I took these with a iPhone so the image quality isnt great.
Also the build is pretty big; so i included the whole thing.
1. 3 ROG Swifts in Surround mode. Displayed is MechWarrior Online. Running at 7660x1440 @120hz (really 89-120 depending on the lag and level) I dont see a difference between 120 and 144, so i dont use it.
2. The PC all tucked away in its home. BUT you might ask, 'wont it over heat in there?'
3. NOT IF ITS WATER COOLED!
Money Shot 1
Money Shot 2
So the important thing to note in those 2 pictures is the black bars coming down from the left, along the bottom to a fork looking thing.
Those are feed manifolds and return manifolds. The feed is 1/2" ID; I noticed that when using pre-made manifolds it down converts it from the 1/2" to 1/4" then feeds to the multiple outs; This causes a lot of pressure to build up on the input and can cause premature failure. So instead i soldered my own manifold out of copper line. This way it doesn't down convert the ID until it reaches the designated loop (there are 2 loops);
Also i went with a C design instead of a F; Reason for that is to balance the pressure; Again, in a F design there is more preasure on the first leg then there is on the 2nd leg, and so water flow rates will be faster on the first than the 2nd. A C design equalizes the pressure so they both get the same amount.
Once we pass thought the manifold we drop down to the 3/16" ID hardline Acrylic. I used a heat gun to make the bends. Its a PAIN to do this. I cant tell you how many bends didn't go right or started to wrinkle. There are still some wrinkles that are more hidden, but i ensured that the inside was still 5/16" and so water flow would be unaffected.
Bending the pipe is better than using a fitting because when you use a fitting there is a bottleneck in it; If you look inside you will notice that the hole inside the fitting is smaller than the actual ID of the tube, so this causes restriction and slows the flow down as the pressure on one side has to increase and the pressure on the other side decreases.
4. But its in a cubby hole, how does it cool?
Answer External RAD in the window; Koolance ERM-3k3u All copper. The pump inside is designed for 1/2" ID, so wanted to keep that for as long as possible.
5. But if its connected to a external RAD how do you work on it when its stuffed into a cubby?
A. Sliding drawer; Found a place online that sells cabinet drawer rails; So i took the shelf that normally goes into the cubby, attached the rails, and notched the back so that when the drawer is pushed in all the way, the tubes go into the notch. Otherwise you end up the the drawer not closing all the way. The drawer is rated for 180lbs, so no problems there.
6. But?
A. Yes, i know; How does it connect back to the rad?
behind the PC you can see that i run copper back to the RAD; But there needs to be something movable to make sure that it can slide; So i convert from copper to Vynal, introduce 2 quick disconnects then back to copper to get back inside of the PC. This way it stays copper as long as possible AND i dont have to worry about the hose crimping or filling up with algae, which was a problem for me in the past when i used vynal. Even when using coolant with inhibitors in it, eventually it breaks down and you get growth. It took me a solid 3 hours to flush the rad when doing this build to get rid of the growth from the last build. Obviously i replaced all the vynal with new (home depot, $10);
The copper is using push fittings for the elbows; Push fittings allow for some rotation at the fitting, So as i pull the computer out, the fittings will move with the vynal tugging on it. When fully pulled out (with all the cables disconnected) the PC can be 4 ft from the desk while still connected to the loop. Good for cleaning draining etc;
Though there are quick disconnects there as well, so if i have to take the PC away completely, the option is there.
You will also note that when i mounted the drawer rails they are above the copper lines; This is for 2 reasons. 1 the copper is protected by the drawer, 2 as i push the drawer in, the excess vynal automatically gets pushed under the drawer. This way once the drawer is all the way pushed in, there is no excess slack in the back of the PC that could become bent in any way; The tube is always streight.
Though i used 3/4OD,1/2ID tube, and that stuff if like steel, so i probably didn't have to worry about bending. The 5/8OD 1/2ID tube is MUCH more flexible and so don't recommend it outside the system.
7. Copper lines behind the monitors. All the Copper lines are on a slight down angle. If it were level it could cause air pockets, also it aids in draining.
8. Right now the RAD is set to blow in from outside to inside. it is winter after all and so it takes the cold air off the window, or if i crack the window a little, it draws the cold air from outside.
In the summer the house is always cooler than outside (very well insulated house combined with cool nights) and so i will flip the rad so that the air blows outside.
But using hard line you cant do that. So once i again i convert from copper to vynal for the final connection to the RAD.
Here you can see behind the monitor the extra slack needed for rotating the RAD around.
You will see that in the first picture, the tubing slack is hidden by the monitors, so you dont need to see it.