Cooling a 3930k?

[[Ion]]

I'm looking to assemble a liquid loop for my i7-3930k setup to keep the temps lower and push the clocks higher. Currently I'm running a Xigmatek Gaia and the temps are ~80C @ 4.2GHz--higher than I'd like. I'm running a P7X79D Pro board.

Basically, I have $175-200 max to spend on a CPU-only loop that will give me good temperatures with a ~4.5-4.6GHz OC. Noise isn't too much of a concern, but quieter is always good. Would something like a Thermaltake Water 2.0 Pro or Antec H2O-920 be sufficient? I have $200 tops to spend, but less is always preferred.

As far as experience goes, I've used multiple all-in-one setups (two H50s, an old TT Bigwater, and a H2O-620) but I've never done anything custom. However, I'm certainly willing to try.

I've been looking at something like the XSPC Raystorn 750 RS360 (http://www.frozencpu.com/products/16892/ex-wat-220/XSPC_Raystorm_750_RS360_Extreme_Universal_CPU_Wate r_Cooling_Kit_New_Rev_4_Pump_Included_w_Free_Dead-Water.html?tl=g30c321s1310), Kraken X60 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835146028), or TT Water 2.0 Pro (www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106189)

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

[Church]

Strike out kraken or TT one. xspc kit is fine, but if you aim for prefilled-preassembled kit imho new swiftech h220 (http://www.frozencpu.com/products/18290/ex-wat-242/Swiftech_H220_Compact_Drive_II_Plug-and-Play_Liquid_Cooling_System.html) is cheaper/sufficient & more interesting.

[[Ion]]

Strike out kraken or TT one. xspc kit is fine, but if you aim for prefilled-preassembled kit imho new swiftech h220 (http://www.frozencpu.com/products/18290/ex-wat-242/Swiftech_H220_Compact_Drive_II_Plug-and-Play_Liquid_Cooling_System.html) is cheaper/sufficient & more interesting.
Is there anything in particular wrong with the Kraken or TT Water that I should pass on them for? The TT looks appealing to me because it's after-rebate price is so affordable.

And I would be interested in an open loop--more interesting IMO than a sealed kit (and not all that much more expensive than the Swiftech). Presumably the XSPC could be expanded to include a GPU block if I wanted later on?

[Church]

Kraken & TT Water are just yet another clones of asetek kits. Thus same properties/same flaws. They are integrated/simple to use, cheap enough .. but only as good coolers as top air coolers, gaining performance only because of more powerful (and thus noisy) stock fans, also because of fittings used and very weak pump in those extending them in future with extra rads and other waterblocks is hard.
XSPC one is from normal LC components (it's pump not among strongest though, even though if not as weak as in asetek clones). IIRC it is more like preselected set of LC components (imho you need to precut tubing/fill loop/etc) though, not as integrated AIO kit.
Swiftech's price is closer to asetek ones, also comes preassembled/prefilled like those, but it's better performing/cooling then those, can be easily extended (standart fittings/ddc like pumping power) = all the pros of those kits, none of drawbacks, actually will cool better/quieter then top air. (XSPC in many ways similar, and may even cool slightly better (3x120 rad vs 2x120), but as overall package i rate swiftech's one higher)

[Conumdrum]

;5176371']I'm looking to assemble a liquid loop for my i7-3930k setup to keep the temps lower and push the clocks higher. Currently I'm running a Xigmatek Gaia and the temps are ~80C @ 4.2GHz--higher than I'd like. I'm running a P7X79D Pro board.

Basically, I have $175-200 max to spend on a CPU-only loop that will give me good temperatures with a ~4.5-4.6GHz OC. Noise isn't too much of a concern, but quieter is always good. Would something like a Thermaltake Water 2.0 Pro or Antec H2O-920 be sufficient? I have $200 tops to spend, but less is always preferred.

As far as experience goes, I've used multiple all-in-one setups (two H50s, an old TT Bigwater, and a H2O-620) but I've never done anything custom. However, I'm certainly willing to try.

I've been looking at something like the XSPC Raystorn 750 RS360 (http://www.frozencpu.com/products/16892/ex-wat-220/XSPC_Raystorm_750_RS360_Extreme_Universal_CPU_Wate r_Cooling_Kit_New_Rev_4_Pump_Included_w_Free_Dead-Water.html?tl=g30c321s1310), Kraken X60 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835146028), or TT Water 2.0 Pro (www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106189)

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

You want good temps add $200 to your budget. You have tried the pretenders. Now you need a top notch CPU block, a 120x3 rad, quality pump and quality fans.

You want to play, prepare to pay. You have tried the pretenders.

[[Ion]]

You want good temps add $200 to your budget. You have tried the pretenders. Now you need a top notch CPU block, a 120x3 rad, quality pump and quality fans.

You want to play, prepare to pay. You have tried the pretenders.

I guess good temps are all relative--my baseline is ~80-85C @ 4.2GHz. If I can get 70C @ 4.5GHz I would be ecstatic. Would something like this (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=34964) work for that?

[Conumdrum]

Yep, but I'd get the 120x3 sized rad for good temps. The one you chose is decent stuff, not bad at all,. Go for the gusto, a 120x3 same kit isn't that much more.

[[Ion]]

Yep, but I'd get the 120x3 sized rad for good temps. The one you chose is decent stuff, not bad at all,. Go for the gusto, a 120x3 same kit isn't that much more.
My only concern is the size--I'm planning on putting this in a Cooler Master mid tower, and while I think that if I drill out the HDD bays, I can fit a 240mm radiator, I'm not sure how I'd be able to get a 360mm in. I'll do some measurements/guestimations today.

[stren]

;5176469']I guess good temps are all relative--my baseline is ~80-85C @ 4.2GHz. If I can get 70C @ 4.5GHz I would be ecstatic. Would something like this (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=34964) work for that?

70C @ 4.5 should be easily achievable with good watercooling. Even less really unless you have high ambients. 50-65C is probably more what you'd see with a much more expensive custom loop. I've seen 60-68C typical loaded temps with 25-30C ambients with 4.7 @ 1.45Vcore. As always YMMV and that's with top notch components though so don't expect to do that well. If you can't fit a 360 in your case, then go with the swiftech h220 and then save some money towards a case that can fit more, or use an external rad.

The raystorm is a decent block, that rad in the kit is decent, but the 750 pump/res is a bit weak even if the latest is improved.

Compare the 750 to a more expensive D5:

http://martinsliquidlab.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/xspc-x2o-750-t2.png?w=614

XSPC do the raystorm kit with a D5 and res but it's a lot more. I didn't see any specific pump data from Martin on the H220 though, so I can't say for sure how strong that is (though definitely weaker than a D5).

[Martinm210]

Sorry for the delay on the H220 hydraulics. I found out the H100i has tubes that are too short to bottom mount in my Switch 810, so I'm having to retest everything top mounted (Phase 1 & 2) before moving onto the hydraulics testing phases. The H220 is reported as a 6W pump though, so probably somewhere in between the H100 and the D5. It's supposed to be similar in head as the 35x running at 3000RPM is what I heard, although that will be hard to pinpoint with the integrated block. For my kit testing I planned to test pump+block as the "pump unit" for a good hydraulic comparison to account for block pressure drop losses.

These 6-8W pumps are certainly expansion capable, but it does require a little more restriction planning. Should be fine for most CPU/GPU multiple rad setups, but I would still do the pressure drop checks first.

[BlindShot]

You want good temps add $200 to your budget. You have tried the pretenders. Now you need a top notch CPU block, a 120x3 rad, quality pump and quality fans.

You want to play, prepare to pay. You have tried the pretenders. This is true. First time I overclocked my X79 with a cheap all in one my temps went to 85+c.