Solid acrylic tubing woes.

iB CoMpL3XiTy · 24 Sep 2013 at 10:58

Hi all,

I'm working on a project that will incorporate solid acrylic tubing (E22) with the use of bitspower crystal link fittings.

I want a small piece of tubing to go from the top graphics card waterblock to the CPU waterblock (with the use of some angled rotary fittings).

The problem is, how am I going to actually install the tubing if the graphics card and CPU waterblock are secured in place?

I thought about uninstalling the graphics cards, installing the GPU to CPU piece of tubing at the graphics card end and then trying to re-install the graphics cards whilst pushing the tubing into the CPU bitspower crystal link fitting... though that sounds really difficult

Any ideas chaps?

SpeckleD · 24 Sep 2013 at 11:09

Errrm, don't install them with the CPU\GPU in place, connect the GPU and CPU with you tubing and install them at the same time. A certain amount of juggling may be needed but its doable.

iB CoMpL3XiTy · 24 Sep 2013 at 11:23

SpeckleD said:
Errrm, don't install them with the CPU\GPU in place, connect the GPU and CPU with you tubing and install them at the same time. A certain amount of juggling may be needed but its doable.

Ok thanks, I think that would work, although it will no doubt be a real headache as I'm also going to have a small piece of tubing going from the CPU outlet port to a radiator in the roof of the case aswell so will have to get the tubing lengths absolutely perfect otherwise I may not get very good contact between the CPU block and CPU.

Thanks for your help.

SimonMaltby · 24 Sep 2013 at 12:55

That's the trouble with the solid tube... It has to be cut and shaped to fit accurately. Also its a complete system drain every time you want to alter anything including just re mounting the CPU.

The effect of the solid acrylic is worth it though. I'm really happy with mine.

Also... I would fit all of your components into the case and then fit the tube last so that you are fitting to the components in situ. Don't try fitting to one component before installing into the case.

iB CoMpL3XiTy · 24 Sep 2013 at 13:38

SimonMaltby said:
That's the trouble with the solid tube... It has to be cut and shaped to fit accurately. Also its a complete system drain every time you want to alter anything including just re mounting the CPU.

The effect of the solid acrylic is worth it though. I'm really happy with mine.

Also... I would fit all of your components into the case and then fit the tube last so that you are fitting to the components in situ. Don't try fitting to one component before installing into the case.

Yeah it definitely has some negative points, I'll have to decide after living with it for awhile whether the aesthetics are worth the draw backs.

How can I connect the tubing when all the components are in place?

There isn't any movement between the components and the tubing obviously doesn't flex, I must be missing something. :confused:

iB CoMpL3XiTy · 24 Sep 2013 at 14:18

I'll take an image for clarification later on as it's quite hard to explain and also visualize.

SimonMaltby · 24 Sep 2013 at 15:00

I understand what you mean.

I always had enough flex to get the tube into the fitting, but I guess your tube is very short and therefore flex becomes much less?

Also, thinking about it, I had to use 45" fittings which give lateral movement and therefore I had more flexibility... I needed the angled fittings because my CPU block mountings were too close together to use the primochill fittings directly.

iB CoMpL3XiTy · 25 Sep 2013 at 09:16

SimonMaltby said:
I understand what you mean.

I always had enough flex to get the tube into the fitting, but I guess your tube is very short and therefore flex becomes much less?

Also, thinking about it, I had to use 45" fittings which give lateral movement and therefore I had more flexibility... I needed the angled fittings because my CPU block mountings were too close together to use the primochill fittings directly.

There's literally no flex in the tubing I have, there is alittle bit of movement in the angled fittings but Its not enough to get the tubing in place.

Here's an image anyway. (sorry it's abit dark, not much light...)

I think I'll just have to remove the CPU block and GPU's then connect the tubing and try and re-install everything...

OptimaLnrg · 25 Sep 2013 at 19:52

What you're trying to do is extremely difficult. I had bitspower crystal link between my gpus and cpu and when I came to rearrange my loop I had to break the plexi tubes to get them apart again.

Pgreenwo · 25 Sep 2013 at 20:59

sorry to change the subject but those CZ backplates look the muts nuts

iB CoMpL3XiTy · 26 Sep 2013 at 09:30

OptimaLnrg said:
What you're trying to do is extremely difficult. I had bitspower crystal link between my gpus and cpu and when I came to rearrange my loop I had to break the plexi tubes to get them apart again.

Yeah I'm beginning to realise the difficulty involved, and changing out any components will be a real pain

Still it should look sick as ****

Pgreenwo said:
sorry to change the subject but those CZ backplates look the muts nuts

Thank you, but they're not CZ.

ubersonic · 26 Sep 2013 at 09:53

Water cooling, performance has been pretty much the same since 2003 but boy does it look prettier now

SimonMaltby · 26 Sep 2013 at 20:35

iB CoMpL3XiTy said:
I think I'll just have to remove the CPU block and GPU's then connect the tubing and try and re-install everything...

Can't you just remove the GPU's or loosen them enough to get the tube in. Why do you need to remove both?

I really don't recall struggling to get mine in, but all my tubes have bends and this is a straight so maybe that makes it harder?

iB CoMpL3XiTy · 26 Sep 2013 at 21:43

SimonMaltby said:
Can't you just remove the GPU's or loosen them enough to get the tube in. Why do you need to remove both?

I really don't recall struggling to get mine in, but all my tubes have bends and this is a straight so maybe that makes it harder?

I would have to remove the CPU block anyway to install the CPU out to Rad1 in tube.

Anyway I have a new loop order in mind that bypasses the GPU1 to CPU route.

I'll post up the new route tomorrow and hopefully get some opinions on it.

SimonMaltby · 26 Sep 2013 at 22:00

Do you have 2 rads?
My loop goes -

Res to CPU
CPU to 240 Rad
240 Rad to GPU's
GPU's to 360 Rad
360 Rad to Res

That way the water gets a cool after the CPU and a big cool after the GPU's

Nazeral · 27 Sep 2013 at 16:00

Is that 45 on the cpu block a rotary fitting? I had the same sort of problem with my pc here

The rad > cpu was a bit of a job but i just spun the thread into the cpu block last, As for the cpu > gfx i was lucky enough the links come off the gfx cards so i unscrewed these made up the link and put it all in as one.

I think its possible with some thought and 6 hands.

pastymuncher · 27 Sep 2013 at 16:50

How come you have two feeds to the lower card? Surely the right hand one shouldn't be there as the water will just take the easiest route and go straight through without traveling around the block? The inlet/outlet on the bottom should then be on the right hand side to make the water go all the way through the lower block. Shouldn't it go:-

Bottom right inlet>bottom block top left outlet>top block bottom left inlet>top block top right outlet>cpu.

That way the water goes all the way around both blocks before going to the cpu.

iB CoMpL3XiTy · 27 Sep 2013 at 17:00

Nazeral said:
Is that 45 on the cpu block a rotary fitting? I had the same sort of problem with my pc here

The rad > cpu was a bit of a job but i just spun the thread into the cpu block last, As for the cpu > gfx i was lucky enough the links come off the gfx cards so i unscrewed these made up the link and put it all in as one.

I think its possible with some thought and 6 hands.

Thanks for your help dude, and beautiful rig may I add.

At the moment there is a problem with either the mobo or CPU as it won't post (I installed an air cooler for this before anyone freaks out) so I'm sulking and feeling sorry for myself. Don't really feel like dealing with the tubing issue ATM...

Nazeral · 27 Sep 2013 at 17:23

Pasty, Its a parallel setup therefore the inlet feeds both blocks on one side.. and comes out the other. So if you like not pushing the warm water from the top one into the lower one.

People will tell you this is bad way to setup on an SLI setup but in the real world you can run which every way you like series is better if you have low flow or are worried the bottom card is going to get no cooling! But they're both fine.

Atm them 780's are @ 38 deg load @ 1130 / 3200 so low enough for me but i did over kill on the rads, 120 on the bottom 240 in the front and 360 on the roof all have 1850 GT's.

Also bought the lamptron fan controller and put the heat probes on the length of copper which is behind the Nvidia panel, So the fans only go 100% when the pipe temp hits 35 degrees. which is very rare.

SimonMaltby · 27 Sep 2013 at 17:41

I can confirm this. Parallel for 2 card SLI with a good pump is fine. that's how I ran my 680's... It just looks better with 2 tubes, one always looks lost.

I plan on doing my 780's as you have done Nazeral, once Lightning blocks arrive.