Plumbing Around a Removed Water Cooled Card

FrgMstr

Just Plain Mean
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Just documented my exercise in removing my water cooled 2080 Ti and putting in an air cooled 6900 XT. Will get a block on that 6900 XT when AlphaCool or XSPC get a block out. Also, ran out of tubing to make the journey as I did not plan very well, so I mated the two lines with and extra set of quick disconnects I had on hand.


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Laid it down on the its side so I could put a compression fitting on the pump outlet along with some hose so I could stand it back up and drain it into a bucket in the garage. Made myself a little QD valve so I had a way to turn it on and off. Worked out well.

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I have used this for years to grease and seal my compression fittings. A TINY amount on the hose barbs lets you put the hose on easier and come off easier later. Also keeps it from drying out at the fittings.

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Drained out and getting the tubing removed on the GPU.

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Fitted back up with a QD to make the span. I thought I was out of hose, but found some later, after I filled it back up of course. Duh.

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Have used Koolance additive for years, but this XSPC ECX is doing great. I have two more systems that have had this in them for over two years and those look GREAT! Started using clear so it would easier to see issues if you have those in blocks, hoses, etc.

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Leak test, burping.

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6900 XT in!

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My water cooling "work area" in my garage that really needs to be cleaned up badly.

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In and working as expected! w00t!!1
 
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Nice!

I think we all need to do this on occasion while waiting for our new GPU blocks!

I have read previously that you also use the lube to lube up the quick disconnects.

Would you mind expounding a little on what you lube on them?
 
Would you mind expounding a little on what you lube on them?
I lube the barb. I will also lube the OD of the tubing as this allows you to turn the hose on the barb to get a better line with the natural bend of the tubing. And when I say a tiny amount, I mean tiny. I actually try to wipe it all off with a naked finger. It only takes a minute amount. I also use it on every O-ring seal, and again, a tiny amount to keep it lubed. Makes everything work much better after it has been sitting up for a while.
 
Someone is trying to tell me I need to pick up some QDCs; I keep seeing people using them everywhere lately. Would have been a big help during this same process with my 6800 XT (and reinstalling it with a block when I get my hands on one.)
 
Someone is trying to tell me I need to pick up some QDCs; I keep seeing people using them everywhere lately. Would have been a big help during this same process with my 6800 XT (and reinstalling it with a block when I get my hands on one.)
That and it is times like these when hard-tubing seems dumb to me. I get how awesome it looks, but it certainly would not have been a few hour project.

Also remember to clean things out well while you have the chance. I take mine out to the driveway and give it a good dusting with one of these tools. Stopped using the garage air compressor after I damaged some things with it. I have had mine for 8 years now.

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That and it is times like these when hard-tubing seems dumb to me. I get how awesome it looks, but it certainly would not have been a few hour project.

Also remember to clean things out well while you have the chance. I take mine out to the driveway and give it a good dusting with one of these tools. Stopped using the garage air compressor after I damaged some things with it. I have had mine for 8 years now.

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I bought one of those 4 years ago. It was a little pricy for a blower, but it was one of the best investments I have made.

It is starting to make a funny noise lately though. I hope the motor isn't on its way out...
 
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That and it is times like these when hard-tubing seems dumb to me. I get how awesome it looks, but it certainly would not have been a few hour project.

Amen. That's why I went with a hybrid build on my rig. The look is not for everyone, but for me to swap out my liquid cooled Radeon VII with an air cooled card literally requires disconnecting 2 QDCs and moving one QDC over on the manifold. Minutes, sir. Minutes.
 

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Did you buy direct from Alphacool or from a place like Aquatuning? I'm tempted to preorder one from ModMyMods as they're the only one I've found with a listing.

Also, I would NOT be looking forward to reassembling that when the time comes...
 
Amen. That's why I went with a hybrid build on my rig. The look is not for everyone, but for me to swap out my liquid cooled Radeon VII with an air cooled card literally requires disconnecting 2 QDCs and moving one QDC over on the manifold. Minutes, sir. Minutes.

Interesting. I like the home made manifold. I'm sure that is helpful.

That coolant though, looks... ....unhealthy.

Maybe it is just the lighting. :p
 
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Interesting. I like the home made manifold. I'm sure that is helpful.

That coolant though, looks... ....unhealthy.

Maybe it is just the lighting. :p

It's just Koolance Purple. It's not my favorite shade of purple, and the lighting does not really do it justice even so. I'm probably going back to Koolance Yellow or Blue next time the system gets completely flushed out, but that will be a while.

Edit to add: The case is a CoolerMaster Cosmo C700P, and they come with a wicked curved dark tinted glass door. The purple looks a lot more "purple" with the door closed and the tubes back-lit. And "door closed" hides a lot of little things, like the zip ties on my manifold. I * shouldn't * even need the zip ties, since the back plug on each 5-way splitter there is a temperature probe embedded and glued into the wood block. It's pretty strong, but heat and time can sometimes do things to glue, and I am nothing if not a hair paranoid. Besides like I said, they're invisible with the door closed.
 
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It's just Koolance Purple. It's not my favorite shade of purple, and the lighting does not really do it justice even so. I'm probably going back to Koolance Yellow or Blue next time the system gets completely flushed out, but that will be a while.
Man, you could have given me 10 guesses, and I wouldn't have guessed that coolant is purple. All I see is too much burrito brown.
 
That and it is times like these when hard-tubing seems dumb to me. I get how awesome it looks, but it certainly would not have been a few hour project.

Also remember to clean things out well while you have the chance. I take mine out to the driveway and give it a good dusting with one of these tools. Stopped using the garage air compressor after I damaged some things with it. I have had mine for 8 years now.

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Not to be completely off topic but I like using one of these in conjunction with small automotive detail brushes. I think they're pretty incredible for getting dust off hard to reach surfaces that doesn't come completely lose with air pressure alone.
 
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