"simple" GPU Watercooling solution.

[iovey]

Built a new system recently with a 7900xt Merc 310 Black, and it turns out that a 300+ watt GPU kicks out a lot more heat than my old 2060 Super (crazy i know). I've tuned and undervolted it to the point that its relatively tamed at about 70-80gpu and 80-90 hotspot without too much fan noise, but it could certainly be better. Seeing as aftermarket Air coolers seem to be basically dead, I thought I'd see what my options are as far as watercooling goes. 

My build is MicroATX in an AP201, so I have room for a 360mm Rad at the top but I don't think I can fit a reservoir in without also watercooling the CPU, so I'm looking at just block and rad. Alphacool has the Eiswolf AIO which seems like a pretty ideal choice for my needs, but I've never done PC watercooling before so I really don't understand everything I'm looking at/should be looking for, so some direction would be really appreciated. Thanks!

[emosun]

5 minutes ago, iovey said:

without too much fan noise, but it could certainly be better

if your goal is to reduce noise then a 360 rad with 3 fans is going to be louder than the air cooler the gpu already has.

other than moving the heat to a different place , you still need air to cool a water cooled gpu.

[Danner]

Now days most gpu has overkilled air cooling already plus 70-80 degrees isn't that bad, my suggestion is make a tiny more aggressive fan curve using MSI afterburner see how things going or make a better air flow of your case by adding fans/increase fan speed. In general, custom water cooling is not for everyone(unless you really enjoy building it and willing to do a regular maintenance)

[iovey]

2 minutes ago, emosun said:

if your goal is to reduce noise then a 360 rad with 3 fans is going to be louder than the air cooler the gpu already has.

other than moving the heat to a different place , you still need air to cool a water cooled gpu.

3 120mm/140mm fans should be able to spin slower than 3 90-ishmm fans that are built into the GPU, no? 

[iovey]

4 minutes ago, Danner said:

Now days most gpu has overkilled air cooling already plus 70-80 degrees isn't that bad, my suggestion is make a tiny more aggressive fan curve using MSI afterburner see how things going or make a better air flow of your case by adding fans/increase fan speed. In general, custom water cooling is not for everyone(unless you really enjoy building it and willing to do a regular maintenance)

The GPU sits too close to the bottom of the case to add in non slim fans without creating more turbulence than airflow, and I've got the GPU fans going about as fast as they can without it bothering me.

[emosun]

1 minute ago, iovey said:

3 120mm/140mm fans should be able to spin slower than 3 90-ishmm fans that are built into the GPU, no? 

if we break out the db meter maybe. if you run hot air through the rad then it won't matter.

simple way to test is just run the machine with the side panel off and if the temps don't change then a water cooler isn't going to do a whole lot more than an air cooler

[emosun]

1 minute ago, iovey said:

I've got the GPU fans going about as fast as they can without it bothering me.

the issue may then have more to do with what amount of sound bothers you vs how loud a stock gpu actually is

In which case just put the tower in another room. It's a free thing you can do that yields a 100% silent machine vs spending money on water cooling which yields a not silent machine.

[Danner]

6 minutes ago, iovey said:

The GPU sits too close to the bottom of the case to add in non slim fans without creating more turbulence than airflow, and I've got the GPU fans going about as fast as they can without it bothering me.

do you have exhaust fans on top?

[iovey]

6 minutes ago, Danner said:

do you have exhaust fans on top?

I have one rear exhaust and one top exhaust, 3/4 of my P12 Max's were duds with coil whine so thats all for now. The case has a few inches of extra top height though, so I'm not really sure how much top exhausts would effect it other than more quickly getting rid of the relatively minimal CPU heat.

[iovey]

15 minutes ago, emosun said:

the issue may then have more to do with what amount of sound bothers you vs how loud a stock gpu actually is

In which case just put the tower in another room. It's a free thing you can do that yields a 100% silent machine vs spending money on water cooling which yields a not silent machine.

I don't have a free extra room to put a loud/hot box in, nor do i have a dozen 20 foot cables to run back to my desk.

[Danner]

9 minutes ago, iovey said:

I have one rear exhaust and one top exhaust, 3/4 of my P12 Max's were duds with coil whine so thats all for now. The case has a few inches of extra top height though, so I'm not really sure how much top exhausts would effect it other than more quickly getting rid of the relatively minimal CPU heat.

Try get couple extra exhaust fans first, it probably works better than you thought.