Hi guys I'm in the process of planning a rebuild of my system to give it a fresh lease of life and try and overclock the CPU to +4Ghz. I'm looking to get a really powerful but hopefully silent as possible build in a really understated case, the look im going for really is OEM+ I'm looking to get some feedback on my ideas that I currently have about the system and get a few questions answered. I applogise about the long post but I'm trying to cover everything in one go. Hardware wise it will be built to the following specs: Intel i7 930 @ 2.80GHz 12 Gb DDR3 Corsair low profile Dimms Asus X58 Sabertooth Motherboard Evga GTX 580 1.5Gb 256Gb Samsung 830 SSD 2Tb Samsung F4 Hdd Corsair AX750W I really wanted to try watercooling again after the last time didn't go so well, I wasn't impressed by the lack of control I had and the noise generated by the loop I built. I always promised myself I would go back and have another go after alot more research and try and build the perfect loop for my needs. I have comprised the following W/c list which I am slowly buying over the summer in prep for building the final system at the end of September: EK Supreme Plexi Copper & Backplate (currently have the copper block but may switch to the nickel plated version if I can to match the 580 Block) EK-FC 580 GTX+ Nickel Block & Single slot bracket EK Multioption Reservoir X2 150 Advanced Llaing DDC 18W pump with EK X-Top (acetyl) EK XTX 240mm Radiator 3 x Noiseblocker NB-Multiframe M12-PS 120mm Fans White 7/16 Tubing 8 x 1/2" Bad Boy Barbs Fillport & T line Aquacomputer Aquaero 5 LT 2 x Inline Water Temp sensors 2 x Air Temp sensors 1 x Water Flow sensor Aquacomputer Poweradjust LT to control the pump Aquacomputer Tubemeter Scythe Himuro Hdd Enclosure for the 2Tb Drive As you can see I want to have full control of the system and know exactly what the temps are, with the Aquaero automating the entire watercooling loop including the pump. This is all going to be squeezed into the Fractal R3 case, which as many of you already know is not the most watercoling friendly case out there, but it does have inbuilt sound deadening foam and I have one already on my desk! Here is a quick diagram of how I am currently setting the loop out within the case, obviously the hard drive cage at the front would be removed and in its place would sit the radiator, pump and res. The 2 Tb Hdd would be relocated to the top 5.25" bay and the SSD, Aquaero and Poweradjust sitting in the 2nd bay. So I have a few questions in regards to my plans; Is the way the loop has been set out ok? I have tried to do some reasearch on having the CPU and GPU in parallel to each other but cant seem to get a deisive answer. Will the 240mm Rad have enough cooling power for an O/C CPU and the Stock GPU? Would a Fractal R4 be a better case to start with? Having read the review on the Bit-Tech Website it seems to be a much more refined case, dealing with alot of the issues that I have with my current R3. The biggest of which is the lack of space for cable routing behind the motherboard tray. I'm planning on buying 4x4Gb of DDR3 1600MHz 1.5v Ram, using just 3 of the sticks and overvolting them. Simply because int he near futeure I may have enough money for an X79 upgrade and it would be handy to have the Ram ready, plus it works out around the same price. Would i experience any problems doing this? Does anybody have an expericence with using an Aquaero or any of the Aquacomputer products listed? This will be my first time using any of them and I want to know as much as I can before I buy. I'm sure I will come back with alot more questions and of course I will be updating this thead as the mini build progresses.
You should not have your GPU in parallel with your CPU. You will starve your CPU block of water, because the CPU block has more restricton than GPU block. Stock CPU and Stock GPU = Yes 3.4 -3.6 OC CPU and Stock GPU = Depending on your fan speed and ambient room temp I can see this working. 4.0 OC CPU and stock GPU = I would add another radiator. Just like anytime you overclock, go slow. Raise the OC slightly < Prime95 < Raise the OC slightly < Prime95 < Raise the OC slightly < Prime95... etc. Those are the questions I can answer. Good Luck!
R4: R3 had still over 1cm routing space. But you should choose R4 because http://www.mnpctech.com/casemodblog...idator-in-fractal-design-define-r4-mid-tower/ . Edit: Original reply was misunderstanding from my side.
Thanks for the reply, that's basically the same input I have had from every other forum I have posted this on. The plan now is to fit another 120mm rad as an exhaust fan, this lets me re-jig the loop a lot so I can run the blocks in series rather than parallel. Here a quick example of what I was thinking : Thanks for the reply, just taken a quick look at the link, it's a great guide and shows how easy it would be to fit a radiator to the R4. It actually makes it much more attractive as an option now. I will look into the price I can get for my R3 and see if I can make the jump.
Glad to see my guide can be used. Note, you can install a dual loop in the Fractal-Design Define R4. To buy space for your MB's DDR, you can offset a Hardware Labs Black Ice Stealth GT 240 radiator (slim line) by using the "inner" 140mm fan screw holes on left side of the top panel, there will be open perforations for all of your other fastener holes in the 240 radiator. You need M4x6mm screws to attach the radiator to the ceiling.
