Source
r/watercooling•
System0verload

Part selection, totally lost. First Open Loop build and needing guidance

Build Help

May have gotten in over my head with trying my first open loop system and doing so in SFF at the same time, but what's life without a challenge. The goal is for a SFF that's great at cooling. I live in Singapore currently, so room temperature is usually around 24 to 27 degrees hence going with full watercooled build in the hopes that it will help keep things under control. I'm just not sure if it can be done in SFF or not so hoping experienced folks can help guide me.

I am however a bit overwhelmed with finding the right pieces to make the puzzle fit. I've looked at more parts and items than I'd like to admit and am definitely getting stuck in analysis paralysis mode so really could use a nudge in a direction. The good news is, most still needs to be bought and that money is luckily not too much of an issue.

Current parts:

  • 4090 Inno3D iChill Frostbite
  • i9 13900K

Planned parts:

  • mobo with monoblock - haven't found one yet.
  • pump and reservoir (since this will be my first loop, the leakshield may be a good idea?) it is fairly large and limits orentiation options for building I think. https://shop.aquacomputer.de/product_info.php?products_id=4065
  • case & radiators: not really too picky here as long as it fits as many radiators as needed to cool components.
  • PSU: From using some of the online power calculators, 850w will be minimum without overclocking (not something I plan on doing). Perhaps Loki 1000w? or should I seek out a 1200w option? Silent fans and lower load is prefered for me here. any recommendations are welcome.

The below build seemed very similar to what I'd like to achieve. Might be above my skill level..

https://www.reddit.com/r/watercooling/comments/xy9qta/my_custom_loop_mini_itx/

Posted Dec 3, 2022, 2:37 AM UTC

117
imawsm_•

SFF would be a really bad idea

3
MisterBotMaker•

Agreed. Most I would go for is a 3080 and 13600 and you would still probably have to power limit the 13600 and possibly undervolt the 3080 in an SFF. Maybe once the 4070 comes out that might be an option as well

1
System0verloadOP•

Might have to give up on sff then as I already have the 13900k and inno3d. (Had very good price on both).

1
TriFyre•

I'd very much recommend 2x 360mm rads as the bare minimum for a 13900k + 4090.

1
WarDamnEagle2014•

SFF, 4090, 13900K, and great at cooling is not a reality I’m aware of.

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System0verloadOP•

That is my fear. Thermals don't have to be great, but can't have it shut down because of overheating every 5 minutes. Won't be overclocking so hoping I can get to a sustainable state.

1
WarDamnEagle2014•

If you are dead-set on SFF, you will need a DDC pump with tiny reservoir. You can try to cool the whole thing with a single of multiple rads. Consider GTS. I would be very hesitant to have less than a 240 and a 120. You will have to use soft tube. Regarding PSU, I’d get an ATX 3.0 there is a Reddit thread you can Google that has them all.

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System0verloadOP•

Thank you for the guidance. I linked a build that had 2x240 skinny rads and 2x120 in a all intake setup with one side panel for exhaust. Do you think a set up like that may be sufficient or will the ambient air still be a problem?

1
System0verloadOP•

Would 2x 240mm slim xspc radiator and 2x120mm slim xspc radiator be sufficient you think in all intake set up?

1
WarDamnEagle2014•

In isolation, your rads listed likely would be sufficient. However, I can’t speak to how airflow impacts that link you listed. Also, that is going to be very difficult to replicate with little room for error associated with different components. Best of luck. Any hardline build needs extra budget available for unexpected costs and associated with some trial and error. You will need extra budget in spades if attempting that.

2
WarDamnEagle2014•

Consider searching for a SFF build with two 240 rads that looks like it has space to fit your GPU. You can copy. 4090 with WB is much smaller than without.

2
WarDamnEagle2014•

I don’t understand buying no-compromise components at no-compromise prices to force them into thermal throttling.

1
System0verloadOP•

Fully agree here which is why I haven't purchased anything else yet. I travel frequently and was hoping to keep it to a carryon size build. But if not possible, I'm not going to waste great components just for preference.

1
Maverick_Wolfe•

Return the 13900k and get an AM5, ditch the SSFPC idea and Head towards a full/Mid-full tower build.

1
NSWindow•

FYI, 20°C room with 3090 and 5950X (390W+300W) raises ambient air by 5°C with my triple 280 radiator SFF build, and I have it on my desk

I think you may want to consider user comfort especially given your environment and so perhaps spec an external radiator like MO-RA.

Monoblock is probably pointless. You cool the CPU and GPU because the thermal headroom gets you more performance, so the cooling is useful. If the VRMs can be cooled with ambient air and can run at 75°C for example, there is possibly less of a reason to dump that heat into your SFF custom loop.

As to the PSU I have been chasing the 1200W Loki for weeks and nobody sells these in my part of the world, even the 1000W one is now out of stock. Probably worth waiting for CoolerMaster/Silverstone options now

2
System0verloadOP•

Thank you for the great insight and reasoning in the value of monoblock. Makes a lot of sense. Will look into external rad options but likely would look at just going with larger build at that point.

And yes, sfx psu seems to be impossible to find currently.

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