First custom loop. I think i'm on the right track.

[elcoug]

Hi all,

First time building a custom loop. Its a fresh build. I have what I call phase 1 complete. Witch was hooking it up with air cooling and making sure it runs and is solid. Now I need to order parts for the loop.

The block on the mobo is EK. Figured I'd stay with them for the most part. Rads and cpu block. I feel like i'm going to need 2 pumps or 1 huge one. The pump choice is one of the biggest confusions I am having. I kinda just want to get the EK D5 duel pump they sell. https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-xtop-revo-dual-d5-pwm-serial-incl-pump . I'm open to anything tho. Was going to run the 980's in parallel. Was going to go with ek  xe360 rad in the back of case and a slim  ek se240 on the bottom. I'm kinda lost when I look at SLI hardware for the cards.. Never know what length or what is the best hardware to connect them together running parallel. I don't know if the 90 degree angle bitpower I found are correct that I found. I could have very will left out important stuff I need and don't know i'm missing.  Where I think I need help is pump selection and if those dang 90 degrees will work with the other bitpower parts I have there. Also that dang SLI hardware. I'm sure there are things that can be tweeked. That's why I'm here as will to get help, so if someone see's me doing something very dumb let me know so I can correct it plz. Or if something can be changed to make it much better. Thank you for any help in advance.

 

The parts: Black theme build. going petg hard tubing with red liquid. silver fittings

in win 909 case

intel i7-6700k

avexir blitz series ram. red led.

asus maximus viii formula with ekwb on vrm pre installed(rgb mobo)

2x gtx 980 with classified waterblocks (only 1 980 is in pic)

1 tb Samsung ssd

evga supernova 1050 psu

big radiator : https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-coolstream-xe-360-triple

 

slim radiator : https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-coolstream-se-240-slim-dual

 

cpu block : https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-supremacy-evo-nickel-original-csq

 

petg hard tubing :

 

http://www.performance-pcs.com/bitspower-none-chamfer-petg-16mm-od-tube-length-1000

 

fittings for hardtubing :

http://www.performance-pcs.com/bitspower-g1-4-silver-shining-enhance-multi-link-for-o

 

right angles, not totally sure if they will work need to check.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Bitspower-Enhance-Multi-Link-Adapter-Fitting/dp/B017JQ5GV0/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1457285119&sr=1-1&keywords=Bitspower+G1%2F4%22+to+Enhance+Multi-Link+Adapter+Fitting%2C+90%C2%B0+Rotary%2C+silver

 

flow rate cool thing

 

http://www.amazon.com/Bitspower-Indicator-Clear-Silver-Shining/dp/B017GLW4G8/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1457285378&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=Bitspower+G1%2F4%22+Silver+Shining+Enhance+Multi-Link+For+OD+16MM+angle

 

 

[VincentiusIV]

As for pump, I highly recommend using just one D5. People don't realize how powerful these pumps actually are, especially the D5. It is more than capable of driving your loop. They are also quieter , and have a much longer lifespan then their younger brothers such as de DDC. 

 

Since you might be a little limited in terms of space in that case, you might want to consider a pump+res combo so you don't have to figure out where to mount your pump (especially if you take a duo D5 pump). Don't know too much about this case, so you will have to figure out where to mount those. 

 

Speaking of manufacturer, you can never go wrong with EKWB. They are the best when looking for quality and design. I never used Bitspower fittings, since they are overpriced IMO, but I've heard (and seen :P)  great things about them and experts such as Singularity Computers and JayzTwoCents recommend them as well. 

 

Since this is your first loop, and I see you are doing hard line tubing, I recommend you ordering a little more tubing then you actually need (so you can re-do a bend in case you screw up or something like that). And take your time, that's most important. 

 

The links you provided don't work for me, but a double check on the inner and outer diameter of the fittings and tubing can never hurt

 

I can't see anything you are doing wrong. 

[elcoug]

Thank you for the info. I was hoping I could use a single d5. There are some mounts that you can use to mount pump on top of a 120mm fan. That's what I got from reading the description. Totally agree on extra tubing.  I'll continue with the plan then and do my best to double check fitting sizes. Thanks again!!

[W-L]

4 hours ago, elcoug said:

-SNIP-

Overall all that looks good, as said a D5 pump is a great option, a single D5 would be more than enough for all of that. As for SLI setup running them in parallel does lower resistance and doesn't really make a big difference in terms of performance.

[shawn finkenstead]

I remember the days of wearing white gloves to build.  They kept getting snagged on solder joints so I stopped wearing them.

[elcoug]

If I used 12mm tube for connecting sli and the rest of the loop is 16mm does it matter? It would only be the 12mm between the cards. The bitpower 3 slot sli connectorsI find are only 12mm. I don't think it does but checking..

[Promaja]

U only need to pay attention to fitings tho it might look a bit weird . But it won`t affect performance. 

I would suggest you to take a look at some terminals for block connectivity. I still think mixing different tubes will look a bit weird

 

[W-L]

4 hours ago, elcoug said:

If I used 12mm tube for connecting sli and the rest of the loop is 16mm does it matter? It would only be the 12mm between the cards. The bitpower 3 slot sli connectorsI find are only 12mm. I don't think it does but checking..

You can use the regular compression based fittings for it as long as they are not too tall, they have theses ones that are just posh on versions also:

http://www.performance-pcs.com/bitspower-bp-wtp-c89-silver-shining-multi-link-for-od-16mm-adapter.html

[elcoug]

5 hours ago, Promaja said:

U only need to pay attention to fitings tho it might look a bit weird . But it won`t affect performance. 

I would suggest you to take a look at some terminals for block connectivity. I still think mixing different tubes will look a bit weird

 

http://www.performance-pcs.com/bitspower-vga-sli-crossfire-bridge-for-3-slots-application-acrylic.html . Agree or disagree with this choice. not sure if it will look good on hydro copper(or whatever) evga blocks.

or this one http://www.performance-pcs.com/alphacool-gpx-sli-connector-dual-plexi.html

[W-L]

20 minutes ago, elcoug said:

http://www.performance-pcs.com/bitspower-vga-sli-crossfire-bridge-for-3-slots-application-acrylic.html . Agree or disagree with this choice. not sure if it will look good on hydro copper(or whatever) evga blocks.

or this one http://www.performance-pcs.com/alphacool-gpx-sli-connector-dual-plexi.html

I believe the hydro copper blocks are made by swiftech so you would need to go with the solution they have, or either bridge between the blocks with tubing or crossfire/sli fittings, where other manufacture's won't work. 

[elcoug]

3 hours ago, W-L said:

I believe the hydro copper blocks are made by swiftech so you would need to go with the solution they have, or either bridge between the blocks with tubing or crossfire/sli fittings, where other manufacture's won't work. 

doh, good call on the swifttech. that was silly not to think of that. thank you.