Going to attempt WC

[Minibiker]

Hi all,

I have a few parts to put together that didn't cost much but I think this will be the ideal chance for me to try watercooling a PC... Could someone throw together a simple loop, Doesn't need to be a flashy and glam aslong as it does the job, That way I get a feel for things and get some practice for when I do it to any future builds.

Thanks

 

[Prozn]

Suitable parts will depend on your specific components, case, and what type of tubing you want to use. If you can provide this then maybe someone can provide a suggested parts list. Although, watercooling is a fairly in depth endeavour - a bit of research and you should be able to put together a parts list yourself, which could then be "verified" by the community.

 

[Demon]

Not sure exactly what you are asking.

Do you want some suggestions on a basic / cheap waterloop, i.e. what parts to buy as a starter project?

Or have you already got a few things and want to know what order to put them in etc?

I think you are saying you have some PC components (Case/Motherboard/CPU , that kind of thing) and need some advice on a starter/simple/cheap watercooling setup?


I'm sure you'll get some really good/helpful advice once we figure out where you are starting from.


Ignoring all that, the best advice is literally build your first loop on a table, don't ever go near a PC, that teaches you how to put things together with excellent access, you can drain it by putting it in a bucket if all else fails, and you can easily check/fix leaks without having to stress over having got water all over your PC case!

 

[Minibiker]

sorry guys I should have worded it better... I have some PC parts so looking for advice on Watercooling parts as im not sure what fittings, Pump & res is best to use...

below are the pc specs, nothing OTT just something I thought I could test my watercooling skills on

i3 6100
Gigabyte H110 motherboard
8GB Team Group RAM

cheers

 

[Thekwango]

hard or soft tubing?
any plans to cool a gpu in the same loop at a later point?
you got a colour scheme you want to stick with?
case? can it accommodate a pump, res, rad tubing?

Ignoring all that, the best advice is literally build your first loop on a table, don't ever go near a PC, that teaches you how to put things together with excellent access, you can drain it by putting it in a bucket if all else fails, and you can easily check/fix leaks without having to stress over having got water all over your PC case!

then build it all into the case and check for leaks anyway because you had to dismantle it all to get it into the case - not what i'd call best advise. pointless maybe

 

[TangoEchoAlpha]

then build it all into the case and check for leaks anyway because you had to dismantle it all to get it into the case - not what i'd call best advise. pointless maybe

Have to say, putting a loop together outside of the case, as a water cooling newbie, was definitely a good way of getting used to it all. Also, not worried about components getting soaked with coolant if the unfortunate happens. In my case, I only need to disturb one fitting to add the CPU block later.

Each to their own

 

[Minibiker]

hard or soft tubing?
any plans to cool a gpu in the same loop at a later point?
you got a colour scheme you want to stick with?
case? can it accommodate a pump, res, rad tubing?


then build it all into the case and check for leaks anyway because you had to dismantle it all to get it into the case - not what i'd call best advise. pointless maybe

soft tubing would be best for me...No plans for future GPU loop.. Colour scheme will be Pink and White, Case choice is going to be NZXT H400 white

 

[Thekwango]

Have to say, putting a loop together outside of the case, as a water cooling newbie, was definitely a good way of getting used to it all. Also, not worried about components getting soaked with coolant if the unfortunate happens. In my case, I only need to disturb one fitting to add the CPU block later.

Each to their own

aw yea without a doubt each to their own and all that - i've only done 1 hardline loop so i'm hardly a pro but for me i just wouldn't waste my time building it outside the case to begin with. just don't see what benefit comes from doing that. my view is when it's all in the case you'll still want to be leak testing it irrespective how it behaved outside the case. only supply power to the pump and leak test away to your hearts content.

 

[Thekwango]

soft tubing would be best for me

boo i hate the look of soft tubing, most of the builds i see just look so much more untidy as compared to a petg/acrylic build but soft probably makes sense if you're just doing it as a learning process

...No plans for future GPU loop..

fair enough - my own loop is currently cpu only (trying to source a damn vega 64 waterblock that isn't stuoidly over priced is so much fun )

Colour scheme will be Pink and White

each to their own but jesus....pink and white?! - anyways have a look at the wide range of coloured dyes available from the likes of mayhems (there's plenty of other suppliers btw)

Case choice is going to be NZXT H400 white

and what's it's radiator capability? have a read of the manual and it will give you an idea of what you can and can't fit inside the case.

you need to research and have a rough idea of what you want and what your case can accommodate before anyone can properly spec you a loop. but remember the cost of a simple loop can very quickly spiral. have you a budget in mind?

 

[Minibiker]

boo i hate the look of soft tubing, most of the builds i see just look so much more untidy as compared to a petg/acrylic build but soft probably makes sense if you're just doing it as a learning process

fair enough - my own loop is currently cpu only (trying to source a damn vega 64 waterblock that isn't stuoidly over priced is so much fun )

each to their own but jesus....pink and white?! - anyways have a look at the wide range of coloured dyes available from the likes of mayhems (there's plenty of other suppliers btw)

and what's it's radiator capability? have a read of the manual and it will give you an idea of what you can and can't fit inside the case.

you need to research and have a rough idea of what you want and what your case can accommodate before anyone can properly spec you a loop. but remember the cost of a simple loop can very quickly spiral. have you a budget in mind?

Only doing soft tubing as its my first ever attempt so starting basic... Maybe in the future ill have the skills and experience to do CPU and GPU! Well i want to go for colours you dont see to often ill probably change my mind by the time i get the build done... Change on plan woth the case also ill be getting the Kolink Citadel case so will look at specs for Rads etc

 

[Prozn]

If you are a gamer, water cooling the GPU will give more benefits than the CPU imo. Adding in the GPU, especially to a soft loop doesn't really add any complexity - I just did a CPU/GPU loop for the first time!

 

[Legend]

As above, if you're a gamer, going with a CPU only loop is largely pointless. You're not doing very much (if anything) for noise levels, the CPU will quite likely be running well under its limit already, and you'll gain precious little regards performance. I'd either go with both, or GPU over the CPU... you'll actually gain something noticeable that way!

 

[Tom B]

Only doing soft tubing as its my first ever attempt so starting basic...

I wouldn't worry too much. I did my first WC build 18 months ago and went hard tubing, CPU+GPU and a rather convoluted loop with three radiators and the pump/most tubing hidden in the psu shroud.

It's not that hard but here's a few recommendations:

- Do a practice loop first, put the radiator, pump, etc into the case but no mobo/cpu/psu. Fill/test the loop using a jumped PSU that is outside the case. This lets you get a feel for the materials, helps you plan the loop and if there is a leak it'll drip into an empty case

- I can't recommend a Dr. Drop strongly enough. They don't sell them at OcUK but the extra confidence given by knowing your loop is air tight before filling makes the whole endeavor a lot less stressful

- If you go hard tubing, get a lot of extra tubing so you can practice bends, it does take a while to get used to it and you'll end up with a lot of wasted tubing the first time

 

[Freddie1980]

soft tubing would be best for me...No plans for future GPU loop.. Colour scheme will be Pink and White, Case choice is going to be NZXT H400 white

One word of advise here on soft tubing, don't buy cheap tubing! The last time I redone my system I purchased OCUK Value tubing, it was fine to work with and it didn't leak and all was well for the first month or so but after a while I noticed the colouring went milky. It turns out the tubing reacted with the coolant and I have an advanced case of plasticised in my system (looks horrible) so don't cheap out on the tubing.