So I had planned to build a computer for a friend using the recently price dropped gtx 780 but since the R9 290 non-x dropped, it just blew it out of the water for $200 less. But the Stock cooler is just garbage, high temps, and very loud. So I though with the money I save I can slip in some sweet watercooling and overclock the card too.
Now I know how to but together a PC partlist but I know nothing about watercooling. His max budget is $1600. He will be doing gaming mostly and maybe some youtubing (although I don't think posting gameplay is really system demanding).
Find a suitable waterblock for the 290, and then purchase a simple WC starter kit. Like the XSPC 240mm kit, and maybe add in another radiator. Ensuring the chassis you choose has suitable radiator support. 120mm of rad space per component, and 120mm for overclocking headroom.
Looks like you could mount a 240 in the top and a 240 in the bottom. That would be enough radiator space for GPU + CPU + OC.
I would advise getting slim radiators, like the XSPC RS radiators. The case doesn't appear to have support for thicker rads. You might have to mount the top fans externally in a pull configuration. And the bottom radiator mount may require you to pull out some of the HDD bays.
I know there are a couple new waterblocks out already for the R9 290/290X. A custom loop should be possible, but expensive as last time I checked the waterblocks were around $110.
What do you guys think? Is everything compatible? Do i have enough bolts in the kit for the GPU? Are there more cheaper alternatives? Please let me know!
Meh. As a color freak who wants every part to match a certain scheme, Noctuas aren't my thing. It's like they gathered around and said, "Hey let's build one of quietest and best performing fans on the market, and make it a color that doesn't match in any build color scheme. " And in my honest opinion, they are kind of ugly.
