Huge tip for screws going into any kind of plastic or acrylic, manually put them in, and always turn your screwdriver backwards till you feel the screw drop into the existing tap.

Solution for scratches in Acrylic, wipe it down with Future Floor Polish or any acrylic floor polish. It will fill the scratches making them invisible at the same time adds a protective coating.

if you're worried about scratches on acrylic, you could always get a roll of PPF (paint protection film), which is clear, thin, UV resistant and any scratches you make will heal out with some heat. more commonly used on the front ends of higher-priced cars but their application potential is huge.

Circular scratches can be seen from any angle, straight scratches can only be seen from one. That's why they tell you to clean your glasses with a back and forth motion instead of little circles. Just something to consider.

One suggestion that may benefit... As you take your screws out, label or place them so that the same screw goes into the same hole. Acrylic is very soft and you may find that the treads are slightly different from hole to hole. I did have this issue on a GPU block one time, where I had to use clear silicon to seal the screw to thread. Just a suggestion!

A major con with distro plates is if they are taking up critical fan/radiator space. If it's sitting on something solid like the PSU shroud on a Corsair 1000D then sure, go for it, but I wouldn't want to otherwise block airflow/cooling. Plus the prices on many of them are pretty crazy for just being a "tube" that might help with alignment of your actual tubes.

If you want to avoid getting scratches on the acrylic, you can use ceramic nano coating just like they use on car paint. Most ceramic coating play very well with acrylic and will dry to a rock hard, completely clear finish. You could use PPF, but PPF has thickness and cutting all of the holes is a pain. PPF may also yellow over time if you use UV lights in the system. The ceramic coating wipes on and polishes out very easily.

I tend to make false walls, floors or ceilings out of coloured acrylic (to match the case) and have passthrough fittings so that all my runs in the main chamber are straight and the corresponding ones in the rear are where I make all my joins. I did make a feature out of them when I used a false roof. It looked good seeing all the twists and turns through the glass top with all straight vertical runs coming from the components.

Like always: It depends. It can replace a classic Reservoir, holds one or more pumps and makes tubing easier with less bends. So it depends on hardware, amount of connectors (how much hw plus radiators), used case, amount of pumps etc.

Man. I'm starting to really get into PC building. Just built my first custom waterloop yesterday. This is great advice

an item of note if using a drill, if it has a clutch you can always set it to a very sensitive setting as a last line of defense.

I loved using a distro plate for my first build, it significantly lowered the entry barrier for hardtubing (& watercooling in general) as it standardized tubing placement (using an EKWB distro plate on my O11D XL) It also looks quite good as a front panel replacement so it was very satisfying to turn on the first time. I strongly recommend this for first time builders, that way you don't need to get into complex bends from the start. I'll probaby go full DIY on my next build, but I still have a couple years to go with this one!

Used one for my first hard tube build in an O11XL and my main take away was the D5 pump was a lot noiser on the distro than my previous build because you can't really dampen it as well. Also it doubles your fittings and can make your build feel less unique as you are following the distro plate for your tubing runs. Gonna go without on my next build and see how I get on.

For the ATX, 3 rad build I'm working on in a 011 Mini, the EK from distro with pump has made it a lot easier.

I use one in my custom build mostly because of the layout and size to fit where nithing was ever designed to go. For mine its purely aesthetic and just a way to make the build look more interesting and custom.

I would suggest using a faux leather cloth, FAR less chance of scratching, no possibility of lint and is amazing for clear or mirror surfaces

The good thing about acrylic is that all of those little scratches can be buffed out fairly easily. On vintage watches, or modern watches with acrylic crystals, something like polywatch is commonly used with a rag to remove the scratches. Or if the scratches are worse a fine sandpaper will do. Anyways, it's not permanent.

I love them personally, it adds more water volume to the loop plus you can have a second pump which makes the liquid flow fast or it can simply be used to overcome resistance say when you have a LOT of bends or 90 degree fittings or the case is just huge so the loop is huge to

I was looking to minimize the complexity of my first ever hard-tubing build, so I bought the Lian Li O11D-XL specifically for its custom distro plate. That ended up having a lot of benefits: 1) The case had a designated spot for mounting the distro plate (and its integrated pump and reservoir), so installation was extremely easy. 2) The case, distro plate, and water blocks (all EKWB) were designed such that all the ports were vertically aligned, meaning all the tubing runs were level and needed only one bend. 3) Designing the loop was easier since the distro plate has dedicated ports for every one of your parts (GPU goes here, CPU goes here...) and they've literally drawn you a picture of how to connect it all in the manual. 4) It had a fill port in the best possible spot at the top of the case and a drain port in the best possible spot at the bottom of the case. Compared to my friend who neglected these things, filling (from a squeeze bottle) and bleeding was extremely fast and easy. 5) It looks cool as hell. I filled it with Primochill's Vue, so you can see the coolant flowing and swirling around the entire front of the case (and all the tubing and water blocks). I saw Jay's video on that stuff and it's the entire reason I decided to water-cool. Do you need one? No, water cooling is almost entirely pointless and you don't "need" any of it. For someone doing their first hard-tubing build, though, it made things really simple and the end result looks really good. Main downside I see is the simplified plumbing-the primary reason I bought it-doesn't look as interesting as the more creative tubes-running-everywhere routing you see in Jay's fully custom routing.

"Here's your fill" *pop in Phil's face* Its the little things. Great edits!

One important point: When screwing the screws to plastic, remember to first use just your fingers to rotate the screw counter-clockwise until it kinda bumps, meaning it hit its original thread, and then lightly begin to screw it in, and then finish it with a screwdriver. Plastic is so soft you'll easily accidentally crossthread it, which could cause the screws not be as tight as needed, or worse, not thread at all.

O11XL with distroplate leads to such clean lines. Love it

I'm glad you mentioned about alcahol on the seals I never knew that thanks

Just saw your digital storm ad after my Duolingo daily lesson! Y’all rock

With my underwater camera's i have learned to always grease the O-ring ever so slightly, it will snuggle into the recess more easily and expand more easily with less chance of damage to the O-ring. After tightening check the squeezed O-ring for conformity and hairs or debris that by accident got stuck in there. This works very well with acrylic housings, for metal housings a circuit that checks for leaks is almost a necessity.

@JaysTwoCents with my flt 240 ive found if you soak it in decently warm soap water overnight that it can lift most of the residue left behind in those milling grooves. But you have to start with warm water and let it cool overnight. I just use dish soap, just enough to suds slightly when you splash it around because too much and you will be rinsing it off forever. In college i had a dishwashing job and this is the trick I used on the really dirty pans, with pans i generally just needed hot water but the particles in fluid are so small ive found the soap helps lift it off, also ive never felt comfortable using scalding hot water on the acrylic, im sure it could take it but i just stick to a temp that is uncomfortable only if you leave your hand in it for a bit

A high grit polishing compound would be able to remove those superficial scratches. Chloroform might be able to "reflow" those deeper scratches, but i haven't try it before.

I used a EKWB Distro Plate in the O11D XL. But i switched to an TBE200 with D5 Pump. Distroplate is was more restrictive and much more noisier. The proper way is to use a tank pump combo, that is decoupled.

If the acrylic is decent quality (some isn't!) I would recommend Novus Scratch Remover. Amazing stuff.

You can polish acrylic pretty easily and by hand for anyone uspet that they scratched it. Also most the coolant will etch the acrylic if you spill on it but acrylic poilish a lot of the time will remove it.

If planning to fill with a tube and fitting from a seperate reservoir, use a ball valve with a m-m fitting to the distro plate, easy fix if too much added in top.

8:10 finally Phill edited his face in when Jay mentioned a Phill port 😂

It would be nice to use matte clear pff film over the distro plates, would also save it from being scratched

Have the Corsair XD7 pump/res/distro combo in my build. Got it because I like the look of it.

Maybe next video, you guys could try polishing the inside of the distro-blocks? Maybe compare its light diffusion with a non-polished version! Would be really cool. :)

I think they're extremely handy. It's definitely a case of practice makes perfect. I've seen builds with No tubing, just fittings/connectors and distroplates bringing the cpu, gpu, reservoirs and rads together.

You are very informative. Thank you.

Video coming in clutch! I’m looking into doing my First water loop build selling my kraken z73 and using that cash for a cpu loop.

That was unexpected extremely satisfying

Polywatch. Meant for refinishing acrylic watch crystals. Works like a charm for buffing out small scratches.

Wow! That Corsair link looks revolutionary. Also thanks for the video, Jay!

great infor foe me! Thanks Jayz

In my experience a distroplate is only useful if you are doing hard tubes and not using crossflow rads. If you are using crossflow rads and/or soft tubes it's usually easier just to route from one loop component to the next. If you are doing a SFF rig you're usually better off with a pump/res combo or a pump/block combo and using soft tubes.

In my current build also using the o11xl, I considered but ultimatly decided against using a distro plate. I used 3 rads and didnt like the obstructed glass panel look. But more importantly, I wanted to have full creative control over my tubing. In fact I actually didnt even use any angle pieces, so every path is bended end to end. I should also mention this is my first ever watercooled build and for that i think i did a solid job.

btw for filling have you ever tried using a automotive vacuum fill system attached to a fill port with a quick-connect fitting?

Really enjoyed this video. They aren't for me but I can see their use

I got a distro plate made from Performance PC's. I'm happy with mine, got me the look I wanted for my Corsair 7000D.

Thanks Phil

I am srsly waiting for the 901 pro project. I just found the case last week and, atleast on paper, I think its close to perfect. Love to see your opinion.

Its the fitting holes in the plates that are more prone to cracking not the screw holes. My EK 011D distro plate has cracked on almost every fitting hole and some of those I've never used. I suspect it had small cracks from manufacturing and then over time the contraction/expansion has made them spread.

Great video jay and Phil

Whats your thoughts on a bitspower Sorbet soft tube kit? Starting to pick parts and saving money. I'm probably gonna go with a cpu motherboard combo from micro center. Eventually want to go with a custom loop but I'm trying to decide with an air cooler, aio, or this soft tubing kit to begin with.

That large distro could be used in the V3000 Plus... also has enough room for Rads/Dual Loop

In my limited experience, Acrylic and Acetal is where you need to be careful with over tightening. The Acetal will crack before the Acrylic.

If you are handy with onshape/fusion, you can design your own. I have some ideas for one my mercury S8.

I think with a rupes polisher and some fine cut compound I wonder if you could get rid of the scratches? If you treat it like soft car paint it might just work, you would want to use a foam pad though as well.

the floor distro plate with pump and tank combo would be nice. like have the pump under the plate and have a tank that screws top of it. ofc it would not work with every case but with cases that have basement and a cutout it would be nice. example being having the pump under it and have a tank on top of it then the pump pushes the fluid in to the plate from the tank

I love custom water cooling it’s so freakin rad man. I’d love to get into it I just feel it’s a lot of flippin work and stress. I already monitor my system like a maniac lmao .

I have a triple 360mm rad system with the EK Reflection 2 distro in a 0-11 XL.

Jay, can you do a video on a basic water cooling loop? Nothing super high end and see how that compares at an aio.

I found a way to get rid of any scratches on. Acrylic using the Autoglym headlight scratch removing kit and it works really well. 😮😮

Love to see a review over the raijintek Styx case windowed or not.

I use aluminum polish paste with a buffing wheel. Repolishing my safety glasses to perfect clear and clean of imperfections. Would that not work since same type of material??

I always like to rub a bit of silicone grease against o-rings when cleaning blocks, that prevents them from drying out or becoming stiff

@jay any way you can do a video on RGB? Love the lighting on skunkworks. Can't seem to get mine set up right. I'm using icue. Thanks

You know what I'd like to see? A case that's "made of" distro plates. That is, make 1+ panels just be integrated distro plates. Having that and/or the reservoir just be integrated into the frame like that could be neat.

I have a member in my group that is building cooling blocks. I would love to see one on this channel as a review

that's why I always sand blast or just wet sand my acrylic to make it matte. Plus matte finish Acrylic make the light refract everywhere!

C'mon Jay you're a gearhead! Proper torque and tightening techniques!

Singularity doesn’t use a polishing bit to finish off the milling marks, which is unacceptable for how much they charge. You should look at Alphacool’s universal distroplates. They look super clear. Also there are distroplate designs that incorporate the use of traditional reservoir-pump, giving you the convenience of distroplates and the coolant volume you get with reservoir-pump combos.

Do you they make any difference to temps? Any case kits?

I use dielectric grease for the o-ring to keep it moist, not a lot just a thin layer

According to google you can put a ceramic coating on acrylic.. wondering if that would help with external spills and maybe a little bit of protection from fine scratches?

It's been bugging me for week while watching your videos and it finally hit me. You remind me of Jon Sklaroff.

i use a quick disconnect in the fill port and a cheap reservoir when i fill my loop.

Did you ever use the Corsair XD7? Would love to see a build with that, I know Corsair did their own but that was soft tubing

Will you do the challenge Steve asked you to do in a recent video with the new EK distro plate? One side clear, the other side full of fitting holes.

Is there a rad w/ integrated pump or pump housing on the market? I would like to see a build w/o reservoir, since you could maximize the cooling capacity in a limit space. I can understand the usage of the distro plate, but it kinda still takes quite a lot of space. Maybe if you could fit it behind/under MB or utilize it as an windowed side panel, that would be a "cool" setup.

if you have a rounded of screw, you can actually use a rubber band between the screw head and the screwdriver and that will enable you to get the screw out

The distro plate I bought for my case, the most common Lian Li XL, was $350. The CPU holes don't align with the CPU block. I have to do 45 degree bends to get the tubes to be parallel with the block. The Distro is also not tight fitting. There is a seal worth of movement with it. I kinda of expected something costing that much to fit with precision. Let alone the screws provided with the distro were actually too short to actually mount. I has to use old screws I had from construction work, switch or outlet screws. Sadly I was let down.

I think it really depends on the aesthetics and the build. Now to be fair, that is noob me speaking who has never done a watercooled build. I am thinking about upgrading my rig (or building a new one) in the next few months, at which point I may do a CPU loop (or AIO, not yet decided). If there's room for it (like in the O11 Dynamic with the EKWB stuff, that replaces actual panels rather than "just" fitting in somewhere), it can look really cool. It should also increase the fluid volume of a loop, which should then increase the thermal capacity, so a bit more time before you reach your max loop temp. My current case wouldn't really work with one, because there's no room for distro plates except if I throw out the front fans - but then I'd have to watercool the gpu just because there'd be insufficient airflow to keep it aircooled. And I'm not sure watercooling a 6750 xt makes much sense (except aesthetically, perhaps?). So, if I keep the case, I'd have to stick to a loop without distro plates. Then again, the case has proven to be less-than-ideal for cable management and despite being a decent-size mid tower, it's kinda stuffed full, so I'll propably get a different case anyway. As the O11 is an option I'm considering, I might just go nuts and do a full custom loop for the first time, with distro plates and everything.

Are you ever going tell us why we can't see RTFM any more,, Lots of use Love this Please and thank you.

As someone who has run into the issue with acrylic, try to use a cleaner without ammonia to clean it. Ammonia can leave chemical damage over time in acrylic. If you only clean it a few times it may not be a problem, but the more you use it, it can leave damage.

Hi, all new to custom loop… looking to do one one my lian li o11d evo XL. What water cooling brand should i look at? Thx

Well, I know one thing for sure. They look dope!

We did some testing with acrylic parts in a lab just a week ago. Had a piece of it locked in a vise so our largest guy could hammer on it until it broke. It took him *several* attempts, and even when the material gave, it would initially not break, but bend. TL;DR: acrylic is no structural metal, but it's also no pushover.

Could back plate be designed as a big heat sink for somthing like that and help with cooling?

fast forward to Jay vacuum filling his system.

Can you clear coat the clear acrylic to prevent scratching?

Still be careful with the torque on the screws. Too tight and stress cracks could start forming once a few heat cycles have went by

Sorry Jay, for me after4 years with acrylic reservoirs I gave up. None lasted past 2 years, they fog up and then crack at the fittings ports (thermal cycling). Plus as you pointed they scratch inside and out (water erosion). I now use a glass reservoir. My gpu block is acrylic but so far the internals are still clear. The outside well from just gently wiping the dust off, it still scratched. I use clear fluid and the rgb shows them up. I now just dish detergent in warm water to clean the outside. You have to be extra careful to minimize scratches. They make maintenance a pain that I prefer not to go thru anymore. Thanks for this.

Question : Corsair just put out the iCUE LINK 4-Way Signal Splitter. What is it used for? How to use it?

Good video. Can you make a video on making your own distro plate at home?

Jay, maybe you should ask these manufacturers if they use a Torque Screwdriver. I would be surprised if they didn’t because it would be much safer. Also helps get the right amount of pressure on the O-rings. I wonder what the in/lbs of force they use.

Would be good to see you 3D printing a custom distro plate.or just seeing if it is possible

Meguir's plastX plastic polish will clear up acrylic in a heart beat... did EVERY SINGLE BLOCK back in the day.

Have you thought about using a Cericoat on the acrylic? Would protect from those scratches.

If you do a build with the dual loop distro reservoir plate, please please PLEASE make a video of it! We want to see you try and fill the smaller reservoir!

Even if the acrylic doesnt crack from over tightening couldnt you break the o-ring as it gets squished too much? Not tested in this vid but seems like something that could happen, at least in theory.

Steve asked you to test the upcoming EK QuantumX Loophole, a really massive Distro plate. Please do so when it comes out! Hyped for that kinda "collab"