Which case: eve XL, evo RGB or something else?

[silk186]

Budget (including currency): 5000 CAD

Country: China

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: cyberpunk and Hogwarts

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): 

 

• AMD 9800 x3d
• Gigabyte X870E AORUS PRO ICE
• Corsair 64GB (32Gx2) 6400
• WD SN850X 2TB + 4TB
• 5080
• Superflower Leadex VIII 1000w (bought)
• Gigabyle M32Q monitor (bought)
• Kali LP UNF (bought)

I'm going to be building a custom water loop with barrow/byski parts. This will be my first watercooled build and will replace my Gigabyte AORUS-15G--RTX-30-Series laptop which I've had to replace the fans on twice already. Now my question, is it worth going with the evo XL and 2 or 3 480 radiators, or would I be better served with something like the eco RGB and 2-3 360 radiators? I will hire someone to come to my house to do the water cooling. I don't have a ton of desk space and my desk is 1.6m and would just fit the XL. I can order a 1.8m top for my desk but not really sure if it will benefit from a larger desk and 480 fat radiators. Is it worth it or is it super overkill?

 

[Why_Me]

360 AIO is more than enough.

[silk186]

2 minutes ago, Why_Me said:

360 AIO is more than enough.

I will be putting the CPU 9800x3d) and GPU (5080) under water, you think 2x360 radiators in enough?

[AlexithinkSR]

45 minutes ago, silk186 said:

I will be putting the CPU 9800x3d) and GPU (5080) under water, you think 2x360 radiators in enough?

putting them underwater YEP

jokes aside, its enough

[AlexithinkSR]

i’d get ddr5 6000mt/s cl30 for stability

[Millios]

6 minutes ago, AlexithinkSR said:

i’d get ddr5 6000mt/s cl30 for stability

If it is 6400 cl32 they can underclock it/tune it to have it at that speed

[ChrisLoudon]

1 hour ago, silk186 said:

Is it worth it or is it super overkill?

Definitely overkill but that's what water cooling is all about these days.

 

You need to remember that both AIOs and even mid-range air coolers are getting so damn good that custom loop water cooling doesn't yield the same results it once did.

 

I was interested in your comment about getting someone else to do the loop... Is there any reason why? Custom loop water-cooling is a great hobby and while its ruinously expensive, its great fun.

 

I have a loop (dual loop) in an Evo XL and I would say, its a tough case to fill. My personal opinion on loops is always, its has to look 'balanced'. Having a single rad and a few pipes in a massive case makes everything look a little lost.

 

For my XL, I have a 360 Xflow at the top and a thick X360 at the bottom and a S120 at the rear and even with 2 Quantum Kinetic pump / res combos, I'd say things still look a little sparse.

 

The one great thing about the Evo cases is the upright GPU mount. Its just another good option to help 'fill' the case in a slightly more interesting way.

[silk186]

2 hours ago, ChrisLoudon said:

Definitely overkill but that's what water cooling is all about these days.

 

You need to remember that both AIOs and even mid-range air coolers are getting so damn good that custom loop water cooling doesn't yield the same results it once did.

 

I was interested in your comment about getting someone else to do the loop... Is there any reason why? Custom loop water-cooling is a great hobby and while its ruinously expensive, its great fun.

 

I have a loop (dual loop) in an Evo XL and I would say, its a tough case to fill. My personal opinion on loops is always, its has to look 'balanced'. Having a single rad and a few pipes in a massive case makes everything look a little lost.

 

For my XL, I have a 360 Xflow at the top and a thick X360 at the bottom and a S120 at the rear and even with 2 Quantum Kinetic pump / res combos, I'd say things still look a little sparse.

 

The one great thing about the Evo cases is the upright GPU mount. Its just another good option to help 'fill' the case in a slightly more interesting way.

That's my concern, that it will look silly if it's too empty

 

Why I'm not doing it myself... I want it to look good and don't want to buy all of the tools.

[ChrisLoudon]

7 minutes ago, silk186 said:

That's my concern, that it will look silly if it's too empty

Have you considered either the Hyte Y60 or Y70?
 

I've recently reshuffled some hardware round as I wait for 5090 and got a great looking build with a 4090 in a Y60.

 

It works quite nicely with either the corner distro block or a traditional pump / rez.

 

see pics below. I'll put my Evo in as well. You'll see how bug it is but might fill out better with a couple of 420s. I've actually changed it a bit since the pic was taken but you'll get the idea.

 

 

 

[ChrisLoudon]

18 minutes ago, silk186 said:

Why I'm not doing it myself... I want it to look good and don't want to buy all of the tools.

Naaa, do it yourself buddy. Its so much fun.

 

The tools aren't that expensive. A hobby tabletop circular saw, a heat gun and a tube cutter is all you really need.

 

Yeh, your first attempt will probably be the end of you and it will probably look like dog crap but once you get the knack (and the bug) you'll want to watercool everything.

 

Its may favourite winter project - redo all my loops in front of the TV catching up on years worth of F1

[silk186]

On 2/19/2025 at 10:56 PM, ChrisLoudon said:

Have you considered either the Hyte Y60 or Y70?
 

I've recently reshuffled some hardware round as I wait for 5090 and got a great looking build with a 4090 in a Y60.

 

It works quite nicely with either the corner distro block or a traditional pump / rez.

 

see pics below. I'll put my Evo in as well. You'll see how bug it is but might fill out better with a couple of 420s. I've actually changed it a bit since the pic was taken but you'll get the idea.

 

 

 

I hadn't considered Hyte because I was planning to go with a distro plate from Bykski... sadly they don't have one for the evo RGB which supports the removal of the post. From what I can tell neither the y60 nor y70 will support 3x360 rads. I considered the evo XL for 420 rad support but decided it was way overkill and would look too empty. Also, the Hyte cases aren't nearly as popular or price-competitive in my region. The y70 with the screen is a nice-looking case though.

[silk186]

On 2/19/2025 at 11:02 PM, ChrisLoudon said:

Naaa, do it yourself buddy. Its so much fun.

 

The tools aren't that expensive. A hobby tabletop circular saw, a heat gun and a tube cutter is all you really need.

 

Yeh, your first attempt will probably be the end of you and it will probably look like dog crap but once you get the knack (and the bug) you'll want to watercool everything.

 

Its may favourite winter project - redo all my loops in front of the TV catching up on years worth of F1

Maybe next time, I will have the guy come over to do the build so I can watch and ask questions. It can be fun watching other people work.

 

My plan is to order the parts for the main build this weekend. Order a 4080 or 5080 next payday and research how to do a loop in the evo, specifically where to put the res and pump.