Water cooling needed?
Water cooling needed?
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It was mentioned that you followed a similar approach, referencing several links. You also mentioned the two radiators used in your Enthoo Primo setup, noting that it’s more cost-effective and offers better performance by getting a separate waterblock for the GPU and installing it yourself. What are your thoughts? Do you have any photos of your current setup? You’re planning to upgrade to an X99 motherboard. Are you using one reservoir? What about your loop circuit—do you have one or two loops?
1. When you quote a post, please adjust the quoted part to reduce size by removing pictures, links, and long blocks of text.
2. I’m a bit confused... you said you wanted something similar, but from what I understand, nothing has changed much compared to my previous setup.
3. It’s definitely not cheaper to buy the block separately and install it yourself.
The EK 1080 Saehawk EK X costs $755 on Newegg. Buying one pre-installed on a FE card is $775.
[Link to MSI 1080 page]
Cheapest MSI 1080 is $620... the block is $141, backplate is $35... totaling $796. You’ll also have to install everything yourself (and with pre-assembly you keep the full warranty).
4. Don’t expect any performance boost from an air-cooled AIB card compared to the Seahawk with a pre-installed EK full cover block and you handling it yourself. Air-cooled MSI AIB cards don’t throttle... so water cooling only helps if you use an air-cooled FE or similar model.
When the card reaches 82°C, performance drops to protect it—whether it’s 81°C, 74°C (MSI air-cooled) or 45°C (water-cooled).
Water-cooled systems are quieter with a well-designed custom loop and 150 RPM fans.
5. I shared a picture of my setup before installing the second set of fans. When I described what I use and provided links, it’s what I recommend for all water-cooled SLI builds, not just my own.
6. The Z170 tends to be faster than the X99 in gaming... it’s better to save money on the platform and invest elsewhere if gaming is your main goal. X99 would only be worth it for workstation applications. The savings there could fund an SSD or SSD+SSHD—though we haven’t used an HD in five years, just SSDs and SSHDs.
7. You used a single 250 ml reservoir, which you can see in the pictures. I swapped the single port top with a multi-port top (same as the bottom) to allow for a down tube and bleed port. This is important—it prevents splashing noise and makes bleeding easier.
8. I think it’s a hybrid loop... not exactly one or two, but more like a mix. Some people see it that way.
a) It uses two pumps in series, so from the pump’s perspective it’s one loop. This lets me run the pumps at lower RPM while still delivering strong flow without excessive pressure loss.
[Link to pump article]
I pair it with a heatsink and fan so the pump heat doesn’t transfer to the coolant, and it looks impressive.
b) The dual pumps also mean if one fails, the other keeps the system cool. Pump speed increases slightly to maintain flow and temperature. With a single pump, if it fails, the RMA might take 3+ weeks—unacceptable for me.
c) Alternatively, the card cooling could be seen as two loops... or better, “two subloops.” Each GPU gets its own feed. Starting at the pump, it’s a single stream (~1.25 gpm), splits into two parallel streams downstream of the bottom radiator, feeding each GPU separately with half the flow (0.625 gpm), then recombining before reaching the second radiator. It feeds the MoBo Block, then the CPU, and finally the reservoir before sending back to the pump.
Key components:
- **Pump(s)**
- **Heat sinks and fans**
- **Reservoir**
- **Cooling fans**
- **GPU radiators**
Temperature sensors and probes are included, showing coolant and air temperatures. All data is displayed on a Reeven Six Eyes. Fan speeds can be adjusted manually or automatically via three Phanteks fan hubs connected to MoBo headers.
The sensors measure coolant temperatures in and out of each radiator, plus two air temperature probes—one for ambient air and one inside the case. All readings are shown on a Reeven Six Eyes. Manual control is possible, but I rely on the hubs for automatic temperature monitoring.
Fans are all Phanteks PH-140SP models, currently offering the best balance of noise reduction and performance. The system runs very quietly, to the point I’ve turned it on even when it’s already in sleep mode.
If I were starting fresh today, this would be my approach... I’d wait until the Z270 mobos and CPUs were ready, along with the 1080 Ti models, and move forward into later stages and the first quarter of 2017.
Here are some product links:
- MSI Gaming Z170A XPower Gaming Titanium ($230)
- Intel 6700k ($340)
- Mushkin Enhanced Redline 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3000 Model MRB4U300GJJM16GX2 ($172)
- MSI 1080 Ti Seahawk - Consideration... I’m open to installing it myself, but I’m curious about the benefits. I’d like to evaluate how the AIB PCBs function and whether the Seahawk uses a better reference PCB or delivers superior performance. At the moment, we haven’t noticed a significant difference.
- Phanteks Enthoo Primo - White ($230)
- Seasonic 1050 Snow Edition ($205)
- Acer Predator XB271HU bmiprz 165 hz w/ G-Sync and ULMB ($780)
- Phanteks Fan Hub ($20 each x 2)... 3 Channels with the third included in the case)
- Case fans: 1 - (6) fans on 420mm rad, 2 - (4) fans on 280mm rad
- Case fans: 3 - Case fans
- Reeven Six Eyes replacement suggestions
- Custom loop design tips: consider port accessibility, drainage ports, bleed ports, and hardware compatibility.
Feel free to ask if you need more details or additional images.