First Time Watercooling

[Haeking]

Can you guys give me some tips as I'm doing two PC building with 1080 ti Fe with water blocks that I wanted to do in red and white water dyes. And my CPU to also be water cooled, I wanted to try and do a custom loop so. Any thoughts ?

[GoldieFoxx]

Watch as many tutorial videos and build logs as you can so you know what you need to get, and the challenges you might come up against as well as how to get around them.

 

I just finished my first loop yesterday and I never would have finished it if I didnt watch just about every jayztwocents watercooling video there is

 

[King_of_Oz]

Just now, GoldieFoxx said:

Watch as many tutorial videos and build logs as you can so you know what you need to get, and the challenges you might come up against as well as how to get around them.

 

I just finished my first loop yesterday and I never would have finished it if I didnt watch just about every jayztwocents watercooling video there is

 

Nice loop buddy. I agree. Consume as many tutorials as possible, and plan your loop before your start. EKWB has a nice configurator for custom loops.

[tikker]

I can only repeat what has been said: decide whether you want to go hard or soft, plan your loop, watch as many tutorials until you feel confident. Here is my first loop. For the dyes take a look at Mayhems and also consider a biocide or a kill coil (though do not use a kill coil if you have nickel blocks).

[Haeking]

15 minutes ago, tikker said:

I can only repeat what has been said: decide whether you want to go hard or soft, plan your loop, watch as many tutorials until you feel confident. Here is my first loop. For the dyes take a look at Mayhems and also consider a biocide or a kill coil (though do not use a kill coil if you have nickel blocks).

Was thinking going hard like your build, just need some options for red and white dye since its for two pcs. Going with the corsair 780T in black, but you do you think they have connecting pieces for the pipes in black ?

[tikker]

46 minutes ago, Haeking said:

Was thinking going hard like your build, just need some options for red and white dye since its for two pcs. Going with the corsair 780T in black, but you do you think they have connecting pieces for the pipes in black ?

They do. I used Bitspower fittings and they have for example the Matt Black or Carbon Black fittings.

[Haeking]

10 minutes ago, tikker said:

They do. I used Bitspower fittings and they have for example the Matt Black or Carbon Black fittings.

Sounds perfect your fittings looked quite clean 

[stealth80]

i did a red and white dual loop build log, have a look through the build log it may help,

 

 

that was my second loop and first rigid build I did

[AV Techy]

Best advise I can give is to not skimp out on your drain and fill port components. Although a Ball Valve costs £15 it makes draining so much cleaner. The EKWB configurator is good but it doesn't advise on drain and fill port components, and it really should!

 

I would also get a spare fitting and some spare tubing (normally you'll have some left over from a 3 metre length) to connect to your fill port so you can fill your loop with a funnel well away from the system in case you spill anything - you really don't want to be filling over your PC. You can also use this to connect to the drain port and drain it accurately into a container.

 

On top of that it may seem obvious but having the fill port connect to your loop as HIGH as possible in your system is ideal. And having your drain port as LOW as possible in your loop is best as well.

 

Is there anything in particular you are unsure about?

 

And of course best of luck with the build!

[Haeking]

1 minute ago, Aloe Vera said:

Best advise I can give is to not skimp out on your drain and fill port components. Although a Ball Valve costs £15 it makes draining so much cleaner. The EKWB configurator is good but it doesn't advise on drain and fill port components, and it really should!

 

I would also get a spare fitting and some spare tubing (normally you'll have some left over from a 3 metre length) to connect to your fill port so you can fill your loop with a funnel well away from the system in case you spill anything - you really don't want to be filling over your PC. You can also use this to connect to the drain port and drain it accurately into a container.

 

On top of that it may seem obvious but having the fill port connect to your loop as HIGH as possible in your system is ideal. And having your drain port as LOW as possible in your loop is best as well.

 

Is there anything in particular you are unsure about?

 

And of course best of luck with the build!

Any tips with hard tubing? I know soft tubing will be much easier but less pleasing in the long run, a bit scared but Im brushing up on info about water cooling. Also is there a set amount of time you want to clean and refill the reservoir? 

[PrimeSonic]

1 minute ago, Haeking said:

Any tips with hard tubing? I know soft tubing will be much easier but less pleasing in the long run, a bit scared but Im brushing up on info about water cooling. Also is there a set amount of time you want to clean and refill the reservoir? 

Check your specific fluid for details. You should be using either a pre-mixed or a concentrate.

But for general rule of thumb, you'll want to replace your coolant every 6-12 months.

Some fluids can keep going for longer but it's not a bad thing to get change it out.

 

 

[Haeking]

Just now, PrimeSonic said:

Check your specific fluid for details. You should be using either a pre-mixed or a concentrate.

But for general rule of thumb, you'll want to replace your coolant every 6-12 months.

Some fluids can keep going for longer but it's not a bad thing to get change it out.

 

 

I was building two separate pc's one was going to be all red, and the other one was possibly going to be either white pastel or distilled water since it looks clean with rgb. I would still have to clean it out every 6-12 month Im guessing with the distilled water too ? 

[PrimeSonic]

Again, check your specific fluid/concentrate for the recommended maintenance times.

Different fluids will have different life spans.

 

But yeah, maintenance of your loop is a thing you won't be able to completely avoid when you go custom water cooler.

 

And remember, if using distilled water, make sure you're using a fluid concentrate with it to avoid corrosion and bio-growths.

That's the main reason you'll want to change the fluid. These things have a finite effective lifespan.

[Haeking]

2 minutes ago, PrimeSonic said:

Again, check your specific fluid/concentrate for the recommended maintenance times.

Different fluids will have different life spans.

 

But yeah, maintenance of your loop is a thing you won't be able to completely avoid when you go custom water cooler.

 

And remember, if using distilled water, make sure you're using a fluid concentrate with it to avoid corrosion and bio-growths.

That's the main reason you'll want to change the fluid. These things have a finite effective lifespan.

Ahh mmk, would you happen to recommend any tubing and fittings since this is my first time and all 

[Haeking]

6 minutes ago, PrimeSonic said:

Again, check your specific fluid/concentrate for the recommended maintenance times.

Different fluids will have different life spans.

 

But yeah, maintenance of your loop is a thing you won't be able to completely avoid when you go custom water cooler.

 

And remember, if using distilled water, make sure you're using a fluid concentrate with it to avoid corrosion and bio-growths.

That's the main reason you'll want to change the fluid. These things have a finite effective lifespan.

Also would a loop be hard if you're only doing pretty much just one cpu, and graphics card ?

[AV Techy]

I am completely with you in terms of hard-line loops generally looking better.

 

However I strongly recommend you to do a soft tubing loop to start. It is much easier to accurately fix a soft tubing loop together, much easier to maintain, and once you've done a soft tubing loop you can get your head around what would need to be done differently to accommodate hard-line tubing sections.

 

I can guarantee this won't be your only water-cooling loop, and soft tubing is a great way to learn the procedures of water-cooling with the flexibility in case something doesn't turn out the way you expected. You can do an awesome hard-line water-cooling loop afterwards, and I promise you the hard-line build will turn out better if you get some experience with soft tubing first.

 

You can design a soft tubing loop to look great, however very little people do and that's why they end up looking terrible with large lengths of sagging tube randomly draped across the cases interior.

 

But regardless of which you go with, I would get a sketch book or some general paper and rigorously design the loop until you have a great looking almost fool-proof plan.

 

As for the reservoir you only need to rinse it out with water before use, you can use distilled water if you like but it doesn't require any special chemicals. And you'll want to change out the liquid (if your using some special coloured stuff) at least every 12 months. If your going for Pastel liquid I would recommend running the pump at full speed for a few minutes once a month to make sure the solution is being mixed properly and you can avoid issues with particles "falling out" or separation from the solution.

 

But it really comes down to mastering the design basics and coming up with an efficient loop design that looks great and is easy to construct. Let us know if there is anything else you need clarifying!

[Haeking]

2 minutes ago, Aloe Vera said:

I am completely with you in terms of hard-line loops generally looking better.

 

However I strongly recommend you to do a soft tubing loop to start. It is much easier to accurately fix a soft tubing loop together, much easier to maintain, and once you've done a soft tubing loop you can get your head around what would need to be done differently to accommodate hard-line tubing sections.

 

I can guarantee this won't be your only water-cooling loop, and soft tubing is a great way to learn the procedures of water-cooling with the flexibility in case something doesn't turn out the way you expected. You can do an awesome hard-line water-cooling loop afterwards, and I promise you the hard-line build will turn out better if you get some experience with soft tubing first.

 

You can design a soft tubing loop to look great, however very little people do and that's why they end up looking terrible with large lengths of sagging tube randomly draped across the cases interior.

 

But regardless of which you go with, I would get a sketch book or some general paper and rigorously design the loop until you have a great looking almost fool-proof plan.

 

As for the reservoir you only need to rinse it out with water before use, you can use distilled water if you like but it doesn't require any special chemicals. And you'll want to change out the liquid (if your using some special coloured stuff) at least every 12 months. If your going for Pastel liquid I would recommend running the pump at full speed for a few minutes once a month to make sure the solution is being mixed properly and you can avoid issues with particles "falling out" or separation from the solution.

 

But it really comes down to mastering the design basics and coming up with an efficient loop design that looks great and is easy to construct. Let us know if there is anything else you need clarifying!

Im very happy you said this, I will keep you guys up to date with my build logs since I will be doing two pc's. I really want to test out the hard tubing first and will take my time with it even if it takes 3 days + just get it right. One pc is for a close friend and I dont want to skimp out even if I know soft tubing is much easier. I would like to present them something beautiful, and help them maintain it etc. Im glad to know I have you and everyone's support though. Wish me luck!  

 

Also is this waterblock fine for a 1080 Ti just want to make sure : https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-fc-1080-gtx-ti-nickel

[AV Techy]

On the subject of difficulty scaling with components I would say it only takes more time the more components you have. It only becomes more difficult when the space you have to build in (the case) get's smaller or more crammed with components.

 

I can personally recommend EKWB fittings, I have over 1 kg of them in my current system and have not experienced a leak for over 6 months now.

 

On the subject of liquids, if you get a pre-mix or Pastel liquid you don't need to worry about any biological growth as they contain all the chemicals to prevent growth - exactly what PrimeSonic said.

 

I commend you for going with hard-line first. As long as you take the time and have the patience (3 days could be realistic, maybe not that long though). I'm sure your going to nail the build, you seem to be very open to suggestions which will always lead to a better result. Make sure you buy a fair bit more Hard-line tubing than you think you'd need, and be aware that you can always redo lengths if they don't turn out quite right so there's no need to stress over that.

 

The water-block you linked will be perfect for the founders edition, you can check the compatibility lists that EKWB provide for specific cards for piece of mind: https://goo.gl/N0LyKm 

 

Get straight back here if there is anything else you need working out, sometimes it's better to talk things over to get the best result. And of course I wish you the best of luck with the builds, you've got an extremely fortunate friend!

[Haeking]

1 minute ago, Aloe Vera said:

On the subject of difficulty scaling with components I would say it only takes more time the more components you have. It only becomes more difficult when the space you have to build in (the case) get's smaller or more crammed with components.

 

I can personally recommend EKWB fittings, I have over 1 kg of them in my current system and have not experienced a leak for over 6 months now.

 

On the subject of liquids, if you get a pre-mix or Pastel liquid you don't need to worry about any biological growth as they contain all the chemicals to prevent growth - exactly what PrimeSonic said.

 

I commend you for going with hard-line first. As long as you take the time and have the patience (3 days could be realistic, maybe not that long though). I'm sure your going to nail the build, you seem to be very open to suggestions which will always lead to a better result. Make sure you buy a fair bit more Hard-line tubing than you think you'd need, and be aware that you can always redo lengths if they don't turn out quite right so there's no need to stress over that.

 

The water-block you linked will be perfect for the founders edition, you can check the compatibility lists that EKWB provide for specific cards for piece of mind: https://goo.gl/N0LyKm 

 

Get straight back here if there is anything else you need working out, sometimes it's better to talk things over to get the best result. And of course I wish you the best of luck with the builds, you've got an extremely fortunate friend!

There any thickness on the tubing you would recommend, a good sized reservoir for the corsair 780T case, and any good dye company you like to use in specific ?

[Haeking]

8 minutes ago, Aloe Vera said:

On the subject of difficulty scaling with components I would say it only takes more time the more components you have. It only becomes more difficult when the space you have to build in (the case) get's smaller or more crammed with components.

 

I can personally recommend EKWB fittings, I have over 1 kg of them in my current system and have not experienced a leak for over 6 months now.

 

On the subject of liquids, if you get a pre-mix or Pastel liquid you don't need to worry about any biological growth as they contain all the chemicals to prevent growth - exactly what PrimeSonic said.

 

I commend you for going with hard-line first. As long as you take the time and have the patience (3 days could be realistic, maybe not that long though). I'm sure your going to nail the build, you seem to be very open to suggestions which will always lead to a better result. Make sure you buy a fair bit more Hard-line tubing than you think you'd need, and be aware that you can always redo lengths if they don't turn out quite right so there's no need to stress over that.

 

The water-block you linked will be perfect for the founders edition, you can check the compatibility lists that EKWB provide for specific cards for piece of mind: https://goo.gl/N0LyKm 

 

Get straight back here if there is anything else you need working out, sometimes it's better to talk things over to get the best result. And of course I wish you the best of luck with the builds, you've got an extremely fortunate friend!

Any rad sizes you know will also be good for that case also, Im going to switch out the fans on it for something red and black but was also wondering ?

[AV Techy]

Thickness of tube is purely aesthetic choice, it makes no difference to temperatures (except for heat capacity due to volume of water, but we don't need to go into that).

 

EKWB pump/res combo is always a strong choice, they are easy to install and look good: https://goo.gl/PKI9En 

 

Mayhems dyes are good for solid colours, but any first party Premix will do well for transparent colours.

[AV Techy]

For radiators anything that is rated to fit in the top or front will do, so for the extreme build in that case a 360 top and front would be good. I would recommend 1x360 in the front or top though to keep the costs down but it will be adequate for cooling.

 

I would use the EKWB configurator for finding out specific heat wattages. It's really good for that:

https://www.ekwb.com/custom-loop-configurator/ 

 

[Haeking]

3 minutes ago, Aloe Vera said:

For radiators anything that is rated to fit in the top or front will do, so for the extreme build in that case a 360 top and front would be good. I would recommend 1x360 in the front or top though to keep the costs down but it will be adequate for cooling.

 

I would use the EKWB configurator for finding out specific heat wattages. It's really good for that:

https://www.ekwb.com/custom-loop-configurator/ 

 

Im pretty sure an 850 w platinum power supply from evga should be more than enough to power everything right ?

[AV Techy]

Short answer (if you already have the PSU) yes that would work, but would likely be a little overkill.

 

Long answer:

I would recommend using the bequiet PSU calculator: http://www.bequiet.com/en/psucalculator 

 

It will give you a rough output wattage and provide suggestions for their products, but you can take that wattage result and buy something rated for that wattage from other companies such as EVGA.

 

Remember that PSUs are most efficient at 50% load, but you can buy anything that is rated higher than the result they give you.

 

I would also recommend using an 80+ Silver power supply for good cost to efficiency ratio.

[Haeking]

4 minutes ago, Aloe Vera said:

Short answer (if you already have the PSU) yes that would work, but would likely be a little overkill.

 

Long answer:

I would recommend using the bequiet PSU calculator: http://www.bequiet.com/en/psucalculator 

 

It will give you a rough output wattage and provide suggestions for their products, but you can take that wattage result and buy something rated for that wattage from other companies such as EVGA.

 

Remember that PSUs are most efficient at 50% load, but you can buy anything that is rated higher than the result they give you.

 

I would also recommend using an 80+ Silver power supply for good cost to efficiency ratio.

Yeah its more than enough, I should be all set, also if not going for the hard fittings and custom pieces do you think this might be more than enough to cool a cpu and gpu 

 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=2YM-0010-00027