watercooling 1st Custom Watercooling Loop

[hoaxy32]

Hey Guys,

 

Just looking for some advice, this is my first time building a custom water cooling loop from scratch. I've had pre built AIO's for a very long time so now taking the jump to custom, So far I already have 3 of the big ticket items but I'm only looking to cool the CPU (Ryzen 7 1700) at this time as I can't find a block for my MSI RX580 8G. The case that it's going in will be the Thermaltake Core P3 just for reference.

 

So far I have:

1. Res/Pump Combo: EKWB EK-XRES 100 DDC 3.2 PWM MX Including Pump (Link)

2. CPU Block: EK-Supremacy EVO - Acetal+Nickel (Link)

3. Radiator: EK-CoolStream PE 360 Triple (Link)

 

As a rule of thumb, I have watched a few videos from various Tech YouTubers with them demonstrating putting it all together but I noticed they skip some procedures just to save time but I feel some people need to know whats happening. So my main query is all the tube sizing to the compression fittings etc and anything else I should know or need.

 

Hope I've covered everything and thanks in advance.

[For Science!]

You will need to choose your tubing material first (hard or soft) and then decide on where you want compression fittings or barbs (or the pushin style for hard). The fitting you get will depend on the tubing diameter which for the purposes of PC, is purely an aesthetic choice. I would recommend compression fittings, but be aware that fittings for soft tube are not the same as hard tube so choose wisely since changing your mind later down the line will incur costs. Make sure the tube and fittings are given in the same units (inches  vs mm) and preferably from the same supplier to ensure compatibility.

 

You should plan for a drain port as well so that you can drain the loop. You need a ball valve, t-splitter, dual rotary maletomale fittings, stop plugs, and more fittings. 

 

Coolant wise i she I think going for a premix or concentrate such as the ekcryofuel is the best thing to do. 

[W-L]

3 hours ago, hoaxy32 said:

Hey Guys,

 

Just looking for some advice, this is my first time building a custom water cooling loop from scratch. I've had pre built AIO's for a very long time so now taking the jump to custom, So far I already have 3 of the big ticket items but I'm only looking to cool the CPU (Ryzen 7 1700) at this time as I can't find a block for my MSI RX580 8G. The case that it's going in will be the Thermaltake Core P3 just for reference.

 

So far I have:

1. Res/Pump Combo: EKWB EK-XRES 100 DDC 3.2 PWM MX Including Pump (Link)

2. CPU Block: EK-Supremacy EVO - Acetal+Nickel (Link)

3. Radiator: EK-CoolStream PE 360 Triple (Link)

 

As a rule of thumb, I have watched a few videos from various Tech YouTubers with them demonstrating putting it all together but I noticed they skip some procedures just to save time but I feel some people need to know whats happening. So my main query is all the tube sizing to the compression fittings etc and anything else I should know or need.

 

Hope I've covered everything and thanks in advance.

It doesn't look like they are making a full cover block for that GPU if this is your exact model.

https://www.ekwb.com/configurator/step1_complist?gpu_gpus=3808

[hoaxy32]

3 hours ago, For Science! said:

You will need to choose your tubing material first (hard or soft) and then decide on where you want compression fittings or barbs (or the pushin style for hard). The fitting you get will depend on the tubing diameter which for the purposes of PC, is purely an aesthetic choice. I would recommend compression fittings, but be aware that fittings for soft tube are not the same as hard tube so choose wisely since changing your mind later down the line will incur costs. Make sure the tube and fittings are given in the same units (inches  vs mm) and preferably from the same supplier to ensure compatibility.

 

You should plan for a drain port as well so that you can drain the loop. You need a ball valve, t-splitter, dual rotary maletomale fittings, stop plugs, and more fittings. 

 

Coolant wise i she I think going for a premix or concentrate such as the ekcryofuel is the best thing to do. 

Thanks for the info, it's extremely detailed which is great. Yes, it will be only soft tubing this time round so compression fittings are the way ill go and about the coolant, I was certainly going to go with cryofuel. One other question if you don't mind, is there any benefit to having a thicker diameter to a thinner one or does it just come down to how much you want to bend the tubing?

 

2 hours ago, W-L said:

It doesn't look like they are making a full cover block for that GPU if this is your exact model.

https://www.ekwb.com/configurator/step1_complist?gpu_gpus=3808

Dammit, I did think it was going to be that answer but thanks for the link and I didn't know the EK site had that sort of info available.

[For Science!]

8 hours ago, hoaxy32 said:

 

yes, thicker tubing will make it less prone to collapsing and kinking. I'm afraid I've only done hard tubing before but I think that's the major difference. you may want nice powerful scissors if you got for thick tubing though.

 

Get something that won't leech plasticizer which may discolor your coolant and other nasty stuff. I would look at reviews for this.

[hoaxy32]

50 minutes ago, For Science! said:

yes, thicker tubing will make it less prone to collapsing and kinking. I'm afraid I've only done hard tubing before but I think that's the major difference. you may want nice powerful scissors if you got for thick tubing though.

 

Get something that won't leech plasticizer which may discolor your coolant and other nasty stuff. I would look at reviews for this.

I have these two for the tubing and compression fittings

1. EK DuraClear 3M Clear 9.5mm/12.7mm (Link)

2. Red EK-ACF 10/13mm Soft Tube Compression Fittings (Link)

 

Would you say these are a good choice for the sizing or if I read it correctly a 3m thick tubing be alright or could it kink to easy?

[For Science!]

1 hour ago, hoaxy32 said:

I have these two for the tubing and compression fittings

1. EK DuraClear 3M Clear 9.5mm/12.7mm (Link)

2. Red EK-ACF 10/13mm Soft Tube Compression Fittings (Link)

 

Would you say these are a good choice for the sizing or if I read it correctly a 3m thick tubing be alright or could it kink to easy?

I think it's fine. 3 mm is perceived as quite okay for hardline tubing (and probably also for soft tubing). I used 12/16 (4mm thickness) for hard lining and it was very workable.

 

just make sure your runs are not too short as that is usually the cause of kinking.

[hoaxy32]

4 hours ago, For Science! said:

I think it's fine. 3 mm is perceived as quite okay for hardline tubing (and probably also for soft tubing). I used 12/16 (4mm thickness) for hard lining and it was very workable.

 

just make sure your runs are not too short as that is usually the cause of kinking.

Ok, that sounds great to me. Thanks for all your help I really appreciate it and have a nice day.