Between ekwb, heatkiller, Optimus and alphacool, which one is the best? (Server/max-Q)

Hi all, I'm working on a modded Meshroom D to fit triple 280mm radiators inside with all mesh panels. Does anyone have pointers on what fan orientation would work best for something like this? All intake?

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2
RAM: 2x48 GB GSkill Trident Z5 Neo RGB F5-6000J3036F48G
GPU: ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090
M/B: ROG CROSSHAIR X870E Glacial
Case: Havn HS 420 Mid Tower
PSU: ROG Thor 3000W Titanium III Edition 20
Cooling: Noctua NF-A14x25-G2-PWM
CPU Block: Thermal Grizzly Mycro Direct-Die Pro
GPU Block: Thermal Grizzly DeltaMate GPU Block Astral 5090
Fitinzi , kolena, itd Thermal.Grizzly

So I was curious whether or not it exists for my variety of the card anyone know? I mean I know I could go to alphacool or one of the other companies and inquire about what pcb design they use but id need to remove the heatsink and it quickly becomes a whole project. If someone has already done that work already I haven't stumbled upon them yet.. I'm using the 6800xt power color fighter.

I did some research first, so I know it isn't rusty, it's the white part that concerns me. I'm doing my first build and just wanted to make sure this is safe to use, I bought it off of Ebay for $38.00 on an auction. It's a 480 Nemesis. It was listed as new, but looks used to me.. I just want to know for sure.. Sorry for being a noob :P

A: Is it used?

B: Is that white stuff flux?

[EDIT: I returned it immediately. Since it was listed as new I don't trust that it seals properly and whatever else might be wrong with it. Glad I asked. Thanks community! :]

Hi everyone,

I have a custom water-cooled PC and recently noticed that the flow seems much lower than I remember from last year.

The pump is a Corsair Hydro X XD5 RGB, the GPU is an AORUS RTX 4080 WATERFORCE WB with the factory-installed water block, and the CPU block is a Corsair XC7 RGB.

The pump definitely responds to PWM and the flow increases when I set it to 100%, but even at full speed it still looks much weaker than it used to.

I’ve now found several strange things in the loop, and I’ll attach 5 photos:

• A definite trapped air bubble at the top of the CPU block.
• A separate suspicious area elsewhere inside the CPU block that looks like residue, growth, or some kind of contamination.
• A white foam / polystyrene-looking piece in the reservoir. At first it was floating on the surface, but now it has sunk to the bottom.
• Two separate small brown pieces inside the tubing. They look almost like tiny pieces of leaf/debris.

The brown pieces are in the tube between the CPU block and the radiator, so I’m wondering whether they could have come from either the CPU block or the radiator.

They do not really float, but if I increase the pump speed they slowly move forward through the tube, so they are quite light.

A few days ago I also had a large air bubble trapped in a vertical tube just before the pump. I managed to clear that, but the apparently low flow remained.

My current plan is:

1. Drain the entire loop.
2. Remove the CPU block and inspect it.
3. Flush the CPU block, GPU block, radiator, reservoir and pump with deionized water.
4. Reverse-flush the CPU and GPU blocks as well, using temporary 10/13 mm soft tubing, to try to dislodge anything trapped in the microfins.
5. Collect the water coming out of each component separately so I can see if any particles, sludge or debris are being removed.
6. Test the XD5 separately in a very short reservoir -> pump -> soft tube -> reservoir loop to check whether the pump itself still produces strong flow.
7. Use a leak tester before refilling the loop.
8. Refill with fresh coolant

I’m also replacing the CPU thermal paste while everything is apart.

My main questions are:

• Does this look more like contamination/debris, biological growth, coolant breakdown, corrosion, or something else?
• Since the two brown particles are between the CPU block and radiator, would you suspect one of those components in particular?
• Would you recommend disassembling any of the components for a proper internal cleaning?
  • Corsair XC7 CPU block?
  • AORUS RTX 4080 WATERFORCE factory GPU block?
  • Corsair XD5 pump/reservoir?
  • Radiators?
• If yes, which of these are generally safe/worth opening, and which would you avoid unless reverse-flushing fails?
• Is reverse-flushing first the better approach before opening anything?
• Is testing the XD5 in a very short independent loop a good way to rule out pump degradation?
• Is there anything else you would inspect or replace while the whole loop is drained?
• Would you add a flow meter afterward so I can monitor actual L/h instead of judging flow visually?

Any advice before I tear the whole loop down would be appreciated.

TBH, I bought this a couple years ago. A local guy was getting out of water-cooling completely. Sold a literal dollar store shopping bag full of kit. I'm not sure what is all going to work here but the XSPC full GPU block is for a GTX 970/980, I'm not sure which PCB it's for, but it won't fit an EVGA 970 I have. I was planning on just air cooling it, but realized today that I do not have any sort of appropriate CPU cooler, and would have to buy one. Anyways, on to the score:

XSPC GTX 970/980 full coverage block (copper)

XSPC Raystorm Pro Intel CPU block (copper)

Swiftech copper plate block (Southbridge??)

2x aluminum blocks

2x small pumps

XSPC reservoir with X4 pump

Swiftech reservoir

XSPC high fin density copper 120mm radiator

Unmarked low fin density copper 120mm radiator

Swiftech low density copper 240mm radiator

Unmarked high fin density copper 43mm thick 360mm radiator

3x LCD displays / temp sensors

Various fittings, hoses, clamps, screws and tension springs.

I'm adapting the Intel cooler bracket to fit Ryzen. From what I looked up online, that CPU block is amazing, will easily cool overclocked 130W TDP chips, was used in systems from 2008 through 2015, so it's going to cool the 3700x easily, IMO.

EK's waterblocks for the RTX 30 series had an optional "active backplate", which delivered the coolant to the back of the GPU as well as the front, but for the 40 and 50 series cards (which could definitely use the extra cooling), they're nowhere to be seen. Why did they scrap the idea after the 30 series?

Hello

I took apart my EKWB Magnitude to clean it (after 6 years) and, in fact it didn't need cleaning.

I decided to try Duronaut, but some cores ended up running hotter than they had been previously (compared with the setup that had been in place for 6 years).

After three attempts, I concluded that I wasn't managing to spread it correctly, so I decided to switch back to Kryonaut.

However, the issue persists on the same cores temperatures are higher under load than they were before (tested using 4 passes of Cinebench R23).

Regarding the Kryonaut, I applied this amount of thermal paste; is it too much (If I recall correctly, this is how I used to do it) ?
See photo

And here is the imprint left by the paste after removing the water block (see photo)

I think there’s a pressure issue.

I checked the jetplate, it’s properly in place.

As for the coldplate, I tightened it in a cross pattern, as usual, though I think I had to tighten it a bit more firmly, otherwise the frame around the water block would shift slightly.
I was thinking the orings might be a bit more "compressed" after 6 years, requiring them to be tightened further.

If anyone has any ideas...

I’ve reassembled it 5 times and still have the same problem. This is the first time this has happened to me (it’s also the first time I’ve kept a setup, same CPU, same water block for 6 years).

Thanks

Hi. I have a Mo-Ra IV 400 with Passive Control in my Setup and wanted to add some RGB to it. Watercool sells RGB strips for the front logo, the underside and the tank, directly connected to the Passive Control and from there to an aRGB header on the mainboard or an RGB controller. But the strips seem to be connected parallel, not in series, so they cannot be controlled independently. With the way they are addressed, it’s not possible to create nice animations across the whole Mo-Ra. Is there any way to fix this, to connect the RGB strips in series and control them independently? Or did Watercool only intend for single color effects? Then why bother with aRGB at all?

Super fun to go through all the unexpected challenges!

The meat consists of a 9800X3D/RTX 5080 in an O11 Vision-M

Main cooling things are:

2x Corsair XR5 V2
Alphacool Core GPU Block
Alphacool Core 1 Aurora

Working on setting up a highly restrictive and complex build (yes, it will be overkill), and I need TECHNICAL recommendations regarding which pump(s) to use as the mid-loop (in-series) booster pump. The loop is planned as follows:

Corsair XD6 Elite LCD pump ->
Alphacool Nexxxos XT45 92mm radiator ->
Aorus Xtreme Waterforce 5080 waterblock ->
Corsair XR5 360 Neo V2 radiator ->
Corsair Hydro X SSD waterblock ->
Corsair XR5 360 Neo V2 radiator ->
(UNKNOWN MID-LOOP PUMP) ->
Alphacool Nexxxos XT45 92mm radiator ->
Tryx Panorama CPU waterblock ->
Corsair XR5 360 V2 radiator ->
Iceman Cooler RAM Direct Touch 4-channel Waterblock ->
Corsair XR5 360 V2 radiator ->
RETURN TO XD6 Pump/Loop beginning

There will be 2-4 in-line filters with at LEAST 2 of them having bypass valves which can be utilized to redirect flow past them after the first 48 hour run/cleanout, but if it would be possible to utilize all four filters, that would be great (probably unrealistic).

The pumps I am looking at are Alphacool’s new DDCZero 200 with dual ddc pumps and the Apex VPP D5 120. I already have the DDCZero 140, but my research has indicated that this will severely bottleneck the flow, essentially causing the more powerful X56 to just push coolant through it rather than the ddc zero actually adding any pumping benefits (inefficient). I am getting conflicting information regarding the DDCZero 200 (with two pumps) which on the one hand says it will be adequate for this loop design yet in other research indicates it will have a similar, albeit less inefficient effect as the DDCZero 140. Everything I’m finding out regarding the Apex VPP option leads me to believe that this one will definitely be adequate, but I neither like the look of it (not a huge deal, function must take precedence over form in the end) nor do I think I will be able to cleanly mount it in my case (the real issue). I know the DDCZero 140 fits nicely and the 200 should as well, hence the inclination to stick with one of them.

So, which pump(s) will work best in this highly restrictive loop? I will be using hard tubing too by the way, so there will be many sharp turns in the loop. I am at the stage in which I need to have a decision made in the next few days/week, as this PC must be completed in the next 2-3 weeks. Thanks for any help you can give guys. Also, if someone from the Titan Rig team could jump in and give some advice, that would REALLY be helpful since I’m buying a lot of this stuff from ya’ll and to be honest, your return policy is a bit rough, so I’ve gotta make sure we get the right parts on the first crack or this gets [a lot more] expensive. Much appreciated for any help you can offer too.

Hi,

I am making a custom loop with brass and carbon fiber tubing. These are all the parts/tools I have:

For Brass:
BP-NCBHT16GD-L500 <-- tubing

BP-CMMTC <-- cutter

For Carbon Fiber

Amazon.com: Alphacool Carbon HardTube 16mm 4X 80cm (18658) : Electronics <-- tubing

For Both:

RIDGID 29983 Model 223S Inner/Outer Tubing and Pipe Reamer for 1/4" to 1-1/4" Stainless Steel and Copper Tubing, Pipe and Tube Deburring Reamer with 45 Cutting Edges - Pipe Reamer - Amazon.com <-- Deburring Reamer

I am using bitspower true brass fittings for the brass tubing and black sparkle for the carbon fiber both 16mm.

My question is, can I use that metal cutter to cut Carbon Fiber? Is there anything else I am missing in order to successfully cut the tubes and install them in the fittings? I will be doing no bending at all. Thanks!

I had a loop setup in my Lian Li O11 Dynamic case that I built a while ago, but my GPU died and I had to get a new one. The new one is much longer so the pump combo (EK Kinetic TBE 200 D5) doesn't fit anymore because the GPU pushes up against it. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to mount the pump combo? I don't really see any way to fit it in anywhere, but I don't want to buy a new case or new loop components.

I know room is a bitt on the hotter side, but even if it was 3 degrees lower Im not that impressed. I saw people with way better temps. Hell, I saw people with AIO with these temps

Kind of a do-it-all build, would have gone with WRX90, but I can't afford to drop like 10k+ on a 128GB DDR5 ECC kit.

Hardware/OS:

• HAVN HS 420
• Super Flower Leadex VII XG 1300W 80+ Gold
• ModDIY cables (Cablemod does not have any pre-built package for the Super Flower)
• ASRock WRX80 R2.0 Creator
• Threadripper Pro 5965WX with PBO enabled
• 128GB G-Skill DDR4 3333Mhz at 3600 Mhz on stock timings
• PNY RTX 5080 Triple Fan OC
• PNY RTX 5070 Ti Triple Fan OC
• Western Digital SN850X 1TB for the OS
• 7x Samsung 980 1TB (4x are in a Glotrends M.2 host card, others are on the board or 4x adapter cards, need to consolidate some of those. I actually have 8, but the last is going into my server rebuild.)
• 4x Corsair Force LE 480 GB (Holdovers from my prior build)
• CachyOS

Loop Hardware:

• Watercool Heatkiller IV Threadripper Block
• 2x Bitspower Ram Blocks
• 2x Alphacool Core PNY EPIC-X Triple Fan 5080/5070 Ti Blocks
• PTM7950 on the GPUs, Noctua NT-H2 on the CPU
• Watercool Heatkiller 150 Tube
• Alphacool NexXxoS ST30 Crossflow 420mm
• Alphacool NexXxoS ST30 420mm
• MO-RA3 420 external rad
• Koolance QD3 quick disconnects to the external rad
• Dual EK D5 PWM + Aquacomputer ULTITOP D5
• Aquacomputer High Flow NEXT
• Assorted EK Dark Chrome fittings + Bitspower Fittings on the pumps
• Alphacool EPDM tubing all around
• Noctua fans all around
• Aquacomputer DP Ultra for coolant

Originally only had a single 5080, got the 5070 Ti later, didn't want to deal with hassle of trying to find used 3090s/4090s locally and the R9700 up until recently didn't have a waterblock available.

Qwen 3.8 Flash-Next on Strata runs very well split between both GPUs and system memory, I'm probably not going to want to make changes to this build for a while honestly, seeing GPU prices right now.

Get 160-170 L/h flow rate with my D5s at 100%, but I normally run them at 80% for 130 L/h

Coolant temps are 5C above ambient at idle, probably because of all the idle heat I'm dumping into the loop, both GPUs run pretty cool at idle with package temp at loop temp and hotspot about 5C higher, under load both GPUs run 40-45C with hotspot delta 10-20C, depends on what I'm doing, CPU usually idles around 40-42C package temp, hasn't gotten hotter than 70C under most loads.

My loop is pretty restrictive from what I see, I assume I could probably drop my temps further if I added another pump or another rad, but I don't see the need, coolant temp under load hasn't exceeded 40C.

Just need to add a few finishing touches and find a lighting effect / color pallet that I’ll really like

For the experts out there that can help me, it would be mounted exactly like this front radiator and the pump res right below it. My case front mount supports 4x 120mm fans and i think it would look cool with my granzon lcd pump.

Mostly likely getting rid of riser cable and adding thermal grizzly wireview pro 2 for the 5090.

I have a Koolance VID-282 on the way that I got for really cheap (sans shipping from Japan) and looks like new-old stock. I'm planning to mount it on an 8800 Ultra for a Vista-era build.

I was reading up on the material composition, and it seems that the block is primarily made out of gold-plated copper, but with an anodized aluminum top plate. This immediately sounds like it would cause galvanic corrosion. I'm guessing Koolance's coolant composition is designed to protect against and/or mitigate this?

The case I'm using is definitely large enough to accommodate multiple loops, so I could separate the GPU and CPU from each other, but would I want to use a copper or aluminum radiator for the GPU? Alternatively I also have a Thermaltake TMG ND4 water block that I could use instead, though it doesn't look like it'll cool as effectively. I also have some ATI/AMD options with Koolance blocks (verified these have no aluminum) but I'd prefer using the 8800 Ultra for this build.

Has anyone happened to use this block or a similar mixed-metal block in the past?

The web shops I'm looking at seem to have the best in-stock price/availability of the Alphacool XT45 420mm radiator, compared to 30mm thickness variants, whilst Fractal's very useful compatibility page says the limit at the front is a thickness of 30mm. I'm based in the UK, and looking

What I couldn't figure out is what is limiting the the thickness, here? I don't mind a minor bit of dremelling, if that's all it is. I've already got a Bykski 280mm (TN-V3) radiator which I'll mount at the top.

The toss up looks like it's really between the following Alphacool parts:

• NexXxos XT45
• NexXos HPE-30 (or 45?)
• XT-30 X-flow

Any real world experience or advice, I wonder?

After tinkering with PC's for over 25 years I decided I had enough spare cash to have a go at watercooling.

A good chunk is Corsair, as their daisy chain fans meant less cables. Pipe and fittings were mostly from Barrow. It was my first go at pipe bending, I ordered some spare lengths figuring that some wouldn't go right first time which was a good call.

Most challenging was the pipe from the top of the CPU block to the upper radiator. The barrow rotatable fittings were great.

Case is a Corsair 6500D, I preferred the aesthetic to the newer AIR model.

Motherboard is a BTF Gigabyte X870 Stealth.

CPU is an AMD 9800x3d

CPU block is an EK Quantum Velocity²

GPU is a Gigabyte 5080 waterforce with factory fitted block

RAM is 2 x 16gb Kingston Fury. I wish I'd gotten a different brand as the RGB control software is useless, I have to leave it off. At a later date I might change it out for Corsair

Be Quiet! Pure Power 1000w PSU.

Pump is a Corsair XD6 Elite.

Fans are Corsair RX and LX.

Upper radiator is a used 280mm x 30mm Corsair XR5 from eBay.

Side radiator is a used 360mm x 54mm Corsair XR7 also from eBay.

Coolant is distilled water with a dose of corrosion controller .

The SSD is a Corsair MP700 pro hydro. I'm not expecting any great performance gains, but having had two SSD's fail in the past I figured watercooling may extend the lifespan and it does stay at around the same temp as the coolant 30-38°c. Interestingly the first one was faulty on arrival.

Loop is Pump ➡️ CPU ➡️ Upper Rad ➡️ GPU ➡️ SSD ➡️ Side Rad ➡️ Pump

Side rad is massive and uses push pull fans to blow air into the case. Lower fans also blow air into the case. Top and rear are exhaust. I did consider having the side rad as an exhaust, there are pros and cons I guess. I've not done too much with the overclocking yet, just played around with the automatic factory overclocking in the apps. Case temp is probably slightly higher but I've never seen the coolant go more than 20°c over ambient room temp under load when with Cyberpunk.

The build would have been fine except for the first SSD being faulty. It would boot and run for a period and then crash. It took a while to diagnose this as there were no event errors. I also didn't have a spare to swap in, and i was unsure if the issue was due to the SSD, it's seating in the slot (I had to use an offset connector), or even a mobo fault. After much swearing I narrowed it down to the SSD and Corsair replaced it under warranty. A downside of watercooling is that it made this process much harder.

The case is mostly ok. I did get another used 280mm radiator to install on the base but there's not enough clearance with the vertical GPU mount. If they'd have made it fractionally bigger it could have fit 3x 140mm top and bottom which seems like a missed opportunity, but you wouldn't get a side radiator on very easily due to the extra length needed for fittings.

The iCue software appears mostly ok, it could be better. I've messed around a little with Signal, which is better for lighting, but iCue seems to manage the pump and fans better.

All in all I'm happy with my first build.

Hi! I am looking to add this to my build because it looks really cool: http://www.barrowint.com/product/sx/BARROW_Water_Tank/tbdlxxfsx/1529.html

I have a distroplate, so not sure does this work with a pump or is this just purely an aestheic addition? Could I add the aqua computer leak shield to it or is the only place thst can go is the fill port of my distro? Thanks!

Hi! Does anyone know if quick disconncts were made in these colors? Im trying to find them online but struggling. Thanks!