Help me assemble a future wc system

M

mjohn1378

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 11, 2002
Messages
381
First some background. I have a little experience with water cooling from like 10+ years ago.

After release, I will be building a sandy bridge rig with a 2500k, some later to be announced motherboard, and a 570 video card.

At completion, I am looking to water cool the CPU, GPU and if needed the mb, but I will start with only the CPU with plans to add the GPU and possibly add the MB later. I plan to OC the CPU and I do not plan to go SLI.

The only item that I currently have for this build is an Apevia x-jupiter case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144203&cm_re=jupiter-_-11-144-203-_-Product

What I am looking for is a complete list of what components I will need to build this water cooling system and the best place(s) to purchase the parts from.

My budget is a FLEXIBLE $350 for just CPU cooling.
 
hey,Im in the middle of building/upgrading also,since the new chipset came out for me it's been a matter of time.In my search for a board I decided to go with EVGA X58 FTW3 132-GT-E768-TR.Also like you I'll be building on my exsisting case,It's a lian li PcV1100plus and probably keep my video cards two 8800gts 640mgb.This will give me time to upgrade in the future.So good luck with your build, hope everything goes as plan.post some pics. thanks.
 
I am thinking about the Apogee XT CPU only kit.
Will that be enough cooling power or can a better setup be pieced together within my price range?

Yazz4210, thank you for the reply.
When I figure everything out I will create a build log. Definnitely hoping for a quick RTM and as short of a price gouging period as possible for SB
 
I think you first need to find out what your case can fit in terms of WC'ing before you decide on specific parts/brands. And have you decided on whether you want to keep everything internal or is it okay for the rad to be external?

In looking at the case, I think there are a few possibilities for rads to be internal. A 120.2 up top might work depending on PSU length, if you are okay with losing the front panel connector/fan controller thing and making a fan hole. A 120.2 might fit at the rear but it depends on your motherboard if it allows it and if it won't interfere with the PSU right above it. Since you say you are not planning on doing SLI, you may be able to floor mount a 120.3 (you will lose a couple of the PCI-E slots and this will require fan holes to be made). Looks like they left some room above and below the 120mm fan in the front, so a 120.1 rad might fit there as well if you remove the HDD cage. You should measure first before you buy anything as it can come down to the millimeter between it fitting or not.

These days, a cpu + gpu + possible motherbaord loop, you are looking at wanting at least a 120.3 rad, preferably 120.4. Way back when you were wc'ing, a 120.1 rad or 120.2 rad/bonneville heatercore was okay for most loops, but not with the hot GPUs and chips we have to deal with now. I've heard the upcoming set of Sandy Bridge chips are not as hot as the Nehalem i7s, so I think a 120.3 might be sufficient depending on the rad/fans/where it's mounted.

Best places to purchase from depends on where you're at...if in the US, you got Performance PCs, Frozen CPU, Sidewinders/Petra's Tech Shop (best return policy of them all), Jab Tech, and even Mountain Mods sells a few WC'ing parts. Danger Den and Koolance have their own online stores if you prefer buying direct, though their products are also sold at the above mentioned shops. There may be a few more stores worth mentioning, but those are the ones I tend to stick with...
 
What 1x120 and 2x120 radiators have the best performance @ 500-1000 RPM?
How do they compare to 3x120 radiators @ 500-1000RPM?
 
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