Planning a new Watercooled PC build

Like the little bit
Of hard Tubing holding up the vertical gpu mount
Did exactly the same with my massive
3080ti with active backplate lol
Though I cut a thin piece of the ek zmt/epdm
And shoved it on the end of the tubing
To prevent scratches
And to prevent movement of the tubing
 
Thanks for the replies. Another two great tips there. I'll give the Tygon/Watercool tubing a thorough clean before it gets used in anger. The wee support for the GPU mount is now sporting a ring of Tygon tubing top and bottom!
 
So...I've done all the tube runs now! And we're into squeeky bum time I think.

There is a problem though. Might not be a problem but could be - I've used the Aquacomputer Ultitube res and it has that pressure equalisation membrane in the lid. I do have a leak tester (the Barrow one) but it's not going to be any use I think. I read somewhere that you could put what Aquacomputer describe as "plastic foil" between the lid and the res body and leak test after that. Not sure what the bloody hell "plastic foil" is. Not something you wrap the turkey in anyway.

Anyway...I think I'm just going to use the jumper on the power supply to just run the pump and cover everything liberally in paper towels. And then hope for the best. Feeling the fittings and the tubing everything seems really secure but that could be famous last words! But that's a job for tomorrow and a clear head though.

https://flic.kr/p/2pkgkXT
 
Hope it goes well!

You should be fine though, it's a pretty compact, simple tubing run and you have relatively easy access to everything. Compression fittings on Tygon is going to be nice and solid, unless you've cut something too short (which I doubt).

Looks good!
 
Cheers Parsley. Actually had a brain wave which is rare for me! Removed the res from the loop and used the Barrow leak tester to do the rest of it. Actually found a leak which was on one of the fittings on a radiator end at the top of the case - awkward to get the tube over the barb there and I had overcomplicated it a bit with an elbow fitting. Now fixed and the loop minus the pump and res is holding air fine. Time to get the bugger filled! Tomorrow!
 
Yes you were right
Can't leak test with the membrane
And taking the pump res out
To leak test good call
I leak test after each component I install
That way if losing air
You know exactly which component it's from

And yes should jump the pump
With nothing else connected/powered on
Though I will be first to admit
I have broken that rule a few times lately
As due to health I can barely turn the pc around
To get to the back of it
Thing must weigh 30=40kg fully loaded
Got it on castors
But the chest it sits on isn't wide enough
So to turn it I still have to bear a fair bit of the weight

The joys of watercooling lol
And the joys of getting old
 
Looks slick! The silver fittings are a nice accent against the all black. Questions (for my curiosity)

1) The device between the reservoir and the GPU - what is that? (guessing a flow meter?)
2) Looks like 3 fans (bottom) on intake, and 3 (top) on exhaust (plus rear on exhaust). What direction are the fans on the vertical radiator?
3) What's the thickness of the rads?

Looking forward to seeing it up and running!
 
I hear you on the getting old thing McNumpty. Might have to enlist the help of the missus to lift it on to the desktop. It's only a short distance but would be safer with two people.

A very slight concern I have is the slight uphill at the drain valve (at the rear of the case on the bottom rad). I think the siphon effect will probably be sufficient to allow liquid to drain from it. Hopefully won't have to suck on it to get it started haha

Bthitman

1) Yep but just a visual indicator of flow. Doesn't measure the flow rate or anything
2) Fans on the upright rad are set to intake so it'll be 6 intake and 4 exhaust
3) they're all 45mm thick.

Cheers.
 
gjthom said:
I hear you on the getting old thing McNumpty. Might have to enlist the help of the missus to lift it on to the desktop. It's only a short distance but would be safer with two people.

A very slight concern I have is the slight uphill at the drain valve (at the rear of the case on the bottom rad). I think the siphon effect will probably be sufficient to allow liquid to drain from it. Hopefully won't have to suck on it to get it started haha

Bthitman

1) Yep but just a visual indicator of flow. Doesn't measure the flow rate or anything
2) Fans on the upright rad are set to intake so it'll be 6 intake and 4 exhaust
3) they're all 45mm thick.

Cheers.
Click to expand...
With my recent flow issues
Happened at same time I installed new gpu
With active backplate
I was draining mine left right and centre
Quickly worked out that a cheap 250ml syringe
With tubing Was ideal
Shove it in anywhere you see liquid
And suck it out
Even if it drains well
Usually liquid left in blocks or bottom rad
Along with the syringe I figured out
The leak tester can be used to push and suck water
Out blocks etc
After draining attach the leak tester
Pump air in pushes liquid out
Unscrewing/releasing the pressure from leak tester
Created a vacuum that literally sucked remaining coolant
Back into the distro/reservoir
Of course in your case with the membrane
You still need to know
What on earth plastic foil is :cry:
 
Exactly! Bleedin plastic foil. Incidentally Aquacomputer not exactly high on my list of favourite companies at the moment. In addition to their so called "instructions" for the Octo, Ultitube etc I tried to buy the multiport lid for the res from them and they refuse to ship to the UK. When I say refuse it's basically that they can't be arsed. This despite me buying their products and looking to spend more of my money with them. They have in effect washed their hands of UK customers. I dealt with 3 other German companies in the course of this build - Watercool, TechN, and Alphacool and they were absolutely fine. Aquacomputer not so much. Anyway....I digress!

We have liquid! Filled it with distilled water to check it all works and doesn't leak and I think we're good. Took me a moment to get the pump moving the liquid but it's a Vario pump and I have it set to 3 so it might be that. Tilted it a few times and dislodged some air. Put some water into the top radiator and everything started to flow.

Now to drain it and fill it with the premixed coolant I have. I'll try to use to the Barrow leak tester pump thing as you describe McNumpty.

https://flic.kr/p/2pkj122
 
gjthom said:
Exactly! Bleedin plastic foil. Incidentally Aquacomputer not exactly high on my list of favourite companies at the moment. In addition to their so called "instructions" for the Octo, Ultitube etc I tried to buy the multiport lid for the res from them and they refuse to ship to the UK. When I say refuse it's basically that they can't be arsed. This despite me buying their products and looking to spend more of my money with them. They have in effect washed their hands of UK customers. I dealt with 3 other German companies in the course of this build - Watercool, TechN, and Alphacool and they were absolutely fine. Aquacomputer not so much. Anyway....I digress!

We have liquid! Filled it with distilled water to check it all works and doesn't leak and I think we're good. Took me a moment to get the pump moving the liquid but it's a Vario pump and I have it set to 3 so it might be that. Tilted it a few times and dislodged some air. Put some water into the top radiator and everything started to flow.

Now to drain it and fill it with the premixed coolant I have. I'll try to use to the Barrow leak tester pump thing as you describe McNumpty.

https://flic.kr/p/2pkj122
Click to expand...
I guess plastic foil
Is just going to be anything that isn't permeable to air
Tin foil,few layers of cling film
Bit of plastic carrier bag etc

Vaguely recall someone else in the forums mentioning it
Since we left Europe aquacomputer saying
We don't ship to the UK
From their website/shop
Obviously through ocuk they do
But I guess volume sales are a bit different
A shame as their stuff itself is pretty well thought of
Never actually used any of it
As always found a cheaper alternative
Guess that's me being tight because I am Scottish :cry:

Oops hold on says you're in Scotland too lol
Obviously you weren't too tight
To buy their stuff unlike me :cry:
 
Yeah if it's easy to reach
The speed control
Ramping it up and down seems to help bleeding
My d5 is pwm
Still when first turn on
You get a slight delay maybe 1,2 seconds
Before you see it flowing
 
Scottish? Guilty as charged! Glasgow born and bred then various places before settling in Speyside for the last 20 years.

The pump dial is in a really awkward place - about 5mm above the top of the radiator in the floor of the case! So no chance of adjusting without removing a fair chunk of the loop. Even if I leave a little of the distilled water in there I'm thinking it won't harm when diluted with the premixed coolant. At this point I'm willing to take a chance on that!
 
gjthom said:
Scottish? Guilty as charged! Glasgow born and bred then various places before settling in Speyside for the last 20 years.

The pump dial is in a really awkward place - about 5mm above the top of the radiator in the floor of the case! So no chance of adjusting without removing a fair chunk of the loop. Even if I leave a little of the distilled water in there I'm thinking it won't harm when diluted with the premixed coolant. At this point I'm willing to take a chance on that!
Click to expand...
Nah bit of distilled will be fine
If left in there
I have even used the water from
My condenser dryer when short of coolant lol
Too impatient to wait for coolant
To be delivered from the web
 
We have life! It's a massive relief to me that it's working and there are no major problems with it. The biggest trouble I had was with the Windows 11 install - had to do a work around to get it to install in the first place then another to get it to install offline. Windows 10 was not this much hassle. Anyway Google came to the rescue and all is well on that front.

Haven't sorted out the rgb on the RAM sticks and see anywhere in Armoury Crate/Aura to do it. More Google work I suspect if it continues to bother me. I'm probably going to to ditch the Aquacomputer LED strips at the bottom of the case or maybe just leave the one at the back of the radiator for a bit of ambient glow. It's not something I'm getting my knickers in a twist about just yet. Just happy that it's all functional. Also the case leds stuck on rainbow - no way I can see to adjust them.

Spec is as follows -

Case - Lian Li O11 Evo XL and vertical GPU mount
Motherboard - Asus Rog B650E-E
CPU - AMD 7800 X3D with TechN waterblock
GPU - 4090 FE with Watercool heatkiller V waterblock
Ram - 2x16 GSkill Trident Neo CL30 6000Mhz
Storage - 1TB Seagate NVME drive, 2TB WD NVME drive
Fans - 20mm be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4 x 10
Rads - Alphacool Nexxos 360mmx45mm
Res and Pump - Aquacomputer Ultitube 200 and Aquacomputer D5 Vario
Tubing - mix of Watercool heatkiller EPDM and Tygon EPDM
Fittings - mix of EK compression fittings ands drain valve and Bitspower 45 degree, 90 degree, extensions etc. Also Bitspower water temp sensor
Flow indicator - EK
Fan control etc - Aquacomputer OCTO
LED strips - Aquacomputer
Power supply - MSI Meg 1300W

Thanks for all the help and support guys - made a massive difference to me.

https://flic.kr/p/2pkAtR1
 
Last edited:
The bottom leds
Personally I would remove side ones
As the actual leds are too visible for my liking
Depends how many and what length the strips are
Along the front at the bottom
Gives ambient glow
But are you able to aim them upwards?
Looks like they're aimed sideways by the reflection
In the bottom rad

Mine go along the bottom at front
Then vertically up the rear of the case
Though as my pc isn't on the desk
I added some black border to the glass
So the actual leds aren't in eyesight
Just see the ambient glow from them instead
Slightly different case though mines 011d xl

I don't really use armoury crate/aura
Much prefer signal rgb to control leds (free version)
But in armoury crate/aura sync you should have
An effects tab
And a sync devices tab
Should have motherboard, memory and led strips option
In sync devices tab
 
gjthom said:
So...I've done all the tube runs now! And we're into squeeky bum time I think.

There is a problem though. Might not be a problem but could be - I've used the Aquacomputer Ultitube res and it has that pressure equalisation membrane in the lid. I do have a leak tester (the Barrow one) but it's not going to be any use I think. I read somewhere that you could put what Aquacomputer describe as "plastic foil" between the lid and the res body and leak test after that. Not sure what the bloody hell "plastic foil" is. Not something you wrap the turkey in anyway.

Anyway...I think I'm just going to use the jumper on the power supply to just run the pump and cover everything liberally in paper towels. And then hope for the best. Feeling the fittings and the tubing everything seems really secure but that could be famous last words! But that's a job for tomorrow and a clear head though.

https://flic.kr/p/2pkgkXT
Click to expand...

I would have just double cling filmed res top and screwed the top on. I think that's what they mean by plastic foil, why they called it foil is anyone's guess lol.

Anything you've tightened is usually fine, i'm usually more worried about the things i haven't touched... stuff like the blocks where they come pre-assembled i've made a habit of testing all the screws to make sure everything is secure. Last thing you want is coolant squirting out the side of a waterblock cos some numpty at the factory didn't tighten everything down.
 
Jay85 said:
I would have just double cling filmed res top and screwed the top on. I think that's what they mean by plastic foil, why they called it foil is anyone's guess lol.

Anything you've tightened is usually fine, i'm usually more worried about the things i haven't touched... stuff like the blocks where they come pre-assembled i've made a habit of testing all the screws to make sure everything is secure. Last thing you want is coolant squirting out the side of a waterblock cos some numpty at the factory didn't tighten everything down.
Click to expand...
hey!!!!!!!!
careful with the use of numpty :cry: :cry: :cry:
 
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