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My water loop evolution starting from an XSPC kit

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feniks Total Posts : 7604 Joined: 8/2/2008 Location: NJ-NY, USA Status: offline Ribbons: 37 Folding: 13,279,128	Re:First water loop diagram (with XSPC kit), is it any good? Monday, May 07, 2012 8:39 AM (permalink) Hawaiiboi808 Nice! thanks! OC Stability testing \| 790 Ultra GTLVREF calculation \| Tt Armor Case journey throughout time [ Affiliate Code :: Z175ITYXKX ] [ FOR SALE ] "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle
	#31

feniks

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Re:First water loop diagram (with XSPC kit), is it any good? Monday, May 07, 2012 9:46 AM (permalink)

Ordered the 3/4'' Primochill hose clamps online in Microcenter with a local pickup, maybe this way that will work for me, they seems to have only 1 bag (4 clamps) in stock LOL! yesterday they couldn't find it at all hehe.

hey, a have a question, can anybody tell me where the pump (installed inside the res) has the water inlet? I am trying to figure out if it perhaps sucks air when I tilt my system too much to the right.

When tilting the case to the right (a lot, not a little) or putting the PC on its side, it seems that my pump starts sending air bubbles downstream. trying to figure out if maybe the combo res+pump's inlet catches some air from top part of res (which is not super full) if I do that.

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#32

feniks

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Re:First water loop diagram (with XSPC kit), is it any good? Monday, May 07, 2012 9:58 AM (permalink)

never mind, I got it, the pump's inlet is under the semi-circular "scoop" and this is exactly what sticks out above water level when I put my PC on its side, that's why pump sends air bubbles downstream once I do that.
http://martinsliquidlab.i...ervoirPump-Review.html

I guess, I would have to unscrew the res, slide it out and rest on something when I wanted to operate the PC on its side wall.

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#33

feniks

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Re:First water loop diagram (with XSPC kit), is it any good? Wednesday, May 09, 2012 11:18 PM (permalink)

noticed interesting thing. it seems that my XSPC (Xinduralian or whatever) 1,650rpm fans acting as push don't matter at all... I can unplug them on running system and CPU temps seem to stay same ... need to double check this under load ... perhaps this is because the stronger pull fans (S-Flex 1,900rpm) are doing majority of work anyways ... perhaps it's time to add 2 more S-Flexes and be done with it. I am not buying super expensive AP-15's for now, will leave that "upgrade" (rather cosmetic as it will lower the noise only) for another time... when I get rich...

for now settled my 2600K CPU OC at 4.8GHz at 1.420v vcore for daily use. it runs better than at 4.5GHz and temps under load are similar (only 5C hotter) while idle temps are pretty much same, 26-33C depending on ambient (which varies anywhere from 19-27C).

I love this cooling system!

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#34

feniks

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Re:First water loop diagram (with XSPC kit), is it any good? Tuesday, May 15, 2012 5:29 PM (permalink)

replaced 1 Xinrulian 1650rpm push fans on the 240 rad with a new pair of Scythe S-flex 1900rpms to match the other two (doing a pull) ... minimal improvement in temps, noise is louder now ... next time I am going with GT AP-15s for sure, but for that project I will swap all 7 fans total (5x 120mm and 2x 92mm) with GT's to make it all quieter ...

also from other things, I unfortunately noticed that my clear tubing started discoloring a little bit, nothing crazy yet, but it looks smokey now. I drained the loop thinking it was the crap from radiator which I didn't flush, but no, the water was crystal clear. it's just the inside of clear tubing getting "smoked" and a little yellowish at certain lighting. it still looks good though when system is running ... just looked awful after draining it dry at taking a cell camera pic with a flash.

see for yourself, this is the worst crap looking pic I have ever taken, worst possible lighting I guess, besides the tube was fogged from inside fresh after draining. in first pic when compared to dry clear (not used) tubing it looks like I there was **** flowing through the liquid cooling tubing LOL, but in fact after refill it just looks little bit smokey again (not so much yellowish as in picture of drained loop).

posting it just for fun, it doesn't look nowhere near as bad in real life, it's how my cell camera took it LOL

terrible picture (for fun and laugh) of drained loop:

better picture of drained loop:

after loop refill:

cheap clear tubing I guess... next time I am going with colored UV tubing, probably blue or red/orange ...

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#35

feniks

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Re:First water loop diagram (with XSPC kit), is it any good? Wednesday, June 20, 2012 9:55 PM (permalink)

I think I will revise my blueprint for loop expansion in future, namely I will be dropping the Dual Bay res idea eventually and once I get RX360 rad it will go inside the case (intake area) while my current RX240 will hang on the outside rear

this way I will have a better choice of res design/brand and location in case and my computer will look neater with a smaller rad hanging in the back

Likely I will be going with EK Res X2 (cylinder shaped) and an aCool pump ... gosh I would get those things right away if I had the funds!

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#36

davcr

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Re:First water loop diagram (with XSPC kit), is it any good? Thursday, June 21, 2012 7:50 AM (permalink)

Feniks hi...

Awesome build up man! I am currently planning my first LCS. I own the same case. I was investigating about the rx360. Do you recommend it? Should it fit in the same place where you put the 240? How about the performance regarding the pump/res>

Current computer:
CPU : Intel Core i7 920
MoBo: eVGA x58 SLI
PSU: Thermaltake Thoughpower 750W
RAM : 12 GB Dominator 1600MHz
GPU1: eVGA GTX 570HD
LCS: XSPC EX360
SSD1: Intel SSD 60GB
HDD1: Maxtor 250GB
HDD2: Maxtor 320GB
Case: Thermaltake Armor 8003bsw

#37

feniks

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Re:First water loop diagram (with XSPC kit), is it any good? Thursday, June 21, 2012 8:01 AM (permalink)

davcr,

Thanks man!

I like this case more and more hehe. Actually in a week or two I will be modding it further with a dremel and a drill

hopefully I don't screw it up!

yes, the RX360 fits the intake area after you remove the bottom plastic drawer insert and the 5.25->3.5'' hdd insert in middle.

with 360 in front you will have space for only 2 more devices, e.g. power button insert and the dvd/br drive. also mounting will be tricky, sometimes it's enough to put some foam around it and it just sits in there, but for more secure mounting I would suggest going with some brackets or stand/mount with screws.

with 360 in front the cylinder res (e.g. EK res X2) could get mounted to the edge of intake bay area and pump couldbe installed at bottom

if you don't need such a mess however, just go with RX240, it's a good fit with plenty of free space left in front (.e.g. for a Dual Bay res+pump combo from XSPC and 1 more free slot).

performance for CPU cooling only is awesome with RX240 and X2O 750 pump/res combo, I am very happy with it

however in future I plan on adding a GPU bock and MB blocks, so I would need 1 more bigger rad for same effective cooling.

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#38

EVGATech_DaveB Total Posts : 2303 Joined: 9/26/2008 Status: offline Ribbons: 24 Folding: 613,968	Re:First water loop diagram (with XSPC kit), is it any good? Thursday, June 21, 2012 8:09 AM (permalink) Why are you swapping out the res, got a problem with it? Hope its not leaking. Frankly, I love my XSPC bay res's.
	#39

feniks

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Re:First water loop diagram (with XSPC kit), is it any good? Thursday, June 21, 2012 8:15 AM (permalink)

hi Dave

nope the res is good I like it too, but that's a X2O 750 and eventually I need to upgrade it to a D5 pump... but instead of going wtih another res+pump combo and sacrifice 2x 5.25'' (like I do now), I could free up that space (1 have 1 more slot free right below it, that gives me total of 120mm free area above current 240 rad) and put a 360 internal rad in there instead

I am not doing it now, just keep it in plans for future, no funds for such upgrades yet anyways. the idea came in after I looked up nice EK cylinder shape reservoirs. it seems like they could get mounted easily almost anywhere and I could fit the "external" pump anywhere at the bottom of case, should fit.

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#40

EVGATech_DaveB Total Posts : 2303 Joined: 9/26/2008 Status: offline Ribbons: 24 Folding: 613,968	Re:First water loop diagram (with XSPC kit), is it any good? Thursday, June 21, 2012 8:18 AM (permalink) Ahh, ok, sounds really good actually. Once you get the upgrade all done, post some more pics.
	#41

feniks Total Posts : 7604 Joined: 8/2/2008 Location: NJ-NY, USA Status: offline Ribbons: 37 Folding: 13,279,128	Re:First water loop diagram (with XSPC kit), is it any good? Thursday, June 21, 2012 8:22 AM (permalink) will do, my friend, will do OC Stability testing \| 790 Ultra GTLVREF calculation \| Tt Armor Case journey throughout time [ Affiliate Code :: Z175ITYXKX ] [ FOR SALE ] "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle
	#42

feniks

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Re:First water loop diagram (with XSPC kit), is it any good? Thursday, June 21, 2012 1:09 PM (permalink)

here is a new diagram v3 of future loop, I think this is the best I can come up with for this case and setup.

EDIT: the drain location doesn't make much sense, so I would probably try moving it to the other side - between pump and rad if possible ... well, I guess I will figure it out when I have parts in my hands hehe.

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#43

EVGATech_DaveB Total Posts : 2303 Joined: 9/26/2008 Status: offline Ribbons: 24 Folding: 613,968	Re:First water loop diagram (with XSPC kit), is it any good? Thursday, June 21, 2012 1:29 PM (permalink) Looks Good! Drain location really just needs to be physically low in the loop. Aside form that it really doesnt matter where, just where it is convenient for you.
	#44

feniks

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Re:First water loop diagram (with XSPC kit), is it any good? Thursday, June 21, 2012 1:41 PM (permalink)

^thanks

, hopefully the dream comes true one day, I see nice potential still in my old case and all the mounting locations (modded if necessary) should do. if all fails, there always are zip ties!

I have mixed feelings about the drain location (as in picture). wouldn't it drain only the left side of diagram leaving the right side almost untouched (half drained maybe)?

anyhow, I will figure it out (and test) when the time comes

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#45

feniks

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Re:First water loop diagram (with XSPC kit), is it any good? Monday, July 23, 2012 10:06 AM (permalink)

Got a few issues with physical components placement questions.

1. centrifugal pump mounted on case's floor

As I know, all centrifugal pumps have inlets in center (at the rotational axis of impeller) and the outlet is always on the outer edge, e.g. like this:

Initially I wanted to place the D5 pump on the floor of case between GPUs and the intake area radiator.

Also It seems that I will need to get an EX360 radiator instead of RX360 for that project (in intake area), because the RX would simply be too thick leaving not enough space for the pump and plumbing around it. EX360 will run with AP-15 fans in push config only.

Another problem is that most brackets on D5 pumps force the placement of pump with centrifugal inlet on the side (I would really want one orienting the pump with inlet on top, but cannot find such brackets on any of pumps). In other words even if I got the Koolance pump+res combo (the cylindrical one with pump installed at bottom) I wouldn't be able to mount it anywhere ... except mounting it to 120mm fan holes at the rad itself. I guess it's not a good idea to mount the pump to rad itself, so I'd rather mount it on floor and do the tubing bends with angled connectors so it all gets connected right.

2. cylinder shaped reservoir (Koolance probably) mounting location

I have 3 options here:
a) mount the reservoir on top of pump, but then I am running into a mounting spot trouble (not much space for that on the MB tray, might not fit)
b) mount the reservoir with velcro or zip ties to the side, close to radiator, but not on it
c) use the Koolance 120mm brackets and mount the reservoir on the EX360 rad itself - does it carry any negative effects on rad performance?

Here is a pic of my case, as you can see current RX240 with push pull fans is taking too much space and not much left between it and GPUs, hence why I will be going with EX360 with fans on one side only. it should leave some space around to mount both the pump and cylinder reservoir somewhere.

I am still not certain how to push it further. there is still time, I'm in no rush here, since I am having some financial issues, so won't be buying the parts for some time yet.

What do you think about reservoir mounted on the intake radiator? not a good idea? I will probably try mounting it to intake area on front side somewhere, not sure yet how it works out.

in meantime updated the diagram, not much changes, except for thinner radiator, less fans in front and pump connections and placement:

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

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#46

feniks

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Re:[Custom] water loop diagrams based off XSPC kit Monday, August 06, 2012 7:42 AM (permalink)

OK, my wife probably kills me once she finds out, but I pulled the trigger ($300) on the water loop upgrade to better accommodate GPU + CPU temperatures.

I also, redesigned the location and type of components so they match the easiest and shortest routing, will be looking more like a full circle with no tubes running across the the middle of case

"New" (and now Custom I think he he) loop will consist of the following parts for now (new ones are bold):
-Koolance PMP-450S pump (for now at 12V, in future at 24V)
-FrozenQ Liquid Fusion V2 reservoir 160mm with side ports
-RX240 rad
-EX360 rad Crossflow
-xspc raystorm cpu block
-xspc razor 670 block

Final would probably look like this, but mind that there will be no Z77 chipset block yet and for now I have only 1x 670 card:

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

I think if all fits as I think it does, this should be quite efficient dual-rad loop

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#47

feniks

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Re: My water loop evolution starting from an XSPC kit Monday, August 20, 2012 7:39 PM (permalink)

received the final part today - frozenq reservoir! it's awesome, however its width with clamps and placement of side ports required me to relocate it one more time sigh ... will throw some final diagram tomorrow from work.

the only thing I actually did completely tonight was suiting up my gtx 670 into XSPC block with backplate

... hopefully properly ...

my system is currently stripped apart and offline...

here are some teasers though!

what I thought was a project for 1 evening turns out to be a project for the whole weekend ... and so since I will be working on it in evenings only then it's gonna take me couple days to complete it ... stay tuned!

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#48

feniks

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Re: My water loop evolution starting from an XSPC kit Tuesday, August 21, 2012 11:12 AM (permalink)

first of all, sorry for crappy quality of pics above (cell phone). will get better ones during assembly.

this seems to be the final loop diagram for my setup.
I dropped the idea of z77 ftw chipset block, it seems to be unnecessary (not to mention nobody makes it yet either) as well as blocks for on-board VREG/MOSFETS (they run very cool).
also I keep putting GTX 670 SLI in diagram, but for now I have only 1 single GTX 670 here (SLI in plans for future)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

will see how it goes. have my doubts about the FrozenQ reservoir and its side ports, at least one of side ports seems to be restricted (flow wise) by a helix behind it ... time will tell how it works out for me. for now I have to drill at least 1 more small hole in the MB tray to install the res mounting bracket. wish me luck please

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#49

feniks

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Re: My water loop evolution starting from an XSPC kit Tuesday, August 21, 2012 6:48 PM (permalink)

some updates from tonight.

holes drilled, reservoir brackets installed:

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

new reservoir in place, cathode wire sleeved:

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

RX240 rad installed in the back of case using a Swiftech radbox (and a gutted fan shroud):

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Things left to do:
~~-sleeve the pump wiring~~ DONE
~~-mount the pump on the floor of case (need to get creative about it)~~
~~-mount the EX360 Crossflow rad in front of case using XSPC Rad Stand brackets (of course my case's stands come in the way, so will need to improvise on this one)~~
-fittings and tubing
-loop leak testing & bleeding

approximately it will be all done by Friday evening or maybe faster if things go smooth. I can work on it only for 2-3 hours a day after work if time allows.

thanks for comments if any and regards to all people reading this thread

YOU CAN DO IT TOO! NEVER GIVE UP!

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#50

direraptor22

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Re: My water loop evolution starting from an XSPC kit Tuesday, August 21, 2012 7:15 PM (permalink)

WOW NICE!!!!!!

I am SO JELLY!!... I wish I had anywhere CLOSE to the funds to do that!

- Main Z77 Gaming Rig

- Secondary MicroATX Z77

- Mini-ITX H77 Home Server

“The fascination of flight can't be expressed with words. But it really lies beyond the capabilities of human endeavor. Once you've experienced it, you'll never be able to forget it.” - Friedrich Oblessor

#51

feniks

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Re: My water loop evolution starting from an XSPC kit Tuesday, August 21, 2012 8:26 PM (permalink)

direraptor22

WOW NICE!!!!!!

I am SO JELLY!!... I wish I had anywhere CLOSE to the funds to do that!

Thank you

who says I have funds for any of that LOL? My credit card issuers must love me recently ... feeling is not mutual tho, however I can't live without them ha ha!

will pay that off over time when I can ... for now I stopped buying lunch at work to feel better about it

I always wanted to have some cool water loop, decided to make the dream (partially) come true before the damn world ends

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#52

direraptor22

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Re: My water loop evolution starting from an XSPC kit Wednesday, August 22, 2012 2:27 AM (permalink)

feniks

direraptor22

WOW NICE!!!!!!

I am SO JELLY!!... I wish I had anywhere CLOSE to the funds to do that!

Thank you

who says I have funds for any of that LOL? My credit card issuers must love me recently ... feeling is not mutual tho, however I can't live without them ha ha!
will pay that off over time when I can ... for now I stopped buying lunch at work to feel better about it

I always wanted to have some cool water loop, decided to make the dream (partially) come true before the damn world ends

LOL I'm with ya buddy! Max out my credit card before the world ends and satisfy my computer hardware addiction!

- Main Z77 Gaming Rig

- Secondary MicroATX Z77

- Mini-ITX H77 Home Server

#53

feniks

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Re: My water loop evolution starting from an XSPC kit Wednesday, August 22, 2012 8:02 AM (permalink)

thinking about pump placement on the floor of case. there is one thing which is a slight problem, namely the orientation of inlet + outlet + bracket for installation... I think for now I will zip tie the pump in place and route plumbing around it as needed, but for future I might try getting some conversion/adapter bracket.

why? because I'd like to have a clean loop look and can't really achieve that with pump inlet facing the side door while reservoir sits not far above it he he.
also the pump's outlet is oriented upwards currently while I'd like it to aim the front of case ... so looking for some adapter bracket to change the pump orientation.

I'm getting all excited about this project! 2 more evenings and it should be done

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#54

SlashPT Total Posts : 186 Joined: 7/27/2011 Location: Europe - Portugal Status: offline Folding: 1,501,355	Re: My water loop evolution starting from an XSPC kit Wednesday, August 22, 2012 10:34 AM (permalink) Simply awesome !
	#55

feniks Total Posts : 7604 Joined: 8/2/2008 Location: NJ-NY, USA Status: offline Ribbons: 37 Folding: 13,279,128	Re: My water loop evolution starting from an XSPC kit Wednesday, August 22, 2012 11:05 AM (permalink) SlashPT Simply awesome ! Thank you! OC Stability testing \| 790 Ultra GTLVREF calculation \| Tt Armor Case journey throughout time [ Affiliate Code :: Z175ITYXKX ] [ FOR SALE ] "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle
	#56

feniks

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Re: My water loop evolution starting from an XSPC kit Wednesday, August 22, 2012 9:00 PM (permalink)

... phew ... what a struggle I had ... first I was tinkering for about good 1-2 hours about pump mounting spot and orientation then mounting of the 360 rad ... then I realized the only way I can mount the pump to fit my loop best would be with inlet oriented at the top and pump installed not on floor, but rather on the drive bay panel by the side door, like this:

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

I am happy with it, looks good, ports are more or less where I need them and despite only 1 screw + nut holding it to drive bay (a hole was predrilled in that spot) I secured it with a small black zip tie so it doesn't rotate. then I struggled for good 30 minutes with my 1/2'' ID tubing over the oversized 1/2'' OD barb on the pump ... 1/2'' OD my a$$ ... I succeeded eventually after lots of cursing haha!

here is my EX360 crossflow rad with fans and barbs installed:

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

and here it is already in place:

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

however I wasn't able to use the rad mount brackets at all, would need to mod the case further with a dremel or bend some long steel tabs ("guide rails" for 5.25'' bay devices), so gave up on it and simply secured the rad in place with foam underneath and with a DVD-ROM holding it at the top. in future I will think about some more secure placement, not a priority now.

last things left for tomorrow are the fittings and tubing. and here is my problem. I wanted to recycle old tubing, but I noticed some whitish powder-like sediment on the inside walls of my used tubing. it's not present in any component and I checked all of them (peeking through openings), it's only on the inside of tubing ... so far ... so plasticizers problem in Primoflex?

it smells alkaline a bit, so I am not sure what it is exactly, but it's not from water (used distilled with silver kill coil). it must be coming from the tubing walls, it comes off when touching it with a finger, but he flow of water itself does not flush it out (it stays on walls).

probably will try cleaning the tubes with a long stick and a piece of sponge (plus some dish wash) and see if it comes off - it should I think. since all components look clean like a whistle to me I may just re-use the old tubing after some scrubbing

OC Stability testing | 790 Ultra GTLVREF calculation | Tt Armor Case journey throughout time
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#57

feniks

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Re: My water loop evolution starting from an XSPC kit Thursday, August 23, 2012 7:51 PM (permalink)

all right! finally leak testing the system!

all goes well, no leaks nor seeping anywhere for 25 minutes, it's becoming more of bleeding process now ... so happy ... and terribly tired like hell ...

it was my first time with compression fittings and I have to say I like them, but my fingers sore, probably I tightened them all a little too much ha ha!

some pics from tonight:

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OC Stability testing | 790 Ultra GTLVREF calculation | Tt Armor Case journey throughout time
[ Affiliate Code :: Z175ITYXKX ] [ FOR SALE ]

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle

#58

direraptor22

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Re: My water loop evolution starting from an XSPC kit Thursday, August 23, 2012 10:03 PM (permalink)

^^ SUPER NICE!!!!!! Man I'm loving that system... and yea I agree, I have compression fittings in my system right now, for the first time and I love them. Made my fingers raw for 2 days straight though!

Can't wait to see fully assembled system! I wasn't able to sleep the first time I put together my system and was in the leak test/bleed process! Was so excited! xD

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#59

feniks

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Re: My water loop evolution starting from an XSPC kit Thursday, August 23, 2012 10:57 PM (permalink)

direraptor22

^^ SUPER NICE!!!!!! Man I'm loving that system... and yea I agree, I have compression fittings in my system right now, for the first time and I love them. Made my fingers raw for 2 days straight though!

Can't wait to see fully assembled system! I wasn't able to sleep the first time I put together my system and was in the leak test/bleed process! Was so excited! xD

haha, thank you!

BEAST IS ALIVE!!! The first post from my rig after rebuild

Most of air is out by now. 2hr bleed it was while I was sleeving (black Kobra HD) some wire extensions and working on some other wiring crap at the back of case (also hooking up second rad to fan controller), anyways all is done per this project!

have no idea about thermal limits now (hopefully they improved), haven't touched anything yet except for booting into Windows and making sure all is where it belongs. system looks gorgeous now

Last things left are sleeving some PSU wire extensions (mostly it's about MB connector wires, now running a bare extension, god it looks ugly!) finally once I get the package from Nils (mdpc-x) with more small red sleeve and matching heatshrink.

I don't know how I will wake up in morning for work ... i'm so tired ... headache (fixed myself with a pain killer earlier LOL!), back ache, stiff fingers, tears leaking out of my red eyes ... generally I feel and look like a zombie haha!!!