With the justifications/excuses for building a computer with a custom water cooling loop out of the way, I move on to the design of the computer in this entry.

For this first water cooling computer build, as with all my previous personal builds, it needs to be built of components to be low maintenance and last at least 5 years. To achieve that enthusiast components are to be used, namely an x99 motherboard, lga 2011-v3 CPU, and a GTX 900 series graphics card. The exact components were selected based on their relative performance per dollar and my overall budget.

Another key part is honestly the looks. As with interior decorating (laugh if you want), I decided to search out the current computer parts available and see if there was a well designed inspiration piece to base the computers color scheme upon. Good inspiration pieces I have seen are motherboards and cases.

This time around, I came across the ASUS X99 ATX motherboard. I was particularly drawn to the black/white design with chrome/blue accents on the heat sinks. Choosing components that fit the style of the motherboard helped keep a cohesive color scheme. These particular colors are also rather common, so finding matching components was relatively easy.

The final computer component selection:

Case: NZXT H440, white

MB: ASUS X99-A

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K, 6-core 3.3GHz

GFX: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 (reference)

RAM: Corsair Dominator Platinum 4x4GB DDR4 2666

SSD: Intel 730 Series 480GB

PSU: Corsair HX750i Full Modular (complete overkill...)

Many of the above internal components changed as I settled on the type of cooling in the system.

Air

At first this was not intended to be a water cooling build. My first intention was to air cooling everything, but I wasn't satisfied with the decibel levels of some of the heat sink fans. Additionally, air cooling wouldn't look like anything special through the case side panel.

Hybrid

In my second attempt at silent cooling I decided to try and throw in an AIO cpu cooler along with the EVGA GTX 980 hybrid cooling card. But again I wasn't satisfied that the AIO would have a double 120mm radiator and the graphics radiator would only have a single, even though the graphics card can actually produce more heat than the cpu under load. Also, this would likely end up looking like a mess with two different water cooling tubes running through the case.

Water

Finally, I scrapped both of those ideas and decided to finally build that water cooling loop I had always wanted. I know it will not be cheap or easy, but I have the opportunity and the time to make it happen. This also allowed for some of the blue accents to be incorporated back into the systems aesthetic design, which would have otherwise only been brought out by a few blue/white custom cables.

The decision to go with a custom water cooling loop came with more hurdles than I first through. A quick google image search comes up with a long list of functional water cooling loops, but I personally only find a small percent that I like. To me, a computer interior dominated by flexing gigantic colored tubes does not look good. It does not reflect the refined yet powerful system components hiding under the uncontrolled mess of tubes. Many may disagree, but this is just my opinion. I want people who have no interest in computers at all to find this design attractive.

So finally, I focused on hardline tubing for my first custom water cooling system. I have heard from many sources this is a bad idea for a first time custom loop. I just see no other alternatives that will satisfy what I want to create. This could get interesting...

The selection of fittings and specific tubes was of major concern for the look of this computer. From an engineering and design perspective, I found the Monsoon cooling fittings and clear PETG tubes attractive in many ways. First, the quality of the O-ring seals between the tubes and the water cooling components look second to none. Second, the color choices can tailored to most designs. Tube lights can also be integrated directly into the fittings if the look is desired.

For the water blocks I looked for something clean that would match the color scheme of the build. EKWB nickel plated water blocks for the X99 CPU and the GTX 970 fit the bill. The nickel should look very similar to the chrome accents, while the black plates should fit right in.

The long list of water cooling components:

CPU WB: EK-Supremacy EVO X99 - Nickel (NEW!!!)

GPU WB: EK-FC970 GTX - Nickel

GPU BP: EK Backplate - Black

Pump: EK-DCP 4.0 PWM (completely overpowered, but PWM = low noise options)

RES: EK-DCP 4.0 XRES

RAD: Swiftech MCR320 Quiet Power Res - Black

3x Corsair Air Series SP120 Quiet Edition High SP Fan (for the RAD)

5x Monsoon Light Port 90 Rotary Angle Fitting 5/8" - Chrome

2x Monsoon Free Center Compression Fittings 1/2" x 5/8" 6-pack - Blue

Monsoon PETG Hardline Tube 1/2" x 5/8" 4-pack

Monsoon Hardline UV Cure Adhesive for Acrylic

Monsoon Hardline Bender Kit 1/2" x 5/8" (for first time build)

4x Monsoon G 1/4 Plug - Chrome

6x Monsoon G 1/4 Plug - Blue

PrimoChill ICE Fluid - Clear

Custom cabling will be done using CableMod ModFlex cables. This should bring a little more blue accent color into the system. The individual wires have been purchased and will be used to make blue/white patterned cables. Making the cables myself also means a much reduced cost, as I only need to buy cable components for the cables that I know will be seen through the side window of the case. I highly recommend making customized cables based on price alone, but I haven't done this before either...

Custom cable connectors and wires:

2x 24-pin ATX Connector Black

2x 8-pin EPS Connector Black

4x 6-pin PCI-e Connector Black

8x 16" Sleeved Wire White

4x 16" Sleeved Wire Blue

16x 24" Sleeved Wire White

16x 24" Sleeved Wire Blue

Variety of CableMod clear combs

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Over all this is a very new build with many unknowns even as an experienced computer builder. The inside will hopefully end up attractive, with an understated but noticable water cooling system and blue and chrome accents being echoed by every major component. All the unknowns could make for interesting reads in later entries...