Config of Loop(s)

[4DoorGTZ]

If this was my setup http://www.aquacool.cz/galerie/pc002-002v.jpg plus this http://www.aquacool.cz/pictures/fbdimmfv.jpg on the fb-dimms and 2 of these http://ekwaterblocks.com/shop/images...870-Nickel.jpg how would you route the loop(s)?:help: Space is at a premium, I plan for a mcp355 with an xspc res-top and a PA 120.2 rad. Seem like a lot of heat so 2 loops would be better, I could easily go with 2 pump/res's and rads (just more work to mount, might need to mount rads external if 2 are used)

Plan to OC both the cpu's and gpu's... Do you think the 3 chipset blocks would be better suited in a GPU loop or CPU loop, same for the RAM...

1. a. CPU CPU RAM
b. gpu gpu chipset chipset chipset
2. a. cpu cpu chipset chipset chipset
b. ram gpu gpu
Up for any comments and suggestions (like if this might work in one loop, that mind boggling order)

[MpG]

First suggestion is to not bother cooling the RAM. Have yet to see an instance where it made a significant difference over good heatspreaders with some airflow, and it's just another item to restrict your loop.

Second suggestion might involve a little more cooling than just that double rad. It's good, but that's quite a few components, and your water temps are going to be higher than ideal.

If I were going to be watercooling all that, I would try to split it into two loops:
a. cpu cpu gpu gpu
b. The rest of the stuff

Loop "a" has the high-heat components, that benefit more from lower temperatures (the cpu's especially). Still, a dual-rad isn't ideal. It'll work, but unless you run some very strong fans (2000rpm+), it probably won't be to many watercooler's standards.

Loop "b" could use a weaker (and smaller) pump, thinner (and easier to route) tubing, and a single radiator. Once you've got them on water, chipset stuff doesn't really put out a huge amount of heat, and it doesn't care about being a couple extra degrees warmer.

[4DoorGTZ]

Hmm the 120.3 is a cm longer then the outside dimension of my case, guess its gonna be an external mount. I want to WC the Fbdimms because of their heat, yes they are engineered for the heat and probably would withstand the OC'ing but when your ram costs more then both of your Xeon's combined I think the insurance is welcome. I had thought the heat of 2x x5460's oc'd and 2x 4870's oc'd might be too much heat for a single loop in and of itself. Will a 120.3 be able to handle them without some loud delta fans?

[miggs78]

Believe the man, you really don't need to water cool your RAM, waste of money, restricting flow really..

Secondly, I agree on the 2 loop process, it is suggested to do dual loops for such a build.. Chipset cooling it depends on the person, if you want to do it for the hek of it, go ahead, but most watercooling geeks I've seen don't recommend it..

The PA 120.3 is a beast of a radiator, still one of the best triple rads around in the market, it should be enough for the video card loops.

But listen to what MpG suggets, one of the guys on this forum who has enough amount of experience with water cooling.. If I were you I would listen to what MpG says, his suggestions might be one of the best out there...

[Xilikon]

I'm also a expert on watercooling and I agree with MpG. Ram cooling is totally useless so just use a fan over it if you are concerned with overheating.

-CPU-CPU-GPU-GPU will warrant a PA120.3 for sure. Anything less is a bit iffy.
-Chipsets loop can get away with a small radiator like a MCR120 or PA120.1 (if you have cash).

another possibility would be

-CPU+CPU on PA120.2
-GPU+GPU+chipsets on PA120.2

[4DoorGTZ]

Originally Posted by Xilikon

another possibility would be

-CPU+CPU on PA120.2
-GPU+GPU+chipsets on PA120.2

Thats kinda what I was thinking to get the rads mounted inside the case, otherwise if I have to move them to the outside might as well get 120.3's.... As you can tell budget is not of the utmost concern.

[Squeetard]

Or this:

CPU to GPU to Ram
CPU to GPU to Chipset

2 loops, cooling the hottest components first and balanced.

[Xilikon]

Originally Posted by 4DoorGTZ

Thats kinda what I was thinking to get the rads mounted inside the case, otherwise if I have to move them to the outside might as well get 120.3's.... As you can tell budget is not of the utmost concern.

Then my 2nd advice with 2x PA120.2 is your best bet for fitting internally.

[miggs78]

Sorry I forgot you Xilikon. :p.

Cut out the RAM for sure, and 2 rads will be plenty, keep the hottest loop on the PA120.3, since that rad is made for that kind of loops, really.. As for the 2nd loop, as Xilikon said use a single rad, or be future proof and get a dual rad instead, an MCR220 be plentiful..

I'm going towards.. CPU-CPU-2 chipsets on the PA120.3 and then the other 1 chipset and 2 GPUs on another rad, that should even out the heat too.

[MpG]

Originally Posted by 4DoorGTZ

Hmm the 120.3 is a cm longer then the outside dimension of my case, guess its gonna be an external mount.

You're saying that if the radiator was a cm shorter, it would fit inside the case? The Feser Xchanger triple rad is about 20mm shorter in overall length, and is also showing itself to be an excellent performer. For that matter, both the Swiftech MCR320 and the Black Ice GTX360 are also shorter than the PA120.3, and they both have their strong points too.

I want to WC the Fbdimms because of their heat, yes they are engineered for the heat and probably would withstand the OC'ing but when your ram costs more then both of your Xeon's combined I think the insurance is welcome.

Yeah, FBDIMMS get hot, but the reason usually has more to do with the heat being allowed to build up. I've seen more than a few servers with cool DIMMS, that weren't using screamer fans to keep them that way. Good case/rack airflow, and a fan aimed directly onto the sticks is all they used. Aim a 120mm fan directly at them, and you shouldn't have any trouble.

I had thought the heat of 2x x5460's oc'd and 2x 4870's oc'd might be too much heat for a single loop in and of itself. Will a 120.3 be able to handle them without some loud delta fans?

How hard are you pushing this rig? How high are you clocking it? If you're doing something like folding, you could quite possible push both procs and both GPU's to near 100% steady, which will could easily mean over 600W of heat needing to be dumped by the radiator. Check out Martin's review of the PA120.3. In a nutshell, to hold the water temps at ten degrees (decent WC-ing performance) over the surroundings, 2000rpm 38mm fans were needed. If you're not going to be pushing the rig that hard (just gaming, for example), or your overclocking goals are moderate, and you can put up with higher CPU/GPU temps, you might be able to get away with less fan power, but it's still something to consider. How much noise are you willing to put up with? How high do you want to clock this rig?