Expand AIO liquid cooler to gpu

[mct0012]

Just curious, I currently have an h100i gtx AIO on my cpu. Hypothetically, could I buy a second AIO (block only) and extend the piping on the h100i gtx to go from my cpu to the gpu then back to the radiator? I would use the nxt kraken g10 to mount the block to the gpu. Or alternativley could I use just a block (w/o a pump in it like the AIO block) and achieve the same goal (aka will the h100i gtx pump be enough for that amount of pressure drop with new fittings more piping etc)? 

[Godlygamer23]

You might be able to, but you will have to do modding as the H100i GTX is not designed to be opened. 

[Damascus]

Lots of modding required, not really worth it.

 

Check out the ocn forum thread about it.

[mct0012]

I just saw some videos where people used a resivour. Rad to CPU, CPU to Res, Res to GPU, GPU to rad and its worked out. Doesn't seem like an insurmountable amount of modding for liquid cooling a GPU for way less than $250. That way I dont have to mess with the fittings on the h100i gtx cpu block at all.

[Enderman]

If you want to void your warranty and have to replace all your PC components when they die from a leak in a few years, sure go ahead.

[For Science!]

2 minutes ago, mct0012 said:

I just saw some videos where people used a resivour. Rad to CPU, CPU to Res, Res to GPU, GPU to rad and its worked out. Doesn't seem like an insurmountable amount of modding for liquid cooling a GPU for way less than $250. That way I dont have to mess with the fittings on the h100i gtx cpu block at all.

I'm not sure I understand how you intend to "extend the piping" on the H100i. AFAIK that would involve cutting tubing and "somehow" connecting it back together without the aid of standard G1/4 fittings. Get ready for a leak and replacing all components, imo.

[mct0012]

1 minute ago, For Science! said:

I'm not sure I understand how you intend to "extend the piping" on the H100i. AFAIK that would involve cutting tubing and "somehow" connecting it back together without the aid of standard G1/4 fittings. Get ready for a leak and replacing all components, imo.

I would extend it by removing the tubing from the rad. But yes I see what youre saying now but I could cut the tubing short of where I removed it (from the rad) and reattach it which shouldn't be a problem seeing as many people have reattached AIO tubing back to plastic barbs

[mct0012]

I don't see where leaks would be a problem any more than when doing a custom loop. Everyone just says "its gonna leek" without a valid reasoning. Anyone got one?

[For Science!]

1 minute ago, mct0012 said:

I would extend it by removing the tubing from the rad. But yes I see what youre saying now but I could cut the tubing short of where I removed it (from the rad) and reattach it which shouldn't be a problem seeing as many people have reattached AIO tubing back to plastic barbs

They're not really barbs on the H100i gtx as far as I know.... I would HEAVILY discourage you to do this, but that's merely my opinion and you are free to do anything at your own risk.

[mct0012]

1 minute ago, For Science! said:

They're not really barbs on the H100i gtx as far as I know.... I would HEAVILY discourage you to do this, but that's merely my opinion and you are free to do anything at your own risk.

There are barbs on the h100i gtx rad

[mct0012]

I just would like people to debate with to decide if I want to seriously entertain this idea

 

[arnavvr]

It's because the H100i isn't designed for expansion in mind. 

[mct0012]

3 minutes ago, arnavvr said:

It's because the H100i isn't designed for expansion in mind. 

Right but that's the beauty of modding!

[LienusLateTips]

2 minutes ago, mct0012 said:

Right but that's the beauty of modding!

Modding doesn't always work out... let's say you have a drain designed to empty up to 30L in a minute, and the pipe below also designed for 30L, and then the drain into the river for 30L... how are you going to mod it without replacing everything to drain 80-100L...

[mct0012]

Just now, JDE said:

Modding doesn't always work out... let's say you have a drain designed to empty up to 30L in a minute, and the pipe below also designed for 30L, and then the drain into the river for 30L... how are you going to mod it without replacing everything to drain 80-100L...

Thats where the res comes in (would to use another liquid to fill system)

[knightslugger]

It's just plumbing you guys. if you can find the right sized fittings, i don't see why it wouldn't be possible. ghetto, but possible.

[mct0012]

1 minute ago, knightslugger said:

It's just plumbing you guys. if you can find the right sized fittings, i don't see why it wouldn't be possible. ghetto, but possible.

See that's what I was thinking but I tend to be to optimistic with my endeavors lol

[For Science!]

9 minutes ago, mct0012 said:

See that's what I was thinking but I tend to be to optimistic with my endeavors lol

Here are my principle arguements and I probably will not discuss any further:

 

You've quoted $250 USD, so I will use this as a baseline.

 

1. I am generally confused as to why you would want to take 2 AIOs and turn it into one frankein loop (at this point I am assuming "for the lulz"). Sure, you get some performance boost perhaps from having effectively more radiator space, but you are voiding warranty of 2 good products. Why not just keep them as 2 separate AIOs?

 

2. Since AIOs have copper + aluminium mixed, you will need to use ethylene glycol/propylene glycol mixture as a minimum to keep corrosion at bay. Filling this kind of loop is annoying and will require an extra reservoir (+ more cost). This also rules out adding more premium blocks into the loop since you don't want you aluminium radiator to develop weak points over time

 

3. For about $240 the EK-Fluidgaming kit is available, an all-aluminium kit that is expandable, designed for purpose, all fittings included. Has a full-cover GPU block etc etc (provided you have a recent-ish graphics card). The price leap (or not even) is justified by a large margin. Not to mention that in this way there is at least warranty on the water cooling gear. Performance will also be better in terms of silence since the power delivery will be liquid cooled too. 

 

Can you do it? You can always try. Are there better alternatives at a similar price point - probably. I stand my ground, its not a good idea.

[knightslugger]

9 hours ago, For Science! said:

3. For about $240 the EK-Fluidgaming kit is available, an all-aluminium kit that is expandable, designed for purpose, all fittings included. Has a full-cover GPU block etc etc (provided you have a recent-ish graphics card). The price leap (or not even) is justified by a large margin. Not to mention that in this way there is at least warranty on the water cooling gear. Performance will also be better in terms of silence since the power delivery will be liquid cooled too. 

What I don't like about the EK Fluid Gaming kit is that it uses a rather thin (AIO class) 240mm rad instead of a thicker 280mm or a AIO class thickness 360mm rad for component cooling. General wisdom is to use 120mm of rad per component. In that kit you are cooling 3 rather large heat generating areas: CPU, GPU, and GPU VRM. While a 240 is BORDERLINE for that sort of heat dissipation, a far better choice would have been to use the thicker 45mm 280-size CE radiator or the 28mm 360-size SE radiator. I'm sure this was put together to get as close to a cheap solution as they could get without putting the price near the $300 which is where most people are turned off.

 

The problem i see with retrofitting a second rad with plumbing is restriction. Barb fittings have a smaller ID than the tube they are fitted in. this is why custom loops use much larger ID tubing in their loops so that fluid flow is not constricted at the fittings. you would need quite a bit more pump power to get the fluid flow rate back to where it was at the cost of increased system pressure (which is where leaks start to happen). Soft tubing just isn't strong enough (too much elasticity) to flair out and retain a barb fitting on it's own while keeping IDs the same, unlike household waterline Pex-A (which is where i'm coming from). You would have to use a smaller ID barb to slip into the line, and then crimp on a retaining clamp to prevent leaks from occuring at the connection, and again, soft tubing is really not your friend here as the elasticity is too great to make a seal that will last.

 

So bottom line: Can you do it? Sure. But it is far from ideal, nor will it last, and it will be fraught with complications both initially and down the road and when it comes to water & electronics... you don't want complications. You want BULLET PROOF.

[Shadow_Storm56]

On 2/12/2018 at 12:31 AM, mct0012 said:

Just curious, I currently have an h100i gtx AIO on my cpu. Hypothetically, could I buy a second AIO (block only) and extend the piping on the h100i gtx to go from my cpu to the gpu then back to the radiator? I would use the nxt kraken g10 to mount the block to the gpu. Or alternativley could I use just a block (w/o a pump in it like the AIO block) and achieve the same goal (aka will the h100i gtx pump be enough for that amount of pressure drop with new fittings more piping etc)? 

You will spend hours trying to bleed the loop and the performance will be terrible... Unless you like... just use the AIO parts as a block and rad in which means getting an extra pump and res... could be done.