[werds]

Hmmm I am looking at watercooling my sig rig. What would suffice as an entry level setup that includes gtx285's in SLI and my i7 920 OC'd. Plus possibly motherboard chipset... (possibly because I haven't decided if I NEED to do this as well).

I want to keep all of the parts INSIDE the case- so I would like to be able to mount radiators and stuff inside.

Also I am getting a deal on some WC parts that include

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/10...tl=g30c107s152

and this 240mm rad http://www.dangerden.com/store/steal...black-ice.html

I am pretty sure I may need more in terms of major parts (I am also getting tubing, barbs, dye, and other minor items in this deal).

But what can I do to make sure I setup to do this whole thing... as I figure if ima get my feet wet might as well dunk my whole head in...

What are some relatively cheap full cover water blocks for the cards and what else would I need to beef this setup to decent... or is that res/pump combo just not gonna be enough (I feel I want to go after a bay reservoir btw is there possibly a better option?)

 

[Mikecdm]

Seems like entry level really doesn't match what you are asking. You are going to need a bigger rad to keep all of that cool.

The cheapest 285 blocks are the heatkiller rev1 blocks, but you need to make sure that they fit your cards. I also don't think that your case is suited well for an internal loop.

If you are set on a bay res, xspc makes some that you can use a single or dual ddc pumps. I'm not sure how that pump that you have selected will do with multiple blocks.

 

[werds]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikecdm Seems like entry level really doesn't match what you are asking. You are going to need a bigger rad to keep all of that cool. The cheapest 285 blocks are the heatkiller rev1 blocks, but you need to make sure that they fit your cards. I also don't think that your case is suited well for an internal loop.

LOL well I guess not then. Then what opinions do you possibly have? Scale back and just WC the two cards or just the CPU for now?

 

[Space Pope]

Seeing as you can only fit a dual radiator, I would just cool down your CPU for now.

 

[sivyr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by werds LOL well I guess not then. Then what opinions do you possibly have? Scale back and just WC the two cards or just the CPU for now?

I guess it depends on what you want to do with your PC. If you want really high overclocks, then the CPU only is a good start. If you want general performance, you can go straight to the CPU and GPUs but it'll certainly cost you more.

The GPU full covers will probably cost you $80-$120 each depending on the deals you can get... CPU blocks range from $40-$100 but price doesn't always correlate to performance.

Also, make sure any block you're considering for your video cards will actually fit them. If your video cards aren't reference design, it's a lot harder to find full cover blocks for them.

And yeah, for your CPU, a 2x120mm rad will suffice although a 3x120mm is preferable. For 2 GPUs added in... I'd probably insist on 2 2x120mms at least, if not a pair of 3x120mm rads to handle that load.

Basically all I'm saying is CPU-only is entry level. A pair of GPUs to cool as well... That's getting into the "flushing your wallet down the drain like only a hardcore water cooler can" kind of territory.

 

[werds]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Space Pope Seeing as you can only fit a dual radiator, I would just cool down your CPU for now.

What if I modded the case to fit a 360mm rad? still not enough though right? Would it useless to do a 240mm rad + a 120 mm rad?

or a 360mm rad anda 120mm rad? Hell If I mounted a 360mm rad is there any other place I could mount the 240 rad? (I am assuming you always want to setup the rad somewhere that allows the fans to exhaust so placing it up front by taking out the HHD drive cage would be pointless right?)

 

[sivyr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by werds What if I modded the case to fit a 360mm rad? still not enough though right? Would it useless to do a 240mm rad + a 120 mm rad? or a 360mm rad anda 120mm rad? Hell If I mounted a 360mm rad is there any other place I could mount the 240 rad? (I am assuming you always want to setup the rad somewhere that allows the fans to exhaust so placing it up front by taking out the HHD drive cage would be pointless right?)

On the contrary, intake is virtually always better. Cooler rad air, cooler water.

If you're willing to tear out your HDD cage for rad space, go for it.

 

[werds]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sivyr I guess it depends on what you want to do with your PC. If you want really high overclocks, then the CPU only is a good start. If you want general performance, you can go straight to the CPU and GPUs but it'll certainly cost you more. The GPU full covers will probably cost you $80-$120 each depending on the deals you can get... CPU blocks range from $40-$100 but price doesn't always correlate to performance. Also, make sure any block you're considering for your video cards will actually fit them. If your video cards aren't reference design, it's a lot harder to find full cover blocks for them. And yeah, for your CPU, a 2x120mm rad will suffice although a 3x120mm is preferable. For 2 GPUs added in... I'd probably insist on 2 2x120mms at least, if not a pair of 3x120mm rads to handle that load. Basically all I'm saying is CPU-only is entry level. A pair of GPUs to cool as well... That's getting into the "flushing your wallet down the drain like only a hardcore water cooler can" kind of territory.

Love the analogy... and I've been known to sink money into crap right at entry point... I don't seem to know how to ease into anything!

Hrmmm so definitely sounds as if I will HAVE to build some kind of external box/mount for a honking external radiator then huh?

And the reason I am looking hard at watercooling is that I want to fold for OCN... but I am less than confident about doing regular everyday folding on just air- especially in my house where the temperature in the house is generally fairly toasty...

 

[werds]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sivyr On the contrary, intake is virtually always better. Cooler rad air, cooler water. If you're willing to tear out your HDD cage for rad space, go for it.

Oh I am willing as it seems the hard drive cage comes out fairly easily... although I would have to see if a 240mm rad would actually fit in that section - I know the fan there is a 200mm fanso wondering if I could shoehorn something in there...

 

[sivyr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by werds Love the analogy... and I've been known to sink money into crap right at entry point... I don't seem to know how to ease into anything! Hrmmm so definitely sounds as if I will HAVE to build some kind of external box/mount for a honking external radiator then huh? And the reason I am looking hard at watercooling is that I want to fold for OCN... but I am less than confident about doing regular everyday folding on just air- especially in my house where the temperature in the house is generally fairly toasty...

Honestly, if there's a way of dropping your ambient temps that costs less than getting a WC rig, I'd probably try that first. If you find that to be inadequate, then go for a water cooling system.

The rule for both air and water cooling systems: The cooler your rad/heatsink airflow is in comparison to how hot your rad/heatsink is, the better it will perform. Upgrading to water cooling when you have high ambient temperatures may not be the best path to a cool PC for you right now.

Give a cheap room A/C unit some thought if you can pull it off.

Edit: I'm in the early stages of building a rad box design... Mine's gonna be a monster, but I would think that making a smaller one would be pretty easy.

 

[werds]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sivyr Honestly, if there's a way of dropping your ambient temps that costs less than getting a WC rig, I'd probably try that first. If you find that to be inadequate, then go for a water cooling system. The rule for both air and water cooling systems: The cooler your rad/heatsink airflow is in comparison to how hot your rad/heatsink is, the better it will perform. Upgrading to water cooling when you have high ambient temperatures may not be the best path to a cool PC for you right now. Give a cheap room A/C unit some thought if you can pull it off. Edit: I'm in the early stages of building a rad box design... Mine's gonna be a monster, but I would think that making a smaller one would be pretty easy.

Hmmm well thanks for giving me my dose of reality guys! Looks like I will be sticking to just a CPU loop for now then. Maybe somewhere after that I can start plotting my attack on something more hardcore as it looks it will take more planning and hardware than I had originally thought.

As far as A/C unit- I have a wife that controls the temperature of the house (she spends as much time in our computer room on her computer as I do almost)... so tinkering in my computer and my corner without affecting her is usually my best bet

Thanks for all the help and experience +rep all around!

 

[sivyr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by werds Oh I am willing as it seems the hard drive cage comes out fairly easily... although I would have to see if a 240mm rad would actually fit in that section - I know the fan there is a 200mm fanso wondering if I could shoehorn something in there...

I know there are 200mm rads around that'll fit in there, but all of them that I know of are aluminum, so you'd have to use a corrosion blocker in your coolant to prevent corrosion with copper blocks.

 

[Mikecdm]

Yes, high ambients will definitely kill the performance of the loop. I have both my gtx 260 and my i7 on a single mcr320. Let me tell you that temps are less than ideal. Well, they aren't horrible, but I would like better. Lately with two computers folding in my room and slightly warm temps, my ambient is reaching 80°F. My i7 has reached nearly 80°c and my 260s are around 50°. I'm currently in the process of adding a double to the loop or splitting it up.

 

[Space Pope]

I hear phobya is coming out with 180-220mm rads soon.

http://www.realredraider.com/vbullet...ad.php?t=21648

They might work better than the crappy antec rad.

 

[werds]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Space Pope I hear phobya is coming out with 180-220mm rads soon. http://www.realredraider.com/vbullet...ad.php?t=21648 They might work better than the crappy antec rad.

OooOOoO! That would cut down the work on extra case modding too!