General Water Cooling Questions

[monkeyyy]

Hey y'all, I'm very interested in taking the plunge into water cooling. I'm new to posting but i've been lurking around for a couple of months. There are just a few things that I'm not 100% sure about for planning on what things I should buy.

Within the next week or so I'm planning on building a computer around the FX-8120. Since it's my first build (for myself that is) I was thinking of just sticking to a simple CPU loop which could be upgraded with a GPU in the near future. I've been able to snag a deal on a Apogee XT and a MCP655 pump and not sure about the remaining components.

My questions:

1) With regards to radiators, how would a restricted radiator hinder the performance? I'm looking at the XSPC RX360 and the Swiftech MCR320-QPK which have similar performance at low rpm but have much different flow rates (MCR320 being more restrictive than the RX360 relative to Bundymania's 360 rad review). The XT seems to be a restrictive block and I'm just worried that I wouldn't have enough flow going through my loop if I added a GPU block.


2) Do coloured liquids leave "guck" within the loop? I think it was in one of Linus's videos where he said that he finds that coloured liquids leave residue within blocks and what not. Is this true? Would I be better off buying coloured tubing instead and using distilled water? I was looking at clear primochill and ek blood red liquid. Is the primochill uv red a darker or lighter red?


3) For loop maintenance, is it just as simple as replacing the liquid every 6 months or should I remove the loop and flush the system? or a combination of the 2?


Thanks in advance,
Monkeyyy

[Adzsask]

Been using a XSPC RX360 kit for over a year, opened my block a month ago, clean as the day I purchased it, using distilled+silver kill coil. If you want color, use the colored tubing, also just grab a raystorm kit, save money with the kits, plus with dazmode you get to pick your pump/res, and tubing color not just radiator size with the kit. Works out to $250 before shipping, not to bad I payed over#25 before taxes a year ago for my kit. For loop maintenance, I boiled some distilled+vinegar, then pour a good gallon of that through, then flush the loop a few times with straight distilled and refill. Only "problem" I have had was the cheap clear tubing included gets foggy really fast (2-3 months) also pick up some metal clamps, the included plastic ones are garbage and the metal ones will give you piece of mind when you are running water over a couple grand worth of electronics.

[Chomie]

1) Not really sure what you mean by restricted radiator? The XSPC RX360 is a very nice performance radiator which works well with low rpm fans. I wouldn't worry to much about radiator restrictions as much as block restrictions but if your doing just a cpu block that pump is more than enough. Even if you add a GPU block you'll be fine. This issue comes when you start adding mosfet blocks and ram blocks and sli blocks and lots of 90 degree turns, a second radiator, ect. Your simple loop won't cause issues.

2) From what I have researched yes it does. Your better off going with colored tubing and distilled water. Primochill tubing is excellent tubing and it isn't a dark blood color it's lighter.

3) Replace the water every year and your done. If you flush all your components with distilled water before you install them this will ensure there clean.

It's better to match metals also between blocks, but its not as much an issue as it used to be.

Hope this helps a little.

[KaptCrunch]

1) Eight-Core an Apogee XT go with rad to suit your needs

2)avoid all dies use coloured tubing

3) distilled and silver coil , 6mon drain and inspect all water hardware, get spare 0-rings, gaskets when purchase water hardware for teare downs

[monkeyyy]

Originally Posted by Adzsask

Been using a XSPC RX360 kit for over a year, opened my block a month ago, clean as the day I purchased it, using distilled+silver kill coil. If you want color, use the colored tubing, also just grab a raystorm kit, save money with the kits, plus with dazmode you get to pick your pump/res, and tubing color not just radiator size with the kit. Works out to $250 before shipping, not to bad I payed over#25 before taxes a year ago for my kit. For loop maintenance, I boiled some distilled+vinegar, then pour a good gallon of that through, then flush the loop a few times with straight distilled and refill. Only "problem" I have had was the cheap clear tubing included gets foggy really fast (2-3 months) also pick up some metal clamps, the included plastic ones are garbage and the metal ones will give you piece of mind when you are running water over a couple grand worth of electronics.

I was actually thinking of getting silver plated compression fittings instead of the barbed. Would this be sufficient instead of your "kill coil"?

Originally Posted by Chomie

1) Not really sure what you mean by restricted radiator? The XSPC RX360 is a very nice performance radiator which works well with low rpm fans. I wouldn't worry to much about radiator restrictions as much as block restrictions but if your doing just a cpu block that pump is more than enough. Even if you add a GPU block you'll be fine. This issue comes when you start adding mosfet blocks and ram blocks and sli blocks and lots of 90 degree turns, a second radiator, ect. Your simple loop won't cause issues.

So would you say that the RX360 has a lot of "growing room" such that if I up the anti to my build it wouldn't be a constraining point?

[Adzsask]

Originally Posted by monkeyyy

I was actually thinking of getting silver plated compression fittings instead of the barbed. Would this be sufficient instead of your "kill coil"?



So would you say that the RX360 has a lot of "growing room" such that if I up the anti to my build it wouldn't be a constraining point?

Thw silver fitting will work just fine, I had the kill coil given to me, but had the silver fittings picked out to buy.

RX 360 is cooling a few peoples rigs an example of one, i7 930@4.2, SLI 480's and highest temps on the cards is around 50C. You should be able to cool any CPU, as well as 2 GPU's with ease.

[monkeyyy]

Thanks for the advice guys, really appreciate it!

I think i'm gonna go with the RX360, black primochill tubing and stick to distilled water for coolant.

My next adventure is figuring out fans, seem like gentle typhoons or yate loons are fairly dominant. more research I must do.

[SugarJ]

Gentle Typhoons over YL's.

[monkeyyy]

Originally Posted by SugarJ

Gentle Typhoons over YL's.

Gentle Typhoons hands down? or do you have any other suggestions?

[Chomie]

GT's no questions asked.