Most safe/secure water loop?

[Spev]

Alright...for my new rig I have been banking on a CPU air cooler, current choices are BeQuiet DarkRock3 and Cryorig R1 Universal.

 

The reason I'm doing this is because I am scared of water cooling, I will admit. With such expensive parts in a PC, it's scary to me. I was originally planning on getting an AIO for my new system, but I read a lot of reviews of leaks and pump failures, which scared me off pretty quick. They seem simple, but seem like they have problems which isn't acceptable to me.

 

I am only cooling my CPU, and have now been researching some custom loops, I have only looked at XSPC so far. I had an XSPC loop in the past, although I wasn't the one who set it up. I want to know the most secure, most safe, most leak free water cooling kit on the market for just a CPU cooler. 

 

I just feel I'm not doing my new full tower case justice...it's so built for water cooling, it seems like something I would enjoy, I'm just still on the fence here..

 

Edit: (Would a kit from XSPC maybe be more reliable (or another company) than a lot of the AIOs out there is what I'm trying to get at)

[SImoHayha]

I think if you afraid of making your own custom loop then go with a closed system like the Cosair H100i

 

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/hydro-series-h100-extreme-performance-liquid-cpu-cooler

[Spev]

I think if you afraid of making your own custom loop then go with a closed system like the Cosair H100i

 

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/hydro-series-h100-extreme-performance-liquid-cpu-cooler

As I mentioned I was originally planning on one. But I read some reviews about pump fails and leaks. I'm trying to figure out if a kit from a manufacture like XSPC would be more reliable than an AIO from Corsair.

[isteelsolz]

I started off my loop with a rs240 kit from XSPC, and it was actually rather good, i would recommend replacing the barb fittings with compression though. And custom loops are totally safe as long as you make sure everything is secure and tight. The only leaks i have ever had in my system was when i forgot to tighten something.

[Spev]

I started off my loop with a rs240 kit from XSPC, and it was actually rather good, i would recommend replacing the barb fittings with compression though. And custom loops are totally safe as long as you make sure everything is secure and tight. The only leaks i have ever had in my system was when i forgot to tighten something.

Right, I noticed that. I don't want to use the plastic fittings. That was one of my biggest concerns.

 

Would you recommend XSPC? Or other brands I should check out?

[d3sl91]

Alright...for my new rig I have been banking on a CPU air cooler, current choices are BeQuiet DarkRock3 and Cryorig R1 Universal.

 

The reason I'm doing this is because I am scared of water cooling, I will admit. With such expensive parts in a PC, it's scary to me. I was originally planning on getting an AIO for my new system, but I read a lot of reviews of leaks and pump failures, which scared me off pretty quick. They seem simple, but seem like they have problems which isn't acceptable to me.

 

I am only cooling my CPU, and have now been researching some custom loops, I have only looked at XSPC so far. I had an XSPC loop in the past, although I wasn't the one who set it up. I want to know the most secure, most safe, most leak free water cooling kit on the market for just a CPU cooler. 

 

I just feel I'm not doing my new full tower case justice...it's so built for water cooling, it seems like something I would enjoy, I'm just still on the fence here..

 

Edit: (Would a kit from XSPC maybe be more reliable (or another company) than a lot of the AIOs out there is what I'm trying to get at)

I have several XSPC parts in my watercooling loop. They are fine, but it's mostly about being careful, planning your loop, and watching lots of videos. The XSPC kits are great (they use the same parts you'd probably buy separately anyway - including a highly rated raystrom cpu block), but use compression fittings like @isteelsolz reccomended. The ones from EK are pretty good. 

 

The thing is this, you always test the system with towels etc when you build it. If a system holds under the initial pressure, you will 99% of the time be fine. If you want to super prevent issues, test it overnight. 

 

You will also be using deionized water or other liquid, which is non-conductive, so a small leak while testing will generally be fine, as you always test without the system powered on (only the powersupply to make the pump run).

 

Finally, for every bad review on an AIO, there are 1k people who have had zero problems. They also come with warranties. See if the manufacturer covers your equipment damage if their AIO blows up. 

 

Hope it turns out!

[Spev]

I have several XSPC parts in my watercooling loop. They are fine, but it's mostly about being careful, planning your loop, and watching lots of videos. The XSPC kits are great (they use the same parts you'd probably buy separately anyway - including a highly rated raystrom cpu block), but use compression fittings like @isteelsolz reccomended. The ones from EK are pretty good. 

 

The thing is this, you always test the system with towels etc when you build it. If a system holds under the initial pressure, you will 99% of the time be fine. If you want to super prevent issues, test it overnight. 

 

You will also be using deionized water or other liquid, which is non-conductive, so a small leak while testing will generally be fine, as you always test without the system powered on (only the powersupply to make the pump run).

 

Finally, for every bad review on an AIO, there are 1k people who have had zero problems. They also come with warranties. See if the manufacturer covers your equipment damage if their AIO blows up. 

 

Hope it turns out!

Thanks for the feedback.

 

I do have one question. So lets say I did an overnight test (maybe with the system not in the case? But just connected to the PSU separately?) Assuming it passes, what are the chances it would leak at a later time? Or is it pretty much 0.

 

Also, are the compression fittings like super solid? Like should you ever expect a leak from one.

[d3sl91]

Thanks for the feedback.

 

I do have one question. So lets say I did an overnight test (maybe with the system not in the case? But just connected to the PSU separately?) Assuming it passes, what are the chances it would leak at a later time? Or is it pretty much 0.

 

Also, are the compression fittings like super solid? Like should you ever expect a leak from one.

 

All the connections and components in moden watercooling stuff are very solid, and it's very rare for something to happen later on.

 

However, I do a visual once a week or so on mine, just in case. Compression fittings are very solid. Usually only have an issue when not tightened, or you do something wrong yourself. However, I have seen issues with o-rings being bad - but that was discovered instantly in the first couple seconds of turning on. 

 

 

But here's the thing. If you don't want to spend hours and hours and hours researching, and spending some good $$$, and genuinely enjoy tinkering and playing with the insides of your computer - just do air cooling. If you are looking at a custom kit just to replace a $100 AIO, I wouldn't do it. Because there are air coolers out there that will perform pretty similarly to a $100 AIO. Just about as quiet, and no liquid

 

I spent days and days researching my watercooling (weeks...) - and I've built several hundred computers. 

 - Just something to ponder

[clementk]

my first waterloop i did was with the swiftech h240-X and it when't easy even while adding a GPU to the loop and a additional radiator http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/242529-my-h440-watercooled-blackred/ there is the build log if you want to see .. the one thing i saw was just be patient and make sure you do everything right and you will not get a leak