how much stuff can a d5 push thru.

[wildman2]

 Can a single d5 push enough water thru a CPU block, two GPU mono blocks,reservoir  and  2 possibly 3 thick 480 rads?Or would it be better to have two loops?One for CPU one for GPU's.Ive read the temp of the water will stabilize to within 2-3 degrees Celsius single loop with CPU,GPU,GPU vs dual loop.Any truth to that or is it equipment dependent(heat output)?

 Most if not all water cooling pieces will be from EKWB If that helps.

[ir_cow]

I actually just had this question and answered it myself. Most people agree a single D5 can handle a GPU, CPU and 480 Rad. The flow in my loop dropped in half once I switched to a 60mm 480 over 35mm 360. What made it worse was the air trapped in the loop. Even after bleeding it the the flow turned into a trickle after a few hours because the pump didn't have enough pressure to push the left over air out.

 

I ended up attaching a second pump after my loop and before the 480 Rad. Drops my temps by 8c and push all the air bubbles out. If I unplug the second pump, the flow doesn't stop anymore but the temps raise 3-4c because of the low flow. I guess its low enough to actually make a difference in the blocks. The difference in temps between my 360 and 480 is 1-2c. But my 360 was hot to the touch and the 480 is usually cold/room temp. Pump flow was actually the biggest factor in my setup. I think you will only need 1 480 Rad for 2 GPUs and CPU.

 

My setup is Pump > CPU > GPU > MB Blocks > (now Pump 2) > Rad. I think these EK GPU blocks are really constrictive with those nozzle plates on the GPU.

[wildman2]

THX. Interesting.Thought that the d5 had more oomph than that.Noticed you don't use a reservoir, would have that helped get rid of the air bubbles quicker  and put a bit more water pressure on the inlet side of pump so it wouldn't have to work as hard?Do you have radiator vertical or horizontal? Does it even matter?

[ir_cow]

Oh I forgot about the reservoir. Its attached to my first pump http://www.aquatuning.us/water-cooling/reservoirs/tubing-reservoirs/60mm-l/19434/alphacool-eisbecher-d5-250mm-acetal-ausgleichsbehaelter?c=19690 I guess I could have primed the whole loop myself by sucking all the air out because once the loops was bubble free, it started to act like it should, but with slightly higher temps because of the lower flow rate.

 

My 480 is vertical, before I had the 360 both ways and it made no difference.

[wildman2]

That's a good sized reservoir nice looking..I'm planning on horizontal up top.Unless a different spot peaks my fancy at the time of pre-routing /fitting.Still need some more research before buying anything. Whats the top 3-4 manufactures for water cooling these days besides EKWB .If that 480 was cool to the touch then a push/pull fan setup would be a waste correct?

[ir_cow]

Yeah its fairly wastefull unless you are using sub-800 RPM fans. Its too thick to really move the air all the way through at that speed and after a few days of 24/7 mining it starts to warm up at the top where the fittings are. its still basically room temp but slightly warmer. Putting a fan for push/pull for just that one space is enough to remove the heat. Its not hot, just warm. However maybe just a pull setup would solve that. Honestly my pump and PSU fan is the loudest part of my setup.

 

Here is a list (not in order) that would recommend for blocks.

Watercool

Bitspower

AquaComputer

EKWB (for monoblocks)

 

Here is a list of companies I think are either too new or just eh for the price currently.

AlphaCool

XSPC

Swiftech

Phanteks

Koolance

 

I like to mix because for one you cant find all the parts on one website. Stuff like Monoblock only EKWB really makes. Bitspower has one or two, but not one for every board like EK has. I would not recommend Nickel plated stuff from EKWB right now, its hit or miss if the nickel will stay very long.

 

For radiators I would say only about three that are top teir and the rest are rated up and down per series.

#1 Hardware Labs (Everything is good but cost $$$$)

#2 Alphacool (Monsta Super thick)

#3 Aquacomputer (Only ones that are FULL visible copper)

 

For pumps they are prettty much all the same however some are PWM and others have higher operating temperature. One of my pumps is 65c and the other is 55c. Still if your loop is 55c at the reservoir than you have much bigger problems. Alphacool released a new D5 pump a few months ago that is 40% quieter at full speed. Besides that the base units are all the same.

[wildman2]

THX for the site info.Been researching the water cooling aspect for the last week or more looking at different setups manufactures  etc.I'm surprised no one else has chimed in.

 Basically what I've come up with is dual loops are not an absolute must  as long as you have enough flow thru the blocks and rads.Temps will stabilize to within a cpl/few degrees Celsius.  Depending on my CPU thermals/overclock a 240 rad to 360 rad would be ok to good.It also seems the same for the GPU.So 1 480 would do fine for a setup 24/7 non extreme OC. 2 480 rads even better if the water flow is enough plus it would add capacity for future equipment. But with the added cost of second pump and rad .Loop order doesn't  matter except for reservoir which needs to be before the pump so it's not run dry.Thick rads are more restrictive than thinner ones for the most part.Algaecide  or silver coil a must along with the use of distilled water.Dyes are to be avoided can gunk up blocks eventually.All copper no aluminum mixing of parts.Limit 90 degree bends if possible.Thick hoses are not better for extra cooling.Most manufactures use G1/4 threads.  

[ir_cow]

Yeah I agree with that statement for the most part. Heck the 480 Rad for Hardware labs one i'm using is rated for 2000watts. The sub-800 RPM optimized for about 1400watts, so more than enough.

 

I don't use Dyes because it will stain the plexi and drops the resell value, plus don't want to have to clean up a mess when cleaning. But from what I've read if you switch out the dye every 6-12 months (brand dependent) it won't gunk up. With distilled water you get away with spilling water all over the board and being fine. I've splashed water on a live video card and it didn't short. More luck than anything but those dyes are way more conductive.

 

From what I've read tube size generally does not matter. However I use 1/2 OD 3/8 ID because it doesn't kink after a few months.

[wildman2]

Pricing stuff out now to see end cost of the loop.Prolly start off with one video card for now.See how the processing of it does with me doing all the stuff I will be doing with it and other parts at once.Did find a dual d5 pump that was hooked up in series though pretty cool pricey but cool.

Not sure how the first blocksin the loop would like all the head pressure though.

[ir_cow]

The cheapest I've seen is about $180 for dual pump used. You can buy D5s are ebay for $40 each and than get a serial block for $80-100 used. Its better to go get a new combo for $220 than deal with used pumps.

 

I had both pumps back to back in serial awhile ago with a 360rad. Didn't seem like a issue to me when it came to head pressure. Might depend on the acrylic block thickness and thread length. I've had Pexi G 1/4 ports crack and leak to due to stress. That is why I avoid the cheaper brands.

[wildman2]

Was planning on an all metal block anyhow for that very reason, cracking around screws and inlet/outlets.And yes I'd rather buy a new pump/pumps then an ebay one.With as much as I'm potentially spending wouldn't want a cracked block or dead pump taking out a lot of expensive parts.It's a risk with water cooling to begin with, no need to stack the deck against me buying used.