Little help with water-cooling plz :]

[MrNintend0]

Hey guys, I'm practically new to the modding world, so I'm sorry if I don't know much. I'm going to try selling my current setup on ebay and build another setup using the new socket 1156 Core i7 (the one that's like 280 bucks) for a budget, but high(ish) performance pc. Anyways, I'm planning on putting a MAJOR water cooling system in it. I've decided on the Swiftech MCP655 for my pump, but I was thinking of using 2 or 3 of those in sync as to increase or help the head pressure and flow rate through the system... Do you guys think this is a good idea, I've seen it done before with the smaller Laing versions (can't remember what they're called, similar to swiftech MCP355). I can't tell you everything that's going into the system as to keep it a surprise and make a work log on this site as I'm building it. The parts would be:

2 or 3 X Swiftech MCP655 Pumps
2 X 4x120mm rads
2 X 1x120mm rads
4 X graphics card waterblocks
1 X CPU waterblock
1 X chipset waterblock

If you guys have any suggestions or ideas, please let me know :]

[x88x]

Well, first off, I would definitely recommend you go with the socket 1366 i7-920 instead of the s1156 i7-860. It's about the same price and specs, but you get triple-channel DDR3 support (s1156 only supports dual channel communication), so if you build the RAM out in sets of 3, you'll get a nice performance increase.

For the WC system, just one of those pumps will be plenty. If you really want to get more power, imo it would be a better idea to switch to a larger, AC pump, like the Eheims. You'll get more efficient performance, and tbh, you don't want the liquid to flow through too fast; if it's going too fast it won't transfer heat as well off the waterblocks. I would also highly recommend a reservoir in the loop right before the pump. This gives the liquid somewhere to stabilize the temperature, and makes it easier to fill the loop.

Also, I gotta say...since when is 4 GPUs a 'budget' system

OOC, why the additional two 1x120mm rads?

Any idea what the rest of the hardware is gonna be yet?

I'll be watching, should be interesting. If you run into any problems, there's a lot of helpful people on here, and a lot with way more WC experience than me.

[mDust]

2 or 3 X Swiftech MCP655 Pumps
2 X 4x120mm rads
2 X 1x120mm rads
4 X graphics card waterblocks
1 X CPU waterblock
1 X chipset waterblock

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Are you putting a nuclear reactor in your computer? If so, this equipment would probably keep it cool, but it's extreme overkill for anything else. I doubt if you'd need more than the one MCP655, let alone 3... But if you're keeping your mod symmetrical or passive, then I can envision reasons for this.

[MrNintend0]

Thanks for the fast replies guys

@ x88x
Thanks for your suggestion about RAM, but I'd like to stick with dual-channel because the performance gain to triple-channel is not worth the money in my opinion, but if I were building a mostly future-proof pc, then yes I'd go with it. And yeah 3 pumps does sound like overkill, I'm getting the adjustable versions of the MCP655 so I can adjust the flow rate if it's too high. BTW, I will only be using 3 of the 4 GPU waterblocks for actual GPUs, the other one is for something special I have in mind. Yeah, I was planning on a res, but I'm going to build one instead of overpaying for one that's pre-built; maybe a waterfall res or something... I've figured out most of the system as well, but until I get the case modded and built, I'll see what can actually fit in there... oh, and this is a "budget high-performance pc", basically a low-end power house... Oh, I forgot... the two 120mm rads... 1 will be for cooling the coolant 1 last time before it heads to the waterblocks. I'll place 1 in line after the pumps, the other 1 is again for the "special project"...

[x88x]

..woah!... I could have sworn that the last time I looked up the i7-920 it was about $100 less..damn, Intel finally caught on

oh, and this is a "budget high-performance pc"

oooh, ok. I read that as 'high-performance budget PC'. Specs make more sense now

[Kayin]

Let me get home and start on this post. There's a LOT I have to say about this subject.

My setup is 1 4x120, 2 3x120, and 1 2x120. I know overkill.

[MrNintend0]

Oh, one more question for you guys... in your opinion, where would the best place to mount a radiator be for the two 4X120mm rads?

I'm finally starting on a design and should have the drawing(s) uploaded by tomorrow or the next day... if I've found or been suggested a good place to mount the rads... so far I've got one mounted on the inside towards the back, but I'm a little bit sketchy on the other... and sorry, but top-mount isn't an option for me as that's where I'm mounting the res and wouldn't have enough space for it in the case I'm using...

Oh and one more thing guys, the GPUs I'm going to be using will be EVGA nVidia GeForce 9800GTX+'s because of their good performance and lifetime warranties... you guys know of any full size waterblocks that would fit these? I know the DangerDen waterblock will not fit them...

[mDust]

My setup is 1 4x120, 2 3x120, and 1 2x120. I know overkill.

/gasp

... so far I've got one mounted on the inside towards the back, but I'm a little bit sketchy on the other...

How the hell did you get a 4x120 inside your case?? What case are you using? Anyway, I'd recommend not using hot case air to cool your rad and also not dumping rad heat into the case...it just defeats the point of water cooling.

EVGA nVidia GeForce 9800GTX+'s ... you guys know of any full size waterblocks that would fit these? I know the DangerDen waterblock will not fit them...

Are they not factory reference design? I hate when I buy something and it turns out the manufacturer changed something in a way that is not clearly beneficial but manages to F up my plans for said item.
Here are a bunch of water block manufacturers:
Choose a manufacturer and Ctrl+F + 9800 works miracles
I found a few there that might work for you...but they also might not depending on why the DangerDen block won't fit. They generally say 'fits reference design only' so be sure they fit before buying...I'd hate to be the guy that leads you to spend $400 on blocks you can't use.

...the other 1 is again for the "special project"...

You have my full attention...

[x88x]

Oh, one more question for you guys... in your opinion, where would the best place to mount a radiator be for the two 4X120mm rads?

Depends on what the internal layout is in the case you're using. Make/model and pics please

Oh and one more thing guys, the GPUs I'm going to be using will be EVGA nVidia GeForce 9800GTX+'s because of their good performance and lifetime warranties...

@ the lifetime warranties; make sure that they cover watercooling. Most manufacturers will not cover watercooling unless they put the waterblock on and sell it to you like that. EVGA and a couple other comanies do that for some models, but they're a lot more expensive than buying the card and block separately (probably because of the warranty).

[MrNintend0]

Depends on what the internal layout is in the case you're using. Make/model and pics please



@ the lifetime warranties; make sure that they cover watercooling. Most manufacturers will not cover watercooling unless they put the waterblock on and sell it to you like that. EVGA and a couple other comanies do that for some models, but they're a lot more expensive than buying the card and block separately (probably because of the warranty).

Alright, the case I'm using is a full tower ATX server case, you know, the really tall ones... I've found a place for the rads, but it will take some time to mod though... as for the vid cards, EVGA allows the heatsink to be replaced by an aftermarket cooler without it voiding the warranty, the only thing it states is that if there are any signs of physical or burn damage, the warranty is void, nothing else

I'll try to get some pics uploaded of the case, right now the pics won't upload for some reason...