AIO vs custom loop DIY kits

[Wadzinsky]

I have been water cooling my systems for several years using AIO water cooling kits as my only experience with them.  I like them a lot and get very good results.  I'm not a big overclocker, I just like efficient/quiet cooling.  Currently I am using two separate AIO coolers for both my CPU and GPU.  My temps are very manageable and don't come close to raising any alarms.  On my recent build of a Ryzen 5 1600 and GTX 1070,  I have been considering going to a custom water cooling kit for the looks and curiosity of how a closed loop from pump to CPU then to GPU to Radiator and back to pump would affect temps, but I don't know enough about them and would like to hear for anyone the benefits and drawbacks of both AIO and custom kits.

 

I have included a picture of my current setup with the two AIO coolers.   It looks good and is very quiet.  I am looking to add some extra beauty to the inside of my case.  Any input/tips would be appreciated.  Also, if my current design is wrong, or inefficient, any tips to simplify are also welcome.

 

Thanks

 

 

[thelordofwarr]

A custom loop first needs time to build, and the chance of leaking is higher, but it looks better in my opinion, of course if you have your GPU and CPU in the same loop you would need more radiator space to dicipate the heat.

 

Aios can have the problem of not having enough cooling capacity but if you arent using threadripper or sth above the 7920x and overclock it aios are fine

 

More or less in my opinion it depends on what you like more, if you want a custom loop do it, it pays off in looks(i think that) but if you want to stick with aios it's fine too(again, my opinion)

 

[Airdragonz]

Custom loops tend to look nicer and can be more customized at the expense of more time to design and build. They are also easier to maintain if built right. AIOs are easier to set up but look less nice and have a set lifetime 

[thelordofwarr]

That really sums it up

[Wadzinsky]

Airdragonz --

 

I've always wondered about the life span of AIO.  I am currently running one that is 5 years old.  They say they never need servicing or filling and so far, it's delivered on its promise.  

[Airdragonz]

5 minutes ago, Wadzinsky said:

Airdragonz --

 

I've always wondered about the life span of AIO.  I am currently running one that is 5 years old.  They say they never need servicing or filling and so far, it's delivered on its promise.  

It really varies with each AIO and the environment it operates in. If you keep your pc in a cooler place, the liquid temps stay low, and your AIO is from a reputable company, then the rate at which the liquid permeates through the tube is slower. An AIO can typically last from 3 to 8 years. 

[PrimeSonic]

I went from having all AiO cooling (CPU and GPU) to a full custom loop.

Now, the AiOs looked pretty good. matching tubing mesh and all that. It would have been fine to leave it as it was.

But I was looking for an expensive hobby to get myself into. So I finally took the plunge and went with a fully custom loop.

 

For just a moment, I want you to forget all of the "practical" benefits to fully custom water cooling loop.

This is my set of ideas that you need to fully adopt before you really consider building a custom loop.

 

• I'm okay with spending unnecessary amounts of money on my rig just for looks
• I'm okay with spending more time building the loop than I did assembling the PC.
• I'm doing this mostly just because I can and no one is going to stop me.
• I'm okay with taking this thing apart from time to time for maintenance and upgrades.
  • Corollary: I accept the possibility that I may never be "finished" with the loop as I choose to improve and/or expand it over time.
• I have several hundred dollars burning a hole in my pocket and I promise not to cheap out.
• I accept that my first loop will take a lot of learning and I will make some mistakes along the way.
  • Corollary: I have the brass balls needed to not freak out when I splash fluid all over my components.
• I understand and accept that no level of practical benefits of noise or performance can possibly justify how expensive this is going to get.
  • Once again, I'm doing this just because I can and I want to and no one is going to stop me.

OP, I want you look over these and see if they apply to you.

If you feel like you can embrace the realities of custom water cooling, then go forth and be awesome.

But if you feel hesitation with any of these points or you find yourself having trouble justifying how much you'll end up spending for the extra gains, then I'd say this might not be for you.

There's no shame in either path. Just make sure you understand what you'd be getting into and that you understand why so you don't end up with major regrets later.

 

Best of luck!

 

[Wadzinsky]

PrimeSonic,

 

Most of those apply to me.  The cash part is probably my biggest set back although I have been known to blow wads of cash on things just cuz

It would be a new venture for me and a fun project.  I built a new gaming PC because my old one was just a bit dated.  However, now that I have my new one, it seems I get much more enjoyment tinkering and tweaking than I do actually using it. 

 

So as far as maintenance intervals, what kind of time frame (generally) are we looking at with custom cooling loops?

 

Although, for a system as bland as mine, perhaps what I have is fine.  If I'm going all out on a custom loop, I should at least have the proper system to do it on like dual Threadrippers and Quad Titans!  

[PrimeSonic]

Sounds like you've got the right mindset.

I mention money emphatically because a custom loop can get expensive fast.

When you purchase quality components (pump, radiators, blocks) you can expect to pay good money for all those things.

And if you expand or upgrade in the future, that's just more down the line.

Heck, I've already lost count of how much money I've put into my custom loop. But I'd reckon that it's coming up on half as much as I spent on the actual system it's cooling!

 

But hey, lots of people have hobbies that cost money. This isn't all that different.

And if you really enjoy the tinkering and getting your hands dirty, then you'll enjoy the work that comes with assembling your loop.

11 minutes ago, Wadzinsky said:

So as far as maintenance intervals, what kind of time frame (generally) are we looking at with custom cooling loops?

This mostly depends on your choice of fluid but normally you'll see on average a 12-month maintenance cycle.

 

Personally, I like to replace my fluid every 6 months just so I have the perfect excuse to get in there and make further modifications.

But most quality fluids (whether pre-mix or from a concentrate) should be fine for 12 months at a time. Some can go for longer.

 

 

[AngryBeaver]

1 hour ago, PrimeSonic said:

I went from having all AiO cooling (CPU and GPU) to a full custom loop.

Now, the AiOs looked pretty good. matching tubing mesh and all that. It would have been fine to leave it as it was.

But I was looking for an expensive hobby to get myself into. So I finally took the plunge and went with a fully custom loop.

 

For just a moment, I want you to forget all of the "practical" benefits to fully custom water cooling loop.

This is my set of ideas that you need to fully adopt before you really consider building a custom loop.

 

• I'm okay with spending unnecessary amounts of money on my rig just for looks
• I'm okay with spending more time building the loop than I did assembling the PC.
• I'm doing this mostly just because I can and no one is going to stop me.
• I'm okay with taking this thing apart from time to time for maintenance and upgrades.
  • Corollary: I accept the possibility that I may never be "finished" with the loop as I choose to improve and/or expand it over time.
• I have several hundred dollars burning a hole in my pocket and I promise not to cheap out.
• I accept that my first loop will take a lot of learning and I will make some mistakes along the way.
  • Corollary: I have the brass balls needed to not freak out when I splash fluid all over my components.
• I understand and accept that no level of practical benefits of noise or performance can possibly justify how expensive this is going to get.
  • Once again, I'm doing this just because I can and I want to and no one is going to stop me.

OP, I want you look over these and see if they apply to you.

If you feel like you can embrace the realities of custom water cooling, then go forth and be awesome.

But if you feel hesitation with any of these points or you find yourself having trouble justifying how much you'll end up spending for the extra gains, then I'd say this might not be for you.

There's no shame in either path. Just make sure you understand what you'd be getting into and that you understand why so you don't end up with major regrets later.

 

Best of luck!

 

I agree with most of this, but I don't think it is overall THAT expensive. For me I look at how much it costs me on a per year basis... seeing that once you have it setup.. it is just a matter of getting gpu blocks ever year or two and maybe a cpu block every 6-8 years.

 

There is cost in coolant, but this is minimal if you use distilled. You might need to replace a pump every 5 years or so, but stuff happens. The biggest investment with water is not the initial cost or the periodic block upgrades. The real investment is the time for setup, planning, and continued maintenance. You can't just blow it out with compressed air and be fine... you need to drain, flush, clean blocks, and refill every 6-12 months to keep a loop healthy.

 

Now looking at what you are looking to cool... the old rule was 120mm for every component with an extra 120mm for OC headroom. I suggest a 120mm per component and 120mm per overclocked item.. So for your particular setup I would go with 480mm of rad space. You can do a single 480 if you have room or 2 240's etc.

 

So if we break out prices..

account for $100-180 in rad costs (depending on the setup)

150 for a nice pump/res combo either d5 or ddc.

80 ish for a cpu block.

120-150ish for a gpu block.

30 for tubing

3-30 for coolant

65-75 in connectors (this kill me on how much they add in cost)

 

Total -  $548 - $695

 

Now there are alternatives.

 

You can pick up an expandable AIO for 150-200

these will come with a Rad, pump, block, and generally a res of some kind.

 

I will use the Swiftech H240x v2 as my example.

 

This means you will have

280mm rad

MCP30x DDC pump

Res built in to rad

Swiftechs top CPU block.

 

This will set you back 139.99-159.99 depending on where you buy it.

 

Then you can add.

240mm rad for $50-$80

a gpu block for 120-150.

30 for tubing

 

This will drop your price down to $340 - 420

 

So you can easily save 200-300 bucks with this option.

 

This will let you get your feet wet, save you some money, and also give you an idea of what is involved. Then in the future if you decide to go even more hardcore you only need to invest in a pump/res combo and a new rad.... or you can just keep the mcp30x pump in for redundancy and add a second pump to help with flow. and add another rad if you wish.

 

I have in one of my rigs right now that started as a swiftech expandable aio. I added a pair of blocks for a 780ti setup and a 480mm rad. This setup worked fine with the included pump, but I like to add redundancy so I ended up purchasing a mcp35x and adding it in the loop. Then I discovered I would replace the mcp30x in the AIO combo with the mcp35x wither higher rpm/flow capacity. So I did that as well.

 

Anyways this was long winded, but I wanted to give you an idea of the possibilities available.

 

 

 

[KyanBD]

I have no idea if I’ll get a response but here goes, how are you connecting both CPU pump, and GPU pump on the motherboard? People online are saying the aio_pump header can’t handle a splitter cable going to two pumps.