Advise on first Water Cooled Build

[rbobic]

List of planned components:


I would like to cool with a dual loop with with a large radiator in bottom of the case (4fans) and a smaller rad with push/pull fans on the bottom side of the case. I will be using the Asus Maximus V Extreme with cooling for mobo. Besides the processor I would like to cool (Muskin copper kit) 3 sticks of 8 GB ram, 2 Nvidia GTX 690 run in SLI. My main concern evolve around the water cool plates to the 690's and the flow patterns from the pump and 2 radiators. I'm planning on using 2 120 GB SSD run in RAID 0 with a 1TB mechanical drive for image backup.

List of planned components:
1. Case: Silverstone Temjin TJ11 Tower Case $569
2. CPU: Intel core i-7 Sandy Bridge 2700 LGA 1155 $314
3. CPU Water Block: Swiftech Apoge Water Block $67
4. Mother Board: Asus Maximus V Extreme Inter Z77 express chip LGA 1155 $377
5. Power: Corsair AX 1200i Watt 80 Plus Platinum Certified $350
6. Sound Card: Asus Xonar Phoebus PCI Express x1 $200
7. Memory: Muskin Copperhead water cool (top copper plate) DDR3 1600 4x4 16G ?200
8. SSD: Sansung 830 Serues 128 Gb SATA III $125 x 2 $250
9. HDD: Seagate BarraST1000DM003 1 TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache Sata 6.0 Gb/s $90
10. Video: Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB GDDR5 PCI-E $1085 x 2 $2170
11. Water Cooled Copper Plates for Vid Card: EK-FC690 GTX $135 x 2 $270
12. Water Pump: Swiftech MCp655-B $94
13. Reservoir: Swiftech MCRES Micro Rev2 $26
14. CrossSLI fitting between Vid Cards: Daner Den $23
15. Compression Fittings: Danger Den Monsoon Silver 3/8" x 5/8" $7 x 20 $140
16. Tubing: Danger Den ClearFlex 60 Tubing 1/8 " thich for 3/8" OD Fittings $1.25x8 $10
17. Small Radiator for side: Phobys Xtreme 200mm Liquid Colling Radiator $80
18. Large Radiator for bottom: Swiftech 21" radiator MCRx20-QP $85
19. Fans: Helix 120-PWM fans $12 x 6 $72
20. Monitors: Acer 23" WidescreenMonitor,(S231, Black) $ 145 x 3 $435
21. Coolant: Mayhems Coolant Ice White conc $20
22. Led Lights and un-though of accessors $100
Total $5742

Before I set up the water cooled system thera are some logistics problems;
1. I have to test if my video cards are recognized in SLI mode
2. Check if the two SSD's are in RAID 0
3. How can I use CPU-Z to check system's CPU, memory, Vid Cards and mobo config?
4. Don't I have to install the op sys to load these test applications?
5. How to do without damaging the CPU, mobo, etc.

I plan to remove the racks in the lower portion of the cast to fit the pump, res, and 21" rad (with 4 fans) attached along the bottom side of the case with velcro. to fasten and lessen vibration.

I will need some help designing the loop. Tentatively res---pump---RAM---Vid cards--Maximus mobo channel--smaller rad and fan (top or side)---CPU---bottom large rad ---res

I decided to go with a quad core process (instead of 6 or 8 Xeon --- MB with room for two processors) because the writers of games only direct their work toward 4 cores instead of 6 pr 8. I am over spending in the graphic cards to get the best frame rates and want them water cooled besides the processor.

I will be using RAID 0 with the two 120 GB SSD and backing up "this" 240 GB drive by mirroring it to the 1TB mechanical drive (incase one of the SSD's fails or I need to restore for any other problem). The GTX 690 are pricy and I suppose with one more in an SLI 3 config I would get about 30% increase in frame rate.

Do you have any suggestions or advice?

Thanks Group,

Robert Bobic
rbobic@earthlink.net

[Krindor]

First of all for that much watercooling get a dual loop system where the GPU's are cooled by themselves and the cpu and ram cooled together. For Rads Alphacool nexXxoS are the best performing ones on the market the monsta being the best for beast copmuters, though the fans have to be strong so they will be making a hella lot of noice. If I'm not wrong the MVE is able to handle 4 way sli so in that case a quad 680s are better though require more waterblocks.

What is it you want? Performance or silent? Or do you want to have a cool showoff system? The MVF is the one with inbuilt nothern bridge wb. I would suggest that one instead of MVE for water cooling. Otherwise EKWB seems to be releasing wb for it.

CPU-Z is used from the OS. The Mobo, ram, memory is controlled in the BIOS screen which don't need an OS where the temps are vissible.

For the wc build I would go loop #1 Res -> Pump -> Ram -> CPU -> NB/SB -> Smaller rad -> Res. If you're going to overclock you might need a bigger rad and strong fans.
#2 Res -> Pump -> GPU -> Larger rad -> Res

For this 2 pumps and a dual pump res would be great, check swiftechs maelstorm for dualpump bayres.

For tubing I would suggest Primoflex or Masterkleer which are the top of the market.

I would suggest you get EVGA hydrocopper cause the changing of air cooled to waterblock might void your warranty as well as damage the card.

[Zka17]

Two GTX690s or four GTX680s are a beast... however, in order to get the max out of them, you also need a decent CPU... The i7-2700k is one of my favorites and would recommend it almost all the time when it's about an LGA1155 system... - in this case, though, I feel that a 3570k or 3770k would be better...

[rbobic]

Thanks Guys

I probably clicked the wrong button for my last reply.
The 2 separate cooling systems (1 cpu, mobo, ram and 1 for the vid cards) is a good idea also the suggestion for a larger 2nd radiator. I will go for two 21" rads each with 4 fans.

I will be getting 4 monitors instead of 3 and running HDMI from the GTX 690's for better clarity. I don't want to void the warrentt on the $1000 cards but would like them water cooled. Is the "hydro" system for the EVGA 690's a water cool system that they offer with the cards?

Esthetics is important that is why the LED lights and "Ice White" coolant but noise is also important because wearing a head set is a hastle. I want to be immersed in surround sound so I will be adding the Xonar Phebus Gaming Card for $200.
Do you have any suggestion for a sound system.

Probabley a couple of larger fans running a low speed would also cut down the sound.

Thanks Group

Robert Bobic

[Krindor]

The EVGA hydro copper is market watercooled cards so there is no need to mount a waterblock so the warranty wont be void. If that's the case the Alphacool nexXxos st30 or xt45 would suit you, the st 30 runs great at low fan speeds and is very slim so it will be easy to fit 4 silent 120mm, 28mm thick fans. the 120mm fans are better than the 140mm and the 200mm is pretty large.

I would suggest a http://www.swiftech.com/MaelstromBayRes.aspx with 2 MCP35X pumps. The bayres shows temps in the res and is pretty cool. I would suggest Mayhems arurora for coolant, it's epic 😄

For fitting I would suggest Bitspower, they are the best looking ones 🙂

For fans I would suggest Noisblocker NB Multiframe M12B . They have low db and good cfm and static pressure

[kkn]

dont use the Mayhems aurora since its for show pc's only.
it can clogg up the jet plates on GPU or CPU or damage the pumps.
witch you can read in this link: http://mayhems-aurora.wikispaces.com/

[Krindor]

Oh yeah that's true.

Unless you're going to overclock the cpu to 4.5ghz + I would suggest a XSPC Raystorm or EKWB Supremacy, these two are much better looking in the build and have a pretty good performance. There isn't really that big of a difference between these and the Apogee. The Raystorm got holes for 3mm leds, so you can have it shine in whatever color you want. The Supremacy plexi shows the liquid inside the waterblock.

For ram I would suggest Corsair Vengeance ram 2x8 gb with an aftermarket waterblock but I haven't changed block on ram so I don't know if this will void the warranty. 2x8 gb ram is better than 4x4 as it drains less power and you can expand later. For freq. 1600-2400 depending on if you're going to overclock.

To make the system nicer looking get some sleeve for the cables. 🙂

[Retired]

hello..

My opinion when i see your list, and its your first H20 build..

You are gonna get major probs, and you will prob end up with a very empty wallet, and a build that was not a copy of your expectations..

And the pricetag will not stay at that coast, it will be larger, i am sure you will be needing additional tools/parts for completing this build..

I see you have done a lot of thinking.. Thats good.. ( no sarcasm)

Yes people are different, i know. Some complete a build, and dont touch a screw, for years to come..

and like myself, i like to build a little all the time..

[rbobic]

Hi Group:

I am new to the Forum and I appologize for posting my build questions in the wrong section.
I've encorporated all of Krindor's suggestions and I have a new itemized build plan for your review and additional suggestions to help me:


High End Gaming PC


Goals and Purpose:

For a high end graphics/processing intensive gaming computer the CPU and video cards will be running hot for maximum performance and frame rate. This problem can be resolved by the use of a water cooled system.

First of all, a large case is necessary to house all the extra parts: radiators, pumps, reservoir, and extra fans. After going through the difficult task of setting up a water cooled super system, esthetics and noise are important. It should look stylish like a custom car and run quiet enabling one to be immersed in the surround sound of the game environment without having to wear any cumbersome head set.

To get the most bang for the buck, the CPU, MB, RAM, and Video cards should to be well coordinated plus having some flexibility for the inevitable future upgrades. Present games are written for the 4 core processors so purchasing a 6 or 8 core or even extra CPUs at extra expense is of no benefit. For this reason I decide on the integrated USB 3.0 present in the Z77 chipset intended for Ivy Bridge CPUs which require a LGA 1155 slot. In addition, to adequately power this system I decided on the Corsair AX 1200i (1200 Watt 80 plus Platinum Certified).

The Mother Board should support SLI for the use of 2 or even 3 Video cards which Nvidia uses to connect cards for a single output enhancing performance. Connecting 2 or more Solid State Hard drives into RAID 0 configurations increases processing speed by writing each alternate bit to a separate hard drive (the CPU sees the two drives as one). By doing this the performance is increased at the expense of reliability thus a third drive is necessary (mechanical for less expense and reliability) which is needed to receive a mirror backup if either of the two SSDs fails or are corrupted.
Multiple full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD monitors enhance the game immersion so I decided on 4 monitors two to each water cooled video card run on HDMI for the best performance. The monitors will be placed 3 side by side with one below the 3 which will act as a cockpit for the flying simulators (e.g. MS FSX or Falcon 4 )with the 3 above as the panoramic view. For the surround sound, the system will require a high end gaming sound card (Asus Xonar Essence ST Sound Card), 4 unobtrusive quality speakers and a subwoofer (Bose-Acoustimas 10 Series IV Home Entertain Speaker System plus a pre-amp for this system (Denon – 400W 5.1-Ch. 3D Pass Through A/v home Theater Receiver).

Special considerations will require the placement of radiators and fans, double loop system (one to CPU, one to video cards, MB, and RAM) plus the type of fans for maximum efficiency with minimum noise (Quiet fans run at 900-1400 RPM while Performance fans run at 2400+ RPM). Radiator type and size are important plus tube fittings (silver) for esthetics plus reliability (3/8” compression fittings). LED internal lights for esthetics will be used plus Mayhem’s Pastel instead of Supernova coolant (emulsive used for photo work to see movement through the tubes but clogs vid cards). Tentatively each radiator will have 6 blue lighted 120mm fans (3 on each side for a push/pull air flow. One radiators will be in the bottom of the case blowing through the side and the other will blow through the top.
Esthetics and color scheme: Blue Internal LED’s, Blue low RPM fans, “White Ice” Coolant through clear tubing, Black sleeves for cables, Black copper Radiators.

Outline of Components and Price
1. Case: Silverstone Temjin Tj11 Tower Case 600
2. CPU: Intel core i-7 Sandy Brudge 2700 LGA 1155 314
3. CPU Water Block: EK-supreme Hf (nickel) 90
4. Mother Board: Asus Maximus V Extreme LGA 1155 377
5. Power: Corsair AX1200i 80 Plus Platinum Certified 381
6. Sound Card: Asus Xonar Essence ST 232
7. Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8) DDR3 PC3-14900 189
8. RAM cooling block: EK Corsair Dominator X4 Nickel 57
9. SSD: Samsung 830 Series 128 GB SATA III $125 x 2 250
10. HDD: Seagate Baracuda 1 TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache Sata 6.0 GB/s 90
11. Video: Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB GDDR5 PCI-E Water cooled 1085 x 2 2170
12. Pump + Res: Swiftech Maelstrom Dual Bay Res (w/Dual MCP35X Pumps) 280
13. Compression Fittings: Bittspower 30 x $7 210
14. SLI fitting between 2 GTX 690: Dangerden $13 13
15. Tubing: Musketeer Kit 10’ clear ID 3/8” OD 5/8” 13
16. Fans: BitFenix Spectre Pro 230mm (900RPM) – Blue LED 24 x 12 420
17. Radiators: Alphacool NexXxos Full Copper(360mm) UT60 XT45 $114 x 2 228
18. Monitors: HP (Hewlet-Packard) ZR2740w 27” LED Monitor 680 x 4 2720
19. Liquid Coolant: Mayhems Ice White conc 20
20. Surround Sound Sys: Bose-Acoustimass 10 Series IV Home Ent. System 1000
21. Pre-Amp for Bose Sys: Denon-400W 5.1-Ch. 3D Pass Through Receiver 450
22. Key Board + Mouse: Microsoft wireless keyboard and optical mouse 40
23. Desk mic for online communication: Logitek Desktop Microphone 31
24. Misc Blue LEDs, Black cable sleeves, Etc 200
GRAND TOTAL 10375

1. Case: Silverstone Temjin Tj11 Tower $599
a) Seller: FrozenCPU.com
b) Tel: 1-877-243-8266
c) Hours: M-F 10-6, Sat 11-4


2. CPU: Intel core i-7 Sandy Bridge 2700 LGA 1155 $349
a) Seller: Newegg.com


3. CPU Water Block: EK Supreme HF-FN $90
a) Seller: SVC (Silicon Valley Compucycle)
b) Tel: 866-989-2970
c) Ebay Store: 877-7575-3863
d) Hours: M-F 10-6 (PST)

4. Mother Board: Asus Maximus V Extreme Z77 $380
a) Seller: Newegg

5. Power: Corsair AX 1200i Watt 80 Plus Platinum Certified $380
a) Seller: Amazon.com


6. Sound Card: Asus Xonar Essence ST7.1 Chael Sound Card $204
a) Seller: Newegg.com

7. Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8) DDR3 PC3-14900 $189
a) Seller: RAM Experts www.ramexperts.com


8. RAM cooling block: EK Corsair Dominator X4 Nickel $57
a) Seller: FrozenCPU.com
b) Tel: 1-877-243-8266
c) Hours: M-F 10-6, Sat 11-4

9. SSD: Samsung *#) Series 128 GB SATA III $104
a) Seller: Newegg.com

10. HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1 TB 7200 RPM 64GB Cache Sata 6.0 GB/s $95
a) Seller: www.getprice.com.au

11. Video Cards: Nvidia GeForce GTX 690 4GB GDDR5 PCI-E (water cooled) $1200
a) Seller: www.evga.co


12. Pump + Res: Swiftech Maelstrom Dual Bay Res (w/Dual MCP35X Pumps) $280
a) Seller:

13. Compression Fittings: Bitspower Silver Compression fittings $7 x 30 $210
a) Seller: www.jab-tech.com


14. CrossSLI fittings between Vid Cards: Dangerden $13
a) Seller: www.jab-tech.com

15. Clear tubing: Musketeer Kit 10’ clear ID 3/8” OD 5/8” $13
a) Seller: FrozenCPU.com


16. BitFenix Spectre Pro 230mm (900RPM) – Blue LED 14 x 30 $420
Seller: Amazon.com


17. Radiators: Alphacool NexXxos Full Copper(360mm) UT60 XT45 $114 x 2 $228
a) Seller: www.perforamance-pcs.com


18. Monitors: HP (Hewlet-Packard) ZR2740w 27” LED Monitor 680 x 4 $2720
a) Seller: Newegg.com

19. Liquid Coolant: Mayhems Ice White conc $20
a) Seller: www.xoxide.com



20. Surround Sound Sys: Bose-Acoustimass 10 Series IV Home Ent. System $1000
a) Seller: Best Buy or Amazon.com

21. Pre-Amp for Bose Sys: Denon-400W 5.1-Ch. 3D Pass Through Receiver $450
a) Seller: Best Buy

22. Key Board + Mouse: Microsoft wireless keyboard and optical mouse $40
a) Seller: Best Buy

24. Desk mic for online communication: Logitek Desktop Microphone $30
a) Seller: Staples

25. Misc Blue LEDs, Black cable sleeves, Etc $200
a) Sellers: FrozenCPU.com

Thanks for all the help and suggestions


Robert Bobic

[Krindor]

Change the cpu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3570k or 3770k!!!!!! With that high-end pc you need one of those cpu's. I would choose a 3770k with that budget. or for 100$ less the 3570k

First I was like, what the hell is up with that price increase, then I noticed the surround system and monitors. Why 4 x HP monitors, get some other ones. You can get better screens for lower price. Check this one out: Asus PB27Q this one is much better and costs 19 dollars more at newegg and got 5ms respond time compared to the HP's 12ms. Check this screen out, it is worth the difference and 12 vs 5 ms is a biiiiiig difference.
I hate HP by the way so this is my personal preference but hp is mostly expensiv crap. Get samsung, asus or benq screen.

For the best ram get a 2400 or 2660 mhz ones.

The rad is 120mm fan one, you won't get a 230mm one on to them. Use the ones I suggested or find some led ones, they need to be 120mm