Help me Improve my Loop.

[avddreamr]

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e309/avddreamr/Misc%20Pictures%20for%20linking/bedsideloop.jpg

This is a picture of my atcs 840 on it's side on my bed.
Top fans are Gentle Typhoons (AP-15 on RX-360 PUSH), under the Apogee Xt you'll find a 2500k (soon to be switched for a 2600k), the cpu is fed by a ek-5870, which is fed by ddc 3.2 using an ek top, and a reservoir that needs to be replaced.

I have kept tubing length at to it's minimum.

My main complaint with my loop, is noise.....
Going to purchase an AQ5 when it shows up at sidewinders.
I'm debating the following:
1)EK 250 RES Advanced
2)Updating High-Flow Top for Apogee XT
3)Aqua Computer AquaStream.

Ideas? Suggestions?

Picture in it's typical position:
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e309/avddreamr/Misc%20Pictures%20for%20linking/IMG_5012.jpg

[Johnny87au]

First off 90 degree off the gpu would look alot better , which would go to the Dice compression cant find the dam link for it but it has to one inlet and one outlet one goes to res and other straight down to pump so you can mount it on the base of your case..

[avddreamr]

First off 90 degree off the gpu would look alot better , which would go to the Dice compression cant find the dam link for it but it has to one inlet and one outlet one goes to res and other straight down to pump so you can mount it on the base of your case..

I don't think a 90 degree fitting would work, if I'm to hang the pump with enough slack so it doesn't vibrate like crazy.
What is this "dice" fitting that you are talking about?

[xXGearheadXx]

What I'd do:

Ditch the separate res and pump top...grab a bay res + pump mount combo like this one:
https://www.jab-tech.com/XSPC-Dual-DDC-Bay-Reservoir-BayRes-Two-pr-4457.html

Bayres...so fresh so clean...

Add a second pump, and bolt another 240 rad onto those front intake fans.

Split them up into two loops:
1st loop, res/pump--> top rad--->cpu block--->res
2nd loop, res/pump--->front rad--->graphics card--->res

plenty of overhead in either loop to add ram, chipset (probably not necessary on p67) VRMs, or another card. I find overkill is usually just right :)


then i'd clean up the wiring a bit too.

Edit: I may have an extra DDC baytwo at the house if you're interested. PM me if so. If i don't get back with ya til monday don't worry, my bachelor party is this weekend.

[lowfat]

No way would I ever suggest a bay res to improve his loop. It will likely just make things worse. Only reason I would ever suggest a bay res is for looks and/or lack of space.

[avddreamr]

No go on the bay pump.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e309/avddreamr/Misc%20Pictures%20for%20linking/front.jpg

The top spot will be taken up by the aquaero 5.

I do have a spare mcr 320, but I'm uncertain if I will truly benefit by mounting another radiator inside the case. It doesn't appear that it would be thermally efficient, the front 200mm intake fan doesn't really provide more airflow that is sufficient to cool hdds.

It is my intention to clean up the wiring, although I'm not even sure where to put it. Or should I bust out the dremel, and attempt to purchase some grommets to hide the wiring better.


What I'd do:

Ditch the separate res and pump top...grab a bay res + pump mount combo like this one:
https://www.jab-tech.com/XSPC-Dual-DDC-Bay-Reservoir-BayRes-Two-pr-4457.html

Bayres...so fresh so clean...

Add a second pump, and bolt another 240 rad onto those front intake fans.

Split them up into two loops:
1st loop, res/pump--> top rad--->cpu block--->res
2nd loop, res/pump--->front rad--->graphics card--->res

plenty of overhead in either loop to add ram, chipset (probably not necessary on p67) VRMs, or another card. I find overkill is usually just right :)


then i'd clean up the wiring a bit too.

Edit: I may have an extra DDC baytwo at the house if you're interested. PM me if so. If i don't get back with ya til monday don't worry, my bachelor party is this weekend.

[xXGearheadXx]

Make things worse how? They save space, they look clean (certainly cleaner than a pump dangling from a res by the tubing, no offense OP.)...to each their own i guess.

Didn't see the fan taking up space in your 5.25 bays.

Another (cheaper) option to clean it up would be to purchase a cheap pump bracket and bolt that pump down.

In regards to the Rad on the inside fans...yeah it may not be as efficient as pulling air straight from the outside of the case but it will do they job, especially if it's just one card. Furthermore, because you're reducing the heat load on your single 360, you can turn down fan speed on all fans, helping with that little noise problem.

As for wiring, extensions are nice sometimes, as they open up routing options that aren't there with stock length power wires. Zip ties, twist ties, grommets....all kinds of things help with wire cleanliness...just get creative.

[zedane]

Hey man same casing there:up:

Noticed you powdercoated / spray painted the interior black.:clap:

Anyway if you have a spare MCR320, might as well just mount it inside as well. One thing i like about this casing is that you need zero mods to mount 2 360rad internally:up:

I like the ideal of placing an extra fan in the 5.25" bay area which i presume is for intake? Is that a GT? I would recommend the Silverstone air penetrator though as you want the cool air to reach deep into the casing. I actually thought of doing that for my setup but I feel it actually spoils the look.

Currently i only have the front 230mm stock fan for intake, which i feel is the reason why my temps are not all that great despite having double rads. I'm thinking of changing the fans mounted on the top rad into intake, under the advise of some peeps here.

Here is a pic for reference :)
113902

Good luck and have fun improvising your rig:up:

[theseeker]

The Aquastream pump is lower flow, I would not suggest that pump.
EDIT: The EK advanced res's are great.

[NaeKuh]

Ideas? Suggestions?


there isnt much u can go from where ur at.

in all honesty, id say thats a pretty good loop, and well looped at that.

If anything u may want to dual up on DDC's so u get redundancy incase one dies.

Get a dual ddc top, and lay that on the floor, with a larger res.

But i dont see much that you could do, that would merit anything else.

Well not unless u want to spend double what you already spent, and go after a very complicated setup. :ROTF:

[Johnny87au]

I use these!
One of these on the GPU http://www.bitspower.com.tw/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6_27_65&products_id=1606
then the tube which connects to that goes into this Q-block top goes to res and bottom goes straight down to pump, U get it ? With one 45 on the pump
http://www.bitspower.com.tw/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6_27_28&products_id=251

[gmat]

Dont add any 90° fitting, your loop is very good. I would also remove the lower fitting from the GPU block and plug the pump straight into it, and have it rest over the PSU with a sponge sandwich (avoid any contact with the pump to any solid thing). Then have maybe a 45° off the bottom of your res to the pump inlet so the tubing doesnt get kinked. See if you can do without the 45° on radiator inlet (coming from CPU), so you can re-use it there.
That would save you a 90° (the less of them the better) and have the pump rest on something that could dampen its noise a bit (you'll hear it once you start controlling your fans !)

From what you picked i dont see what could improve your noise. Get a fan controller instead, Aquacomputer makes a very nice one that can control your fans automatically.

[avddreamr]

Thank you for the tips, criticisms and compliment.


Why do some take issue with the 90 degree snake fitting I used to connect the gpu from the pump?


When I make the switch to the aquastream, it will reverse the direction of flow.
I will have to flip the apogee xt, right? B/c inlet and outlet will be reversed?

@Naekuh: Double, god ... I think I spent something close to 380.00 , 580 if you count the case and psu. (Thank god for used).

Although, I'm sure I'll spend another 300+ on an aquatream, aq5, and a new reservoir... once I figure out what will work the best for me. So maybe double really isn't out of the question.

@zedane: Orignal owner spray painted the case, he did an ok job. Considering I don't have a window on the PC... seems kind of pointless to paint it black. But it does look cool. I'm tempted to put the mcr 320 inside... I'll have to figure out how that will work with the aquastream, since I intend to mount it on the bottom of the case.


@Johnny87Au: Thank you, I'll see how i can work that into the next upgrade ( aquastream)

@theseeker:Yes the aquastream has lower flow, but I don't really have a very restrictive loop. What I do have, is an aversion towards pump noise.


@Gearhead: I'm really with lowfat on this one... bay reservoir just won't work for me. I'd rather have the front mounted fan.


A question regarding CPU-BLOCKS, since I'm contemplating upgrading to an aquastream, and that would seem to suggest a new cpu-block top for the apogee xt (@30+s/h), net pricing of the apogee xt and other cpu blocks are within the price of a martini (my marginal cost). Considering that the performance of most blocks are going to be within 1c, do any of the highperfromance blocks have measurably lower restriction than the apogee xt rev. 2? Or has that not been tested yet? In a perfect world I would get the restriction of my fuzion v2 that was powered by an ehiem pump....:0 Btw I'm kind of partial to the cosmetics on the XT. It has the right kind of bling.

[Utnorris]

Maybe I missed it, but what noise? Fan noise? Pump noise? Beeping noise? If it's fan noise, changing your loop won't help, you have a pretty straight forward loop (albeit in the opposite direction I would have gone), so either your fans are too loud, which a fan controller or the MB fan headers can fix, in fact, that's the Asus pro which has two Chassis fan headers and a PSU fan header which should be controllable through the Bios or the Asus software so you could set them to run the rad fans at a low RPM for surfing the internet or crank them up as the temps rise during a gaming session. If it's pump noise, try a sponge or slow it down using a fan controller. Not much else to do.

[zedane]

If i am not mistaken, the reason for not adding 90° fitting is because it is usually a flow killer. People usually add this when they want to route their tubings in a tight angle or for aesthetic purposes.

In your current setup, you can simply make do without it as it is a relatively simple loop with space to spare.

[Alexandr0s]

The amount of 90° and 45° fittings he's using shouldn't impact his flow that much, especially in such a small loop as that.

Like Utnorris asked, could you tell us what kind of noise is bothering you?

[PiLsY]

Why on earth would you downgrade to an aquatream? They're for the 1/4" tube brigade...

Stick with your DDC or get an MCP35X if you want it to track with cpu load.

All you really need is a fan controller tbh...

[gmat]

Why do some take issue with the 90 degree snake fitting I used to connect the gpu from the pump?
Nothing special, just that you can get rid of it and save one fitting, and have the pump rest on something :P Optimization it is, isnt it ?

If you reverse your flow direction, do not forget to make sure your reservoir is still just before the pump inlet ! That's the most important rule. And yes you'll have to switch the CPU block tubes. I dont see how getting a poorer pump would help you anyway, plus the aquastream was never noted for its low noise (not lower than a DDC for sure).

At this point the only thing that will lower your noise is a good fan controller.

[NaeKuh]

there isnt much u can go from where ur at.

in all honesty, id say thats a pretty good loop, and well looped at that.

If anything u may want to dual up on DDC's so u get redundancy incase one dies.


other then norris's comment @ noise, i stand firm at this being your only upgrade.

additional upgrades will cost you exponentially and require double the space.. which i dont see you having.