Taking the leap

[NoTimePro]

I'm a long time reader first time poster here at xs. I've finally decided to take the leap into the Liquid cooling arena. My last system just died recently (680i...) so ill be hopping in the core i7 bandwagon as well. so anyway this is what I've got in mind.

Core i7 920
asus R2E
6gb of g.skill (still debating between 1333 and 1600)
2x GTX 280's
1x 8600gt (this ran my 2nd and 3rd monitor in my last setup.
Lian li V2000B+ (also from my last rig, I love this case)

LC loop
swiftech GTZ (as soon as the 1366 retention is available)
2x MCW60 with fullcover sinks for the gtx 280s
MCW-NBMAX for the northbridge
ddc3.2 with the xspc restop
2 120.3 radiators (black ice gt stealths)

i plan on running it pump>rad1>cpu>nb>rad2>gpu>gpu>pump.

any thoughts or suggestions?

btw heres a pic of what ive got

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y134/NoTimePrivate/IMGP0890.jpg

[anubis_is_evil]

go for the the second loop, for the i7 one ? well if you fine with it IMO, already have a friend that upgrade his rig into i7 with MSI X58 Eclipse....make me shock where i7 920 stable in 3.5 but the temp go about 75-77 c witch stock cooling:eek:....

[doox00]

I'm a long time reader first time poster here at xs. I've finally decided to take the leap into the Liquid cooling arena. My last system just died recently (680i...) so ill be hopping in the core i7 bandwagon as well. so anyway this is what I've got in mind.

Core i7 920
asus R2E
6gb of g.skill (still debating between 1333 and 1600)
2x GTX 280's
1x 8600gt (this ran my 2nd and 3rd monitor in my last setup.
Lian li V2000B+ (also from my last rig, I love this case)

LC loop
swiftech GTZ (as soon as the 1366 retention is available)
2x MCW60 with fullcover sinks for the gtx 280s
MCW-NBMAX for the northbridge
ddc3.2 with the xspc restop
2 120.3 radiators (black ice gt stealths)

i plan on running it pump>rad1>cpu>nb>rad2>gpu>gpu>pump.

any thoughts or suggestions?

btw heres a pic of what ive got



Go with 1600 ram.. gives you more room for oc. I just built my i7 setup the other day and used this ram

http://www.mushkin.com/doc/products/memory_detail.asp?id=730

Ordered it from mushkin directly and received it the next day.

[Polizei]

You will probably want to do two loops, one for the CPU/NB and another for the GPUs.

Don't get the BI GT Stealths, they aren't the greatest. A Swiftech MCR-320 is a much better radiator.

[avddreamr]

If you want to go all out.... You can fit a feser quad there, if you use a koolance top, and 1" riser. Then you can place a second radiator this time 120.2 on the the rear, by cutting the dividing panel of the case. a Good 120.2 will be enough for a quad and northbridge, and the quad radiator on top will be able to handle even a third gtx280. Actually you can just get buy with a quad radiator.

How did your 680i die?

Scares me, since mine is still running :)

[doox00]

btw heres a pic of what ive got

http://westmichiganmoms.net/files/xs/chair.jpg

Just noticed, I have the exact same chair :)

[alacheesu]

I agree with MCR320 rads and two loops. You only need another pump+res, so you're basically almost there.

[aspire.comptech]

I just made a mess of my pants...

[NoTimePro]

You will probably want to do two loops, one for the CPU/NB and another for the GPUs.

Don't get the BI GT Stealths, they aren't the greatest. A Swiftech MCR-320 is a much better radiator.

I was afraid of that...:(. I want to avoid running 2 loops if at all possible. I know it will fit and all but I would have to change how i was going to lay everything out. would the pump flat out not be able to handle it or are you guys just trying to squeeze a few more degrees off my temps?

i was going to use the stealths because the have a lower profile. but that doesn't matter now because im mounting them externally.

speaking of which, i plan on mounting them on standoffs on the left side of the case. how far should off should they be for good airflow and transfer?(using 70cfm yate's btw)



How did your 680i die?

Scares me, since mine is still running :)

It just did :shrug: it was evga A1. just kicked the bucket with no warning. it was a great motherboard.


Just noticed, I have the exact same chair :)

it is an EXCELLENT chair:up: perfect for looking up at my main monitor

slightly meaningless edit: wow doox we are going to have a very similar setup right down to the seating.

[twwen2]

One loop should be fine. As long as you choose the right blocks and have enough radiator surface area, you'll not see a huge gain from a dual loop system.

+1 on the MCR320s for the rads, much better than the stealths.

For a single-loop system (especially with sli 280GTXs), your gonna want some low-restriction blocks. The MCW60s are a good choice, i'd stick with them.

The Apogee GTZ is a medium-restriction block, but might be ok. After a quick stint on Martin's estimator, you'll get around 1.1GPM with a loop like that. That's not bad, but it might be worth looking at a lower-restriction CPU block like the DTek Fusion V2 (no i7 plate as of yet though) or the OCZ Hydroflow (i think that's it's name?).

Good luck :)

[doox00]

The danger den block mc-tdx has really low restriction as well and has i7 mounting out now. performance-pcs has em in stock.

[alacheesu]

I was afraid of that...:(. I want to avoid running 2 loops if at all possible. I know it will fit and all but I would have to change how i was going to lay everything out. would the pump flat out not be able to handle it or are you guys just trying to squeeze a few more degrees off my temps?

Squeezing a few temps off is one thing. Where you squeeze them off is the important part. While your CPU will likely benefit from the coolest possible water, your GPU's are made to operate at higher temperatures, and thus can usually be cooled with a little hotter water. Just as an example, say each of your rads remove 300W at a 10C delta with the fans you are using, and your CPU and each GPU dumps 200W and 250W of heat respectively into the loop. With everything in one loop you have a delta of ~12C. This might be too much for your CPU. If you run two loops, the CPU loop would have a ~7C delta while the GPU loop has ~17C. In this particular example you would need 3 triple rads and 1 double rad to get the same CPU temp in a single loop. And that's ignoring the lower flowrates a single loop gives. The numbers are just examples, but the point is that you can better cool the part(s) that need it the most with two loops.

I run a single loop, though, and I'm happy with my temps.

[NoTimePro]

after taking some measurements and doing some more pre-planning, I've decided that not only will 2 loops work for me. it will work perfectly:clap:

I also started modding the v2000 a bit (paint and other prep. work) if all goes well this should be a very clean rig.:up: