Okay, so my original plan was two 8800's connected to a dual 120mm radiator, and my CPU and hard drive rack off another two 120mm radiators. (Using a Lian-Li v2000 full tower) However when doubling the parts, it seems it would cost a small fortune to do this. I wanted to know if it would be possible to run two 8800's the dual hard drive rack, and the CPU all off of one pump and reservoir, and the three radiators. I have no restrictions to brand or type, except that I already have bought the radiators with 1/2 hose connectors. Is there any way to get around buying two pumps, and two reservoirs without causing problems that could damage the parts? I'd rather just play it safe if that was the case. Or possibly running the CPU off a heat sink, and just water cooling the video cards? However I find this a waste of an expensive water cooling system, even if the 8800's run hot enough as it is. This is my first attempt at a liquid machine, but I have been reading these forums for a long time. any feedback would be great. (even if it results in me using two pumps)
As a first attempt at water cooling your jumping in at the deep end (see what i did there.. hah) 1/2 I/D tubing is recommended for your setup. Firstly, don't bother with harddrive water coolers as there's very little point & you don't benefit from having them. As long as the inside of your case is not like a sauna you should be fine. Next, you want a good pump. May a recommend the Laing D5-Vario (1/2") which is one of - if not best - 12v pump on the market. It was an excellent flow rate 1500L/h which is nearly double that of some other 12v pumps. Plus its pretty much silent. OK, now you want to decide if you need 2x 120 rads or just the one. Personally one 120 rad will be enough if you get a good one look the ThermoChill PA120.2. This rad has the same - if not better performance - as some 3 x 120 rads. Now waterblocks. The best water blocks on the market imo are DangerDen. They tend to have the best performance & are less restrictive (which is important in your situation) than other water blocks on the market. However, they are quite expensive & just cooling a pair of 8800s in SLI will cost £180!! So if you want to save a bit of money, my next suggestion would be to buy EK gpu water blocks. They have similar performance to the DangerDens but are almost half the price. A pair of 8800s would only be about £100. If your are not buy DangerDen waterblocks for the CPU then I would suggest Swiftech Apogee GTX to cool the processor. Its performance is very good & on par with DangerDens CPU blocks.
that sounds great, exactly the advice i was looking for. However I don't know what to do with the other two 120mm radiators I have. I don't have an image host, but could I do this? Reservoir -> Pump -> CPU block -> 8800 Block -> 8800 Block -> Flow Meter -> Dual 120mm Radiator -> Single 120mm Radiator -> Reservoir. this leaves out one of my radiators, which is fine, I could always find a use for it in the future. But since the hose has to go all the way back down to the pump, I want to see if I can't connect it to the second radiator that would be right next to it. Edit: My radiators are Black Ice Pro
first off, the dangerden 8800 fcbs are far inferior to the ek 8800 fcbs. The machining quality is no question inferior, as well as the look and performance. The least restrictive for 8800s would be either a swiftech stealth or an mcw60. in your loop, i reccoment the stealth or the mcw60, because they have identical performance and much less restiction and you need low restriction becasue youve got one hell of a large loop! as for rads, you can go with a swiftech 120.4 or 2 swiftech 120.2s. pump: D5 vario is a great pump, i have it and i love it. Another pump to consider is a ddc3.2+petras top. cpu: once again dangerden blocks are not top of the line no more. I would reccoment an apogee gtx or a d-tek fuzion. the tdx cannot even compete with either of the two! if you dont want the slight risk of galvanic corrosion due to the plated alu top int the GTX, go for the fuzion. as for tubing: 1/2 or 3/8 inch are fine. The advantages of 1/2 inch are mabye .5 to 1c better temps. 3/8 looks much better. for further instruction, check out xtremeforums watercooling section and read the stickies : ) edit: fcb= full cover block edit: loop: res-->pump-->cpu-->120.2-->gpu-->gpu-->120.2-->res
only problem is that the stealth is sold out everywhere! XD i've can't find a single store with them in-stock (ek too!)
still, i think u should wate,DD blocks simply arenty as high grade machining as ek or swiftech. im not saying their bad, just there are better. http://www.petrastechshop.com/swmcgpuwa.html above mcw comes with copper ramsinks mcw60 is in stock same thing as stealth, just no alu ramsinks. mcw60s are great i have one, 7900GTKO ius like 40 load
I would advise going with an EK block, they're bloody fantastic, and look great to boot. The other thing I'd say you should do is ditch Swiftech rads and go with thermochill's - a PA120.2 beats a 120.3 swiftech any day of the week, and they're pretty much the same price.
thermochill = twice the price of swiftech. All full cover blocks beside the stealth are very restrictive, and hes gonna have a lot of things in one loop, so restriction is bad.
I already have the Rads, I just didn't want to buy new ones if I could help it. Should I just go with two loops after all? doesn't seem like you guys think all of this off one loop is possible, or atleast safe on my pump. What I bought today: XSPC 150 Passive Aluminium Reservoir - Blue Fitting Size 1/2" Barb for 1/2" ID tube D-TEK FuZion Universal CPU Waterblock - 1/2" Laing D5 Vario/Swiftech MCP655 Inline 12V DC Pump After the shipment gets here I will have 4x Evercool Aluminum Fans 1x Rheobus fan controller 1x Black Ice XtremeII Radiator (120mm) 2x Black Ice Xtreme Radiator (120mm) 1x XSPC 150 Passive Aluminium Reservoir 1x D-TEK FuZion Universal CPU Waterblock 1x Laing D5 Vario/Swiftech Inline 12V DC Pump +(other accessories)
Hmmm...you do realize that having copper products in your loop will slowly corrode your aluminum res (galvanic corrosion.) If you are hell bent on using it, you can delay the effects by using certain additives, but it will still eventually corrode. If I were in your position, I'd take it back asap and get a T-line w/ fillport or an acrylic res like the swiftech (I have one of these.) Also, if you want to improve your cooling, put your rads between blocks in your loop (if possible), like zhangmaster12 said. Full coverage vid card blocks not only reduce your flow, but they also put a lot of extra weight on the card (it would behoove you to support it somehow so it doesn't crack.) I am only using a single card, but I have a MCW-60 (leaky) for the gpu and Swiftech ramsinks for the ram and one of these beneath it. Btw, my MCW-60 leaks through the threads on the block where the screws join the two halves. I didn't catch it and it killed a mobo . I used Fluid XP+ and it was slowly leaking for quite a while (maybe months), so afaiac it did its job. Moral: Leak test for a FULL 24hrs and check your loop regularly (especially if you lan.)
I'm currently running a Prescott 3.2 in a Lian Li PC50, on a multi-rad loop using a single 120mm fan. I have one rad passive, after the CPU after a single rad loop was keeping my HDD hotter than it would have been under air. Loop goes: Pump -> CPU -> Passive 120mm Rad -> HDD cooler -> GPU -> Active 120mm Rad -> Filltank/Pump. Runs nice and cool for a Pressie. I've also gone the other route you're considering before with a split loop and a pump per rad feeding into a common reservoir but tbh, I'd try it with what you have and fork out for an extra pump only if you feel it's warranted. Oh and I've quite happily used good quality anodised aluminium reservoirs and small diameter tubing for well over five years now with nary a problem.
