School me on custom loops.

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I have always gone AIO's and with COVID being the way it is I have had too much time to look at PC stuff this year. I want to build a system in a Lian Li PC O11 Dynamic Mini (I think its coming out within the next week). I looked at Corsair stuff but that was when I was thinking about doing it in an ITX system and was forced to use the Commander Pro because the lack of fan headers. Now that I am not restricted to that since I can use an ATX board I was wonder what you guys recommend.

System Build:
AMD R9 5900x
AMD RX6800XT or 6900XT
4X 32GB G.Skill Trident Z Neo 3200MHZ CL16
MSI Meg X570 ACE
Corsair SF750

I plan on water cooling both the CPU and GPU. I don't know how much rad I actually need. I wont be overclocking too much.

I already ordered one HWLabs Nemesis 360GTS.
I also ordered the Corsair XD3 pump res combo and XC7 block but now I am unsure if I want to use them.

1.) I was thinking some sort of EK pump res combo or their distro plate. But I don't understand what the different type of pumps that the come with.
2.) Whats D5 vs DDC (3.1 vs 3.2?) etc.
3.) I see that most things use g 1/4 thread. What fittings do you guys recommend. Also I want to learn more about Quick Disconnect fittings (I want to use one for a drain port).
4.) What ID/OD do you guys recommend for PETG tubing?
5.) Coolant and Kill coils etc. I want to go for clear liquid.
6.) I hear about cleaning out fittings and rads before hand what do you guys do to clean it out?
7.) I hear its bad to mix metals so does that mean if I get one copper block I have to get all copper blocks vice versa with nickel blocks?

Any help is greatly appreciated. In terms of budget I was thinking $1k~ for the water cooling stuff. If thats unreasonable I can increase it.

EDIT: Final System Build (in case you guys were wondering what I ended up doing in regards to the loop.)

A lot of the parts I got from Amazon because of fast shipping.

AMD R9 5900x (EK Velocity AM4 Waterblock)
RTX3080 (Alphacool Eisblock Aurora waterblock)
2 x HWLabs Nemesis 360GTS
3 x Arctic P12 pwm pst 120mm fans
3 x Noctua A12x15 Chromax
1 x Noctua A12x15
1 x EK DDC heatsink
1 x Lian Li-EK Distro plate G1
22 x Barrow 14mm hard line tubing fittings
3 x Barrow 90 degree rotary fittings
1 x bitspower dual 90 degree rotary fitting
1 x bits power 3 port T fitting
1 x bitspower 10mm extension fitting
1 x bitspower 20mm extension fitting
2 x barrow male to male fittings
1 x barrow quick disconnect set
1 x barrow ball valve
1 x barrow 10k temperature sensor stop fitting

Aquacomputer parts:
1 x aquaero 6 LT
1 x splitty9 fan splitter
1 x 53219 Flow rate sensor

IMG_3868 - Copy.jpg
 
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1.) I was thinking some sort of EK pump res combo or their distro plate. But I don't understand what the different type of pumps that the come with.
2.) Whats D5 vs DDC (3.1 vs 3.2?) etc.
3.) I see that most things use g 1/4 thread. What fittings do you guys recommend. Also I want to learn more about Quick Disconnect fittings (I want to use one for a drain port).
4.) What ID/OD do you guys recommend for PETG tubing?
5.) Coolant and Kill coils etc. I want to go for clear liquid.
6.) I hear about cleaning out fittings and rads before hand what do you guys do to clean it out?
7.) I hear its bad to mix metals so does that mean if I get one copper block I have to get all copper blocks vice versa with nickel blocks?

Any help is greatly appreciated. In terms of budget I was thinking $1k~ for the water cooling stuff. If thats unreasonable I can increase it.

Since you already bought em just use em? The EK pump/res combo in DDC form is trash ( I write that cuz you chose a DDC Corsair combo).

D5 and DDC are types of pumps. D5 are bigger, slightly more expensive, and dump heat into loop. DDC are small, much higher static pressure, and dump heat into air. The choice of the two pumps comes down to loop restriction, less restriction/simple loops 3 parts or less D5 is fine. More restriction makes a DDC a better choice. I personally like DDC pumps for their head pressure and size. But D5's are quite popular many fans of them.

Fittings wise I have been using 5 year or more old Bitspower fittings. Buy em once and keep using them for life. QDC's are great, I'm a big champion of them but they are wasted on drain ports. And don't get me started on stupid drain ports that drain jack all. I still don't get why everyone wants one, they don't work. Think about it for a second, the water is displaced all around the loop, there is no way in physics that that water is all going to drain out so you spend money to drain water that's in the res... lol.

That said get QDC's and you can use a pair for draining, it's so stupid easy. Hook the QDC up to your gpu or whichever part. When you break it open, its sealed so water doesn't drain right. Now with a second set and some extra tubing connected to extra set, you plumb a piece of tubing to each mated end and now you can break open your loop. One end of hose point into bucket. Other end of hose blow on it real hard and voila water drains out. Me personally I use my datavac and push all that water out using this QDC method that no one talks about and for years.

I don't use hard tubing. Maybe for a show rig but I swap components too often to want to be really annoyed by having to disassemble everything to make a change. For your first loop it's recommended to stick to tubing.

Get clear coolant. Killcoils have gone out of fashion after the plating issues from a few years back though some diehards still use em. The silver strips ions out of the water/nickel or some shit liek that I forget but it doesn't matter just get some pc coolant.

You can clean what you can. Some rinse a light vinegar/water mixture in rads and shake and rinse. Once in a looong while I might do that. You can also get cleaner/scrubber chemicals like Primochill bundles with their tubing. Pour that into your loop run for a few hours then drain. You'll wanna fill and drain at least once more to make sure its all out. Then final fill...

No. Mixing metals refers to metals w/o compatibility. Copper, nickel are fine together. Aluminum does not like being near anything but aluminum, which would cause galvanic corrosion. That said you still would run a coolant with anti corrosives.
 
1.) Pump/res combo is up to you, I personally think the FLT with D5 is good value at the moment.
2.) D5's are quieter and run cooler than a DDC. A D5 will last years. I have never used a DDC because I was told from the start to go with a D5. I think most here will agree unless it is a space issue.
3.) Fittings will depend on your loop plan. I always recomend getting everything else, planning it out, and then ordering fittings. All major brands should be fine, Barrow probably offers the best value. Make sure You get rigid tube fittings that match the OD of your petg of choice. I use a ball valve fitting with a rigid tube build for drainage.
4.) I like 14mm OD, that is a personal taste thing. It will not matter as far as performance.
5.) Just buy a premix like EK's clear or Liquid Utopia. No need for a kill coil. Distilled water and biocide still works just fine as well.
6.) If you buy it all new then just fill the rad with hot tap water shake well and rinse out, that is all you need to do.
7.) Yes you need all copper, however nickel is just nickel plated copper. All blocks are generally copper. Some are aluminum. Don't get aluminum.
 
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D5/655 style pumps are cylindrical in shape, and come with tube reservoirs, pump tops/bases, or bare (need to purchase compatible res/top separately). They're tough, and cooled by the water passing through them, but they're a bit bulky.

DDC pumps are square, and a bit more compact. They can be used in many different configurations where a d5 wouldn't work due to it's size or shape. But they put off more external heat, and can overheat if not cooled properly.

Copper and nickel are generally fine together. Nickle and silver can be problematic sometimes, and never mix aluminum and copper. I mean, maybe you could get away with it with enough corrosion inhibitor, but I wouldn't risk it.
 
Since you already bought em just use em? The EK pump/res combo in DDC form is trash ( I write that cuz you chose a DDC Corsair combo).

D5 and DDC are types of pumps. D5 are bigger, slightly more expensive, and dump heat into loop. DDC are small, much higher static pressure, and dump heat into air. The choice of the two pumps comes down to loop restriction, less restriction/simple loops 3 parts or less D5 is fine. More restriction makes a DDC a better choice. I personally like DDC pumps for their head pressure and size. But D5's are quite popular many fans of them.

Fittings wise I have been using 5 year or more old Bitspower fittings. Buy em once and keep using them for life. QDC's are great, I'm a big champion of them but they are wasted on drain ports. And don't get me started on stupid drain ports that drain jack all. I still don't get why everyone wants one, they don't work. Think about it for a second, the water is displaced all around the loop, there is no way in physics that that water is all going to drain out so you spend money to drain water that's in the res... lol.

That said get QDC's and you can use a pair for draining, it's so stupid easy. Hook the QDC up to your gpu or whichever part. When you break it open, its sealed so water doesn't drain right. Now with a second set and some extra tubing connected to extra set, you plumb a piece of tubing to each mated end and now you can break open your loop. One end of hose point into bucket. Other end of hose blow on it real hard and voila water drains out. Me personally I use my datavac and push all that water out using this QDC method that no one talks about and for years.

I don't use hard tubing. Maybe for a show rig but I swap components too often to want to be really annoyed by having to disassemble everything to make a change. For your first loop it's recommended to stick to tubing.

Get clear coolant. Killcoils have gone out of fashion after the plating issues from a few years back though some diehards still use em. The silver strips ions out of the water/nickel or some shit liek that I forget but it doesn't matter just get some pc coolant.

You can clean what you can. Some rinse a light vinegar/water mixture in rads and shake and rinse. Once in a looong while I might do that. You can also get cleaner/scrubber chemicals like Primochill bundles with their tubing. Pour that into your loop run for a few hours then drain. You'll wanna fill and drain at least once more to make sure its all out. Then final fill...

No. Mixing metals refers to metals w/o compatibility. Copper, nickel are fine together. Aluminum does not like being near anything but aluminum, which would cause galvanic corrosion. That said you still would run a coolant with anti corrosives.

I've been reading some people have had problems with the XD3 pump failing early also people have had issues with the Lian Li DDC pumps in the Distro plate fail early as well. That and well space isn't an issue anymore so I was wondering if I should still use the XD3 if there are better options. I originally got the XD3 since I thought I could work it into my NR200P but I didn't realize it was still quite big.

I've been looking at the XD5 or EK D5 res pump combos now. I want #1 reliability, performance, and low noise in that order for the pump. I really don't want to have to pull my loop apart a few months down the line because the pump failed. Which is really why I am hesitant on the Distro Plates.

I never thought about the datavac too, I have one I use for dusting. Any QDC's you guys recommend specifically?
 
I've been reading some people have had problems with the XD3 pump failing early also people have had issues with the Lian Li DDC pumps in the Distro plate fail early as well. That and well space isn't an issue anymore so I was wondering if I should still use the XD3 if there are better options. I originally got the XD3 since I thought I could work it into my NR200P but I didn't realize it was still quite big.

I've been looking at the XD5 or EK D5 res pump combos now. I want #1 reliability, performance, and low noise in that order for the pump. I really don't want to have to pull my loop apart a few months down the line because the pump failed. Which is really why I am hesitant on the Distro Plates.

I never thought about the datavac too, I have one I use for dusting. Any QDC's you guys recommend specifically?

Well your loop is simple so a D5 will work great specifically since space isn't an issue. The problem with the DDC fails in distros is that its a shitty design. And you have a lot of noobs jumping to it w/o realizing that DDC pumps need to be at least passively cooled with a heatsink. Regarding design, you really want to avoid direct mounting pumps as they transfer vibrations, DDC's are worst because of their small size at least a D5's housing is large and can absorb some of it. D5's oare cooled via the loop, heat dumping into loop etc so they don't care if they get no air. Oh yea that corsair pump you got is actually obnoxiously large for a DDC. I recently tried out a new Bitspower DDC/tube res combo and it is fantastic, stout as hell. Can see it below if that. For reservoirs, I prefer tubes for their ease of use and placement. Buncha pics of differing tube setups below.

https://hardforum.com/threads/build...2-raid-render-monster.1990145/post-1044721820
<-my kids rig





I've been using non-plated Koolance forever, the push in ones hmm QD3 iirc.
 
Set aside $40 for an Aquacomputer Quadro. A proper watercooling-focused fan controller is one of the best investments you can make.
 
Set aside $40 for an Aquacomputer Quadro. A proper watercooling-focused fan controller is one of the best investments you can make.
Why? I am on the verge of breaking down and trying these aquacomputer software/hardware suites. Please tell me why they are so much better than using your mobo and its sensors to control fans. If the answer is that the dashboard looks really cool, I can accept that. That is not a terrible reason.
 
Why? I am on the verge of breaking down and trying these aquacomputer software/hardware suites. Please tell me why they are so much better than using your mobo and its sensors to control fans. If the answer is that the dashboard looks really cool, I can accept that. That is not a terrible reason.
The dashboard is cool but it's like 5% of the reason you should buy a Quadro.

1.) Your mobo doesn't know the temperature of your coolant, and that's what you control your fans on in a loop. You aren't cooling the components with your fans, you're cooling the water.

2.) In my experience, if the mobo does have a temp in sensor, you're limited in what you can use it to control. The last one I had would only control the CPU fan header, and then it would only do one of a few predefined air-cooling curves, making it useless for water-cooling. Your coolant will never hit 60c.

3.) The software gives you the ability to control anything based on anything. You can take sensor inputs and do math to them, then re-output them as virtual sensors and use those to control fans and pumps. Mine controls pump speed based on block heat rise as defined by the delta between two temp sensors in my loop. It controls my fans based on ambient/coolant delta as defined by the delta between the average of two ambient sensors and the average of two coolant sensors. At the moment it controls my case fans based on GPU temperature because I'm still waiting on water block availability. You simply cannot do things like that with mobo control, even "good" mobo control.

4.) It's standalone. Once you configure it you can unplug the USB cable and uninstall the software. It doesn't care what your OS or your mobo is doing. If powered it will run your configuration. Meaning once you own one you get to stop caring about what your motherboard can do for your cooling. If you choose to keep the software loaded it means you don't need to go into the BIOS to change things.

Data logging, HUD configurability, high amperage headers, flow sensor inputs, alarm and emergency shutdown functionality, advanced controllers (you can set up freaking PID loops if you want to), etc etc... and it's $40, and half the size of an SSD.

I could see people making a cost case against the Aquaero, but I don't see any reason why anyone with a water-cooled PC would skip the Quadro.
 
1.) Your mobo doesn't know the temperature of your coolant, and that's what you control your fans on in a loop. You aren't cooling the components with your fans, you're cooling the water.

This is a good point, and worth repeating.

Some people try to use CPU temp to control their fans in a water loop, and they are wrong.

The reason is that water temp lags CPU/GPU temp by quite a lot, especially in a large loop. If you control fans based on CPU temp, the fans will spike unecessarily during a short spike in CPU usage. You will also wind up with an idle coolant temp that is way too high, resulting in CPU temps that are too high, when quickly switching from idle to load.

Either use static fan speed that you have validated at load to ensure that it does not overheat, or use some sort of fan controller that can control fan/pump speed based on water temp

Some motherboards have water temperature sensor connectors. If you have one of those it could be a decent solution. Otherwise buy a 3rd party fan/pump controller. I really like my Aquaero, but there are others.

In this scenario, you want to first manually turn the fans and pump up and run a load on the system, both GPU and CPU, separatetly or at the same time, it doesn't matter. Determine the delta T between the coretemp and the loop temp.

Now use the fan controller to control the coolant temp to <desired core temp> + <delta T> Add a safety margin if desired. If multiple blocks are used, use the calculation that results in a lower loop temp.

Now you know that your actual core temps will top out at the same temperature no matter what, as long as the loop is thermally capable.

Some people do other things, like control fan speed based on a difference between loop temp and ambient, but strategies like this have problems, in that it allows core temp to be different depending on ambient temp, which can cause problems if you are going for max overclock.
 
Some people do other things, like control fan speed based on a difference between loop temp and ambient, but strategies like this have problems, in that it allows core temp to be different depending on ambient temp, which can cause problems if you are going for max overclock.
I stand by this method because the temperature of the coolant taken by itself doesn't tell you how fast you should run your fans. Radiator efficiency drops as your delta goes down and vice versa. Your rads at their very best can only get your coolant to ambient temperature, never lower.

So, as your rad dumps heat, your room warms up. As your room warms up, the floor of your coolant temperature increases. As your coolant temp increases, your fans will speed up, but if your coolant temp is equal to your ambient temp, then those rads aren't doing much thermal transfer to begin with.

The ∆T isn't controlling your fans based on how much heat they need to remove from the system, but rather it's controlling them on how efficiently the radiators will utilize the extra airflow. This works both ways. If your coolant and your room are both at 28c and then your air conditioner kicks on, bringing the room back down to 24c, a ∆T setup will react to the ambient air's increased capacity to soak heat.

Coolant-only setups absolutely work and they're miles better than component temps. I'll just always stand by a ∆T setup. Then again, I'm a controls engineer, so my opinions may be a little pedantic for most. 😁
 
Stop shilling for Aquacomputer gdamn, your debates on what to monitor is hijacking the thread.
 
I have always gone AIO's and with COVID being the way it is I have had too much time to look at PC stuff this year. I want to build a system in a Lian Li PC O11 Dynamic Mini (I think its coming out within the next week). I looked at Corsair stuff but that was when I was thinking about doing it in an ITX system and was forced to use the Commander Pro because the lack of fan headers. Now that I am not restricted to that since I can use an ATX board I was wonder what you guys recommend.

System Build:
AMD R9 5900x
AMD RX6800XT or 6900XT
4X 32GB G.Skill Trident Z Neo 3200MHZ CL16
MSI Meg X570 ACE
Corsair SF750

I plan on water cooling both the CPU and GPU. I don't know how much rad I actually need. I wont be overclocking too much.

I already ordered one HWLabs Nemesis 360GTS.
I also ordered the Corsair XD3 pump res combo and XC7 block but now I am unsure if I want to use them.

1.) I was thinking some sort of EK pump res combo or their distro plate. But I don't understand what the different type of pumps that the come with.
2.) Whats D5 vs DDC (3.1 vs 3.2?) etc.
3.) I see that most things use g 1/4 thread. What fittings do you guys recommend. Also I want to learn more about Quick Disconnect fittings (I want to use one for a drain port).
4.) What ID/OD do you guys recommend for PETG tubing?
5.) Coolant and Kill coils etc. I want to go for clear liquid.
6.) I hear about cleaning out fittings and rads before hand what do you guys do to clean it out?
7.) I hear its bad to mix metals so does that mean if I get one copper block I have to get all copper blocks vice versa with nickel blocks?

Any help is greatly appreciated. In terms of budget I was thinking $1k~ for the water cooling stuff. If thats unreasonable I can increase it.

A lot of what you are asking really comes down to personal preference, and you will get wildly different answers based on those preferences.

So here are mine, based on watercooling since chevette heater cores and aquarium pumps were the new hotness.

1) The EK pump/res combos are fine, although you already have the Corsair XD3, may as well use it. However I personally do not like the combo units because I prefer keeping my res as high in the loop as possible. I also do not understand the design of the XD3, it is like it is supposed to be a mini distribution block, rather than an actual reservoir. Regardless of what current trends are, one constant in watercooling is that air will rise in your loop. So if your res it not capturing the air, then whatever is highest in your loop, is. That may be your cpu block, radiator, tube whatever.

2) What DDC/D5s are, has been answered. DDCs do need airflow to keep them cool.

3) I haven't gone down the hard tubing rabbit hole yet, but generally have found fittings to be roughly equal in quality regardless of manufacturer. The advise I would offer is for any fitting that allows for rotation, to buy one spare. These are the only fitting I have ever had fail.

I am a strong believer in drains, the biggest factor being they have to be at the lowest point in your system to actually drain, and you also have to plan your system with the flow generally being top to bottom(or vice versa). You will always have a few oz of coolant in the blocks and around fittings, usually some in the radiator depending on its orientation. You will find radiators have the ability to produce coolant out of thin air.

It is just convenient to be able to connect a hose and turn a knob and 90% if the fluid drains out.

I have used QDC as drains before and they work fine assuming there is one on the low side of your system.

4) Can't speak for hard tubing, for soft tubing I always went for 3/4 x 1/2 or 19/13. You can search this forum or the interwebs and probably find scathing arguments about tubing sizes affecting everything from flow rates to temperature saturation to looks. In reality it makes such a miniscule difference that it really comes down to what fits your build.

5) I'd also just recommend either getting a bottle of premix or concentrate of which ever brand you want to support. I like the XSPC EC6. It comes in clear and I have not had a single issue with any block/plating corrosion or gunk build up.

Kill coils or silver inserts are really only needed in pure distilled water setups.

6) I have always washed out radiators. They are copper components that have been sweated and fluxed. I always assume that they have not been cleaned out after manufacturing. When I flushed my XSPC RX360 it had globs of gunk come out. I used to use vinegar and water, but have used espresso machine descalers and powdered dishwasher soap as well. Hot water may realistically do the same thing.

Fittings and plated blocks I have not bothered with pre washing. I do however scrub them after they have been used, for instance after swapping a block, adding a component etc.

7) Galvanic corrosion is a thing and it will destroy components to include fittings. However for water cooling, as long as you keep aluminum out of the mix you will be fine. Copper and nickel are fine together, even more so with the use of a good coolant, which will have corrosion inhibitiors (think coolant for your car, which we legit used to use).

A} I would add a few things to your shopping list, that may get overlooked.

A shorted 24 pin female plug is handy so you can run your psu/pumps with everything unplugged from your system. These are handy when filling, leak testing etc. Yes you can just short the green wire and and black one on the psu 24 pin cable, but I made one if these like a decade ago, and never looked back. You can buy them prebuilt anywhere you can buy WC components.

A few feet of flexible tubing and some cheap hose barbs. You should leak test your components before installing, they should in theory been done at the factory, but I have had two blocks over the years leak, brand new, as soon as they were under pressure; both caused by pinched/missinstalled orings. Alternatively EK makes a pressure testing kit, which would do the same thing, but at higher cost.

Keep some absorbant shop towels handy. Everytime you remove a tube, qdc, tip over a block etc, you will be spilling some coolant out, or you should expect to. Shop towels are great to hold under fittings etc to catch any drips. I also fold them kind of thick and put them under every block/pump connection when doing the last leak check before putting the system back on power. Just as an insurance policy for a bad leaky fitting/block etc.

In regards to the Aquacomputer system, they are pretty nice, but not something I would worry about right now. Get your build setup, then look at whether you think you need granular monitoring for flow rates and fluid temperature.

I personally just use a Corsair Commander Pro, with the pumps pwm plugged into one of the fan ports. It does perfectly fine spinning up the fans and/or pump based on cpu temps. Just keep in mind every plumbed in sensor or flow monitor (or distribution block etc) is another failure/leak point.
 
Stop shilling for Aquacomputer gdamn

There is no shilling here. I said I liked mine but offered that there were other alternatives as well, but I just can't speak to them as I have not used them (in less detail)

Otherwise buy a 3rd party fan/pump controller. I really like my Aquaero, but there are others.


your debates on what to monitor is hijacking the thread.

I was answering a question that was asked.
 
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That xd3 pump isnt right. It is weak af. Its only rated for 380l @ 2.1m head pressure wtf is corsair pullin here? My laing 3.2t is 600l@ 4.7m head pressure.

https://www.frozencpu.com/products/...g_18W_DDC-32T_Pump.html?id=JYGwSWch&mv_pc=165

There are different variants of the DDC pumps. DDC 3.1 is like 400l/h 3m while the 3.25 is 900l/h and 5.2m, primarily based on the power draw 6-10w v 18-20w, then the way the top is designed will change the stats some.

If you look at the specs on the xd3, it shows the actual pump is a Xylem 3.2 pwm pump, which is rated for around 600l/h, 4.7 m head, assuming Corsair is using off the shelf xylem pumps. Interestingly Corsair refers to the pump as a "Xylem DDC 3.2 PWM9" which could be a one off version of the pump specd by Corsair.

The 380l/h stated spec could be due to the design of the pump top/res combo being inefficient. They could have also had the wattage limited for noise/heat control, given how the pump is set into the res/case.

You will find that the stats listed on store pages vary pretty wildly even when the pump body is the same Xylem/liang 3.2/3.25 pump.

That is not saying the xd3 is designed well, it looks like a great way to kill DDC pumps.
 
Oh i know about all the different kinds of ddcs. A 3.2 rated that low for that much money is highway robbery. Calling it a 3.2 is misleading at best.

To those not familiar with real laing/xylem/lowara 18w ddc 3.2 pumps avoid this xd3 at all costs.
 
What do you guys recommend for a reservoir pump combo?
Honestly it's down to aesthetics. As long as you're buying from a reputable brand you don't really need to worry about quality.

Determine what kind of pump you intend to use, the port arrangement you need, and the size you can fit, and go from there.

I'm personally very fond of Watercool's Heatkiller line. Excellent quality, nice thick glass, modular and flexible. There are other good options out there but that's my favorite.
 
What do you guys recommend for a reservoir pump combo?

Honestly the majority of WC setups will see the same performance regardless of whether a D5 or DDC is used, as long as you stick with a known brand (EK, BitsPower, etc) it really comes down to what you need/want for your system.

The biggest difference for the average user/setup is that a D5 is near silent even at max RPM, and a DDC will be silent until about 50% at which point you may/maynot notice a whine that gets louder up until 100%, case type, fans, mount type etc will impact whether this is noticeable or not.

Also pay attention to whether it comes with a mounting system, or if it requires a separate mount. Or if you want to use a fan as a mounting point etc.

Look at the layout of the inlets and outlets, especially on combo pumps; will you need to buy a different top, or interior flow tubes to get the layout you want?

BitsPower, EK, Swiftech etc have pump/res combos, in both D5 and DDC variants, around the same price as the Corsair XD5, with and without RGB.

With your stated WC budget, you could start looking at the pump/distro plate combos. I've only seen in person the EK distro plates, which looked high quality and looked great in the system it was in.
 
I was looking at the ek district plates and I see a lot of posts about pump failing early and it kind of scared me off. Some people have said to put a heat sink and cool it with a fan in the back but I’m not sure even then.
 
I was looking at the ek district plates and I see a lot of posts about pump failing early and it kind of scared me off. Some people have said to put a heat sink and cool it with a fan in the back but I’m not sure even then.
This may just be hipster-me reacting against the latest fad, but I loathe distro plates for a variety of reasons.

They are typically case- and potentially block-specific if you want the ports to line up correctly.

They are expensive by themselves, and will double your BOM for fittings.

They are giant slabs of acrylic. I know it's not a popular opinion but I hate acrylic. It cracks easily, and exposing it to isopropyl alcohol will destroy it.

They ugly.
 
This may just be hipster-me reacting against the latest fad, but I loathe distro plates for a variety of reasons.

They are typically case- and potentially block-specific if you want the ports to line up correctly.

They are expensive by themselves, and will double your BOM for fittings.

They are giant slabs of acrylic. I know it's not a popular opinion but I hate acrylic. It cracks easily, and exposing it to isopropyl alcohol will destroy it.

They ugly.
I never thought about them being block specific. Thats another thing against the EK distro plate, along with the pump that is. I thought they were supposed to make loops easier and simpler with shorter tubing runs.
 
I never thought about them being block specific. Thats another thing against the EK distro plate, along with the pump that is. I thought they were supposed to make loops easier and simpler with shorter tubing runs.
That is potentially the only benefit to them. Personally I don't see how they make things easier, unless you're buying the one made for the case you have and you're buying the blocks that match the port locations. Even then, they're a ton of extra money for being able to make "easier tubing runs."
 
That is potentially the only benefit to them. Personally I don't see how they make things easier, unless you're buying the one made for the case you have and you're buying the blocks that match the port locations. Even then, they're a ton of extra money for being able to make "easier tubing runs."
Yea, EK makes one specifically for the PC O11 Dynamic. Its the O11 Dynamic Distro Plate G1.
 
What do you guys recommend for a reservoir pump combo?
Honestly, if you are looking at he the dynamic family (I haven’t see the mini yet). I would head to ebay and find a person to make a distro plate/pump combo for that case.
 
I was looking at the ek district plates and I see a lot of posts about pump failing early and it kind of scared me off. Some people have said to put a heat sink and cool it with a fan in the back but I’m not sure even then.
Sounds like your looking at a distro/ddc combo. Why not go for their FLT(flat) series with a reliable D5 pump. Distro plates look cool, I agree with Hakaba, there are a few people making them on Ebay standalone or especially for Dynamic cases like this guy
 
Sounds like your looking at a distro/ddc combo. Why not go for their FLT(flat) series with a reliable D5 pump. Distro plates look cool, I agree with Hakaba, there are a few people making them on Ebay standalone or especially for Dynamic cases like this guy

I just wonder about the warranty and support. I don't mind paying more, but I don't want to be left out in the cold later down the line if anything fails.
 
The rule of thumb I used to like was 14,400 mm^2 (120x120mm) per 100 watts.

I also like copper/acetal.

I have my res/radiator/pump in my basement. I realize not everyone can do that but it makes the PC completely silent heh.

I just use distilled water and change it every 6months - year.

For loads like yours I use 1/4” ID, I go through the CPU first. Always do series imo to avoid air issues. Use 3/8” if you like but it’s pretty overkill due to the thermal capacity of water.

People like to overthink the pump. I just go for quiet. Also for low fan speeds there’s not a huge difference between radiator thicknesses. If you were doing 3x GPUs and a CPU like we would in the old day... 3/8” ID still was slightly overkill lol.
 
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The rule of thumb I used to like was 14,400 mm^2 (120x120mm) per 100 watts.

I also like copper/acetal.

I also have my res/radiator/pump in my basement. I realize not everyone can do that but it makes the PC completely silent heh.

I also just use distilled water and change it every 6months - year.
So you think I'll need 2 360 rads? RX6800XT/6900XT is 300w~ or the 3090 I just got is 400w with a bit of OC, and a 5900x/5950x is 200w~? So By that metric I would need 600mmx600mm of rad or 720mmx720mm with the 3090. I mean the rads dont cost much so I dont have an issue getting another.

I would prefer to pay for coolant if I can go 2 years~ without a change because I figure that's when I would upgrade the GPU anyways. But if I can't comfortably do that I guess 6 month to a year changes arent too bad.
 
So you think I'll need 2 360 rads? RX6800XT/6900XT is 300w~ or the 3090 I just got is 400w with a bit of OC, and a 5900x/5950x is 200w~? So By that metric I would need 600mmx600mm of rad or 720mmx720mm with the 3090. I mean the rads dont cost much so I dont have an issue getting another.

I would prefer to pay for coolant if I can go 2 years~ without a change because I figure that's when I would upgrade the GPU anyways. But if I can't comfortably do that I guess 6 month to a year changes arent too bad.

If Anandtech CES article is correct... (https://www.anandtech.com/show/15264/lian-li-unveils-the-o11d-mini-versatile-38-liter-chassis)

"Depending on the form factor of the motherboard installed, the O11D Mini can house up to three 280 mm radiators with a mini-ITX motherboard installed, a 280 mm and 240 mm radiator with a micro-ATX motherboard, and two 240 mm radiators with an ATX sized board." But no mention of the supported thickness...

You will not be fitting 360mm anything in that case. What you could do (which eliminates the purpose of the small build) is have an external MO-RA3 under the desk or off to the side. If not... I would look at HWL 240/280 rads, well once more information is available.

Hardware Labs GTS Line here (30mm thick) (http://hardwarelabs.com/nemesis/gts/280gts/)

Two 280s should be able to dissipate 1600w of heat, while three 240s can do 2250w of heat.
 
If Anandtech CES article is correct... (https://www.anandtech.com/show/15264/lian-li-unveils-the-o11d-mini-versatile-38-liter-chassis)

"Depending on the form factor of the motherboard installed, the O11D Mini can house up to three 280 mm radiators with a mini-ITX motherboard installed, a 280 mm and 240 mm radiator with a micro-ATX motherboard, and two 240 mm radiators with an ATX sized board." But no mention of the supported thickness...

You will not be fitting 360mm anything in that case. What you could do (which eliminates the purpose of the small build) is have an external MO-RA3 under the desk or off to the side. If not... I would look at HWL 240/280 rads, well once more information is available.

Can confirm mo-ra3 is great. That’s what I have in my basement and at one point cooled 6 GPUs and 2 CPUs no problem lol. Way better than screwing around with fitting radiators in a case.
 
If Anandtech CES article is correct... (https://www.anandtech.com/show/15264/lian-li-unveils-the-o11d-mini-versatile-38-liter-chassis)

"Depending on the form factor of the motherboard installed, the O11D Mini can house up to three 280 mm radiators with a mini-ITX motherboard installed, a 280 mm and 240 mm radiator with a micro-ATX motherboard, and two 240 mm radiators with an ATX sized board." But no mention of the supported thickness...

You will not be fitting 360mm anything in that case. What you could do (which eliminates the purpose of the small build) is have an external MO-RA3 under the desk or off to the side. If not... I would look at HWL 240/280 rads, well once more information is available.

Hardware Labs GTS Line here (30mm thick) (http://hardwarelabs.com/nemesis/gts/280gts/)

Two 280s should be able to dissipate 1600w of heat, while three 240s can do 2250w of heat.



der8auer did a mock build recently with the latest prototype and 2 360 fits for top and bottom.

Also of note I already bought a GTS 360 in advance.

EDIT: But I've had a recent change of heart on the Mini. I am probably going to stick with the regular O11 Dynamic so I can use a ATX MB and have top and bot rads. Also trying to see which vertical gpu mount I can use that I can still have the bot rad.
 


der8auer did a mock build recently with the latest prototype and 2 360 fits for top and bottom.

Also of note I already bought a GTS 360 in advance.

EDIT: But I've had a recent change of heart on the Mini. I am probably going to stick with the regular O11 Dynamic so I can use a ATX MB and have top and bot rads. Also trying to see which vertical gpu mount I can use that I can still have the bot rad.

I stand corrected, thanks for sending this video my way. I don't remember how much space you have at the bottom, the number 55mm (radiator and fans included) keep coming to mind. There is a max amount of space when utilizing a VGPU in the original O11.

Hell might be 45, you would be stuck with using your 30mm rad with 15mm fans.v Just verify before making an expensive fan purchase.
 
I stand corrected, thanks for sending this video my way. I don't remember how much space you have at the bottom, the number 55mm (radiator and fans included) keep coming to mind. There is a max amount of space when utilizing a VGPU in the original O11.

Hell might be 45, you would be stuck with using your 30mm rad with 15mm fans.v Just verify before making an expensive fan purchase.
Yea, funny thing is I had originally planed to do the loop in my NR200P so I already have 4x Noctua A12x15 pwm chromax. I also bought 2x 5 pack Artic P12 pwm pst fans as well since I was thinking about doing it in the O11 and the lead times on them are so long. Either way seems like I have all the fans I will need. Just need to buy another rad, fittings, and pump/res or distro plate. Also need to figure out which GPU I will actually have in the system, but won't know for sure until Wednesday.
 
IMG_3699.jpg

So some of the fittings and the vertical bracket came in. I am just waiting on the petg tubing and gpu water block now. This is how she looks before I can get everything else in.
 
Yea, EK makes one specifically for the PC O11 Dynamic. Its the O11 Dynamic Distro Plate G1.
EK also makes one for the XL version of the case. I assume there will be one from them for the mini before too long. I know a lot of people are hating on them, and that's a purely aesthetic choice, some like it and some don't/ Personally, I like the way it looks in the front of my XL case. And as far as pump failure, so far so good on that front. If you're wondering why I have 2 radiators and only cooling the cpu with the loop, I am planning on adding a watercooled GPU to the loop. Was going to wait for a new card, but that isn't happening soon, so gonna throw a waterblock on my old 2080ti.
 

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EK also makes one for the XL version of the case. I assume there will be one from them for the mini before too long. I know a lot of people are hating on them, and that's a purely aesthetic choice, some like it and some don't/ Personally, I like the way it looks in the front of my XL case. And as far as pump failure, so far so good on that front. If you're wondering why I have 2 radiators and only cooling the cpu with the loop, I am planning on adding a watercooled GPU to the loop. Was going to wait for a new card, but that isn't happening soon, so gonna throw a waterblock on my old 2080ti.
I saw the reviews for the mini and because I wanted to use an ATX board I just went with the non-XL. The mini cant fit ATX and dual rad top and bot so if you used an ATX board you would have to sacrifice a rad for a distro plate. I didn't want to make that sacrifice. Also I finally found a vertical GPU bracket that allowed me to have a rad and slim 15mm fans. Can't even dream of that in the mini it seems unless I do ITX. I already have my NR200P so I wasn't interested in doing that.
 
I saw the reviews for the mini and because I wanted to use an ATX board I just went with the non-XL. The mini cant fit ATX and dual rad top and bot so if you used an ATX board you would have to sacrifice a rad for a distro plate. I didn't want to make that sacrifice. Also I finally found a vertical GPU bracket that allowed me to have a rad and slim 15mm fans. Can't even dream of that in the mini it seems unless I do ITX. I already have my NR200P so I wasn't interested in doing that.
Ahh, ok, must have missed that post, sorry.
 
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