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Advice for complete watercooling noob?

I just recently got an MSI Radeon R9 290, and it's quite a bit louder than my previous card (Asus R9 270X), and i've been thinking if it would be worth just watercooling the GPU. My CPU is fine with a Hyper 212 EVO.

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kraken G10 + small heatsinks + AiO

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kraken G10 + small heatsinks + AiO

Was kinda thinking of building a custom loop just for the GPU. Sounds crazy, but i wanna do it xD

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kraken G10 + small heatsinks + AiO

Best option ^

Was kinda thinking of building a custom loop just for the GPU. Sounds crazy, but i wanna do it xD

If you can aford it YES

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Was kinda thinking of building a custom loop just for the GPU. Sounds crazy, but i wanna do it xD

If you would rather spend $500 on a watercooling loop instead of buying better performing components then sure.

NEW PC build: Blank Heaven   minimalist white and black PC     Old S340 build log "White Heaven"        The "LIGHTCANON" flashlight build log        Project AntiRoll (prototype)        Custom speaker project

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If you would rather spend $500 on a watercooling loop instead of buying better performing components then sure.

Well... Eh, i guess i'll go with an AiO.

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Well... Eh, i guess i'll go with an AiO.

Umm custom loop as better performance than the g10. unlike something like a g10, custom loop cools every component of a gpu unlike a g10 hybrid solution.

"Instinct or Rationality; Which will you choose? Enchanted by a superiority complex"

"what you do in spite of internet speed is inspiring. :3" From Cae - 2015

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I just recently got an MSI Radeon R9 290, and it's quite a bit louder than my previous card (Asus R9 270X), and i've been thinking if it would be worth just watercooling the GPU. My CPU is fine with a Hyper 212 EVO.

Look at those two threads I made a while back. I had the same concerns you did.

 

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/172504-crossfire-290-heat-problems-g10x40-on-top-card-only/

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/175003-r9-290-vrm-temps-with-kraken-g10x40/

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Umm custom loop as better performance than the g10.

G10 is just the bracket where you can put any circle base AIO on it, so performance depends on which AIO you get

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Was kinda thinking of building a custom loop just for the GPU. Sounds crazy, but i wanna do it xD

 

if your going to do a custom loop you may as well do a CPU and GPU loop as it will look alot cleaner

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 CPU: i5-6600k MOBO: ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming RAM: G.Skill 16GB 2800Mhz 15-15-15-35, GPU: Sapphire R9 290 SSD: Samsung 840 250GB HDD: Seagate Barracuda 2TB x2, Cooling: EK supremecy EVO ,EK-FC R9 290X with backplate, XSPC EX240 Crossflow & Alphacool UT60 240mm, XSPC D5 Bayres w/ Alphacool VPP655, 7/16-5/8 Compressions/Tubing, Noctua NF-F12 x4 PSU: Silverstone Strider Plus 850W Case: Nanoxia Deep Silence 1 http://valid.x86.fr/8g2m02

 

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G10 is just the bracket where you can put any circle base AIO on it, so performance depends on which AIO you get

so 480mm rad AIO exist?

"Instinct or Rationality; Which will you choose? Enchanted by a superiority complex"

"what you do in spite of internet speed is inspiring. :3" From Cae - 2015

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so 480mm rad AIO exist?

Nope, but would you really need a 480mm rad for a 290? I don't think so, even if you are mining you don't need a 480mm rad for a GPU, also nobody can even fit a 480mm rad since they don't own a 900D lol

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Nope, but would you really need a 480mm rad for a 290? I don't think so, even if you are mining you don't need a 480mm rad for a GPU, also nobody can even fit a 480mm rad since they don't own a 900D lol

not just a 900D, but if you're going to watercool multiple gpus, might as well go with a custom loop.

"Instinct or Rationality; Which will you choose? Enchanted by a superiority complex"

"what you do in spite of internet speed is inspiring. :3" From Cae - 2015

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I just recently got an MSI Radeon R9 290, and it's quite a bit louder than my previous card (Asus R9 270X), and i've been thinking if it would be worth just watercooling the GPU. My CPU is fine with a Hyper 212 EVO.

 

If you have the money a custom loop with your cpu and gpu can look and perform great.

 

Nope, but would you really need a 480mm rad for a 290? I don't think so, even if you are mining you don't need a 480mm rad for a GPU, also nobody can even fit a 480mm rad since they don't own a 900D lol

 

more rads = more awesome I got a 480 and a 240 and my system runs nice and cool. But it's pretty overkill unless you just want it to have it.

I am the one who goes bump in the night... usually making a sandwich.

 

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more rads = more awesome I got a 480 and a 240 and my system runs nice and cool. But it's pretty overkill unless you just want it to have it.

It's really overkill for JUST a R9 290

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It's really overkill for JUST a R9 290

 

Yes for just the 290 it is and most likely there isn't room for a 480 in OPs case but for a 290 and a cpu its only kinda overkill.

I am the one who goes bump in the night... usually making a sandwich.

 

Case: Phanteks Enthoo Primo White - Motherboard: ASUS X99 Deluxe - CPU: Intel i7 5820k - RAM: 4x4GB Corsair Vengeance 2666mhz ddr4 - GPU: Dual EVGA gtx 980 SSC - PSU: EVGA G2 Supernova 750w - Cooler: Custom PETG Loop on cpu and gpus - Storage: 500gb Samsung 850 evo ssd, 2x Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm 3tb hdd

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If you would rather spend $500 on a watercooling loop instead of buying better performing components then sure.

 

 

Well... Eh, i guess i'll go with an AiO.

He doesn't need to spend $500.........he said his CPU is fine and it's just a GPU loop. Realistically a GPU block since they are stupidly expensive will cost you around $135 for most newish cards from like EK water blocks. You wouldn't need more than a 240 rad for just a GPU...lets add $65 for a nice 240 rad, that's what I paid for mine. Depending what pump/res you decide I would say for good quality parts will cost you around $120-170. Then you add some tubing $20, and some compression fittings, $40.

 

It's still gonna be $300-350....that is for good quality parts. Now if you add your CPU to the loop then it's more like $500 for an extra rad, extra fittings, and a block.

 

I don't mean to pick on you Enderman but $500 for just cooling a GPU is not very realistic...I would almost recommend seeing if Corsair comes out with a GPU bracket for your GPU as they are just starting to release some. The G10 is good but from some reviewers has bad VRM cooling I think. 

 

You also could buy a start kit from like XSPC or EK, usually the basic ones come around $150, it would come with a CPU block and I know you said you didn't want to cool that in your loop but you might find it cheaper to get a kit like that and then just add your GPU instead of using the CPU block. Ofc that means there's kinda a CPU block sitting there as wasted money, but you could easily buy a $150 kit that has tubing, pump/res, rad, and fittings (usually barbs in kits) for the $150. Then all you would need is a GPU block. After some tax/shipping depending on where you live and shipping speed this could cost you less than $300, AND you would have a CPU block too, if you wanted to use it in the future.

Current PC build: [CPU: Intel i7 8700k] [GPU: GTX 1070 Asus ROG Strix] [Ram: Corsair LPX 32GB 3000MHz] [Mobo: Asus Prime Z370-A] [SSD: Samsung 970 EVO 500GB primary + Samsung 860 Evo 1TB secondary] [PSU: EVGA SuperNova G2 750w 80plus] [Monitors: Dual Dell Ultrasharp U2718Qs, 4k IPS] [Case: Fractal Design R5]

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He doesn't need to spend $500.........he said his CPU is fine and it's just a GPU loop. Realistically a GPU block since they are stupidly expensive will cost you around $135 for most newish cards from like EK water blocks. You wouldn't need more than a 240 rad for just a GPU...lets add $65 for a nice 240 rad, that's what I paid for mine. Depending what pump/res you decide I would say for good quality parts will cost you around $120-170. Then you add some tubing $20, and some compression fittings, $40.

 

It's still gonna be $300-350....that is for good quality parts. Now if you add your CPU to the loop then it's more like $500 for an extra rad, extra fittings, and a block.

 

I don't mean to pick on you Enderman but $500 for just cooling a GPU is not very realistic...I would almost recommend seeing if Corsair comes out with a GPU bracket for your GPU as they are just starting to release some. The G10 is good but from some reviewers has bad VRM cooling I think. 

 

You also could buy a start kit from like XSPC or EK, usually the basic ones come around $150, it would come with a CPU block and I know you said you didn't want to cool that in your loop but you might find it cheaper to get a kit like that and then just add your GPU instead of using the CPU block. Ofc that means there's kinda a CPU block sitting there as wasted money, but you could easily buy a $150 kit that has tubing, pump/res, rad, and fittings (usually barbs in kits) for the $150. Then all you would need is a GPU block. After some tax/shipping depending on where you live and shipping speed this could cost you less than $300, AND you would have a CPU block too, if you wanted to use it in the future.

Do you have any idea how much compression fittings cost???

They are over $15 EACH, and you need at least six. You also forgot the cost of the resevoir and pump, fluid, and fans, tax, shipping, etc...

 

Overall its about $500 unless you want to cheap out and buy some of the crappy koolance fittings and cheap components from ebay.

NEW PC build: Blank Heaven   minimalist white and black PC     Old S340 build log "White Heaven"        The "LIGHTCANON" flashlight build log        Project AntiRoll (prototype)        Custom speaker project

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Do you have any idea how much compression fittings cost???

They are over $15 EACH, and you need at least six. You also forgot the cost of the resevoir and pump, fluid, and fans, tax, shipping, etc...

 

Overall its about $500 unless you want to cheap out and buy some of the crappy koolance fittings and cheap components from ebay.

I'm saying he COULD setup a custom loop for under $300 through buying a kit and buying the GPU water block. The kit would almost certainly come with barb fittings (not sure about EK's all of XSPCs do) but he could replace those if he wanted. I'm not even gonna add tax/shipping into this to make it less complicated so there's that to account for:

 

Custom loop start kit: $150 (I googled and easily found many start kits with rad, pump/res, barb fittings, and tubing with a CPU block for $150. Found a lot from XSPC but there are others too)

GPU Block: $135 (Most of EK's blocks seem to be around this much lately)

 

Right now he has everything he needs to setup a loop...for $285. Btw not ALL compression fittings are $15....if you wanna buy all Bitspower or something well ya maybe. I'm using bitspower for something coming up here. I had XSPC fittings (you refer to them as trash I guess, I got 4 for $20) they worked fine and were ok I just would have liked them to fit down on the tubing more, from what I see bitspower does that. I ordered literally 1 bitspower fittings just so I could see the quality and fitting before I buy more. Anyways back on topic. So right now he's under $300. Even if you wanted to buy the most crazy expensive bitspower fittings......ok well I take that back some of them are like $25 each xD but if he just got all straight fittings and didn't make it super fancy even at your price of $15 per piece he would need 6. That's $90 which is expensive. Add that to $285 and that's $375. Keep in mind not everyone wants to buy bitspower or comparable fittings. Some people might be ok with the barbs that come in the kit and save $100.

 

Even after adding your fittings his cost is $375. I'm not saying this is a "bargain deal" but it's $125 off $500 dollars. You may also argue $125 isn't all that much money when considering a custom water cooling loop and as I mentioned in my first post I'm not trying to pick on you, but it's definitely not $500. It would cost more like $500 up after he bough another rad, some extra tubing if needed, and more fittings. 

 

Edit: Also as I'm re-reading your post I forgot to mention a couple things. OP didn't mention if he has fans or not. Honestly I just assumed he did, so that is a good point if he wants some SP fans or something that could easily add $30 to that at minimum, I think Corsair has SP for two  pack for around that much. The pump/res come as a combo in the kit I mentioned, fluid I'm assuming he's using distilled water. Sometimes I forget people do things other ways, I'm a fan of colored tubing and distilled water. If he wanted to use clear tubing and colored liquid it could jack the price up. Assuming he uses distilled water (basically free...like $2) and has fans already which a lot of people do, his price would still be under $300. I even added my states sales tax to the $375 (one of the highest in U.S. btw) and it came up around $410. That's still $90 cheaper. I'm gonna mention this a 3rd time...I'm not trying to pick on your statement, $500 is a fair price for a full loop or even what he's doing if you wanna buy great parts separately. I'm saying it's possible, if he doesn't wanna buy special colored liquid, get $15 compression fittings, and get next day U.S. air delivery it's VERY possible for him to do this for a little over $300. If he doesn't mind the barb fittings (I used some for 3 years, had 0 leaks) that come with the kit, all he needs is the $150 kit, $135 GPU block, done. $285. The kit has EVERYTHING he NEEDS for a basic setup. It's his choice if he wants to spend more and get fancy stuff. The kit will do him just fine if he's trying to save cash.

Current PC build: [CPU: Intel i7 8700k] [GPU: GTX 1070 Asus ROG Strix] [Ram: Corsair LPX 32GB 3000MHz] [Mobo: Asus Prime Z370-A] [SSD: Samsung 970 EVO 500GB primary + Samsung 860 Evo 1TB secondary] [PSU: EVGA SuperNova G2 750w 80plus] [Monitors: Dual Dell Ultrasharp U2718Qs, 4k IPS] [Case: Fractal Design R5]

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wall of text :P

Well thats still more money than a second GPU, which would actually increase his computer's performance by a LOT more than watercooling his GPU.

NEW PC build: Blank Heaven   minimalist white and black PC     Old S340 build log "White Heaven"        The "LIGHTCANON" flashlight build log        Project AntiRoll (prototype)        Custom speaker project

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Ryzen 3950X | AMD Vega Frontier Edition | ASUS X570 Pro WS | Corsair Vengeance LPX 64GB | NZXT H500 | Seasonic Prime Fanless TX-700 | Custom loop | Coolermaster SK630 White | Logitech MX Master 2S | Samsung 980 Pro 1TB + 970 Pro 512GB | Samsung 58" 4k TV | Scarlett 2i4 | 2x AT2020

 

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Well thats still more money than a second GPU, which would actually increase his computer's performance by a LOT more than watercooling his GPU.

Very, very, very freaking true. In fact this was the main reason I haven't already water cooled my rig. Well that and my GPU block is released in January...the last day or two I have been toying with cooling my rig again xD Yes it's stupidly expensive. I already have two rads sitting here...I was planning on returning them and staying air cooled, and using that money for SLI. I still might do that, but I wanna do water cooling so bad lol. But it's gonna cost me more than going SLI to do so how I want to, easily. Cost for my parts would be easily over $500....idk what I will do, we'll see. As I mentioned I ordered 1 bistpower fittings to see how it is. Personally one reason I didn't like my last water cooling setup was the fittings. I had my 360 rad setup with just my CPU with the XSPC fittings. They were "ok" and weren't gonna leak but I like things SECURE. I want the fitting to screw almost all the way down. Even with XSPCs own tubing ofc with the exact compression fittings size they really didn't fit well....they like barely screwed on. It took force to untighten them, so it wasn't like they were loose but I didn't like that. Honestly if I like this bitspower fitting, and it seems really snug and secure, goes down all the way pretty much, I might do water cooling. If it's not very secure I'll probably just put it off for now. 

 

It's just a project I wanna do so bad xD But **** it's expensive........it isn't really "worth" at all, tbh.

Current PC build: [CPU: Intel i7 8700k] [GPU: GTX 1070 Asus ROG Strix] [Ram: Corsair LPX 32GB 3000MHz] [Mobo: Asus Prime Z370-A] [SSD: Samsung 970 EVO 500GB primary + Samsung 860 Evo 1TB secondary] [PSU: EVGA SuperNova G2 750w 80plus] [Monitors: Dual Dell Ultrasharp U2718Qs, 4k IPS] [Case: Fractal Design R5]

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Kinda forgot to check back here :P Anyway, my case is a Fractal Design Define R4, so it can atleast fit a 2x140mm rad on the top.

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Well thats still more money than a second GPU, which would actually increase his computer's performance by a LOT more than watercooling his GPU.

I know that i could get better performance with a second GPU, but the fact is that i don't need more performance. I just want the card to stay cool and quiet. Besides adding a second card would require replacing my PSU.

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I know that i could get better performance with a second GPU, but the fact is that i don't need more performance. I just want the card to stay cool and quiet. Besides adding a second card would require replacing my PSU.

Then if you want quiet you should get a quiet AiO with a G10 bracket.

Custom watercooling for that is not really worth it unless you have money to spare and want to do it just for looks.

NEW PC build: Blank Heaven   minimalist white and black PC     Old S340 build log "White Heaven"        The "LIGHTCANON" flashlight build log        Project AntiRoll (prototype)        Custom speaker project

Spoiler

Ryzen 3950X | AMD Vega Frontier Edition | ASUS X570 Pro WS | Corsair Vengeance LPX 64GB | NZXT H500 | Seasonic Prime Fanless TX-700 | Custom loop | Coolermaster SK630 White | Logitech MX Master 2S | Samsung 980 Pro 1TB + 970 Pro 512GB | Samsung 58" 4k TV | Scarlett 2i4 | 2x AT2020

 

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