Questions about my first loop.

[liyihaha]

I am planning to build my first loop probably earlier next year when the stock of RTX 30 series become stable. I just have some questions about the parts selection and pricing.

 

1. Acetal or Plexi for block and pump combo unit

Learnt from some other forum, it seems a lot of people prefer acetal for its durability. I understand their thoughts and I am also prefer acetal since I will built a very top-end PC this time and durability is one of the most important considerations. But after looking at several builds with plexi, I also like the view of plexi since it is clear. Moreover, I will buy the EVGA RTX 3080 hydro copper and the whole block should be made of plexi not acetal. So I am just wondering how durable is the plexi based block and pump combo unit? Right now I may still go with acetal considering I am a first loop builder. Durability is probably the most important factor since I may mistreat some parts during building (like overtighten the fittings). 

 

2. Pricing of water cooling parts during holiday season

This is the first time I start to pay attention to custom loop parts. Will there be any sale events during the holiday season on the loop parts from major producer like EK or alphacool? Based on my common sense, I would think there will be very limited reductions on price during holiday season since custom water cooling is mostly for hardcore PC builders who won't be short on budget and will pay whatever it costs.

 

 

[LIGISTX]

37 minutes ago, liyihaha said:

I am planning to build my first loop probably earlier next year when the stock of RTX 30 series become stable. I just have some questions about the parts selection and pricing.

 

1. Acetal or Plexi for block and pump combo unit

Learnt from some other forum, it seems a lot of people prefer acetal for its durability. I understand their thoughts and I am also prefer acetal since I will built a very top-end PC this time and durability is one of the most important considerations. But after looking at several builds with plexi, I also like the view of plexi since it is clear. Moreover, I will buy the EVGA RTX 3080 hydro copper and the whole block should be made of plexi not acetal. So I am just wondering how durable is the plexi based block and pump combo unit? Right now I may still go with acetal considering I am a first loop builder. Durability is probably the most important factor since I may mistreat some parts during building (like overtighten the fittings). 

 

2. Pricing of water cooling parts during holiday season

This is the first time I start to pay attention to custom loop parts. Will there be any sale events during the holiday season on the loop parts from major producer like EK or alphacool? Based on my common sense, I would think there will be very limited reductions on price during holiday season since custom water cooling is mostly for hardcore PC builders who won't be short on budget and will pay whatever it costs.

 

 

Not really any reason to go with acetal over plexi. Yes, you can screw the fitting on too tight and crack plexi, just don’t get crazy. I cracked my velocity block and didn’t realize till over a year later; no leaks, just routine maintenance on the loop made me notice. I like the look of plexi, and it allows you to check the fins and make sure they are not gunked up, assuming your using water and not a colored fluid. I run DI water and a silver kill coil to keep growth down and have never had any issues.

 

And I wouldn’t expect much discounts, no. 

[Stahlmann]

I actually prefer the look of acetal because i don't care about RGB and acetal looks better without illumination imo. If you go for RGB then i'd say go for Plexi. It's also nice to be able to see the fins when using clear coolant like @LIGISTX said. But there is no technical advantage to either of them. You have to overtighten something really hard to crack Plexi waterblocks if they're decent quality to begin with like from EK or Aplhacool. Just go for what fits your theme best.

 

As watercooling is a niche thing, i wouldn't expect to see any big discounts. And i'd stay away from cheap stuff only to save a few $ and then get problems like leaks etc,,,

[bowrilla]

Plexi can crack more easily and can be more easily damaged by chemicals than acetal. If you don't go too tight on the fittings the plexi will be fine and as long as you don't constantly change fittings. 

[Mick Naughty]

I have all acetal and preferred it that way. But I made another rig and got a plexi cpu block cheap. I don’t mind it as all, would prefer it be nickel coated though.  
But this is with the older ek stuff which was more simple in design. 
 

But I would do cpu, ram, vrm/chipset or mono blocks in plexi as that’s what I can see. Aside from that I’ll stick to acetal. Prefer the monochromatic and industrial look overall.