Advice for Water Cooling Setup

[w4rr3n]

late to the party!

advice to go custom rather than getting kits, the tubing in the kit is quite bad. And also UT60 easier to maintain with the massive number of ports

also komodo is sexy, couldnt get it the other time with all the 7970 craze

changing to green tubing soon

ahhh crap necro thread

 

[godot09]

UT60 looks thick and mean. I am using the XSPC RX360.

Closed loop kits have their merits - they are easy to install, cheaper and look neat. They don't perform as well compared to the dedicated WC kits of course and they lack flexibility. With custom loops, you can mix and match and upgrade as you become more proficient.

 

[godot09]

The operation began. Got going today and waterblocked the 7950. The old 6950 water block (bottom) will be used in my son's rig. This will be done at a later date. *yawn For now, I want to make sure that the eyefinity rig works.

More pictures to follow ...

 

[godot09]

Made some changes to the tubing, leak tested it before powering it on.




Closer look at the new waterblocked 7950.

 

[godot09]

After some hard work, the rig is up and running again. Thankfully I did not mess up the operation -daughter will be able to play bioshock on it tonight.

 

[godot09]

To this (2013)

This i7 860 / MSI P55 GD 80 (2009) rig is still running well. Progressively upgraded the parts to keep it relevant and visually appealing.

 

[godot09]

The procedure was straightforward. Made use of the existing tube leading to the radiator for the graphics card. Thankfully, the fitting was good and the length appropriate so there were no leaks.

Son has no complaints swapping his Hawk 460 for this.

 

[godot09]

Out with the 6 fans and In with the 3 new Corsair SP fans.



It's been more than a year ... Some updates on my old (2010) sabertooth X58 Rig:

1. Replaced CCFL with NZXT Blue LED 2m
2. Replaced all 6 fans from radiator with 3 Corsair SP fans
3. Replaced 80mm fan with a Noctua 60mm fan to cool NB


Thoughts ...

Replacing the CCFL makes the cable management neater. Also there is less heat produced. In the long run, I think this is a better choice.

Actually, 3 fans for the RX 360 is good enough. Replaced all six fans with 3 Corsair SP fans instead. In so doing, I needed only 1 fan controller instead of 2. There is hardly any difference in temperature. More energy efficient.

The 60mm Noctua fan is super quiet compared to the previous one. It is also more stealthy-looking. Temperature improved by about 2 deg. I am happy with its quality and reliability.


This old rig is still plodding on after 4 years. I suppose with good care and modulated upgrades, our rigs can serve us well. This DIY hobby has been a satisfying journey for me.


more updates on my other 2009 MSI GD 80 rig later ...

 

[godot09]

This 2009 MSI P55 GD80 / I7 860 build was my first DIY Rig. I progressively made upgrades to it. Last year I watercooled the GPU and changed the radiator to an RX360. This time round, I removed the stock fans and changed them to 3 Corsair SP fans (Push configuration).

Thoughts:

The Corsair SP fans are more powerful and at 12V, the sound is quite audible. The good thing about the RX360 radiator is that it works wonderfully well at lower RPM. I usually turn down the speed by half for normal work and increase the speed when I game.

There isn't much difference in performance between push or pull configuration. One point to note is that for push config, dust will be accumulated on the radiator behind the fan blades. This makes cleaning impossible unless you remove the fans. But if your chasis is clean and well maintained, I don't see this as an issue.


This rig may be 5 years old but it is still kicking . For work and for play, it is doing just fine. I suppose we don't necessarily have to change CPU and MB every year to stay current.

 

[godot09]

Water Cooling - One Year On

Specs:
RX 360 Radiator
XSPC Bay Reservior cum pump
3/8 Barbs
3/8 inner diameter XSPC UV Tubes
Distilled Water
Biocide

Another year has passed. Did my usual maintenance: Drained contents, washed the reservoir, refilled distilled water and added biocide. Did not apply new thermal paste as the temps are constant.

Have been water cooling this rig since 2011. As you can see, there are no fanciful water cooling parts. They are quite basic actually. I am pretty pleased that the set-up is still working well after 4 plus years.

A few points to share - it would be better to get a more reliable pump than the XSPC 750 pump/Reservoir combo. I would suggest a MCP655 pump to go with 1/2" or 7/16" tubing with 1/2" barbs. 7/16" Tubing will give a more solid fit. I will go with that.

The above 3/8 barbs with 3/8" tubing works surprisingly well BUT there is a need to ensure that the tubing is long enough to fit snugly into the barb. If the tubing is too short, it will create more bend (kink) and tension and this will 'force' the tubing to bend away from the barb, paving way for possible leaks.

Personally, I think the 7/16" tubing works best with the 1/2" barb. It is definitely more secure. And if you ensure that there are no excessive bends in your loop, i venture to add that the loop will be leak free. No need for compression fittings or clips although a couple of angled barbs will most certainly make it a cleaner-looking loop.

Hopefully this sharing will encourage others who are more budget conscious to try water cooling. It will cost some money ... but it certainly need not cost an arm and a leg.

Is it worth it? Most certainly. It looks cool and stays cool.