Water Cooling Pump Guidance

[ArduousFormula]

I am looking into watercooling and the biggest expense I have come across is the pump, pump tops (if applicable) and reservoir - in my eyes, these come under the same general umbrella in a loop. I have had a few thoughts:

 

XSPC Photon 170mm with a D5 pump combo (132 GBP, 241 CAD, 227 USD)

EK X-RES 140mm with DDC pump combo (103 GBP, 188 CAD, 177 USD)

XSPC 750lph bay reservoir (60 GBP, 110 CAD, 103 USD)

Any other suggestions (although I live in the UK, so selection may be marginally limited)

 

The big question: What pump/res combo would be best in my proposed loop for the cost effectiveness side of things?

 

Aspects to think about: DDC vs D5 in this application, Could I get away with the XSPC 750lph pump?

 

Proposed Loop:

Alphacool UT60  360

Watercool Heatkiller 3.0

7/16 diameter tubing - XSPC blue tubing

Almost definite espansion to a single GPU in the near future.

 

Arctic MX2 Thermal Paste

Bitspower 1/2 Black Barb

No clips (smaller tubing than barb)

3x Corsair SP120 HP Fans (yes, they will be in pull configuration after hearing Linus' opinion on the subject)

 

If there are any errors or omissions in the loop - or products that seem a bad choice, I would appreciate to be notified.

 

If I decide to go ahead with the build, I may post a log of the system as I will be fitting a 360 rad in the front of a 600t which could be interesting.

 

Thanks for any help you can provide

ArduousFormula

[airdeano]

@ArduousFormula

 

welcome to the Linus Tech Tips forums!

 

for a simple, never going to upgrade cooling loop, the XSPC 750 is a fine pump. but if

looking to include a GPU in the future, then that pump isn't really sufficient for multi-block

applications. then come the DDC or D5 pumps. if in the future your adding a GPU to the

loop, the DDC (MCP-35x) or D5 will easily accommodate the multi-block usage.

 

the 7/16" tubing on 1/2" barbs is an excellent choice.

[SpyRosL]

@ArduousFormula

 

welcome to the Linus Tech Tips forums!

 

for a simple, never going to upgrade cooling loop, the XSPC 750 is a fine pump. but if

looking to include a GPU in the future, then that pump isn't really sufficient for multi-block

applications. then come the DDC or D5 pumps. if in the future your adding a GPU to the

loop, the DDC (MCP-35x) or D5 will easily accommodate the multi-block usage.

 

the 7/16" tubing on 1/2" barbs is an excellent choice.

(Don't want to make a new thread so i will post it here)

 

 

I hear ppl saying d5 or nothing.

What's really the difference between them?Is it only the power they can deliver or anything else that's important?

 

The reason i'm asking is because i found a very very cheap WC set and it's actually the only one i can afford. It has a LT/ST pump? (alphacool nexxxos cool answer 240 LT\ST). It costs the same as the swiftech h220 (!!)

 

Reason because i don't buy an AIO is the aesthetics and upgreadability(i'll probably buy a d5 and couple more rads in the future)

Btw,i'll only watercool my cpu for now. Is it a good choice?

[ArduousFormula]

@airdeano

 

Wow, nice to see you here as well I have been on OC3D for a few years (although an infrequent contributor) where you seemed prominent, you are a keen bean! Thanks for the quick reply.

 

I fear the inevitable is going to have to happen; having to dish out more than I hoped for a loop. I'll get saving a bit then. Seems like the EK res/pump combo will be the best suited unless anyone else has a better idea.

 

ArduousFormula

[Peopie]

(Don't want to make a new thread so i will post it here)

I hear ppl saying d5 or nothing.

What's really the difference between them?Is it only the power they can deliver or anything else that's important?

The reason i'm asking is because i found a very very cheap WC set and it's actually the only one i can afford. It has a LT/ST pump? (alphacool nexxxos cool answer 240 LT\ST). It costs the same as the swiftech h220 (!!)

Reason because i don't buy an AIO is the aesthetics and upgreadability(i'll probably buy a d5 and couple more rads in the future)

Btw,i'll only watercool my cpu for now. Is it a good choice?

The difference in performance between a DDC and a d5 is small, and probably not very noticeable

But the sound is massively different. People may day ddcs are quiet, and they sort of are, but they emit this high pitched whirring sound, and if you don't have a pwm on it, you're stuck hearing that sound whenever your computer is on.

D5s on the other hand do not emit such a high pitched sound, and if you get the various, then turning it down to 2 would make it very quiet, and quieter than a 1200 rpm fan.

[Peopie]

Snip

ArduousFormula

For the pumps, there is a seller on ocn that sells DDC-1T for 35, but I'm not sure if he is still around.

I would reccomend the D5, especially if you want quiet cooling.

You could also try to get xspc acrylic pump tops, along with a bare pump. Those combos usually come out lower cost due to the cheaper res. Having acrylic reservoirs have a chance to leak if the water temp goes above 60C, so having a glass res would prevent that

[airdeano]

I hear ppl saying d5 or nothing.

What's really the difference between them?Is it only the power they can deliver or anything else that's important?

 

The reason i'm asking is because i found a very very cheap WC set and it's actually the only one i can afford. It has a LT/ST pump? (alphacool nexxxos cool answer 240 LT\ST). It costs the same as the swiftech h220 (!!)

 

Reason because i don't buy an AIO is the aesthetics and upgreadability(i'll probably buy a d5 and couple more rads in the future)

Btw,i'll only watercool my cpu for now. Is it a good choice?

 

the Laing D5 has been around awhile, the cooling is handled in the loop and no relying

on air cooling the electronics like the DDC versions. the DDC is compact for smallish

builds and with the MCP-35x, multi-block arrangements are completed easily.

tbh, buying water cooling and cheap usually spells disaster or someone elses problems.

seemingly your first build should come off a store's shelf and not used. wrecks the

experience of completing the build without errors and enhances the build experience

when it all goes together the first time.

confidence in the LT pump is bad low. the CM Eisberg based their system around the

AC LT pump and was totally a fail. inconsistent action, extremely noisy, and stacking

blocks will crush it. hence the dual res for the LT was the "craze", but just didn't have

the legs under it to make it stand alone and the buzzing noise.. ahhh still in my head

from two years ago..

simple CPU the phobya/jingway 1200, any DDC pump, or D5. the later will prep for

upgrades without rebuying.

nothing wrong with AIO, till the budget, WC parts and build are ready. really can start

to appreciate the concept and functionality of the parts.

 

@airdeano

 

Wow, nice to see you here as well I have been on OC3D for a few years (although an infrequent contributor) where you seemed prominent, you are a keen bean! Thanks for the quick reply.

 

I fear the inevitable is going to have to happen; having to dish out more than I hoped for a loop. I'll get saving a bit then. Seems like the EK res/pump combo will be the best suited unless anyone else has a better idea.

 

ArduousFormula

 

yeah, it has been a long time since OC3D. thanks for the compliment.

the res/pump is fine for a lightly blocked CPU loop. it can handle a dual-block loop, but

not for long. so it is best to plan your options, detail the budget and then execute.

 

again, welcome to the LTT forums!

[ArduousFormula]

How likely is it that the res would experience temperatures in excess of 60C? If I execute the loop the way I plan, the loop would go pump > GPU (when, and if, I get a block and new one) > CPU > radiator > res. Would this mean that the res would not experience high temperatures?

 

I have heard of systems in cars called turbo timers. This is where the cooling of the turbo is maintained after the car is stopped by leaving the engine on to keep it cool. Has anyone done this in a computer and is it necessary? This prevents the need of driving a car slowly after a burnout etc. and is it wise to (for example, straight after benchmarking) leave a computer on after such use to let the watercooling system to cool down so that there isn't any really warm water staying in my system ccausing damage?

ArduousFormula

[airdeano]

How likely is it that the res would experience temperatures in excess of 60C? If I execute the loop the way I plan, the loop would go pump > GPU (when, and if, I get a block and new one) > CPU > radiator > res. Would this mean that the res would not experience high temperatures?

 

I have heard of systems in cars called turbo timers. This is where the cooling of the turbo is maintained after the car is stopped by leaving the engine on to keep it cool. Has anyone done this in a computer and is it necessary? This prevents the need of driving a car slowly after a burnout etc. and is it wise to (for example, straight after benchmarking) leave a computer on after such use to let the watercooling system to cool down so that there isn't any really warm water staying in my system ccausing damage?

ArduousFormula

 

slim to none. other than catastrophic failure the coolant will usually stay 12-15°

above ambient.