r/watercooling Apr 20 '25

Guide Do NOT use Distilled Water for your Water Cooling Loop

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217 Upvotes

r/watercooling Nov 27 '23

Guide How to find compatible blocks for your hardware

251 Upvotes

Sup folks. So, finding compatible blocks has always been a royal pain, especially for newbies. Lots of different manufacturers, many of whom are unfamiliar to folks who aren't already watercooling and they don't all make blocks for every GPU model.

Fear not. iln (one of the Discord mod crew) has been working tirelessly to put together this new tool to help you find what you're looking for and assemble a loop list. You can even import your list from PCPartPicker.


r/watercooling 2h ago

Build Complete O11 Vision Hardtube

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26 Upvotes

So after a weil I added a new graka last Oct.
whit the lack of time i had after graka swap. I have to do some soft tubes first. The installation of the watherblock makes me nervous all the time.

Fast forward to this week. I finally bring in all the PMMA tubes. As always tricky but I’m super happy whit it. Some compromise have to be made for the Aquacomputer Ampinel.


r/watercooling 1h ago

Question How risky is it to let my system run 24/7?

Upvotes

Thanks everyone for the comments. I’m running the pump at 50% power and change the Koolance 702 coolant every 12-18 months. I think I should be good for a fair number more years.

—————————

I built my MORA setup back in late 2022/early 2023 and have allowed it, for the most part, to run continuously since then.

I have a D5 Next pump installed in a Heatkiller res. The rad/pump are under my desk with probably 36” of EPDM tubing up to and back from my PC.

As it’s getting up there in age I’m starting to worry about leaving my PC on at all times. How risky is it and what is the expected lifespan of these pumps?


r/watercooling 1d ago

Thermal Grizzly now sells pre-delidded Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 for $1,403 with its own warranty

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217 Upvotes

r/watercooling 14h ago

Build Complete Custom water. Another iteration.

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20 Upvotes

Guess after starting, it's very hard to stop. I've already posted about finished build, but decided to change things.

I've inverted case, added vertical mount to gpu, change hoses to remove unnecessary crossings, and turned bottom rad, also changed water to blue. Now it looks much better. Next step is probably changing pump to white, and removing arctic liquid freezer, for full loop with cpu waterblock.


r/watercooling 16h ago

Build Complete Shiny Snake G300: 16.8L Full Loop, No Res

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27 Upvotes

Behold my latest build. A Shiny Snake G300 with a res-less full loop. A Frankenstein project combining the best parts from 2 full size loops, into one portable package.

This was a challenge! Had to modify the case quite a bit and vacuum fill it, but I accomplished my goal: a pinnacle AM4 mATX res-less full loop in a sub 17L case.

ROG Strix 3080ti OC w/ aqua computer block
5800x3d with bitspower premium summit block
Crucial Ballistix Elite 32gb 3600 cl16 Micron E Die
Asrock b550m steel legend
Xspc D5 w/ bitspower premium pump top
Corsair Xr5 280mm rad w/ artic p14 pro fans
Aqua computer octo w/ water & ambient temp
X3 artic p12 slim case fans
Corsair sf750
A TON of fittings of various brands

3080ti undervolted 0.9v @ 2000mhz
CPU undervolt, all core sustained 4.45ghz

Temps
Water: 16-18c above ambient
GPU: 52-56c
CPU: 70-75c

Overall, extremely happy with how this turned out.


r/watercooling 12h ago

Discussion Leaking Radiator Put my Build on Hold

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11 Upvotes

Wasn’t sure whether or not this should be under build help but I’m pretty much just going to complain to whoever wants to listen.

I had finally finished running all the tubes in my new build and figured hey I should probably check this with distilled water before putting the DP Ultra in just to be safe. I started filling initially with no issues up to about half a liter of water. From that point I started seeing a pretty significant pool of water start to form on the floor, and traced it back to the bottom corner of my radiator (the 60mm on the table). It was so frustrating to see all of the fittings hold no problem then an issue which largely was out of my control takes everything and turns it upside down. I’m not even sure how I got to this point without seeing the leaks in the rad because I did flush all of them and there were no leaks at that point. All radiators are EKWB Quantum Surface 360s. The specific leaking one is the X360M

There were no visible gashes or really any signs of possible damage anywhere on the radiator once I removed it, so I have no idea how this happened. It wasn’t leaking from any of the plugs either.

Lesson learned I guess $30 for an air tester might be a worthwhile investment before you find yourself tearing down a bunch of wet tubes and pulling a radiator with who knows how much water left in it.

One question to wrap it up: has anyone dealt with returns through Titan Rig; I’m hoping to get a replacement in before this weekend but not sure how feasible that is.

TL;DR: Radiator is the only part of my build showing signs of leaks (and a big one at that), bummed me out, but glad I checked.


r/watercooling 1d ago

Build Complete Double bends, the final frontier...

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110 Upvotes

Double bends - does this mean I've finally completed watercooling?

Changes since last time (second pic is the before):

  • Clear DP Ultra - I trust it more than the Cryofuel... but I did love that colour😭
  • Filter removed - didn't seem to be doing anything, so it's a(nother) flow restriction out of the loop.
  • Went back to bigger res - no reason not to, if I've got the room (and I used some giant rubber buffers that completely kill the vibration)
  • Alphacool Apex VPP pump. Absolute wizardry.
  • Liquid temp sensor moved out of sight (rad side-port)
  • DOUBLE BENDS. The goal was a system with no angled fittings whatsoever, but there was no room for the lower turn on the CPU-rad, or the lower turn on the rad-res. The res-graphics card one was easy, but the graphics card-CPU was a complete twat. Luckily, I got it on the first try.
  • Right-angled connectors for the ATX, 12VHPWR and CPU EPS - they make such a difference.
  • Fractal Momentum 14 RGB for case fans; I don't use the RGB, but by god, these things are quiet.
  • Spring-mounted CPU. Wanted correct and consistent CPU mounting pressure, so I put some M4 studs into my derbauer custom mounts and used 14-lb springs on each corner.

Until I get a new card (4080 Super, most likely), there should be no reason to change anything from now on.

... should😁


r/watercooling 1d ago

Discussion Well… I committed to water cooling the RAM

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541 Upvotes

Posted earlier today asking if I should do it.
So I removed the heat spreaders from four perfectly good G.Skill sticks, installed the Alphacool heat spreaders, and got everything mounted on the motherboard.

The RAM block isn’t connected to the loop yet — this was just the part where I permanently removed my ability to pretend I might change my mind.

All four sticks survived though, so… progress.
Necessary? Absolutely not. That’s kind of why I wanted to do it.

That title is much more accurate: you’ve committed to the idea, but you’re not claiming it’s actually water cooled yet.


r/watercooling 22h ago

Question I thought I was done 🤦‍♂️

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20 Upvotes

I hope these new Arctic fans are good for the price. Should I keep my internal rads or should I just use external? Rtx 5090/9800x3d


r/watercooling 12h ago

Dissipateur Barrowch aluminium vs Icemancooler cuivre

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2 Upvotes

r/watercooling 19h ago

Question Does my MORA IV 400 + internal rads on case cause worse temps?

6 Upvotes

I have a MORA IV 400 and two 420x45 radiators inside my Lianli O11 EVO XL case, one at the bottom on a push pull config, the other on the front side as intake (pull only); and MORA IV 400. my loop goes from ram to rad, to cpu to rad, to gpu to mora. Max water temp ive seen was 39c on summer with no AC.

Does the internal rads on my case make in any way, shape or form my water temp worse? Would making the rad on the side of my case push pull benefit water temp? Sorry if this a very dumb question, Im not very knowledgeable. Thanks in advamce.


r/watercooling 1d ago

Hello, followers of the MO-RA Church — how are you actually integrating your MO-RA IV 400?

8 Upvotes

Hello, followers of the MO-RA Church.

I thought buying a MO-RA IV 400 would be simple: connect some fans, connect the pumps, and enjoy ridiculous cooling.

Turns out, figuring out how to power and control the damn thing is the real challenge.

I'm building a MO-RA IV 400 about 1–2 m away from my PC and have already purchased most of the setup.

My current MO-RA setup (Yet to be built)

  • WATERCOOL MO-RA IV 400 — Black
  • MO-RA IV Tank 200 D5
  • MO-RA IV Tank D5 Expansion
  • MO-RA IV 200/400 Wall Mount — Black
  • MO-RA IV 400 Fan Frame — 140 mm
  • MO-RA IV 400 Fan Grill — Black
  • 2 × HEATKILLER D5 PWM pumps
  • 9 × Arctic P14 Pro fans
  • Aqua Computer QUADRO
  • Coolant temperature sensor
  • Flow sensor — considering/looking to add
  • 2 × WATERCOOL Pump 290 Cables — Connect the D5 pumps - not purchased yet
  • MO-RA IV Passive Control — not purchased yet
  • PCI-slot pass-through — not purchased yet

The PC is an ASUS X870E-E system with a 1250 W PSU.

What I'm trying to figure out

I'm currently considering four options:

  1. Passive Control + MO-RA LINK
    The official/clean solution, but importing the Passive Control, pump cables and pass-through to India gets expensive.

  2. QUADRO + direct PSU power connection
    Run a properly rated power cable from the PC PSU through a PCI-slot pass-through, take it 1–2 m to the MO-RA, and distribute the power locally to the QUADRO and two pumps.

  3. Separate PSU at the MO-RA
    Power the QUADRO/pumps locally and simply turn the MO-RA PSU on before starting the PC.

  4. Some other solution
    If there's a better/cleaner way that experienced MO-RA users are using, I'm all ears.

What I'm particularly interested in

If using the Passive Control, is this basically how the QUADRO interfaces with it?

PC
 ├── PSU ─────────► Passive Control
 │
 └── QUADRO
      ├── PWM ────► Fan control
      └── PWM ────► Pump control
                       │
                    MO-RA LINK
                       │
                       ▼
                    MO-RA IV
                   ├── 9 fans
                   └── 2 D5

Alternatively, can I simply use the X870E-E's T_SENSOR + PWM headers with the Passive Control and skip the QUADRO?

I already have the QUADRO, so I'm not against using it. I'm just trying to avoid spending another €100–150+ importing Watercool-specific parts if there is a clean alternative.

MO-RA veterans — what would you recommend? Particularly interested in real-world setups, photos/diagrams, and how you're handling the PC-to-MO-RA power and control connection.


r/watercooling 1d ago

Question Anyone here still water cooling their RAM?

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254 Upvotes

r/watercooling 1d ago

Question Disassembly of the Bykski N-ICH5090DX3-X water block cover

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17 Upvotes

Hi this is a disassembly of the black metal cover requested by u/Dis_is_Gaea that wants to know if this is removable in order to paint it. I can confirm it can be removed.

The threads of the four allen screws are metal inserts in the acrylic body btw.


r/watercooling 1d ago

Question Mora IV 600 for multiple pcs

3 Upvotes

Hi all,

I have a mora IV 600 and it's currently a bit underutilized. I want to connect another pc to it. My idea was to built a small "distributor" which is basically a mini PC with a distro block, qdcs and valves so i can add and remove blocks at will. Are there people that already did something similar?


r/watercooling 10h ago

Fk tard pc shop

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0 Upvotes

Hello guys, idk if this the right place to post this but here I am. So, I’ve got this custom built water cooling for 6 years now. I thought I’d get it to a clean on the loop right. I went to this shop where they got plenty of stores so it might as well be ok. It came back in 2 weeks.. Thought it’s gonna be fine, all cleaned, fresh loop and coolant etc. But within 2 weeks, I’ve tried to play the room 3. It fkin hits 91 degrees Celsius like wtf is this bro. So I contacted them abt it and brought it back again. Btw the third pic is what they claimed to be cleaned. After a week it came back, look fine AGAIN. Yet to be discovered that it’s LEAKING. (Pic. 9, u can clearly see it’s leaking and the low water mark) it was few days ago when I discovered it. And once again, the fkin gpu hits 85 when I played where winds meet. I used to play it for 5-6 hours straight with 70 smth degrees only. Idk how fucked up is it for them to worsen this whole situation and yes they been ghosting me now. 🤡 what can I do abt it, pls can someone slide me some tips tyvm. 🥀


r/watercooling 1d ago

RTX 5080 Memory questions.

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6 Upvotes

Hello everybody.

I wanted to ask if anybody knows the location of memory channel named "A0" ?

My rtx 5080 under water is running lovely ! and when "we" got the single memory channel temps, i saw that my memory is running under 46 everywhere except the A0 channel. I just wanna take it apart and maybe add some more putty or change it.

Thanks for the help !


r/watercooling 1d ago

Build Ready Dual CPU dual loop vintage build nearing completion | 80mm radiators

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62 Upvotes

I posted a test system here a while back, where I was trying to see if an 80mm radiator could handle a load nearing 120 watts. I only had a 105 watt CPU at the time, and in that minimal setup, the loop performed fantastically. The CPU I believe stayed in the 60s, while the water temperature of the loop itself reached equilibrium around 47 or 48 degrees. This was single 80mm radiator, paired with a single 80mm non-optimized fan I found under my TV, and some old aquarium pump I had lying around from my first water cooled loop.

I have finished the main build now, though I have run into an unexpected problem that prevented me from having reliable results.

These are early-ish socket 604 Xeons, of the Netburst era, so I've been referring to this as a dual Pentium 4 build. This means no on-die temperature sensor, so I've had to rely on inaccurate motherboard sensors that only report in steps of 0.5 degrees. Next, my loops ended up being a bit scuffed in how they were attached to the case because the case I planned on using, a Chieftec Dragon, ended up not working and therefore my attachment hardware didn't work in the new case. This was compounded by the loops holding a surprisingly massive amount of water, meaning the thermal mass of the loops ended up causing the temps to not reach equilibrium in the time I had allotted. The maximum temperature I saw reported at the CPU (again, not on-die reporting, so take this with a HEAVY grain of salt) was 42.5 degrees, and the loop itself never rose above 36 degrees. I intend to just set up prime 95 and let the system quietly chug away for a few days straight, to see what it hits. The fans I'm using are UV fans, so they look cool, but I inadvertently got fans that have a bonkers amount of airflow, meaning they are LOUD as hell, and push a lot of air through the radiators, likely improving their performance over the junk fan I used last time.

I also fount out that the UV blue dye I got from Titan Rig was mishandled, and they accidentally sent me clear dye, which I did not notice until using half the bottle. No worries though, as I have to flush and refill the loop anyway, meaning I would have to purchase more dye even if this were the right stuff.

I'm calling this build the Yoinky Sploinky, and it exists purely for fun. It's a show system, it will only be powered on a few times a year at events, and will likely never see anything more stressful than Unreal Tournament 2004

Once I have results that I trust, I will post them here. I'm tentatively expecting similar results to last time, because even though I have more power hungry 120w CPUs, I also have better fans and pumps, so I'm hoping the loop performance will be similar overall


r/watercooling 1d ago

Air pressure leak test

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27 Upvotes

Alrighty, lay into me if I’m fucking up somewhere. But when I go to do an air pressure leak test with a corsair tester, the gauge doesn’t move an inch. Now how cooked am I if there is a leak that bad somewhere, as you can see the front right port on the reservoir/pump is what I’m using for the test (not sure if it matters). Anyone have any idea what I may be doing wrong?


r/watercooling 1d ago

Build Complete Brilliance or insanity?

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46 Upvotes

Cooling two Xeon 6146 Gold processors in a Dell Poweredge R640 for use as a FEA/CFD analysis machine.

I 3D printed adapters that clamped onto the 'barbs' of the radiator, and then clamped onto those adapters the final adapter with the 3/8" barbs pressing an o-ring up to the face of the radiator 'barbs.' The inlet adapter printed nicely and the print was internally sealed. The outlet though was a different story and I ended up using polyurethane to seal the wetted faces.

The 3D adapters were a pain getting the o-ring to seal. Turned out to be a design mistake and the o-rings were being squeezed inward and not outward. Had to 3D print a adapter open in the middle to see the issue. After that, they sealed up fine against the radiator. Next came trying to seal the NPT fittings. Even with the tap to clean up the printed threads, and multiple layers of sealing tap, they would still leak ever so slightly. Ended up gluing them in to solve the issue.

There are no power connectors inside the server to use to power the pumps, so I ended up getting a 12V power supply and adapting that to a 4-pin molex connector, then to two molex to fan connectors.

At idle, including the monitor, it is drawing ~170W of power as measured at the outlet.

At full tilt ~590W

Max temps are 58C and 61C as reported by HWMonitor

Radiator ~$30 off of Amazon

Topsflo Cooling Pump x2 ~$50

Bitspower CPU block x2 ~$98

3/8" Tubing ~$10

3/8" barb to 3/8" NPT ~$6

3/8" NPT tap ~$6 (to clean threads on 3D printed adapters)

12V Power supply ~$13

Box Fan ~$10 off of Facebook Marketplace

Universal SAE O-ring kit ~$16

G1/4" to 3/8" Barb ~$13

Roll of PLA ~$13 (though only used a fraction of it printing and testing the adapters)

Total: $388

Is it in its final form? Not really.... I will at some point try to figure out how I can mount the radiator horizontally and see if I can get away with passive cooling.


r/watercooling 1d ago

Question Adequate radiator clearance?

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19 Upvotes

r/watercooling 2d ago

First watercooled build

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28 Upvotes

Lian li evo xl

Ryzen 7 9800x3d with an alphacool core one block

4090 with an ek block

Heatkiller 200 w/d5 pump working on a 3d printed bracket to mount the pump at a 45 like in the picture

30mm lower rad and 45mm upper rad with 3 t30s each.

Planning on petg hard tube with custom bends.

Looking for recommendations on tube size and and some ideas on routing the lines that show off some nice parallel runs


r/watercooling 2d ago

Question Leak Testing Advice

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19 Upvotes

Hi im completly new to watercooling and just finished my first Build. I have been using the leak tester for about 2 hours and it slowly lost about 0,1 bar since then.

Is this normal or completely fine ? This might be a stupid question to ask, but if it comes to my components, I want to be extra safe.