Custom Water Loop Part Advice Please

BEEF DOCTOR

BEEF DOCTOR

BEEF DOCTOR

Associate
Joined
31 Jan 2018
Posts
20
Hello guys and girls

I'm new to these forums and i'm seeking some advice (a lot of YouTube videos seem to be people shilling for companies as far as i can tell)

A bit of background.

I'm a 3D artist by day, and i run a Cinema4D training website and YouTube channel (here are the links for anyone that cares)

Website

YouTube Channel

I am currently putting together a new build and it's going to be my first custom water cooled system. Here's what I've got or should be getting so far.

Case = Thermaltake Tower 900 - I was sick of not having enough space in my current machine, especially with a big noctua air cooler and and two GTX 970's so i went a bit mad and got this. Was actually going to get my water cooling solution from these guys but after reading the horror stories about gunk build up from their coolants and people generally saying their stuff was crap, i thought i'd ask people in the know.

Mother Board = Asus Prime X399 - ticks all the boxes for me and houses . . . .

CPU = Ryzen Threadripper 1950X - Gonna be doing quite a bit of CPU rendering so needed a bit of a power house for reasonable money, this will be running at 100% for hours at a time, hence why i'm here.

GPU = GTX 970 X2 = Just gonna use what's in my current build for now, at least until my fluid simulations get too heavy or some money magically appears in my wallet.

RAM = G.SKILL F4-3200C14Q-32GTZR - This stuff plays nice with the threadripper, Samsung B-die, Single sided, Single-ranked, quad channel, should be cool but jeeeesus my wallets arse hurt when i saw the price.

PSU = Corsair RM850 - My brother was nice enough to give me this, he reckons its a top notch psu, gold rated, i just hope it's enough for this build.

CPU Water block = XSPC Raystorm TR4 - Read some good things about this, covers my enormous chip and will hopefully help keep temps low, would love any input from you guys about water blocks for TR4.

So here's what i gather i'll be needing when it comes to water cooling. and what i need advice on really.

Coolant Liquid - Looking for something that i don't have to drain every 5 minutes and doesn't clog up my block.

Radiator - seen as my case can accommodate it was thinking of a big one 560mm?

Fans - 140mm probably, i don't what type or if a certain type is good for radiators or not.

Pump and Reservoir - I'm clueless about this.

Tubing - again, to me it's plastic so don't have a clue.

Fittings - You guessed it! don't know my arse from my elbow.

As you can see when it comes to water cooling i'm a bit autistic, so i would really appreciate any input.

On a side note, I was planning to document this build in video form for my website, figured it might be of interest to other 3D artists, i'll definitely make sure to give a shout out to this forum and the people on it for your guidance.

(christ that was a ramble, soz) Thanks
 
hardline or softline , question you'll have to ask yourself .

hardline is rigid and if bends are required you either use fittings or heat the tube and bend the tubing .
Soft is well not rigid
 
Well seen as it's my first build i was thinking soft tubing, but i don't know if this is the right choice long term. Does the material of the tube have any effect? will the tube material have an effect on the coolant over time? like i said, i know nothing.
 
BEEF DOCTOR said:
Well seen as it's my first build i was thinking soft tubing, but i don't know if this is the right choice long term. Does the material of the tube have any effect? will the tube material have an effect on the coolant over time? like i said, i know nothing.
Click to expand...

Most soft tubing will discolour and/or cloud over time. This is due to the plasticizer added to the tubing to make it more flexible. I have a coating of white powder on the inside of my tubing. Doesn't look great but even after 4+ years of not flushing the system it didn't clog anything. This is not to say that other tubes and components won't get blocked over time.

Although I've not used the products myself, EK claim their EK-Tube ZMT (should be safe since it's black rubber) and Primochill LRT Advanced don't suffer from plasticizer bleed. Reading a few forums it does seems the newer (under 3 years old) Primochill LRT Advanced retains colour without any clouding from plasticizer bleed.
 
I gather plasticizer won't be good for the pump either then. OK I've added Primochill LRT Advanced - Clear to my list, is this tubing generally considered the dogs ******** then?
 
I did some digging, and apparently Primochill Advanced LRT tubing is not suitable/recommended for use with glycol based coolant such as the Mayhems XT-1, so that brings me onto my next subject, Coolant, I need something long lasting that won't clog, and according to Primochill, something that's not glycol based, thoughts?
 
I had my old DDC+ pumps for over 10 years with all kinds of funky plasticizer flying through them and they never missed a beat. Have been with new owners for months and not heard any problems. The main issue with plasticizer leeching into the loop is looks and clogging of fins in the waterblocks. Probably some gunk in radiators too but that's harder to notice until it blocks up (not heard about that happening to be honest). I've never noticed a build up in my copper blocks (CPU or GPU) so wonder if it tends to stick to plastic more? It will slightly cloud plexi tops over time but even after 5+ years it's very minor. More noticeable on a reservoir.

The rants you read about it being all evil are likely from an OCD perspective more than true performance issues. I think additives and dyes are more likely to cause you grief if you use the wrong ones. In terms of additives, distilled plus silver coil (or two) or PTNuke is enough. I personally use a silver coil and 1-2 Monsoon bullets, the latter since I have some drain holes to plug anyway. Never had corrosion or fungus concerns, even after 4+ years of not flushing my old loop.

Primochill Advanced and Mayhems Ultra Clear seem to be similar in performance. Heard lots of good things and a few bad about both. Most report minimal to no plasticizer bleed with both but also some do report that is does, especailly at higher (40C+) water temperatures. Primochill is meant to be clearer initially and maintains it while Mayhems can be more cloud resistant at higher temperatures. Not used them so can't comment, this is only based on what I've read on the forums.

Having said that, this thread got me to thinking I should try it out. Now that I've added blinging LEDs to my case I will swap the blue Masterkleer tubing (very average tubing that absolutely does have plasticizer bleed) for some Mayhems Ultra Clear.

Your decision will probably come down to colour choice, Primochill has a lot more.
 
Distilled with PTNuke (or equivalent biocide) OR Silver Coil. Some use both but most recommend only one or the other. I prefer the later after all kinds of issues with premixes and stuff. For "distilled" I use the Halford Battery Water which is technically de-ionised.
 
I think EK claim it can damage the Nickel plating on their blocks but the more common theory on forums is that their plating sucks. As long as you don't drink it it's not really harmful. Then again, silver laced water isn't too healthy to consume either. So maybe just don't drink the water in the PC as a general rule.

Each time you bleed the loop you will need to refresh the biocide and generally ensure the concentrations are correct (X ml per Litre). Some people like to use anti-corrosives as well but I haven't bothered so can't comment. No noticed even the slightest corrosion in my blocks and my CPU one has cooled 3-4 CPUs over the past 8-10 years. Just ensure everything is copper (nickel plated is okay) and maybe some brass (common in radiators and most fittings are coated brass) OR all aluminium with brass.
 
Barbs for ease, compression for looks. Also you'll need to decide on tube size. Performance wise, based on old tests an ID (inner diameter) of 10mm or 13mm offers virtually the same cooling performance. Dropping to 8mm will add maybe 1-2C and going skinnier is not worthwhile. For a large case, 13/19 looks nice but for ease I would go 10/13 or 10/16. I like thicker tube walls since it usually reduces kinking.
 
OK, i'm settling on Primochill LRT Advanced Clear 13mm ID 19mm OD (1/2" ID 3/4" OD), just need to find fittings for this tube size now. Any recommendations? also does it matter what the fittings are made from?
 
BEEF DOCTOR said:
I'm guessing when you 10/13 you mean 10 is the inner diameter in mm and 13 in the outer diameter?
Click to expand...

Yep.

BEEF DOCTOR said:
OK, i'm settling on Primochill LRT Advanced Clear 13mm ID 19mm OD (1/2" ID 3/4" OD), just need to find fittings for this tube size now. Any recommendations? also does it matter what the fittings are made from?
Click to expand...

Most fittings are brass coated with something so it doesn't really matter until you deal with 45 and 90 degree connectors, when some brands tend to leak more than others. For looks I like Monsoon but it's personal taste (they're more hassle to fit). Most fittings from any of the major water cooling manufacturers works.
 
Got my tubing and Fittings from Primochill, powdered white fittings ;). the tubing comes with system prep and also a bottle of Liquid Utopia which is a protection against algae and corrosion. my water block is on its way too. Now i've just gotta find a decent pump/res and a big ass radiator.
 
Thick gives more surface area for the fans to push air over. However they can be more difficult to squeeze into the case dimensions.
I havent bought any watercooling gear for 5 years or more, but the perceived wisdom was a 240mm thick was roughly equivalent to a 360mm thin for cooling ability.
Also they're heavier cos theres more metal in them for any given size.
 
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