NewGuy McNew - The watercoolening

berntserker · 10-04-2009, 03:58 AM

Hello everyone.

I just spent 30 minutes writing up a great first thread, having it all disappear because I was logged out before I finished.

Anyways..

After much reading, admiring and contemplating I have decided to convert to watercoolerism.

I plan to make this thread into a newbie worklog after parts start arriving, but as of now I need some advice.

The idea behind this loop is reliability, solid performance and low noise.
I am not OCD over a couple of degrees, I value high quality parts.

And of course, design.
Aiming for a clean, sleek and industrial look.

The following has been ordered from PPC.
Who shipped the order amazingly fast,
a bit too fast (see reservoir.)

Radiator: XSPC RX360
Fans: Scythe Slip Stream 1200rpm
Pump: Laing DDC 3.25
Top: EK-DDC X-TOP Rev 2 Acetal
CPU block: HEATKILLER® CPU Rev3.0 775 (+backplate)
GPU block: Watercool HEATKILLER® GPU-X² G200
Hosing: PrimoFlex Pro LRT Black 7/16 ID X 5/8 OD
Fittings: Bitspower G1/4" High Flow 7/16" ID (5/8" OD) Compression

Reservoir: Now this is where I think I screwed up.
I ordered the XSPC 150 Black anodized aluminium reservoir.

First thing that came to mind the morning after ordering was to change this out because of the aluminium -> copper corrosion problem, but alas PPC had done their job very well and already shipped my order.

Returning the reservoir will be far too expensive (I live in Europe) and I really liked this reservoir, quality is allegedly very high and it looks brilliant.

Now my question is:
Do I bite the bullet on this one and order a new reservoir (like the Bitspower Z plus?), or is the XSPC reservoir safe for use in a copper loop?
Anodized aluminium is non conductive and should not corrode, but is this reservoir even anodized on the inside?

Ordering a new reservoir will be an expensive mistake, but having my loop ruined because of corrosion will be much worse...

Moving on.

I can't figure out the best way to drain the system.
If possible I would like to avoid using a T-port since it would ruin the clean look I am hoping to achieve.

Coolant will be clear Koolance coolant, mostly because of the handy bottle that should make filling the system much easier.
Later on I will probably be refilling this bottle wth ordinary distilled water and the necessary additives, avoiding the whole UV Disco look.

Hardware that will bask in the glory of water cooling:

Lian Li A71B (with premod LL top.)
Asus Rampage Extreme X48 (incompatible with HK backplate?)
Intel Q9550
EVGA GTX280

Stay tuned for pictures and log once parts start arriving.

and sorry for the wall of text!

Edit: Shout out to Malik whose setups convinced me to go for water cooling, excellent work!

alacheesu · 10-04-2009, 04:07 AM

Can't you just order a new reservoir from a local retailer?

PiLsY · 10-04-2009, 04:09 AM

Any slight imperfection in the anodising will lead to corrosion. I tried some anodized koolance splitters and they turned my fluid into what looked like liquid soap in just 3 weeks.

As long as you don;t open or use the res i'd just send it back for a refund/credit towards a different res.

Have you thought of a T line and fillport/res combi? It really wont affect the look of your system as long as you take it from the highest point. Here's mine, personally I reckon I kept it quite clean looking. Or a combination res/top for the pump possibly? The XSPC res/top combo for the DDC is very good.

Purely for draining purposes you can add a metal T (bitspower silver blank for anti microbe/algae too if you like) at the lowest point of the loop. Undo the blank on the T to drain. This shouldn't affect how things look either (old pic, best I had, sorry!).

Hope that's of some help

.

berntserker · 10-04-2009, 04:26 AM

Local retailers are unfortunately horrible, price is skyhigh with very few parts to pick from.

PiLsY: Thanks for the feedback.
Your system does indeed look clean, especially like how short you managed to make the tubing, looks very nice.

Shipping and handling will sadly probably match the price of the reservoir, it being 500 grams.

Fillport is an option, and something I may even find locally. Did think about the XSPC reservoir top for a long time, but think it will be too tight a fit in the bottom of the case, too many harddrives to remove the lower bay.

Regarding the drain.
Always has to be at the lowest point right? And connected after the outlet on the pump?

millertime359 · 10-04-2009, 06:58 AM

The drain just needs to be as low as you can get it. The lower the better, that way it will drain all the coolant. You don't have to run a drain line though. It just makes draining a little easier.

I would change out the fans. Those Slipstreams are no that great on rads. A set of Gentle Typhoons or S-flexs are a better choice.

You can always just e-bay that res if you want.

berntserker · 10-04-2009, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by millertime359

I would change out the fans. Those Slipstreams are no that great on rads. A set of Gentle Typhoons or S-flexs are a better choice.

You can always just e-bay that res if you want.

Thanks for the heads-up.

Fans are no problem, I'll just throw the slip streams in the case instead.

Fans must be the most confusing part of the water cooling business, so much to pick from and so much conflicting information.

Had a quick look at the Feser Triebwerk fans, but they seem excessively priced.
I mean, 35 dollar fans...
They better be made of hair spun from a thousand virgins.

3x Gentle Typhoon 1800rpm, yay or nay?

As for the reservoir, I'll contact XSPC and hear if they approve of copper mixed with their tank, but I am pretty much convinced I have to replace it
with the EK Multioption 150 v.2.

MaByBoI · 10-04-2009, 08:27 AM

3x gentle typhoons, yay. and just do a small t like the bitspower one already stated, its what i did in the very bottom of my case behind everything. you dont even notice it, i strongly recommend it.

shazza · 10-04-2009, 09:22 AM

Welcome to XS, berntserker. I don't have any direct experience with the XSPC Aluminum reservoir (always wanted to try one, but stayed away because of the potential for corrosion). I'd probably change it out since this is your first go.

The Gentle Typhoons do seem to be very nice fans - I'm amazed at how quiet they are.

Can I suggest that you put your work log in the "work log section" once you get your initial questions answered and get going on your build? Threads tend to move to the back pages quickly in the main section. Good Luck on your project.

berntserker · 10-05-2009, 03:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shazza

Can I suggest that you put your work log in the "work log section" once you get your initial questions answered and get going on your build? Threads tend to move to the back pages quickly in the main section. Good Luck on your project.

Thank you,
will be sure to follow your advice once I get started.

3x Typhoons are underway, also getting the bitspower T piece.

I do have a couple of stupid questions left.

If I place the reservoir below the radiator, won't the water in the radiator be pushed down into the reservoir, making it overflow?
My physics are a bit shaky, but the logical turn of events (atleast in my mind) is water being forced downwards towards the lowest point.

and which direction is the outlet facing on the EK DDC X-Top v.2 ?
I expect it to be on top facing up, but can't seem to find any information on it.

millertime359 · 10-05-2009, 08:46 AM

The top hole is the inlet, the hole on the side is the outlet. You can mount the pump vertical if you need the outlet facing up.

The res will not overflow if it is mounted below the rad. I had mine mounted below my rad with no problems.

berntserker · 10-18-2009, 07:02 PM

Alright, my brothers from various mothers..

First shipment of parts has arrived, got the HK cpu and gpu blocks, fittings and ddc pump.

Also got the XSPC RX360 which is entirely void of any instructions as to where the inlet and outlet is.
Can I freely pick inlet and outlet without any performance loss?

Also, I have the Lian Li PC71B case, and plan to mount the radiator in the top lid, is pulling air from inside the case and out through the radiator feasible?

Have 2x2 Slip Stream 1200rpm fans as intake with dust filters in the front, but they will be blowing through 7 harddrives, including 2 raptors...
Would really like to avoid filling my case with dust through the top, which has no dust filter, only mesh.

On a different note, mounting the HeatKiller backplate on the Asus Rampage Extreme (x48) is a major pain.
For anyone planning to go this route, I suggest using a different backplate with a hole in the middle, as the Asus has a 5-6mm tall fujitsu chip protruding directly underneath the cpu.
Spent the better part of an hour dremmeling out a hole in the backplate, which appears to be made from the same steel as german tanks are made of.