This entry is a bit of a story. If you are looking for something about designing and building a water cooling loop, future entries will cover that.

As I write this, $900 worth of water cooling components and custom cables have been ordered and will be packed and shipped in the next week. That amount could easily build a decent gaming computer, especially if secondhand components are involved. Having built dozens of computers over the past 14 years I know how far $900 USD could go towards better components. It may seem crazy, but this build is about more than just performance per dollar.

In part it is a celebration. I just graduated with a Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics. That’s a lot of words to say I know how to design mechanical and thermal systems. I can't celebrate by just building another computer with my same tried and true methodology.

In part it is a culmination of all the builds that have come before. The dozens that I have built for family, friends, businesses, and myself were all good machines. For this build however, I want something that really stands from all my previous builds. I have never done a custom water cooling loop before and I want to give it a solid try.

In part, I have nothing else to do. I know this is going to take a lot of time to make a custom water cooling loop that looks as much as it costs. Just selecting the parts has taken me weeks, with many modifications being made to stay within budget and not offend the eyes through the side panel. Until I get a job though, all my design abilities are going into projects of my choosing.

Perhaps I am writing this to try and justify the expense I have just incurred. As an Engineer, $900 is a lot to spend on a little thermal loop that transports about 300W of thermal power less half a meter. Air cooling is hands down the sane option, but sane is exactly what I have been doing for the past 14 years. I need to break out, if only just this once.

So here goes, there is no backing out now. I plan to document everything about this build, from the little triumphs to the horrible mistakes. I do hope that this documentation helps someone down the road.