Upgraded i7 8700k paired with 1080 ti water cooling custom loop.
Upgraded i7 8700k paired with 1080 ti water cooling custom loop.
I recently purchased the Tower 900 model and plan to install a dual loop cooling system for the CPU and graphics card. My PSU is 650W, and I was considering 2 D5 fans and 8 additional fans for the radiators. Should I upgrade the PSU as well? Thanks in advance.
You don't have to use two loops for that configuration; a single loop might suffice. It also depends on the radiators you're using. You don't need to upgrade your PSU, and water cooling pumps only consume around 20-25 watts. Unless you're hitting the power supply limits, it should be okay.
You don't have to use dual loops for that configuration; a single loop might suffice. It also depends on the radiators you're using. You don't need to upgrade your PSU, water cooling pumps only consume around 20-25 watts. Unless you're hitting the power supply limits, it should be okay. Most people who buy cases are attracted to the 'dual loop' feature, but unless you're running multiple GPUs, you're probably just adding unnecessary water cooling to fill gaps in the chassis.
You cannot ever match the ambient air temperature, and there’s a limit to how much benefit radiators provide. A single 560 unit is sufficient to cool an overclocked 8700k and 1080Ti, let alone two for a loop. I’d like to compare thermal loads with just one radiator for each component versus dual loops to understand the impact—probably minimal at best. Even less if the parts run at their default speeds.
It’s your choice, but rather than spending on another radiator, pump, fans, and fittings, I’d prefer to invest in more storage or system memory. Or maybe a 4k monitor.
You can never match ambient air temperature, and there’s a limit to how much benefit radiators provide. A single 560 unit is sufficient to cool an overclocked 8700k and 1080Ti, let alone two for a loop. I’d like to compare thermal loads with just one radiator for each component versus dual loops to understand the difference—probably minimal at best. Even less if the components run at stock speeds.
It’s your money, but instead of spending on another 560 radiator, pump, fans, and fittings, I’d prefer to invest in more storage or faster system memory. Or maybe a 4K monitor.
I was thinking about upgrading later with two more 1080Ti models. I already have a Samsung 970 Pro NVMe drive. I tend to make the mistake of investing without considering the future, which is why I chose dual looping. With one loop, I’d run two GPUs, and the other would handle the CPU and motherboard.
That was the original plan, at least.
If I can maintain stable room temperatures—that’s ideal for me.
Fair enough, that's a decent plan and I can't argue it. You might want to stick with something else on the GPU side until the new 1100 series arrives, but until we know an exact release date, it's a roll of the dice.
Make sure you come back and post pictures of the build once you're done. I have a couple friends who have that case and love it, but tell me its absolutely enormous. From my perspective, my next build is going to be a dual box rig, one for gaming, the other for distributed computing and server.
Fair enough, that's a solid plan and I can't dispute it. You might want to keep the GPU options simpler until the new 1100 series is released, but until we have a precise launch date, it's all guesswork.
Be sure to share your build photos once completed. I know some friends with similar setups really appreciate them, but let me know if it's going to be that big.
From what I see, my upcoming project will be a dual box rig—separate for gaming and for distributed computing or servers.
I was hoping for the new graphics cards first, but until then I wanted to test the custom loops. Do you have any suggestions? Especially regarding fittings and other components? To be honest, this will likely be my first custom loop.