new rig. I haven't build a PC in over 6 years, so it's taken a lot of research. I've also never done a water cooled system before so I'm completely new to that side.

Below are all the parts I'm looking at getting. (also, here is a link to download the excel sheet I'm using, it has a bit more info, links, etc)
http://www.speedyshare.com/ZaJBc/2014-PC-Build.xlsx

Components Description / Brand

Internal Hardware
CPU Intel i7 4770K
GPU eVGA nVidia GTX 780 with water cooling block
Motherboard MSI Z87 G45 Gaming
PSU Seasonic X-1250 80Plus Gold 1250W
RAM Corsair 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600MHz Dimm, Unbuffered, 9-9-9-24, Vengeance Pro Black
SSD Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB SSD Retail Box
HDD N/A
Optical Drive Pioneer BDC-207DBK 8X Blu-Ray Combo Drive SATA Black OEM
Case Phanteks Enthoo Primo

Peripherals
Keyboard Corsair Vengeance K70 Black with CHERRY BROWN Keyboard and Red LED
Mouse Logitech G500s
Headset Astro A50
Monitor Dell U2713HM UltraSharp 27in IPS LED Monitor

Cooling
Pump Swiftech MCP35X Liquid Cooling Pump
Tubing Primochill Advanced LRT 1/2" ID 3/4" OD clear tubing 3m length
Coolant XSPC EC6 Liquid Cooling Coolant Blood Red 1L
Dye N/A
Reservoir EK RES X3 250 Reservoir
Radiator 1 Alphacool NexXxoS Monsta 480mm
Radiator 2 Alphacool NexXxoS XT45 480mm
CPU Block XSPC RayStorm CPU Waterblock Copper Edition
Thermal Paste
Fans
Fittings
Straight Compression Bittspower G1/4 Matte Black 1/2 Compression Fitting CC5 x10
45deg Compression Bitspower G1/4 Matte Black Dual Rotary 45 Degree 1/2 Fitting x2

Software
OS Microsoft Windows 8.1 64bit OEM

Sorry if the formatting doesn't work out above, I couldn't figure out how to add a table and it's copy and pasted from the excel sheet.

I could have posted this in the case section, but since watercooling is going to be the main decision behind the case I thought this might be a better place.

Budget isn't really an issue, but that being said I don't want to spend stupid amounts on a case. The Corsair 900D would be my absolute max price range, but I don't really want to spend that much. The radiators may change depending on case. I will probably go for mayhem coolant and dye first time I flush, but since it's not available here in Australia, I'm going with XSPC for now to get the build going).

I'm planning on adding a second GTX 780 (identical card) in about 6 months time, so the entire system needs to be built to handle that (ie. PSU needs to be capable, pump needs to be handle the additional GPU added to the loop, etc). I will also be overclocking everything pretty heavily, will that PSU handle this system?

I'm looking for a large case, that gives me lots of room to work with, and plenty of space to show off the tube reservoir. I like most cases, I like simple clean looking cases, and I also like flashy looking cases so that isn't really an issue. I most certainly want functionality and ease of installation. Preset mounts for radiators etc would be nice, as I haven't used water cooling before.

This is still in the planning stage for another week or so, I'm also planning on installing a filling point and drain point in the loop, but I haven't looked into fittings for that yet. I want to get all the main parts straightened out first =)

If anything looks out of place to you guys (the experts!), it would be much appreciated if you could point it out and save me looking a fool =)

Cheers in advance =)

 

[Xinoxide]

If you dont have the rads yet grab the 750D.

 

[Ultra-m-a-n]

heres my suggestion, go on youtube, and look up hardwarecanuks, and watch their case reviews, they have really awesome reviews and there is about 79 different cases on their playlist.

good luck finding a case!

 

[Sparkron]

Thanks Ultra man, I'm watching their vids as we speak. They do really good reviews!

I haven't purchased anything yet Xeno, so I'll definately check it out. Will get back to you after watching all the canuks vids xD

 

[jony47]

Hey with that much i suggest you go with a full tower case, choose your company and design to your liking, pricing and spacing, but yes go with a full tower. It will have good rad space and more options for cooling and mounting accessories.

 

[jthm4goth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xinoxide

If you dont have the rads yet grab the 750D.

I agree I got my build log going with a 750D and it has so much room in it and it isn't huge or overly expensive





I have a 360 up top and a 240 in front and the front has pre cut holes for a 280 if you wanna go bigger

 

[Sparkron]

Had a quick scim through the log, looks great! Tomorrow I think I'll watch a few 750D reviews and go through your log a bit more thoroughly to get a feel for the case.

Cheers =)

 

[jthm4goth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparkron

Had a quick scim through the log, looks great! Tomorrow I think I'll watch a few 750D reviews and go through your log a bit more thoroughly to get a feel for the case.

Cheers =)

I'm brand new to moding and watercooling so excuse the blemishes and I removed the hdd cage and drive bay cage. But I recommend going through the case modding section and look at build logs to get a feel about the different options out there. When I saw the 750D I just knew I wanted to build in it

 

[Ultra-m-a-n]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparkron

Thanks Ultra man, I'm watching their vids as we speak. They do really good reviews!

I haven't purchased anything yet Xeno, so I'll definately check it out. Will get back to you after watching all the canuks vids xD

No problem!

 

[Carniflex]

Any case works if you are willing to put the rad outside of the case

Something like that:

All it takes is 3 mm drill bit, a little planning and handful of 3 mm bolts of the correct length. Having few M4 nuts to be used as spacers is helpful also. That was btw some arbitrary 40 EUR smallish case. Revoltec something if I remember correct.

The build looks pretty decent at a glance.

 

[Unicr0nhunter]

Phanteks Enthoo Primo, a Corsair 900D, or any Caselabs case.

As far as an case for a 1st time watercooler, the Phanteks case is hard to beat. Easily fits up to a 480 rad in both the top and bottom. You can go push-pull with both a 45mm thick 480 rad in the top and an 85mm thick 480 monsta in the bottom, or you can put a 360 monsta in the bottom and you can still keep all 6 HDD bays, plus it has brackets for mounting 4 SSDs. If you really wanted to go rad-crazy and could live without any of the HDD bays, you could fit 5 rads: a 360 in the bottom, 240 rads in both the front and the side, a 120 or 140 in the rear, and a 480 up top, all without having to mod anything. There's many possibilities for the case that was designed with watercooling in mind.

Has other great features too, like it thermally isolates the PSU and hides pretty much all of your cables out of view, and so on ...

 

[DizZz]

What about a Corsair 450D? It can fit a 360 + 2 x 240 rads so there is plenty of cooling potential and it's really compact. Might be worth checking out.

 

[davidh93]

750D is great! I fit a 420mm rad up top and 240mm in the front, planning to put another 240mm on the bottom. I thinking of getting a Phanteks Enthos Primo though... That case is just ridiculous for watercooling. If you have the money, caselabs cases are amazing.

 

[jthm4goth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DizZz

What about a Corsair 450D? It can fit a 360 + 2 x 240 rads so there is plenty of cooling potential and it's really compact. Might be worth checking out.

I love the look of both the 750 and 450 and if midtower is the route someone wants to go than the 450 is the way to go.
Quote:

Originally Posted by davidh93

750D is great! I fit a 420mm rad up top and 240mm in the front, planning to put another 240mm on the bottom. I thinking of getting a Phanteks Enthos Primo though... That case is just ridiculous for watercooling. If you have the money, caselabs cases are amazing.

I wanted to put a 420 up there but the budget wouldn't allow it

 

[davidh93]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jthm4goth

I love the look of both the 750 and 450 and if midtower is the route someone wants to go than the 450 is the way to go.
I wanted to put a 420 up there but the budget wouldn't allow it

A 360mm, but if you are putting another 780, the 420 would be best. You should take a look at Fractal Cases and NZXT Switch 810. Both are good for internal watercooling

 

[Sparkron]

Thanks for all the input guys! It's been super helpful. After much deliberation, I've decided to go with the Phanteks Enthoo Primo. It should suit my needs perfect, and appears to lend itself more to a beginner like me. Cheers Unicr0n =)

Ok, so I have a quick couple of questions about the loop. I've decided I want to run an alphacool monsta 480 rad at the bottom, and a 45mm thick alphacool rad at the top. Both in push in and pull. I've read you can fit a monsta at the top as well, but I don't want anything covering the ram.

The issue here is that no one in Australia has stock of the 45mm thick alphacool radiators, so I'll have to order one from overseas (I could use a diff brand at the top but I'm super OCD like that xD). Will the one monsta be enough to cool my 4770K and GTX 780 to max overclocking limits until I can get my hands on the top rad?

Also, the Phanteks Enthoo Primo comes with it's own 6 way fan controller (with 2 splitters). Is there any harm just adding more splitters to cover all my fans, or should I buy a second controller? Also, how do I hook the controller up to use the water temp (from a sensor in the loop) or do I need a specific fan controller to do this?

Sorry for the 21 questions, but one last one. I see them advertising hose cutters, is this a necessary tool or can I use scissors or cable cutters (we call then parrot beaks here in Australia) just as effectively?

Thanks guys =)

 

[Ultra-m-a-n]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparkron

Thanks for all the input guys! It's been super helpful. After much deliberation, I've decided to go with the Phanteks Enthoo Primo. It should suit my needs perfect, and appears to lend itself more to a beginner like me. Cheers Unicr0n =)

Ok, so I have a quick couple of questions about the loop. I've decided I want to run an alphacool monsta 480 rad at the bottom, and a 45mm thick alphacool rad at the top. Both in push in and pull. I've read you can fit a monsta at the top as well, but I don't want anything covering the ram.

The issue here is that no one in Australia has stock of the 45mm thick alphacool radiators, so I'll have to order one from overseas (I could use a diff brand at the top but I'm super OCD like that xD). Will the one monsta be enough to cool my 4770K and GTX 780 to max overclocking limits until I can get my hands on the top rad?

Also, the Phanteks Enthoo Primo comes with it's own 6 way fan controller (with 2 splitters). Is there any harm just adding more splitters to cover all my fans, or should I buy a second controller? Also, how do I hook the controller up to use the water temp (from a sensor in the loop) or do I need a specific fan controller to do this?

Sorry for the 21 questions, but one last one. I see them advertising hose cutters, is this a necessary tool or can I use scissors or cable cutters (we call then parrot beaks here in Australia) just as effectively?

Thanks guys =)

Hose cutters if you want speed, clean cuts and convenience, they are about $15 usd, but if you're cheap you don't need them and being careful with a razor or scissors will be fine.

I would see what the max wattage is on the fan controller, if it can't provide the current then the fans simply won't turn on. Or it will get kinda warm if it is drawing too much power.

As far as your other questions, I'm not sure! Haha

 

[Sparkron]

Ok, so I "think" I have everything sorted out now. For my watercooling setup, consisting of 2 rads, 1 pump, 1 res, 1 cpu block, 1 gpu block (for now), an inlet and a drain, will the following be enough / correct?

Cooling
Pump
Swiftech MCP35X Liquid Cooling Pump
Tubing
Primochill Advanced LRT 1/2" ID 3/4" OD clear tubing 3m length
Coolant
XSPC EC6 Liquid Cooling Coolant Blood Red 1L
Dye
N/A
Reservoiur
EK RES X3 250 Reservoir
CPU Block
XSPC RayStorm CPU Waterblock Copper Edition
Thermal Paste
Fans
Radiators
Alphacool NexXxoS XT45 Full Copper Quad 120mm Radiator
Alphacool NexXxoS Monsta 480mm
Fittings
Straight Compression
Bittspower G1/4 Matte Black 1/2 Compression Fitting CC5 x14
45deg Compression
Bitspower G1/4 Matte Black Dual Rotary 45 Degree 1/2 Fitting x4
Clamps
Bitspower Luxury Tube Clamp Black
T Block
Bitspower T-Block Matte Black x3
Sheet passthrough
Bitspower G1/4 Matte Black Case Top Water Fill Set x2
Tap
Bitspower G1/4 Matte Black Mini Valve
Temp Sensor
Bitspower G1/4 Silver Shining Temperature Sensor