Long complex questions

[Beef Boss]

I've never built a pc. Keep that in mind. I don't have any parts for my pc. I want this Thermaltake TOWER 900 case. It's more vertical than horizontal. It shows off all your gear. And I'd hate to not use a water cooler in it. I want to jump in water cooling and just do it. Problem?  I have no idea what I need. What tubing?  What are good connectors?  Are the metal parts even called connectors?  Could I just Google this?  Maybe. But I need your answers. How do you water cool a GPU. Can any GPU be water cooled. How do you water cool a CPU?  But serious what brand is good in water cooling? 

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, BadluckBrian said:

I've never built a pc. Keep that in mind. I don't have any parts for my pc. I want this Thermaltake TOWER 900 case. It's more vertical than horizontal. It shows off all your gear. And I'd hate to not use a water cooler in it. I want to jump in water cooling and just do it. Problem?  I have no idea what I need. What tubing?  What are good connectors?  Are the metal parts even called connectors?  Could I just Google this?  Maybe. But I need your answers. How do you water cool a GPU. Can any GPU be water cooled. How do you water cool a CPU?  But serious what brand is good in water cooling? 

Have you considered AIOs (All-In-Ones)? It's simpler than DIY cooling solutions and can gave you similar results. Everything is basically in one package and you really just plug in and go.

[Spuriae]

If you just want to find out what types of parts and budget a custom water cooling loop will require, check out EK's custom loop configurator. Wouldn't recommend that you just purchase the things it tells you to, but it should give you a good idea of what you'll need, the terminology, and some of the considerations you'll have to account for. 

 

 

[Sentinal]

So water cooling is a long process.

 

1.Any tubing, just make sure the diameter is right (It will tell you what's fits on the page for whatever fittings you get, those are the silver things that go into the blocks more on that later)

 

2.any computer part can be easily liquid cooled just find the right block, it will say what it supports on the page. Just Google "Water block for *gpu/CPU name here with brand*"

 

3.EK tends to be a great solution they have a good sorting systems for blocks fittings and much more

[shadowbyte]

try the EK configurator

 

https://www.ekwb.com/custom-loop-configurator/

[Beef Boss]

I dont have a budget for my cooler as I'll be over clocking everything to the maximum it can handle(or more) I'd like to spend at least under $500 for it

[atomicus]

1 hour ago, Stylized_Violence said:

Have you considered AIOs (All-In-Ones)? It's simpler than DIY cooling solutions and can gave you similar results.

 

NO IT CANNOT!! HOW DARE YOU SAY THIS!! Stop saying nonsense . AIOs are't any better than air coolers!! Besides, in this case it would be a joke. The 900 demands a custom loop, nothing less.

 

Brian, the EK Configurator is a good place to start, but in essence you need the following;

 

RADS - the 900 takes 2 x 480/560mm)

FANS - to fit rads above... Noctua or EK Vardar would be good choices)

TUBING - you really need to go hardline PETG in the 900, and given the size of it, 16mm would be essential, don't consider any smaller

FITTINGS (connectors as you call them) - EK are good, Bitspower also but they are quite a bit more expensive... depends what look you're going for, BItspower have a greater range. It is advisable to stick with the same brand for fittings as tubing, just to ensure 100% compatibility. No one can tell you EXACTLY what fittings to get (although with hardline tubing you do need hardline specific ones), as depending how you route your tubing you will need any number of 45/90 degree fittings, extensions etc. No two builds are alike in that sense.

RES/PUMP - You can get combined units, which do make things easier than a separate res and pump, and it seems going with 2 of them is the done thing in the 900 case. It's by no means essential and it is actually extremely rare any standard build would ever require two pumps, but I can see the aesthetic reasoning in this case, but there is no practical reason for it.

GPU Block - Any mainstream GPU can be watercooled. You just need the correct waterblock for the chosen card. You say you don't have the parts yet, so I can't say what you'd need. As for brand, EK are good, Alphacool and Heatkiller also.

CPU Block - Same applies to your CPU of course, although these tend to be mostly universal, there will just be a different bracket depending on the socket type.

TOOLS - You will need a heatgun for bending the PETG, a cutting tool and some accurate measuring equipment for the tube lengths. Unless you want loads of weird angles running all over the place, you need to be accurate with your measurements

CUSTOM CABLES - Not really part of the watercooling aspect, but an essential aesthetic nonetheless. These can be extensions, for the GPU(s), 24-pin motherboard power connector and 8-pin motherboard EPS connector. Just Google image search for 'PC cable extensions' and you'll see what I mean... you can have any colour you want. You will want to consider colour scheme when it comes to selecting your components in general, although the widespread use of RGB these days can make that easier. Case lighting would also be a good idea.

 

You may have done so already, but I would trawl YouTube and the web for builds done in this case (there are quite a few) to get some inspiration. When you have a better idea exactly what you want to do and what components you will be using, you will be able to get more specific advice.

 

I must say though, there are red flags and alarm bells ringing all over the place here... for someone who has never built a PC before, you are REALLY jumping in to the deep end of the fire pit!! I fear with your questions you may be biting off more than you can chew, and this is really not the kind of project I'd recommend to a complete beginner who's never built ANY PC before, nevermind a watercooled one. Don't take this the wrong way, I admire your ambition, but this is a MASSIVE undertaking, I hope you realise that, and I would flat out say it's a BAD IDEA and you shouldn't do it... not yet anyway. But it's your decision (and money) of course. However, your budget of $500 is not very realistic... you have chosen a very expensive case to watercool in. Even if it could be done, you would be making significant compromises which would defeat the entire purpose of going with such a 'show off' case in the first place.

 

[Beef Boss]

1 hour ago, atomicus said:

 

NO IT CANNOT!! HOW DARE YOU SAY THIS!! Stop saying nonsense . AIOs are't any better than air coolers!! Besides, in this case it would be a joke. The 900 demands a custom loop, nothing less.

 

Brian, the EK Configurator is a good place to start, but in essence you need the following;

 

RADS - the 900 takes 2 x 480/560mm)

FANS - to fit rads above... Noctua or EK Vardar would be good choices)

TUBING - you really need to go hardline PETG in the 900, and given the size of it, 16mm would be essential, don't consider any smaller

FITTINGS (connectors as you call them) - EK are good, Bitspower also but they are quite a bit more expensive... depends what look you're going for, BItspower have a greater range. It is advisable to stick with the same brand for fittings as tubing, just to ensure 100% compatibility. No one can tell you EXACTLY what fittings to get (although with hardline tubing you do need hardline specific ones), as depending how you route your tubing you will need any number of 45/90 degree fittings, extensions etc. No two builds are alike in that sense.

RES/PUMP - You can get combined units, which do make things easier than a separate res and pump, and it seems going with 2 of them is the done thing in the 900 case. It's by no means essential and it is actually extremely rare any standard build would ever require two pumps, but I can see the aesthetic reasoning in this case, but there is no practical reason for it.

GPU Block - Any mainstream GPU can be watercooled. You just need the correct waterblock for the chosen card. You say you don't have the parts yet, so I can't say what you'd need. As for brand, EK are good, Alphacool and Heatkiller also.

CPU Block - Same applies to your CPU of course, although these tend to be mostly universal, there will just be a different bracket depending on the socket type.

TOOLS - You will need a heatgun for bending the PETG, a cutting tool and some accurate measuring equipment for the tube lengths. Unless you want loads of weird angles running all over the place, you need to be accurate with your measurements

CUSTOM CABLES - Not really part of the watercooling aspect, but an essential aesthetic nonetheless. These can be extensions, for the GPU(s), 24-pin motherboard power connector and 8-pin motherboard EPS connector. Just Google image search for 'PC cable extensions' and you'll see what I mean... you can have any colour you want. You will want to consider colour scheme when it comes to selecting your components in general, although the widespread use of RGB these days can make that easier. Case lighting would also be a good idea.

 

You may have done so already, but I would trawl YouTube and the web for builds done in this case (there are quite a few) to get some inspiration. When you have a better idea exactly what you want to do and what components you will be using, you will be able to get more specific advice.

 

I must say though, there are red flags and alarm bells ringing all over the place here... for someone who has never built a PC before, you are REALLY jumping in to the deep end of the fire pit!! I fear with your questions you may be biting off more than you can chew, and this is really not the kind of project I'd recommend to a complete beginner who's never built ANY PC before, nevermind a watercooled one. Don't take this the wrong way, I admire your ambition, but this is a MASSIVE undertaking, I hope you realise that, and I would flat out say it's a BAD IDEA and you shouldn't do it... not yet anyway. But it's your decision (and money) of course. However, your budget of $500 is not very realistic... you have chosen a very expensive case to watercool in. Even if it could be done, you would be making significant compromises which would defeat the entire purpose of going with such a 'show off' case in the first place.

 

This is exactly what I was looking for. I just fell in love with this case and it's the one that actually gave me the motivation to want to build a a pc in the first place. I do know it won't be easy for me but my motto is the easy things don't pay off as well as the hard ones do. We all have to start somewhere. I've got big dreams for my life and water cooling is small one compared to everything else. The only thing that will make me quit is if I forget to plug off one end and I turn the loop on and all my parts are ruined LOL. The budget of $500is for the coolersystem. The whole pc costs around $1800

[atomicus]

8 hours ago, BadluckBrian said:

This is exactly what I was looking for. I just fell in love with this case and it's the one that actually gave me the motivation to want to build a a pc in the first place. I do know it won't be easy for me but my motto is the easy things don't pay off as well as the hard ones do. We all have to start somewhere. I've got big dreams for my life and water cooling is small one compared to everything else. The only thing that will make me quit is if I forget to plug off one end and I turn the loop on and all my parts are ruined LOL. The budget of $500is for the coolersystem. The whole pc costs around $1800

 

Well as I say, I do admire your ambition and you dream big indeed lol!

 

$500 is really going to be tough in this case... assuming you go with top end components and a double res/pump arrangement, which the 900 seems to be designed for. It's not essential from a functional standpoint, but does look amazing, and otherwise you will be left with a lot of empty space. I presume you have seen the various show builds done in this case, and THAT'S what you have fallen in love with, rather than the empty case itself? Are you having one GPU or two? Again, that will impact the cost given a block, backplate and fittings will be around $150. I think you're looking at more the $700-800 mark to do this properly, especially if you're going SLI. A 'standard' single GPU+CPU custom loop in your average case can be done for $500, but even then can still be tight. However, the 900 was not designed for an average custom loop and really does demand more.

[Guest]

15 hours ago, atomicus said:

 

NO IT CANNOT!! HOW DARE YOU SAY THIS!! Stop saying nonsense . AIOs are't any better than air coolers!! Besides, in this case it would be a joke. The 900 demands a custom loop, nothing less.

Calm down dude, I didn't say anything about air coolers. I simply was mentioning AIOs in terms of things like the hybrid models of GPUs or the Kraken for CPUs. That's all. The OP wants a custom loop then that's cool, I just wanted to mention an alternative if he felt like he was getting in way over his head. Judging by his last comment though, he's all for it so my thoughts are rendered moot anyway.

[Beef Boss]

1 hour ago, Stylized_Violence said:

Calm down dude, I didn't say anything about air coolers. I simply was mentioning AIOs in terms of things like the hybrid models of GPUs or the Kraken for CPUs. That's all. The OP wants a custom loop then that's cool, I just wanted to mention an alternative if he felt like he was getting in way over his head. Judging by his last comment though, he's all for it so my thoughts are rendered moot anyway.

All thoughts and opinions are welcome lol. But yeah I had no idea it would cost basically half my pc... But I still plan on going through with this. 

[Beef Boss]

7 hours ago, atomicus said:

 

Well as I say, I do admire your ambition and you dream big indeed lol!

 

$500 is really going to be tough in this case... assuming you go with top end components and a double res/pump arrangement, which the 900 seems to be designed for. It's not essential from a functional standpoint, but does look amazing, and otherwise you will be left with a lot of empty space. I presume you have seen the various show builds done in this case, and THAT'S what you have fallen in love with, rather than the empty case itself? Are you having one GPU or two? Again, that will impact the cost given a block, backplate and fittings will be around $150. I think you're looking at more the $700-800 mark to do this properly, especially if you're going SLI. A 'standard' single GPU+CPU custom loop in your average case can be done for $500, but even then can still be tight. However, the 900 was not designed for an average custom loop and really does demand more.

Well since the cost I might as well go for sli to get it done with. I didn't want a total over kill but now I guess im forced to haha

[atomicus]

5 hours ago, Stylized_Violence said:

Calm down dude, I didn't say anything about air coolers. I simply was mentioning AIOs in terms of things like the hybrid models of GPUs or the Kraken for CPUs. That's all. The OP wants a custom loop then that's cool, I just wanted to mention an alternative if he felt like he was getting in way over his head. Judging by his last comment though, he's all for it so my thoughts are rendered moot anyway.

 

I know you didn't mention air coolers, but you said AIOs can given "similar results" to custom, which is just the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. An AIO is NOT an alternative to a custom loop. It doesn't have the same aesthetic and it doesn't cool anywhere near to the same level. I mentioned air coolers because most AIOs are on a par with them performance wise. Custom loops stand very much on their own in every respect.

 

 

4 hours ago, BadluckBrian said:

Well since the cost I might as well go for sli to get it done with. I didn't want a total over kill but now I guess im forced to haha

 

I'm not a fan of SLI personally, simply because of the poor support it has in games these days... and that doesn't seem to be improving. It's up to you of course, but if you are as in love with this case as you seem to be, it does seem a shame not to do it justice, not that SLI is essential in that respect. The double pump/res set-up is more of an aesthetic choice, it won't improve your performance to any significant extent, but the case does seem to have been designed with that in mind. Have you actually seen the case in the flesh? You do realise how utterly massive it is right lol? I saw one myself the other day and it's ridiculous how huge it is really. 

[Beef Boss]

Yeah I'm ditching the idea. I love the case but it will be too expensive for my first pc... It really will. With just the water blocks for the GPU $300 for both.. I'd rather get a second car. Just  have to find another case. 

[atomicus]

9 hours ago, BadluckBrian said:

Yeah I'm ditching the idea. I love the case but it will be too expensive for my first pc... It really will. With just the water blocks for the GPU $300 for both.. I'd rather get a second car. Just  have to find another case. 

 

No custom loop is cheap... your $500 budget is certainly what you would expect to be paying at least for most good quality loops, but the 900 case does add to that by a good 30-40% I'd say. Custom loops are never a value proposition though... the cost vs air or even an AIO is so high, there is no argument for them making economic sense. Yes they can offer the best cooling, ultimate aesthetics and potential for silence (if done right), but at a very high price and a lot of time and effort.

 

If you are going to proceed, you now just need to find a case that floats your boat to the same extent.

[Kevo05s]

I would like to add here that the best way to start (that's how I started and that's how I recommend everyone to start) is to buy a custom loop kit and expand it once you built with it.

 

I would recommend starting with something like this, then you can add a (or multiple) GPUs in the loop, and extra radiator space. keep the box close so you'll have the specs of what you need (extra fitting size, extra tubing, etc...)