First Time Watercooling - Preparing

[Exentrick]

I'm preparing for my first water-cooled build. I've been doing some reading and watching videos, but I wanted to get a reality check on what I'm thinking and ask a few questions.

 

This will start as a CPU loop (9700k), but I'll be expanding it to add a GPU in the near future. My priorities are quiet, looks, and mild overclocking.

 

CPU Block - Heatkiller IV Pro seems to be a fan favorite and performance looks to be excellent as well. The chemist in me wants the all copper version, but the color clashes a bit with the rest of my build. The clear acrylic top version looks like it may solve my issue (plus I save $20), but as a first timer, should I be worried about using an acrylic top?

 

Res - Bitspower Water Tank Z-Multi 250
http://www.performance-pcs.com/bitspower-water-tank-z-multi-250-full-clear-acrylic-version.html

 

Rad - Alphacool Nexxxos XT45 Full Copper 480mm Radiator V.2
http://www.performance-pcs.com/alphacool-nexxxos-xt45-full-copper-480mm-radiator-v-2.html

My one question here - At 12 fins per inch, is this good for low speed fans?

 

Pump - Swiftech MCP655-B 1/4 Threaded
http://www.performance-pcs.com/swiftech-mcp655-b-special-edition-12-vdc-d5-pump-without-speed-controller.html

or

Performance-PCS Uber D5
http://www.performance-pcs.com/performance-pcs-uber-655-fully-modded-d5-12-vdc-water-pump-white.html

Performance-PCS' looks better and i'm not all that cost-sensitive, but I'm still struggling to justify the extra $$$ for the looks here.

 

Fittings - Shiny compression fittings from Bitspower

 

Tubing - I could use some help here. Recommendations on ID/OD would be appreciated. Looking on performance-pcs, I see options for PVC, Plasticizer-free, and Neoprene or polyurethane - suggestions here would be helpful also.

 

Coolant - Water + ~20% antifreeze... haven't really given this part much thought yet.

 

Fans - Also an area I'm struggling. Ideally, I'd like white fans or white and black with addressable LEDs. My default would normally be Noctua, but they look like crap. Suggestions?

 

Am I forgetting anything? Any advice for a newbie?

 

Thanks,

X

[For Science!]

48 minutes ago, Exentrick said:

X

Is there a particular need to have a separate reservoir and pump unit? If you have space, usually a pump/res combo tends to look a bit nicer.

 

Acrylic tops are fine, just go finger tight and don't overdo it and you probably won't crack anything. Metal is always safer though, I suppose. Alphacool rads, come sometimes be quite dirty out of the box, so make sure you rinse it well from the inside before assembling.

 

Tubing ID/OD is insignificant for performance and only influences the look of the system as well as the minimum bend radius. I guess you want soft tubing, and the question is whether you want clear tubing or not. If you don't need clear tubing, EPDM tube such as EKWB ZMT is most chemically resistant compared to other clear tubes. Pretty much most other soft tubing should be seen as consumable as it is likely to cloud over time.

 

As for the coolant, I would personally urge you to consider a proper coolant designed for PCs. Antifreeze may have additives such as silicates that have a potential to "gel" over time. My personal recommendation here is EKWB, but you can also look at my recent thread about some of the better documented coolants.

 

 

[Exentrick]

Thanks for the response. I was going for a separate pump/res because I figured I could better isolate noise/vibrations from the pump if it was a standalone unit, but I don't have any real rationale for that other than intuition.

 

I'd like to stick with clear tubing if only because I think it will make it easier to find a remove air bubbles, particularly since this will be my first attempt at watercooling.

 

I was looking through that PC Coolants thread the other day. I've got a bit of a bias against EK - it seems like they had a bad reputation over at HardOCP, but I think that was a while ago, and I don't follow closely enough to know if things have changed. That said, you've clearly done your work, so I'll take a look.

 

Any comments on the fans and radiators (or anything else) would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks again,

 

X

[andrewmp6]

For coolant some like ek and some like Mayhems xt-1 clear.The ek stuff wants you just to flush the loop with distilled water a few times before using the coolant.Mayhems i would use their mayhems blitz 2 kit first.Its a rad cleaner then a whole loop cleaner.It will take longer but should work better over time.For tubing the black ek zmt most love.As far as sizing depends who you ask,They all cool the same just the thicker wall tubing will kink less then thinner wall.Just make sure your fittings size matches the tubing size.And try to get you a air pressure tester like this http://www.performance-pcs.com/accessories-misc/aquacomputer-dr-drop-pressure-tester-incl-air-pump.html

You build the loop and can leak test it with air,In case it leaks its just air you won't hurt nothing.Even can pin point a hard to find leak better with it.

[Exentrick]

Thanks for the pressure tester suggestion. It's out of stock now, but if it comes back in stock in the next week or so, I'll pick it up.

 

I'm thinking 7/16ID, 5/8OD clear Primochill tubing - most seem pretty positive on that brand.

 

After doing some more research, it looks like the EK Vardar fans may be a good fit. Looks like they can spin down to ~500rpm, which should be nice and quiet. I've seen Jayz2cents use them quite a bit, but I'm not sure I've seen him formally recommend them. Does anyone have experience with these?

 

Based on For Science!'s comments, I took a look at pump/res combos, and I think the Swiftech Maelstrom D5 V2 Reservoir Pump Combo with Black Trim - 300mm (www.performance-pcs.com/swiftech-maelstrom-d5-v2-reservoir-pump-combo-with-black-trim-300mm.html) would work. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated, though.

 

Any opinions on the rad?

 

Thanks again,

 

X

[Exentrick]

Bump.

 

Also, I thinking of going with a cross flow radiator to make running tubing easier:

http://www.performance-pcs.com/alphacool-nexxxos-xt45-full-copper-x-flow-480mm.html

 

Any considerations to take into account on a cross flow radiator?

[J0stik]

Hey Guys, i am just in middle of building my first water loop, waiting for few leds, sheet of acrylic, GPU block, that was lost in shipping ... finished CPU loop, will add GPU block later ... for pressure test i used simple balloon for kids, just lubed it a bit, blown to half full, put it on hard tube and screwed to drain port .... but got a question, building with horizontal reservoir, with separate pump ... when reservoir is filled to half, bubbles are being made and distributed to loop, pump is noisy ... when reservoir is full it stops, but what about water volume expansion, can level/pressure raise to point where it pushes tube out of fitting, or can it do other damage ?