Corsair Hydro X iCUE Link | Hard Tube Custom Loop ($5000 build)

[@geofftatesmate7748]

Beautiful. Just beautiful. 😍

[@thetechdevil-jn1vo]

Wow. That’s a dream system. I love the looks too.

[@stevewatson6839]

Best bit, it is an achievable dream system.

[@theonlyredspecial]

Yes it’s not out of reach for a lot of people

[@philipjfry628]

What I like is despite there being a zillion fans in that case they are all ticking over quite slowly so you can tell it will be a very quiet machine.

[@KitGuruJames]

It's extremely quiet when idle. But with the big rads you don't need to ramp up the fan room much under load so it stays relatively quiet.

[@buyingastairwaytoheaven5252]

Yes that’s the part I noticed too. Those fans must be pretty good. Which in fairness has never been a Corsair strong point.

[@hotandcoldrunningwater-hj2mn]

That’s such a selling point. I’m checking into those fans

[@KnightRider-lq5yb]

Did you do a custom fan profile or just use corsairs balanced or quiet ?

[@stickyfingers9710]

well I cant say ive ever been a huge fan of corsair, but some of that new hardware looks amazing. shame they didnt send you the full set thought as I see a few old parts. you did well james as always man

[@KitGuruJames]

Thanks!

[@powermaster5004]

They make some good components. Expensive but quality.

[@hairsprungdutchtechnique9626]

I was hoping we might get a James build soon, some of the best on youtube. and this one is quite affordable too for what you get (which is unusual).

[@dreschaffhausen5693]

He always puts that little bit extra in doesnt he. Do love a custom James build been too long since the last one.

[@hairsprungdutchtechnique9626]

@@dreschaffhausen5693 Yeah his AMD one from last year was the best system ive seen

[@Kvantum]

Spectacular build... but I can't help but wish the GPU block was in white, as you said.

[@KitGuruJames]

Agreed.

[@haremofprocessors6954]

Yeah that was a bit of a let down from Corsair supplying that. Beautiful build though James.

[@jamieownby1487]

Spray paint

[@KitGuruTech]

@@jamieownby1487 We painted the XG7 block in the AMD Behemoth custom build that we did a couple, of years ago. The XG7 is very easy to disassemble and paint.

[@marcinmdk6084]

Really nice. Well done. And that cable management is spotless

[@KitGuruJames]

Thanks 👍

[@lucifersheadscarf6988]

Cable management is next level. Agree 😮

[@fairycat]

Hopefully we will see many new cool things from this pretty brand.

[@inlovewithmycar7085]

That new link suite is pretty impressive.

[@pixelrefresh348]

That's some truly amazing plumbing looks like something from super Mario bros wonder.

[@KitGuruJames]

😂

[@justindavis7600]

that’s stunning looking. Love the lines and shape. Watching that Timelapse while I had dinner. Very therapeutic !❤

[@philipjfry628]

Yeah from 27:39 onwards its so enjoyable

[@KnightRider-lq5yb]

Oh. I see what you did there.

[@Maxverstappenracing-dz3pt]

Amazing looking build. Love the angular straight lines.

[@KitGuruJames]

👍

[@buyingastairwaytoheaven5252]

That’s a pretty reasonable price considering the hardware involved. The gpu block is the best bit imo

[@dreschaffhausen5693]

Thats a real quality build there James really cool that you actually mod the case to get the components to fit in rather than go with what is "allowed". Love that GPU water block.

[@KitGuruJames]

Thanks, I mentioned to Corsair that they should do white versions of the XG7 GPU blocks. The black one looks ok but I would have preferred white/silver to match the other parts.

[@thetechdevil-jn1vo]

White versions and a white psu in that would have been super sweet.

[@haremofprocessors6954]

How many 3d parts did you make James ?

[@KnightRider-lq5yb]

It’s really quiet too. Those fans seem good.

[@thetechdevil-jn1vo]

Agree ! Seem worth checking out

[@powermaster5004]

Fancy editing there. Beautiful. Amazing ❤❤❤

[@bobsmithson8592]

That gpu block is astounding

[@gogopowerrangers6596]

Yeah it’s beautiful

[@lovingthehardwarethisyea-py1xp]

@@gogopowerrangers6596 Would have looked better in white, wonder why corsair didnt supply it in white? do they not do a white version?

[@Cylindermaster]

would have been better in white and vertically mounted

[@haremofprocessors6954]

amazing looking set up that. expertly put together James. All you need is a beanie, no words, and a MR in front of you. Go full hardcore french mime artist.

[@KitGuruJames]

😂

[@larwiemcdonnel5322]

James your systems are incredible. 😮

[@KitGuruJames]

Thanks! 😊

[@harleylover9446]

well colour me pink and orange and call me a peach. absolutely bloody marvellous attention to detail Mr Dawson. I like that a great deal. claps 🐶

[@KitGuruJames]

Thanks!

[@lucifersheadscarf6988]

James that’s a pretty tasty build 😍

[@johnerikson2443]

You seemed to like most of the parts. Killer looking rig. The rgb tones really help accentuate the looks.

[@KitGuruJames]

Some good improvements over the previous generation of HydroX. I think Corsair needs to look at updating the XG7 colour schemes though.

[@napoficial7123]

Master of tubes 🎉

[@tomwarren]

I'm a big fan of iCUE Link, but not a fan of the prices :) Great build!

[@KitGuruJames]

I'm a fan of iCUE link now. Good solution for tidying up cables.

[@iamahappybunny7640]

One of the nicest builds I’ve seen Kitguru 😮❤

[@lovingthehardwarethisyea-py1xp]

I just wet my pants with that thumbnail - such a tidy build and that tubing looks beautiful

[@bruceham6856]

Awsome build!

[@KitGuruJames]

👍

[@theonlyredspecial]

Amazing James 😮

[@gogopowerrangers6596]

Had no idea they did so many new link products 😮😮

[@KitGuruJames]

I hope there is more to come. It's makes cable management simple.

[@Itsameamario-ns3se]

Luigi and me gives you both a super thumbs up. 🎉🎉

[@KitGuruJames]

Thanks!

[@Everychillitsjustlife-cz8zz]

Such a chilled video. Master class in building

[@stevewatson6839]

Sweet. It just so happens I have a 7000D to build in this year too! I agree less haste; more speed would have helped with minor alignment niggles. A less time-constrained build and the viewer might not know to watch for that, though, so the minor niggles can turn a positive! I'll have to give this a proper watch to give you your proper due; but first view is Ronseal as per.

[@RainbowSunset-uq2hs]

what hardware are you planning on putting in it? its a big case

[@user-ux5ck6ix9n]

Magnetically connected fans are so freaking cool.

[@hairsprungdutchtechnique9626]

THey do seem to have some connection issues at times, especially the thermaltake ones. I dont speak frtom personal experience, just from looking at comments online

[@hulyamutlueser]

Nice build you took a relatively bog standard case and made it something special.

[@amdforlife5591]

Great opening sequence. You kinda spoilt the build a bit but the Timelapse was brilliant anyway

[@philbill4958]

Excellent video. Well done.

[@ulsterknight4182]

This build looks amazing, great stuff. Is there a noticeable benefit running 2 separate pump/res loops?

[@Ahmet_850]

Really like the icue range not too keen on their pricing through.

[@canarychrome7012]

THey can be massively expensive for sure. but i think most of what they do is quality. Cant speak for peripherials as I dont really go into detail with them, im happy with my dark core mouse ive had for years

[@RainbowSunset-uq2hs]

Love the colour scheme. Is that corsairs watercolor theme ?

[@KitGuruJames]

Yes it's the Corsair default now.

[@Cylindermaster]

Great vid, I just think they missed out on an opportunity of sending white fans and cables with a white hub instead of the black one that comes with it.

[@larwiemcdonnel5322]

I love the tubing in this. Very clean and appealing. Did you ever use dark coloured liquids in a loop ?

[@KitGuruJames]

I've used plenty of coloured liquids before, not usually dark.

[@canarychrome7012]

James you are a guru. A Kitguru. See what I did there ? 😂

[@KitGuruJames]

🤦😄

[@salihova1740]

Would have loved to have seen some benchmarks to see how the components are running under load.

[@OGHawkeye]

wow that is badass

[@justatim8143]

The only thing bad about the Corsair Link is the COST as everything you need you have to add to the price and make sure you order it for your build as Corsair doesn't want to give you the extras included and at the price they want it should be included. I love the Gigabyte board for an all white build but will never pay the price of $330.00 for it when it is nothing more then a X670 gaming X with 2 extra phases. They cut down on the PCB layers to 6 layers and they changed the audio to ALC 897. For that price I should have 8 layer PCB (for better signal), a readout screen and at least ALC 1200 audio. Even the X670 and B650 Elite have 8 layer PCB.

[@festerleech4952]

Should put some sparkly glitter in that water so you can see the flow of the water. On second thoughts that probably a pump breaking idea so maybe not.

[@KitGuruJames]

Yeah the pump wouldn't be happy with that 😊

[@LifeIsButaBluff]

Another great looking build but the corsair pricing is just astonishing

[@David-nd4to]

Tidy build!

[@KitGuruJames]

Thanks!

[@user-ye1wy6eg9p]

Really thinking about getting the Corsair 7000X RGB however the only thing which is really putting me off is the same thing which is on this case, it’s the grey corners, wish Corsair just made a pure white one

[@josephwhite1098]

Love it, fixing to do something very similar. With that said, i have a few questions. First of all is there any particular reason why you did the dual loop 2 pump rez combos? Also I plan to do a 480 in the front and a 360 in the top. I have heard that a 480 in the front and a 420 on top wont fit at the same time (I wounder if this is true). If I just run the two radiators and one pump, how many iCUE controllers would I need?

[@Maxverstappenracing-dz3pt]

I can’t believe how quiet it is. Is that a custom profile you Set up ?

[@KitGuruJames]

That's the default quiet profile in iCUE.

[@Cylindermaster]

Did you have any trouble with the rear fan connecting to the top radiator fans around the fittings or is that radiators in/out spaced differently to normal spacing compared to the 360 rad's.

[@OnlyDrPhibes]

That this build looks stunning is pretty much beyond question I think. However, I just took a quick look at the price of this setup. According to the Corsair pricing it appears if I am too emulate your build on this occasion it will cost me roughly £1,570 for the cooling system alone, and that's without the sundry fittings, etc (unless I have missed something, which is entirely possible). £480 for 10 fans alone! I have been researching various ideas and approaches to my next build but I do think Corsair's pricing is a bit bonkers here to be honest. That said it is great looking kit and I guess it's to each his or her own, etc.

[@lucifersheadscarf6988]

I’m not sure how they worked out the pricing. Perhaps James can help break it down. The Corsair fan pricing is staggering I agree with you completely. Not saying the other hardware is cheap but 50 or so for a fan is just staggering to me.

[@KitGuruJames]

@@lucifersheadscarf6988 Here you go: • CPU - Intel Core i9-14900K - £559.99 • Motherboard - Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Pro X - £419.99 • Graphics Card - MSI RTX 4080 Gaming X TRIO - £1189.99 • Memory - 48GB (2 x 24GB Modules) Corsair Dominator Titanium DDR5-7000 - £249.98 • Storage - 1TB Corsair MP700 PCIe Gen5 NVMe M.2 SSD - £159.95 • Power Supply - Corsair RMx SHIFT Series RM1200X - £199.99 • Chassis - Corsair 7000D Airflow White - £233.99 Hydro X: • CPU Block - Corsair HydroX XC7 RGB Elite LCD - £179.99 • GPU Block - Corsair HydroX XG7 RGB - £229.99 • Pump/Res - 2 x Corsair HydroX XD5 RGB Elite - £219.95 Each • Radiators - 2 x Corsair HydroX XR5 420 Neo (420mm) - £79.99 Each • Fan Kit - QX140 iCUE Link Starter Kit - £104.99 • Fans - 8x Corsair iCUE Link QX140 RGB (white) - £47.99 Each • Tubing - 2 x Corsair HydroX Series XT Harline 14mm Satin Transparent - £17.99 Each • Fittings - Assorted Corsair HydroX XF Series - £250 approx • Coolant - 2x Corsair HydroX Series XL5 Clear 1L - £14.99 Each

[@dweblinveltz5035]

I am thinking about watercooling my system that's already using the LINK system. I hear that the radiator ports can block the LINK connections on the fans. Is that true? If I'm forced to use only the connector at the opposite end of the fans, that might make getting everything connected difficult.

[@Maxverstappenracing-dz3pt]

Are those fans really around £50 each? I just noticed this when I rewatched a few parts this morning

[@jamesjessenden7838]

Does removing the standard heatsink from your GPU invalidate the warranty? Do RTX GPUs have overheat protection just in case you get it wrong?

[@hotandcoldrunningwater-hj2mn]

Good question.

[@KitGuruJames]

The warranty thing is a very grey area, some manufacturers don't like it if you remove the stock cooler but it's pretty safe to do so these days, it's difficult to damage the card just by removing the cooler. If you get it wrong the card will try to manage heat but it's always best to monitor heat manually after you have installed a custom GPU block.

[@hairsprungdutchtechnique9626]

@@KitGuruJames never thought about it. wouldnt fancy buying a 4090 and taking the cooler off. I doubt you could send it back and claim money on it. Well Amazon probably wouldnt care. probably why they do so well. with their 1 month return system

[@iamahappybunny7640]

James would you build a system yourself with that gpu block for your own pc ?

[@KitGuruJames]

Ummm, for my own system I would probably use an EK block depending on budget. I still like the look of EK Magnitude black acetal without RGB. 😊

[@jonas000111]

Half that cost is watercooling and iCUE. I would have used the savings to buy a 4090 and AIO for the CPU and call it a day. Even at 2k for the 4090 it would be cheaper

[@theonlyredspecial]

Of course it is. Corsair paid to promote their new link hardware.

[@stevewatson6839]

4090 is the same kind of daft or not daft. You have different priorities is all. Let a thousand flowers bloom!

[@louistweedale9589]

waterbuilding noob here, why is no one putting the 120mm fans on the side? is it a turbulence thing? TIA

[@ghettov99]

It should be mandatory to include an IPS screen on every CPU cooler.

[@lovingthehardwarethisyea-py1xp]

GPU block not got a white version, wonder why corsair didnt supply it in white? do they not do a white version?

[@KitGuruJames]

No white version of the XG7 currently which is a little disappointing.

[@dansolo6417]

have same case but not same cable management

[@user-sz9di6vz8q]

Dont quite get where they got the pricing for the pump from as 300 quid seems like a bit of a rip off.

[@festerleech4952]

Yeah I saw that its a bit much.

[@lucifersheadscarf6988]

Weird they didn’t send you a white PSU. Really didn’t help the looks

[@salihova1740]

What sort of coolant do you put in these reservoirs?

[@KitGuruJames]

Corsair HydroX XL5 clear coolant was used on this build.

[@ghettov99]

I used to think you could have too much RGB. I was wrong.

[@philipjfry628]

You can never have too much RGB otherwise how else would people know its a gaming system?

[@TrickyRicky136]

Bros cable manegment is exstrodinary

[@Roman00744]

Used to love Corsair and have many of their product. Now I'm not sure if I even like them and will never buy any of their proprietary crap. Probably won't be buying anything Corsair in the future.

[@maximusmiles8435]

If I can sell you a used coke can for $5k, then that is what it is worth. This stuff is so over priced, but as long as people are willing to buy it. Then that's what it's worth. $140 dollars for 2 fans is ridiculous.

[@meppie1922]

Corsair is imo waaay to over priced.. 179 for an CPU water block that is not even that great is just crazy pricing.. Its all cheap plastic imo and their Corsair link is not that great either..

[@larwiemcdonnel5322]

I think some of their hardware is good to be fair. not all of it, but they make some quality products as well. I think in some ways its cool to hate Corsair. certainly in youtube comments.

[@meppie1922]

@@larwiemcdonnel5322 I am not hating, instead facts. There are issues with their quality control still. Especially with their water blocks on GPU and CPU. They leak. And the cpu block here is simply subpar with something 50% cheaper.. so it's not a good buy. Simply because something is expensive doesn't mean it's also good quality.

[@larwiemcdonnel5322]

@@meppie1922 I never said you were hating, I said its commonplace to hate Corsair as a brand and a lot of the comments I read are from people just repeating what they read on another channel or from someone in the comments. I have had a lot of Corsair products and I think ive only had a mouse fail which they replaced fairly quickly. I havent used their waterblocks, but I would interested to hear if you had this experience first hand yourself or if you just read it online. If so what block was it and what happened? just trying to educate myself.

[@superheracross89]

Should of got the link cpu waterblock and gpu link wb

[@KitGuruJames]

The GPU water block I used is the only proper custom block Corsair currently has. It comes with the iCUE link adaptor cable, that is the only solution currently. I found it odd that the CPU block does not connect to iCUE link too, the non LCD version of this XC7 RGB Elite does connect to iCUE link, so if you want an LCD CPU block your only option currently is the one I used.

[@larwiemcdonnel5322]

Weird they didnt update that isnt it ?

[@kendragon2827]

Corsair getting worse than Ek on their pricing. I'll pass and use aquacomputer d5 next, fans still on the fence about

[@KitGuruJames]

Can't argue with you about the costs.

[@powermaster5004]

@@KitGuruJames I was staggered to see those fans cost £50+, have to say.

[@anthrussell23]

50 quid a fan, what a joke

[@larwiemcdonnel5322]

I saw someone asked Kitguru in a previous youtube video if they ever saw £100 fans. We are getting close now !

[@SzymonL8]

Ah, Crapsair.

[@bulanik.xvideolar.x5631]

It’s a lovely build but the liquid so close to the PSU really freaks me out.

[@bulanik.xvideolar.x5631]

This feels like the sort of stuff you’d buy if you’ve got a lottery win or a rich relative who just died and left you a nice stack of money.

[@KitGuruJames]

True 😂