First water cooling build help

[Drbrule]

Hey guys I’m getting ready to attempt my first water cooling build and am trying to conceptualize it first before I go and buy a bunch of stuff I may not even need. Attached is a rough idea I have come up with but I still have a lot of questions. Please feel to respond/ address any of my points

 

So what I “think” I know 

A) cooling asus crosshair vi, ryzen 1700x combo and msi 1080ti gaming x

B) using ekwb blocks for cpu/mobo combo and gpu 

C) probably going to use there pumps as well 

D) I want a 250mm res for cosmetic reasons i like the helix/ virus look

E) I don’t mind wacky or excess tubing if i think it looks good and doesn’t hinder performance.

F) once gpu prices return to normal i may consider sli gpu’s/ if modern games utilize it better. 

 

My questions

1) Is there any benefit to having a flow of pump ->gpu -> rad-> cpu -> rad vs pump -> gpu -> cpu -> Rad -> rad

2) pump res combo or Seperate pros and cons for both? 

3) are 3000rpm fans worth it? Not really concerned about noise. 

4) are all coolant colors created equal? i heard certain colors (red specifically) has issues with faster deterioration/ clogging things. 

5) ekwb’s rads vs other brands of the same size specs? 

5) is ekwb’s petg tubing worth the premium price? 

 

Thanks you guys in advance,

DR.B

 

[tarfeef101]

Tubing seems unnecessarily complicated, usually one would connect the CPU and GPU to avoid having tubing go all over the place like that.

More radiators = more cooling. So yeah, i'd go with more if you can and have the $$ (but to answer the best 1 radiator location, wherever you can fit the biggest one, and wherever you can easily route the tubing to)

one pump is plenty, D5 or DDC should be fine here.

Pump/res combos save you the cost of fittings between the two parts, they are easier to install, and can look nice. usually the downside is fitting them into small cases. If you can, may as well use one.

Honestly with 1 GPU and 1 CPU, with that many rads, you don't need the fastest fans. you can get any decent fan and run it fairly slow and get great temps.

 

[tarfeef101]

Also, for a more detailed idea as to how to improve the loop order:
 

1. pump to GPU
2. GPU to CPU
3. CPU to top rad
4. Top rad to front rad
5. front rad to res (you can use a crossflow radiator for the front so fittings are on opposite sides of the rad, making the tubing from the top rad to the front rad shorter)
6. (res and pump are connected)

[STRESSMASTER]

There is no benefit to a second RAD as long the the first is big enough. As for the fans 3k rpm is high and my 5.5 only run at a max of 1600rpm and I don't have any heating issues.

As for the separate res/pump If any part fails either as a combo or separate u still have to drain everything so I don't see a benefit to having separate except maybe space.

One pump should be fine for this but if you add a second that you do have a bit of failover.

[tikker]

1) The benefit of the second radiator, is that the fans can run at lower RPM for similiar performance.

2) Depends on the aesthethic you're going for. Pump-res combo in your sketch looks easier.

3) One pump is enough.

4) Not really.

 

I would change the loop order a bit though, it looks a bit complicated. Personally I would run it as

pump > GPU > top rad > CPU > front rad > pump

or

pump > GPU > CPU > top rad > front rad > pump

[AngryBeaver]

 

Loops order makes little to no difference in temps.

 

I would go with a d5/res combo to save yourself some space and cut down on the fittings you need. This will be more than enough pump for your needs.

 

Your current setup gives you about 600mm of res space which is good. That means you can use lower rpm fans for better noise levels and still great temps.

 

Above is a better tube routing.

[Drbrule]

Thank you for the info for info editing the OP by I forgot to add some details. 

[bling]

Another advantage of separate pump reservoir is that you have more freedom of choice now and in the future. But you also are going to need two different mounting points

[For Science!]

6 hours ago, Drbrule said:

 

My questions

1) Is there any benefit to having a flow of pump ->gpu -> rad-> cpu -> rad vs pump -> gpu -> cpu -> Rad -> rad

2) pump res combo or Seperate pros and cons for both? 

3) are 3000rpm fans worth it? Not really concerned about noise. 

4) are all coolant colors created equal? i heard certain colors (red specifically) has issues with faster deterioration/ clogging things. 

5) ekwb’s rads vs other brands of the same size specs? 

5) is ekwb’s petg tubing worth the premium price? 

 

 

1) Loop order is insignificant, do whatever pleases your eye

2) More fittings for seperate but greater flexibility in placement (see my Meshify C build log for an example where seperate is required)

3) imo watercooling is only worth it from a noise perspective (afterall, if you don't mind it being loud, just stick to air cooling?) and therefore 3000 rpm are not worth it

4) Largely depends on the coolant, but within a product series, there will be no difference. Just get one with anti-corrosives and biocidals, and no EG since you're going PETG

5) EKWB rads are good for PE and thicker, if you want the SE grade thickness definitely look at other brands such as HWLabs since the SE ones are supposedly crap

5) you should get tubing from the same manufacturer as the fittings for maximum compatibility. If you get EKWB HDC fittings, get EKWB PETG - may save you a headache later.

[Drbrule]

Thanks for all the replies guys it’s really helped me out. So this is still rough design but I went and picked up all of these things in the updated design last night. Feel free to offer more critiques/suggestions/advice. I will be starting the build next weekend and I’ll be sure to update you guys on the progress.

 

brule out.

 

 

 

[tikker]

On 4/7/2018 at 6:33 AM, Drbrule said:

Thanks for all the replies guys it’s really helped me out. So this is still rough design but I went and picked up all of these things in the updated design last night. Feel free to offer more critiques/suggestions/advice. I will be starting the build next weekend and I’ll be sure to update you guys on the progress.

 

brule out.

Looks fine. I would recommend not using Primochill Vue though. It's a fluid mainly for show, not long term usage, and has... issues (a lot).

[andrewmp6]

The vue fluid is very tricky to get right,If you miss one step out of a lot its gonna go bad,And bad i mean have to strip the whole loop and scrub the water blocks.I'd stick to just a standard color coolant.

[Drbrule]

Ugh I wish I would have known this before I bought it, the guy at microcenter was raving about it, same with the initial jayz2cents video. I ordered it off of there website late last night do you think I will be able to cancel it? I don't run my computer for 8 hours and day and I honestly don't even use it daily bc I travel alot for work you think I would be fine to run it for a few months and then swap it or should I just not run it at all due the risk of adverse effects when replacing it with another fluid 

[Drbrule]

Didn't come out perfect but I'm happy with it for now  

 

[For Science!]

33 minutes ago, Drbrule said:

Didn't come out perfect but I'm happy with it for now  

looks great :), but all fans on exhaust?

[Drbrule]

50 minutes ago, For Science! said:

looks great :), but all fans on exhaust?

Yeah they are (I liked the looks and unfortunately the Corsair led fan rings only work in one direction) I've been running benchmarks/gaming and thermal monitoringand I have yet to crack like 60 degrees on either end. If I noticed abnormally high temps I would definitely reconfigure the fans. Not that this makes much it much better but I have 2 140's blowing in on the other side of the front rad which slightly over powers the 2 120's bringing in a little bit of air flow. 

[Kalm_Traveler]

On 4/7/2018 at 11:06 AM, Drbrule said:

Ugh I wish I would have known this before I bought it, the guy at microcenter was raving about it, same with the initial jayz2cents video. I ordered it off of there website late last night do you think I will be able to cancel it? I don't run my computer for 8 hours and day and I honestly don't even use it daily bc I travel alot for work you think I would be fine to run it for a few months and then swap it or should I just not run it at all due the risk of adverse effects when replacing it with another fluid 

I've been trying Vue in Sterling Silver for 6 days now, after day 2 or 3 it turned a dull blue and I followed their instructions to a T before filling the loop with it.

 

Probably going to flush it out and go back to transparent dye to avoid needing to tear the loop apart to clean gunk out. I know some people have been able to have Vue last the full 6 months it's meant for but I think there are some issues with different metal compounds used in various manufacturers parts even if they are all nickel-plated copper, etc.

Good job on the build, btw! looks good!

[Drbrule]

Thanks, I decided against the vue for now as well just running distilled water and primochill dye 

 

[Limecat86]

8 hours ago, Drbrule said:

Thanks, I decided against the vue for now as well just running distilled water and primochill dye 

 

Be sure to add a biocide/corrosion inhibitor of some kind that's compatible. Since you've used a PrimoChill dye it's probably the safest to use Liquid Utopia™

[Drbrule]

6 hours ago, Limecat86 said:

Be sure to add a biocide/corrosion inhibitor of some kind that's compatible. Since you've used a PrimoChill dye it's probably the safest to use Liquid Utopia™

Thanks for the heads up, what is recommended replacement intervals? Like every 6 months? Also I did a test drain an couldn’t get all of the water out any advice on getting the remaining bit out or better placement of drain? 

[For Science!]

17 minutes ago, Drbrule said:

Thanks for the heads up, what is recommended replacement intervals? Like every 6 months? Also I did a test drain an couldn’t get all of the water out any advice on getting the remaining bit out or better placement of drain? 

In your case, putting the window side down should put the drain at the lowest point, so I would do that as a starting point.

[Lathlaer]

https://www.ekwb.com/shop/filling-bottle-1000ml

 

In my very limited (but also very relevant, since I have just finished my LC build) experience, this thing helps a lot.

 

It's good not only for filling the res but also for removing the coolant from hard to reach places. Squeeze it first hard when empty, then insert the tube in a place with liquid and let it expand. It will suck the coolant out ;-)