I'd love a comprehensive video on actually building and setting up a custom loop from start to finish.

If possible could you look at the performance of a thick rad and thin fans compared to a thin rad and thick fans. Thanks

Tips: - soak the tip of the soft tubes in boiling water for easier handling, or use a heat gun carefully to make them softer ;) - also, flush the radiators a few times when new, also flush the complete new loop a couple of times with plain distilled water, I let it run for 24-48h and flush then repeat before adding the final liquid :D

*ATTENTION*: if you are using the aqua computer aqualis glass res. The leak tester might lose pressure and make you think that you have a leave but you won't. The design of the res causes you to lose air but not water. It has something to do with the nickel plated metal tube and the glass. I recommend leak testing without the aqua computer aqualis reservoir. Adding the reservoir once your leak testing is done. The only place it SHOULD leak from is the base of the reservoir, Make sure to tighten the reservoir if you have previously taken it apart. If you apply pressure against the reservoir than you will create a small leak BUT that's only if something pushes against the reservoir

Your production value looks so high. Really always such brilliant shoots. Totally love your b-roll !!

Big list of tips, tricks and best practices (will be updated over time...): 1. The spatial relationship between components is very important. RESEARCH YOUR DAMN CASE! And if your current case is not good for custom water cooling, get a new one! The vast majority of bad experiences with custom loops originate from a case that was never designed with multiple radiators or custom loops in mind. The clearance between radiator mounts is a very important spec that most reviewers don't mention. This has a big impact on what parts you can fit. Corsair mid towers are notorious for this. You have to account for the size of your GPU block in relation to your reservoir and radiator positions. Also pay attention to your case's rad mounting solution. A sliding rail is far preferable to fixed mounting holes (again, bad on you Corsair). Finally, airflow. A bad airflow case makes for a bad custom loop case. 2. Quality components matter. You're spending $$$ if not $,$$$ for some aesthetic pop, a decent reduction in noise and a marginal increase in performance. Don't just get XY brand because you see everyone using them. You will spend less and get higher quality parts by mixing brands that excel in their respective product categories. I'll touch on this later... 3. Invest in tools. One I find ESSENTIAL for hardline tubing is the Primochill Rigid Finishing Bit (there are vids on it). The main + of the RFB is not the chamfering, it's that it lets you precisely shorten the lengths of your tube runs .##mm at a time. This is far preferable to cutting, deburring, sanding, oh crap it's too long, but only by a little bit, so I can't really cut, now I have to sand, well that's a PIA... so now I have to start over. No thanks. I also like to finish off my hard tube ends with some sandpaper to make sure they are 100% smooth. Breaking an o-ring is the last thing you want. Another tool you may see people use are bending kits/mandrels. Some important points for those. Do not waste your money on a cheap plastic set. They are not precisely made and will often cause more problems than they solve. Only get metal mandrels. Bitspower and Monsoon make the best ones. Monsoon and Alphacool also make a interlocking ruler kit that is great for measuring bends to set up your mandrel positions. I would purchase these together. If you are doing hard tubing, a heatgun with adjustable temperature is nice to have. 4. PWM control software. Mobo software + a water temp sensor often "works". However, as pretty much anyone knows, most mobo software sucks. Some people use Corsair iCUE since it also controls their RGB stuff. It's better than mobo software... but there is a vastly superior option... Aquacomputer's Quadro/Octo controllers w/ Aquasuite software. The lack of YT content on this solution is mindboggling to me. Ali, seriously, pls, make a video on this. I could write an page worth on this topic alone... but in short... lightweight software that doesn't crash, granular PWM control, plethora of special functions like condition based PWM curves, warnings and autoshutdown, terrific UI, fully customizable monitor, etc etc. Best $45 you will spend. Now on to quality brands. There is a certain brand you will see pretty much every TechTuber use. They have a big marketing budget. They incentivize only showing their products together. Some products they make are great, most are ok, some should be avoided. They are NOT the only option out there and you should absolutely be considering the myriad of alternatives out there. Here is a detailed breakdown (get a cup of coffee): - CPU block: Watercool Heatkiller, Aquacomputer, Alphacool (XPX), Optimus and EK's Magnitude (only) are top shelf. Bitspower, Phanteks, XSPC are good as well. - GPU block: Watercool Heatkiller, Aquacomputer, Optimus, Phanteks, and Bitspower. Pay close attention to your GPU model. Reference cards (this crazy gen as an exception) and Asus's Strix are the best models to target if you are custom water cooling. EVGA is often a safe bet as well. - Reservoir: Reservoirs don't impact performance and it really comes down to quality (material, glass/metal vs plastic), ports, size and mounting compatibility. Don't sweat this one. I like Watercool and Singularity Computers for ATX builds. Distribution blocks are also an option. - Pump: D5 PWM (just not the VP755) for ATX cases. DDC 3.2 PWM (with heatsink) if you are tight on space (DDCs are noisier than D5s). Aquacomputer D5 NEXT has some nice features (display, temp sensor, rgb, etc) if you don't mind paying a bit more. - Radiator: Hardware Labs. HWL GTS, SR2 and GTX are some of the best rads on the market. GTS is 30mm thick and is the best rad for 9/10 situations. Corsair and Bitspower uses HWL as their OEM, so they are good options if the price is lower or HWL availability is limited. XSPC makes the best

One painful lesson I learnt before custom cooling your rig... is to try out every components if it works first =(

While assembling all the hardware, and planning my first open loop, I've watched or read at least 50 in-depth water cooling tutorials, and 4 minutes in this is already the most useful. Once you understand the basics, the details become critical, and your fittings discussion - especially your extenders mention (and the subsequent shot of their use on a radiator port) provides useful detail I haven't previously come across. A broader discussion of angled adaptors and T-fittings would have been even more appreciated, but that's mostly due to the fact that I'm currently trying to plan my fill/drain ports. Your channel is obviously very professional, and the information presented is incredibly valuable.

Always nice with tips & tricks videos! Covering smaller things which might otherwise not get a dedicated video. Wouldn't mind seeing more of those covering various SFF topics.

Appreciate the good lighting, camera work, audio quality and overall production value. A pleasure to watch great content go hand in hand with quality production. ❤

Thanks for the tips! I will now always spit on my tube before sliding it over the tubing.

I've done quite a few custom loops since I've been building. That being said, this video taught me something. Well done.

Regarding sliding the tubing over the barb of the EK Torque fittings, do note that there is room for an allen key (hex key) on the inside. Using that it is super easy to both get the tubing over the fitting and closing it afterwards :)

Thank you very much for this video it covers what I needed to know before building a custom loop myself. Thinking of going with EK myself. Keep up the good work !👍

Just finished my first PC build with custom watercooling. According to your recommendation I included a Temperatur-Sensor and this makes the fans even more unnoticeable.

thanks man I feel like you can read my mind with what youve been uploading lately

If you are using a large reservoir separate from the pump, you should always feed your pump from the reservoir. Use gravity to your advantage. The opposite configuration will cause unnecessary wear. This is mostly irrelevant in little ITX builds, but should be mentioned in a general water cooling video.

This is a great video! Been working with ZMT tubing for a while, and desperately needed to be reminded about the soaking. Definitely a great point about having extra fittings! I think my one tip would be if at all possible, have a backup machine. If you’re inexperienced, you may find you’re missing a component that you’d like on the first go for your loop, or down the line experience a pump failure, and then potentially be out of commission. I’d say just anticipate it won’t be as reliable as an air cooled system, and then enjoy the glorious temperatures/noise levels the other 95% of the time.

Ahh the info on the thermal probe is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you

Thank you so much for this. I may be building my first custom loop soon and this video is a true goldmine.

Love this video answers all the questions I had about watercooling that I was too afraid to ask

Wow. So much ground covered in this one, Ali. Will be sharing this often for folks getting into water cooling. Cheers

Love the concept of this video. Thank you for the tips

Thank you so much for this tips video. Just in time to attempt my first watercool build and this is very informative 👌🏾

I've seen like 10.000+ PC builds but that NZXT H510 build you did is hands down the most beautiful pc i ever saw! Well done.

Thanks for the tips. Wish I had known about wetting the ZMT before installation. I recently did my first custom loop in a Ghost S1 and what a pain it was to tighten some of the fittings. Ended up having to use a wrench for a couple that didn't have good clearance to wrap my fingers fully around.

Awesome! I've been waiting for this!!

thank for the high quality tips!

excellent advice, and sky high production values as always

Perfect vid and timing. Wanted to custom loop my new build for looks and obviously the performance. First time and im seriously wanting hard tubing and ill likely do both gpu and cpu. Scary but exciting

Some good advice. I love the EK ZMT tubing, used it in my last 3 loops. You can never have too many fittings and adapters, but you can sure have too few. Plan ahead and look for other builds with the components you plan on using.

I've been running my fans of coolant temp for a couple years now. Highly recommended. I'm also using a fan hub off the high output header on my MB. This way all fans are on the exact same curve.

The Nexxxos V2 radiators from Alphacool have a fill/drain port on the back side, this can be really handy especially in miniITX builds.

great guide for people getting into custom loop, I need get leak tester, its crazy where you installed that ddc looks sick

Nice tips, awesome rolls

This one will help me a LOT for my M1 Watercooling project. thanks!

The temp sensor for the coolant is really important. At least for the pumps that I use, they have a max operating temp of 60C. Sometimes my coolant reaches upwards of 52C which isn't so great, but at least I know and I can set a notification on my system to warn me if it goes above a certain temp (I set it at 55C). Also, from what I've heard, PETG tubing can warp or deform at temps around the 50s (you are bending it with a heat gun at 62C and above), so perhaps in the summer or if you are overclocking some really hot components (3090, etc.) for extended periods of time, definitely need a temp sensor for your coolant and run your fan curves based on that.

Funny timing. This is what I was looking for since my O11 Mini just arrived. Thanks for the tips.

I knew all of them, but not the EK leak tester. Thank you!

Very useful. Thanks!

Just what I needed!

More videos please. Love them

Would love to see a video on the Sliger S620. Just completed an air cooled build in it with a 3090 and not only was it a pleasure to build in, but the temps have been surprisingly good. I was basically going to build something very similar to your M1 but someone mentioned the S620 to me. Definitely glad they did.

I appreciate you Ali, I also 100% wan to see you game more!

i wish this would have been here a few weeks ago when i did all my watercooling upgrades. WOW i learned a lot lol. if you are new. GO SOFT TUBING FIRST! Wow i should have listened, the hard tubing was way harder than i thought since im a perfectionist.

Phenomenal video, thank you! ^^

I fkn love you guy, wanted to water cool my 6800 but it was too daunting for me. Maybe when RDNA3 comes out I will and have A LOT more confidence, till then please keep up with your quality content, it's invaluable! Had no idea about that EK leak tester!

Always amazing do view your videos! Thanks man

good nice and simple advice, very good video 👍

Thank you so much for sharing with us 👏👍😇

love the tips

super helpful video

Hi, just wanted to thank you for making such an informative video like this 🙏. Really appreciate every work U do in all your videos 🙏🙌, U R a professional for sure 💯🙏. Keep the good work bro 💪!!!

All good tips but in my experience fully testing all pc components before even installing any water cooling is best practice.

5:35-whoops! Absolutely love your vids man, I'm surprised you still don't have a single sponsor (nod to EK).

EK X splitters are on sale on their site and are really great for a midline fill/drain and a temperature stop plug combo.

Thx it's really helpful

Very nice tips!

I made an oversized loop with 6 x 360mm plus one 240mm rads, with radiators in parallel in a set of 4 and 3. With two D5s in serial at 100% I see a 4C delta between the coolest and hottest points of the loop. At a more silent pump speed I can see deltas of over 8C. If you have very power hungry components and extremely restrictive rads like the HWLabs GTS line you'll definitely see more than a couple degrees of coolant temperature variation at different points in the loop.

wonderful video.

You forgot to mention an important and crucial best practice, do not mix different types of metals in your custom loops, never ever, always try to go with the same metal everywhere. Also i honestly prefer cheap out on my fittings and tubing with buying from Bykski or Barrow and then spending a little bit more on my Radiators or even CPU/GPU blocks (EKWB, Alphacool). Buying also the right tools for cutting your tubing is mandatory otherwise you are just up for nightmares lol

This is such a good video.

I have had absolutely zero issues with EK's ZMT black tubing while dry.

Great video, maybe I will make the jump to water cooled in my next build

Im still running an original Swiftech 240x AiO with one of their DDCs, and after 5yrs it still runs great, but it can be a little finicky and noisy after refilling sometimes, but after a good shake it quiets down.

I don't have the financial resources to make a watercooled PC, but this is still satisfying to watch.

What is better for noise and temperature? Have a thick rad combined with thin fans or thick fans with a thin rad?

Great points, whished I knew some of those before. I had a hell of an experience in my Ncase build, I would avoid the thicker version of zmt soft tubing and crossflow variants of radiators, stay away from that s***.

The matte black soft tubes are much better looking than any hard tubing in my opinion

EKWB has announced that they will also be releasing some thing similar to the barrow pump block you showed

thanks for the tips

can you make a video of assembly all this together plz???? great video btw

Some great tips here, thanks! Where is that purple pearlescent solid cooling solution from? I love how you can see the flow as the pump is working away... and it doesn't seem to be on EK's site.

Pro tips: Radiator size (length, width, height) and fin density (fpi) are the biggest factors in loop performance followed by fans; but it's a lot easier to add/upgrade fans than swap a rad. Consider your budget and physical limitations, then get the biggest/thickest rad you can. Higher fpi rads (>18fpi) should use higher static pressure fans Built myself a $450 loop, nexxxos 1260 rad, dual bykski ddc, cpu+gpu, 3 quick disconnects, soft tubing, compression fittings, and a water temp sensor.

I did soft tubing but only did straight runs and used fittings for angles. Nzxt h7 flow 2x 360mm rad Ek Velocity on 11900k 3080 Aorus Xtreme WB

I use cryofuel exclusively too. However I used the solid blue and over time the solid component broke from solution and clogged the blocks. Took ages to clean out would never use solid coolant again, whereas normal colored cryofuel has never given any problems at all apart from some slight staining of blocks after prolonged use ( nothing that cant be fixed :) )

I remember you said that gpu are more sensitive to deltaT so we should cool the gpu first if it's possible.

1:29 the nr200p is insane! Would love to see more from this case

this leak tester saved my RTX-3090 one month ago... :-)

Dipping your soft tubing in distilled water would've saved me a lot of frustration and sore fingers when doing a custom in my sliver sm570

I think im going to upgrade to a custom soft line build when the 50 series finally releases. Im currently using a 6800xt with a 5800x and its perfect for 1440p and light 4k gaming, but i am a sucker for the latest graphics tech and ray tracing performance is a must for my next build.

such quality videos

Any idea what the intro song is?? Great music selection as always! 👏🏻

I thought the first tip was going to be “Don’t”, followed by “If you really have to, […]”.

Waterblock scrubbing man...what a pain. I rinsed my 3x 360 rads so many times, over a few days, one day with diluted vineger solution, another 2 days with tap water then distilled water, but there was still some whitiest hard residue/build-uip to clog my cpu block in a few months time. Full nickle plated copper blocks with copper rads and brass bitspower fittings and mayhem's anti-rust and anti-mircobial to boot. When u rebuilt my comp, i got paranoid and flush the loop once a day for 3 days, then 1 more time after a week and a few more times over the course of months and after i feel comfortable, double dose the mayhem loop treatment drops. Temps seems stable now after 6mths+, not sure what went wrong initially.

the alphacool pumps with acrylic closing knobs can crack with heat/cooling - causing the liquid to run out all over the case... tried that twice now. recommend replacing them with brass ones.

broooo thanks for this

Most if not all EK gpu waterblocks state in the manual that "You can use any opening as an inlet/outlet port." So flow direction i those doesn't matter.

So there’s no such fitting that allows you to couple soft tubing to hard tubing? I have a general idea of what I want for my first custom loop build. It’s not small form factor and the premise of what I want is “hidden tubing”. So something like hard tubing bent and routed right behind the motherboard in the straightest/cleanest way (so two bends/couples). Then once the tubing is behind the mother board be able to switch to soft tubing as it won’t ever be seen and is easier to work with (from what I’m told)…. Although the case I want to try this in is the Lian Li Lancool 2 Mesh, which if you aren’t familiar has tempered glass on both sides so maybe it would be cool to show off some tubing on that side as well. I know what a lot of you are thinking but I’m pretty handy with working with my hands and power tools so I’m not afraid to put some holes in the motherboard tray to route tubing or even modifying the front radiator bracket to accept a 420mm radiator. I just want the loop to be pretty minimal and clean… I k is there will could be lots of space left in the case when I’m done but I just want a clean looking MOBO with pretty much just the block standing out… I’m also not sure if I would include both the cpu and gpu, just the cpu, or even just the gpu for the loop. System is currently a 5800x being cooled by a Artic 280 AIO, with a MSI Gaming Trio 2080Ti (not liquid cooled). If I start with just the CPU I guess I can always modify the loop for a future GPU (don’t feel like growing through the trouble for the 2080Ti as I’ll probably replace it in the next year or two). Or just wait until I’m ready to build something all new I guess, that would probably be the smartest thing to do lol. I just like building and tinkering with shit to much whether it’s PC’s, guns (AR’s and custom Pistols), or even crap in my woods hop lol. Hell this PC I’m talking about has gone through 2-3 evolutions in this same case/mobo combo. Well sorry it took you 10 minutes to read all this mumbling but aren’t you kinda glad you did!?!?

For the temp sensor, how do you get it to talk to your fan curve? Does it require special software or mother boards?

Can you make a build guide for one of your SFF PCs?

Can you give us the run down of what you use for the ncase m1 that you build and all the others? If its possible for you to do it for us?

I wish Mayhems Pastel Pink was still around, I really want to theme my build around Hyper Light Drifter

From research I have done the inlet/outlet ports aren't really that important just like the flow order. Maybe a couple of degrees difference maximum.

Good thing to save your money - ek fittings sometimes have 100% sale lol. I guess it was mistake on webpage but they actually arrived to people

Ali, do one for SFF cable management?

Any plans on reviewing the Sliger S610 and S620?

If I were to custom water cool, I would buy Swagelok metric fittings. Their selection is much wider for English units over metric, but they have 12 and 16 mm fittings that should work. Using them properly requires some experience. And if Swagelok makes metric ferrules out of polymer or graphite (I didn’t find any in a quick search), one could go all glass! [ok, that would be a LOT of work]

oof what I would have given to have this before making my rig haha. Thanks!

I know well and good that loop order makes no difference, but I still go pump/block/rad/block/rad/pump, it is silly I know, just habit. I'll also use soft tubing where it can't be seen, just because of ease. =) I love the pressure tester as well!!