1st time water cooling shopping list

[gergory117]

im looking at how much it would be to do a custom loop water cooled system only my cpu no gpu, but I'm not sure where to start with brands and such, im looking to water cool my 5800x3d in a lian li O11 air mini and i have a full atx mobo, my miother board is the b550 ASrock phantom gamin velocita.

[Hinjima]

10 minutes ago, gergory117 said:

im looking at how much it would be to do a custom loop water cooled system only my cpu no gpu, but I'm not sure where to start with brands and such, im looking to water cool my 5800x3d in a lian li O11 air mini and i have a full atx mobo, my miother board is the b550 ASrock phantom gamin velocita.

Is this just for fun and you want to learn how to do it?

Or do you think you need a custom loop for the 5800X3D?

[gergory117]

1 minute ago, Hinjima said:

Is this just for fun and you want to learn how to do it?

Or do you think you need a custom loop for the 5800X3D?

id like to lean my cooling at the moment is plenty enough with my noctua NH-D15, but i like the aesthetics and to learn how becasue id like my next full system rebuild to be hardlined water cooled.

[PDifolco]

13 minutes ago, gergory117 said:

im looking at how much it would be to do a custom loop water cooled system only my cpu no gpu, but I'm not sure where to start with brands and such, im looking to water cool my 5800x3d in a lian li O11 air mini and i have a full atx mobo, my miother board is the b550 ASrock phantom gamin velocita.

You really don't need a custom loop for a 5800x3D, and anyway it doesn't make much sense to do a loop only for the CPU

But it can be for fun or the looks

Do you have a budget ? Things really add up fast for custom watercooling !

[ChrisLoudon]

45 minutes ago, gergory117 said:

im looking at how much it would be to do a custom loop water cooled system only my cpu no gpu, but I'm not sure where to start with brands and such, im looking to water cool my 5800x3d in a lian li O11 air mini and i have a full atx mobo, my miother board is the b550 ASrock phantom gamin velocita.

Hi buddy,

 

As @PDifolco and @Hinjima have said, these days, neither a CPU or GPU really require any water cooling.

 

If however (like me) you just want to do it for fun / aesthetics / challenge then crack on, its great fun if not ruinously expensive.

 

A few things to consider:

 

1. What is the o11 Air Mini like for water cooling? How many Rads can it support simultaneously? Can these rads be thick-boys or do they need to be slimline?

 

2. Do you want to start with soft-tubing or do you want to go balls-deep and go straight into hardline loops? Soft is easier to work with and maybe a better launching platform BUT hardline looks better (imho) and I would argue its better for smaller / tight spaces given the fact that soft-tubing kinks with tight bends.

 

3. Brands!!! EKWB - Bykski - Alphacool - BarrowCH - Corsair - Heatkiller are all good options. Barrow would be the budget option with the others being more premium. EKWB are in a bit of a dark spot right now so have supply issues across the globe but they have a very slick product range including blocks, pumps, rads and fittings.

 

Keep us posted.

 

[gergory117]

so looking into it biggest radiator i can fit are 280mm on the front and a 240mm on the bottom and side, id prefer to keep the price of the components down to at least below 500 or 600 USD. and i do have mirco centers near me.

[OddOod]

39 minutes ago, gergory117 said:

id prefer to keep the price of the components down to at least below 500 or 600 USD

In my (somewhat limited) experience, getting into watercooling is gonna be close to a grand. 

[ChrisLoudon]

26 minutes ago, gergory117 said:

so looking into it biggest radiator i can fit are 280mm on the front and a 240mm on the bottom and side, id prefer to keep the price of the components down to at least below 500 or 600 USD. and i do have mirco centers near me.

500 to 600 should be doable. Not sure about $$ but here in the UK, that would buy a pretty good cpu block, a couple of rads, pump / res and still leave enough for fittings and pipes but as others have said, its a pretty expensive hobby and if you get the bug, will cost you plenty as you try and water cool everything.

 

When it comes to rad compatibility, be careful with rad thickness, especially when fitting multiple rads.

 

A great example of a mm here or there causing clearance issues would be EKs coolstream vs their quantum surface. Both ranges come in 120/140 , 240/280, 360/420 BUT the Quantum Surface rads are a couple of mm larger in all dimensions that can be the difference between fits like a glove, snug as a rug or total misery!

 

Another thing to consider, and maybe a good option for a first time loop would be to look at a distro-plate. Their availability is dependant on the case BUT if one is available for the o11 mini air then they can make running a hardline loop much easier as when placed correctly, make all flow and return ports line up perfectly and usually only a single 90 degree bend required per run. EK do some great distro plates but other brands might also offer for slightly less ££ $$.

 

Once you get more proficient then replacing the plate with a more traditional pump / res combo can open up for more interesting loops but will almost certainly require more complex bends.

[gergory117]

i already have loads of fans sitting around so those arent an issue, would soft line or flexible line be cheaper (tho id prefer trying hardline), would 2nd hand or used radiators and water block be trustworthy? because that could help lower costs, especially with still being on AM4 id expect used blocks to be available in decent number and prices.

[ChrisLoudon]

3 minutes ago, gergory117 said:

i already have loads of fans sitting around so those arent an issue, would soft line or flexible line be cheaper (tho id prefer trying hardline), would 2nd hand or used radiators and water block be trustworthy? because that could help lower costs, especially with still being on AM4 id expect used blocks to be available in decent number and prices.

I would say, the price difference between hard and soft tubing is marginal as you still need the bulk of the fittings for both options.

 

Used Rads are an option. I've bought my fair share on eBay and never had any issues although there's always the risk....

 

A good thing to have in your water cooling box of goodies is a cleaner solution from the likes of Mayhems Blitz. They have a cleaning solution that's designed for rads specifically and another for tubes, fittings and the rest.

 

Used blocks for CPUs and GPUs can also be a good option but again, your milage may vary. Taking them apart and giving them a good scrub to clear out any gunk is actually quite easy and most manufactures factor in this kind of annual maintenance into their designs.

 

The only thing I would say might be an issue with used would be the pump or res / pump combo unit. These are always best to buy new given the consequences of a pump dying.

[ChrisLoudon]

Ok, maybe you might need to factor in the tools required to cut and bend the hardline but in the long run, that's usually a one-time purchase.

 

And if this your firsts hardline build, a load of spare tubing to allow for all the botched attempts and mistakes lol

[gergory117]

yea im not too afraid of buying used so that's what ill probly go for with the block and rad used with a site like JAWA or Ebay and ill check for what my local micro centers have in stock for pump res combos and tubing

 

[PDifolco]

52 minutes ago, gergory117 said:

yea im not too afraid of buying used so that's what ill probly go for with the block and rad used with a site like JAWA or Ebay and ill check for what my local micro centers have in stock for pump res combos and tubing

 

Yeah imo you can get away with only 1x 280mm rad, a block and a pump+res, so only 6 fittings and not much tubing needed, a heat gun plus something to cleanly cut hard tube,  overall less than $500

 

[ChrisLoudon]

2 hours ago, gergory117 said:

yea im not too afraid of buying used so that's what ill probly go for with the block and rad used with a site like JAWA or Ebay and ill check for what my local micro centers have in stock for pump res combos and tubing

Looks like a good plan.

 

A couple of other things to consider.

 

1. While most ancillary fittings like 90s, 45s, Ball Valves and whatnot are all 1/4GN universal, the fittings that go on the end of each length of pipe ARE gauge specific so be wary of that depending on if its 12mm, 14mm or 16mm tubing. I found the 12mm a tad too skinny, the 16 a bit too chunky so settled on 14mm for all my builds.

 

2. Hard tubing comes in 2 different material types. PETG or PMMA (acrylic). While PETG is easier to work with as it can be cut with a rotary pipe cutter and PMMA requires either a hacksaw or hobby / tabletop circular saw, PMMA / Acrylic bends with a tighter radius so it looks a little cleaner.