HardwaterH4ck3r

Make sure you get or make some shrouds for the ehatercore....and if you buy the heatercore from autozone, you have to modify it to take the 1/2" hose barbs.

Also...if you are getting 1/2" OD fittings on everythign....contrary to popular beleif, you do not need 1/2" ID tubing. I know it defys conventional wisdom, but if you use 3/8" ID tubing, you will not lose flow due to restriction (fittings are all 3/8" ID) but it will look cleaner, as you can usually dispens with hose clams if you use this method.

How do you do this you ask? When assembling the system, dip the ends of the tubing into bioling water for ~15 seconds, and then force them over the fittings... Not only will it hold like nothing else, it looks cleaner.

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game

I have heard of that boiling water trick, but don't get me wrong here. But won't the waterblock have thinner walls than the tubing, so even if their OD is the same their ID could be a lot different? Maybe I'll use a combo of worm clamps and heating the tubing in my system.

Renegade5399

Zip ties are more than sufficient and a whole lot cheaper.

fstfrddy

I do not recommend over stretching tubing, It has the potential to split.

Thumper

Agreed. This heating, and stretching and forcing tubing is NOT a good idea. You are asking for failure. Maybe it's just me, but I have no desire to have water explode all over my desk, computer, ect.

Use reduceers or modify for the proper fitting.


My opinion.

Some_Idiot2

And a whole lot less safe.
Use nothing less than worm drive clamps. I've had those nylon clipy things tear in half, and zipties can sometimes slip.

CyberDruid

Worry Warts. Tygon tubing will not split when forced over over-sized barbed fittings. I don't even bother with boiling water--a pair of needle-nose pliers inserted n the tubing then opened will stretch the tubing enough for a few seconds. Zip ties have proven sufficient for my system. I would never use worm gear clamps in my builds--nylon clamps or zip ties only--as they are conductive, have sharp edges, are difficult to tighten in confined spaces and IMO look messy. If you want automotive or marine grade clampng on your hoses the OEM-style spring-steel clamps or the more-permanent crimped type clamps are the best.

Using barbs with the same I.D. as the hose only makes sense--however there are special thin wall fittings available specifically for this type of plumbing. (Sidewindercomputer.com).

Using Home Depot Vinyl tubing is not a good idea. For the quality of build you are proposing I would go with Tygon lab-grade tubing. It will last longer than you need it to and will not become ahrd or brittle and is resistant to anything you might want to run in your loop.

Mounting your gear externally will have some advantages. As your parts will be easy to get at I would reccomend running your loop without a resevoir as long as you can keep the pump wet. You might need to mount the pump lower than the rad, etc, in order to accomplish this--or even in the PC case.

Post us some pics if you can once you get going,,,,

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Renegade5399

I use PrimoFlex tubing as it is really hard to kink and is very flexible. As far as a res, I love mine. It makes bleeding and filling much easier. Plus it looks cool!

Thumper

I don't have another $1000 to spend if I fry this system. An ounce of prevention.......


Or, design something using these....

Earl's Performance Ano-Tuff Swivel fitting



These fittings are secure, clean looking, and slick. The -8 AN size is equivelent to a 1/2", the -6 AN is a 3/8".

Sure, they are pricey, 2 of those for the CPU block at $25 each, 2 pipe thread to AN adapters to screw into the block so you can use these fittings, another $10 each or so.....adds about $70 to the parts, but worth it IMHO. They also are available in red/blue adonized and chrome polish, depending on your design.

Well, you know what they say, stick with what you know. I know cars, and these fittings jumped right into my head when I started thinking about water cooling. They work great on my cars, why not my computer.