**Need advice on Watercooling my Lian Li V2100B* Similar to Vadim Gaming PC's!!**

[blazarcher]

I would go with distilled and PTNuke and/or Killcoil. There really is no guarantee that the colored Fester fluid won't gunk up the loop, and temps are likely to be a few degrees worse anyway. Every test I've seen comparing temps of Fester's fluid to other common coolants, the reviewer adds crap like water wetter to the distilled water to worsen it's performance and make the Fester stuff look better, even then, it usually comes out a draw.

Really? I had no idea that reviewers would do that. Honestly the only reason I am not going with distiller water is because I'm not very good with measuring and determining the right amount of PTNuke or whatever additive I use, to mix with a liter of water for example. xD IF you were to recommend a concentration how much of each additive would you add to a liter of distilled water? Is PTNuke + Killcoil a good combination? Or should I just stick with one. I am really looking for the best performing/least maintenance requiring liquid/coolant. -- And on a side note, a lil' color wouldn't hurt either (Still, if it requires more frequent maintenance, I can live without it)

There is very little difference between all the DDC models in the term of actual noise. The biggest change, which also isn't much, is the pitch of the different models. I re-visited your OP and honestly, I think 1 DDC 3.25 would be fine with your proposed loop.

One DDC is enough? -- And I thought my setup is restrictive. Keep in mind that I will be adding an additional XSPC RX120 and two Aquagratix COPPER waterblocks.

I am thinking about going with maybe... 2... but I still think three is good.

BTW, I'd like to add in some Quick Disconnects.. I was thinking the Koolance VL3N due to its low drop in water flow yet it is a "no-spill" design. I have a question though... Kind of a noobie one but w.e. How exactly does it work? If I am going to connect two radiators for example and wanted to have the Quick Disconnects on both ends.. Would I have to use a female and a male connector for BOTH ends? Or would one male and one female connector be sufficient.

If your dead set on using a part that is aluminum (such as the XSPC res), then your better off going with an all aluminum setup...blocks, rad, res, fittings, etc., just be aware that your temps are really going to suffer. How do I know?...first hand experience. I built this system a while ago as an experiment and was very disappointed with the results (so disappointed, it only lasted about 3 months before I switched it over to a real loop). I had set the temp warning in BIOS to 65°C and it would routinely go off while at Youtube watching videos. There was no OC on the CPU either. In short, your better off avoiding aluminum all together.

I've decided not to go with Aluminum... It's too much trouble lol. Instead of the XSPC Aluminum reservoir.. I was thinking of going with the FrozenQ liquid fusion reservoir. It's pricey yes.. But take a look at this...

Copper, brass, nickel plate, gold all work well together and will give much better temps. It's also easier to find all the parts you'll need made of these materials as well.

I've decided that I am going ALL-COPPER. Unfortunately, they do have a tendency to get discolored. Is there a way to reduce this ill effect?

Here's some other things I would change from your OP as well. Forget about the teflon tape, it's not meant to work with the thread style the fittings we use have. The Sunbeam pin extractor kit is junk, I have one and don't use it. This is the best ATX pin extractor tool but it's a bit pricey. This is also a very good ATX pin extractor and is a bit more reasonably priced. It can also easily be used on floppy and 3 pin connectors as well, unlike the first one. I have both and use which ever one is closest at the time. For the 4 pin molex, I use one similar to this one though mine is from FrozenCPU.

I also heard that the Sunbeam is junk lol. I took it out and am going with all three of those kits you recommended xD

Anyways.. Thanks a lot for your insight in watercooling. This is my first time and am a bit overwhelmed.. Well not really xD

On another note, I still have to wait another 1-2 weeks for them to restock on the radiators... *sigh This build seems like it will never finish.

[blazarcher]

Alright well here's how my final setup will look like (after I get the GTX 480 and waterblocks of course).

Water Flow: FrozenQ Liquid Fusion Reservoir -> Dual/Triple XSPC DDC Acrylic Top -> Magicool Extreme 480mm Radiator -> Magicool Extreme 240mm Radiator -> EK Supreme HF GOLD CPU Waterblock -> EK X58 Classified Waterblock (Northbridge/SouthBridge) -> XSPC RX120 Radiator -> 2xGTX 480 Aquagratix Waterblocks (connected with Koolance SLI connector 3-4 slot) -> XSPC RX120 Radiator -> **Bitspower HDD Cooler** (Not sure about this out) -> Reservoir
Yeah its quite a lot of stuff... For a rough sketch take a look at this Vadim PC...



Alright now for all my questions xD
This mainly concerns my placement of 90 degree elbows. I want to put 4-5 into my loop without any ill effect. Here's the places where I need them...
1. CPU OUT
2. Motherboard IN (1-2 because the radiator blocks room for a regular compression fitting)
3. Top GPU OUT for clean look
4. (last) Reservoir IN

[Waterlogged]

Really? I had no idea that reviewers would do that. Honestly the only reason I am not going with distiller water is because I'm not very good with measuring and determining the right amount of PTNuke or whatever additive I use, to mix with a liter of water for example. xD IF you were to recommend a concentration how much of each additive would you add to a liter of distilled water? Is PTNuke + Killcoil a good combination? Or should I just stick with one. I am really looking for the best performing/least maintenance requiring liquid/coolant. -- And on a side note, a lil' color wouldn't hurt either (Still, if it requires more frequent maintenance, I can live without it)

Best mix would be to start the loop with 1-2 drops of PTNuke and have a killcoil inside the loop somewhere. Like that, when the drop(s) of Nuke fade out, the silver ion content from the coils would have been building up to do it's job. This setup is about as low maintenance as possible.

We've learned over time that Fester is only willing to hand out samples of their products to reviewers that will give their products favorable reviews, by whatever means necessary. Here are 2 such rigged reviews.

http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1704&pageID=7761 Not sure why this twit decided to try windshield washer fluid as a coolant but he did. I'm guessing it might have something to do with not being right in the head.

http://www.bit-tech.net/modding/2008...uid_shootout/1

...and as far as non conductive claims, here's the truth about that.

One DDC is enough? -- And I thought my setup is restrictive. Keep in mind that I will be adding an additional XSPC RX120 and two Aquagratix COPPER waterblocks.

I am thinking about going with maybe... 2... but I still think three is good.

Well, I think 1 DDC 3.25 should be good enough to get you ~1GPM but 2 will be enough to pretty much guarantee 1.5GPM minimum.

BTW, I'd like to add in some Quick Disconnects.. I was thinking the Koolance VL3N due to its low drop in water flow yet it is a "no-spill" design. I have a question though... Kind of a noobie one but w.e. How exactly does it work? If I am going to connect two radiators for example and wanted to have the Quick Disconnects on both ends.. Would I have to use a female and a male connector for BOTH ends? Or would one male and one female connector be sufficient.

For each tube to part connection you want, you'll need 1 male and 1 female. . .so for each part (say a rad), you'll need 2 male and 2 female.

I've decided not to go with Aluminum... It's too much trouble lol. Instead of the XSPC Aluminum reservoir.. I was thinking of going with the FrozenQ liquid fusion reservoir. It's pricey yes.. But take a look at this...

Good decision on the XSPC. As for the FrozenQ, meh...not really my style. Just beware, he has had a handful of res's that developed some problems. . .bad glue joints, damaged CCFL, etc. Most of which I recalling him taking care of.

I've decided that I am going ALL-COPPER. Unfortunately, they do have a tendency to get discolored. Is there a way to reduce this ill effect?

Nickel plating is the most common method. There is also stuff like Brasso and Tarn-X that you can rub onto the sides and non contact points of the bottom that will slow or prevent the oxidation process. You do not want to put it on any of the contact points or inside the water channel inside the block as it will hurt thermal transfer. Honestly though, the discoloration doesn't affect thermal transfer, so it boils down to a bling factor.

I also heard that the Sunbeam is junk lol. I took it out and am going with all three of those kits you recommended xD

Anyways.. Thanks a lot for your insight in watercooling. This is my first time and am a bit overwhelmed.. Well not really xD

On another note, I still have to wait another 1-2 weeks for them to restock on the radiators... *sigh This build seems like it will never finish.

The most important thing is no matter how long it feels like it's taking, never rush. Take your time setting up and you'll avoid having to RMA expensive stuff and wait even longer.


Is there a reason for the Magicool rads? Swiftech makes the sizes your after for a little cheaper and they work a little better, and more importantly, they're in stock.

[blazarcher]

Best mix would be to start the loop with 1-2 drops of PTNuke and have a killcoil inside the loop somewhere. Like that, when the drop(s) of Nuke fade out, the silver ion content from the coils would have been building up to do it's job. This setup is about as low maintenance as possible.

We've learned over time that Fester is only willing to hand out samples of their products to reviewers that will give their products favorable reviews, by whatever means necessary. Here are 2 such rigged reviews.

http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1704&pageID=7761 Not sure why this twit decided to try windshield washer fluid as a coolant but he did. I'm guessing it might have something to do with not being right in the head.

http://www.bit-tech.net/modding/2008...uid_shootout/1

...and as far as non conductive claims, here's the truth about that.

Where would I place the killcoil? Here is a picture... (I don't exactly know how it functions xD, is it placed "inside" the loop?)

Well, I think 1 DDC 3.25 should be good enough to get you ~1GPM but 2 will be enough to pretty much guarantee 1.5GPM minimum.

Doesn't a HIGHER flow rate equal MORE heat dissipation? And considering that probably with 2-3 GTX480 that heat would be more than 1KW. Going through all 4 radiators, all the waterblocks, that at LEAST 2 DDC 3.25 would be required? The way I see it, going with 2 is the minimum and going with three will allow for more flexibility in the future. And going with a HUGE 250mm reservoir will result in more time for ALL that water to cool down before having to go back through the loop.

Here is quote by skinnee @overclock...
"When you put two pumps in series, you're boosting the PQ curve way up (as seen in the charts above), the restriction of your loop or pressure drop moves further along the X or flow axis...translating into a higher flow rate for your loop."
And with a greater flow rate, equal more heat dissipation. So right now I'm thinking of either going with 2 or 3 (Pricing Aside of course, just all for performance).

For each tube to part connection you want, you'll need 1 male and 1 female. . .so for each part (say a rad), you'll need 2 male and 2 female.

What if I just had 2 male and 2 females in TOTAL for 2 radiators? The only part I'd replace would be simply whats between the radiators (So the QDC would connect to the OUT of one radiator and the IN on the other). In this case would one (male and female) QDC ends on EACH radiator be sufficient?

When I want to replace my graphics cards for example, I'd shut down the system. And unplug the tubing between the 2 radiators (and consequently the GPU blocks).

I really don't want to have QDC's everywhere because of their enormous size. It would really mess with the overall look of the system. Again, I'm aiming for this setup to be accepted at MDPC... Yeah I know a bit optimistic but spending 2500USD+ just on the watercooling setup+some uni-sleevings should be more than enough to look similar to those featured on their site. Damn sleeving those EXTRA LONG PSU cables of the Silverstone ST1500W PSU is gonna be A LOT of work. lol, I am also ordering uni-sleeving extensions for all my PSU cables just in case I get lazy.

Good decision on the XSPC. As for the FrozenQ, meh...not really my style. Just beware, he has had a handful of res's that developed some problems. . .bad glue joints, damaged CCFL, etc. Most of which I recalling him taking care of.

Wow, had no idea about all those problems with the reservoir. It seems to ooze quality although I could be wrong. What reservoir would you recommend? I'd like one similar to the Coolplex radiator but if I were to go with those, I'd need to go with RED fluid. And as discussed before, simply going with distiller water and a lil' additive is most optimal. -- Heh, this is why I went with the XSPC Aluminum radiator. I thought the aluminum wasn't in direct contact with the water so that it wouldn't cause any problems.

Is there a reason for the Magicool rads? Swiftech makes the sizes your after for a little cheaper and they work a little better, and more importantly, they're in stock.

Well I checked the Swiftech radiators and they are much too big at 128mm. They need to be exactly 120mm. Unfortunately this means I can' fit XSPC radiators down there. However, these magicool radiators are better than the swiftech radiators @ low speeds. It's thickness is also much larger than the Swiftech's 34mm, at 45mm.

[Waterlogged]

Where would I place the killcoil? Here is a picture... (I don't exactly know how it functions xD, is it placed "inside" the loop?)

Inside the res or a tube would be fine.

Doesn't a HIGHER flow rate equal MORE heat dissipation? And considering that probably with 2-3 GTX480 that heat would be more than 1KW. Going through all 4 radiators, all the waterblocks, that at LEAST 2 DDC 3.25 would be required? The way I see it, going with 2 is the minimum and going with three will allow for more flexibility in the future. And going with a HUGE 250mm reservoir will result in more time for ALL that water to cool down before having to go back through the loop.

Here is quote by skinnee @overclock...
"When you put two pumps in series, you're boosting the PQ curve way up (as seen in the charts above), the restriction of your loop or pressure drop moves further along the X or flow axis...translating into a higher flow rate for your loop."
And with a greater flow rate, equal more heat dissipation. So right now I'm thinking of either going with 2 or 3 (Pricing Aside of course, just all for performance).

That's true, to a point. There is also the point of diminishing returns. This is the point where you start throwing absolutely ridiculous amounts of money at the loop and get very little drop in temps in return, for most ppl, this is ~1.5 GPM. On the graphs, this is the point where the line turns sort of flat.

What if I just had 2 male and 2 females in TOTAL for 2 radiators? The only part I'd replace would be simply whats between the radiators (So the QDC would connect to the OUT of one radiator and the IN on the other). In this case would one (male and female) QDC ends on EACH radiator be sufficient?

When I want to replace my graphics cards for example, I'd shut down the system. And unplug the tubing between the 2 radiators (and consequently the GPU blocks).

I really don't want to have QDC's everywhere because of their enormous size. It would really mess with the overall look of the system. Again, I'm aiming for this setup to be accepted at MDPC... Yeah I know a bit optimistic but spending 2500USD+ just on the watercooling setup+some uni-sleevings should be more than enough to look similar to those featured on their site. Damn sleeving those EXTRA LONG PSU cables of the Silverstone ST1500W PSU is gonna be A LOT of work. lol, I am also ordering uni-sleeving extensions for all my PSU cables just in case I get lazy.

If I'm understanding you correctly and everything else is between the rads, that would work. You should really talk to the master of QD's, NaeKuh. He had a topic a little over a year ago about QD's extolling their virtues.

Wow, had no idea about all those problems with the reservoir. It seems to ooze quality although I could be wrong. What reservoir would you recommend? I'd like one similar to the Coolplex radiator but if I were to go with those, I'd need to go with RED fluid. And as discussed before, simply going with distiller water and a lil' additive is most optimal. -- Heh, this is why I went with the XSPC Aluminum radiator. I thought the aluminum wasn't in direct contact with the water so that it wouldn't cause any problems.

Whoa, slow down there, I think you may have taken what I said a bit too seriously or little out of context (maybe both). Frozen has had a few problems, maybe 7-8 total (IIRC) out of probably a 100+ (maybe more) total units made. He's also been really good about his customer service responsibilities in those cases so if your still interested, go ahead and order one.

Well I checked the Swiftech radiators and they are much too big at 128mm. They need to be exactly 120mm. Unfortunately this means I can' fit XSPC radiators down there. However, these magicool radiators are better than the swiftech radiators @ low speeds. It's thickness is also much larger than the Swiftech's 34mm, at 45mm.

Ah, gotcha. Actually, I believe they're a little bit worse because they are more or less the old Black Ice Xtreme design which were pretty much one of the the first true designed for PC rads, second only to the Black Ice Pro (IIRC). You probably wouldn't notice a difference in performance though.

[avddreamr]

If you are going to spend 2,000.... you might want to talk to a builder on one of the forums. Your money may even go further with them.
I hear Charles at MurderMod.. does exceptional work
In a TJ-07 ... bottom area, 480+ 240 + PSU+ pump (maybe)
Top mounted swiftech mcr 320.
Mesh panel instead of plexi... You'll have plenty of air flow.

1500w psu.... at 88% eff, you're looking at 1704 watts at the wall. Assuming you can get 120volts from your electrical system you would need 14.6 amps just for the psu.
Usually most house holds only get 110-115volts. You'll need a dedicated line...




Good luck

[blazarcher]

Inside the res or a tube would be fine.

lol so I just drop it in there and it'll do the rest? I'll probably have to replace it every year or so. Anyways, about the whole distiller water plus additives. How much would you put for ever liter... Would you only have to add a few drops? I still want to go with Feser One and I'm pretty sure it can't be THAT bad considering there are a lot more people using Feser One than simply distiller water.

That's true, to a point. There is also the point of diminishing returns. This is the point where you start throwing absolutely ridiculous amounts of money at the loop and get very little drop in temps in return, for most ppl, this is ~1.5 GPM. On the graphs, this is the point where the line turns sort of flat.

Well with 3 pumps how much flow do you think I'd pull out? Can't be that much higher than 1.5 GPM. Especially considering how big my loop is gonna be.

If I'm understanding you correctly and everything else is between the rads, that would work. You should really talk to the master of QD's, NaeKuh. He had a topic a little over a year ago about QD's extolling their virtues.

Sent NaeKuh a message, hope to get a reply soon.

Whoa, slow down there, I think you may have taken what I said a bit too seriously or little out of context (maybe both). Frozen has had a few problems, maybe 7-8 total (IIRC) out of probably a 100+ (maybe more) total units made. He's also been really good about his customer service responsibilities in those cases so if your still interested, go ahead and order one.

Guess I'll go with the FrozenQ xD What would you get if you needed a large reservoir (not to be fit into ODD bays)?

Great news!! Turns out I can go ahead and purchase all this stuff... They re-stocked on everything including the radiators so I'm really happy. Gonna order the hardware first though with the motherboard/processor, ETC. I've decided to go with the Intel X25-E SSD. Let me know what you think!! -- Unfortunately, still gotta wait for EK to come out with 480 waterblocks. Gonna get those as soon as I sell these GTX 260's.
**No, wait... The fans are on back-order... DAMN**

[Waterlogged]

lol so I just drop it in there and it'll do the rest? I'll probably have to replace it every year or so. Anyways, about the whole distiller water plus additives. How much would you put for ever liter... Would you only have to add a few drops? I still want to go with Feser One and I'm pretty sure it can't be THAT bad considering there are a lot more people using Feser One than simply distiller water.

Yep

Nope, it'll probably last longer than you'll live.

I covered this in the beginning of post #28

The majority of ppl that have been around the water cooling block a time or two use distilled water. We've all done the dye/special coolant thing and have all found it to be not worth the headaches or cost.

Well with 3 pumps how much flow do you think I'd pull out? Can't be that much higher than 1.5 GPM. Especially considering how big my loop is gonna be.

Probably not much more with the extra pump. It's your loop, if you want 3 pumps go ahead, I'm just saying that IMO, it isn't worth the extra money. It may also not be worth the extra heat dump into the loop.

Guess I'll go with the FrozenQ xD What would you get if you needed a large reservoir (not to be fit into ODD bays)?

Ek multioption or Koolance Inline V2 work well. I prefer the Koolance because their mounting systems attaches to the ends of the res and then to a fan and doesn't risk scratching the tube part of the res.

Great news!! Turns out I can go ahead and purchase all this stuff... They re-stocked on everything including the radiators so I'm really happy. Gonna order the hardware first though with the motherboard/processor, ETC. I've decided to go with the Intel X25-E SSD. Let me know what you think!! -- Unfortunately, still gotta wait for EK to come out with 480 waterblocks. Gonna get those as soon as I sell these GTX 260's.

Re-post your full list so we can double check it and make sure your not forgetting anything important.

[blazarcher]

Yep

Nope, it'll probably last longer than you'll live.

I covered this in the beginning of post #28

The majority of ppl that have been around the water cooling block a time or two use distilled water. We've all done the dye/special coolant thing and have all found it to be not worth the headaches or cost.

K, so I won't be going for any special coolants. I'll get 2 liters of distilled water. And add 4 drops of HydroX. I'll get 2 liters even though I really only need one for maintenance. And as you know, the water will eventually run out so yea...

Probably not much more with the extra pump. It's your loop, if you want 3 pumps go ahead, I'm just saying that IMO, it isn't worth the extra money. It may also not be worth the extra heat dump into the loop.

Now that you mention it, the extra heat dump won't be worth a lil' extra flow. I really only wanted to go with 3 because it looks better.. Guess I'll stick with 2. Will this still provide over 1.5 GPM considering how many things this loop will go through?

EK multioption or Koolance Inline V2 work well. I prefer the Koolance because their mounting systems attaches to the ends of the res and then to a fan and doesn't risk scratching the tube part of the res.

I've decided to go with the Frozen Q because of the LED's inside. Although that koolance v2 looks really good, with distiller water, it won't look all that great. Still paying double for a reservoir with LED's isn't exactly a good buy.

RE-post your full list so we can double check it and make sure your not forgetting anything important.

Yeah I'm gonna post the Hardware and H20 supplies seperately.

UPDATE** Ignore what I said about going with 2 pumps instead of 3. If you think about it these pumps each only output 18W. What difference will 18W really make when I'm cooling hardware that have a potential power draw of well over 900W??

[blazarcher]

EVERYTHING IS IN STOCK. But before buying, I wanna make sure that I'm getting the right stuff... First the hardware...

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822152185
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
$89.99


SILVERSTONE ST1500 1500W ATX 12V 2.3 & EPS 12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817256054
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
$399.99


LITE-ON SK-1688U/B Black USB Wired Standard Keyboard
Item #: N82E16823107128
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
$6.99


GIGABYTE GM-M6880 Metal Black USB Wired Laser Gaming Mouse
Item #: N82E16826146010
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
$19.99


MASSCOOL G751 Shin-Etsu Thermal Interface Material
Item #: N82E16835150080
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$4.99


Patriot Viper 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model PVT36G1600LLK
Item #: N82E16820220363
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
$193.99


Link Depot SCW-10-BK 10 Pack of Black Anodized Thumbscrews
Item #: N82E16811989004
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$8.97
($2.99 each)


EVGA E760 CLASSIFIED "Overclocker's Pick" 3-Way SLI + PhysX 1366 Intel X58 EATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813188048
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
-$20.00 Instant
$419.99
$399.99


Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Model BX80601930
Item #: N82E16819115225
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
-$5.00 Instant
$294.99
$289.99

Intel X25-E Extreme SSDSA2SH032G1 2.5" 32GB SATA II SLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - OEM
Item #: N82E16820167013
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy


Gonna run the X25-E as the boot drive and have all my stuff on the Spinpoint. BTW I went with the F3 because it's a lot quieter than the 2TB Caviar Black which is what I was GOING to go with. Anyways, I went with 930 because its a great overclocker, and patriot memory because its really different from corsair. Everyone is buying corsair so I decided to be a lil' unique. Also considering their memory is made in the USA and have lifetime warranty, this really is the xD

Went with E760 Classified because of the EK waterblock that it is compatible with. Really expensive but I have a feeling Core i7 will be around for another 2-3 years.

1500W overkill?? I don't think so.. 3 GTX480 = 900W + CPU and that's well over 1200W on load. So yeah, also it's black glossy surface compliments my case's styling.

Gonna use my old hardware as another computer so got some cheap ol' keyboard and mouse for it. Already got a monitor for 'em too.

Wondering where the GTX 480 is? It's coming xD Gonna order it together with some new EK waterblocks or maybe the Aqua Computer blocks.. Gonna wait for a comparison to come out before I do anything...



**EDIT** Going with the OCZ Vertex Limited Edition instead of the X-25E due to it's superior SandForce platform. Dunno how long it will last though. Definitely not as long as the X-25E. Pricing stays around the same.

[blazarcher]

I guess your all eager on seeing what is to come as to the Liquid Cooling hardware.. Well here it is.

Total Items: 167 Weight: 117.7lbs Amount: $2,714.93

K, I'm just gonna show the important stuff...

Frozen Q Liquid Fusion Reservoir 250ml

XSPC Triple Acrylic Top w/ 3 DDC 3.25 Pumps

Magicool Xtreme 240mm Radiator

Magicool Xtreme 480mm Radiator

Magicool Xtreme 360mm Radiator

EK Supreme HF Gold Plated CPU waterblock

EK X58 Classified SLI waterblock

XSPC RX120 Radiator

**FUTURE WHEN AVAILABLE**
*EK Gold Plated GPU Waterblock For GTX 480*

XSPC RX120 Radiator

Bitspower Acetal/Silver Top HDD waterblock

Then all back to the res.

If you can't tell already, this is how my water will flow.

I'm going with distiller water with 3 drops of HydrX per 1 liter of water.

NOTE: QDC will be placed between the two RX120 Radiators so when I replace my GPU's I won't have to drain the whole system. Other than that, I shouldn't have to do much maintenance besides polishing the Gold Plated Copper every now and then.

I'm going with 1/2" ID and 3/4" OD with 1/8" wall -- Primoflex PRO LRT Black Tubing with Primochill Clear Anti-Kink Coils.


Sub-Total: $2,714.93 (Some other stuff not mentioned...) What a coincidence, I was born in 93'... 117.7 items... Hmm.. 117, Spartan 117 anyone? xD


Yeah a lot of stuff and did you see the price? lol. This is well worth the money because most of it won't be replaced in the future including the CPU block. Anyways, ignore a few things such as the Lian Li case. That's where I'll put my old stuff in. Also went with those custom RAM sinks because all them "million dollar PC's" have that same one. Still not sure about the HDD block. Will it increase the noise of my hard drive?

*Bad News* They are out of the Blacknoise Noiseblocker Multiframe S-Series M12-S3 73 CFM... All I needed was 11!!!!!

Took out the 360mm radiator, MIGHT add it in the future. But right now gonna keep my build simple.

[blazarcher]

First time using AutoCAD so ignore my crappy sketch of my PC and the path of the loop. Note the ATX area there is a CPU at the bottom, and two GPU's above that. Also, bottom right is the PSU which is limiting my radiator setup in the lower portion of the case to a 480mm and a 240mm. Note at the top left I've got an RX120 radiator there. It won't be getting any airflow though but it should help a lil' with cooling all the hardware. Finally the northbridge/southbridge waterblock isn't very clear. Basically underneath one of the RX120 there is an IN where I'll have a 90 degree fitting. And where you see the line coming out from the middle, well that's the OUT of the waterblock going straight to the RX120. Note the QDC's, one coming out of the first RX120 and the second one at the IN of the 2nd RX120.

Not very clear but the reservoir isn't all that big so the QDC of the 2nd RX120 won't be in the way as the reservoir will be positioned right under it.

Do you guys think I should go ahead and purchase the EK waterblock for the GTX480's before any actual reviews? They make top quality stuff and trust them with my money. Or should I wait and see what WaterCool and Aqua Computers are coming out with?

http://pdfcast.org/pdf/iojfoi

Its a .pdf but just download take a gander and delete if necessary xD

[blazarcher]

Just wondering if anyone knew what sort of GPU waterblocks these are. They look like they have a gold plated or copper base and plexi or stainless steel on the top but not sure..





They look like the Koolance VID-387 for the Radeon 3870. Was wondering if something like this will come out for the GTX 480's. I hate Koolance so I was thinking about the Plexi/Copper version of the EK GTX 480 waterblocks. How in the world would I get them gold plated??

[Waterlogged]

I see a fair bit of wasted cash and some blatant disregard of advise you said you'd take.

I give up because I don't enjoy

[blazarcher]

I see a fair bit of wasted cash and some blatant disregard of advise you said you'd take.

I give up because I don't enjoy

What do you mean xD I took all your advice. Went with distilled water with some Swiftech HydrX. Then I took out that aluminum reservoir for the FrozenQ. the only thing I don't think I took into consideration was the dual pump idea. I remember seeing a review of the XSPC Dual DDC Acrylic Top and the GPM that it was pulling out for just going through a single radiator wasn't THAT high.

Anyways, I pretty much followed all your advice. This is my first time watercooling thats why I posted this for some advice.

And the only reason why some of the stuff aren't updated on the cart is because they aren't available.

[blazarcher]

If you are going to spend 2,000.... you might want to talk to a builder on one of the forums. Your money may even go further with them.
I hear Charles at MurderMod.. does exceptional work
In a TJ-07 ... bottom area, 480+ 240 + PSU+ pump (maybe)
Top mounted swiftech mcr 320.
Mesh panel instead of plexi... You'll have plenty of air flow.

1500w psu.... at 88% eff, you're looking at 1704 watts at the wall. Assuming you can get 120volts from your electrical system you would need 14.6 amps just for the psu.
Usually most house holds only get 110-115volts. You'll need a dedicated line...




Good luck

I've always thought of asking around from builders but no one seems to do mods with a Lian Li V2100B. And even if they did, they wouldn't have the case and that would mean me having to ship it over. And since I lost the packaging xD It'll be a lot of trouble on my part. Plus I like to do things myself xD I get the right to say, you know, I made this.

But if you know anyone who does single sleeving for PSU's maybe then can give me some advice or help me out with sleeving these REALLY LONG cables.

[blazarcher]

Yeah well right now the problem is having enough money to go through with this build. I'll be spending 5K+ for the Watercooling and the Core i7 upgrade.

Anyways I'm still debating whether I should go with the Aquagrafx or the EK GTX 480 waterblock. The Aquagrafx looks better in my opinion and even has the voltage regulators in the back covered. However EK always seem to push ahead in terms of cooling capabilities. Anyways here are some pictures of the two...


Pretty thin block too, perfect for heat transfer.

Even has cooling for voltage regulators on the back! Can't get that on an EK.

And the EK...




If I were to go with the EK, which version should I get?

[blazarcher]

bump...

[blazarcher]

I'm planning on adding ANOTHER 360mm radiator right on top of the 480mm Magicool radiator. Here is a picture of how it'll look.




The red is the 480mm, the blue is the 240mm right underneath.
The yellow represents the 360mm that will be in front of the 480 rad.
The light green is the reservoir where water will travel to the [GREY] Triple DDC Pump -> [BLUE] 240mm RAD -> [RED] 480mm RAD -> [YELLOW] 360mm RAD


If I am going to go with this setup, the water will flow like this: Res [Light Green] -> Pump -> [GREY] Triple DDC Pump -> [BLUE] 240mm RAD -> [RED] 480mm RAD -> [YELLOW] 360mm RAD -> CPU Waterblock -> [BLACK] 120mm RAD -> 2 GPU Waterblocks (at the top) -> [BLACK] 120mm RAD -> [DARK RED] HDD waterblock -> Back to RES [LIGHT GREEN]

Yea that's a lot of things for the water to go through. This is why I've decided to go with 3 DDC 3.25's.

Remember this is a BTX case. So motherboard is inverted.

[blazarcher]

I NEED my side panels to be cut exactly like this...


I'm thinking Smok'd plexi...

Was wondering where I can get this done here in the US. I'm willing to spend 200-300 dollars for this job.

[blazarcher]

Here is another picture of how the case's exterior should look like.


The flames will provide plenty of airflow for the 3 radiators down there.

[blazarcher]

Here is a rough sketch of the water loop...


Damn that's alot of tubing. Does 10FT of tubing seem enough?

NOTE the 120.1 radiator in the ODD area looks too big. But I measured 6.3" and it took up more than half of the ODD area. Don't really like how the tubing from the last 120.1 rad has to travel all the way down to the HDD block. I'll probably hide it behind the reservoir or something.

Anyways, if you look closely at the TOP GPU, what exactly is that fitting? It's not a 90 degree fitting...

And almost forgot, the WHITE rectangles are where I'll be placing Koolance VL3N Quick Disconnects (1 male and 1 female each). These 3 strategically placed QDC's will allow me to replace the CPU and the GPU with ease. And if needed I can even replace the WHOLE MOTHERBOARD when LGA2011 comes out next year. All this without having to drain the PC. Yes, I am a bit lazy xD

[Shoggy]

Should be an adapter like that one:

[avddreamr]

I've always thought of asking around from builders but no one seems to do mods with a Lian Li V2100B. And even if they did, they wouldn't have the case and that would mean me having to ship it over. And since I lost the packaging xD It'll be a lot of trouble on my part. Plus I like to do things myself xD I get the right to say, you know, I made this.

But if you know anyone who does single sleeving for PSU's maybe then can give me some advice or help me out with sleeving these REALLY LONG cables.

Honestly, if you think spending 100 dollars at a ups store to have it packed and sent to a competent builder, when you are spending 5k on a build.... is to much... then man .. there may be no point in advising you. But if you want to do it yourself, we learn best by doing.


The thing is, when you do a but load of research, you get obsessed with an idea, and with that obsession you ignore sensible advice.


I noticed that now you want to mount yet another rad in the case, where is the air flow going to come from?

BTW you will gain NOTHING ZIP ZILCH from three PUMPS, except heat dump, power consumption, noise, and a bunch of other undesirable things.
Take a look at vapors test, and temp vs flow rate on any block you may be looking at.. .above a certain point, there is nothing worthwhile gained, or what is gained, is within measurement errors, in other words statistically insignificant. Let say the gain is 1c, you gain as much from having one pump, and using indigo extreme instead of shin-etzu !
It happens that the best block, right now, is also one of the least restrictive.

My advice, dual loop, 3 radiators.
One top mounted quad rad ala koolance, (it works and it looks alot nicer with mesh instead of wire grills) for the cpu/chipset.
Two rads on the bottom, maybe quad rads, exhausting air, drawing air from the bottom of the case, a but load of gt-14 fans, and some aquacomputer gear to manage the mess.
Even a dual 140 mounted on top with just a standard rad grill will do the trick for the cpu.
At 4ghz you are probably looking at 200-250watts worse case scenario heatdump.

Blocks, basically EK.
Do tri-sli + phsx (gts 250, or 240)
I would put the phsyx card at the begining of the gpu loop for the lowest heat dump.
Two quad rads will more than take care of the heat.


Distilled water, biocide, silver kill coils, bp true silver components.
Pick which ever Res suit your fancy, but pick two. The bling is nice, but you may run into reliability issues.


Also... try.. KISS!! Keep it Simple ...

Hell you might even just send your case to origin. Let them do it, warranty it, etc!
But if you must spend 2 grand on w/c, you have to realize that you are going far beyond the point of diminishing returns.

How are you going to manage, and control your system? Are you planing to buy an aquaero, mcubed, or koolance monitoring system?

It's more important to make sure the rads that you do use are getting the right amount of airflow, not so much shoving as many rads as possible.

good luck with your build, i'm sure you will learn from it, and benifit from the experience. However don't be surprised if you end up having buyers remorse.

Truthfully, I'm sure that you could get by with 1 quad for the gpus, and a dual/triple for the cpu/mosfets. You're going to have a hell of time building everything, reserve a weekend and a case of 5 hour energy.

[blazarcher]

Honestly, if you think spending 100 dollars at a ups store to have it packed and sent to a competent builder, when you are spending 5k on a build.... is to much... then man .. there may be no point in advising you. But if you want to do it yourself, we learn best by doing.

Yeah the truth is I just want to do it myself and learn from the experience.

The thing is, when you do a but load of research, you get obsessed with an idea, and with that obsession you ignore sensible advice.

You are so right!!! I've been obsessing over this setup. I've completely ignored the main purpose of watercooling!! It's for silence! Why should I go with three pumps when two will be QUIETER. And adding another rad on the bottom! That might be too much. It would be much louder going from 8->11 fans.

I noticed that now you want to mount yet another rad in the case, where is the air flow going to come from?


My advice, dual loop, 3 radiators.
One top mounted quad rad ala koolance, (it works and it looks alot nicer with mesh instead of wire grills) for the cpu/chipset.
Two rads on the bottom, maybe quad rads, exhausting air, drawing air from the bottom of the case, a but load of gt-14 fans, and some aquacomputer gear to manage the mess.
Even a dual 140 mounted on top with just a standard rad grill will do the trick for the cpu.
At 4ghz you are probably looking at 200-250watts worse case scenario heatdump.

The thing is, a top mounted quad radiator is gonna look kinda ugly. I've seen many watercooling setups while browsing the forum and never found one that looks good with a Koolance EXO's for example, mounted on the top.

Blocks, basically EK.
Do tri-sli + phsx (gts 250, or 240)
I would put the phsyx card at the begining of the gpu loop for the lowest heat dump.
Two quad rads will more than take care of the heat.


Distilled water, biocide, silver kill coils, bp true silver components.
Pick which ever Res suit your fancy, but pick two. The bling is nice, but you may run into reliability issues.


Also... try.. KISS!! Keep it Simple ...

Heh, funny you mention keeping it simple yet recommending I go with two seperate loops.. Meaning 2 seperate pumps... res.. etc xD How does a single loop sound?

Hell you might even just send your case to origin. Let them do it, warranty it, etc!
But if you must spend 2 grand on w/c, you have to realize that you are going far beyond the point of diminishing returns.

Like I said earlier, I'd like to do this myself xD

How are you going to manage, and control your system? Are you planing to buy an aquaero, mcubed, or koolance monitoring system?

Glad you mentioned that, I'll be going with an mcubed to control fan speeds and ?pumps?

It's more important to make sure the rads that you do use are getting the right amount of airflow, not so much shoving as many rads as possible.

In the case of fitting a 360mm radiator over a 480mm radiator, wouldn't mesh on both side panels serve as enough airflow?

good luck with your build, i'm sure you will learn from it, and benifit from the experience. However don't be surprised if you end up having buyers remorse. [/QUOTE

Ah buyers remorse, the only remorse I get is when I upgrade videos cards and they become outdated. The only reason why I wouldn't feel buyers remorse in this case because this stuff won't need to be replaced.

Truthfully, I'm sure that you could get by with 1 quad for the gpus, and a dual/triple for the cpu/mosfets. You're going to have a hell of time building everything, reserve a weekend and a case of 5 hour energy.

But how does a 480mm, 240mm, and 2x120mm radiator seem for a single loop consisting of a CPU, North+Southbridge, Mosfets, and 2 GPU's?

----
Hey man thanks a lot for the advice. I'll definitely be making a few changes to my setup.