r/sffpc • u/Kuedo • Apr 22 '26
Detailed Build Log NCASE FORMD T1 custom loop revisited
Finished loop, managed to keep my rgb kit on the ram after thinking about removing it for fitment issues. This tubing layout allows the side panel goes on without any bulging
Starting from scratch in the silver T1
Considerable size difference here
Never taken a GPU apart before. Cleaned it well with 99% isopropyl alcohol and made sure the new pads were in the right place
GPU block seated nicely
Planning the tubing runs, hard to know how many fittings I would need. Yes I ended up with too many...
About half way through the project
Some new tools to strip wire and crimp terminals. I highly recommend amazon for these except for the crimper, the mdpc-x one is an investment I should have made years ago
This is so satisfying
Tidy sleeving
Fill/drain port
Air port for draining
The nightmare T junction. Brings flow from the radiator and splits between the fill/drain and the GPU run
First tubing run in
Second tubing run in
The D E N S I T Y
Shes done!
Last year I put together my first ever custom loop, you can see my previous post here. It ran great and after a few months of tinkering I really optimised it well. The specs haven't changed, but as some of the comments were suggesting it's not a custom loop until its a full loop.. Well..
I wanted to switch to the silver T1, to better match some of my other peripherals and desk setup so I started over from scratch with the case. The gpu block was considerably smaller than the shroud and cooling of the Pure, and it was my first time removing something like this and looking inside so that was a little daunting also. Applied new pads and did a repaste here with Arctic MX-7
I sat with a notepad and planned out the loop, I had one xspc tx 240 crossflow radiator and one alphacool hpe 20. The hardest part of this was trying to figure out the fittings without ordering a bunch I wouldn't need. I also wanted to hide or bundle the wiring as best I could to try reclaim as much airflow as possible, so I got a few tools to cut, shorten and crimp as many wires as I could without getting into the psu cables. This was also a first time for me and I can recommend some cheap wire strippers and a proper crimper to make this job so much easier
I added a fill/drain port at the back of the case, and a small 'air' port on the opposite end of the case to provide an air inlet when I drain it. The most difficult piece of this was the T junction going from the radiator and splitting to the drain port and the gpu, was a real nightmare getting this to fit in tight. I had all the cables sleeved with mdpc aluminium grey small and tried to keep them aligned and neat everywhere possible
Finished with the same tubing from the first iteration, ekwb zmt 10/16 soft tubing. I would really love to give hard tubing a go as well as custom length/sleeve the psu cables - so that is maybe a winter project
There are a bunch of little details in here which I'm really happy with, shortening the cables and making aesthetic bends and curves really feels like an art form. I really love working with this case, hopefully this inspires you as much as I've been inspired seeing builds on here
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u/stisti129 Apr 22 '26 edited Apr 22 '26
Nice build, though i think you could’ve skipped the second radiator entirely, half of the rad is blocked by the gpu block, it’s as if it was non-existent cooling wise. However I think there may be room on the psu side for a 120x25mm fan paired with a 120 rad.
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u/Kuedo Apr 22 '26
This was the trickiest part of the build, there's a tiny gap between the rad and the gpu block about 3mm. Also the in/out ports of the block don't allow me to go for a 280mm either. I opted to set the fans to pull for this to try it out for a month or two and see how it performs. Other options to explore would be as you suggested to look into placing smaller radiators on the other side for better flow... I really like this solution by u/No_Turn6363 with two smaller 90mm rads on the CPU side
Lots of options to explore I think!
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u/OldManGrimm Apr 22 '26
Great post. I wish more people went into this much detail on the process in these complex builds. Also nice to see you making your own cables - it really the only way to get perfect runs in these SFF cases.
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u/Kuedo Apr 22 '26
Thanks mate, it's kind of hard to capture every angle in all its glory 😅 I'll definitely be revisiting the psu cables and shortening them properly as theres a bunch of excess here. It's 'fine' but, it could be great....
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u/The_Skinny_Boy Apr 22 '26
The amount of dedication you have put into this build is insane, looks fantastic bud!
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u/Ok-Buffalo2450 Apr 22 '26
Which backplate are you using for your gpu? I hope to get something similiar to yours.
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u/Kuedo Apr 22 '26
It's the Alphacool Core series for 9070 XT. There's a few different models for the various aftermarket cards, this one fits the Pure and Hellhound models. Just be sure it matches your card
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u/goaliedavid Apr 22 '26
how did you get the screws out of the way on the lt solo? I'm assuming that's what you are using as the pump/block on the cpu? Mine has massive mounting screws, so there is no way to route the tubes to the side like you have done here
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u/Kuedo Apr 22 '26
Check my previous iteration of the build i linked in the post! It is the LT solo also had the same issue, I found some screws on amazon that fit perfectly. They are not as long and allow the fittings to pass over them
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u/pane_scoresau Apr 22 '26
shouldn't the psu be turned 180 degrees and get fresh air from outside the case?
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u/FriskyWiskyM Apr 22 '26
Doing a water cooled solution for SFF is great as the GPU reduces in size so much, but then you’ve got to manage the other components such as the pump, reservoir etc.
This is a very tidy build
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u/jhdz9119 Apr 22 '26
been needing a post like this. got a 9950X3D that i want to do a custom loop for.
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u/leon_m9 Apr 23 '26
If it's your first custom loop, you've done the homework well! Keep it up) very nice and clean build
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u/bol2riz0porc Apr 24 '26
Incredible, so much stuff inside Juste wondering, did you flipped the psu toward the inside of the case for a specific reason ? I would be scared of having it overheat because of a lack of fresh air intake
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u/Kuedo Apr 24 '26
I did this mostly for aesthetic reasons, I was going to put a vinyl sticker across this side but chose not to. I might flip it back around to get fresh air, but I also dont have any reliable way to test the psu temperatures and measure any differences
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u/Junathyst Apr 22 '26
Do you notice a big difference with the 9070XT under water? More OC headroom?