Watercooling build - question about coolant and components

[Mooru]

Hello everyone,

Long time reader, not so much of a regular poster.

First of all I'm not sure if this belongs here or in the planning-section of the forums so if this is the wrong place, I do apologize .

I'm currently an exchange student from Belgium studying in Finland. But when I get back home I want to change my main rig a little and add a custom loop.

Let's get down to business.

This is my current build:

Case: Corsair Obsidian 650D

CPU: i7 3770k @ 4,5 GHz 1,26V

Cooler: Corsair H60 Push/Pull

GPU: Asus GTX 660 ti

RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance 1600MHz

MOBO: Asus Z77 Sabertooth

PSU: be quiet! Dark Power Pro 750 Watt

SSD: Vertex 3 250 GB

HDD: 1x Western Digital Velociraptor 150 GB

2x Western Digital Green 640 GB

1x Western Digital Green 2 TB

Optical drive: Bluray reader / CD/DVD writer

Monitor: Dell U2412 24" 60 Hz Monitor

Mouse: Logitech G5

Keyboard: Logitech G11

And a picture (yeah poor quality, my phone doesn't like low light environments):

I want to actually remove the H60 (never really liked it and had to fix the rattle sound from the pump because it got a voltage slightly to high by soldering a diode in between the cable) and replace it by a full custom loop. Here is the link to a google doc with all the components for those willing to look at it (any suggestions are welcome)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AoTJnGH31MU-dGhnQlk0ZHR2c3JBN2w4eTdsWkZBUXc&usp=sharing"]https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...Xc&usp=sharing[/url="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AoTJnGH31MU-dGhnQlk0ZHR2c3JBN2w4eTdsWkZBUXc&usp=sharing

I have 2 questions about this.

My first question is: I would like the colour of the tubing to be like in this example :

I think it would fit the colour scheme of my build really nicely. Now I'm not sure how to achieve this. I've found some EK coolant that looks blood red but I'm not sure at all if that's what has been used here. (I know distilled water is actually the safest way to go, so if there would be tubing with a very similar colour to that, that would be great too.)

Now for my second question. I'm not actually sure how much radiator I need to use. I'm gonna throw a second GTX 660 ti in there. So the loop will cool 1 3770k @ 4.5 GHz and 2 GTX 660 ti. I'm planning a dual 120mm radiator in there and a 200mm radiator. I read as a rule of thumb that you should take 1 more 120 radiator than the amount of components in the loop. So for my loop that would be 4x 120mm rad as I have 3 components to cool. But honestly I'm not sure how correct this rule of thumb is. So I'm looking for any kind of confirmation. The surface area for a 4x 120mm rad is 567 square cm. For the 2x 120mm rad and 200mm rad this is 688 square cm. So I'm far above what that rule suggest, but I would like some input.

Any other input would be greatly appreciated as I'm new to watercooling.

Thanks in advance

[Shikarikato]

Well the rule of thumb was meant for you to have more radiator so you don't have to ramp up the fan RPM so it still stays silent - one of the purposes of water cooling.

[BCMods]

General rule of thumb is 120mm for every heat source+120mm.

The second photo is using a red dye in the coolant. Coloured tubing won't give you the same clarity.

EK Blood Red Coolant is well known to break down and clog. The other colours don't seem to have this problem. Mayhems Dye is probably your best bet.

[kwlkid85]

I recommend Mayhems X1 red, it's looks very similar to the stuff in the picture and I have used mayhem's coolants for years and they never clog or break down.

[Crion]

Last I remember, people were reporting similar issues with Mayhems but he said he found the problem and came up with a new mix that wouldn't cause it. I don't remember how long ago this was though or which coolant it was but I do remember it being the red variant.

Red tubing tends to look more orange or pink than red although Primochill's Advanced LRT in red appears to be rather red although not blood red like these coolants.

[Whaler_99]

For rads, just make sure you get a decent fan for the 200mm - not sure what you case has. Bitfenix Spectre Pro 200mm is a pretty good one. For the coolant, ya, get the die. Fill your loop, then slowly add in die until you get the color you want.

[Mooru]

Thanks for the replies.

I'm good with the amount of rad I have.

I'll have a look at the dyes. The last thing I want is for everything to get clogged up.

@Whaler_99: The fan in the top and front are 2 Aerocool Silent Master, got those cheap from a friend and they are more for aesthetics than anything else really. They've been always running at low rpm so I cant hear them. Not sure how they hold up in comparison to the Bitfenix ones.

[Whaler_99]

Go online and check the specs - for watercooling you only care about the static pressure. Compare them along with RPM value and go from there...

[Mooru]

Go online and check the specs - for watercooling you only care about the static pressure. Compare them along with RPM value and go from there...

Cool, thanks for the help; I'll do that.

[Mechanical Spud]

Are you sure the GPU waterblock will fit the 660ti? i would like to get one myself if it does.