New to custom Water cooling
New to custom Water cooling
Alright, so before I start let me just say I'm sorry if I posted this in the wrong category and I'm not very experienced with custom loops. The closest I been to Water cooling is a closed loop system, Corsair's h110i.
I built a desk for the pc I recently built and normally I would have just bought a h110i for my cpu and just got the 1080 hybrid. But the way my computer is mounted inside the desk I have no way of mounting the radiators to the locations I have cut out for them. I knew ahead of time I would do a custom loop.
1, because I think it makes so much more sense (future proofing wise)
and
2 because if done right looks awesome.
I have done some research and I know what all I'm going to need (component wise) but I have no idea what manufacturer I should go with, idk how it is with computers but I know that if you mix/match different manufacturers with cars (mechanic by trade) that sometimes the clearances are off and don't seal/fit properly, so I figured it would be the same with custom loop water cooling right?
In that case I have no earthly idea on which manufacturers to buy from and which to stay away from. I have no idea what kinds of pumps there are or if I should go with pump/rez combos, etc. Etc. All I know realistically is I need atleast 2 fittings per component (3 in my case because I horrible luck), a radiator, a pump, reservoir, cpu block, Vga block, tubbing, and a back plate for the cpu block (idk if they normally come with one or not, i know the h110i's do, but that is a different kind of cooling realm lol). I need as much advice as I can get, any tips, tricks, curse words, whatever you can tell me that will help me better understand this new endeavor I'm walking into lol. Lastly I'm only wanting to Water cool my cpu and Gpu. I figured since I don't really overclock much there isn't a need for cooling memory and chipsets, hdd, sdd, etc. Any help would be much appreciated and if you made it this far into the book I'm posting than thank you for atleast reading it and I'm sorry you just wasted that 15 mins of your life lol. Everything will be mounted sitting horizontally, already bought a Thermaltake pci extender so my card can sit flush with the bottom of the desk, (can change that if need be).
Specs:
Cpu: Intel 6700k Skylake
Gpu: EVGA 1080 FTW
Mobo: Asus RoG Hero Maximus VIII
Psu: EVGA Supernova 80+ gold 850w
Memory:ddr4 (17000) G-Skill Ripjaw 4x 4g
Sdd: 2x Samsung Evo 500g (vertical)
Hdd: WD Black 2tb
Case fans: 12x Thermaltake RGB ring 120mm
Thanks again for the help.
Edited wall of text to improve thread comprehension.
Moderator
Lutfij
Many people use double D5 pumps when the tubing is long, especially in a desk setting. If possible, consider running a flexible tube around where it's needed without it being visible, then switch to solid tubing. I favor the solid look, though some bends can be difficult and limit attachment options for high vertical areas.
Review the watercooling advice (linked in my profile).
Next, consider whether rethinking watercooling makes sense given the two reasons that also apply to air cooling.
I’m guessing you’re already following the same approach as Linus for his desk setup... or something similar to the Red Harbinger Cross Desk?
First, clarify the desired appearance; many users appreciate the looks and simplicity of using flexible tubing, which can be easily connected by simply threading it onto a barb and securing it. Alternatively, some prefer the solid tube option, which offers a cleaner, more streamlined design with fewer joints. However, this requires more careful handling due to the difficulty in heating and bending the acrylic tubing without causing kinks or bubbles. This choice affects the type of connections needed, as barbs won’t be used on the rigid pipe but instead compression fittings will be necessary. Everyone has their own preferences—some favor EK, others AlphaCool, even Thermaltake—but a key consideration is to avoid low-quality options. Cheap materials often lead to issues like aluminum radiators versus copper, and copper parts in pumps can cause problems if not compatible. Copper components are more durable but come at a higher cost.
Certainly want to tackle the hard tubing, I think it looks great. I won’t spend a fortune on this custom loop, but I’m prepared to invest a fair amount of money, so if copper is the better option for me, I’m fine with that. I didn’t remember the third reason I wanted water cooling—those closed-loop hoses are too short, and I don’t want an air-cooled setup. So if I go with copper radiators, I’ll also need a copper CPU/GPU block, right? I’ll check out the links you posted and get back to you.
Many people use double D5 pumps when the tubing is long, especially in a desk setting. If possible, consider running a flexible tube around where it's needed without it being visible, then switch to solid tubing. I favor the solid look, though some bends can be difficult and limit attachment options for high vertical areas.