hi guys. i'm a newbie in moding and needless to say, i'm starting on my first ever gaming rig. i wanted to finish this rig all by myself, and my lack of experience on this matter is pulling me back. so what i did was, i checked all the customer reviews of each item before buying. everything went fine actually and i was able to buy all the necessary things except for one major component: the cooling system. at first, i wanted to get a Cooler Master V10 to make life easier. however, after browsing the project logs on this site, i changed my mind. i'm now more inclined to use a liquid cooling system. my problem is, i have no idea whatsoever on how to build one, nor any thoughts on how to plan for one. i'd chosen a cooler master cosmos s as my chassis, since i find it hot, though, it gave me a terrible headache to disassemble (ridiculous). can somebody help me? i need a sketch or maybe an illustration on where to place the different liquid cooling parts on my chassis. also, maybe you guys could suggest a brand that i could use for each component? the following are the specs that i'd bought so far : chassis: cooler master cosmos s proc: intel core i7 950 mobo: asus rampage III extreme ram: g-skill ripjaws 12Gb (3x4Gb) hd: wd caviar black 4tb (2x2tb) graphics: sapphire radeon hd 6870 1g sound: asus xonar xense psu: corsair 1000hx fan: cooler master sickleflow 120mm red led x 4 fan controller: aerocool v12xt
Are you over clocking your CPU are GPU? The reason I ask is because if you are not over clocking you really don’t need to spend all the money to put in a custom water cooling loop. It might not be a bad idea to go buy a corsair h50 or h70 while you figure out what you want to do.
thanks for the suggestion dude. w/ regards to over-clocking, most-probably, i'll have my system over-clocked, to squeeze more juice from it. been thinking 'bout those corsair coolers also, but i think, t'wont be enough.. that's why i'll go with the full water-cooling option.
One Loop with a double or triple rad if it'll fit in the cosmos (black ice stelth might be nice if your stuck for space), t line or single bay res to Liang DDC pump and EK waterblocks for the i7 and gpu. Do you have a budget in mind??? rip
Always read the stickies (Under Useful Links: Extreme Cooling): Extreme Kooling Case Galley So you want to watercool your PC? Read this first! Really useful WCing threads As for the positioning: tripple rad in the front, sacrificing 9 HDD bays. Top bay left for DVD-ROM. HDDs repositioned to a cradle on the bottom of the case, behind the rad and in front of the PSU. Airflow from the rad will cool them sufficiently. Back case fan and side panel case fan ensure good airflow through the rad and out of the case. Flow sequence: pump --> rad --> GPU block --> CPU block --> Res --> back to pump. One loop suffices; don't make things unnecessarily complicated. Choose 120mm fans with a CMF no higher than 70 if you want to be able to hear yourself think. A Laing DDC pump is your friend. So is an aquatube reservoir. Laptop DVD-Roms are less deep and therefore leave you space for the res. Don't believe the hype: A 3 fan rad is more than sufficient for the total TDP of your components. Tube diameter has almost no effect on cooling ability --anything between 8mm (G1/4) and 12mm (1/2"ID) will do. It makes no difference what block comes first; you can have the GPU before the CPU (coolant tends to even out to be the same temperature throughout the loop). Cooling the NB is a waste of money, effort and kills flow. Let the airflow from the rad handle it (the difference in air temperature before it enters the rad and after it leaves is 2 degrees C at most). Same with RAM.
It might just be a personal thing but I always go to the CPU 1st then the GPU, it probably doesn't make much difference, like I say just a personal thing.
@Ripitup121 - thanks! i don't mind 'bout the budget that much, as long as i'm satisfied and proud of my rig. but still, learning from you guys to make it right, and in choosing the right components, would help me save a lot.
@nexxo - awesome dude! been surfin' the web for hours now just to get a diagram or an illustration regarding WC and has found none. your illustration would serve as a guide. thanks a lot
No probs, we're all here to learn and give advice . The set up Nexxo shows looks perfect and will look savage with a window in the case with some strategically placed lighting. Rip
It doesn't. Comparative testing by some website jonks ago found, in fact, a slight benefit for the GPU (about 1 C) with no difference for the CPU. In my setup the GPU comes first also and I find it does not disadvantage the CPU's (I have two). It is always best to keep the loop as short as possible. It results in less flow resistance and less waste of space. Also keep in mind that the convention of putting the CPU first was established in the 90's, because it was the hottest component then. Nowadays the GPU runs much hotter than the CPU.
I just thought about what you said and it makes sense about how hot the GPU runs. That said, given the choice I would always go for 2 loops. Maybe nows the time to drag my arse out of the 90's. That means a complete new wardrobe and a hair cut
Aww... and those flares and sideburns look so hip... Two loops are really an unnecessary complication --especially in a relatively unsuitable case like the Cosmos (something like that requires a case like the legendary Silverstone Temjin 7). It is tempting to overdesign a system. I run a dual Opteron 250 (2x90W right there) and an Ati 1650 (another 50W) on a single loop, cooled by a single BIX. I get temps in the 40C-45C range across the board. A tripple radiator in a single loop will cool most SLI systems quite comfortably.
No no no, flares and side burns, thats the 70's . I'm not stuck that far back i time, thank god. I like complicated..lol, but I understand what your saying. But when it comes to modding loads of loops look so dam good, Neptune's Trident being a perfect example of that.
No argument there: modding is always about MOAR. But for a beginner like AfterburneR15 I think a single loop is the way to go for now. My next build is also going to be a single loop again, but passively cooled all the way.
Yep, totally agreed about single loops for beginners. Passively cooled , thats intriguing. I would say it's one of the passive tower jobbies, but thats to simple . Fridge?
Naah, fridge isn't passive. Something custom-built around a set of Cape Cora HF passive radiator tubes. Ten manage an SLI system comfortably. Mine will have twelve.
I was almost right. You have to do a log for that beasty. I'm guessing both big and expensive. Going to be pukka though.
Has no one mentioned you don't need to lose any bays !! I have 2 "s" and they take a 3 fan rad in the top, even has the screw holes for it !! I use an EK triple. I also currently have a XSPC bay res (but want to change to a tube res) Measure the screw spacing and just check what ever rad you get matches the spacing. I removed the bottom fan assisted HDD cage and moved it up slightly. I'm in the process of adding a acrylic floor just above the PSU so I'll have a nice flat floor, there will then be room for a pump below the floor - nice and clean ) So what I'm saying is don't lose bays, put it in the roof !
