Question about watercooling

[luis791]

     I have looked everywhere to find out what are the average temps for the liquid inside of a closed loop cooler.  I bought a NZXT Kraken x31 for $30 locally.  I wanted to try it out since I have never had one before and they weren't even available when I build my last system 9 years ago. I think it is to small of a cooler for my rig. I bought it before I changed my mind and budget my. It was suppose to be just a web browsing PC.

 

     I know I need to add at least another fan.  I am currently using 2 fans that came with the case. My temps average 30 to 38 degrees and the CPU is usually 4 to 5 degrees warmer.  The PC is mostly for web and games no photo or video work. I am running small overclock nothing to crazy. I adjust fans speed depending on what I am doing.  Right now fan speeds is 95% CPU is at 35 degrees and Liquid at 32 degrees, I am just browsing the net. The  questions that I have are.

 

1. What should I do?

2. Are these temps ok?

3. What cooler should I get? If that would benefit or resolve the issue budget is around $120

4. I have not installed the second GPU should I wait to install?

5. PC will be in use around 10-15 hours a day.

 

Thanks for you time and advice.

I could not search this site because I don't have a search bar anywhere.

 

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/wbnKGX

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/wbnKGX/by_merchant/

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($179.99 @ Micro Center) 

CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X31 69.5 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($72.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($169.99 @ Micro Center) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory  ($80.98 @ Newegg) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory  ($80.98 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($104.99 @ NCIX US) 

Storage: Western Digital Green 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($139.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($52.65 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 280 3GB DirectCU II Video Card (2-Way CrossFire)  ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 280 3GB DirectCU II Video Card (2-Way CrossFire)  ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($79.99 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($89.99 @ NCIX US) 

Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer  ($12.99 @ Amazon) 

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit)  (Purchased For $0.00) 

Total: $1444.51

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-04 02:04 EST-0500

[Spev]

35 is an okay temp for idle, you should run a stress test with like Prime95 or something and see how hot is gets at the max. Why are you waiting to install both GPUs, worried about their temperature? You only mentioned the CPU temp so ya.

[Faceman]

@luis791

 

Those temperatures are perfectly fine, nothing abnormal, they are right where they should be.  Liquid temperature is not a concern, your CPU temperature is what matters.

 

What is your overclock?  speed and voltage.

What is your ambient temperature?

What games do you play, and what temperatures are you getting while playing those games?

 

If you do plan to stress test, be sure to set your voltage to constant/manual/override/static before doing so.  Failure to set your voltage to manual before running a stress test like Prime95 can cause damage to your CPU.

120mm AIOs are not ideal for a CPU, but it is also not terrible.  If you really want to upgrade to 240mm, then I highly recommend the Cooler Master Seidon 240M($70), Corsair H105($95), Cooler Master Nepton 280L($99), or Cooler Master Nepton 240M($130).  Stay away from the H100i, it has a lot of problems with mounting and is not guaranteed to work for you out of the box without modifications.  It also has a noisy pump and buggy software.  Those it works for, it works great, but there are far too many people complaining about their H100is, so I tend to advise against it.

 

Why did you buy a 2nd R9 280 if you aren't going to install it?  The only thing I could think of, is maybe if it is unopened, you could try and sell your R9 280s as a bundle for ~$250 and buy a single GTX 970.

 

Lastly, if you wanted to buy a larger AIO for your CPU, you could install the X31 on your GPU if you buy a Kraken G10 Bracket($10 at Tigerdirect.com).  I personally water cooled my GTX 780 using an X31 and G10 bracket.  You can check out my How To Water Cool A Single CPU + GPU for Under $200 USD Guide

[luis791]

The reason I have not installed the second card I was waiting for my local guy drop it off.  He sometimes can get me great deals from work.  I paid $120 for my second card.

 

I have not messed to much on overclocking I just went and used gigabyte tweak program. Overclock to 4.0 I believe it is set at 1.106 volts.  I just cannot remember how to overclock a pc safely. I am disabled and I suffer from brain fog. I have worked on pc for about 15 years and most of that is gone from my memory. 

 

Ambient temps in my room low to mid 60's I try to keep it cool. As for games right now I am playing Diablo III. Not sure where I am going next.  At least I have not forgotten how much fun is playing on a pc. In games I am getting 40 to 50 on the core and cooler.

 

I think I am just stressing my self out because I am not confident in my pc skills.  I ran Prime and was not paying attention got it to 120 degrees.

 

The bracket idea sounds like a good idea.  Will read and re read the post to make sure I get it,

 

Thanks.

[Faceman]

The reason I have not installed the second card I was waiting for my local guy drop it off.  He sometimes can get me great deals from work.  I paid $120 for my second card.

 

I have not messed to much on overclocking I just went and used gigabyte tweak program. Overclock to 4.0 I believe it is set at 1.106 volts.  I just cannot remember how to overclock a pc safely. I am disabled and I suffer from brain fog. I have worked on pc for about 15 years and most of that is gone from my memory. 

 

Ambient temps in my room low to mid 60's I try to keep it cool. As for games right now I am playing Diablo III. Not sure where I am going next.  At least I have not forgotten how much fun is playing on a pc. In games I am getting 40 to 50 on the core and cooler.

 

I think I am just stressing my self out because I am not confident in my pc skills.  I ran Prime and was not paying attention got it to 120 degrees.

 

The bracket idea sounds like a good idea.  Will read and re read the post to make sure I get it,

 

Thanks.

That is a good deal!

 

A quick 4.0Ghz OC at 1.106v is very good, and not dangerous at all.  No game you play will require more than that, so you could keep it at what you currently have and be fine.  Your temperatures are exactly what they should be for that cooler, for that overclock, and for that game.

 

Prime95 is not safe if you don't use it properly. 120C is not using it properly.  I wouldn't run P95 again.  You could use something like Cinebench, Intel Extreme Tuning Utility, Intel Burn Test, or LinPack to stress test, but I don't think it is necessary as your temperatures are good.

[luis791]

Thanks for the quick advice. It helped me stop stressing my self out.