Advise on first time building a loop!

MontBlanco · July 9, 2013

Hello, as this is my first time to post on this forum and also my first time to start water cooling, I am seeking advise from other people about the parts I chose like their reliability, how good of a price they are, and if they would fit my build. The parts I chose were still in cart on DazMode.

PC Specs:

i5 3570k

GTX 670 reference

z77 Sabertooth

NZXT Phantom Full Tower

Water cooling Parts:

EK Supremacy - Acetal Nickel

EK - FC GTX 670 - Acetal

XSPC RX240

XSPC RX360

DazMode Storm D5 Vario

Bitspower Water Tank Z-Multi 250 Tube reservoir

Feser One Cooling Fluid - Pure

Other parts such as fittings and tubes were not mentioned since its just a match of ID and OD together.

Also, do I still need to add biocide and killcoil if I choose to use the Feser One? It says it is ready to use but just for precaution.

I have done tons of research on many forums including this one but I am stumble upon and have a question about pressure building. How can I prevent one because I don't want to see one day that a tube has popped off from a fitting and spray coolant all over inside :O

And also I have read that when you drain the loop, you have to open the fill port of the reservoir. If I forgot to do that, would that also create pressure which leads to a disastrous mess?

Ghost · July 9, 2013

All your parts are fine, as in a loop made with them will work.

You have a good amount of radiators. You could probably do with one less 120mm slot but it just means you can run your fans quieter.

In terms of the pump you can choose any D5 vario pump. Pick the cheapest one you can get in your area. The only thing you may want is a RPM/Tacho wire included so you can monitor your pump and make your system auto shut-down if it goes off.

Pressure is really not an issue in loops. Especially with smaller loops. Pressure doesn't really build unless your coolant temp goes very high and at that point you will have other things to worry about. If you are worried you can buy pressure release valves but you really don't need them.

If you forget to unscrew the fill port of the reservoir while draining your loop it will just drain slowly. The pressures in a loop are tiny.

If you want peace of mind then try and pull a tube out a compression fitting. You probably won't be able to and if you aren't able to then the pressure in your loop definitely won't be able to do it.

MontBlanco · July 9, 2013

Thanks for the reply. You really answered my questions and feel more confident about building a loop! The pump I have chosen was a brand from DazMode for $75 and the other D5 was from koolance for $100. I guess Ill be ordering the cheaper one then.