[thesebastian]

This is for GPU custom loop only ( RX 6800 ). So the CPU block is not included. In the future I might add a second radiator (240mm and 25mm max, like some Alphacool ST25) and "maybe" include the CPU into the loop (but the CPU is just fine at the moment). My case is an Evolv ITX. I don't overclock.

I wanted to get an Alphacool DIY kit (much cheaper and less issues with availability), but the ones with good pumps that I found, all come with an 45mm thick radiator that will cause me issues in my small rig (and will make me remove the CPU cooler).

So I finally managed to get stock everywhere, in two different shops, except for the water block which will make me wait.

Notes:

1) I'm getting a D5 pump because I heard good stuff about it. But I'll try to run the pump with speed "2"/5 to save power. (I understand the power consumption is lower at low speed). I understand the Alphacool Reservoir (Eisstation VPP) includes the O-Ring and supports any D5.
2) I'm getting the X-Flow version of the radiator, a bit larger, but just because it has a regular restriction (compared to the non-xflow version that has a huge restriction).


List (sorry for not putting everything in English. Some pages only let you use the local language):

Somebody could tell me if I am missing something and I'm not messing up anything? (Except for the 2 fans, I'll get those later, maybe Noctua Redux 120mm 1200RPM PWM).
My only fear is that everything will come to me and I am missing parts or I may have chosen something wrong. Mixing brands, etc.

I might add one additional meter of "AlphaTube". But I only need 3 tubes: from Rad to GPU, from GPU to Reservoir and Reservoir to the Xflow Radiator.


Apologies for the inconvenience!


Update: Had to replace the Eisblock GPU block because there is no availability anymore and no ETA for this. I went with a more expensive EKWB gpu block that doesn't include the backplate so I had to buy separately:

I also added a funnel to Aquatuning order as recommended

 

[Shawnb99]

Missing a flow meter and temp sensor for the water

 

[thesebastian]

Missing a flow meter and temp sensor for the water

Thank you for reviewing. I had no idea about these 2 things.

- Regarding the pressure monitoring: something like this could do fine? (This can be used with my current tube, and without fittings right? or better to buy 2 more fittings and get one with G1/4 sockets?

Alphacool Eisfluegel flow indicator blue 6-11mm - Acryl

Alphacool Eisflügel: The flow indicator with extra value! A water cooling system inside a computer is also there to make an impact on the overall appearance. Neatly laid hoses or HardTubes make for an impressive picture....

www.aquatuning.us

- Regarding the temp monitoring: is this something cheap or we're talking about something more big/complex/expensive?

 

[Slaughtahouse]

If I had to rebuild a custom loop again, I would add a drain port.

The most time consuming aspect of maintaining a loop, is draining and refilling from my experience. If you plan a drain port at the bottom of your loop (which can also act as a fill port if you flip over your PC 180 degrees), it will save you some headache.

I can't help you on the specific parts, as I don't have one. Just insure it's compatible with your tubing size (ID/OD) and you've planned a location that makes sense.

No opinion about the flow sensor / temp sensor, but if its cheap.. why not? I don't see the need but it could be useful for diagnosing if temps are higher than expected.

 

[WannaBeOCer]

Thank you for reviewing. I had no idea about these 2 things.

- Regarding the pressure monitoring: something like this could do fine? (This can be used with my current tube, and without fittings right? or better to buy 2 more fittings and get one with G1/4 sockets?

Alphacool Eisfluegel flow indicator blue 6-11mm - Acryl

Alphacool Eisflügel: The flow indicator with extra value! A water cooling system inside a computer is also there to make an impact on the overall appearance. Neatly laid hoses or HardTubes make for an impressive picture....

www.aquatuning.us

- Regarding the temp monitoring: is this something cheap or we're talking about something more big/complex/expensive?

I prefer the combined solutions with a temperature meter and flow sensor. They cost between $30-$100 mainly depending on materials used. My favorite so far aesthetically, I think they all look ugly and ruin the look of loops.

Bykski Inline Flow Meter and Thermometer Safety Module w/ OLED Display - Black (B-TFC-CS-X)

The Bykski Inline Flow Meter and Thermometer Safety Module offers a real time reading of your inline flow rate. The in-line block uses industry standard G1/4 fittings. The safety module also features real time temperature reading as well making it a complete safety device. The inlet and outlet...

www.bykski.us

If I had to rebuild a custom loop again, I would add a drain port.

The most time consuming aspect of maintaining a loop, is draining and refilling from my experience. If you plan a drain port at the bottom of your loop (which can also act as a fill port if you flip over your PC 180 degrees), it will save you some headache.

I can't help you on the specific parts, as I don't have one. Just insure it's compatible with your tubing size (ID/OD) and you've planned a location that makes sense.

No opinion about the flow sensor / temp sensor, but if its cheap.. why not? I don't see the need but it could be useful for diagnosing if temps are higher than expected.

I agree, I've ordered an EK drain port 2 months ago just waiting until the next time I need to drain my loop to install it. Might pickup the Byski flow meter/thermometer when it's out. I also ordered quick disconnects for my GPU.

 

[thesebastian]

Nothing wrong with that. Is just that. I'm already expanding the budget by a lot and didn't want to keep increasing it. 😁
I have a matte black door, so I don't really benefit from good aesthetics. (I still got my "bloody red" liquid, ha!).

I've seen some cheap G1/4 cables that monitor the temp, but they all need a temp header in the motherboard ( I didn't know about these kind of headers! ). My ASRock B450 ITX definitely doesn't have a temp sensor header.

I might go ahead with this as it is, and look for some temp + flow sensor in Amazon this week. I'm already having nightmares looking for the products, looking for availability, measuring the free space inside the case. etc

 

[0451]

My ghetto loop doesn’t have a drain port, flow meter or temp sensor.

Drain port: Take a deep breath and blow through the tubing. This removes 95% of the water in seconds.

Flow meter: Is the water jumping around inside the reservoir? If so, flow is good. Besides, a single D5 is way more pump than you need for that loop.

Temperature sensor: Not needed if flow is good.

 

[Slaughtahouse]

How does that 5% fair? And when you fill it, wouldn’t it be easier to just use it as a fill port? I have to tilt my PC like solving a rubik’s cube before I can bleed it 100%.

Considering the OP is going SFF, I think a drain port is great recommendation for easy filling.

Everything else looks compatible.

Spoiler

Just one final question, does the reservoir come with a mount to tension the pump to it?

This is not the O-Ring. O-Ring fits inbetween the mount / pump for a secure, water tight seal.

Edit: Ignore that - It does come with the mount included.

Looks like you’re good to go. Just maybe add another meter of tubing. Better to have a bit extra. You may want to adjust placement / piping runs.

 

[Avacado]

Ditch the fill bottle and use one of these https://www.amazon.com/KarZone-All-...9&sr=1-3-86c99a66-0468-42bb-9d10-9d8c8aee00c1

 

[J7SC]

@thesebastian ...like others already stated, extra tubing is always a good idea (!), as is a drain-port. I ^^also use a little funnel rather than the squeeze bottle to fill the loop, but my reservoirs (dual loop) are easily accessible and visible. I don't use flow-meters or temp sensors but at least the temp sensor is a nice 'optional' item if you don't use GPU monitoring software all the time.

...another nice optional item to add to your loop in the future are Quick-Disconnects (QDs), especially if you plan to add to the loop later, as you stated. IMO, Koolance makes the best QDs and I have several pairs operating for many years in various loops.

...finally, when you get all the parts in, you might want to flush everything with distilled water (especially the radiator) before assembly. I never had a new rad that didn't have a little bit of 'crud' in it from manufacturing...flushing is easy to do in a bathtub with a funnel. I also flush the block(s) as well as the tubes.

Have fun with your first custom loop build !

 

[Shawnb99]

Flow meter: Is the water jumping around inside the reservoir? If so, flow is good. Besides, a single D5 is way more pump than you need for that loop.

Temperature sensor: Not needed if flow is good.

This is so wrong...

 

[0451]

This is so wrong...

Not if you know your loop.

 

[Shawnb99]

Not if you know your loop.

Yes even then. Stop giving out Reddit ignorance as advice. Stop giving out WC advice at all if this the advice you give.

 

[detrophy]

Ditch the fill bottle and use one of these https://www.amazon.com/KarZone-All-...9&sr=1-3-86c99a66-0468-42bb-9d10-9d8c8aee00c1

I'm a WC noob myself but I can clearly say that the fill bottle can help you in more than two ways.
Filling the loop without spilling.
Removing coolant from the reservoir without hassle.
Helping removing last parts of coolant in blocks.

If you want colored water, you can use it to mix the coolant with the color.

Somebody could tell me if I am missing something and I'm not messing up anything? (Except for the 2 fans, I'll get those later, maybe Noctua Redux 120mm 1200RPM PWM).
My only fear is that everything will come to me and I am missing parts or I may have chosen something wrong. Mixing brands, etc.

I might add one additional meter of "AlphaTube". But I only need 3 tubes: from Rad to GPU, from GPU to Reservoir and Reservoir to the Xflow Radiator.


Apologies for the inconvenience!

Please, don't use EK Premix. Just search in the forum for EK coolants. If possible, use Mayhems coolant or Double Protect Ultra from Aquacomputer. They've got premixes too.

 

[0451]

Yes even then. Stop giving out Reddit ignorance as advice. Stop giving out WC advice at all if this the advice you give.

I’l double down. Flow meters, temperature sensors, and drain valves, along with tall reservoirs (not mentioned) are unnecessary at best. At worst they create dead legs and promote microbial growth.

Never posted on Reddit but here is your Reddit TLDR:
Spending years giving the same advice does not make your advice good.

 

[Avacado]

I’l double down. Flow meters, temperature sensors, and drain valves, along with tall reservoirs (not mentioned) are unnecessary at best. At worst they create dead legs and promote microbial growth.

Are those things required to make a functional build? No. Take a moment to truly realize the bulk of what we do here on this site is often measured in performance compared to temperatures. No loop temp sensor/flow meter? How would he know if he were gaming and water temp hit 50c? I'm sure he would appreciate not have to pick up and maneuver his case just to empty it due to a lack of a drain port. These editions most certainly help more than they would hurt. Recommending new comers not at least consider them is very poor advice indeed. We are trying to birth enthusiasts here and as they progress to even larger builds and fixate on their performance statistics more, these components become even more relevant.

 

[Shawnb99]

I’l double down. Flow meters, temperature sensors, and drain valves, along with tall reservoirs (not mentioned) are unnecessary at best. At worst they create dead legs and promote microbial growth.

That’s the spirit when challenged double down on the stupid. Flow meters and temp sensors promote microbial growth just shows how utterly ignorant you are.
Even Reddit knows better then this.

 

[RaEyE]

@thesebastian ...like others already stated, extra tubing is always a good idea (!), as is a drain-port. [...] I don't use flow-meters or temp sensors but at least the temp sensor is a nice 'optional' item if you don't use GPU monitoring software all the time.

Agreed, get some extra tubing (you will most certainly always need a bit more, than you figured).
On the topic of sensors. Strictly, they are not needed and optional, but still a nice have. Temperature sensors are cheap and often easily implemented.
For the flow sensors ... well, it's not that easy to measure flow as most people think. Especially if you want a compact sensor.

On that topic, you might want to have a look at Igor's Lab, where by chance, just recently Igor tested Barrow and Thermaltake Sensors against a certified "Keyence FD-Q10C ".
1) Aqua Computer Flow Meter "High-Flow" in laboratory test – What can a flow meter do for 40 euros?
2) Barrowch FBFT03 vs. Thermaltake Pacific TF1 and Aqua Computer High Flow Review – Flow Sensors for Custom-Loop Water Cooling with Two Total Failures

My suggestion would be, get a simple temp sensor, even if the cheaper ones usualy come with a temp-offeset of 1-2K, it's still nice to know if your loop gets warm.
On a flow meter, well, if it's in your budget, why not. But you don't need it and at the end of the day, it's a toy. Albeit a nice one.
If you go for a flow meter, I suggest a mechanical flow meter, since they are usually the more precise ones. Meters relying on differential pressure measurements can be extremely precise IF, and only IF, they are correctly callibrated, which to my experience is seldom the case.

My suggestion on a flow meter (if available in your region): AquaComputer high-flow or high-flow next. (The high-flow as seen in Igor's Lab test)
The later one being available with and without fancy RGB, and already including a temp sensor. (high-flow next (no RGB))

...another nice optional item to add to your loop in the future are Quick-Disconnects (QDs), especially if you plan to add to the loop later, as you stated. IMO, Koolance makes the best QDs and I have several pairs operating for many years in various loops.

For a simple loop I wouldn't suggest QDs. Although very nice and handy, the better ones are rather expensive, and you will always need at least a pair of male and female adapters.
Unless you want an external radiator, forgo the QDs. Better investment are drain and fill port for a fully internal solution.

...finally, when you get all the parts in, you might want to flush everything with distilled water (especially the radiator) before assembly. I never had a new rad that didn't have a little bit of 'crud' in it from manufacturing...flushing is easy to do in a bathtub with a funnel. I also flush the block(s) as well as the tubes.

That's a good advice for new parts. Definitly.
If you got the option to do so, get an adaptor for your sink, so you can attach your tubing (which if possible you should also clean), to your tap / faucet.
Use warm water (not hot, ~30°C max.) and don't use too much pressure. Not all components are produced as sturdy as a CPU block.
Especially cheaper radiators might only be designed for ~1bar / 14.5PSI pressure, which is more than enough for any ordinary loop.
Depending on where you live and how your tap is connected, your water pressure might exceed this quite noticable.



Altogether, long story short TL/DR;
1) Sensors are fully optional, but nice to have
2) Get some extra tubing
3) Try to design your loop in a way so it's possible to drain your loop without flooding your case (for maintenance and / or changing e.g. the GPU).

Antother tip would be, before assembling your loop, dry-test all your hardware!
You wouldn't want new Hardware to to arrive DoA and only notice after you put together your loop.
Just imagine, having assembled your GPU and waterblock, jst to rip it apart 1h later and noticing you just voided your warranty. Nice.



-----EDIT-----

If possible, use Mayhems coolant or Double Protect Ultra from Aquacomputer. They've got premixes too.

In general try not to use coolant-mixes with added 'nano' stuff or other patricles.
It might look nice, but it's nothing for long-term use. The particles in your premix will settle down, and worst-case might clog your cooler fins.

 

[Slaughtahouse]

@OP, did we just blow your mind and confuse you to hell? XD

Let us know if you’re updating your part list. Just as a FYI - Your original list contains the essentials and they appear 100% compatible.

Everything else here being discussed is optional. It’s just better to consider these options before you build your loop.

FWIW, my loop has none of these options and I fill my loop by placing extra tubing into my res, and by cutting a plastic water bottle to create a funnel to pour water into the tubing. Ghetto at best

I think that little fill bottle will be easier than the funnel, with your res and the size of your case, but it’s just another opinion... take from it what you will.

GOOD LUCK and post photos!

 

[Avacado]

I'm a WC noob myself but I can clearly say that the fill bottle can help you in more than two ways.
Filling the loop without spilling.
Removing coolant from the reservoir without hassle.
Helping removing last parts of coolant in blocks.

It's a good thing to have no doubt, I guess I just have flashbacks to pulled muscles in my hands from trying to squeeze in 2L of coolant. I still use my bottle, do I squeeze it though, emphatically, no.