External water cooling

[Squidapuss]

So here's the deal, I've already built my pc and love it, been running it for 3 weeks now. I didn't want it to take up much desk space though so I went with a white corsair 4000d airflow since its a good size and look for my setup. My original plan was to build the pc and run it with stock gpu cooler and amd wraith cooler until I decided how I wanted to cram a custom hardline loop in the case. This is slightly problematic, not a huge case but the 3080 Ti takes up quite alot of room. Nevertheless I could still fit a full 360mm slim rad in the front, 240 slim on top and 120 slim in the back, and use something like an ek 120 ddc pump/res combo. However, I have come to really love the look of the clean open space in the case, especially since I did an all white build... if I cram all those rads and lines in there it'll start to look pretty busy in there so what I really really want to do is run an external cooling solution.

 

My goal here is 1. provide overkill cooling for a slightly overclocked 5800x and 3080 Ti. 2# have a completely silent cooling solution 3# maximize my desk space and appearance by putting this cooling build wherever else in the room I want lol  Here's what I have figured out so far:

 

Pc is simple... Run a very short internal loop that enters and exits the case through a pcie cover slot. The loop will enter the case and go straight to my cpu then straight to the gpu and right back out the pc through the pcie cover bracket. The back of the pc case will have quick disconnects so I can move the pc and cooling box around freely as needed.

 

For the water box I'm going to run dual 360mm rads, with 6x noctua redux 900 fans. I figure this should be plenty of rad space to keep the fans spinning at a very quiet level and not hurt cooling performance. I'll use whatever ddc pump and res I feel like really. I have an extra corsair XD5 laying around so I could use that... should be enough head pressure to run through 2 rads 2 blocks and about 10 feet of soft water line (5 feet each way, with no more that a 3 foot change in elevation) should be strong enough right?

 

Anyways, where I need help is how to power to and control the fans/pump. Pc is too far away to supply power the cooler so how in the world do I setup power for this stuff?

I had two ideas, one was buy a cheap power supply with a jumper attached, a corsair cv 450 costs $35. The alternative is something like this: https://www.amazon.com/coolerguys-Supply-100-240V-Output-Connector/dp/B084JG4619/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=26NMRVJ1OVUIL&keywords=pc+fan+power+supply&qid=1637782987&sprefix=pc+fan+power%2Caps%2C240&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&smid=A2F13KK758WMXQ&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzOVYwSDY3RE1BNkE0JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjk5Mjk5UjZMN0kwVjRXVkRJJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA4ODc1MDEzMU84Vk5TU0pQUkkzJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

 

or this:https://www.amazon.com/Coolerguys-100-240v-Molex-Power-Adapter/dp/B000MGG6SC/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=molex+power+supply&qid=1637783091&sr=8-3

 

might have to run multiple of those to provide enough power though.

 

also for the fan controller...any advice on a good one for those noctua fans? they run at a fixed 900 rpm speed so obviously speed adjustment and monitoring isn't necessary.

In fact no monitoring on the cooler side is needed, I can put a flow meter and temp gauge on the pc side.

 

as for the housing for the rad/pump/res/fans/power supply... haven't decided yet. I have the tools and woodworking skills to build my own custom housing if I want... alternatively I could just buy a cheap pc case to put all this stuff in. I've tried finding a radiator tower but they're all 4-$500 or more... which is crazy for something that just holds radiators lol

 

Any advice on this is much appreciated, holiday sales are coming around quick so I figured I better jump on the opportunity to save a few bucks. 

 

 

[For Science!]

1 hour ago, Squidapuss said:

So here's the deal, I've already built my pc and love it, been running it for 3 weeks now. I didn't want it to take up much desk space though so I went with a white corsair 4000d airflow since its a good size and look for my setup. My original plan was to build the pc and run it with stock gpu cooler and amd wraith cooler until I decided how I wanted to cram a custom hardline loop in the case. This is slightly problematic, not a huge case but the 3080 Ti takes up quite alot of room. Nevertheless I could still fit a full 360mm slim rad in the front, 240 slim on top and 120 slim in the back, and use something like an ek 120 ddc pump/res combo. However, I have come to really love the look of the clean open space in the case, especially since I did an all white build... if I cram all those rads and lines in there it'll start to look pretty busy in there so what I really really want to do is run an external cooling solution.

 

My goal here is 1. provide overkill cooling for a slightly overclocked 5800x and 3080 Ti. 2# have a completely silent cooling solution 3# maximize my desk space and appearance by putting this cooling build wherever else in the room I want lol  Here's what I have figured out so far:

 

Pc is simple... Run a very short internal loop that enters and exits the case through a pcie cover slot. The loop will enter the case and go straight to my cpu then straight to the gpu and right back out the pc through the pcie cover bracket. The back of the pc case will have quick disconnects so I can move the pc and cooling box around freely as needed.

 

For the water box I'm going to run dual 360mm rads, with 6x noctua redux 900 fans. I figure this should be plenty of rad space to keep the fans spinning at a very quiet level and not hurt cooling performance. I'll use whatever ddc pump and res I feel like really. I have an extra corsair XD5 laying around so I could use that... should be enough head pressure to run through 2 rads 2 blocks and about 10 feet of soft water line (5 feet each way, with no more that a 3 foot change in elevation) should be strong enough right?

 

Anyways, where I need help is how to power to and control the fans/pump. Pc is too far away to supply power the cooler so how in the world do I setup power for this stuff?

I had two ideas, one was buy a cheap power supply with a jumper attached, a corsair cv 450 costs $35. The alternative is something like this: https://www.amazon.com/coolerguys-Supply-100-240V-Output-Connector/dp/B084JG4619/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=26NMRVJ1OVUIL&keywords=pc+fan+power+supply&qid=1637782987&sprefix=pc+fan+power%2Caps%2C240&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&smid=A2F13KK758WMXQ&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzOVYwSDY3RE1BNkE0JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjk5Mjk5UjZMN0kwVjRXVkRJJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA4ODc1MDEzMU84Vk5TU0pQUkkzJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

 

or this:https://www.amazon.com/Coolerguys-100-240v-Molex-Power-Adapter/dp/B000MGG6SC/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=molex+power+supply&qid=1637783091&sr=8-3

 

might have to run multiple of those to provide enough power though.

 

also for the fan controller...any advice on a good one for those noctua fans? they run at a fixed 900 rpm speed so obviously speed adjustment and monitoring isn't necessary.

In fact no monitoring on the cooler side is needed, I can put a flow meter and temp gauge on the pc side.

 

as for the housing for the rad/pump/res/fans/power supply... haven't decided yet. I have the tools and woodworking skills to build my own custom housing if I want... alternatively I could just buy a cheap pc case to put all this stuff in. I've tried finding a radiator tower but they're all 4-$500 or more... which is crazy for something that just holds radiators lol

 

Any advice on this is much appreciated, holiday sales are coming around quick so I figured I better jump on the opportunity to save a few bucks. 

 

 

I quite like Noctua's own implementation, nice and simple. https://noctua.at/en/na-fc1

Have you considered MO-RA3? kinda the gold-standard of external rads imo with lots of mounting options/accessories.

[Squidapuss]

26 minutes ago, For Science! said:

I quite like Noctua's own implementation, nice and simple. https://noctua.at/en/na-fc1

Have you considered MO-RA3? kinda the gold-standard of external rads imo with lots of mounting options/accessories.

That noctua controller does look like the best option so far, very simple implementation.  

 

I've not hear of that brand, seems a bit expensive and large for my setup. 9x 120mm rads a bit big... coming in around $300+.

I was thinking something like 2x corsair 360mm rads, $80 a piece.   But I'll definitely look around more when I get home.

 

Right now I don't really have an exact budget set but parts list with all components in my amazon cart come out to about $500. Which is fine by me, as far as price goes I want to probably keep it under $700 though. So theres some room for entertaining the idea of an even bigger rad setup... such as the MO-RA3. lol

 

I wanted to buy this but the seller has me a bit concerned...   https://www.ebay.com/itm/294575759647?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3D5a9374cbc1d7413a8cd222a5a5605ad0%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D165197672568%26itm%3D294575759647%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2380057%26brand%3DKoolance&_trksid=p2380057.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3A330e08f4-4d76-11ec-bfba-de5568fe444a|parentrq%3A5412d42c17d0a49d85fe2e7ffff5bf46|iid%3A1

 

I tried bidding on it before but I was constantly outbid. max bid ended up being $1k    I think the seller was bidding on it himself to try and get max profit from it because when the bidding ended he DM'd me offering to sell it direct for 950. I said my budget was 700 and he kept trying to get me to email him to negotiate. I ghosted his offers and he put up a listing to bid or buy now for 800 and sent me the link.  Probably fine and ebay has fraud protection but it just seems a bit shady to me lol plus.. still too $$$ for me     those erm systems are nice though

[thrasher_565]

imo i would go probably a super nova and 4x 200mm fans (need a diy mount thow) its big but will be over kill and super quiet. the d5 pump is quieter and more powerful. dont really need a res just a t line. but a res are cheap anyway.

 

they also have a nova 1080 as well.

 

but you could do 2x 360s if you really wanted and use thows rad mounts

 

as for power another psu is probably fine and buy an adapter you will have to cut and solder on a longer wire thow.

 

if you get pwm fans then you can hook them up to your mb for control

 

[Demonic Donut]

I'll just throw out there that in a closed loop, elevation doesn't change flow, only the restrictions in the system.

 

If you had a filled, closed loop that was 500 feet tall and 1 foot wide, it would flow the same as that same loop if it was laid on its side, 500 feet wide and 1 foot tall.

[thrasher_565]

1 hour ago, Demonic Donut said:

I'll just throw out there that in a closed loop, elevation doesn't change flow, only the restrictions in the system.

 

If you had a filled, closed loop that was 500 feet tall and 1 foot wide, it would flow the same as that same loop if it was laid on its side, 500 feet wide and 1 foot tall.

i dont get what you mean? a pump can only push so much water up. and aio will have a weaker pump then a d5 pump but the loop is small so its not like you can expand an aio to be external. or not a good idea too.

 

people have put there pumps and cooling in other rooms of there house and they need bigger pumps to do it.

[BigBlackRat]

1 hour ago, thrasher_565 said:

i dont get what you mean? a pump can only push so much water up. and aio will have a weaker pump then a d5 pump but the loop is small so its not like you can expand an aio to be external. or not a good idea too.

 

people have put there pumps and cooling in other rooms of there house and they need bigger pumps to do it.

What goes up must come down, as long as you don't have big air bubble up high, a closed loop has no change in pressure with elevation. 

[HM-2]

Well up to a point, as a pump can only achieve a certain maximum head pressure. And in a system where the maximum head of the pump is met or exceeded, the flow rate becomes zero. 

[thrasher_565]

8 hours ago, BigBlackRat said:

What goes up must come down, as long as you don't have big air bubble up high, a closed loop has no change in pressure with elevation. 

https://www.ekwb.com/blog/which-pump-should-you-use-d5-or-ddc/

[Demonic Donut]

14 hours ago, thrasher_565 said:

i dont get what you mean? a pump can only push so much water up. and aio will have a weaker pump then a d5 pump but the loop is small so its not like you can expand an aio to be external. or not a good idea too.

 

people have put there pumps and cooling in other rooms of there house and they need bigger pumps to do it.

A pump can only create so much pressure differential. Flow is a function of pressure differential vs restriction. That's why pump curves are important. You're right that pumps can only push so much water up (known as head pressure), but we aren't fighting gravity in a sealed loop. We don't have to worry about the 1psi of head for ever 2.41 feet of height.

 

As long as you aren't air locked, height doesn't matter. If you create differential pressure at the bottom of a closed loop, you'll push water over the "top" of the loop and it will "fall" back down to the suction side of the pump. You don't need to overcome the height of the loop, only the restrictions. As long as there isn't air, you're fine. The water will freely "spill" over the top of the loop because it's being "pulled" back down the suction side of the loop like a siphon.

 

You need a bigger pump when your stuff is remotely located due to increased pipe length, which increases the restriction to flow caused by friction inside the tube/pipe, fittings, and turns etc, not because of the height of the loop.

[thrasher_565]

6 hours ago, Demonic Donut said:

A pump can only create so much pressure differential. Flow is a function of pressure differential vs restriction. That's why pump curves are important. You're right that pumps can only push so much water up (known as head pressure), but we aren't fighting gravity in a sealed loop. We don't have to worry about the 1psi of head for ever 2.41 feet of height.

 

As long as you aren't air locked, height doesn't matter. If you create differential pressure at the bottom of a closed loop, you'll push water over the "top" of the loop and it will "fall" back down to the suction side of the pump. You don't need to overcome the height of the loop, only the restrictions. As long as there isn't air, you're fine. The water will freely "spill" over the top of the loop because it's being "pulled" back down the suction side of the loop like a siphon.

 

You need a bigger pump when your stuff is remotely located due to increased pipe length, which increases the restriction to flow caused by friction inside the tube/pipe, fittings, and turns etc, not because of the height of the loop.

ok dont agree with you but w/e

[Demonic Donut]

6 minutes ago, thrasher_565 said:

ok dont agree with you but w/e

You can choose to not agree/believe me, but that's just ignorance and stubbornness. Do the research and prove me wrong if you think you know more.

 

I've been working with everything from tiny 1/40 hp circulators to 50hp chilled water and condenser loop water pumps for high rises for over 10 years now. I guess those little circulators don't actually do anything for the 5 stories of high rise that the engineers put them in...

 

But you "agree" with what you want.