[ Project ] : Altair | A Lian-Li PC-P80, dual loop, all internal build

[Liderc]

I'll tell you one thing, you've got balls chopping off your cables like that =P

Nice update.

[eponymous]

Thanks for the comments guys

So I think it's time for another update :P. I've now installed all the tubing and the system has been running fine for a few weeks.

First up, here are some pictures of the fittings I used:




Those are the Koolance 5/8 clips - fantastic product that made my life so much easier (thanks to Naekuh for this tip).

I decided to start with the GPU/NB/SB/MOSFET loop which will use the green Primochill LRT tubing :



Handy tube cutters:



I next decided to make sure that all the fittings were in nice and tight by using a tea towel to tighten them. No wrenches used here! (thanks to [Koolance]Dean, Naekuh et al for this tip).



I next got a bowl of room-temp de-ionized water to clean the tubing as I fitted it and a cup of hot de-ionized water to help with the fitting.




Note: Make sure the water is not too hot. I did this and it ends up ruining the tubing. If the water is too hot it makes the tubing lose some of it's rigidity and it kinks dead easily - not very good for tight bends.

The fitting of the tubing to the MOSFET blocks:



Remember to put both of the clips on before fixing the other end! It's a simple thing to forget which I did more than once :P



The clips in place:





The motherboard blocks all connected together:



Next I installed the link between the NB/SB block and the graphics card. I had to call on a couple 45 degree fittings for this:






Next up is the graphics cards, starting with the positioning of the plugs:








Now the tricky bit - getting the tubing that connects the two blocks in place:



I basically had to put both of the clips on and then clamp one of the clips open so that I could get the tubing on. This involved pushing the cards together to get the tubing to go on.

Remember, this is 7/16" tubing going on BP 1/2" Hi-Flow fittings.



After much hassle and cards slipping around all over :P...






The motherboard in place, along with some "initial" ideas for the pump outlets and drain:




Next up, it was the reservoirs' turn:




And then the fitting between the reservoir and the pump:



I found it helpful to use some needle-nose pliers to get the clips on as they hurt your fingers after a while:








I also did the CPU reservoir->pump link a this point:





Next I installed the kill-coils in place:




Then the rest of the tubing was installed including the links to the radiator:



I decided in the end that I wouldn't bother with a drain at the bottom of the loop near the pump outlets as it was going to be too messy.

Instead I created a fill/bleed/drain system at the top of the reservoirs using a spare port.

I also swapped out some of the barbs for some 45 fittings to get the tubing fitting more naturally.

Here are some pictures I took of the final set-up:













One of my fav's :P :














So that's it for now

I'll be posting some updates on the cable management and installation of the UV lights, then I'm going to take some really good photos with a better camera of the finished system.

See you next time.

[jimmyxxx]

very nice

[Oli4v]

very nice, but why did you cross the tubing @the cpuloop?

[eponymous]

very nice

Thanks

very nice, but why did you cross the tubing @the cpuloop?

It was to match the outlet of the radiator to the inlet of the CPU block and then the outlet of the CPU block to the inlet of the reservoir. As far as I know, it's best to mount the Koolance CPU-350 with the OUT at the top.

[Liderc]

Great update pics, looking forward to more.

[aka_GK]

wow huge nice detailed update as usual!

I love this one

Remember, this is 7/16" tubing going on BP 1/4" Hi-Flow fittings.

You mean 1/2" barbs with ID 7/16" tubes? You think you need clamps in this case?

[eponymous]

wow huge nice detailed update as usual!

I love this one




You mean 1/2" barbs with ID 7/16" tubes? You think you need clamps in this case?

Cheers man.

Hah, well spotted I'll change it now :P

[eponymous]

I nearly forgot to include some pictures of the filling & bleeding as well as the leak checks :P :





The fill/bleed/drain valves:



These are capped with BP Silver Shining plugs when not in use as an added precaution.

I'm really pleased with these valves actually and they were a last minute idea. They are great for filling being right at the top of the loop and also for bleeding.

When I was leak testing the system (which lasted about a week or so) I was able to just open the valves at the top of the loop every now and then to expel the air that had risen to the top.

If I want to drain the system, all I need to do is attach a pipe to the valves and turn the case on it's side so it's angled a little. Gravity should then do the rest over time. It will take a while for it to drain however - just think of a large bottle of water where there is only one end open and you are trying to get the water to flow out really quickly. This just doesn't happen as the air rushes in the same outlet to displace the water that has flowed out. You basically end up with a "glug glug" situation where the water drains out then air rushes in (and you'll see and air bubble or two); over and over. :P

[kgtiger]

I have just finished reading through your work log, you have done a really good job with it, I can see you are a detailed person.
I have read in a few other work logs that when using 1/2 barbs with 7/16 tubing that you can get an excellent seal and that clamps may not be needed.
Please don't take this the wrony way, however I am not a big fan of the Koolance clamps, (it's just the look of them) but if you feel you need them thats fine,
I do feel it could help the look if you could turn them around so you couldn't see the two tongues that stick out, it may help make the tubing look cleaner
and the over all look less busy.
A good one to try would be on the tube that joins the two GTXs cards, I do understand that this is not possible on all of the clamps.
Have a go and see what you think.

Looking forward to your next update.

[aka_GK]

but still this koolance clamps are best looking ones, especially comparing to worm or herbie ones

[kgtiger]

I would have to give you that one GK, they do

[ckool]

wow your case is looking amazing so far eponymous!! i love everything you have done so far

I have one question for you sir,did you have to mod anything at all in the front of the case to fit the Thermochill rad in?

Regards
ck

[Petrucci_M3]

Lovely work! Read through your entire write up, can't wait for the next update.

[eponymous]

wow your case is looking amazing so far eponymous!! i love everything you have done so far

I have one question for you sir,did you have to mod anything at all in the front of the case to fit the Thermochill rad in?

Regards
ck

Thanks

The only thing I have done to fit that radiator in the front bays was to drill some holes for the brackets - other than that it was fairly easy to fit.

Lovely work! Read through your entire write up, can't wait for the next update.

Thanks man. Much appreciated

[Farmerbrown]

Hello.....Nice work so far.....i would like to know where did you get your waterblocks for the motherboard....the only places i can find are in the USA....so wanted to know if you imported them or did you buy them from someone here.....???? going to use it for my project going to be a tripple loop system......cpu and ram one loop.....gpus one loop....motherboard one loop....have all the pumps just need the motherboard blocks now....ash

[markpg28]

Here is a supplier in europe, shipping is always 20 euro

http://www.it-service.be/webshop/ind...?cPath=103_568

They are a very good shop & have quick shipping.

[eponymous]

Hello.....Nice work so far.....i would like to know where did you get your waterblocks for the motherboard....the only places i can find are in the USA....so wanted to know if you imported them or did you buy them from someone here.....???? going to use it for my project going to be a tripple loop system......cpu and ram one loop.....gpus one loop....motherboard one loop....have all the pumps just need the motherboard blocks now....ash

I got them from ChilledPC, but there are many other places you can buy them from if you have a look in the store guide in the stickies.

Performance PCs are great and they sometimes work out a lot cheaper even though they are in the states.

I wouldn't bother with three loops if you're building a Nehalem system (i7) as the RAM is never overvolted over 1.65 anyway so it doesn't get that hot.

You can put your GPU + Motherboard into one loop and the CPU into another loop.

As the memory management unit has now been moved from the NB to the CPU it doesn't get that hot.

[Farmerbrown]

well i just want to watercool the ram for the hell of it....i have corsair dominator gt ram 1866mhz and i am currently running it at 2005mhz with a timing of 7-8-7-20, just want to keep everything nice and cool....i have email Chilled Pc asked them if they will be stocking them again as they dont have them anymore....also have you seen a performace gain by watercooling your motherboard...Ash

[Farmerbrown]

Thanks will have a look :P

[markpg28]

well i just want to watercool the ram for the hell of it....i have corsair dominator gt ram 1866mhz and i am currently running it at 2005mhz with a timing of 7-8-7-20, just want to keep everything nice and cool....i have email Chilled Pc asked them if they will be stocking them again as they dont have them anymore....also have you seen a performace gain by watercooling your motherboard...Ash

Have you seen the Koolance RAM 33 blocks?
They look really nice & the liquid actually runs past Chips but you need to remove the heatsinks which can be a pain with Dominators, Corsair do do a watercooler for Dominator RAM.

C&CCentral stock those in the UK.

[Farmerbrown]

Have you seen the Koolance RAM 33 blocks?
They look really nice & the liquid actually runs past Chips but you need to remove the heatsinks which can be a pain with Dominators, Corsair do do a watercooler for Dominator RAM.

C&CCentral stock those in the UK.

ya i have see the them you get a waterblock that be fitter to the Dominator ram found it at special tech cost 45 for the waterblock....see some people using them...think i might get that....also was think of getting another gtx260 and running sli....or maybe getting a gtx 295....dont know which would be better....whats you think...??

[markpg28]

ya i have see the them you get a waterblock that be fitter to the Dominator ram found it at special tech cost 45 for the waterblock....see some people using them...think i might get that....also was think of getting another gtx260 and running sli....or maybe getting a gtx 295....dont know which would be better....whats you think...??

I dont know, only you can really answer that, a GTX260 would be cheaper & running in SLI would not be that far behind a 295, depends if you really need the extra performance or not.

If you gt a 295 you can always sell the 260.

[eponymous]

Sorry Farmer, I misread your previous post. I actually got the motherboard blocks from Performance PCs as they are the only ones that stock them. I got the CPU and GPU blocks from Chilled.

Afaik the GTX 295 is just two GTX 260 chips. I would just get a 295 if you are looking for the best performance, but your cheapest and probably best bet is to buy another 260 as you have one already.

[ckool]

need more updates im dying to see what happens next