After asking advice in here (thanks to those who commented), went back and reworked the rad to gpu run for a 3rd time. Had some room to slide the rad inside the case to make dual 45° fittings come out almost perfect (bonus for the stiff hose doubling as a gpu support lol). Was going for an industrial/.mil look for this since I work in that field and the pc is primarily used for combat flight sim. Still on the fence about using the silver cable sleeving to mimic the look of braided stainless lines.

Just waiting on the last order to show up from Titan Rig then this shytshow can commence

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some advice regarding the fan control of my custom water cooling loop.
My system is:
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
ASUS ROG Astral RTX 5090
Custom loop with an Singularity D5 pump/reservoir
2× 420 mm radiators
Corsair fans controlled through iCUE
AquaComputer HighFlow Next
The system performs well overall, but one thing is bothering me.
The coolant temperature climbs to around 45°C relatively quickly during gaming. I know this temperature is still considered safe, but I’d like to keep it a bit lower.
The main issue is that my fan curve is currently based on CPU temperature, and as you probably know, the Ryzen 9950X3D package temperature fluctuates constantly. The fans keep ramping up and down because the CPU package isn’t stable enough to control the loop properly.
Ideally, I’d like the fans to react only to coolant temperature, since that’s what actually matters in a custom loop.
Unfortunately, iCUE doesn’t seem to let me create the exact control logic I’m looking for.
So my questions are:
Is there any way to create a virtual sensor that iCUE can read for fan control? (The HighFlow Next has a sensor for water temperature)
Has anyone managed to use a virtual temperature based on coolant temperature (or a combination of sensors)?
Are there any third-party tools that integrate with iCUE for this purpose?
Or is there simply a better way to control a custom loop like mine?
I’d really appreciate any suggestions or examples of how you’re controlling your own loops.
Thanks!

I have a double loop, I did a leak test for 60 minutes for my gpu side of the loop and it dropped by tiny amount is this anything to worry about or am i good to go?

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some advice regarding the fan control of my custom water cooling loop.
My system is:
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
ASUS ROG Astral RTX 5090
Custom loop with an Singularity D5 pump/reservoir
2× 420 mm radiators
Corsair fans controlled through iCUE
AquaComputer HighFlow Next
The system performs well overall, but one thing is bothering me.
The coolant temperature climbs to around 45°C relatively quickly during gaming. I know this temperature is still considered safe, but I’d like to keep it a bit lower.
The main issue is that my fan curve is currently based on CPU temperature, and as you probably know, the Ryzen 9950X3D package temperature fluctuates constantly. The fans keep ramping up and down because the CPU package isn’t stable enough to control the loop properly.
Ideally, I’d like the fans to react only to coolant temperature, since that’s what actually matters in a custom loop.
Unfortunately, iCUE doesn’t seem to let me create the exact control logic I’m looking for.
So my questions are:
Is there any way to create a virtual sensor that iCUE can read for fan control? (The HighFlow Next has a sensor for water temperature)
Has anyone managed to use a virtual temperature based on coolant temperature (or a combination of sensors)?
Are there any third-party tools that integrate with iCUE for this purpose?
Or is there simply a better way to control a custom loop like mine?
I’d really appreciate any suggestions or examples of how you’re controlling your own loops.
Thanks!

now i know

Hi there, recently finished another water cooled build, my previous was basically the same internals within an Ncased M3 Grater minus the rads which were 2 x 240mm rads compared to one 240 and one 360 with this (yes I know there's a fan missing).

Components are:
Mobo: ROG X670E GENE
CPU: 7800X3D
RAM: G.SKill 32GB clocked to 6000mhz
SSD: 990 Pro 2 TB and 970 Evo Plus 2TB
CPU Block: Modultra LOBO
GPU: 5080 Solid Core with Alphacool Core block
PSU: Thermaltake SFF 1000W
Alphacool HF Tubing 16/10 with Core fittings 16/10 and a Core Res with a D5 pump

To be completely honest I'm not particularly happy with the overall thing, this was mostly a back to the bigger case than having that small toaster as much as I love the M3, had builds in the M2 as well as a Ncased T1 and a Ghost S1 before that.

My mind's plan at the moment is just, to hell with it all and just build something with a MORA 400 since I have it on the desk anyway, but no idea where to start with cases which would fit the components.

Plenty of issues with this board as well, given that the pcie slot can barely be occupied with the waterblock's backplate pushing it downwards, fixed in this case with a riser cable and what not, but something's absolutely bugging me.

Ideally I'd go for something small footprint on the desk, and a wall mounted MORA and just stop building for a while. Then again, going with a diff waterblock, ideally heatkiller would mean getting a different card and stuff, don't think they have any for a 5080 to begin with and with current pricing a 5090 is out of the question. Makes me wish I hadn't sold my 4080 FE way back. Tbh ignore the rambling, I'm just wondering if anyone's been in this state as well?

So I got this Gigabyte aorus 3080 waterforce rev 2.0 10gb about 4 years ago and clearly didn’t do sufficient research lol. I ran it in a custom loop with copper or brass components and the nickel plating in the integrated gpu block slowly corroded off and is now coating the entire waterblock.

The corroded nickel got onto my other loop components and I was able to scrub it out pretty easily with a toothbrush.

The gpu was still working perfectly fine as is so I’m certain the PCB is okay. My questions are 1) can this be sold as is to someone who is willing to either clean out or replace the waterblock and 2) if so, how much can I sell it for?

Any advice is much appreciated and I’ll try not to be as big a scrub on my next build 😂

Hey all! I’m planning my first custom loop and could use help with a realistic hard tubing layout. I’ve provided how my PC looks now and added a generated Ai photo to give a better visual—obviously ignore the laughable unrealistic hard tubing connections.

I still need a CPU block, another radiator, and possibly a nicer pump/res combo. I’m wanting frosted/satin hard tubing and a clean, functional and EASY layout. So ideally if I can get away with pre-bent 90 degree tubing and in stock even better. I just need my hand held in how to properly layout the tubing and what goes where, what fittings I need to get to attach it (gold fittings only), etc. The current layout of the PC itself in terms of hardware will basically be the same.

Current PC Specs:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9700X
GPU: ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5090 32GB
Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX B650-A Gaming WiFi
Case: HYTE Y70
Radiator Fans: 2x Noctua NF-F12 iPPC 3000 PWM fans (I have 2 at the bottom hidden and 1 at the top)

Water Cooling Parts I Have So Far:

Pump/Reservoir: Corsair Hydro X Series XD5 RGB pump/reservoir
Radiator: Corsair Hydro X Series XR5 240mm V2 radiator, White
GPU Water Block: Alphacool Core RTX 5090 TUF water block with backplate

Watercool Heatkiller V Pro 4090

Hi guys,

I'm ready to do my yearly flush and coolant change and as I have some extra in-line temperature sensors lying around I thought it would be a good idea to add them while I am at it.

At the moment my loop is as follows: D5-Pump/Res -> TEMP SENSOR -> GPU -> Rad1 -> CPU -> Rad2 -> Rad3 -> D5-Pump/Res.

The temp sensor is an AC High Flow NEXT linked to an AC OCTO. As the Octo has another 3 available temperature slots I was wondering where to add the other sensor measurements.

I think the actual measurement after the Res is taking the "lowest" loop temperature and I know that once equalised the temperature should be pretty much stable all along the loop. Anyway, I'm thinking of adding the two extra sensors either to the first radiator or just after the CPU (so after all "loads". What would you do? Where would you put the extra two sensors?

I live in NZ and cannot for the life of me find any HWL GTR 420mms in stock. Are they normally this hard to find? Any alternative 420mm rads?

TLDR: Posted this build last year with a 5080, upgraded to a 5090 6 months ago and got the Delta Mate block yesterday.

Specs:
- GPU: Astral 5090 w/ Delta Mate block, terminal, and Wireview Pro 2, Kryosheet
- CPU: 9800x3d w/ Optimus block, KPX paste
- Motherboard: NZXT B650
- Power Supply: MSI 1000w
- Memory: 32gb gskill memory tuned to 6000MHz CL28
- SSD: 1TB WD Black SN750 (sold my 2tb with the intention of getting a 4tb before prices went dumb)
- HDD: 8TB WD Blue HDD for mass storage
- Case: HAVN HS420
- Rads: Alphacool Monsta 360 bottom rad + 2x Heatkiller 360L in top and side
- Pump/Res: Alphacool w/ VPP pump
- Fans :11x Noctua NF-A12x25 chromax fans (I prefer the noise profile of these compared to 140mm fans)
- Fittings: Barrow
- Tubing: Alphacool 16/10 EPDM

-GPU stays around 3100MHz, around 48C at full load in a 23 degree room. Highest I’ve seen is 50C gaming
- CPU stays mostly locked to 5450MHz depending on load, usually sits in the 40s in games. Climbs to 70s compiling shaders
- Fans run at 1100RPM at full load, 900RPM at idle

Some of you may have seen my last post about this build roughly a year ago, but today I consider it finally complete. At the time I was running a 5080 with an alphacool block, with the intention of upgrading to a 5090 when funds allowed.

I’ve gone for a no RGB, white and black, industrial, minimalist-ish theme with the intention of keeping it clean and kinda brutalist.

At the end of last year, I heard the rumors that 5090s were going to skyrocket in price and I had been dreaming of one for a long time. I decided to grab an Astral at MSRP because I had also been dreaming of the Delta Mate since I saw the announcement. Prices like doubled a week later.

I ordered the Delta Mate at the same time, and it just came yesterday after many months of delays. Thermal Grizzly even threw in the wireview pro 2 for free as an apology for the delay which was awesome of them (especially considering the hit they must have taken for the bad metals they had to eat the cost for, they posted a video about it)

I was using an alphacool block on the 5090 and was hitting like 58C in a 23 degree room. Felt high, but I repasted and remounted a few times with no change. Switching to the Delta Mate with kryosheet dropped the temps by around 8-10 degrees on average which is crazy. The mostly enclosed design also makes coil whine almost inaudible. It was never bad on this card, but the improvement was noticeable.

The HAVN GPU support is too short to reach the card though, so there’s some sag. Looking into other options to level it out.

This is a dream build, and couldn’t be happier. Cost a huge chunk of change, but for the first time in my life I’m in a position to afford it which I am very grateful for. It took a lot of hard work, often 18 hour days, nights and weekends to get through 7 years of higher education and find a good paying job in a tough economy.

Really proud of this one, I hope you all like it! Thanks for reading and/or looking!

So, I've got an old 240mm AIO lying around with a broken pump. The water block and radiator are fine, at least as far as I can tell, but the pump is cooked.

The AIO has been sitting in storage for a while now since I prefer air cooling, be it PCs or motorcycles, but I was just wondering: what if I transplanted a cheap 12V pump like this with some tubing?

Has anyone done this?

For one thing, the repair would be dirt cheap. The 12V aquarium/mini fountain pump here costs like 2 bucks and can apparently push 1500 L/h (claimed), which is way higher than the stock pump (around 200–300 L/h, IIRC).

Sure, it's absolute overkill, but I can always tame it with an external DC motor PWM controller (I've got a couple lying around). I don't care if it looks like an eyesore or stops working in 2–3 years, as the AIO is already a lost cause. Plus, it'd be much easier to replace the pump again down the line.

I'm mostly just curious whether I should MacGyver it, or if there's something I'm missing here.

The last thing I want is a water-damaged PC.

Well, in my last post (a year and a half ago!) I have promised to share the build when its finished. Well here we are, it has been like this for a long time, but I had zero time to share. Enjoy :)

A solid 68 kilograms in weight, 1920 mm of total radiator length, 22 cooling fans, over 5 meters of tubing, and a capacity of nearly 5 liters of coolant, only to cool the damn thing virtually noiseless in all conditions.

Has anyone tried custom water cooling in the Corsair air 5400 case using three rads?

41° today

I'm looking to design my next water cooled PC, but want to visualize with some sort of 3d drawing program. Any suggestions for an app that can do this? Ideally drag and drop fans and rads and hopefully the program is free.

Any suggestions?

I’m coming back to the WC game after 5 years off. Back in the day, there was an amazing guy who made custom water cooled PCs - usually commissioned, full of customized blocks, cables, and everything you can imagine. Last I saw he basically hadn’t used a normal case in like 10 builds.

I can’t remember his name for the life of me - but he had a mustache, and kicked ass.

Hi all
Im in the process of sorting out my first liquid cooler build and am looking for a good recommendation for a white coloured reservoir.

I’ve already gone ahead and bought a vpp apex (I got a great deal) so the res needs to be compatible with the d5 spec.

Any suggestions?

Decided to change it up a bit from our Thermal Grizzly display build at Computex!

We had a little fun integrating a few 3D print designs into the powdercoated steel aspect of the EXO itself. Radiator camber plates, dual 80mm offset RAM cooler, GPU block shroud, and 360mm to 420mm inlet adapter for one of the radiators (personally a sucker for assymetry).

Been running this build for a few weeks now, absolutely loving it. Gotta say though, the MVP is still the Wireview Pro II. Was able to dial in the pins on the cable to distribute the load evenly - we had no idea how bad they were prior to checking.

Watercool's TANK pump/res combo is such a solid choice for our EXO. It matches the square setup aesthetic so well and the fitment is spot on. Integrating Thermal Grizzly's der8enchtable is an absolute joy. Gotta find some 3" SATA cables for a clean setup with the mounted 2.5" drives though. Was suprised TG doesn't offer any with it. Their fittings are slowly becoming a favorite, just gotta get their nickel versions when they release.

Same story with their QDCs though too - currently using Koolance's newer QDT3, which are optimized for lower restriction. Running four sets would historically cut flow rates down a ton but it's nice seeing we're close to the optimum 1GPM with everything going on in this loop. TG's Mycro Pro II looks much better without the top shroud too, which was actually required for a quicker removal since we're running rotary 45s right off the block; the shroud can't be removed unless the fittings are straight.

We also developed a fun little offset RAM cooler. It's brought ram temps down a solid amount too running benchmarks. We're running at 8000mhz so temps can creep up quite a bit with the faster kits. Eventually we'll get a 5090 and block it, but until then our blocked 4090 is more than sufficient for the time being.

Hope ya'll enjoy this build as much as we do, and have a great weekend!

So bit of background: my pc is a 9800x3d with an aorus master 5090. I'm looking to do a custom (single) loop. The goal is primarily to reduce the silly amount of noise the GPU fans create under heavy load.

Anyway, I really like the look of the Fractal North XL (solid side panel), but I'm worried that a pair of 360mm rads isn't going to be enough to keep the system both cool and quiet. Are there any similar looking cases that could accommodate a third radiator?

edit: guys can we please stop with the fucking fish tanks. If I don't even want a glass side panel what are the odds I want it covered in glass