Here's a pic of my installed components. For several days I have been trying to figure out the best loop "route" which will (1) be easiest to handle for a n00b; and (2) offer least drain and fill difficulties. I have blown my mind several times over. Could some kind souls give me some help with: - routing; and - exactly what hardline fittings I will need (including angles, splitters etc)? I can post more pics if it helps to give more of a 3D feel for the relative locations of the ports. Feeling bad about analysis paralysis at this stage :-(
Firstly let me say, I've been there and don't worry. Even after much deliberation I ended up with a silly little horseshoe bend which I still resent (sorry for potato photo): In terms of your loop, you'll need a mixture of straight and at least 90° fittings. I would sketch the components out on paper and draw a few test runs then write a shortlist. I think I bought 10 straight and 3 90° fittings for mine, allowing a choice for 1 or 2 points I hadn't settled on. Best advice for hardline is buy tubing and fittings from the same brand so they definitely fit. Also buy a ball valve for draining, some flexible tube for same, and a funnel and squirt bottle
Try to take the shortest route with the least amount of tube. I would do: Pump - GPU - Top rad - CPU - front rad - pump having the gpu vertical like that makes it a little more awkward but I see the aesthetic benefit if that reservoir has a third outlet use that as a drain.
No choice with the GPU being vertical because of clearance with the res. There's an IN and OUT on the pump, plus two ports on the top of the res (one goes to the standpipe/tube which I was planning to use as the return to the res). I'm assuming the IN/OUT labels matter on the pump? If so, could I put some kind of splitter from the Pump OUT and run some tube to near the bottom of the front rad, and then connect a ball valve right at the bottom of the case to try to maximize the drain being at the lowest point by a couple of mm?
I typically put a G1/4 male-to-male on the pump out, then a three way G1/4. The straight-thru path goes to the loop, the angle point goes to the drain which is terminated with a ball-valve and a stop plug.
Everything can be done with right angles, one way or another https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/posts/27185895/ Just take it slow, work it out.
If you can, choose a rad that has hole on both sides, put that rad in the roof and then one of the holes pointing upwards can be a fill port and a bleed.
