New to Watercooling, Have a general idea but could do with some help

Decepticon

Decepticon

Decepticon

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Ok I'm planning my build and after years of using air and AiO's I want to try my hand at a full custom loop. I know you can't mix certain metals etc due to corrosion.

The build is going to be completely fresh from the ground up and I haven't completely settled on the components just yet, but I like to start with a 'Basic' CPU loop first running through at least 2 240/360 rad's before extending to a full CPU+GPU loop when I feel more confident. I would be jumping in at the deep end so to speak and going full hardline. I have watched some of Jayztwocents videos (It is his fault i want to finally take the plunge) and tried to get some answers via google. I will be buying new where possible. I have a couple of questions really.

I know a lot depends on the case I am wanting to get, I have 3 in mind, O11D Evo, Antec Performance 1 or NZXT H7 Flow

How many and what type (Some fittings say compression and some do not) of fittings would I need for a Res > CPU > Rad > Rad back to Res loop?

I know CPU blocks can reach £200+ But I honestly do not like the look of the EK stuff are the cheaper sub £100 blocks worth it not to have a name on it like Corsair/EK etc?

Does the size of tubing that is used affect anything else apart from being able to have a higher flow rate pass through it/ Fittings/Rad etc?

Flow meters are they really worth it or are they just for looks?

Colouring in the coolant are some more prone to need cleaning the loop out more often to keep the colour/good flow rate than others?

Fittings do you get the O ring with them or do you need to get them separately?

Would you say it is safe to repaint the fittings from white to another colour to match the colour scheme for the build?

Would you put the drain port on the back of the motherboard support frame or at the front?

Is having a distribution plate better to have for cleaning and such compared to a Reservoir?

The build is going to be a Decepticon Themed build, with a silver/Chrome or White with a deep purple colour scheme.
 
Can't really answer how many fittings
Without knowing exactly which case and radiators
And whether a distro
Or a pump and reservoir or pump res combo etc
Compression fittings go on the tubing
Non Compression fittings are usually to join stuff
Change direction like 90 degrees etc

Yes a cpu block around 60 quid will fine
Very little temperature difference between most blocks

Size of Tubing doesn't matter
Doesn't really effect flow rate either
Though using a common size such as 16mm/10mm
If soft tube means there's more fittings available for it

Yes coolants like pastel colours are more prone to separate
And clog micr fins etc

Yes 0 ring comes with fittings

Yes fine to spray paint fittings, radiators etc
Just don't spray inside

Drain port wherever its going to be easiest to use it
And the lowest possible point in the loop

No a distro isn't easier to clean
With a reservoir you can unscrew the top
And get your hands in there to wipe it

A distro really helps with aesthetics
Especially if using hard Tubing you cam get
Nice straight parallel line

Edit
Missed one I think
Flow meters are a useful visual indicator your
Pumps doing its job
Saves having to open software to check pump rpm

A leak tester is also very useful
Test for leaks after every part you put in the loop
Dont assemble it all then check
as will be difficult to know where is leaking the air

Also very important
Make sure there's a gpu block available
For your graphics card
They are specific to the card and not every gpu has
A block available for it

Using watercooling parts from barrow,byski,Alphacool
Can save you a lot compared to ek,corsair
But in the end up its still an expensive thing to do nowadays
 
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O11 Evo will be easier. NZXT H9 ok, but short space at the top, or NV7 (sky is the limit).
You should choose fittings for the tubbing used: Soft or Hard. Also thickness. You can mix tubbing manufacturer and fitting manufacturer, but very small variances may be an issue. For a first loop, I would suggest going with same manufacturer.
You'll need 2 fitting per component, as every component should have in/out.
I have been using EK lately, before moving back to air, but just to keep all the loop looking the same. Before that, Alphacool, which was better value, specially for GPU blocks.
Size of tubbing won't matter, not in a meaningful way. Thicker would look better in bigger cases. For soft I've always used 16/10. My favourite was ZMT, acetal blocks and nickel fittings.
Flow meter is cool, not really needed, but for some control freaks, a must. Most of them will have a clicking sound, sadly. Not noticeable in louder systems, though.
Didn't have issue with EK coolants, Mayhems are good, but their solid white was a nightmare. Had to open a bay reservoir for cleaning. Clear are pretty much impossible to give you any issue. For solid, white would give you a cool effect with RGB.
Fittings have O-Rings. Handy to buy only few spare, just in case any of your tubbings aren't properly smooth and end up damaging an O-Ring.
I wouldn't recommend painting fittings. Even if you manage to cover the inside part of them, they'll most likely flake when tightening. Get nickel ones, specially if you choose clear top blocks and nickel base.
Drain port best at lowest point of the loop. For a triple rad O11 based system, a nice thicker radiator with side facing ports will be perfect (Alphacool XT45 used to have them). Also a nice spot to use temperature sensors. They're a must.
Distro makes tubbing run easier, but for cleaning, a pain, as you need to dismantle the whole thing, as they're sandwiched together. a tube reservoir is the easiest, a flat reservoir similar to a distro.
 
I should have said fine to spray paint stuff
But I would lacquer it too
Or as drumroll said
You may chip/flake/rub off some paint
While tightening them

For things like radiators, gpu block backplates
I have also seen people put vinyl on
Those to change colour
Or if they hate spray painting stuff
 
I would advise against doing a CPU loop first and then changing to CPU+GPU later just because this is your first custom build. Better to plan the whole build from the start.

Remember that it is not the liquid that does the cooling, it is the air, and so it is important to get the rad number and sizing choice right, and how these will fit into the case and how the fans will be configured. Some must be intake and so with the rad they are providing warm air into the case. The other fans will be exhaust and will be using that hot air as cooling for the other rads. So the intake rad is the most important.

Once you know how the rads will be configured in the case you need to decide where the pump will go and reservoir if fitting one. These and the rads need to be piped together so are all the ports accessible? Can items be positioned so that some ports can easily be joined with short lengths of pipe? If so it makes the build easier.

Only when you know where all the items will fit in the case and where the ports are will you be able to decide what fittings you need. Likely you can't avoid 90 degree fittings, but the fewer the better for flow restriction.
Each item will need at least 2 fittings - one port allows water in and another lets it out. So pump, CPU, rad, GPU, rad, reservoir needs 12 fittings. But you may need more depending on what provision you make for filling and draining.

I used a leak tester and found it helpful. Same with flow meter. But I imagine that experienced people don't need them any more.

Also think about pump and fan control. If the pump were to fail do you want a warning and/or automatic action? Most BIOS control is basic and there are better 3rd party controllers. What sensors do you plan? The purpose of the fans is to cool the water so the best control loop will have at least one water temperature sensor. You can have basic pump and fan speed control (or even manual) but it will be noisy. Do you want the PC quieter in idle? If so control is important.
 
Ok thank you all for the advice.
So far I have made a list of pump/res piping etc will post it here.
Case has changed to the NV7 because it's not going to be another O11D build seen far too many of them in the last 24 hours and the NV7 is going to suit my setup better.

The reason I asked about painting the fittings was because I wanted them to be a deep purple in colour so the coolant could be clear/white instead but I have changed my mind to have the fittings be chrome or white instead with a purple coolant.

Parts list so far (findable on OC ofc)

Phanteks Glacier C350A Chrome (SKU WC-01G-PT)
Barrow 16/12 PETG Clear x6 allowing for bad bends/practice bends etc (SKU WC-09F-BA)
Phanteks Glacier R220C Pump& Res combo (SKU WC-046-PT) going to be rear mounted
Barrow Dabel 28MM depth 360 Rad x2 (SKU WC-002-BA) for top and side
EK 24 pin jumper

total so far £400 but I knew it was going to be cheap when I thought about this

The flow is going to be pump > CPU > Side rad > Top rad back to pump/res

What kind of water temp sensor/s would you recommend and roughly how many would you say is a good idea to have.
 
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1 temp sensor is fine
There will be very little difference regardless
Of where the sensor is
2 sensors would be within a couple of degrees of each other
Once the coolant is heat saturated

Depends what motherboard you get
It may have temp sensor headers
If so you can use a female to female fitting that has
The sensor wire on it
If motherboard doesn't have sensor headers
You will need something else to plug it into
Corsair commander or aqua computer octo or quadro
Or similar

Not sure if 2 x 28mm rads will be enough
Don't think you said
What cpu and gpu?

Edit
If all the parts are from ocuk
You can shove them in the basket
Then post link here to your basket as it
Saves us having to copy and paste the parts
To look at them
 
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CPU is either 5950X unless I go with AM5 platform which then it'll be a 7800X3D
GPU most likely to be a 6750XT Red Devil or a 7900XT Red Devil.

GPU wont be in the loop to start with but it will follow about a month or so after the initial Loop is done and steady Which then I would add a 3rd Rad to help with cooling if/when needed.

Reason for a full AMD build is because I hate Intel/Nvidia for price gauging or bending the truth on the spec's of parts (gtx 970 for example)
 
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Decepticon said:
CPU is either 5950X unless I go with AM5 platform which then it'll be a 7800X3D
GPU most likely to be a 6750XT Red Devil or a 7900XT Red Devil.

GPU wont be in the loop to start with but it will follow about a month or so after the initial Loop is done and steady Which then I would add a 3rd Rad to help with cooling if/when needed.

Reason for a full AMD build is because I hate Intel/Nvidia for price gauging or bending the truth on the spec's of parts (gtx 970 for example)
Click to expand...
Yeah I would want 3 radiators then
Got a 5950x and a 2080ti
I only have 2 x 360mm rads but they're a lot thicker
Than 28mm
1 x 44mm and 1 x 58mm
Yeah I am old enough to remember the gtx970 missing vram
 
Mcnumpty2323 said:
Yeah I would want 3 radiators then
Got a 5950x and a 2080ti
I only have 2 x 360mm rads but they're a lot thicker
Than 28mm
1 x 44mm and 1 x 58mm
Yeah I am old enough to remember the gtx970 missing vram
Click to expand...
Yeah I understand about the Rad thickness but can't link to other shops due to forum rules etc but I would like an extremely Rad for the side mounting since it wont have any competition for space really, The top rad is probably going to be a thinnish one depending on the fans thickness.
 
Yep you're right can't link to competitors

Something like this for side rad
Also comes in 58mm thick
I have these in white
Must admit the build quality is good

www.overclockers.co.uk

EK Water Blocks EK-Quantum Surface P360M Triple Fan Radiator - Black - 360mm

Order EK Water Blocks EK-Quantum Surface P360M Triple Fan Radiator - Black - 360mm now online and benefit from fast delivery.
www.overclockers.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk

Then there's the fans if you don't have existing ones
You can use
Something like lian li that interlock so less cables
Or phanteks d30 really like the look of those
Or budget version artic p12
The first 2 options are a couple hundred quid
For amount of fans you would need
The artic are a fraction of that
 
Mcnumpty2323 said:
Yep you're right can't link to competitors

Something like this for side rad
Also comes in 58mm thick
I have these in white
Must admit the build quality is good

www.overclockers.co.uk

EK Water Blocks EK-Quantum Surface P360M Triple Fan Radiator - Black - 360mm

Order EK Water Blocks EK-Quantum Surface P360M Triple Fan Radiator - Black - 360mm now online and benefit from fast delivery.
www.overclockers.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk

Then there's the fans if you don't have existing ones
You can use
Something like lian li that interlock so less cables
Or phanteks d30 really like the look of those
Or budget version artic p12
The first 2 options are a couple hundred quid
For amount of fans you would need
The artic are a fraction of that
Click to expand...
Yeah I was thinking about the New corsair ones that interlock as well (Saw them on a jayztwocents video) but the Lian Li infinity mirror ones look damn nice.
 
Fan noise is key to your decision on sensors. At load there can be 1-2C difference in water temperature around the loop. However 1C can make a difference in noise depending on fan curves. So if you had a sensor on the output of each rad as input to the control for the fans on just that rad, then the fan speed can be minimised. But you might not really care about this in which case a single sensor controlling all fans is enough. I do care about noise and can attest to the fact that my 4 sensors allows me to keep my 9 fans at the lowest speed possible in order to control loop temperature.
 
Yeah Noise wont really bother me as much due to my partners AiO/Air set up and the TV is normally on in the background streaming tv programs anyway so yeah noise not a massive concern it's more about cooling and temps as I don't want anything to throttle during use. Main use of the desktop is going to be Gaming mainly Wow and some other low system requirement games, Higher demanding ones will come later as no point buying them while they are expensive now as my laptop can not run them :D
 
The lian li infinity look great
Got my al120 before they came out
But I would probably prefer the phanteks d30
From a performance point of view

Personal choice there about how many temp sensors
1 sensor you can still adjust the curve
In 1c increments or 2c etc
Coolant temp doesn't suddenly spike
Once pc is warmed up
So do your curve properly should still be as quiet
Got 13 fans in mine lol
 
Yes that's a female to female pass through
With temp sensor wire
Just what you need

If fill port is in the top
I never fill it to the brim like some people do
Around 80% while bleeding air out the loop
Around 90% once I know all the air is gone out

If you fill it to the brim
And want to open the fill port afterwards
It gets messy
You need to allow some room for the air to go to
Then I either very gently loosen the fill port
And allow any air to escape

Or On some builds I have used
A pressure equalisation fitting
Releases the pressure/air for you
 
Looking at the Res/Pump I'm going for the fill port is going to be at the top so I will most likely go towards the slightly loosened fitting for it since the res doesn't have a spare port on it to fit a pressure fitting I was looking at some other sensors with auto read out on them but haven't found one that would suit the final finish I'm going for so I think I'll go 2/3 sensor's in various positions around the loop. I know it might be a tad overkill but as my ambient temp can get warm during winter and feels like touching the Sun directly during the summer day or 2 I would rather have more than I need than not enough.
 
You don't need a spare port
You just take out the g1/4 blank
And put in the pressure release fitting instead
It can be removed at any time and put back again
If want to top up reservoir etc
It's not a necessary thing to have though

More than one sensors fine
As long as your motherboard or other device
Has more than 1 port to plug them in
 
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