Ghost's Low Budget Water Cooling Loop Plan

[Ghost]

A lot of people want to see what a component list for a water-cooling loop should look like before they make their own. In this post I will construct a water-cooling loop explaining all the parts I choose and thier pros and cons. Just to be clear this is not something I am planning to buy, its a template for others wanting to do something similar.

 

Hopefully this will help out quite a few people planning to make their own loop.

 

This loop is for a CPU only and is made to be priced as low as possible which reliable components. You can of course cheap out on parts like the pump but I would not recommend it. I will link all the components I choose to FrozenCPU as they are a popular retailer for water-cooling equipment.

 

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Pump

 

To start off, the most important thing about a water cooling loop is the pump. I always recommend Laing Pumps. They typically have a MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) of 50,000 hours. This means that on average a pump will fail after more than 5 years of non-stop use. If you switch your computer off at night and use it for only 12 hours a day it should statistically fail in 10 years. By that time it will be very very old.

 

There are two Laing pumps. The Laing D5 and the Laing DDC. The DDC is smaller, (usually) has slightly worse performance and most importantly it's cheaper. Therefore I have chosen it for the loop.

 

There are quite a few versions of the Laing DDC. Some are slightly better than others. What's very important to note is that the manufacturer of the pump is always Laing. Anywhere you see a company brand name such as "Swiftech" or "XSPC" next to a pump; all that means is that they put their sticker on it and they are going to be the people you deal with in case something goes wrong with the pump.

 

Reservoir

 

As we are going for the lowest price possible its better to buy a combo deal for the pump. Reservoirs are essentially just a big tank of water that lie above and before the inlet of the pump. If you buy a combo then you do not have to worry about the placement of the reservoir in relation to the pump which simplifies things. It also saves you money on two fittings that you would later have to use to connect the two.

 

There are two types of reservoirs. bay reservoirs and "normal" reservoirs. Bay reservoirs can slot directly into a 5.25" Bay and normal reservoirs can be placed anywhere where you have space for them in the system. I have linked to two reservoirs from both types so you can decide between them but as I am going for the cheapest price I can here I will of course use the cheapest combo in my final price of the loop. You have the remember this is the price for both the reservoir and the pump and the pump is usually the most expensive part of the the loop.

 

The bay res is HERE for $120 and the normal res is HERE for $140.

 

Water block

 

The next important part of the loop is the CPU block. When picking a CPU block you should pick what looks best for you. There are performance differences between them but not enough to be concerned.

 

As we are going for the cheapest loop here I am picking the "EK Supreme LTX" It performs in the middle of the other water blocks but differences are fractions of a degree.

 

This water block costs $50 and is available with clear acrylic and with a solid black top. There is no difference in performance and the price is the same.

 

Radiator

 

The last expensive part of the loop is a radiator. They come in many shapes and sizes (always wanted to say that in context) ​and of course the bigger the dimensions the better they perform. This is where the decision will be yours on cost vs. performance vs. what you can fit in your case. I always say, go for the biggest radiator you can.

 

As this loop is made for just a CPU my lowest recommendation for just a CPU for a custom loop would be a 30mm thick 240mm radiator. The differences in radiator of the same size is minimal so yet again I am going to go for the cheapest radiator I would recommend in that category.

 

The cheapest radiator I could find was the XSPC RS240 and it costs $50.

 

Fittings and Tubing

 

Fittings can get pricey. They look cheap on their own but in much bigger loops you may need 10 or more of them and that's where the cost comes in. In this loop however we only need 6 (Two for each component and we save on two because a res and pump combo is used)

 

With fittings you should generally go with what looks best for you or what's cheapest from a known brand.

 

You also need to decide on a tube size. There are a couple of popular sizes but I arbitrarily choose 3/8 ID (Inner Diameter) and 1/2 OD (Outer Diameter) when I started to water cool and that's what I have stuck with. Popular sizes are good because there is a good choice of fittings and tubing for them.

 

Taking all of that into consideration I chose EK compression fittings. I have worked with them in the past (In fact I mostly use them in my current loop) and they are my "go to" fittings if I need to recommend cheap compression fittings. They are $6 each and as six are needed the final cost of the fittings is $36. I chose compression fittings because are much safer than the slightly cheaper barbs, especially for people water cooling the first time.

 

For the tubing I recommend MasterKleer or Primochill Advanced LRT tubing. The Primochill tubing is cheapest in this case. It costs $2.50 per foot. You will need about 6 feet of it but it depends totally on your case and how your loop is laid out. Therefore the total price is $15. But could be more depending on your case.

 

Coolant

 

For a simple CPU loop like this 1L of coolant should be enough but you may want to order more in case you spill some. I can recommend EK and XSPC Coolants. They are both about $15 per liter.

 

You can also buy distilled water if it available from the supermarket in your region and use that but you will have to add corrosion inhibitor and biocide to your loop. That may or may not come out cheaper depending on the price of distilled water in your area.

 

Conclusion  and Footnotes

 

That's all the components you need for your loop.

 

It comes out at a grand total of $286. That may or may not be expensive for you but that's the lowest price of all the components I would recommend. Feel free to challenge any of my choices or ask me more about them. Nothing above is set in stone.

 

This loop could easily support a graphics card if you added more radiators (depending on how many you used in the first place) and bought the graphics card water block. You could also sell the components used individually on eBay and would get a big chunk of your money back if you ever decided to move away from water cooling or upgrade components.

 

Another thing to note is my decision to not add fans to the total price of the loop. The reason is the fans are a very individual choice depending on what you want. You can spend a lot or little on fans and they would perform accordingly. You would most likely be buying fans for those fan slots you are filling up anyway.

 

If you have any questions about water cooling in general you can go to our FAQ thread HERE.

 

A great tip when buying your first loop is to try and go on eBay and buy second hand parts. Water-cooling parts don't age very fast and it is a slow moving "industry". You can get some great discounts for things on eBay if you "lurk" around there for a couple of months and try to snag deals. I bought a very similar loop to this for £120 when I was building my first loop buy buying second hand components and the components I haven't sold on yet have been running fine for 3 years now.

[Shyxlol]

I would outline that your prices for the reservoirs are pump-res-combo prices

[Ghost]

I would outline that your prices for the reservoirs are pump-res-combo prices

Updated. Thanks!

[JordanMac]

Nice write up ghost, for those in the uk i would recommend watercooling uk for all of your loop supplies they have good prices and next day delivery. i've used them a couple of times and ive never been disappointed. If you're looking to save more money on fittings some websites like watercooling uk sell they're own non-branded compression fittings that are around £1-2. 

[Ghost]

Nice write up ghost, for those in the uk i would recommend watercooling uk for all of your loop supplies they have good prices and next day delivery. i've used them a couple of times and ive never been disappointed. If you're looking to save more money on fittings some websites like watercooling uk sell they're own non-branded compression fittings that are around £1-2. 

I have ordered from all 4 of the major water cooling retailers (specialtech.com watercoolinguk.co.uk scan.co.uk candccentral.co.uk), they are all great.

 

I would also watch out for those non-branded fittings. A non-branding fitting doesn't had a reputation to uphold in QC, if it leaks, who do you complain to?

[gampla]

special tech also but watercooler try mayhems does hes own coolant from pastel http://www.mayhems.co.uk/front/index.html

[PCBudgetSolutions]

What about this res: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11220/ex-res-233/XSPC_Tank_Reservoir_-_Laing_D5_MCP655_w_Blue_LED_Light_-_Acrylic.html

 

And select the 90 dollar swiftech Laing pump?  It's only 140 and u get 300 gal/hour flow.

[Ghost]

special tech also but watercooler try mayhems does hes own coolant from pastel http://www.mayhems.co.uk/front/index.html

Mayhem's coolants are hard to work with. I would never recommend them for beginner loop unless you choose your tubing well and are aware of the issues you may have with it.

[Ghost]

What about this res: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11220/ex-res-233/XSPC_Tank_Reservoir_-_Laing_D5_MCP655_w_Blue_LED_Light_-_Acrylic.html

 

And select the 90 dollar swiftech Laing pump?  It's only 140 and u get 300 gal/hour flow.

You don't need a higher flow rate. The results will be just as good with a DDC. Performance is only slightly better with a D% and in some cases the DDC is better. Its important to note most people turn down their D5 pump at which point it is defiantly less powerful than a DDC.

 

You would also lose out on $20. However, it is of course still a feasible option. I am not going to include it in the actual guide to not confuse people with too many choices but if they read this far down then the $140 combo is THIS and THIS. I chose the XSPC version because you get an RPM/Tacho wire which is good for monitoring the pump.

[gampla]

i know what you mean i looked at hes ice white its looks amazing but pastel looks slightly thicker then normal coolant

Mayhem's coolants are hard to work with. I would never recommend them for beginner loop unless you choose your tubing well and are aware of the issues you may have with it.

[Ghost]

i know what you mean i looked at hes ice white its looks amazing but pastel looks slightly thicker then normal coolant

That's not so much the problem, the problem is its incompatibility with certain tubing and its causes plasticizer (a white rubbery solid) to leach from the tubing more than any other coolant. This can then break off and cause a block in your loop which will off course mean you need to clean out your whole loop.

[WunderWuffle]

Good job, Ghost. There is also the MC-RES Micro for $25 or somewhat close to that price range.

[airdeano]

this was a frightfully good observation and helpful to cost conscience budgets.

but be known this is not a SLI/CFX 5.2GHz solution consult these topics XX and XX.

 

airdeano

[Ghost]

Good job, Ghost. There is also the MC-RES Micro for $25 or somewhat close to that price range.

Very true but you lose the performance bump of having a pump top, you are limited to the tubing size which comes on the standard DDC pump, (Unless you buy a pump with a pump top which will be more expensive and also requires two extra fittings). It is also much more of a hassle to mount and position in your system.

 

But you are absolutely correct, if you are going for the cheapest solution possible then that is a good res to use.

 

but be known this is not a SLI/CFX 5.2GHz solution consult these topics XX and XX.

Given enough radiators it could support a high overclock and the pump would support a 3 block loop.

 

(Yes these are modified pumps but it is possible) http://martinsliquidlab.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/pmp-450-pqvspmp400.png?w=614&h=555

[Whaler_99]

NIce write up Ghost.

 

I also recommend to those new to WC'ing to check both the pinned, posts - the FAQ and Guide.

[airdeano]

Given enough radiators it could support a high overclock and the pump would support a 3 block loop.

 

yeah, but some noob is gunna use that recipe and complain that his CPU temps are

monster high and the GPU(s) are frying hot.. why? 'cuz ghost said so... LOL.. they

won't wait to research anything, just tell me what i have to have to make this work..

 

airdeano

[blubaustin]

Budget cooling: use barbs instead of compression fittings, use a t-line instead of a reservoir.  PT-Nuke with silver coil from what I've heard works pretty good for coolant.