Is this possible? (Beginner's Watercooling Discussion)
Is this possible? (Beginner's Watercooling Discussion)
The Asus Strix could be a reference PCB, check the link provided. Adjust your choice based on your exact card and model. If you're targeting around $400, it's a good starting point. A 140mm or two 120mm (240 rad) would handle cooling well. If you plan to add your CPU, go with a 360 (three 120mm) rad right away. Are you planning to watercool the GPU while keeping the CPU off? The 1080s generally don't get too hot. You want to overclock both, so placing the GPU cooler in the top PCIe slot makes sense—it needs space there. Moving it lower would free up room and allow more aggressive overclocking on the GPU.
You should check, but it seems the 1000 series GPUs from Nvidia don't overclock as much compared to earlier models. Some overclocking is possible, but results aren't very strong.
If you're considering water cooling, you'll need a new case. Make sure to include this in your budget. A $30 mid-tower model won't handle a custom loop well, but you don't have to spend a fortune. Check out the Phanteks Enthoo Pro.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a...6811854003
This isn't an expensive case and Phanteks supports water cooling nicely. I own an Enthoo Luxe, which is almost identical to the Pro, and it's the top case I've used. If these cases are too large, you might want to explore other Phanteks options, as they all tend to be compatible with water cooling.
Avoid using a 120/140mm radiator. Opt for at least a 240mm one for a CPU. For full water cooling of both CPU and GPU, start with a 360mm radiator.
Keep in mind, the Asus ROG Strix 1080 offers solid cooling without thermal throttling. You might not achieve significant overclocking even with better cooling, as it's limited by the chip's maximum stable speed. Pascal CPUs aren't known for good overclocking either. The era of gaining a 20-30% performance boost from overclocking is behind us. Plus, you're running a Ryzen processor (as seen in the picture). Ryzen reaches its performance ceiling at around 4.1GHz, regardless of temperature. So expect it to stay near that limit.
With water cooling, your CPU will likely perform better than with the stock cooler you already have. Although the GPU might not show a noticeable FPS increase, it should stay below 50°C and remain stable.
I've tested twin 1080ti units underwater, and my temperatures stayed between 40-50°C. The setup also looks impressive!