Noob watercooling kit with thick rad

G

Gilbert_pwns

Gawd
Joined
Nov 13, 2010
Messages
759
Hey. Want to try my hand at water cooling and looking for advice on a kit or set for a simple loop for a cpu. I would get one of those kits like the ek one but they only come with slim rads. I would like a thicker 240 rad. As for the cpu block pump and tubing i wouldnt want anything fancy. The only thing im worried about are the fittings and compatible tubing as well as the coolant and loop order.
 
So thicker is not always better, if you have the space two slim rads would be a better option. Loop order should be, res, pump, anything else doesn’t matter.

Anything with the same thread pattern should work and if you can avoid it don’t mix aluminum and copper.

Also for a single component their included 240 should be more than enough.
 
So I decided to not go with the aluminum kit because I likely cannot expand it later on. For now I want to stick with cooling my cpu but will include my 1080ti later on.

I went on ekwb's website and used their configurator to set up a simple custom loop with copper parts. Will start watching a ton of videos on how to install.
 
I highly recommend Alphacool and Watercool over EK. Even XSPC will be better. EK is like the nVidia of the watercooling world, except they don't have the absolute best stuff.
 
So got an update and my package will arrive (hopefully) on Thursday.

Still kind of want a thicker rad. I will eventually include my 1080ti in the loop and I don't like the idea of having a rad in the front of my case as well.
 
Got the parts today and quickly installed...

Took me a whopping 10+ hours...

Spent a few hours just trying to locate a place to put the pump and res. Even with a Carbide 540 I had a ton of problems trying to fit in. I ended up putting it in the rear chamber. Might actually just get the smaller res because I dont like the idea of having it back there where I cant monitor it. First install had a ton of air bubbles and I suspect it had a leak because the big ones wouldnt go away. Reinstalled the whole loop and Windows decides to get corrupted. Had to reinstall everything.

I wish I had just gone with the smaller res, I really thought I would have no problem fitting it in my system. I also forgot to get a few angled fittings which would have been a lot easier on me. Got a ton cuts on my thumbs.
 
I went with EK because of the configurator. Now that I know what I'm doing (somewhat) Ill try other brands in the future :)
 
day late dollar short :( but get yourself a pair of those mechanics type gloves(get the cheap $5 walmart ones tho). it will save you having raw finger tips from tightening your knurled fittings down. i learned that one the hard way as well.

pics or it didnt happen!
 
Last edited:
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
ah now it makes sense ;)
you should be able to fit it if you pull out one of your spinners. maybe mount one or both hdds in the back chamber to clean up the look a bit? actually that bracket on the res will allow you to mount the res to your fan above your gpu. i cant tell if theres enough space between the gpu and where the bracket will mount tho. if it will mount there you could definitely shorten up your runs and you could leave your hdds where they are.
 
As you can tell I kind of want to keep the look how it is. 3 rgb fans in the front and I actually like the 2 HDDs in the front. My idea is to actually mount it on the two bottom holes of the highest fan on the front. That way it clears the GPU while not reaching the top rad at all.

Also, do longer runs affect the effectiveness of the loop?

And any advice on how to properly bleed a system of air bubbles? Everyone usually skips that part on their videos. Still not sure exactly how to do it. Had a really hard time trying to do it and wasn't even sure if I made any progress.
 
I usually do most of my bleeding with the loop outside of the case. That only works if (1) you are using flexible tubing and (2) if all the componets are inside of the main case chamber. When getting all the air out like this you can turn the radiators and blocks in different angles to expunge their air while the pump is running. When done the only way I can tell if the loop us running is to feel the vibration of the pump & looking at the spinner.

In your case sincew you seem to have a good bit of slack on the tubes going to your rad I would suggest unscrewing the radiator with the other loop parts left in place and move it around a bit until all your air is expunged and crewing it back on. The waterblock & pump/res won't trap air in any appreciable way. This works best while the pump is running so I use an old PSU that has been jumpered to allow running outside of a system & an appropriate pump connector.

You are using a D5 pump so your are good with slightly longer tubes.

Here is mine (it's not don't built to be pretty :D) - you can see everything is in the motherboard side of the case, including the rad so it is as easy to pull it out and maintain it as an AIO setup.

MBP_0367.png
 
Last edited:
My bleeding is typically by running the pump at max speed and letting things get warm. I find that air bubbles are more easily freed by warm water, and they work their way out over time (typically measured in days). I don't do the rotating of components around to get it out.

Longer runs don't really affect anything. The restriction caused by tubing is minuscule compared to the restriction caused by waterblocks and radiators. This is especially the case if you're using 7/16" or 1/2" ID tubing.
 
So... I splurged and got a block for my 1080 ti. I figured since I was redoing the loop anyways I might as well get the thing over with. I got a slim 360 to mount to the front of the case.

The idea of bleeding outside of the case would have been a good idea before but now that Im adding the gpu maybe not so much anymore.
 
Air trapped in the waterblocks isn't as much of a problem as in the rads. The velocity of liquid flowing thru the blocks is a lot higher and most likely to push air out. Rads the velocity is l9ower and sometimes they need a little jiggling to jar the air loose. At the least I shudder about leak-testing my system while it is all mounted up to the motherboard/viddy cards in the case.
 
Would recommend a drain valve on the lowest part of your loop, makes it easier for loop maintenance.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top