Cheap GPU Custom Loop Solution

Hi everyone,

I am upgrading my GPU from a 1080ti to a 3080, found a decent deal on newegg but after I got it, it was OOS.

Newegg - GIGABYTE Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 GAMING OC WATERFORCE WB 10GB

I have a Fractal Design Meshify C and have a Dark Rock Pro 4 as a CPU cooler, I've never ran a custom loop before and have been looking for good cooling solutions for this card and came across this kit below:

AliExpress - 240mm DIY PC Water liquid Cooling Fan Kit
~3x Price EK Classic Kit D-RGB P240 Liquid Cooling Kit - Black Nickel Edition
I choose 240mm because I want the top of the front panel to be feeding fresh air to the CPU cooler as I'm keeping it.
Opinions on the above kits? Also, can anyone recommend any other viable options to add cooling to this card?

Thanks!

Update:
I ended up getting the Alphacool 11475 Eisssturm Tornado Copper 60 2x140mm for $359.10, a bit overkill but idle temps were 14c, playing COD warzone I got 44c. Mounted the Rad and Pump/Res outside my case, underestimated the size of my case and the kit big time.

Comments

  • +10

    If i was playing around with a 3080 which costs more than a small village I wouldn't be looking for a cheap way to cool it.

    • +2

      Lol buys $1200 card, then goes to Ali for the cooling kit…

      Like buying a Ferrari then going to Kmart for servicing

      • +1

        If only $1200 was the actual price of these cards.

        • Was following OP's link, but you're right it looks like US$1200

      • Lol, if you buy watercooling gears in Australia, you might as well run 3090 SLI too

        • You know there's other sources besides Ali or a b&m store, yeah? Those 2 are like the book-ends of the market

          • @spackbace: You know, aliexpress is as good as it gets for English speakers yeah

  • +1

    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Ek-water-cooling-components-/254…

    Buy used, though do note that case is very hard to do custom loop if you're new

    • Thanks for the link, I will look into it. I was watching some videos and people seem to put the reservoir on the bottom of the case or front mount the fans with a hack for more space. Where would you go for fittings and tubes? I've heard barrow was good but they're mainly on aliexpress…

      • +1

        https://www.ple.com.au/Products/644471/EK-Classic-Kit-D-RGB-…

        Link includes all the parts giving you a general idea of the components you'd need (minus the CPU block in your case).

        Highly recommend getting help from someone whose done this before if its your first time.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTvsW0x3pi0

        • would not buy that combo, that pump is beyond bad, 250L/h is very slow and your component won't be cool properly

      • +1

        tubing: EK ZMT, all other soft tubing is terrible
        fittings: i've been using bykski for awhile, works fine though EK torque fittings are the best

        for that case, personally would get an cpu pump combo like this, https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001323233080.html, there just isn't really room for a typical pump res

        • Thanks for that info. Haven't heard of bykski but I have been looking at barrow and EK fittings, EK and local stock are so expensive. Yeah, a pump/reservoir combo would save a lot of space.

  • +1

    My advice is don't do custom loop on the cheap.

    240mm rad may not even be enough for a 3080 going full bore. Both kits you linked are CPU kits which will work if you have the GPU with a built in waterblock, otherwise you'll need to add a custom GPU waterblock to a standard card (best range from EKWB or Corsair Hydro). By virtue of being CPU kits they are tuned to CPU thermals. GPUs tend to put out more heat than a GPU hence my comment about the rad size.

    Also you want a case from the beginning with water cooling in mind, hacking it on later is more issues to deal with especially when it's your first time. Even with cases that supposedly support water cooling you run into 'gotchas.'

    A custom loop is mostly for aesthetics so you want high quality components, tubing etc to show off the build. The high quality components may translate into better reliability. Having said that watercooling is inherently more unreliable than air cooling. You're dealing with hydraulic phenomena that are not immediately straight forward, even after running for a long period of time.

    PS. The Ali pump kit does not have PWM control for the pump so the pump will be running 100% all the time. This can be noisy, especially since the Ali kit does not seem to have any vibration isolator between the pump and the case, and can shorten the life of the pump

    • Thanks for the detailed reply mate. The GPU I got has got a waterblock on it already so I would be looking at getting a CPU kit or everything separately, I wasn't planning on getting a waterblock version but when I saw the price of the card, I had to get it. I'll pass on the aliexpress kit, I think I'll look for some branded secondhand stuff to cool this card.

  • +1

    I have a full EK set up custom acrylic loop. 2 x 360mm radiators CPU and GPU block. EK is amazing quality, never had fittment issues or leaks of any sort. I would just pay for the EK and know that you can use it multiple times in the future when you swap your GPU out, plus it is easy to add on a CPU waterblock too down the line if you are so inclined.

  • +1

    I would recommend getting a D5 pump if possible. Make sure it's a genuine D5 made by Xylem, Laing, etc. not the ones on Aliexpress with D5 in their name.

    For fittings, Barrow and Bykski have affordable and good quality fittings. I've been running a custom loop using only their fittings for about 6 months now without any issues. Just make sure you get the right size for your tubing.

    As for tubing, if you're going soft tubing, I'd recommend EK ZMT as regular tubing will leach over time. This just means you'll have to take apart your blocks and clean the gunk every 6-12 months (though it's recommended you do that regardless). For hard tubing, you can either go PETG or PMMA/acrylic. If you're using PETG, keep in mind that your water temperature should be < 40°C otherwise you risk deforming the tubing. PMMA and any type of soft tubing don't have this issue.

    I'd also recommend getting a drain valve and a temperature sensor stop plug. If your mobo doesn't have a 2 pin temperature sensor header, then you'll have to use a fan controller that does e.g. Corsair Commander Pro, aquacomputer quadro/octo.

    If you need more help:

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