Help a slight noob with a possible water cooling build...

Thinking of going for a full custom loop.

Thinking of moving all my current stuff out of my Air 540 (see specs <<) into a Fractal Design R5.

I love the Air 540 but it just doesn't do what I want to achieve in terms of water cooling (ie, not enough space at the front for a thick rad or at the top).

Here are the components I plan on buying.... ANY ADVICE OR TIPS ARE ALL WELCOME!

XSPC RayStorm CPU WaterBlock - Intel 115x, 1366 and 2011

Alphacool NexXxoS UT60 Full Copper 240mm

Alphacool NexXxoS UT60 Full Copper 280mm

2x EK-FC970 GTX TF5 - Nickel

XSPC 7/16 ID, 5/8 OD High Flex 2m (Retail Coil) - CLEAR

XSPC Nylon Dual 5.25 Reservoir Inc Laing D5 Vario/Tacho - Black

XSPC Coin Fit V2 - G1/4 to 7/16 ID 5/8 OD Compression Fitting - Black Chrome

XSPC G1/4, 90 Degree Rotary Fitting - Black Chrome

and to top it off a couple of bottles of this

EK Water Blocks EK-Ekoolant EVO Blood RED (Premix 1L)

Have I missed anything off the list? Are silver coils really needed? And how to they work exactly?

This is how I plan to house all this in the Fractal Design R5



Will these rads be enough to cool this components? Also will the pump/res combo be strong enough to power a good flowrate around the loop?

My idea of using the res/pump drive bay combo was to the keep the inside of the case tidy, and easier to build in. So as not to have a large res and then also have to mount a pump separate.

Thanks in advance for any advice, this is not 100% certain that I am doing this just had an urge and an idea after watching some youtube videos lol

Not even sure if the EK MSI 970 waterblock will fit my 970's as I have not checked the revision on them yet.

 

Well the blocks should be compatible according to EKWB's compatability list on the shop site.

Also, the pump should be more than strong enough for your system, I have two bigger rads and a tiny but restrictive block on my fan controller, and it works out with a D5. Best pumps as far as I've heard. I also recently read an article in a german print magazine where they tested with a single pump up to four rads, two cpus, and four gpu blocks, and it worked, only a few °C / K warmer.

You should really consider what fans you'll be getting too, since the thick rads require quite some static presure... are there any you had in mind? Thicker rads usually just pay off in the normal to high presure / rpm areas I've read.

I think basically your loop will work, still the rule of thumb remains to be a 120mm fan / rad for each component to cool, with bigger rads only helping to get it maybe not as noisy, but not that much cooler I think.

As for the coolant, I've been told that having colored coolant isn't really the best option, as it might clog and become 'thicker' over time, eventually making you get to maintenance a few months earlier than the normal coolant. I'm using normal distilled, deionized water with Mayhem's biocide and a silver coil in it. The coil only works over time, once the silver ions pass into the water, so it's more for the long run. I just got it because it does not cost much and looks a little like bling in my reservoir, and just to be sure. I personally went with red, see through tubing and thus clear water / biocide, rather than clear tubes and colored coolant. Also, mixing water with biocide and a silver coil is way cheaper than the coolant, it's just I had to order the biocide from the UK because I couldn't get any elsewhere, people are just selling the premixed stuff as it seems.

I am currently having my htpc in a R4, it's a great case and looked really nice to me. Also, I got a sound dampened one, and I just realised I should have bought the case sooner when I was still running my htpc as my air cooled gaming build. They really make nice, good cases imo.

 

Hey nice, and welcome to the world of water cooling if you do indeed go through with this. Cooling wise i think you should be okay with those radiators as the 970's are a bit cooler and use less power than a 980Ti for instance. I will just say though i had a bad experience with the D5 Res combo you have there where mine actually started leaking after about 4 months. While i don't want to scare you I didn't have much faith in it afterwards even though XSPC sent me a replacement (heck it's still in the box unused). The D5 pump though is awesome and you can't go wrong with it in my opinion.

Urm overall though the one thing i will say is to plan ahead as much as you can and think about angled connectors as they always seem to be sold out everywhere. Also you might want to add in some quick release connectors which are very handy when swapping out GPU's if you intend to do so anytime soon.

Other than that, enjoy

 

I would go for a slightly bigger case like 750D or Corsair graphite. Bit more expensive but you wont need to buy another case again and things will run more silently.
Skimping out on a smaller case is fine and the cooling is good but the fans usually work more which means more noise.

I love this case, nice and tidy build and a nice size case.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brhK0dh51-s

 

i would have the res -> cpu -> rad -> gpu -> rad

 

Thanks for the input, I plan on using Nocuta NF-F12 Industrial fans on these rads that have some serious static pressure and I have the option of getting 3000rpm PWM fans but obviously will never run them that high might just settle for the 2000rpm ones and run then on a fan controller or with a 7v adaptor.

Might go for the lower rpm fans (NF-F12's) and run them in push pull for added airflow and the option to run them at lower rpm.

Yea I have been planning and thinking of this build for a while now, I also have had the idea of including a couple of "quick disconnects" between the CPU and the first GPU and then maybe another one between the second GPU and the second rad.

Sorry I am sold on the case, was tempted to get the newer Fractal Design S case but it doesn't come with the drive bays so would have to get a separate rad and res and I don't want to go that route.

But I do appreciate the advice.

Yep been thinking of maybe a different config for the loop too, this one does seem better but I think my original way would make a cleaner looking loop. But if this would improve temps a little I might try this out.

 

Also, the coolant states I need to clean the loop out first? What should I use for this? Distilled Water? Or is there anything better?

Also like I asked in the original post, are silver coils worth it?

 

Distilled water to clean out the stuff in the loop. Some rads are not pre cleaned so there will be left over bits from manufacturing.

Silver coils prevent biocides from growing, the ions stop the cells from multiplying.

You need one or two of these unless you are using a coolant/additive that specifically states that they combat growth in the loop

 

Very informative and clear.

Thanks dude.

Since I might be using a res/pump combo is it still ok to put the silver coil inside this or will it interfere with the pump at all?

My imagination is running wild at the moment as I think I might have an idea to keep using my current Air 540 build and have a res/pump combo in the back of the case and then have the tubing coming through one of the grommets to a 280mm rad in the top and 360mm rad in the front. Would allow me to use thinner (probably cheaper) rads, and quieter fans too...

Imagination is just going crazy at the moment.

It has been nearly 5 years since I had a proper loop so my mind is exploding again as I once again have gotten the urge

 

Tbh i would just run some tap water through the rads before putting distilled through the loop. It wont make any difference whatsoever, save yourself some money also, trust me ive been there and done it and alot of the stuff out there to use is hype and money making.

Rads of old used to come with some flux (notably Thermochill) but nowadays its rare. Just to be on the safe side though blast some tap water through it, rinse and then when ready add distilled or deionzed to the loop with a silver coil.

Couple drops of PT nuke is good also as the biocide from the silver can take time to build up. Again its all over exaggerated in my experience. Ive even ran tap water in the past on my old X58 for around 5 months with just PT nuke. Once i tore it down it was clean and dandy, no issues, no algae no gunk.

However distilled with PT and silver coil i ran a loop for 3 years, only some small green algae once i took cpu block apart which once cleaned off took less stress off the pump and could have ran for another 3 years.

2 years running is the sweet spot for a tear down which is when i will tear my loop down around May 2016.

New water, new tubing, new coil, some more nuke, clean blocks and off i go again for another 2 years.