Question regarding watercooling Yes anotherone

So im thinking of watercooling my pc why i duno i just want to atm i use the corsair h55 system and it works a treat but always wanted the other kind of water-cooling.

So im wondering which is better soft or hard tubing.
All in one pump and reservoir is that good or bad.
Best fluid to use.
Is it good to put extra leds in the case to make it look better.

Also any helpful dummies guide is welcome.

A lot of that is down to personal choice.

Personally I dont like plastic hard tubing as there is a greater risk of leaks at the fittings because you are relying entirely on o rings to do their job. Technically you are doing the same with any rotary fittings too along with all of the blocks. There is also the brittle issue with acrylic and the coolant compatibility of petg. Soft tubing is far easier to route and dismantle but obviously doesn't have the same look.

Integrated pump reservoirs are fine but some can exhibit more noise through the mountings. Separating the two allows you to easily isolate the pump using foam or a shogee sandwich.

Coolant choice will depend on tubing choice as there are incompatibilities with glycol and insome cases particulate matter. Personally, I preferred to use the tried and tested OAT based coolant from my car. If it's good enough to prevent corrosion with aluminium, cast iron, steel, brass and copper for over 20 years, and do it's job of keeping an engine cool, it's good enough for my pc. I've been running this mix (1:4) of antifreeze concentrate and DI water for 4 years without a problem. Only thing is that ethylene glycol which is the main chemical in the concentrate is toxic, fairly viscous (thick) and incompatible with some tubing. Most others will recommend using mayhems, xspc or ek or even plain DI water with a silver coil or biocide.

Leds are great. Makes no difference to the performance but it's all about aesthetics these days so go as nuts as you like.

Ahh cool cool.

What about for the first one go with the Integrated pump reservoir system then once i have got my head round it all then can change later on.

Just wish i got a different gpu didnt think about watercooling when i got it lol.

You can get very nice pump and res combos that use D5 pumps. No need to go seperate really.

Example

Ahh cool cool i looked at this one here

j4ffa said:

Ahh cool cool i looked at this one here

Click to expand...

Friend of mine had that res - The LED plug on the back leaked, as it was sheared when they assembled it... although it took several years before it finally went.

Kei said:

Separating the two allows you to easily isolate the pump using foam or a shogee sandwich.

Click to expand...

Worth noting - You want a Shoggy Sandwich.
A shogee is a hooked dart on the end of a rope, used by Ninjas!!

Kei said:

Leds are great. Makes no difference to the performance but it's all about aesthetics these days so go as nuts as you like.

Click to expand...

My EK stuff has a lot of clear caps that let you slot LEDs in. Looks fabulous!!

To throw in my thoughts:

1. Soft tubing is going to be a LOT easier to install, if you are at all nervous or not usually very 'DIY' then cutting/bending the hardline is going to annoy you. Performance isn't really effected to any massive degree.

2. Pump and res is usually a matter of a) cost b) ease and c) space, there is no right answer but i'd take a good look at your case and plan it out - you'll probably opt for a single unit as its much more easy for your first go at water cooling.

3. LEDs, RGB all the things if its your taste

4. Fluid, get a decent ready mixed fluid, probably avoid pastel as that seems to be the most hit and miss. The general consensus always seems to be: Get coloured tube and just use normal clear fluid... Something to think about.

Basically start to plan your case layout and the rest will just fall in to place, take your time picking components and don't be afraid to post the basket here for a second opinion. Good luck!

Smffy beat me to most of what I would have written. If you're going with soft tube I'll just add:

- Get a decent tube cutter. Doing it with a stanley knife is a pain to get clean edges.

- Buy twice as much tube as you need and build a practice loop first time away from expensive PC components just to get used to it. You will need the paperclip trick or one of these. This loop can be part of your radiator cleaning to flush crap out - just use cheapo distilled water from Halfords, Supermarket, B&Q etc. Save the good stuff for the real loop.

- Rather than coloured tubing, I prefer the mayhems pastels as they come with all the additives you need. This really is a personal preference thing though. You'll get arguments both ways.

sweet cheers guys really appreciate the help.

One thing on soft tubing there have been some issues with plasticiser leaching from the tubing on some types which can cause issues with your coolant. I think good rule of thumb is to swap coolant and change tubing every 12 months or so.

Personally I use hard tube, but as others have said, difficult to put in place and then awkward to swap any components easily.

E-I