How's this kit?

[aduman]

Hi all! Thinking about getting one then expanding it to cool both my cpu and gpus. What do you think about these kits?

 

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/23378/ex-wat-299/XSPC_Raystorm_RX360_V3_Extreme_Universal_CPU_Water_Cooling_Kit_w_D5_Photon_and_Free_Dead-Water.html

 

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/24956/ex-wat-318/EK_X360_Complete_Triple_120mm_Liquid_Cooling_Kit_EK-KIT_X360.html?tl=g57c607s1949

 

I don't understand why the latter is much more expensive. The kit will be replacing my H90 and like I said I'll be expanding it to water-cool my gpus too. I'd love to hear your opinions on this upgrade! The build is in my sig. Thanks!

[SSOB]

Don't use kits. @Ghost (watercooling guru) will definitely help you.

[aduman]

Don't use kits. @Ghost (watercooling guru) will definitely help you.

 

I'm really in need of some man. Thanks!

[Leonard]

Hi all! Thinking about getting one then expanding it to cool both my cpu and gpus. What do you think about these kits?

 

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/23378/ex-wat-299/XSPC_Raystorm_RX360_V3_Extreme_Universal_CPU_Water_Cooling_Kit_w_D5_Photon_and_Free_Dead-Water.html

 

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/24956/ex-wat-318/EK_X360_Complete_Triple_120mm_Liquid_Cooling_Kit_EK-KIT_X360.html?tl=g57c607s1949

 

I don't understand why the latter is much more expensive. The kit will be replacing my H90 and like I said I'll be expanding it to water-cool my gpus too. I'd love to hear your opinions on this upgrade! The build is in my sig. Thanks!

I would get the XSPC kit as it has a much better pump and reservoir but i would change the fans because the stock ones are loud and vibrate the case.

[cesrai]

Don't use kits. @Ghost (watercooling guru) will definitely help you.

Why not some of them are awesome and  it's just parts in a box ready for you -sometimes cheaper- but making your own is better generally.

[aduman]

Why not some of them are awesome and  it's just parts in a box ready for you -sometimes cheaper- but making your own is better generally.

 

Yeah, I don't know why I shouldn't start with a kit. I'll be getting the same parts in the kit even if I buy them separately anyway. It's cheaper this way too. This is the best kit among the ones EK and XSPC are offering.

I would get the XSPC kit as it has a much better pump and reservoir but i would change the fans because the stock ones are loud and vibrate the case.

 

Fans look shitty but other than that the kit itself looks really solid imo. Why is the EK one much more expensive man? I mean the XSPC one comes with a D5 pump and it's still a lot cheaper than EK's. I would definitely get my GPU blocks from EK but their kit pricing is crazy!

[Ghost]

I'm really in need of some man. Thanks!

Here's a few links to get you started:

 

1. http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/34901-ghosts-low-budget-water-cooling-loop-plan/
2. http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/5435-watercooling-faq-some-basic-qa/
3. http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/1755-water-cooling-101-a-good-place-for-newbies-to-start/

[Benji_w]

You can get 2nd hand parts cheap, but a kit is a good start if you just want to get it and fit it with no messing around. I picked up my pump and res combo for £35 and a waterblock cost me around that, I wasted money on tubing and fittings, I should of gone hardline tubing and saved myself ALOT of money.

[Leonard]

Yeah, I don't know why I shouldn't start with a kit. I'll be getting the same parts in the kit even if I buy them separately anyway. It's cheaper this way too. This is the best kit among the ones EK and XSPC are offering.

 

Fans look shitty but other than that the kit itself looks really solid imo. Why is the EK one much more expensive man? I mean the XSPC one comes with a D5 pump and it's still a lot cheaper than EK's. I would definitely get my GPU blocks from EK but their kit pricing is crazy!

The fans are solid but if you want performance and silence like i do those XSPC fans just won't do. They are too loud and vibrate even with anti-vibration mounts. I could feel the vibration from my case when ever i put my feet on my case, it is under my desk, so imagine if you case is on top you desk, this is at 12v mind you. I changed my XSPC fans for these which are the Akasa fans re-branded and i get 5C lower temperatures running AIDA64 when running the fans at 12v. They don't vibrate and at 1100RPM they are silent and still cool a 30fpi radiator with ease.

 

The EK is more expensive because it is just marketing. EK is widely known for quality and is like a high end sports car but this is not to say that XSPC or any other make does not have the same or even better quality for less. I went with an XSPC kit over an EKs because i got some insight from the a worker an e-tailer about which one is better and they expressed that both are the same quality but the XSPC costs less making it better IMO. I can also tell you that the reservoirs from both EK and XSPC stain with colored coolants over time but the one in this specific kit with the photon reservoir does not and we all know the quality of a D5 pump.

 

EKs pricing is premium no doubt about it. 

[Ghost]

The fans are solid but if you want performance and silence like i do those XSPC fans just won't do. They are too loud and vibrate even with anti-vibration mounts. I could feel the vibration from my case when ever i put my feet on my case, it is under my desk, so imagine if you case is on top you desk, this is at 12v mind you. I changed my XSPC fans for these which are the Akasa fans re-branded and i get 5C lower temperatures running AIDA64 when running the fans at 12v. They don't vibrate and at 1100RPM they are silent and still cool a 30fpi radiator with ease.

 

The EK is more expensive because it is just marketing. EK is widely known for quality and is like a high end sports car but this is not to say that XSPC or any other make does not have the same or even better quality for less. I went with an XSPC kit over an EKs because i got some insight from the a worker an e-tailer about which one is better and they expressed that both are the same quality but the XSPC costs less making it better IMO. I can also tell you that the reservoirs from both EK and XSPC stain with colored coolants over time but the one in this specific kit with the photon reservoir does not and we all know the quality of a D5 pump.

 

EKs pricing is premium no doubt about it. 

 

• EK is not known for high end. In fact there is a well known nickel flaking issue they had many years ago. Now fixed, but avoid old EK nickel plated blocks.
• The Photon res DOES stain...
• D5 and modern DDCs are just as good as each other. A DDC is slightly smaller and air cooled, rather than watercooled -> runs hotter but doesn't affect water temps.
• The 360 rad EK provide is £10 cheaper standalone than the XSPC one, so that would make XPSC premium, no?

To the OP:

• EK's provide usable tubing. I wouldn't use the tubing in the XSPC kit.
• EK's provides a more expensive (and arguably better) pump.
• EK's provides very good coolant. XSPC provides no coolant.

Why you shouldn't buy a kit? You will get what you want first time, understand why you are buying it, and understand what to buy if you ever do want to upgrade, as well as getting a choice in what parts you buy. Your loop will be yours. If you want to get better performance on your PC, don't water cool, buy better parts for the cost of watercooling. Even if you want silence, there are so many high end passive options out there that don't require a running pump to be in your system. You could use the money to upgrade to those. Watercool because you want to watercool. If you make a list of parts, and find that a kit has most of the things you were buying anyway, for a small discount, then go for it. In most circumstances that doesn't happen. It's the same reason a lot of PC enthusiasts don't buy barebones kits for PCs. You should be able to make the choices yourself.

 

Watercooling is a big investment of time and money, coupled with inconvenience. You end up with something awesome, but the price is high and it's worth doing the research beforehand.

[aduman]

-snip-

 

Thank you for helping me out, that's all I needed to hear. I've did my research long ago, read several articles, watched several videos so I actually know my way around these. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, it's like an obsession. So I'll probably be getting EK products. (As they're considered the premium when it comes to water-cooling.)

 

I think I actually need a new monitor more than this. The world of PC building/upgrading keeps messing with my mind! Thanks for clearing it out.

[aduman]

-snip-

 

Thanks man, appreciate the help. Decided to wait a bit to get a clear view of my options. I'm a bit confused right now. You'll definitely see a new thread by me asking similar questions soon! Jokes aside, I'll be focusing on getting a new monitor for now I think.

[Leonard]

Thanks man, appreciate the help. Decided to wait a bit to get a clear view of my options. I'm a bit confused right now. You'll definitely see a new thread by me asking similar questions soon! Jokes aside, I'll be focusing on getting a new monitor for now I think.

Your welcome and Cool.