Water Cooling 101 - A good place for newbies to start

[Whaler_99]

Hey

Im building my first water cooling loop and im on a tight budget so i will be going with the xspc raystorm kit which is already 60bucks shipping where i live in australia. The kit comes with tubing but no coolant. Woild it be better to but xspc blood red coolant or buy normal clear coolant and also buy red tubing.

Thanks

 

Red coolant has a nasty habit of fading and not being truly red. Also, it is the worst for staining your components. Best bet for a nice "red" look, buy red tubing and just use distilled water with a biocide, kill coil, etc...

[Averdrity]

Hello!

I just built my own PC, and speccs can you see in my signature.

I wanna build a custom water loop for my pc. I've never done it before. This was a very nice guide! And I've learned a lot.

But i want the best tips of what i should buy if i want to cool my CPU and my GPU's!

Im not afraid of spending money on this. I just wanna be sure i get quality and performance.

So does anyone have any suggestions? If i should buy like a kit or buy parts separately?

Best regards

Hyldran0

[Whaler_99]

Hello!

I just built my own PC, and speccs can you see in my signature.

snip

Best regards

Hyldran0

 

Best bet, start a new thread here in the water cooling section and folks will answer you...

[garawr]

as a newbie this helped me alot

[Cryptic645]

thank you a lot

[warplane95]

WOW!!! Very very nice thread

[Treij512]

Just Curious, would having your top mounted radiator not 100% flush to the top of the case cause any issues? 

 

Swiftech h320 in the nzxt h440. My radiator is a lil tipped because the fill port on the h320 buldges out just enough, will that cause issue in the long run? i plan on taking a dremmel to the case and cutting out some room.

[Whaler_99]

Just Curious, would having your top mounted radiator not 100% flush to the top of the case cause any issues? 

 

Swiftech h320 in the nzxt h440. My radiator is a lil tipped because the fill port on the h320 buldges out just enough, will that cause issue in the long run? i plan on taking a dremmel to the case and cutting out some room.

 

It should not, typically you can mount a rad horizontal, vertizal, angle, doesn't matter. It should be filled with coolant, empty of bubbles and the pump pushes coolant through, regardless of the orientation. Just having say your ports at the top on a vertical mounting can make it easier to bleed the air out.

 

For the H320, this shouldn't be a problem. Just shake the case back and forth, side to side, forward to back to make sure you get all the bubbles out.

[Treij512]

It should not, typically you can mount a rad horizontal, vertizal, angle, doesn't matter. It should be filled with coolant, empty of bubbles and the pump pushes coolant through, regardless of the orientation. Just having say your ports at the top on a vertical mounting can make it easier to bleed the air out.

 

For the H320, this shouldn't be a problem. Just shake the case back and forth, side to side, forward to back to make sure you get all the bubbles out.

Thanks for the reply . Still doing some research and trying to get my temps down a notch, I understand ambient temp can cause it to rise but im still confused as to thy my cpu is idling in the low-mid 40s same with my gpu, they pretty much mimic eachother as far as temps go. Ive tried a few different combiniations as well. 

 

HT off: temps roughly 10 degrees lower idle and load

 

HT on with 2 cores enabled: Same as with 4C/4T

 

All of my voltages and settings are at stock as well but i cant seem to get them lower, Could the fact that i have a gpu in the loop be affecting the cpu temps?

 

Also, I have an additional 240m rad at the front with fairly high fin density and i was wondering would having faster rpm fans help cool it? Running swiftech helix 1800rpms on the front with the stock swiftech fans on the h320.

 

My build:  http://pcpartpicker.com/b/bdxYcf

[TheProfosist]

Ill be asking a few questions about my loop here once I get it together.

[Whaler_99]

Ill be asking a few questions about my loop here once I get it together.

 

Best bet is to start a new post with all the questions and then all the members will respond.

[Whaler_99]

Thanks for the reply . Still doing some research and trying to get my temps down a notch, I understand ambient temp can cause it to rise but im still confused as to thy my cpu is idling in the low-mid 40s same with my gpu, they pretty much mimic eachother as far as temps go. Ive tried a few different combiniations as well. 

 

HT off: temps roughly 10 degrees lower idle and load

 

HT on with 2 cores enabled: Same as with 4C/4T

 

All of my voltages and settings are at stock as well but i cant seem to get them lower, Could the fact that i have a gpu in the loop be affecting the cpu temps?

 

Also, I have an additional 240m rad at the front with fairly high fin density and i was wondering would having faster rpm fans help cool it? Running swiftech helix 1800rpms on the front with the stock swiftech fans on the h320.

 

My build:  http://pcpartpicker.com/b/bdxYcf

 

Best bet is to start a new thread for this.

 

Off hand - pull off the CPU block, make sure it was seated right and thermal paste properly applied, not to much, not to little. Was it tightened down enough? Also, yes, adding a GPU into a loop will heat things up, but not that much at idle. For a high density rad, or any rad in general, you want fans that pump out a lot in the way of static pressure. High rpm's don't always translate to such. Make sure the fans on the 240 are running as intake fans, blowing into the case, and the ones on the 320 are running as exhaust, blowing out. I know when I got my H220, I had to reverse the fans to match the orientation I wanted the rad in.

[TheProfosist]

Best bet is to start a new post with all the questions and then all the members will respond.

Its not really much, mostly how to fill the thing (what order) and if I need some way to drain it. I have a H320 + a rad from a H220 and then two 980's in the loop. I might make a thread once I draw up the loop or even have it together. The last time I made a thread on it people did get it I think. I also didnt get too many responses.

[Whaler_99]

Its not really much, mostly how to fill the thing (what order) and if I need some way to drain it. I have a H320 + a rad from a H220 and then two 980's in the loop. I might make a thread once I draw up the loop or even have it together. The last time I made a thread on it people did get it I think. I also didnt get too many responses.

 

That's the one thing I have never figured out how you do. With the fill port orientation on the rad, you pretty much have to fill it, while it isn't actually secured to the case. Then once all full, screw it in, but what a pain in the ass. Best bet for all that gear, add a reservoir into the loop. Will make filling a LOT easier. Just make sure the res is mounted high, maybe even a bay res depending on your case, have the output of the res go into the input on the put, which on the H320 is the GPU block.

Emptying will be a bit easier. Get a bowl. Tip your PC on its side. Un-secure the H320 from the top, unscrew the res port, and then let it drain into the bowl. From that point, take components apart and out and drain into said bow...

[TheProfosist]

That's the one thing I have never figured out how you do. With the fill port orientation on the rad, you pretty much have to fill it, while it isn't actually secured to the case. Then once all full, screw it in, but what a pain in the ass. Best bet for all that gear, add a reservoir into the loop. Will make filling a LOT easier. Just make sure the res is mounted high, maybe even a bay res depending on your case, have the output of the res go into the input on the put, which on the H320 is the GPU block.

Emptying will be a bit easier. Get a bowl. Tip your PC on its side. Un-secure the H320 from the top, unscrew the res port, and then let it drain into the bowl. From that point, take components apart and out and drain into said bow...

I have a H320 and the rad from a H220. Both rads have res's in them. I was thinking about cutting a hole in the top of my case to be able to fill the H320 from the top. Here is a crude diagram of the loop http://goo.gl/kwZM13 . The H320 rad is in the top and the H220 in the front. Both rads will have NF-F12's in push pull. If your interested this is going to be in the rebuild of my Anthrax build after this second round of RMA's.

[Whaler_99]

I have a H320 and the rad from a H220. Both rads have res's in them. I was thinking about cutting a hole in the top of my case to be able to fill the H320 from the top. Here is a crude diagram of the loop http://goo.gl/kwZM13 . The H320 rad is in the top and the H220 in the front. Both rads will have NF-F12's in push pull. If your interested this is going to be in the rebuild of my Anthrax build after this second round of RMA's.

 

The only issue with the H320 as the fill port and no external res, is bleeding air out. It will be a pain. Typically with a res, you prime the loop, top up the res, seal it and shake the crap out of the case. Air gets inherently trapped in the res and not in the loop. Top up res, rinse and repeat a few times. I can see this being a pain with the H329, but, given patience, should be doable. Cutting a hole in the case to access the port will be good.

 

FYI - If you can, mount the H220 rad with the intake and outake ports at the top. Two benefits, first, a LOT easier to drain the air from it that way. Second, unscrew the H220 rad from case, lean it outside of case, and that fill port on the bottom is perfect for draining into a bowl.

[Crazy_ChiefXxX]

my biggest  question is , is there a difference in Temps between (1) 120mm rad (1 fan) Cpu cooler and a 240mm Rad Cpu cooler?

[TheProfosist]

The only issue with the H320 as the fill port and no external res, is bleeding air out. It will be a pain. Typically with a res, you prime the loop, top up the res, seal it and shake the crap out of the case. Air gets inherently trapped in the res and not in the loop. Top up res, rinse and repeat a few times. I can see this being a pain with the H329, but, given patience, should be doable. Cutting a hole in the case to access the port will be good.

 

FYI - If you can, mount the H220 rad with the intake and outake ports at the top. Two benefits, first, a LOT easier to drain the air from it that way. Second, unscrew the H220 rad from case, lean it outside of case, and that fill port on the bottom is perfect for draining into a bowl.

yes I already know how much of a pain it can really be from when I was originally using the air 540 http://goo.gl/NAvGNt . I got it bled but it definitely took quite a while.

The probably with that is that it kinda screws up what seems like it would have been mostly clean tubing runs as the barbs would be up by the CPU socket almost.

ill see if I can get some mockup pics in the coming week

[skitz9417]

would this http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=207_160_1694&products_id=29010 be a good upgrde from a nh-d14 or should i just go full water loop i have a fx 6300 at 4.7ghz and trying to keep the temps under 62c highest i get is 69c 

[Dingus]

Super helpful guide.  Now where is the guide to get my wife to look the other way while I drop the cash for my custom loop?

[Rahldrac]

Is there any reason to have a big reservoir other than looks? I'm thinking about doing a custom loop with a 240 rad for my two 970 GTX. (Already have a thermaltake water 3 extreme for the CPU). And since my case is relatively small it would be nice to have it relatively small.
How about http://www.frozencpu.com/products/21022/ex-pmp-251/EK_D5_X-RES_Top_100_w_D5_Vario_Pump_EK-XRES_100_D5_Vario_incl_pump.html?tl=g57c595s1938 ?

Heard a lot of good stuff about the D5, and the vario version can be quieter because you can lower the speed. And then I can up the speed if I want to expand the loop?

[DarthBaggins]

you're going to need a min of a 360 rad for the 2 GPU's alone (1 120 per gpu + 1 120 for added cooling)

[LouisT]

Hi guys just a question. I'm getting an NZXT 530 with a Kraken X61 and im not sure how to do the air flow. I need to put the rad on the top but should I pull in cool air from the top or exhaust hot air from the top through the rad.I think if I intake from the top the only other place to exhaust is out the back. Dose pulling hot air from in the case through the rad work or will it not cool the loop?

[Gtre]

Hi all, for fittings, i must to buy brands fittings like ek (4€) or also nobrand fittings are ok? (2€)

 

thanks 

[wc_vince]

NObrand fittings are okay as long as they look to be high quality