250D water cooling questions

[beardedturtles]

The one question I have a if a 240mm rad with a thickness of 30mm keep a GTX 980 and a i5-4670k nice and cool?
And if not will I have room for a 120 in the front 

[the jolly roger]

it will run hot, but it can. If you can also put a rad on the 120mm intake

[VMaxMuffin]

The one question I have a if a 240mm rad with a thickness of 30mm keep a GTX 980 and a i5-4670k nice and cool?

And if not will I have room for a 120 in the front 

 

You can put a 140 rad in the front (a bit bigger so better). I don't think you can fit a 30mm thickness 240mm rad in the 250D though, unless you use super thin fans.

[beardedturtles]

it will run hot, but it can. If you can also put a rad on the 120mm intake

How hot do you think it will get, and how much will a 120mm rad will help?

[beardedturtles]

You can put a 140 rad in the front (a bit bigger so better). I don't think you can fit a 30mm thickness 240mm rad in the 250D though, unless you use super thin fans.

I think the H100i is 30mm thick.

[the jolly roger]

How hot do you think it will get, and how much will a 120mm rad will help?

 

a 120mm rad itself can keep just the cpu cool, thats how much it helps

[the jolly roger]

I think the H100i is 30mm thick.

if you want to fit a thick rad, you will need low profile fans, your great friend Noctua has got you covered on that.

http://www.amazon.com/Noctua-Low-Profile-Cooling-A-Series-NF-A9x14/dp/B009NQM7V2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1412296367&sr=8-4&keywords=noctua+low+profile

[VMaxMuffin]

I think the H100i is 30mm thick.

 

http://www.corsair.com/en/hydro-series-h100i-extreme-performance-liquid-cpu-cooler

 

27mm actually. Maybe a 30mm would fit but it would be tight, the H100i is a tight fit as it is.

[beardedturtles]

if you want to fit a thick rad, you will need low profile fans, your great friend Noctua has got you covered on that.

http://www.amazon.com/Noctua-Low-Profile-Cooling-A-Series-NF-A9x14/dp/B009NQM7V2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1412296367&sr=8-4&keywords=noctua+low+profile

idk what rad this guy was using but it looks like it fits fine, but do you think i should go with a 120mm or 140mm in the front with that amount of space?

http://imgur.com/a/tLqHG 

[beardedturtles]

if you want to fit a thick rad, you will need low profile fans, your great friend Noctua has got you covered on that.

http://www.amazon.com/Noctua-Low-Profile-Cooling-A-Series-NF-A9x14/dp/B009NQM7V2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1412296367&sr=8-4&keywords=noctua+low+profile

idk what rad this guy was using but it looks like it fits fine, but do you think i should go with a 120mm or 140mm in the front with that amount of space? sorry for the spam

http://imgur.com/a/tLqHG 

[beardedturtles]

http://www.corsair.com/en/hydro-series-h100i-extreme-performance-liquid-cpu-cooler

 

27mm actually. Maybe a 30mm would fit but it would be tight, the H100i is a tight fit as it is.

idk what rad this guy was using but it looks like it fits fine, but do you think i should go with a 120mm or 140mm in the front with that amount of space? and sorry for the spam....

http://imgur.com/a/tLqHG 

[Shaqo_Wyn]

The one question I have a if a 240mm rad with a thickness of 30mm keep a GTX 980 and a i5-4670k nice and cool?

And if not will I have room for a 120 in the front 

 

You can fit a thin 240mm in the 250D but it's going to be tight and challenge.You will most likely be unhappy with the temps with a single 240. A 240 ST30 can only dissipate about 180W max TDP and you have at stock a TDP of 240W. 

[beardedturtles]

You can fit a thin 240mm in the 250D but it's going to be tight and challenge.You will most likely be unhappy with the temps with a single 360. A 240 ST30 can only dissipate about 180W max TDP and you have at stock a TDP of 240W. 

So even with a 240mm and a 120mm its still not sufficient for my parts?

[Shaqo_Wyn]

So even with a 240mm and a 120mm its still not sufficient for my parts?

 

Sorry man, typo. I meant that a 240 wouldn't be enough. A 240 + 120 would fair decently. A 240 + 240 would be ideal and give nice temps. 

 

It's a challenge to fit a 240 + 120 in the 250D though. Personally, I'd go with a mid tower that can have a thin 240 in the top and thick 240/280 in the front like the Midi R2 or 450D.

[beardedturtles]

Sorry man, typo. I meant that a 240 wouldn't be enough. A 240 + 120 would fair decently. A 240 + 240 would be ideal and give nice temps. 

 

It's a challenge to fit a 240 + 120 in the 250D though. Personally, I'd go with a mid tower that can have a thin 240 in the top and thick 240/280 in the front like the Midi R2 or 450D.

Well I have a mini atx board and I don't really want to get a new one. Is there any towers that support that type of cooling for mini atx?

[Shaqo_Wyn]

Well I have a mini atx board and I don't really want to get a new one. Is there any towers that support that type of cooling for mini atx?

 

Of course, most m-ATX case support m-ITX. The Corsair 350D or Fractal Design Mini R2 are the ones that come to mind. Both support great water cooling capabilities for their form factor. For m-ITX itself I can only think of the Prodigy m-ITX version. It can have a 240mm in the top and 200mm (Phobya Xtreme 200mm) in the front, provided you remove the 5.25" bay and the 3.5" HDD bays.

[beardedturtles]

Of course, most m-ATX case support m-ITX. The Corsair 350D or Fractal Design Mini R2 are the ones that come to mind. Both support great water cooling capabilities for there form factor. For m-ITX itself I can only think of the Prodigy m-ITX version. It can have a 240mm in the top and 200mm (Phobya Xtreme 200mm) in the front, provided you remove the 5.25" bay and the 3.5" HDD bays.

I wanted a computer that I could bring to my friends house easily. Also I have a fan controller, 2 HDDs and a SSD. Even if I switch to a gtx 970 360mm of rads wont help?

[Shaqo_Wyn]

I wanted a computer that I could bring to my friends house easily. Also I have a fan controller, 2 HDDs and a SSD. Even if I switch to a gtx 970 360mm of rads wont help?

 

You can stick with the GTX 980 and i5. Look, it's not like you can't run the system at all with a 360 rad. You just won't have the really low temps people expect from a custom loop. Good fans with lot's of static pressure are a factor too. Just do the 240 + 120 with some good fans and you're golden.

[beardedturtles]

You can stick with the GTX 980 and i5. Look, it's not like you can't run the system at all with a 360 rad. You just won't have the really low temps people expect from a custom loop. Good fans with lot's of static pressure are a factor too. Just do the 240 + 120 with some good fans and you're golden.

My plains for the loop is a 120 X-Flow Radiator and a 240 X-Flow Radiator. The fans I have now is SP120 from Corsair. I went with the x flow rads because it would be perfect for this case where the fittings are.

[Shaqo_Wyn]

My plains for the loop is a 120 X-Flow Radiator and a 240 X-Flow Radiator. The fans I have now is SP120 from Corsair. I went with the x flow rads because it would be perfect for this case where the fittings are.

 

The Black Ice GT Stealth's are great high fpi rads! Sounds like a solid setup to me. The SP120's aren't the quietest fans out there but they definitely have good static pressure, especially the High Performance edition's. Your temps should be alright and you can always compromise on noise and crank up the fan rpm when your system is under heavier loads. Good luck.

[beardedturtles]

The Black Ice GT Stealth's are great high fpi rads! Sounds like a solid setup to me. The SP120's aren't the quietest fans other but the definitely have good static pressure, especially the High Performance edition's. Your temps should be alright and you can always compromise on noise and crank up the fan rpm when your system is under heavier loads. Good luck.

thanks a lot!

[beardedturtles]

The Black Ice GT Stealth's are great high fpi rads! Sounds like a solid setup to me. The SP120's aren't the quietest fans out there but they definitely have good static pressure, especially the High Performance edition's. Your temps should be alright and you can always compromise on noise and crank up the fan rpm when your system is under heavier loads. Good luck.

Also do you think there are any other things I should be worried about? Like putting a loop together? And if you can suggest parts.

[Shaqo_Wyn]

Also do you think there are any other things I should be worried about? Like putting a loop together? And if you can suggest parts.

 

How do you mean, things you should be worried about? Like general rules or something else?

[beardedturtles]

How do you mean, things you should be worried about? Like general rules or something else?

Yeah, just basic water cooling tips and do's and don'ts, The coolant and the tubing are the things im stuck on. 

[Shaqo_Wyn]

Yeah, just basic water cooling tips and do's and don'ts, The coolant and the tubing are the things im stuck on. 

 

Okay. Well tubing and fittings first.

 

For the tubing you're going to want thin tubing that still allows a decent flow rate in a small case like the 250D. I recommend you go with 3/8 ID 1/2 OD Primochill Advanced LRT tubing. 

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/17883/ex-tub-1615/PrimoChill_PrimoFlex_Advanced_LRT_Tubing_38ID_x_12_OD_-_10ft_Retail_Pack_-_Brilliant_UV_Blue_PFLEXA10-12-B_w_Free_Sys_Prep.html?tl=g30c99s171#blank

 

Fittings: Compression fittings look the cleanest and the quality from reputable brands is roughly the same. The cheapest are Monsoon Free Center compression fittings, they come in 6-packs. These would also have to be 3/8 ID 1/2 OD. http://www.frozencpu.com/products/16651/ex-tub-1330/Monsoon_Free_Center_Compression_Fitting_-_38ID_x_12OD_-_Modders_6_Pack_Black_Chrome_FCC-3812-6P-BC.html#blank

 

Coolant: your best bet for a no muss no fuss solution is distilled water + a biocide (to prevent waterborne organisms) like a pure silver kill coil or liquid biocide like I&H DeadWater.

 

If you do want colored coolant, I recommend Mayhems X1. Keep in mind that most of their bright colors stain your water blocks over time and maybe also your tubing.

 

10ft of tubing is more than enough (allows you some good head room to make mistakes) and the rule for fittings is two per components (IN and OUT). So two rads, two water blocks, a pump and a res would be 10-12 fittings depending on whether the pump and res are a combo or not. 

 

Other general rules:

 

Loop order doesn't matter, only your res needs to come directly before the pump. Ideally above to pump so that the pump gets gravity fed.

 

Make sure you do a proper 24-hour leak test, with scotch towels on key components.

 

Never let your pump run dry. 

 

Take your time and plan out your loop. Tubing routes, which way the radiator ports are facing etc.

 

Don't forget to rinse the insides of your rads before installing, the first few rinses can be done with tap water. The last one or two rinses with distilled water.

 

These are the tips that come to mind right now. Singularity Computers on YT is also worth checking out. He's a true water cooling master IMO. 

 

P.S: I realized at the end that you said coolant and tubing and not fittings and tubing.. I left the fittings part in anyway.