first loop: build log and experiences

[Whatts]

After a few weeks of research and my first post on this very forum I had decided what parts I wanted to use for my first loop, so I finally placed the order. After reading several build logs I decided to follow suit, so below you’ll read mine, mishaps included.

Parts list:

CPU waterblock: Koolance CPU-370
Pump: Swiftech MCP35X
Reservoir: Koolance Single 5.25 bay Reservoir RP-401X2
Radiator: Alphacool NexXxoS UT60 Full Copper 360mm
Fans: 3x Scythe 120mm Gentle Typhoon AP-15
Fan controller: Lamptron FC-5 v2 Black
Fittings:
8x Monsoon Free Center Compression fittings Black Chrome
2x BitsPower Rotary 45 Degree Adapter Black Sparkle
8x BitsPower Black Sparkle
Tubing: DangerDen 3/8 ID - 5/8 OD - UV Acid Green
TIM: Prolimatech PK-1
*edit - added:*
2x Koolance 3/8 ID - 5/8 OD VL3N female QDC
2x Koolance 3/8 ID - 5/8 OD VL3N male QDC


Various:
IandH Silver KillCoil
XSPC 120mm Universal Radstand
AC Ryan Backy 3x Molex Black
3x 120mm TFC Noise Absorber black
10 liter distilled water

Various tools:

Arctic Silver ArctiClean TIM cleaning kit
PSU Bridging Tool
Tube Cutter
Squirting Bottle
Fill Syringe
Funnel
Corsair CX430 PSU

=================================================​

On Friday afternoon the doorbell rang and it was the parcel delivery man:

The timing was excellent, I had a long weekend and the girlfriend was out of the town. Better get on with unpacking my presents :

Wait, that’s not right I ordered the Lamptron FC-5 fan controller not the FC-9! Oh well, it will not be inside my case anyway so I don’t really care about the looks. I still had a CX430 PSU lying around, so I added it to the picture as I’ll be using it to bump the pump and test the fans.

 

[Whatts]

According to Martin's review sample of the Alphacool NexXxos UT60 radiator came in a box without bubble wrap, but I’m glad to say that seems sorted now:

In my Define R3 case there really is very little space to add a radiator, so I decided early on that it was going to be external. I went for a 360 even though it’s overkill, but it should allow me to undervolt the fans and lower the noise levels.
Build quality of the radiator looks OK and all the fins are straight:

Next step was boiling some water and doing the radiator dance. There were a few bits of debris but very small particles and very few, so after repeating the dance 4 times I was sure it was clean enough inside. The dancing took up a little time so during all this I continued unpacking the rest of the parts.

 

[Whatts]

Next are the Monsoon Free Center compression fittings (8 in total) in Black Chrome. I had chosen these as they seemed easier to fit for a noob like me. It didn’t quit turn out that way, but you’ll read more about this later:

Also in the picture is one of the 2 BitsPower 45 degree rotary fittings. When I first did a quick sketch of how the loop would look in my case, I found that adding these would decrease the bends in the tubing to and from the CPU block, make it easier to fit and avoid kinking. BitsPower’s Black Sparkle finish also seems a pretty good match for Monsoon’s Black Chrome.
A few other bits and bobs:

Clockwise from bottom left and finishing in the center: TFC fan noise absorber, PSU bridge tool, Prolimatech PK-1 TIM, silver killcoil, AC Ryan PCI backplate triple molex adapter, one of 2 extra Monsoon fittings (on top of the sixpack).

 

[Whatts]

Up close with the wrong fan controller:

It’s actually rated for 50 watts per channel as opposed to 30 for the FC-5, but as I’m not cpachris I won’t be going down that road (yet).
A closer look at the sliders shows build quality is less than what I expected:

All sliders are somewhat crooked, and although this probably doesn’t affect functionality one bit, it did set off my OCD.

 

[Whatts]

The Swiftech MCP35X pump, still with original top:

It doesn’t show in this picture, but there is a “warranty void if removed” sticker over the pump body and top. It’s not possible to remove the top without breaking the sticker, so Swiftech must not like RMAs.
The Koolance bay reservoir:

I know a simple top reservoir would have been easier to bleed, but I don’t want clutter inside my case and I like the look of this res. It feels solidly built and this reassured me I wouldn’t have leaks, at least not from this reservoir.
Here’s the pump mounted on the reservoir and the original top removed:

To make sure there wasn’t any gunk in the res or pump I filled it with distilled water and let the pump run for a few seconds until the res was empty. This was done in the kitchen sink and with a small length of tube attached so I wouldn’t spray water all over the place.

 

[Whatts]

The radiator had by now leaked dry from the radiator dance, so I mounted the fans:

I didn’t get to mount the noise absorbers. The short screws Alphacool provides are only just long enough to fit the fans, and the longer ones (for 30mm fans) are too long. Alphacool uses slimmer screws as the usual ones for fan mounting, so I didn’t have any other screws to try. Oh well, if there’s too much noise for my liking when everything’s up and running I’ll look for other screws.
The Koolance CPU-370 comes with different mounting plates and tops:

For my Intel i5 2500K the standard top was the one I needed, so all I needed to do was screw in the posts and slide on the silicone insulation pad:

This picture also shows my first mistake of the build, I screwed the Monsoon fittings directly into the CPU block, but I should have used the BitsPowers rotary adapters first.
This mistake was quickly corrected, so here’s the block with all fittings as planned:

That’s everything I needed, so let’s get building!

 

[Whatts]

The stock Intel cooler had to go:

This mess even made my cheapo camera (Canon A3300 IS) refuse to focus:

That’s better:

I usually use acetone to clean up remnants of thermal material, but I decided to give Arctic Silver’s ArctiClean set a try. It works well and smells like lemons, but if you have easy access to acetone, there’s really no need for it.

 

[Whatts]

Don’t you love cable management?

Thanks to Fractal Design for this easy access to slide on the backplate:

Next I used the “cross” method to apply the Prolimatech TIM and mounted the CPU block:

 

[Whatts]

I started tubing up the block:

 
Remember the mishap I mentioned earlier? This is where it happened:

When mounting the tubing on the radiator I managed to ruin 3 (yes THREE) fittings How you ask? Maybe it was my noobness, maybe the construction of the fittings, but I managed to screw on the compression part incorrectly, missing the thread. The first few turns all seemed normal, but then when I used the supplied tool to tighten a quarter further everything got stuck. After the first one I screwed up I took off the fan right next to the fittings, hoping it would give me some more clearance and facilitating the mounting. This didn’t help, so even though I was really mindful of what not to do, I still ruined the last 2 fittings the same way, by simply screwing on the top part incorrectly.
Unfortunately I didn’t manage to get any of the fittings separated again. Maybe this picture illustrates my problem with the monsoon fittings:

As you can see, once the tube and fitting are mounted, there is no way to get hold of the inner part of the fitting (unlike for instance BitsPower fittings where you can always grip the fitting just above the G1/4 thread). So even when trying to remove a normal fitting (by which I mean one that I haven’t screwed up) you’ll have a good chance of undoing the complete fitting, not just the compression ring. Then the only way I see to disassemble the fitting without damage, is as in the picture above: gripping the tube and hoping that the tube will keep the inner fitting in place while you unscrew the compression ring.

 

[Whatts]

I had ordered 8 fittings, needed 6 and broke 3, so I was stuck for the moment. I had ordered some more fittings (BitsPower this time), but because it was Friday, I’d have to wait a little longer. I didn’t feel like just sitting around, so I decided to remove all the fittings and the CPU block. This would allow me to start fresh when the BitsPower fittings arrived and also inspect the TIM on the CPU:

This didn’t look too terrible, but I had used too much paste.
The waterblock told the same story:

I‘ve cleaned up everything and am now ready to continue once the new fittings arrive. I’ve decided to use only BitsPower fittings in the rest of the build as I’ve lost faith in the Monsoons. So this is where I stand for now, lessons learned and waiting for part 2 of my build. Oh well, at least fittings are cheaper than replacing a rad after you’ve punched a hole in the fins with a screw.

 

[Conumdrum]

Yea, they can be tricky I have heard. It happens. You got a good build going and it's gonna be a nice one. Good post too!

 

[Whatts]

You got a good build going and it's gonna be a nice one. Good post too!

Well you did help me out really well in my first post Conumdrum, so that's partly thanks to you!
It took some time to set up for half decent photographs, but I feel it's worth it.

 

[Whatts]

Part 2 of my build!

Today I finally got the new BitsPower fittings and the Koolance quick disconnects I added to my list at the last moment:

The QDCs are indeed huge (certainly when compared to a fitting), but they also feel utterly solid and like they'll never break. Here you can see how they look when on tubing and connected:

 

[Whatts]

I won't be using them inside my case, but to disconnect my external rad instead (to make it easier to move my PC around):

After the trouble I had with the Monsoon fittings, the BitsPower ones are a dream:

They are so easy to mount, like taking candy from a baby! I filled the radiator with distilled water before mounting the fittings, with the QDCs in place there won't be any spills and I figured this should save me some time when bumping the pump.

 

[Whatts]

Remounting the CPU block (with a little less TIM this time):

And tubing up the pump/res:

 

[Whatts]

The CPU block is now all connected, with the silver killcoil between the pump out and the CPU block in:

So this is the loop: res/pump ====> CPU ==[external]==> QDC ====> rad ====> QDC ==[internal]==> res/pump:

That's all I have time for today, plus I have a severe case of what I call "fittings fingers"
Tomorrow is leak testing day!

 

[wagex]

lookin pretty darn good all these watercooling threads lately make me want to go WC again

 

[Whatts]

lookin pretty darn good all these watercooling threads lately make me want to go WC again

Thanks Here's hoping it works as well as it looks.

 

[bluezero5]

I love the koolance disconnects. I have two sets in my loop myself.

I have them before and after my GPU loop, so I can swap out my GPUs with minimal interferences.

great stuff! how are the temps u got there?

 

[Whatts]

Yeah, they feel rock solid.

20.5° C allround, leak testing will be later today