Tubing
Tubing choice is highly important for a decent and long lasting loop. There are many choices out there for tubing but for a dedicated watercooling tube I choose Primochill. These guys have been in the business for about 12 years now and when it comes to tubing they really do know their stuff.
Primochill Primoflex Advanced LRT has a propriety blend of low durometer PVC and a rigid polymer resin which gives it incredible bending power without kinking and the smooth inner walls of the tubing inhibits particulate gathering while still having a crystal clear almost glass like transparency. What really pushed me to get this tube was that it comes with a bottle of sysprep for free. This will give you a super clean flushed system prior to filling the system with your chosen fluid, especially handy if you have bought used parts or have existing parts needing a thorough clean.
For sizing I decided on 3/8″ Inner diameter and 5/8″ outer diameter or 10mm inner 16mm outer. Some shops measure in inches and some in millimetres, something to watch out for.
Standard sizes for tubing (and fittings) are as follows:
- 1/2″ inner Diameter 3/4″Outer diameter (13mm/19mm)
- 7/16″ Inner diameter 5/8″ Outer Diameter (11mm/16mm)
- 3/8″ Inner Diameter 5/8″ Outer Diameter (10mm/16mm)
- 3/8″ Inner Diameter 1/2″ Outer diameter (10mm/13mm)
Fittings
The image above shows a Primochill Ghost compression fitting. The tube is slid over the bell shaped top and a collar is tightened down to compress the outer diameter of the tubing. This makes for a very strong seal and ensures no leaking. In fact I would have to pull the tube with all of my weight to get the tube to come off so I feel very safe using compression fittings rather than the Barb fittings and collars of old.
For this build Im using 3/8″ ID 5/8″ OD fittings for this. But what about the angles I need to cover?
These are EK CSQ 45 degree fittings and are compatible with a wide range of compression fittings like the Primochill ones I just showed earlier.
These are EK CSQ 90 degree fittings with a standard G1/4″ thread. You can see from the pictures of the 45’s and the 90’s these are rotary fittings meaning once screwed in you can rotate the fitting to its chosen angle.
Last up for the fittings I got some PrimoChill G 1/4 Nickel Plated Brass Plugs for the top and bottom of the reservoir.
Reservoir
I settled on using the Primochill Advanced CTR 240mm reservoir but used the two port cap kit from the great Low Profile CTR reservoir since I needed a flat top with two ports. What I really love about these reservoirs are the massive amounts of colour choices for the tubes and also the add ons. If the top or bottom wont work well for your build there is allways an alternative available. The reservoirs use a neat way of sealing themselves via compression which also means you can cut the tubes down to size for a custom fit. Something you simply cannot do with any other reservoir on the market. Specification for this reservoir is as follows:
Features
- Compression End Caps, NOT THREADED.
- Laser Cut Acrylic Tubes: No micro-fractures from cutting or threading tubes(unlike the competition.)
- Mountable Side Port End Cap and split return cap for easier installs.
- Multi-Port End Caps: 2 port top and 2 port bottom.
- Large Inner Diameter: 57mm.
- Pre-Installed Ready To Use.
- Includes: 2x Stealth Mounting Bracket.
- Made in the USA.
- Laser Cut Tubes: For crack free usage.
- Delrin compression end caps.
- Stainless steel cap hardware.
- Rigid Mount Hardware Included.
Specifications:
- Inner Diameter: 57mm
- Outer Diameter: 63mm
- Length: 240mm (not including end caps)
- Warranty: 6 months
Radiator
What we have here is a 280mm EK-CoolStream RAD XTC and sorry to burst your bubble here but this isn’t stock. I polished the top and painted the sides white for the purpose of this build, couldn’t help it. At 73 Euro I found it hard to resist considering the great specification as follows:
Technical details:
Material:
- Copper fins
- Brass chambers
Dimensions (LxWxH): 317x145x55mm
Connection threads: G1/4″
Fins/inch (FPI): 10
Fins/cm (FPC): 3,85
Weight: Approx. 1215g
Liquid Capacity: Approx. 390 ml (13,19 fl oz)
Fan installation: 4 x M3 threads on both sides each (for 2x140mm fan each)
Pressure tested: 1bar
Enclosed:
- 1x EK-CoolStream RAD XTC 280 (dual) radiator
- 8x M3 x 30mm DIN965 screws
- 8x M3 x 5mm DIN965 screws
- 2x G1/4 plug with allen key
Now that we have gone through the parts and had a look into sizing and alternatives lets go and fit this together!
I don’t suppose you have the temperatures of the stock setup compared to the new setup? I am interested to see how much difference the reservoir and larger radiator have.
Hi Mathew. We did review the Eisberg 120l and 240l and give a full test. Since custom setups vary so greatly I wasn’t sure it would be fair to show a comparison. In saying that I will be testing more custom equipment here and soon 🙂
Yeah I saw the other reviews and they seem mid range but the other hardware you added is much higher end so it would make an interesting comparison; probably not fair though as you said. When you say custom equipment what kind of things do you mean, you have sparked my interest!
Well I have a few friends that make custom parts like fully custom water blocks, rad grills, lighting, sleeving etc and I have been a bit of a modder for a long while so thought a few guides and reviews here and there from the non mainstream side of computing might be nice for you guys 🙂
Great read Dave!!! made much better, because you explained why you used the different fittings and because it’s your own personal build…rather than just someone going through the motions of “this is what i’m using, these x parts here is result” good read for liquid n00bs like me 🙂
Brilliant article, so nice that it goes into detail of the why’s and wherefore’s of the parts you used, sad to say, but if you’re a newb like me to custom loops, the old hands can come across as downright snotty and far from understanding 🙁
This has really wetted my appetite to do this, and this article has gone someway to giving me the confidence to go for it!!
Thank You 😉
Im extremely happy that this article made you feel this way. Infact this was the very reason I did it and thank you for the kind words. Many times Ive helped people only to be told they have been turned down by a ‘pro’. I hope everyone has a bit of a confidence lift and comes to the understanding a pc build, even water cooled, does not have to be a chore.
hi dave i was considering buying a h100 backplate or something similar for better mounting pressure?
what do you think? i just seem to think that it will get better temps and make slighly less noise as there will be no room for vibration
HI JUST FOR ANYONE ASKING THE SAME QUESTION AS I DID
i just thought i would let you guys know that with the lga 1150 socket you can use a corsair h80 backplate for the esiberg!
i
got much better temps with the h80 backplate,you just use the backplate
without the springs and washers just put the back plate on then screw
the double sided threaded screws included with the eisberg onto the
corsair back plate,then just use the normal eisberg thumb screws!
be sure to check the thermal paste the first time to make sure everything is making contact.
but
honestly compared to the stupid plastic mounting hardware the corsair
back plate is 1000000 times better and there is a slightly reduced nose
from the pump,i think it is because there are less vibrations
This is an impressive article maybe Im te only one but I guess Ive never seen someone mix and match a cooling system setup like this and all very impressive products! And s you said the results in re: to not only looks but the cooling are very impressive!Thanks for a great article and guide! Have to keep this in mind for a later date may have to consider as a new project depending on how far I want to OC my next build!!
HI
i just thought i would let you guys know that with the lga 1150 socket you can use a corsair h80 backplate for the esiberg!
i got much better temps with the h80 backplate,you just use the backplate without the springs and washers just put the back plate on then screw the double sided threaded screws included with the eisberg onto the corsair back plate,then just use the normal eisberg thumb screws!
be sure to check the thermal paste the first time to make sure everything is making contact.
but honestly compared to the stupid plastic mounting hardware the corsair back plate is 1000000 times better and there is a slightly reduced nose from the pump,i think it is because there are less vibrations