Custom loop/iquid cooling: is it worth it and a few other questions

[Pachuca]

I have been considering doing a custom water loop in my system. Before I jump into it, I wanted to check with people that have already gone through this process and get some advice. My system is in the dark base 900 which has room for up to a 360 rad and large reservoir. It's an x99 system the is mobo rampage v ed 10 , cpu is i7 5960x, gpu is gtx 1080 ti, ram is corsair veng lpx 4x8gb. Currently I have an h115i cooler for my cpu and h50 mounted on a kraken g10 for cooling my gpu. This generally keeps my cpu/gpu cool and fans quiet while delivering better performance with overclocking. The reason I'm thinking of switching to a custom loop is to reduce temperatures, reduce fan noise, and the aesthetics are much better. Would switching actually reduce the temps/fan noise or is the difference so small that it hardly makes a difference from the AIO coolers i'm using now? Also, what's the maintenance like for a custom loop. For example, how often should one test for leaks, how often does one need to drain it, how often do parts get replaced and feel free to add anything else worth mentioning for AIO vs custom loop. 

 

I was browsing on ekwb's website and checking out some of the options they offer. One thing I know to avoid is mixing different metals, personally I would be happy with an entire aluminium system. I didn't see an aluminium option, they only offered copper, nickle, and tin. Would appreciate some advice on this especially where to shop for an aluminium custom loop. There were various options including cooling the mobo and ram. Is that worth doing in terms of performance or it wouldn't make any noticeable impact as long as the case airflow is decent? 

 

 

[GauntletV2]

Okay, so I just finished up my first custom loop build, and here's what I can say:

1. I have a 240 for both a cpu and a gpu, and while it is okay, I would wholly recommend you use a 360 rad like you said you can.

2. Buy extra tubing, you will fuck up

3. Distilled water is $1.00 at your local grocery shop, primochill tubing comes with a bio nuke, but if not, pick up PT nuke to keep your system bio free

4. For the aluminium loop, EKWB just released an aluminum kit if you so choose, heres this one https://www.ekfluidgaming.com/ek-kit-a240g 

5. Here is the parts list I made prior to my loop, I'd use it as a guide imho https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XQs4-VchN2TjPXgYb-tfbxNJm67LgFNTyLS2RyaYbEA/edit?usp=sharing  

[Pachuca]

1 minute ago, GauntletV2 said:

Okay, so I just finished up my first custom loop build, and here's what I can say:

1. I have a 240 for both a cpu and a gpu, and while it is okay, I would wholly recommend you use a 360 rad like you said you can.

2. Buy extra tubing, you will fuck up

3. Distilled water is $1.00 at your local grocery shop, primochill tubing comes with a bio nuke, but if not, pick up PT nuke to keep your system bio free

4. For the aluminium loop, EKWB just released an aluminum kit if you so choose, heres this one https://www.ekfluidgaming.com/ek-kit-a240g 

5. Here is the parts list I made prior to my loop, I'd use it as a guide imho https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XQs4-VchN2TjPXgYb-tfbxNJm67LgFNTyLS2RyaYbEA/edit?usp=sharing  

thanks, appreciate the input. What did you use for cooling before this custom loop?

[Marshnt]

57 minutes ago, Pachuca said:

I have been considering doing a custom water loop in my system. Before I jump into it, I wanted to check with people that have already gone through this process and get some advice. My system is in the dark base 900 which has room for up to a 360 rad and large reservoir. It's an x99 system the is mobo rampage v ed 10 , cpu is i7 5960x, gpu is gtx 1080 ti, ram is corsair veng lpx 4x8gb. Currently I have an h115i cooler for my cpu and h50 mounted on a kraken g10 for cooling my gpu. This generally keeps my cpu/gpu cool and fans quiet while delivering better performance with overclocking. The reason I'm thinking of switching to a custom loop is to reduce temperatures, reduce fan noise, and the aesthetics are much better. Would switching actually reduce the temps/fan noise or is the difference so small that it hardly makes a difference from the AIO coolers i'm using now? Also, what's the maintenance like for a custom loop. For example, how often should one test for leaks, how often does one need to drain it, how often do parts get replaced and feel free to add anything else worth mentioning for AIO vs custom loop. 

 

I was browsing on ekwb's website and checking out some of the options they offer. One thing I know to avoid is mixing different metals, personally I would be happy with an entire aluminium system. I didn't see an aluminium option, they only offered copper, nickle, and tin. Would appreciate some advice on this especially where to shop for an aluminium custom loop. There were various options including cooling the mobo and ram. Is that worth doing in terms of performance or it wouldn't make any noticeable impact as long as the case airflow is decent? 

 

 

To be blunt no its not worth the money or time for a custom loop. Custom loop it for people who consider this a hobby and don't expect a ROI (return on investment) and what a frustrating hobbit is. But if your serious about jumping off i can personal say the reward is worth it just to say my rig is costume water cooled. 

Link to EK's AL loop  https://www.ekwb.com/news/ek-fluid-gaming-sets-new-standard-for-water-cooling/

[Pachuca]

25 minutes ago, Marshnt said:

To be blunt no its not worth the money or time for a custom loop. Custom loop it for people who consider this a hobby and don't expect a ROI (return on investment) and what a frustrating hobbit is. But if your serious about jumping off i can personal say the reward is worth it just to say my rig is costume water cooled. 

Link to EK's AL loop  https://www.ekwb.com/news/ek-fluid-gaming-sets-new-standard-for-water-cooling/

That's what I thought it would be, but it still seems like a lot of fun. I will have to re-evaluate things because I'm going back to school as a full-time student and I doubt I would have time for it in the near future. It's definitely something I would like to put on the to-do list for now and see what everyone recommends. Still I would like to know more about it. Do you know if there's any benefit to cooling the mobo and ram, other than the aesthetics of it?

[Marshnt]

1 minute ago, Pachuca said:

That's what I thought it would be, but it still seems like a lot of fun. I will have to re-evaluate things because I'm going back to school as a full-time student and I doubt I would have time for it in the near future. It's definitely something I would like to put on the to-do list for now and see what everyone recommends. Still I would like to know more about it. Do you know if there's any benefit to cooling the mobo and ram, other than the aesthetics of it?

No benefits beyond bragging rights, when you build you first loop just do a basic CPU and GPU build to get your feet wet.

[GauntletV2]

3 hours ago, Pachuca said:

thanks, appreciate the input. What did you use for cooling before this custom loop?

I used a 120 AIO. Currently the temps are similar, but its must more "sleek" this way, which is what I wanted. If you plan to OC, then you would want 240 rads for both the cpu and gpu, or, as it sounds, a 360 and a 120.