# Building a Ryzen 5950X with RX 6900 XT system



## rdr09

That 140 rad will make things complicated and untidy. Me thinks 2 280s will be enuf. I read that 2 90 degs are a no no and tend to agree. Doubt you'll need any.

I suggest plotting the loop using Paint or another app will help in planning.

I can only fit a 240 and a 120 rad in my case and seems to cool my 5900 and 5700XT fine. But your stuff will definitely need 2 280 at least.


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## OC-NightHawk

Ok so avoid too many adapters. That would also reduce the cost just a bit.

I'll have to take more angled shots later to look at this from the top along with this shot for the full perspective but for now just to give an idea of the flow I was thinking I marked up the photo above.









Do you think that two 280mm radiators would be enough to keep a 5950X and a RX 6900 XT cool even when both are overclocked?

With three 8 pin pcie on the RX 6900 XT that could have a ceiling of 525W in terms of the PCIe slot and the pcie connectors. I don't know how much power the card is going to draw but I would estimate at least 375W plus however much watts the 5950 consumes 200W? That would be a rough estimate of 575W worth of heat to cool


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## rdr09

I was going to suggest a 280 and a 360. Can a 360mm fit up front with the fans between the case and the front panel. The 800l/h pump might not be sufficient for 3 rads. 

I just did two runs of Firestrike and my 5900 got to 76c while the gpu went to up to 68c. That's using a total of 360mm at an ambient of 28c. You'll have a total of 960 with 2 480s. Doubt the 5950X will reach 200W. Probably 150W tops and your GPU 300W. Unless you'll oc the gpu to the max.

I still advise against the 140 rad. Not gonna help much plus it will just make things difficult.


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## OC-NightHawk

If I take the dimensions of my parts I have and the 360mm radiator I could put together a CAD file to figure out if it will fit but eyeballing it I don't think I would be able to squeeze it in. I also wouldn't have the money for it right now because I barely have enough to get the CPU in a month when the pay checks align to give me three pay checks in one month.

However if just two 280mm radiators would be enough get a good everyday gaming overclock for the CPU and the GPU then I would be happy. It doesn't have to be chart topping.


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## rdr09

OC-NightHawk said:


> If I take the dimensions of my parts I have and the 360mm radiator I could put together a CAD file to figure out if it will fit but eyeballing it I don't think I would be able to squeeze it in. I also wouldn't have the money for it right now because I barely have enough to get the CPU in a month when the pay checks align to give me three pay checks in one month.
> 
> However if just two 280mm radiators would be enough get a good everyday gaming overclock for the CPU and the GPU then I would be happy. It doesn't have to be chart topping.


Yah, the 480s will do for gaming. The cpu will only be doing 100W or so and doubt the gpu will reach 300w at stock. You'll be fine. Two blocks and two rads will be easy on the D5.

EDIT: You can ask here, too.









OFFICIAL 5900X and 5950X two chiplet Zen 3 CPUs...


Windows version 21H1 OS build 19043.1165. I don't really have a "favorite" version of Windows 10, I usually just keep it up to date. I know that sometimes Windows updates can cause system issues and even loss of performance however I started keeping it up to date for the security patches. So...




www.overclock.net


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## OC-NightHawk

rdr09 said:


> Yah, the 480s will do for gaming. The cpu will only be doing 100W or so and doubt the gpu will reach 300w at stock. You'll be fine. Two blocks and two rads will be easy on the D5.


I've read that people are able to run their processor at a top boost speed of 5.1GHz. I haven't managed to find how much power that is but if that is what 100W represents then that is amazing because my Core i9-10900K that I have set like this from bios consumes a peak of 264W while running CineBench multicore at 5.11GHz. 









If that gives me head room to run my RX 6900 XT better then my Power Color RX 6800 XT Red Devil in my i9-10900K system then that I'm going to be very happy.


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## rdr09

OC-NightHawk said:


> I've read that people are able to run their processor at a top boost speed of 5.1GHz. I haven't managed to find how much power that is but if that is what 100W represents then that is amazing because my Core i9-10900K that I have set like this from bios consumes a peak of 264W while running CineBench multicore at 5.11GHz.
> View attachment 2523560
> 
> 
> If that gives me head room to run my RX 6900 XT better then my Power Color RX 6800 XT Red Devil in my i9-10900K system then that I'm going to be very happy.
> View attachment 2523562


Prolly im too optimistic. Maybe closer to 140w gaming but when pushing all cores to 100% like in Cinebench it will certainly be higher. I go by the CPU Package Power (143W as shown).

You'll get a better idea asking a fellow owner of a 5950X in that thread.


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## OC-NightHawk

rdr09 said:


> Prolly im too optimistic. Maybe closer to 140w gaming but when pushing all cores to 100% like in Cinebench it will certainly be higher. I go by the CPU Package Power (143W as shown).
> 
> You'll get a better idea asking a fellow owner of a 5950X in that thread.


I'll read the links. 140W while gaming is not bad at all. My i9 is probably easily consuming 200W while playing Cyberpunk. I'll check later to be sure, but the thing I am taking away from that is it idles at 40C in a warm room during the summer and doesn't go past 65C while gaming in the warm room with nothing more then a Corsair H115i Elite Capellix AIO cooler. My best guess then is the XD5 should be able to move the fluid through both 280mm radiators enough to have better flow then the AIO and the 5950X would be less limited by the 280mm radiator. The RX 6900 XT might be limited but between the two 280mm radiators it would probably be ok. I don't generally have a high CPU load at the same time as a high GPU. I think I am going to hold off on buying another radiator and see how the two 280mm radiators do.

Thanks for the help.Now I just have to wait until October before I can buy the part unless I find it on sale for a little cheaper or sell a kidney.


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## rdr09

Was hoping a current owner of a 5950X will chime in and share some data but here was a 12-core during gaming reaching almost 105W. Maybe the 5700XT was not pushing it hard enuf.


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## tps3443

I would recommend better 280MM radiators. Now, I am kinda funny over performance. But (2) HWlabs 280MM GTX rads would be the way to go. (If they can fit that is) Two those 280GTX rads would easily outperform (3) normal 30MM 360 rads.


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## Imglidinhere

OC-NightHawk said:


> Ok so avoid too many adapters. That would also reduce the cost just a bit.
> 
> I'll have to take more angled shots later to look at this from the top along with this shot for the full perspective but for now just to give an idea of the flow I was thinking I marked up the photo above.
> View attachment 2523517
> 
> 
> Do you think that two 280mm radiators would be enough to keep a 5950X and a RX 6900 XT cool even when both are overclocked?
> 
> With three 8 pin pcie on the RX 6900 XT that could have a ceiling of 525W in terms of the PCIe slot and the pcie connectors. I don't know how much power the card is going to draw but I would estimate at least 375W plus however much watts the 5950 consumes 200W? That would be a rough estimate of 575W worth of heat to cool


The 5950X draws around 120w at most, more often around 105w. It's absurdly efficient for the core/thread count. The 6900XT is a 300w card and is also quite efficient for what it does.

I would recommend not using the riser card, as that is just going to block functionality in your system. It already looks nightmarish as is and the rest of the tubing isn't even installed! D:


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## o1dschoo1

OC-NightHawk said:


> I have a large number of the parts and I have been taking the time to test fit them so that I can work out install issues now while I am waiting to have the money for the cpu. It’s my hope that I can have all the kinks worked out by the time the cpu arrives and I can pop it in and start testing and overclocking it right away.
> 
> This is my custom loop system and it’s a bit daunting so I elected to go with soft tubes. However because of the space constraints from squeezing in three radiators and the pump/res it’s looking like the tubes will require some finesse to get in place as well as some more adapters. I bought two pairs of Corsair 90degree adapters and I think I’m going to need more.
> 
> Will there be a problem if I use two 90 degree adapters in a row to get the positioning right for the soft tube to avoid a kink in a tight space?
> 
> Being my first time water cooling without using a AIO I’m hoping I can get some advice so that I can avoid blowing up this machine.
> 
> Here is the system so far:
> 
> Case: Corsair 680X
> Motherboard: MSI X570 Prestige Creation
> Drive: 1TB m.2 ssd in slot 1
> CPU: [still need to purchase once I have the money] 5950X
> Graphics: Gigabyte RX 6900 CT Xtreme Waterforce
> Memory: Corsair DDR4-3600 16GB x 4
> Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower iRGB Plus 1250W 80 Plus Titanium
> Cooling: 5 exhaust LL140 fans, 3 intake LL120 fans, Corsair XD5 pump/res, 2 Corsair 280mm radiators and 1 Corsair 140mm radiator, [not shown] Corsair XC7 cpu waterblock
> 
> View attachment 2523465


Where tf is your psu?


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## mongoled

o1dschoo1 said:


> Where tf is your psu?


Pffffft, who needs one of those

😂 😂

Do keep reading regards the use of 90 degree adapters,

would be nice if someone actually did an experiment to proove/dispprove this ..


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## o1dschoo1

mongoled said:


> Pffffft, who needs one of those
> 
> 😂 😂
> 
> Do keep reading regards the use of 90 degree adapters,
> 
> would be nice if someone actually did an experiments to proove/dispprove this ..


I have 5 in my system and it does kill flow a decent amount.. i run my d5 wide open though


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## mongoled

o1dschoo1 said:


> I have 5 in my system and it does kill flow a decent amount.. i run my d5 wide open though


I had 12 and reduced these to 7 and the flow meter shows the same flow as before so a little unsure as to the reasons ..


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## o1dschoo1

mongoled said:


> I had 12 and reduced these to 7 and the flow meter shows the same flow as before so a little unsure as to the reasons ..


Might just be the weak ddc i had tbh. I never payed attention with my d5


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## OC-NightHawk

mongoled said:


> Pffffft, who needs one of those
> 
> 😂 😂
> 
> Do keep reading regards the use of 90 degree adapters,
> 
> would be nice if someone actually did an experiment to proove/dispprove this ..


LOL it’s powered through the electricity it gathers from the air…

or was it that big black box in the back of the case in the rear chamber that mentions 1250W?

In all seriousness the case is a Corsair 680X and it houses the power supply in the back.

pardon the mess I haven’t started to manage the wires yet.


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## mongoled

OC-NightHawk said:


> LOL it’s powered through the electricity it gathers from the air…


Thats was going to be my first snidly comment

😂 😂


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## OC-NightHawk

mongoled said:


> Thats was going to be my first snidly comment
> 
> 😂 😂


The sarcasm is strong with us.


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## OC-NightHawk

I just got the order placed for my Ryzen 5950X and should have it sometime between this Saturday through Tuesday next week. I'm crossing my fingers it arrives on Saturday so that I can brig the machine online and power it up.


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## OC-NightHawk

I went ahead and stuck with all three of my radiators.

I had to install my Ryzen 2700X to it in order to flash the bios. But it’s loaded and I just booted it into windows. Next order of business install iCue and change the leds to white and then start overclocking it and benching it to see if I won or lost the silicon lottery.


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## OC-NightHawk

I have the lighting setup so it isn't so unicorn and I have been working on getting the memory speeds dialed in. This is the results so far.


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## skline00

How are your temps on the cpu and gpu while running Aida64 stability test?


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## OC-NightHawk

skline00 said:


> How are your temps on the cpu and gpu while running Aida64 stability test?


I haven't started the process of manually lowering the voltage to the processor yet so my results are at whatever voltage the motherboard is doing out of the box with PBO Enhanced 1. The temperatures of the CPU are 87C and the GPU gets up to 82C. The fluid in the loop is getting up to 45C.

It did manage to run for an hour this morning without throttling though. Once I start lowering the voltage on the CPU and GPU I'm hoping to reduce the temperature of the components while under load.


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## OC-NightHawk

This is the fastest cinebench and 3dMark results.

AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT video card benchmark result - AMD Ryzen 9 5950X,Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. PRESTIGE X570 CREATION (MS-7C36) (3dmark.com)


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## OC-NightHawk

Right now my temps are not bad in real world applications and it is already very silent but I would like to get the GPU junction and the CPU below 60C with the same workload.









Some 3D Mark benching results:
Firestrike Ultra AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT video card benchmark result - AMD Ryzen 9 5950X,Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. PRESTIGE X570 CREATION (MS-7C36) (3dmark.com) 
Firestrike Extreme AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT video card benchmark result - AMD Ryzen 9 5950X,Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. PRESTIGE X570 CREATION (MS-7C36) (3dmark.com) 
Timespy AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT video card benchmark result - AMD Ryzen 9 5950X,Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. PRESTIGE X570 CREATION (MS-7C36) (3dmark.com) 

This might sound insane but I'm contemplating removing the LL120 intake fans and putting in a push pull 280mm in a intake position. That would give me 980mm of radiator surface and hopefully not reduce the airflow entering the case. I'm thinking this will help reduce the temperature of the GPU and CPU when both are under load. I'm worried that I would need a second pump. I have seen some people put a Corsair XD5 RGB in the rear chamber of the Corsair 680X case. I could try that if needed or I could get a Corsair XD3 RGB and mount it on the rear exhaust 140mm fan as shown in Corsair's stock photo.


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## OC-NightHawk

I got my loop components reserved at my local Microcenter. I'll head down there this evening or tomorrow morning (more likely) to pay and pickup the parts. I should be able to install the parts in a few hours and start testing the machine out to see how the thermals are impacted. I cannot wait.


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## OC-NightHawk

I ended up buying just the XD3 and two fittings. The temperature dropped by a few degrees. However some of the tubes are kinking and I don’t have a clean way to install them as is. I ordered a few more adapters and have a plan to adjust the tubes to eliminate the kinks tomorrow. I’m hoping with them eliminated that it should bring the temperatures down a few more degrees. Then when I get the replacement panels to replace the front and tomorrow that has the air flow style it should bring the temps down a little more. The overall gain should hopefully be a reduced temperature of about 10C for the GPU and CPU. I’m happy with that.

I also have another two temperature probes on order to add into the loop. This way I can see the temperature of the fluid at each pump and after the cpu and gpu.

I do not think I will bother with the third 280mm radiator.


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## OC-NightHawk

I have the loop finished now. I fixed the kinks with a few more adapters and new tube. I also added in fluid sensors directly after the GPU and CPU. So now I can see the temperature of the fluid coming out of the XD3, XD5, GPU and CPU. The sensors feed the commander pro. I ran some benchmarks and stress tests to saturate the fluid as much as possible and measured the pump speeds. Now the fluid isn’t going well beyond 38C and I see now decrease in thermals beyond 68% power for the XD5 and 72% power for the XD3. iCue I created pump curves for the pumps and used the sensor after the cpu for the XD5 and the sensor after the GPU for the XD3. This way if heat is building up in the loop from the other component the system will get more of the heat out before it reaches the next component.

I think I am finished with the loop and will call the machine complete for now until I need something like more drive space.


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## Neoki

Nice gains on the thermal side there! My current new config will be a downgrade from HWLabs GTS's to XSPC TX's. Hoping to get away from 2 XD5's and go with a single XD5.

Something that was shared with me by p0Pe when I was toying around with my dual XD5 setup, was to not use pumps in series but to spread them apart and force them to work a bit before going into another when they are Pump/Res combo's. Not sure it's of concern to you with your setup, just passing it along in case you are running into any weirdness with pump whine and such.


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## OC-NightHawk

Neoki said:


> Nice gains on the thermal side there! My current new config will be a downgrade from HWLabs GTS's to XSPC TX's. Hoping to get away from 2 XD5's and go with a single XD5.
> 
> Something that was shared with me by P0pe when I was toying around with my dual XD5 setup, was to not use pumps in series but to spread them apart and force them to work a bit before going into another when they are Pump/Res combo's. Not sure it's of concern to you with your setup, just passing it along in case you are running into any weirdness with pump whine and such.


Is it something that impacts how long the hardware lasts or a tangible improvement in the thermals? I could drain the loop and adjust the order if I needed to.


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## Neoki

OC-NightHawk said:


> Is it something that impacts how long the hardware lasts or a tangible improvement in the thermals? I could drain the loop and adjust the order if I needed to.


I assume so based on the comment that I saw him make.

Quoted from p0Pe in Watercooling Enthusiasts Discord: "Can't explain the exact details, but running them right after each other should be avoided if possible as one pump will just "push" coolant into the second one. It is better if the second one has to work for it as well instead of just freespinning"


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## OC-NightHawk

I have been playing with the CPU overclock this evening and am currently testing the machine at 4.5GHz all cores at 1.272V.

I got the highest score yet for me on CinebenchR20.


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## OC-NightHawk

I have more parts to improve the loop a bit more.

I have two deceptive plugs to replace the two visible plastic mugs that came with the two pumps.

Two sensors to put in the case connected to the motherboard to read the ambient temperatures inside the case. I’m not sure exactly where in the case but I’m thinking one near the intake fans and one near the cpu and gpu to get the ambient sun that area.

I also have the parts to clear up the tube going from the top XR5 280 to the XD3 which is currently collapsing. It will make the new tube more of a straight run so it should avoid collapsing again. Also it splits off and goes to a valve and then a drain line which will be stored in the rear chamber.


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## OC-NightHawk

I had to alter my plans a bit because of clearance issues with the valves twist handle and the fans. This works out better anyways. Now it drains from the front but I don’t have to leave the drain tube attached. I can take the cover plug off and then attach the drain tube, put one end the container and then open the valve.

Also on the plus side the new tube is no longer collapsing. However now on the tube going from the cpu outlet to the top XR5 280 intake is collapsing like I kicked the can down the road.

I can address this too by reducing the curve in the tube but then I’m worried it will just kick the can further down the road and I’ll have to do similar things with the other longer tubes.

I had been thinking about adding another XR5 280 to the front and taking out the 120mm fans. I think I’ll go ahead and do that so it can add a little resistance to the loop and hopefully reduce pressure on the tubes.


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## geriatricpollywog

Switching to EPDM part #9776T11 eliminated my problem with collapsing, dulling, and leaching of plasticizer with plastic tubing.









McMaster-Carr


McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.




www.mcmaster.com


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## OC-NightHawk

I have received my next set of parts. After getting them installed I have found that the going from the top radiator to the XD3 is collapsing again. However now if I keep the XD3 pump to 2800RPM or less the tube will not collapse. I have edited my pump curve to keep it below that point. I am monitoring the overall temperature of the loop and the system to see if this is going to make a difference. I suspect that it will be fine since the XD5 is free to pump at 100% if needed. I think maybe this water loop project is complete.


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## OC-NightHawk

My machines gaming performance with Horizon Zero Dawn. 555.5GB/s is a little over half of the bandwidth of a 3090 but the pixel and texture fill rates are competitive.


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## OC-NightHawk

After playing for hours my ending settings where a little more aggressive.


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