Custom Loop Spring '19

Scu84St3v3420 · Nov 13, 2018

Hi Guys,

First off I'm brand new to this forum, so formalities first... Hello and nice to meet you all, now that that is out of the way.

So I'm planning my first Custom Loop for tax season 2019 and just trying to make sure that I've got all of my bases covered.

Goals: Overclocking/Quiet Operation/Appearance
Budget: $1800

I built my current PC Spring of this year, so all the components for the PC itself are already purchased. So this is more of an upgrade than a build I suppose.

Current Rig:

Chassis: Fractal Design Meshify-C
MB: ASUS ROG Strix X470-F Gaming
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600X @ 4.2 GHz 1.45V LLC4
Cooler: Master Cooler ML240R AIO
RAM: G.Skill TridentZ RGB @ 3400 MHz 16-17-17-36 1.35V
GPU: ASUS ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080 A8G @ 2.1 GHz (Core)/11.7 GHz (RAM)
PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA G3 650 Watt
Boot: Samsung 970 EVO 250 GB NVMe
OS: Windows 10 Home 64bit 1803/RS4
Monitor: ASUS ROG Swift 27'' 1440p 165hz 1ms G-Sync

Here is the planned Upgrades:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
Thermal Compound: Thermal Grizzly - Hydronaut 3.9 g Thermal Paste ($14.29 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design - Define S2 Black – TG ATX Mid Tower Case ($152.98 @ Newegg)
Other: CableMod WideBeam Magnetic Hybrid LED Kit - 30cm ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Other: CableMod WideBeam Magnetic Hybrid LED Kit - 30cm ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Other: Thermaltake Pacific Temperature Sensor G 1/4 Digital Display with Alarm CL-W151-CU00BL-A ($39.98 @ Amazon)
Other: Thermaltake Pacific Temperature Sensor G 1/4 Digital Display with Alarm CL-W151-CU00BL-A ($39.98 @ Amazon)
Other: uxcell Computer PC Case M3x7mm Aluminum Alloy Knurled Thumb Screws Green 10pcs ($10.55 @ Amazon)
Other: EK-XRES 140 Revo D5 RGB PWM (incl. sl. pump) ($219.58)
Other: EK-FC1080 GTX Strix - Nickel ($192.75)
Other: EK-FC1080 GTX Strix Backplate - Black ($52.45)
Other: EK-HD Tube 10/12mm 500mm (2 pcs) ($29.24)
Other: EK-ATX Bridging Plug (24 pin) ($3.04)
Other: EK-HD Tube D.I.Y. Kit 10&12mm ($24.38)
Other: EK-Velocity RGB - AMD Nickel + Plexi ($121.99)
Other: EK-CryoFuel Solid Electric Purple (Conc. 250mL) (x4) ($73.15)
Other: EK-Vardar EVO 120ER RGB (500-2200 rpm) (x6) ($182.93)
Other: EK-HDC Fitting 12mm G1/4 - Green (x10) ($97.48)
Other: EK-CoolStream XE 360 (Triple) (x2) ($268.38)
Other: EK-Cable Y-Splitter 3-Fan PWM (10cm) (x2) ($9.73)
Other: EK-AF Ball Valve (10mm) G1/4 - Black ($20.73)
Other: EK-HD Tube Reamer ($14.62)
Other: Filling Bottle (1000mL) ($9.75)
Total: $1647.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-13 13:31 EST-0500

At this point the only thing I can think of that isn't listed is angled adapters, as I haven't figured out exactly what my needs might be for those. That will be decided when building, which will delay things a bit when I got to do the loop, but I don't want to waste money on unnecessary adapters.

Scu84St3v3420 · Nov 14, 2018

VanGoghComplex · Nov 14, 2018

A parts list is a good starting point, but it may be beneficial for you (and for folks advising you) if you post some loop planning.

A drawing showing your planned mounting location for your res, routing for your tubing, and details on things like your drain and fill ports will go a long way toward ensuring you buy all the needed fittings on your first pass.

I'll tell ya from personal experience that there's nothing more annoying than realizing mid-build that you need one more fitting to make your plan work.

I might also suggest you take a look at Phanteks Glacier series of GPU blocks. They're well made, attractive, and don't require you to purchase a sold-separate backplate as you can use the stock plate that came with your card.

Welcome to the forum, and welcome to the hobby!

Scu84St3v3420 · Nov 14, 2018

VanGoghComplex said:
A parts list is a good starting point, but it may be beneficial for you (and for folks advising you) if you post some loop planning.

A drawing showing your planned mounting location for your res, routing for your tubing, and details on things like your drain and fill ports will go a long way toward ensuring you buy all the needed fittings on your first pass.

I'll tell ya from personal experience that there's nothing more annoying than realizing mid-build that you need one more fitting to make your plan work.

I might also suggest you take a look at Phanteks Glacier series of GPU blocks. They're well made, attractive, and don't require you to purchase a sold-separate backplate as you can use the stock plate that came with your card.

Welcome to the forum, and welcome to the hobby!

Thanks for the input, I am still working it out in my head.

I do know:

1. The I will be mounting the res to the optional mounting points on the inner wall of the case opposite of the rear HHD storage cages that are behind the rear panel.

2. The top rad will have ports to the rear of the case and front rad will have ports at the bottom of the case.

3. The fill port will be at the top of the res with the T split on the outlet of the res (which will be facing out of the case directly) which will split to the rad to the right of it (my right) and straight out away from the case will be the ball valve for easy draining.

4. The order of the loop will be Res => Front Rad => CPU => Top Rad => GPU => Res (based on the quick research I did on loop order).

5. I want to place the Temp Senor pass through between the bottom rad and the CPU in the loop and the Flow Indicator between the top rad and the GPU in the loop.

6. The GPU will be mounted vertically

As to the exact lay out I don't think I will be sure until I'm build I have a few ideas in my head at this time and no case in front of me to visualize. And that is the GPU block that I want to get as I find it more attractive the the EKWB model, however I can't find one in stock any where and fear that GTX gear might become sparse with the 20xx Series now available. But if I can find one available when I go to doing my purchasing this spring it will be what I go with. Otherwise EKWB will be my next choice.

Thanks for the warm welcome and good advice. Once I get some components together I will post a proper build log, as I also plan on modding the case a little and such.

VanGoghComplex · Nov 15, 2018

A couple points:

The loop order you listed along with the rad ports sounds like you're going to be crossing your whole case on most of your runs. While it will work, it's not necessary to have that order. Loop order only matters when you have a pump with very weak flow. That D5 will be more than sufficient for whatever loop order is the most convenient for you to plumb, which is ideal. The fluid in a loop all equalizes to within a degree or two Celsius when it's running, and the high heat capacity of water makes it such that a couple degrees Celsius doesn't translate one for one to the cooling capacity of any individual block.

You might also consider using stop fittings with integrated temp sensors instead of the pass though. For one, the pass through will require extra fittings, and the plugs will not. You're using multi-port rads so you'll have plenty of spots to install the stop fittings. For two, the stops are less expensive and you'll easily be able to use two like this: res - block - block - rad (with temp sensor on inlet) - rad (with temp sensor on outlet). This arrangement will give you a hottest and coldest temperature reading, which will be useful for controlling your fans.

Given that you're gonna have a full-blown watercooled system, you might also consider purchasing a watercooling-oriented fan controller. These little boards are basically standalone controllers, with inputs for pump speed, flow rate, and temperature, which you can configure to control your fans based on watercooling-relevant criteria like ambient/coolant temperature delta.

Your motherboard's fan control is likely going to be geared toward controlling fans on heatsinks, which means they react to component temperature directly. This will work, but you'll have a lot of annoying and unnecessary fan ramping up/down as your CPU heat spikes with load.

My favorite of these little boards are the Aquaero ones. The Quadro is particularly appealing. Others make them too, I think Corsair and Heatkiller both have equivalents.

Scu84St3v3420 · Nov 15, 2018

VanGoghComplex said:
A couple points:

The loop order you listed along with the rad ports sounds like you're going to be crossing your whole case on most of your runs. While it will work, it's not necessary to have that order. Loop order only matters when you have a pump with very weak flow. That D5 will be more than sufficient for whatever loop order is the most convenient for you to plumb, which is ideal. The fluid in a loop all equalizes to within a degree or two Celsius when it's running, and the high heat capacity of water makes it such that a couple degrees Celsius doesn't translate one for one to the cooling capacity of any individual block.

You might also consider using stop fittings with integrated temp sensors instead of the pass though. For one, the pass through will require extra fittings, and the plugs will not. You're using multi-port rads so you'll have plenty of spots to install the stop fittings. For two, the stops are less expensive and you'll easily be able to use two like this: res - block - block - rad (with temp sensor on inlet) - rad (with temp sensor on outlet). This arrangement will give you a hottest and coldest temperature reading, which will be useful for controlling your fans.

Given that you're gonna have a full-blown watercooled system, you might also consider purchasing a watercooling-oriented fan controller. These little boards are basically standalone controllers, with inputs for pump speed, flow rate, and temperature, which you can configure to control your fans based on watercooling-relevant criteria like ambient/coolant temperature delta.

Your motherboard's fan control is likely going to be geared toward controlling fans on heatsinks, which means they react to component temperature directly. This will work, but you'll have a lot of annoying and unnecessary fan ramping up/down as your CPU heat spikes with load.

My favorite of these little boards are the Aquaero ones. The Quadro is particularly appealing. Others make them too, I think Corsair and Heatkiller both have equivalents.

First off thank you for all of your input, this is really what this thread is about for, to give me idea to different concepts to think about as a newb to custom liquid cooling.

To your first point, this is really good information and may cause me to rethink loop order. Res=>Front Rad is the closest run in the loop and makes sense to me, then I could make easier by going directly to the GPU instead of CPU and switch the order to follow suit from there.

To your second point, so I really liked the idea of the temp probes for multiple components, a MB upgrade will most like take place when next gen Ryzen drops (assuming) next spring and I will be looking more towards a OC/Watercooling geared board such as the ASUS Crosshair that will launch for (assuming again) X570. Which will likely include inputs temps on inlet and outlet and flow rate. So I may opt for this method of monitoring over my planned one.

To your third point, I think something of that nature is included with the Define S2, but I will look into that for sure. As I want this system to run properly and efficiently, not half baked. Especially if I am going to spend almost $2000 on strictly cooling my system.

Scu84St3v3420 · Nov 18, 2018

So I took advantage of some extra spending money this month and purchased some goodies to get started and I will be make another bulk purchase next month.

Here's what I ordered:

(1) EKWB EK-Velocity AMD Nickel
(2) EKWB EK-Coolstream XE 360mm
(1) EKWB EK-FC1080 Strix - Nickel
(1) EKWB EK-FC1080 Strix Backplate - Nickel

I got free shipping on everything from amazon. Backplate was 1/2 off on Amazon and that black variation was not, so I will just paint it whatever color I choose or leave it as is if it doesn't bother me. All for under $600... I know I said I was going to purchase the Black Ice SR2 rads, but they were going to cost almost $50 more after shipping and tax. So I just went with the EK Rads, I know poor me... lol

Scu84St3v3420 · Nov 20, 2018

And so the Amazon deliveries begin...

A couple more still to come...

Custom Loop Spring '19

Scu84St3v3420

n00b

Scu84St3v3420

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VanGoghComplex

2[H]4U

Scu84St3v3420

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VanGoghComplex

2[H]4U

Scu84St3v3420

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Scu84St3v3420

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Scu84St3v3420

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