Open WC Loop Advice

[Juggy]

I have decided to put my 3950X under water, no motherboard or RAM WC though as I believe it is a waste of money. Currently I have the Kraken X63

What brands should I look at?

1. No RGB
2. CPU and GPU (Will eventually be the EVGA FTW3 3080 Ultra but there is no card stock or blocks available)
3. Solid or flexi piping
4. Separate res/pump or all in one
5. Slim or thick rad
6. What fans to use
7. Where to position the rad, I had the rad at the front of the case which gave much better CPU cooling performance than the top which is where I have it now. I believe that is due to the ambient case temps affecting the radiator pulling air out of the top instead of pulling it in through the front.

As a starting point I put together something from EK

Custom Cooling Configurator | Custom Loop Configurator

 

[neanterthal]

1. No RGB

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3. Solid or flexi piping

It's really about looks and how much time you have to manage the tubing.
Based on looks, I would say:
If you want clear tubing, go solid. If you want black tubing, EK's ZMT (flexi) is the best option and looks amazing.

4. Separate res/pump or all in one

Why spend more money? Unless it looks better.

5. Slim or thick rad

More rad, more betterer

6. What fans to use

Arctic P12s with Halos lux fan frames

Also get some inspiration from:

CUD Result Thread | DIY / Modding

For the love of RGB and Nyan cat puke! My NZXT Hyperbeast build. Part List in my sig.

carbonite.co.za

If a block was never made for your card it definitely won't start being made now

 

[Juggy]

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It's really about looks and how much time you have to manage the tubing.
Based on looks, I would say:
If you want clear tubing, go solid. If you want black tubing, EK's ZMT (flexi) is the best option and looks amazing.

Why spend more money? Unless it looks better.

More rad, more betterer

Arctic P12s with Halos lux fan frames

Also get some inspiration from:

CUD Result Thread | DIY / Modding

For the love of RGB and Nyan cat puke! My NZXT Hyperbeast build. Part List in my sig.

carbonite.co.za

If a block was never made for your card it definitely won't start being made now

Eish, meant to say the card will be a 3080 Ultra.

 

[Off-The-Chart]

I have decided to put my 3950X under water, no motherboard or RAM WC though as I believe it is a waste of money. Currently I have the Kraken X63

What brands should I look at?

1. No RGB - GOOD CHOICE
2. CPU and GPU (Will eventually be the EVGA FTW3 2080 Ultra but there is no card stock or blocks available) - EK IS ALWAYS GOOD CHOICE, BUT PRICEY
3. Solid or flexi piping - AS SAID, THE BLACK ZMT FROM EK IS NICE FOR FLEXI, BUT RIGID IS ALSO AN OPTION DEPENDING ON WHAT LOOK GOING FOR
4. Separate res/pump or all in one - ALL DEPENDING ON SPACE AVAILABLE AND LOOK GOING FOR. SINGLE PUMP/RES IN VISIBLE AREA CAN FILL SPACE NICELY AND VISUALLY APPEALING
5. Slim or thick rad - SPACE AVAILABLE AND PUSH/PULL
6. What fans to use - PUSH/PULL COULD INCREASE OPTIONS TO EVEN LOWER STATIC PRESSURE, SO ULTIMATELY LOOKS (YES, GETTING REPITITIVE NOW)
7. Where to position the rad, I had the rad at the front of the case which gave much better CPU cooling performance than the top which is where I have it now. I believe that is due to the ambient case temps affecting the radiator pulling air out of the top instead of pulling it in through the front. - I USUALLY GO FRONT AND TOP INTAKE AND BACK EXHAUST

if your card has a reference design, it should get a block

the EVGAs usually get blocks because they follow reference design (not sure how the 30xx series reference design is however)

an idea of flexi:

https://imgur.com/a/itp8kMw

 

[Senshi]

Fans - Noctua NF-P12 REDUX-1300
NF-P12 redux-1300

Radiator - Hardware Labs BlackIce SR2 MP 360mm
Hardware Labs | Black Ice SR2 360 MP

 

[Juggy]

Fans - Noctua NF-P12 REDUX-1300
NF-P12 redux-1300

Radiator - Hardware Labs BlackIce SR2 MP 360mm
Hardware Labs | Black Ice SR2 360 MP

Dam, that HardwareLabs rad is awesome but if I am going with that I may as well go for a 420mm. Pretty sure it will fit in an H710i

This is what I have on my Kraken X63 at the moment

NF-A14 industrialPPC-2000 PWM

Conceived for industrial heavy duty applications that require enhanced cooling performance and advanced ingress protection, the NF-A14 industrialPPC (Protected Performance Cooling) is a ruggedised high-speed version of the award-winning retail model. Thanks to the outstanding aerodynamic...

noctua.at

 

[Senshi]

I can't really recommend a pump/res as I'm going for a distro plate but @Ageless_ZA and @Off-The-Chart are very knowledgeable with custom water.

 

[Off-The-Chart]

I can't really recommend a pump/res as I'm going for a distro plate but @Ageless_ZA and @Off-The-Chart are very knowledgeable with custom water.

does the H710i have distro available?

if it does, it's an option but then you most likely lose the possibility of some extra airflow where fans could be mounted

 

[Juggy]

does the H710i have distro available?

if it does, it's an option but then you most likely lose the possibility of some extra airflow where fans could be mounted

I must be lost in the terminology, sorry

The reason for wanting a bigger rad is I will be running 2xEVGA FTW3 Ultras on water unless you reckon 2 loops is a better idea?

And I know they don't do SLI, I will be running them for F@H

 

[Off-The-Chart]

I must be lost in the terminology, sorry

The reason for wanting a bigger rad is I will be running 2xEVGA FTW3 Ultras on water unless you reckon 2 loops is a better idea?

And I know they don't do SLI, I will be running them for F@H

nah, you already don't have space for dual loop, so single is fine

sorry, I jumped too soon when Senshi mentioned distro

the 420 doesn't show on the compatibility list for rad support?

I would then try for 2x 280s or a 360 and 240, depending on whether or not they will clash with each other due to thickness

 

[Juggy]

nah, you already don't have space for dual loop, so single is fine

sorry, I jumped too soon when Senshi mentioned distro

the 420 doesn't show on the compatibility list for rad support?

I would then try for 2x 280s or a 360 and 240, depending on whether or not they will clash with each other due to thickness

Yeah, I think you are right, 360 or 280 so I reckon a 360 in front and a 280 up top if I actually need that much cooling?

Also, are there options for water chillers that will fit in a case? Something like a mini fridge or aircon type of device?

 

[Off-The-Chart]

well I think something like 2x 240s should already be enough, since rule of thumb is usually 1x 120 per component

with a 360 and 240 you have some extra OC room to play with, but don't think it is a must

nope on the chiller thing, or at least not that I have seen mention of recently

 

[Juggy]

well I think something like 2x 240s should already be enough, since rule of thumb is usually 1x 120 per component

with a 360 and 240 you have some extra OC room to play with, but don't think it is a must

nope on the chiller thing, or at least not that I have seen mention of recently

Awesome, so I assume a custom loop is going to be way more effective that my Kraken X63?

 

[Juggy]

Oh, important question would be how do I loop it together?

Pump->GPU->GPU->CPU->RAD->RAD->Pump?

Or do I start with CPU first then GPU?

Or, Pump->CPU->RAD->GPU->GPU->RAD->Pump

 

[Off-The-Chart]

Awesome, so I assume a custom loop is going to be way more effective that my Kraken X63?

all honesty, I was shocked to see how well air can compete with water, so ditching AIO shouldn't be expected to drop like 10deg

it comes down also to your ambient temps

to simplify your loop (to a degree), I would say going from your pump/res (if your choice) out to your GPUs then into CPU and then on to rads then back to combo

 

[Wadkiller]

Order is irrelevent, makes no difference to temps, however you always need res before pump.

There is a point of diminishing returns and its get stupid expensive to get better temps. Most current cpu blocks are within a few degrees of one another, however rads make a substantial difference. Very thick you need proper fans to push sufficient air through.

Go for a D5 variable pump and distro plate or res, whatever tickles your fancy.

Soft loop is very easy for a novice and more so if you regularly change parts.

Chiller I would think is a no go in humid areas when temp is helow ambient as you will sit with condensation.

Sent from my SM-G980F using Tapatalk

 

[Juggy]

Cool, I think there may actually be an issue with my x63.

Cpu at idle is over 40 and all I have is a 4.2ghz oc at 1.225 vcore. I am exhausting out the top, Maybe I should change fan orientation before I got and spend money on a cpu loop.

I will definitely do gpus thougg

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

 

[Juggy]

Order is irrelevent, makes no difference to temps, however you always need res before pump.

There is a point of diminishing returns and its get stupid expensive to get better temps. Most current cpu blocks are within a few degrees of one another, however rads make a substantial difference. Very thick you need proper fans to push sufficient air through.

Go for a D5 variable pump and distro plate or res, whatever tickles your fancy.

Soft loop is very easy for a novice and more so if you regularly change parts.

Chiller I would think is a no go in humid areas when temp is helow ambient as you will sit with condensation.

Sent from my SM-G980F using Tapatalk

Great advice, thank you.

My home is temp controlled to 22.5 so should be OK for just about anything

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

 

[Juggy]

Should I be looking at other brands besides EK and Black-Ice?

 

[RandomSheepZA]

There are many decent brands like Bitspower, Barrow, Bykski, Alphacool, Aquacomputer

I suppose it all depends on what you can get and what your budget is.

Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk

 

[Off-The-Chart]

just a note on the Alphacool rads, as they tend to need people to do a thorough pre-flush to get anything still inside from the manufacturing, out

other than that, don't see people complain about the overall performance

Bykski and Barrow would probably be your cheaper options out of those listed, but their names have grown quite a bit so nothing to lose in performance

 

[Wadkiller]

EK is overpriced, I will not use their rads as you can get a lot better for a lot less.

CPU block I would look at Heatkiller, Rads - Hardware Labs GTS, GPU Block - Barrow, res ( your choice and pump dependent), fittings a lot to choose from, but bitspower has a gazillion to choose from and a very good track record (also, buy more than you think you will need).

Bykski is a budget brand but decent quality, I have mostly bykski in my loop and happy with it, but I think they can do better on the quality of the paintwork on the rads.

Important - keep to an all copper loop and or nickel plated. Do not mix aluminum and copper.

 

[∀Z‾soʇɐuɐɥ┴]

So thought I would weigh in here as well.
Im using a Barrow D5 pump (came as a pump/res combo) in my distro board and it works a charm.
Actually sets pump speed via PWM (even when running it connected to my Aorus fan controller hub thingy).
My thermaltake DDC pump/res combo I used previously (before going distro board) didn't work via PWM, even though it has the fan connector for PWM so as a result it always ran full speed.
So as far as pump/res goes, I would suggest a combo, but it comes down to aesthetics rather than visuals.
You can for example run 2 reservoirs that run through a single pump, but note that having larger reservoirs don't improve cooling, Jays2Cents did a video on this.

As for radiators, larger/thicker radiators will improve cooling, but note you will need stronger fans for thicker radiators else the air just won't move as effectively through them, it also comes down to what you can fit in your case.

As far as tubing goes, soft tubing is much easier to work with if you are constantly changing your build, like swapping gpu's frequently, but hardline looks better than having a bunch of hanging tubes, atleast imo, but again this doesn't affect cooling performance in the slightest.
From my experience, soft tubing gives a bit more room for error, but it's also easier to to have kinks in your loop, or for tubes to have to make a stupid bend due to tube thickness etc as you can't make 90degree bends with soft tubing for the most case.

Personally I am running a Bykski AM4 block on my 3950x and with it OC'd to 4.2ghz on all cores, my temps don't touch 60c at all, but this is also with a dual rad setup, so something to keep in mind. Granted I am also running my gpu in the same loop.

Personally the only reason I would consider running separate loops (one for cpu and one for gpu) is for aesthetics, as some dual loops actually look pretty amazing, but keep in mind, again space inside case could be a issue as you effectively need 2 pumps, 2 res's, 2 rads.

 

[Juggy]

Thanks for the advice guys, it is appreciated. I have a lot to think about.

 

[Juggy]

I have finally decided to revisit this and have ordered the following

EK-Quantum Vector FTW3 RTX 3080/3090 D-RGB - Nickel + Acetal

This is the 2nd generation Vector GPU water block from the EK® Quantum Line, designed for EVGA® FTW3 RTX 3080 and 3090 graphics cards based on the latest NVIDIA® Ampere™ architecture. For a precise compatibility match of this water block, we recommend you refer to the EK Cooling Configurator.

www.ekwb.com

EK-Quantum Vector FTW3 RTX 3080/3090 Backplate - Black

EK-Quantum Vector FTW3 RTX 3080/3090 Backplate - Black is a CNC machined retention backplate made from black anodized aluminum, that fits all EK-Quantum Vector FTW3 RTX 3080/3090 water blocks. EK® Quantum - Design & Performance Vector series backplates are part of the EK Quantum Product Line...

www.ekwb.com

EK-Quantum Velocity - AMD Nickel + Acetal

EK-Quantum Velocity AMD is the new high-performance flagship premium quality CPU water block for modern AMD processors. It features a fresh design that will enable a vast number of variations and options for enthusiasts and demanding users as well! EK® Quantum - Design & Performance Velocity...

www.ekwb.com

I'm going to use either one of the following pump/res combos but need advice with the radiator.

EK-Quantum Kinetic TBE 200 D5 PWM D-RGB - Acetal

The EK-Quantum Kinetic TBE 200 D5 PWM D-RGB are high-performance cylindrical D5 pump-reservoir combo units! The new Kinetic combo units are part of the EK Quantum Line of products and come with sophisticated addressable D-RGB lighting implementation and a genuine D5 pump! Multiple ports allow...

www.ekwb.com

EK-Quantum Kinetic FLT 360 D5 PWM D-RGB - Plexi

All new Flat (FLT) series EK-Quantum Kinetic FLT D5 pump-reservoir units! The new Kinetic combo units are part of the EK Quantum Line of products and come with sophisticated addressable D-RGB lighting implementation and a genuine D5 pump! Each unit is featuring standard 120mm fan mounting holes...

www.ekwb.com

Do I go for the PE360 or the XE360?

EK-CoolStream PE 360 (Triple)

EK-CoolStream PE is a high-performance computer water-cooling radiator which combines EK's unique CSQ design with latest radiator core engine.Best cooling capacity in the 40mm thick radiator class!

www.ekwb.com

EK-CoolStream XE 360 (Triple)

EK-CoolStream XE is a extreme-performance computer liquid cooling radiator which combines EK's unique CSQ design with latest radiator core engine.Best cooling capacity in the 60mm thick radiator class!

www.ekwb.com

I am hoping to cool a 5950X and 3080 on a single radiator at the top of my O11 Air and will be using 9x120mm Lian-Li UniFans throughout my build. Radiator will be configured with fans inside the case pushing air through the radiator.

 

[RandomSheepZA]

I think 1 rad might be pushing the limits to be honest.
Especially with that chip.
I would also suggest bottom mounting the rad as you can get the cool air in from the bottom, although should be fine if you are exhausting out the top.

 

[Juggy]

I think 1 rad might be pushing the limits to be honest.
Especially with that chip.
I would also suggest bottom mounting the rad as you can get the cool air in from the bottom, although should be fine if you are exhausting out the top.

Yeah, I was thinking I may be pushing it a bit with 1 rad but I managed to find one of these on eBay which I think would be a better option than EK and it is slightly cheaper. I don't OC at all, just want to keep temps down and also want to try custom WC

Black Ice GTX 360 Wasserkühler Hardware Labs Kühler Wasserkühlung PC 1/4 | eBay

Finden Sie Top-Angebote für Black Ice GTX 360 Wasserkühler Hardware Labs Kühler Wasserkühlung PC 1/4 bei eBay. Kostenlose Lieferung für viele Artikel!

www.ebay.de

Also need advice on fittings/tubing

10-16mm or 12-16mm? I was going to go for 12-16mm as the inner tube diameter is more

 

[RandomSheepZA]

Good choice on the rad, which we could get these here locally.
With regards to tubing, I prefer 16mm as i find it easier to work with and i think its easier for novice builders.

all G1/4 fittings reduce to 10mm so its rather a mute point but still the above applies for ease of use.
My suggestion, is try make a jig for bending 90's. Just get a piece of wood, make sure its square and then chamfer the edge, will really help in bending straight 90's as i find the tools are great but could be a bit bigger to hold more tubing.

One last thing, get yourself 2 extra meters of tube and practice bending, practice as much as possible. Will definitely help in getting the perfect bends.

 

[∀Z‾soʇɐuɐɥ┴]

I think 1 rad might be pushing the limits to be honest.

I had a 3950x under water with both single 360mm rad and dual, and honestly the difference was negligible, even with a gpu in the same loop.

 

[Juggy]

Good choice on the rad, which we could get these here locally.
With regards to tubing, I prefer 16mm as i find it easier to work with and i think its easier for novice builders.

all G1/4 fittings reduce to 10mm so its rather a mute point but still the above applies for ease of use.
My suggestion, is try make a jig for bending 90's. Just get a piece of wood, make sure its square and then chamfer the edge, will really help in bending straight 90's as i find the tools are great but could be a bit bigger to hold more tubing.

One last thing, get yourself 2 extra meters of tube and practice bending, practice as much as possible. Will definitely help in getting the perfect bends.

Thanks for the advice/info, I am definitely going soft tubing in my first build so a jig is not needed for now.