Help me build my first custom loop

[iiNNeX]

Hello all,

 

As the title states I need help with choosing components for my first custom water cooling adventure. I have done some extensive research but still have some questions that were left unanswered on other forums, so I decided to make a thread for it all and see what the wonderful community here can come up with.

 

Now the aim for the build is performance while still being silent (or as close as possible without sacrificing too much cooling power). 
With that in mind I have chosen the following components:

 

Be Quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 purchased
Intel i7 6700k processor purchased
Asus Formula VIII Z170 RGB Motherboard [purchased
Corsair Dominator Platinum 32GB kit (4x8GB) @ 3200mhz DDR4 memory purchased
Samsung 950 Pro 512GB M.2 SSD purchased
Samsung 850 Evo 1TB SSD purchased
EVGA Supernova 1000 P2 power supply purchased

 

GPU wise I am slightly undecided. I will be going for a GTX 1080 (maybe 2) but I am not sure if I should just get a FE card with the already existing EK block or wait out of the likes of EVGA Classified or even FTW edition cards with EK blocks for those. From what I have seen in reviews on both YT and various of other forums, people on air are struggling to push their cards much past the 2.1ghz mark, but temperature isn't their issue. So with that in mind, water cooling might not make any difference to it's OC potential, in which case getting an FE card might be the way to go? I guess the EVGA SC ACX card (which is a standard PCB i think) will be the one to pick from as it is cheaper than the standard EVGA FE card. Any input on this would be great.

 

I am running an Asus PG279Q 165hz panel so reaching above 100fps in most games would be beneficial.

Right then, enough ranting about that, now it's time for the hard part. The water cooling components that I have chosen so far are:

 

Pump/Res:
Pump: EK Water Blocks EK-D5 PWM G2 Motor (12V DC PWM Pump Motor)
Pump Top: Bitspower D5 / MCP655 Mod Kit V2 - Black Sparkle Finish
Pump Top: Bitspower D5 MOD TOP V2 EXTREME (Acrylic Version)
Res: Bitspower Dual / Single D5 Top Upgrade Kit 250 (Clear Acrylic Cap)
Res Accessories: Bitspower Z-CAP II With G1/4" x 3 (Clear Acrylic Version), Bitspower G1/4" Black Sparkle Aqua-Pipe II
Coolant: Not sure, some sort of Mayhems Pastel fluid

 

Blocks:
CPU Block - EK Water Blocks EK-Supremacy EVO - Acetal CSQ
GPU Block - 1080 EKWB depending on which 1080 I go for

 

Radiators/Fans:
Right, looking at the 360 rad roundup here: http://www.xtremerigs.net/2015/02/11/radiator-round-2015/5/

It looks like the best radiators for low RPM fans seem to be the EK XE and the Black Ice SR2 MP. Both scale very well with fan increase and push/pull configurations.

 

So with that in mind, here comes my next question. My case can accommodate up to a 420mm rad at top and at the front, as well as up to a 280 at the bottom. For total silence, radiator space overkill shouldn't be a problem, as the more rad space should equal lower fan speeds for the same cooling power correct? If so, do I go with 2x 360 or 2x 420 rads? From what I have seen this question would have been easily answered a few years ago as all 140mm static pressure fans were pretty bad. But now a lot of good companies have 140mm fans which don't suck,. stuff like the Noctua NF-A14 2000RPM PWM fans, the Noiseblocker BlackSilentPro's and Noiseblocker Eloops too. I would ideally prefer to go with the Black silent pros as for some reason as much as I love the Eloops they probably won't match my black/grey/monochrome theme in my system?

 

Fittings/Tubing:
Monsoon acrylic tube 16/13 mm (ID 2.1 OD 5/8) 4x61cm - Clear
Hardline Monsoon 16 / 13mm (ID 1/2 OD 5/8) compression fitting Sixpack - Black Chrome

 

Now I am not too sure if that's the best acrylic tube to use, it's just the cheapest I found for the amount you get. From what I saw on YT reviews it seems of good quality. The fittings I chose randomly, but I would ideally like to go with bitspower compression fittings instead, just not sure which model exactly would suit. Any input in tubing and fittings would be great!

I think I've covered everything, I am tempted in getting ram blocks because why not, but I don't know yet. So far I will be watercooling the motherboard, CPU and GPU (unless SLI then 2 GPUs).

Thank you for reading through this, any input from people who have already gone through the troubles of learning custom WC will be very greatly appreciated!

- iiNNeX

[W-L]

5 hours ago, iiNNeX said:

-SNIP-

Overall I don't see any major problems with what you have planned overall it seems pretty solid one thing is the fittings I would recommend to go with the economical fittings instead as they don't require the extra work with the collars and UV adhesives. Acrylic is a good option where currently the most popular would still be PETG. 

As for rads the dual 420mm would give the most performance in terms of cooling due to the extra surface area. 

[blubbered]

Looks pretty good, though personally i would do this:

a) I prefer stuff like the X1 concentrates fluids, as the pastels are sometimes prone to issues to colour change, gunking up and needing to be changed 

b) I MUCH prefer PETG as it is stronger, less prone to shattering and usually cheaper, just make sure you get pleanty of it so that you can re-do bends when u screw up. I've used Thermaltake PETG with Red X1 concentrate and distilled water, and that has worked well for me.

c) Unlike W-L, i like premium fittings as they can last you many systems without corrosion issues. And bitspower is just generally one of the best.

d) For radiators, I like as much surface area as possible, and make sure their not too thick, as it improves compatability in cases, and the fans have less resistance, so can be quieter.

e) You might want to look at getting as many componants from the same manufacturer as possibly, as that can hell to prevent corrosion. For example, all my fittings, radiators and blocks are from Koolance, because they are just solid, reliable and cheaper than most in the UK.

Also, on the GPU front, I'd be inclined to possibly get something last-gen and maybe use cross-fire of SLI. It can sometimes get great value for money, depending on weather the games you play support multiple GPUs. Something like dual RX480s or GTX970s might be an option worth considering, it's up to you.

Oh, and two GPUs just look cool.

Hope this is of help, Ed

[iiNNeX]

13 minutes ago, blubbered said:

Looks pretty good, though personally i would do this:

a) I prefer stuff like the X1 concentrates fluids, as the pastels are sometimes prone to issues to colour change, gunking up and needing to be changed 

b) I MUCH prefer PETG as it is stronger, less prone to shattering and usually cheaper, just make sure you get pleanty of it so that you can re-do bends when u screw up. I've used Thermaltake PETG with Red X1 concentrate and distilled water, and that has worked well for me.

c) Unlike W-L, i like premium fittings as they can last you many systems without corrosion issues. And bitspower is just generally one of the best.

d) For radiators, I like as much surface area as possible, and make sure their not too thick, as it improves compatability in cases, and the fans have less resistance, so can be quieter.

e) You might want to look at getting as many componants from the same manufacturer as possibly, as that can hell to prevent corrosion. For example, all my fittings, radiators and blocks are from Koolance, because they are just solid, reliable and cheaper than most in the UK.

Also, on the GPU front, I'd be inclined to possibly get something last-gen and maybe use cross-fire of SLI. It can sometimes get great value for money, depending on weather the games you play support multiple GPUs. Something like dual RX480s or GTX970s might be an option worth considering, it's up to you.

Oh, and two GPUs just look cool.

Hope this is of help, Ed

 

Hey Ed,

 

a) I have looked into that, I just prefer the look of the pastel fluids and I am aware of the issues that some people have had (Jayz2Cents Included) but am willing to give it a go anyway. If it starts colour changing or causing any issues I ll just use distilled water with some sort of dye.

 

b) The reason I have decided for Acrylic is because it is clearer than PETG and yes while not as strong, as long as I am careful with bends and make sure there isn't any stress on any particular part in my loop that isn't reinforced, I should be ok? I was even tempted to do the Glass Tubing route, but as a first timer in custom loops I ll try this first.

 

c) I go for premium parts in general, so fittings would be premium too. I really like the Bitspower Enhance multi link fittings they have.

 

d) Yes I agree, the Black Ice Nemesis GTX and GTS range are perfect for this situation, I am thinking 2x 420mm GTX rads and 1x 280mm GTS (slightly thinner). Should give plenty of cooling to run the fans extremely slow for that silence

 

e) Well pump make shouldn't make much difference and EK is well known so I decided to go with them for that reason. Pump top and all other mods in the pump and res department ideally I would like to be bitspower. I would also like the fittings to be bitspower. There seems to be a problem sourcing a lot of the choices I have made above from the UK though, and price really isn't a problem for me but I'm not sure what it would cost to get it all shipped from the US. I ll have a look in a bit and update the thread.

 

As far as GPUs, I had 980ti's in SLI previously and usually go for the best at the time so in this case it would be dual 1080s probably as I can't see myself reaching 165fps in most AAA games with a single one at 1440p. Might wait for the EVGA Classified cards though as the founders edition ones are for one overpriced and two do not have the options for custom bios, extra power phases and what not.

 

The EK multiGPU link looks awesome as well so that's another reason to SLI as you said

 

Thank you for your reply I appreciate it!

[blubbered]

6 minutes ago, iiNNeX said:

 

Hey Ed,

 

a) I have looked into that, I just prefer the look of the pastel fluids and I am aware of the issues that some people have had (Jayz2Cents Included) but am willing to give it a go anyway. If it starts colour changing or causing any issues I ll just use distilled water with some sort of dye.

 

b) The reason I have decided for Acrylic is because it is clearer than PETG and yes while not as strong, as long as I am careful with bends and make sure there isn't any stress on any particular part in my loop that isn't reinforced, I should be ok? I was even tempted to do the Glass Tubing route, but as a first timer in custom loops I ll try this first.

 

c) I go for premium parts in general, so fittings would be premium too. I really like the Bitspower Enhance multi link fittings they have.

 

d) Yes I agree, the Black Ice Nemesis GTX and GTS range are perfect for this situation, I am thinking 2x 420mm GTX rads and 1x 280mm GTS (slightly thinner). Should give plenty of cooling to run the fans extremely slow for that silence

 

e) Well pump make shouldn't make much difference and EK is well known so I decided to go with them for that reason. Pump top and all other mods in the pump and res department ideally I would like to be bitspower. I would also like the fittings to be bitspower. There seems to be a problem sourcing a lot of the choices I have made above from the UK though, and price really isn't a problem for me but I'm not sure what it would cost to get it all shipped from the US. I ll have a look in a bit and update the thread.

 

As far as GPUs, I had 980ti's in SLI previously and usually go for the best at the time so in this case it would be dual 1080s probably as I can't see myself reaching 165fps in most AAA games with a single one at 1440p. Might wait for the EVGA Classified cards though as the founders edition ones are for one overpriced and two do not have the options for custom bios, extra power phases and what not.

 

The EK multiGPU link looks awesome as well so that's another reason to SLI as you said

 

Thank you for your reply I appreciate it!

Seems like you know what you want and i can't see any faults in what you say, so good luck with everything, i hope it all goes well and id love to see the results.

And just out of interest, what colour scheme are u going for?

[iiNNeX]

59 minutes ago, blubbered said:

Seems like you know what you want and i can't see any faults in what you say, so good luck with everything, i hope it all goes well and id love to see the results.

And just out of interest, what colour scheme are u going for?

Yeah hope it does too. Hope I get the hang of bending tube quickly so I don't waste too much or have it look terrible

 

And as for colour scheme well.... I don't really know. I wanted to go monochrome on all components so that way the fluid colour will be the only thing which determines the theme, as usually grey/black/silver goes well with any colour. Ideally I wanted purple, a nice vibrant purple though and that seems to be hard to find.

 

Out of the pastel fluids I've seen the only ones that stand out as much as I wanted are the pink one and the baby blue one. Shame I can't get a strong uv purple in pastel form.