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First Watercooling Loop - Help!!

E

eibes

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jul 27, 2009
Messages
1,184
So as the title says, I am making my first WC loop. I have all my parts picked out and know what I want to do, I just need the reassurance it will all work together alright.
Here is my order at frozencpu:

XSPC EX240 Dual 120mm Low Profile Split Fin Radiator
G 1/4" Fittings (Qty. 2): 1/2" ID Barb

EK Supreme HF Universal CPU Liquid Cooling Block w/ LGA 2011 Hardware - Rev 3 - Acetal (Sockets 775 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011 / 939 / 940 / 754 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3)
G 1/4" Fittings (Qty. 2): 1/2" ID Barb

XSPC Dual 5.25" Bay Reservoir - Laing D5 / MCP655 w/ Blue LED Light
G 1/4" Fittings (Qty. 2): 1/2" ID Barb

PrimoChill PrimoFlex PRO LRT Tubing 7/16"ID 5/8" OD with 3/32" Wall - White
5 Feet

IandH Dead-Water Copper Sulfate Biocidal PC Coolant Additive

Distilled Water from a local drugstore/Walmart
Click to expand...

This will be cooling an i5 2500k inside a Coolermaster 600T, single loop CPU only.
My concerns:
Are the barbs going to be okay and compatible with the hose/all necessary fittings?
Should I go compression fittings instead of barbs?
Will the pump/res combo be enough to cool this single loop?
Is there anything else I will be needing?? Possibly a T fitting for draining or any other necessity I may have overlooked


As always thank you all for your help!!
 
Your tubing doesn't appear to fit your nozzles. The ID of the tubing should match the OD of the nozzle.
 
I thought a little bigger ID of the tube would make for a more snug fit. I read somewhere it will work and is preferred by some.
But that is why I asked :)
 
No, if that was the case, you want your tubing to be smaller than your barbs... trust me, make them match up... it will save you a lot of hassle (to get smaller tubing on larger barbs, you usually have to boil the end to heat it up so it will strech... not worth the hassel) every thing looks good, only thing I would recommend would to be to double up on your tube, make one wrong cut, and you will wish you had more. And a t in there some where will safe you a ton of hassle if you have to drain it, so maybe a fill port as well.

/edit kind miss read your last post...point still stands though lol.
 
It would work...but youd probably have to heat the tubing first, which is a pain. Exact fit tubing works fine, and is much easier to use. Clamps/compression fittings/anything will keep it on fine.

+1 on the T. Makes draining filling/topping up much easier.
 
Would it be worth it to spring for the compression fittings then? It doesn't matter what brand of fitting correct?
How about the biocodal? It seems like every recommends PT Nuke... Will this one work okay? FrozenCPU didn't have that. How about the drugstore distilled vs the primochill stuff?
 
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Welcome to the WC world. Guess what, once you put everything under water, you'll have a hard time ever going back to air cooling ;)

Get your tubing to match sizes. 1/2" ID tubing and 1/2" fittings (Edit: 7/16" ID tubing for a really snug fit; see EDIT below). They are designed to fit and will fit. Compression fittings are not required, but do offer more security. But at an added cost, as I'm sure you've recognized.

I run nothing but distilled water in mine and have never had any issues and have excellent cooling. To each their own, but I prefer to have just a clean, untainted loop. Nothing against the additives like PT Nuke, just personal preference.

Good luck with the build. Don't forget to take pictures!

EDIT: 7/16" ID tubing will be a snug fit on 1/2" fittings. That is what I have in my system right now. Snug enough that I don't even use clamps and they aren't compression fittings.
 
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eibes said:
Would it be worth it to spring for the compression fittings then? It doesn't matter what brand of fitting correct?
How about the biocodal? It seems like every recommends PT Nuke... Will this one work okay? FrozenCPU didn't have that. How about the drugstore distilled vs the primochill stuff?
Click to expand...

Compression fittings have the advantage of looking nice and being easier to remove...but normal clips work just as well. It depends on if you want visuals.

As long as the ID/OD fittings match (and the company isn't inept at measuring) all the tubing/fittings should interwork. Make sure they are all g1/4 threaded (where they attach to the component).

Make sure the distilled water ins't ionized. I've never used PT nuke or the one you linked, so I can't really comment on that. :D
 
I use worm gear clamps. They're so much easier to use than regular clip clamps, and gives it sort of an industrial look (which you may or may not like). Plus they will never fail.

Use distilled water. I recommend using a silver killcoil over pt nuke, simply because you don't have to replace it every single time.
 
You can use 7/16" hose with 1/2" barbs. Boil some water, turn the heat off, stick the end of the tubing in the water for a few seconds and then slide it on over your barbs. You *should be able to go clamp-less like that.

*Use this advice at your own risk.
 
Excellent, everything I needed to know and was wanting to hear. Thanks guys.

How about sealants for the fittings when screwing them in? Anyone ever use a little Teflon tape on the threads for a more snug fit? I would do that for all my fittings back when I paintballed to keep the compressed air from leaking. Worked like a charm.

EDIT: Did a forum search and it seems like some do and some don't... I think I will do it just in case.
 
eibes said:
Excellent, everything I needed to know and was wanting to hear. Thanks guys.

How about sealants for the fittings when screwing them in? Anyone ever use a little Teflon tape on the threads for a more snug fit? I would do that for all my fittings back when I paintballed to keep the compressed air from leaking. Worked like a charm.

EDIT: Did a forum search and it seems like some do and some don't... I think I will do it just in case.
Click to expand...
Fittings are equipped with O-rings that should provide all the sealing you need. Teflon tape might be a little over kill and potentially introduce little pieces of it into your radiator. I just wouldn't use it. No need for it, really. If you get little droplets of water forming during leak testing, just snug the fitting a little tighter. But personally, I would never use Teflon tape. These aren't sloppily threaded black iron pipe threads your dealing with.
 
I don't use Teflon tape, as was said, the o-rings are good enough. If you have o-rings leaking, then they need to be replaced.
 
baldrik said:
You can use 7/16" hose with 1/2" barbs. Boil some water, turn the heat off, stick the end of the tubing in the water for a few seconds and then slide it on over your barbs. You *should be able to go clamp-less like that.

*Use this advice at your own risk.
Click to expand...

This is how I do it on my 1/2in barbs with 7/16 tubing. It can be a pain to setup, but combined with some clamps, i've never had a worry of a leak.

I personally don't bother with teflon tape either.
 
DO NOT use teflon plumbers tape......
All the fittings are supplied with a rubber o ring that compresses at the fitting is placed.

The components are manufactured to work this way and will work perfectly.
Tape will FUBAR it.

Rethink your reservoir. I have found that bay reservoirs are very difficult to work with, especially to fill and bleed. While they look nice, they don't leave much clearence.

I really like the Swiftech Micro-res V2.0......small, attaches anywhere, bleeds easily and has a connector on the bottom for emptying.

I use compressions. they look nice, the fit is precise, and they can be used over and over. They do not require anything additional to tighten down the tubing and come in any angle you'd need. I only use BitsPower.

Fluid.....only thing you need is distilled water and a silver kill-coil or two.

Have fun......buy extra tubing......just in case.....6 feet is a ball park.
 
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