Need new tubes... color suggestions?

4GHZ_or_bust · Jan 15, 2010

The one I had (old stock) isn't enough for my new rig and it kinks too much so I need to get new ones.

Primochill has colored tubes 1/2" ID for about $2 per foot and I don't know if I need anti kinking coil or not.

What color to get? My case is black with red light on the outside but the inside is not painted and shows bit of silver around the black board and black PSU.

I've thought about black tube with red or orange coil (if needed)? I have no plan to use dyes at all, and some additive isn't going to look good if I used clear tube.

Also is there a cheaper source of tube than $2/ft that is still good quality?

darkpyro1 · Jan 15, 2010

Personally, when I get tubes I just get clear ones and add food coloring. Clear vinyl tubing from Home Depot is only like $4 for 10 ft. And the food coloring, in my experience, doesn't stain the tubes, or cause any problems as far as flow goes. I just do that 'cause its a lot cheaper and easier, and it doesn't really have any bad effect on anything in my experience.

As to color, I think I'd go with the red. I usually match everything I can to the lights on the case. It just makes everything look nicer. Either that or choose a color that would compliment the red and make your case stand out a little more. It doesn't really matter. If you do use food coloring you can try out different colors as many times as you want (assuming you don't mind draining your system and refilling it multiple times).

Blazing fire · Jan 15, 2010

add food coloring? Not a good idea IMO.

I don't suggest anything other than distilled water + Biocide/silver coil.

donuts · Jan 15, 2010

The clear vinyl tubing that darkpyro1 mentioned does work, however it is stiff and starts clouding fairly quickly. But it's cheap!

I'm redoing my loop soon, I'm just waiting for my Primochill to get here. (getting rid of the cheap tubing).
I'm not to much into how it looks, I seem to remember a thread here that mentioned the red Primochill looked more orangy.

I don't believe cheap and good quality go together in this case.

muddocktor · Jan 15, 2010

I really like the Primochill tubing myself; seems to stay more flexible for longer. And it seems to take a pretty tight bend for it's size without kinking too.

Since you have a mainly black interior to your case and mobo with red leds, have you thought about contrasting with that with the tubing and buying white?

Elfie · Jan 15, 2010

The 3 most striking colours I've seen are purple, then black and finally white. The red tubes I've seen look a bit pinkish although they are enhanced with red cathode lights.

4GHZ_or_bust · Jan 15, 2010

I'm not sure if I'd like white.

Grosjambon · Jan 15, 2010

Primochill Red is Red not pinkish. For me

Boulard83 · Jan 15, 2010

Primochill Black LRT FTW !

vonkaar · Jan 15, 2010

Tygon silver antimicrobial

dark bishop · Jan 15, 2010

never can go wrong with black

exe163 · Jan 15, 2010

A picture of your computer might help.

baditude_df · Jan 15, 2010

Boulard83 said:
Primochill Black LRT FTW !

+1 on that. Awesome tubing in every way. Good price too.

vonkaar said:
Tygon silver antimicrobial

Also a good choice for a distilled loop. Didn't have to do any tight bends with it, but it seemed about the same consistency as R3400. Pretty good, but not the best.

Personally, when I get tubes I just get clear ones and add food coloring.

Typical food coloring contains stuff you just don't really want in a loop that you are trying to keep clean.
OP. Stay with Distilled water, Biocide and some silver(PTNuke PHN + Killcoil is what I use), housed in black or other opaque tubing.
This should give you about the lowest maintenance loop money can buy. Assuming you know how to put it all together so that it won't leak.
Unless you want to go for pretty, in which case I have nothing more to say.

deadlysyn · Jan 15, 2010

Boulard83 said:
Primochill Black LRT FTW !

Another +1 from me. I just got my Primochill Black LRT yesterday, and this stuff is impressive. I tried out a few bends with it, by hand, and not a single kink, and it kept its shape very well. Now I just need some time to set up my loop, and some distilled, and I should be ready to start putting my loop together and get ready for leak testing. I also have a bit of cable management to work on, so the entire thing may take a couple days, and there will be a lot of pics in the case modding section.

baditude_df · Jan 15, 2010

deadlysyn said:
Another +1 from me. I just got my Primochill Black LRT yesterday, and this stuff is impressive. I tried out a few bends with it, by hand, and not a single kink, and it kept its shape very well. Now I just need some time to set up my loop, and some distilled, and I should be ready to start putting my loop together and get ready for leak testing. I also have a bit of cable management to work on, so the entire thing may take a couple days, and there will be a lot of pics in the case modding section.

Look forward to it deadly.

Conumdrum · Jan 15, 2010

darkpyro1 said:
Personally, when I get tubes I just get clear ones and add food coloring. Clear vinyl tubing from Home Depot is only like $4 for 10 ft. And the food coloring, in my experience, doesn't stain the tubes, or cause any problems as far as flow goes. I just do that 'cause its a lot cheaper and easier, and it doesn't really have any bad effect on anything in my experience.

As to color, I think I'd go with the red. I usually match everything I can to the lights on the case. It just makes everything look nicer. Either that or choose a color that would compliment the red and make your case stand out a little more. It doesn't really matter. If you do use food coloring you can try out different colors as many times as you want (assuming you don't mind draining your system and refilling it multiple times).

Any new folks reading this? For future reference, most of us, probably in the 90%+ range don't recommend cheap tubing or anythings else in the loop but distilled water and a good biocide or killcoil.

4GHZ_or_bust · Jan 16, 2010

Picture of my rig as it is now. The silver area is between the mobo and the drive cage, I plan to cover them with 1/8" black foam sheet and work a bit more on wire management. The 12v mobo connector will get tucked under the 5850 graphic card if there's room. If not I'll figure something.

So what color hose would look the best? Either it's black or red but defiantly not white.

Blazing fire · Jan 16, 2010

Conumdrum said:
Any new folks reading this? For future reference, most of us, probably in the 90%+ range don't recommend cheap tubing or anythings else in the loop but distilled water and a good biocide or killcoil.

These PVC tubes are cheap and good. So if budget is a concern, this is what I would recommend.

Frankly, after spending $60 for CPU blocks $50 for radiator and $60 for a pump, $2.00 per foot tubes cost nothing.

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]Durelene PVC tubing 3/8in. ID 1/2in. OD by Saint-Gobain

$0.39 per foot

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]Durelene PVC tubing 7/16in. ID 5/8in. OD by Saint-Gobain

$0.45 per foot

[/FONT]
[/FONT]

darkpyro1 · Jan 16, 2010

My vote is red. I think it'll just make the loop pop out a little more.

Jeffery_Paul · Jan 16, 2010

I use Tygon black UV resistant tubing. Looks good to me. For that mobo, black, orange or red would work IMO

Need new tubes... color suggestions?

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