Ok, I just finished rebuilding my loop a few days ago, and it's finally ready to be revealed:
This is my new build.
This is what it used to look like in case you forgot:
Quite a lot has changed:
- CPU and mobo upgraded with 9980XE and Rampage 6 Extreme Encore
- Went from soft to rigid tubing and replaced shiny fittings with black ones
- Added a pressure release valve and a flow meter
- Placed filters before each waterblocks
- Swapped Radiator positions and added more intake fans
Now onto details.
For CPU I actually wanted to get a 10980XE, but as of February 2020 it's still a pretty much nonexistent CPU, I gave up and went with 9980XE. For motherboard I wanted something with a stronger VRM and was considering between Asus's Prime X299 Edition 30 and Rampage VI Extreme Encore, and went with the latter since it's benefits and features outweighed the E30 feature set.
Loop planning took the longest. I wanted to keep a blue and black theme, so I went with blue tubing and black fittings. I originally thought I was buying acrylic tubing, because that's what the seller's description was, but after receiving them I realized the tubing I got was PETG. From the beginning I wanted to avoid bends, so I didn't even purchase any of the bending tools, just bought a lot of 90 degree adapters. I also got a couple of accessories with blue highlights (pressure valve and drain valve) and used a blue coolant.
I also swapped the radiators around. My original loop in this case had the thinner radiator on top, while the thicker one was in the front. But thickness isn't the only difference between these two radiators. Thinner one is more air restrictive due to higher FPI density, and the top case filter adds another layer of unnecessary restriction, because filtering exhaust air doesn't make much sense. So I decided to place thicker rad with lower fin density on top as it would be easier for fans mounted on one side of the rad to push the air through. As for the front radiator, I placed fans on both sides since it's FPI is denser and the intake is filtered as well, so there's another layer of restriction intake fans have to work against.
With the thicker front radiator assembly, I had to push the top radiator all the way to the back, and with that the original 140mm exhaust fan had to go. And besides that, I didn't want anything in the back which might've possibly obstructed the motherboard's LCD screen.
During loop testing I had a couple of leaks, but both were due to my personal negligence. First, one of the GPU waterblocks leaked because I didn't tighten all of the screws after cleaning. Second time I just completely forgot to push the tube all the way into the top GPU intake fitting, and water splashed everywhere. I thought the filter got clogged and water pressure ripped the tube off the fitting, but then I realized it wasn't pushed all the way in.
Still there are a few scuffs I'd like to fix, but will do that later, I already spent way too much time on planning, I just felt like if I tried to get everything perfect, then I would've never finished it.
Things I don't like:
- EVGA Powerlinks couldn't fit due to higher reservoir placement, so I went with original PSU cables for now
- Opening drain valve only drains reservoir without tipping the system
- The location of flow meter, but it's the only place where it could fit without ruining the symmetry
- The RAM is totally inaccessible for swapping without disassembling the top loop portion
Anyways, what do you think? How did I do for a first rigid loop? Opinions, suggestions?
Thanks for looking.