I'm out of my depth...

[Rammix]

Hello one and all,

I've decided to watercool my (almost) 1 year old build as I fancy a new challenge. I have never done a custom loop before but have been extensively researching and now feel confident I can pull it off. To make this harder on myself I've decided to go with hardline tubing (I know I'm a fool).

Thought I'd make this thread so I can share my experiences along the way and you lot can have a good laugh at my (literal) expense.

So, without further ado here is my build in it's current state (specs in my sig)





Here is my parts list for the loop:



Monsoon PETG Tubing 16/12mm 8x90cm - UV Red
EK Water Blocks EK-XRES 140 DDC 3.2 PWM Elite (incl. pump)
XSPC RayStorm Pro WaterBlock (Intel) Black
Alphacool NexXxoS ST30 360
Alphacool NexXxoS ST30 240
120mm Noctua NF-F12 2000RPM x2
EK 980 GTX Strix Full cover waterblock x2
EK FC980 GTX Strix Back Plate x2
EK FC Terminal triple (with a blanking plate because the R5E has crazy spacings for 2 way SLI)
Monsoon Hardline Pro Bender Kit (16mm)

Still waiting for the Monsoon free Centre fittings, hopefully they will be back in stock on Friday.

For the drain:
EK Water Blocks EK-AF Ball Valve
Mayhems Ultra Clear Watercooling Tubing 10/16mm
XSPC Compression Fitting x4

Wish me luck, I think I'm going to need it...

Peace,
Ram

 

[Rammix]

Thank you Harry, I'm hoping to do it over the Christmas break so I have loads of time. I Just hope I get the fittings in time.

 

[Rammix]

You might want to grab a couple of 45/90 degree fittings aswell,will definatly make life easier to hook up your tubing between the front and rear chambers.

Ah I knew I'd forgotten something, nice one!

 

[Rammix]

Having opened up the tube to have a look, the monsoon PETG UV red definitely looks more orange than red. I'll have to call OcUK tomorrow and see if they'll exchange it for the blood red. if not I'll have lots to practice on at least...

 

[Rammix]

Particularly interested in this:

Monsoon Hardline Pro Bender Kit (16mm)

Basically I ordered a load of stuff from EK, tubing included, and forgot to add the bending insert so ordered "Alphacool Silicon Bending Insert 30cm for ID 1/2 / 12mm" thinking the same ID would be fine. Its not, it doesnt fit tight - and I can't stress this enough, makes getting good bends virtually impossible.

Would you mind testing the kit/tubing and posting back if the insert is a VERY tight fit? If so i'll probably order a bunch more tube/insert from them... Not sure if anyone else has used the same kit as me and had that issue?

I'll have a look for you when I get home but I think the problem here is the fact EK are a European company so all there stuff is actually metric. Alphacool being an American company will be using imperial measurements. That's why you'll find differences of a few mm +/- between the 2. Unfortunately vendors don't make it clear in their listings and display them with both imperial and metric in the same listing.

That's my understanding anyway, I'm sure someone with more experience will correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Rammix]

Small update, I've just received a few rotaries and also the UV curing glue (not pictured) for the monsoon fittings I'm still waiting for.



I was planning on using the mayhems extreme biocide (in pure distilled water) instead of a silver kill coil as I've read silver doesn't play nicely with the nickel in the GPU blocks. But after ordering the monsoon free centre fillings I've found out they come with silver plated bases. I'm hoping it'll be OK as the bases won't be in direct contact with the GPU blocks as I'm using a SLI Terminal bridge. Time will tell I guess...

 

[Rammix]

Well, looks like this project is on hold. The monsoon fittings seem to be like rocking horse droppings, so it's looking like I won't be able to proceed over the Christmas break.

 

[Rammix]

OK time for a update.

I had a bit of a result and received these fittings on Christmas eve..



So it was just a case of trying to fit the build around husband and father duties around the Christmas break. Apparently not doing very well as every time the PC moved I got face ache from the wife.

I did manage to get the GPU waterblocks on boxing day evening once the kids were in bed and the wife has passed out in front of some BBC period drama.





With all the waterblocks on it was time to be a bender, and to be honest I found it incredibly difficult to begin with. I think I must have made every noobie mistake I told myself I wouldn't do. I think my scrap pile is testimony to how bad I was.



The only mistake that really bothered me however was when I cut some tube without removing my silicon insert. Thankfully it was near the end of it and none of my bends were far away from the end of the tube.



With these Monsoon fittings you have to glue a lock collar to the end of the tube using UV curing glue. On the monsoon hardline guide videos (a must watch if you're new to hardline) he says "just take them outside for a few minutes and the sunlight will cure them just fine" well it's December in the UK so sunlight is at a premium. Fortunately I had bought the wife a UV nail kit for Christmas that comes with a handy UV lamp (pure coincidence, honest).



So I'm more or less there, I've had to order a couple of fittings for the drain. the EK pump has recessed ports for the 2 in ports but only supply you with 1 of the required extenders to actually use them. They are not expensive but it's very inconvenient and for a £100 pump/ress to not come with an extra £2 fitting is a poor show IMO. Shame on you EK.

So here it is so far, I'll update again when it's time to fill tomorrow (so long as the fittings arrive)



Peace, Ram

 

[Rammix]

I finished this project ages ago but forgot to conclude this thread.

Here's it finished..



It's by no means perfect, if I was to do it again I'd put a thicker rad in the front as I ended up mounting the fans outside the chassis. I'd also use flexible tube to go into the rear of the case where my res is. I might get round to changing at some point.

Thanks to everyone who offered advise and to all those folks writing guides and posting videos. They helped a lot

Ram

 

[Rammix]

You're right, it is a shameful mess...



One of the many reasons I love this case. So mush room to hide the ugly stuff...

 

[Rammix]

Your project looks great, your CPU to GPU bend looks perfect (For me that was the hardest one as they aren't directly in line with each other).

You could have easily fooled me into thinking this wasn't your first hardline attempt. Also what is your opinion on the Monsoon Hardline stuff as I've always found the idea of a UV curing kit off putting.

Thank you very much. I found the Monsoon fitting to be great. The lock collars are not too bad to fit, but you must really take your time to ensure no air bubbles before curing. This is easier said then done however and did lead to some swearing. Once fitted it feels very solid, I don't think I could pull it off if I tried.

The bending and measuring kit was a dream to use and I really don't think I could have done it without. The GPU to CPU bend was very much the hardest, I used the 180deg mandrel mounted vertically and a 45 directly off it horizontally. I just hope when it's GPU upgrade time the waterblock will still align.

So overall I think the Monsoon stuff served me well, although as it's my first watercooling build I really have nothing to compare it to.