Starting with custom water cooling

[jamiegrujic1001]

So im very mew to custom water cooling. Dont get me wrong im very happy with my current setup but the gpu is just too loud when it heats up. So i have a rx5700xt and a ryzen 7 3700x and want to know how big of a rad i should go with. Or as i have a corsair h115i for cpu do i get a water block and rad separate for the gpu?  Any recommendations will be noted. Thanks for the help

[bowrilla]

1 hour ago, jamiegrujic1001 said:

So im very mew to custom water cooling. Dont get me wrong im very happy with my custom setup but the gpu is just too loud when it heats up. So i have a rx5700xt and a ryzen 7 3700x and want to know how big of a rad i should go with. Or as i have a corsair h115i for cpu do i get a water block and rad separate for the gpu?  Any recommendations will be noted. Thanks for the help

You do not have a custom loop, the H115i is an AiO. There are ways to either jerry rig another AiO onto your GPU or to use (if available) some mounting brackets for GPUs. There are also expendable AiOs that have the option to add different blocks and or more radiators but yours is a plain regular AiO, non-expandable, probably a generic Asetek model. You can't just try and cut your way in there to add some connections since the radiator is most likely aluminium and every half decent block is copper based. Mixing those metals means galvanic corrosion.

 

Going custom loop will mean expenses around US-$ 400 and more even with cheap components from Bykski or Barrow to get a full custom loop with GPU and CPU included. Even if you'd skip the CPU since you have an AiO - you'll only save the CPU block and the 2 additional fittings - unfortunately about the cheapest part of the loop. The GPU full cover blocks even from Bykski are 100+, a radiator 60-100 (depending on size and brand, but with 2 components you're looking at a 280 or 360 at least, the more the better), pump-reservoir combo ~80, CPU block 60-80, tubing another 20, fittings (at least 2 for each, potentially adaptor fittings) probably 40+, a canister of distilled water and some biocide another 10-20, thermal paste to get it all mounted another 10, add even the cheapest good fans at 10-14 each on top (Arctic P12/P14 series).

 

And all that just to get a custom loop on a midrange 5700xt you actually need to find a block first. 

[jamiegrujic1001]

11 hours ago, bowrilla said:

You do not have a custom loop, the H115i is an AiO. There are ways to either jerry rig another AiO onto your GPU or to use (if available) some mounting brackets for GPUs. There are also expendable AiOs that have the option to add different blocks and or more radiators but yours is a plain regular AiO, non-expandable, probably a generic Asetek model. You can't just try and cut your way in there to add some connections since the radiator is most likely aluminium and every half decent block is copper based. Mixing those metals means galvanic corrosion.

 

Going custom loop will mean expenses around US-$ 400 and more even with cheap components from Bykski or Barrow to get a full custom loop with GPU and CPU included. Even if you'd skip the CPU since you have an AiO - you'll only save the CPU block and the 2 additional fittings - unfortunately about the cheapest part of the loop. The GPU full cover blocks even from Bykski are 100+, a radiator 60-100 (depending on size and brand, but with 2 components you're looking at a 280 or 360 at least, the more the better), pump-reservoir combo ~80, CPU block 60-80, tubing another 20, fittings (at least 2 for each, potentially adaptor fittings) probably 40+, a canister of distilled water and some biocide another 10-20, thermal paste to get it all mounted another 10, add even the cheapest good fans at 10-14 each on top (Arctic P12/P14 series).

 

And all that just to get a custom loop on a midrange 5700xt you actually need to find a block first. 

So what size rad would i need for the gpu and then would i need to increase it if i was to add the cpu to the loop too?  Im very new to this custom loop stuff. Would say a ek se420 slim triple be enough for both components? (going to go with ek for the build unless u would recommend somewhere else) 

[bowrilla]

2 hours ago, jamiegrujic1001 said:

So what size rad would i need for the gpu and then would i need to increase it if i was to add the cpu to the loop too?  Im very new to this custom loop stuff. Would say a ek se420 slim triple be enough for both components? (going to go with ek for the build unless u would recommend somewhere else) 

The lower limit would be 120mm of radiator space for each component but you won't get great temps under stress. So get a little bit on top.  I'd say 140 or 240 for one component and 280 or 360 (or more) for both. More ist better but the more radiator space you get, the less you will benefit with each step. So going from 240 to 360 will make a difference in coolant temps, going to 480 is a smaller step, going to 600 (if you could get one) or 2x480 is even less of a benefit and so on. I'd say: get what fits your case.