Why don't more people do this...?

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[@SpencleyDesignCo]

or... you can just buy a mac... 🤷‍♂

[@Nichodo]

Or a Windows Gaming laptop :D

[@SAUdustBuilds]

I guess you could if you enjoy trash

[@ZacBuilds]

Ewww.

[@ScottGrammer]

It is not possible to buy a mac. To buy one would mean that you own it - and no one owns a mac. They're just allowed to use it by the true owner - Apple.

[@beforedrrdpr]

Pin of something

[@OmkarN]

Looking at everything, I actually understand why people don't do this.

[@Zyncra]

Between all the CNC, expensive cooling solutions and general impracticality...it makes sense why nobody does this 😂

[@CubeInspector]

​@@Zyncra cnc isn't at all necessary for this. It's a quality of life thing that if you have you can use, but anything here could be done with any typical tools someone with a home would have. You might need to buy a file.

[@pixelsafoison]

Nah you could do this on the cheap. He's very restrictive on his intake but you could absolutely fully air cool a drawer-mounted PC with the latest TDP monstrosities by creating any kind of air tunnel. Heck, you could use tubing and dump the hot air outside or in your shower if you wanted. As long as you go with jank there's always a solution. Try to purchase your way to a proper solution and shy of rack mounting you're only going to run into more issues

[@eatmyfishy]

yea same here and I have built probably a dozen computers or more…

[@indsutrialsvcs891]

i dont either. It's actually stupid. and a complete waste of time.

[@welcometoronsworld6589]

your system and setup is one of a kind to see you design your desk, speakers, and everything that is craft made I am a big fan of.

[@kanadaj3275]

"I don't understand why more people don't do this", he says, as he installs $1000+ worth of water cooling onto a $1500 PC. Gee, I wonder why. Nevermind the amount of work it takes to do this, the amount of work to troubleshoot a custom water loop, or how much harder it is to perform maintenance on a system with rigid tubing.

[@CavezOfficial]

The GPU and CPU by themselves is roughly 1,800$ USD, + Motherboard - 2,100$ + DDR5 - 2,250 + SSD - 2,500 + 850/1000w PSU = (approximated) 26 / 2,700$ BEFORE all of the water cooling stuff. If you're a PC enthusiast like myself, like Zac and like many many other hardworking people; chances are you enjoy the build process, the equipment itself and the end result enough to put the effort in. If you don't care or don't enjoy it, then don't build PCs. 🤷 If you want something in your system bad enough and you're genuinely passionate about the hobby and your gear, you'll save money to make things happen, regardless of how long it may take you. Zac's just fortunate he gets to do things like this for a living.

[@nonamenosurname8516]

I would say most expensive part of the build was woodwork.

[@noracola5285]

I used to have a small dorm refrigerator and thought about turning it into a pc case for extra extra cooling. Instead I decided to leave it behind for the next class of students, as it had been left for me. I hope they continued the tradition.

[@kathrynck]

I had a 'desk pc'. I didn't find that I needed any CNC, etc. And cooling was excellent. I built it 'for' the extra cooling, and also to keep the components dust-free. Although, I was working with a home-made desk, which I designed for the purpose. And moving air further away from any "re-ingestion" was one of the main reasons. The 2 main features were that the pc was force-fed air by a separately plugged in HEPA filter. And the warm exhaust air was vented in 2 ways depending on season... with the moving of an internal shelf, it would exhaust warm air down to your feet (winter configuration), or out the top (summer configuration). I don't think you need a 1080mm rad though. That might be overkill. Granted my desk-build was back when we were all using heat pipes instead of water loops. As long as the airflow is good, "wood" should not be a problem at all. As far as "fire hazard" goes, wood isn't any more flammable than plastic, and there's a lot of plastic or partially plastic cases out there.

[@toomuchsugar3960]

I could see there being issues later with wear on the wires and tubes. I would consider moving the power buttons outside so you're not having to open and close the drawer constantly.

[@beforedrrdpr]

As a real viewer, I can confirm I like it when Zac goes HARD

[@smashyrashy]

In what sense?

[@beforedrrdpr]

​@@smashyrashy It is an adult joke

[@ZacBuilds]

That's the best kind of joke 😀

[@Dunkdamonk]

i did something similar, but instead of using a radiator like you did with 20 fans, i direct buried 250' of 3/8 copper in a vertical bore about 30' deep which happens to put me in the water table . i added a pump sized to handle head pressure and the liquid temp stays at 50F all day

[@afanasieguler7833]

I got a better question: Why have the power button inside? As per your question: 1. Price and time to assemble 2. Dust 3. Noise, while you're lucky, wood doesn't have any dampening, so if you have some movement it might get you some knocking.

[@smileymattj]

A lost art, that only OEMs seem be aware of, is you can make your wires to a precise length. Most wires can be shortened easily except the USB 3.0 and USB C Front panels wires. Doing this would set off this build, like the icing on top.

[@eazilyamuzed1]

Watercooling your gfx card doesn't "100% void your warranty". You just have to reinstall the original air cooler before shipping the card back. Had to do that with an Asus Tuf 3080. No warranty issues whatsoever.

[@alk3myst]

Nice job! Take my like. Edge banding makes such a HUGE difference and people don't realize how easy it is done and it's not that expensive. I screwed up assembling a cabinet and left the unfinished edge to the front (and I had used wood glue so disassembling it was impossible. Just a strip of edge band, some stain and utility knife to trim and it looks perfect.

[@mrhassell]

The main reason, why people don't use custom water-cooling loops, is cost. It's not just a water block, it's a pump. tubing, valves & connectors and a lot of manual work to make the loop, also make it watertight and safe. There's AIO coolers, which address the CPU water cooling aspect, cheaply and safely but not custom EK blocks, which cover the GPU as well.

[@ams71007]

you should get some cablemod custom cables and a cablemod 12v high pwr adapter. it might clean up some of the cable mess and you can have some more color in the build. i was also thinking you should get a EK-Quantum Velocity² - 1700 Lignum Edition - Walnut water block. it would go perfect with the cabinet. you shoud also get some walnut fittings to go with the waterblock. i think it would look great in this build.

[@Jbpennes]

Superb job but WHY did not you create more holes into the front wood piece so your front fans can gather more air? It would also look a bit more modern imo. Love what you did, it's a kid's dream to gte such a wood place!!!

[@paulburkey2]

nice job I would like to do something like this but use a horizontal drawer, mount a test bench inside the drawer with a tempered glass section above the drawer in the countertop, so the PC is visible through the top of the desk.

[@indyspud]

I say this as someone that has custom built every desktop, watercooled most of them in some form or another (dating back to using heater cores from Toyota Camrys for radiators, even) - it's fun to tinker with, but end of the day most people just want a computer to sit in the corner, draw no attention to itself, and just work when you turn it on. I say that as a Macbook owner as well :) Tinkering and customising is fun but very early on in the piece it goes from a cost of building a computer to the cost of a hobby that you do while getting a computer to use at the end. Then you have to weigh up the potential future cost (money and time) of troubleshooting, and upgrading - which if you custom made all the things you'll likely have to go and custom make all over again to fit a new graphics card into a loop, or to change motherboards and either replace, remove or incorporate a new chipset block. And that's all before we talk about custom making the case into the desk.

[@dezznuzzinyomouth2543]

I'm installing 3pcs into the space between fire escape and fire gate (the top - the fire escape will still be fully egrres(able)... 15² fan with louvers exhausts from server rack 15²/fan with damper exhausts from machines installed within window..... 12" round flex duct stretching to back of server... Panel 39"*34" pinknfoam behind and screwed into windows rough opening..... Add some wood to support this weight.... And boom.... Most is all done... Cutting the plenum as we speak.... Used the ilovepower fans... Nice project

[@dezznuzzinyomouth2543]

Yes 3 pcs.... Two are inside a 10 year old phanteks elite xl.... The other separate... I love bringing dremel to PC cases.... I don't play by the rules

[@michaelfairchild]

Every radiator have max watt of power they can dissipate, but you cannot got below ambient temperature. If your room is 22*C, even having radiators of 1400W total of dissipation, will not make it go below 22*C, nor make it cool faster. Sadly, many manufacturers stopped putting that information out.

[@tomr3319]

4080 FE runs cool stock.. 60 degrees max load. nice build, impressive!

[@slimpickins43ttv39]

change out the fans you are running on the rad for the Lian Li UNI Fan SL120 V2 they link together and only have one wire coming out of them

[@xP1Joex]

Bro you slapped that thermal paste on like it was peanut butter on a sandwich lmaoo

[@dip-naosoufake4481]

we cant do that here in brazil... theres so must dust everywhere. But, thats a dream build

[@jessecool561]

Alot of people avoid this route do to cost. Just for a simple custom loop, the materials can cost more than the original build itself.

[@KeitaroTsurugi]

4:14 because blasting it with an air compressor every once in a while is a totally different maintenance workload than evacuating a full water loop and worrying over the water's qualities.

[@helljumper1821]

Maybe you can print smth like small figures or a city landscape on top of your cable hider.

[@АлексейАпарнев-е5ш]

rainbow pattern is default demo of argb capabilities but most users dont change it

[@TheDashACorner]

7800x3d + 4090. Undervolt 4090, Curve 7800x3d. Limit powerdraw of 4090 to 70%. OC Ram of 4090 +1000 Mhz. Then you take around 400W max with the same performance as an unoptimized setup. Alternative is a 5800x3d.

[@andreasw.hvammen3946]

Nice build. One comment though, are there any vents for the air to escape? You’ve got fans pushing air in to the compartment from both sides. That might just be a little sub-optimal without ventilation ports somewhere?

[@grimgorim]

Hi. It would be cool if you could make a step by step video tutorial on how to convert the graphics card to water cooling.

[@Denbot.Gaming]

arrhhhh need to watch the bend on those 12v power cables on the 40 series, there's an issue/design fault with them, and bending them like that is a no no. it pulls the pins and causes bad contact and they end up melting

[@jintix5937]

Kills me that he didn't use fans that support daisy chaining. Also it would only add the the cable management problem but power cable extensions always refine the aesthetics of a build.

[@dKenGuru]

700 watts? What!? Zen4 X3D - ~100 whatts, 7900xtx ~400 whatts. Whole PC ~500.

[@koneofsilence5896]

yes, fans barely run, and when, just slow but with watercooling you always have the pump going thats why I kicked out my AIO after a while I'll go back to water when they figure out better pumps

[@lincolnsampaiobr]

Man you have exit to air but don't have air entering it ... with nine 120mm fans you don't need two on the intake side, but opening it a little more or put a mesh of some sort in the front.

[@mikeccuk2006]

Sometimes you have to sacrifice power for efficiency eg. undervolt your CPU and GPU, adjust GPU TPD -10-20% you will be surprised how much cooler your PC is.

[@Mario-sx2lm]

Hey, I just bought a 10million dollar house and it's so confortable! I can't figure out why don't more people do this.

[@Aeonitsu]

most peeps don't have a workshop in their garage with professional tools for milling etc.

[@jondonnelly3]

I like diy cases, the 1st reason why people don't do it is cause that affordable lovely cases exist like the the Fractal North and Noctua/Deepcool/Thermaltake/Cookermaster all make excellent air coolers and GPU can come with 4 slot coolers. The 2nd is that not many people have access to a workshop like you have and I am totally jealous of. You asked the question, I gave my answer. Now title your video properly,.

[@jsunn6791]

Awesome! you earned a subscriber. I built my own custom PC as well, it is a desktop unit and I learned so much doing it. Didn't have all of the tools I needed, but I think it came out alright. Awesome work and a great performing PC!

[@murkyylurkss]

I think the reason I don't do this, is I didn't take woodshop seriously in high school and I deeply regret it...

[@BinkyTheToaster]

4:12 - More people don't do it because it adds at least $500 to the cost of the unit. Plus now they have to install an open-loop water rig.

[@EJSmith-dk3yg]

I like the speakers on your desk, very cool ! Any info would be nice ?

[@mandemusceasar981]

This is absolutely epic, thanks for sharing. I am also exceptionally jealous of your workshop, assume this is part of your work? New to the channel definitely going to check out more of your content.

[@MARTINREN1231]

"Why don't more people do this...?" probably because we cant afford to void the warranty because we literally cant afford it.

[@HikingFeral]

If you routed the power button so that it's on the outside of the draw, you wouldnt need to rig up some fancy anti cable wear system because you wouldnt need to open the draw.

[@AnotherScreenname]

Nice build! Any links for that ply?

[@AndreCarneiro666]

It doesn't matter! It's dangerous to confine your PC in a wooden case! Even worse, in a drawer inside a wooden piece of furniture. There are many reasons to make PC cases specifically using metal. One of them is because the metal is not easily flammable. Another is because metal is not a good thermal insulator, which is good when you want to keep the temperature as low as possible and lose heat as quickly as possible. Exactly the opposite of wood! Even worse if your total power is increased to 700W. This is dangerous!

[@hamsterSNAKE]

Could have slapped a Square Air Duct Heppa Filter on the back to keep out a bunch of the dust that you are gunna suck in

[@sanderbrouwer91]

Why don't more people do this...? A. Because this is voids warranty B. Most people can't build this (like myself, probably)

[@polygonekoma]

Why you dont use an external on switch you can just plug in your motherboard. So you dont have to open the drawer to turn it even on?

[@mattd1188]

Fine thread standoffs in wood. 😂 Somebody somewhere is pissed off about that.

[@JustinCrediblename]

I swear, people go SO FAR out of their way not to just buy a used server rack off of craigslist.

[@JustinCrediblename]

those handles for that table saw, though... 👍👍👍👍

[@Zoldq]

basically it’s expensive , and painful but is it worth it ? yes

[@CarAudioInc]

super dope, wish I had friends like you!

[@juschi6910]

The front of it looks kind of nice but ruins airflow like crazy.

[@incruzius4464]

from now on im gonana be using this microphone for all my videos next shot totaly different mirophone

[@wrxsubaru02]

"The Haters" Pretty disrespectful to people trying to help you by telling you its dangerous.

[@naqibnadzir4476]

you didnt put any thermal paste between the CPU block and your CPU?

[@InoriMaster11]

The main downside of this, you won't get Motherboard back ports and USB ports too.

[@bvoyelr]

I nearly cringed myself into a singularity while you were using a power drill on your PC components.

[@PFnove]

"i dont understand why more people dont do this" well it does cost you 300-700 extra dollars

[@ImDembe]

What 600watt? Maby a unlocked 13900ks and a overclocked 4090 with full loads on both. So if stuff is throtteling set powerlimits and/or undervolt. Like there is no reason to have don't have a powerlimit on a Intel 12 or 13th gen unless you do heavy cpu work, you won't gain alot of anything setting the power at 105/125w to unlimited...your cooler will thank you since it's like 100w+ less to cool.

[@FuzPlays]

Okay this is AWESOME

[@IdahoMthman]

outstanding work!!!

[@OrlandoPaco]

LOL! The "strongest joinery known to man"! In your bubble maybe! I'm European.

[@DrummClem]

Well ... thank you. I want to so that now...

[@thenaberius6081]

Overheating on founders cards is normal.

[@timotmon]

Is a compute case really THAT unsightly for some people? lol

[@Tracker5111]

Lets just be VERY CLEAR here... it is NOT that you water cooled the PC that made it run cooL its the TWO BIG FANS that you installed!!! You could have kept the aircooled design ...

[@just-ip5rp]

Overclocking with afterburner.... boy...

[@johnm9263]

its always a good idea to leave extra length just in case, but you left so much extra that its painful to watch

[@UltirianHeavyIndustry]

Imagine having all this swanky kit to build this

[@ALPHA.Mods.1]

the reason more people don't do it, is cost

[@JobeStroud]

neat video. Why don't people do this? They would do this since they can't afford a case. They won't have 10k worth of tools like you do.

[@Power5]

Builds a custom watercooled $3000 PC inside a custom desk built with $50k worth of tools and asks why dont more people do it.

[@S4NSE]

YTers don't get how hard it is to earn money as someone that wasn't lucky with social media lmao

[@sparda9060]

@@S4NSE just like some car channels where they said its easy and only takes a lot of work. Then you see their videos of them building a car from scratch where they got schematics from car manufacturer cuz they knew someone in the company to even get it. Then they also had a friend who has CNC and milling machines that has their own equipment and they themselves are CNC specialist. Like dude, regular people aint got money like that or connections and friends who can do all that sht for free for them lol Just paying someone to CNC or mill car parts cost a lot of money. lol Find it funny how they are out of touch in that aspect.

[@engjds]

You could do all that with a drill and saw, just takes more time.

[@mbacker1]

"I don't know why more people don't do this?" $3,000 on hardline fittings and parts later... I kid Zac. This looks great! If I had the means and money, I'd do something like this myself.

[@timarc9895]

Just get a better job! ez! /s

[@timbaumann9046]

Why "kid" this clown??? ALMOST NOBODY HAS THE TIME OR MONEY TO DO ANY OF THIS!!! This CLOWN is as BAD AS LINUS! Which is WHY he is HEMORRHAGING VIEWERS just like LTT!

[@naznomad635]

You forgot, ''buy a CNC router''

[@bombadil_bud]

Honestly, my first hard line water cooled setup was made out of 1/2" copper pipe from the big box home improvement store. it was cheaper than the hard tubing costs through newegg. Also, I feel better about sweating the pipe than bending some plastic. I also bough a small pump off of amazon. It was usable but it was loud in comparison to a D5 water cooling pump. The most expensive bit is getting a good cpu and gpu block.

[@Power5]

yes the $10k CNC. Then a few other woodworking tools for at least $50k.

[@111smd]

1. do not use a saw on the plastic tubes, it can cause micro cracks all the way down the tubes. Use a pipe/tubing cutter 2. if you run a tube and use an Apex Fillport you can have a high side fill port right above the res (Alphacool makes them) 3. if you want to spend the time you can build a custom wire harness

[@anub1s15]

yea about 1 ... make sure it's a high quality tube cutter, if it's a cheap one meant for flexi tubes you'll end up with a oval tube if you use it on PETG...also if you use it on acrylic it'll shatter...kinda only use that on PMMA to be safe as it doesn't shatter and is strong enough to resist becoming an oval. also is everybody okay with just jamming a tube in there? cause there's kinda O rings in the fitting that wile not the only seal is a extra seal you probably don't want to mangle with a sharp corner >.> step 1 soften the edges with a regular deburr tool, or sand paper, or use a tube specific debur tool on a power drill. step 2 apply some soapy water to the end to lubricate it and slightly twist upon pushing it in, should go in pretty easy and it won't mangle half - 2/3rds of the O-rings on your fittings >.> addendum to 1, Alphacool sells a pull saw tube cutting kit, EKWB sells a tiny metal saw tube cutting kit, it's fine to cut tubes if your cracking the tubes from one end to the other your doing something horribly wrong...or working with strait up acrylic which seems annoying.

[@TheLordNugget]

1. No. If you use a pipe tubing cutter, you still run the risk of cracking the tube. Literally every pipe cutter cuts them by applying pressure against the tube/pipe. I've seen more hardline tubing crack from that than I ever have from a saw.

[@andrewterry8661]

a fine hacksaw is perfectly fine.

[@devisissy1]

He'll find out when it starts to leak.

[@minmogrovingstrongandhealthy]

Any cutter is bad if not used properly, it's enough to have a small hand saw or whatyacall it, similar to what he used in the video too and apply less pressure while cutting also spraying it with water while cutting helps. You don't rush and yank around with this type of cut and you will be fine.

[@kablink0]

You've probably thought of this, but when benchmarking, try flipping your fans around to pull cool air in the front of the case, and all of the radiator fans blow out the back, and see if it helps with thermals. This way you don't get radiator-heated air inside the drawer, and bonus: you don't have hot air blowing at you out the front of the PC this summer! You have more than enough fans at the back to keep up with (slightly) warmer air coming from inside the drawer over the big radiator. I'm jealous of the woodworking shop! haha

[@crisnmaryfam7344]

Needs to modify the front fascia to have more perforation for better airflow. Those tiny slits wont suffice for that radiator.

[@ZacBuilds]

I'll probably try it at some point, but my logic was that I want the radiator to have access to the coolest air possible. That prioritizes the main heat generating components. Honestly i dont think it would change much in either direction though. My coolant temps barely even get into the 40s when the machine is going full tilt.

[@StuTubed]

@@ZacBuilds Any heat that gets picked up by the rest of the system on its way through the enclosure will be minimal, compared to what the radiator kicks out. There'll be plenty of heat capacity left for the radiators to work and the fans at the front have to do less work exhausting all that heat out of the case. Additionally, you'll make better use of the fans because that shroud on the one side of the radiator is designed to ensure a gap between the fins and the fan blades, so you lessen the dead zone where the fan hub is. When fans push through a radiator, the middle of the fan blocks airflow. Temperature differences are minimal, but the bonus is that by drawing air through the front of the case, you can easily filter that intake and access the filter for easy cleaning.

[@armadilloben]

Not trying to be rude its absolutely WILD he went through all that work just to plumb the heat BACK into the wooden box. Christ. Looks really great though.

[@sandwich.entity3810]

​@@StuTubed 100% agree with this product would be cool to see benchmarks

[@Relyfew]

4:14: "I don't understand why more people don't do this" Me: $$$$

[@shinaikouka]

I can say that one nice thing about water cooling is that there's a decent chunk of it that is arguably a one-time expense. For example, you don't usually have any reason to replace radiators or pumps between builds. Of course, large changes in the build parameters (e.g., the case) can dictate whether that's necessary. Albeit, that may also suggest going with parts that have a bit better compatibility. An example of that is if your larger case says it can fit a 420mm radiator (3x140mm), consider going with a 360mm (3x120mm) instead. It will likely have worse performance, but it should be more compatible with other cases. CPU blocks can often be used between different sockets, but they may require different mounting hardware (e.g., Intel LGA-115x blocks usually require some minor accessories to support LGA-1700). Unfortunately, GPU water blocks tend to be a one-and-done as blocks are rarely compatible between dissimilar GPUs. Although, even with all of that, I don't water cool all of my computers. Why not? It isn't the cost... it's the hassle. I use water cooling to build very quiet computers and it isn't uncommon to run into situations where you can install your parts, but the layout just doesn't allow for great tubing runs. Recently, I actually switched one computer from water back to air, and let me tell you... it was *NICE* to have such an easy build for once. I do kind of enjoy the puzzle aspect of figuring out how to manage a good water-cooled build, but there are times where I just have too much other things to do to spend it trying to get a build setup. Oh, and one other thing... if you aren't as careful about the layout, you can end up looking to spend extra money on angled adapters for your fittings. One goal that I've had recently is to avoid the glut of angled adapters that I used to use and just use longer runs... or finally stop wimping out and use hardline tubing. 😋

[@Xizax41325]

As someone that has done both hard and soft tubing, I prefer soft. That's simply because I'm often getting into the pc to swap out parts and perform maintenance. I find it's a hell of a lot easier to work around soft tubing, being able to move it around, to get to things and apply new paste. Also the first time I tried to do hard tubing I made it way too overly complex with the angles and bends. Ended up wasting huge swathes of the stuff.

[@Capthrax1]

i agree. Hard tube looks nice, but soft tube is way easier - plus, and this my be bs, i feel like the connection on a soft tube is more reliable, at least more user friendly than hard tube.

[@MarcusTheDorkus]

To me hardline feels like a commitment to never touching the inside of the PC again (at least until you're ready to rip everything out and start a fresh build in that case)

[@bottlecapog8404]

@@MarcusTheDorkus ehh, i wouldn't go that far at all. hardline is a significant upfront commitment, but once all is said and done, assuming you actually take time to plan your routing, its not bad to work around. the connection points around "GOOD" fittings are very reliable and slight bumps and nudges are inconsequential. just be sure everything is seated well before putting pressure back into the system. Ive had a hardline pc for over 8 years now and i do general maintenance on it every 2-3 months or so, i.e. dusting, cleaning, etc and annual fluid flushes. i also have a very complex routing including 2 same side port rads, cpu, gpu, mobo and ram in a previous iteration (yes i know its stupid but i was a 16 year old with a slightly too well paying job). It is 100% true that softline has a stronger connection than hardline tubing as the soft fittings actually bite into the tubing locking it down as opposed to a squeeze friction mount, but ive moved my pc without draining it well over a dozen times without any problems to date.

[@K31TH3R]

@@bottlecapog8404 I've been building loops since 2003, and hardline is awful. I did it once in 2012 with acrylic tubing and I will never do it again, and I don't understand why so many people would ever build another hardline loop after doing it once. Any polymer based hardline will slowly leech plasticizers into the coolant if you don't stay on top of religiously changing it out, otherwise you get build ups in the turbulent areas of your radiator and blocks which is a nightmare to completely clean. Hardline also drastically lowers the maximum safe coolant temp which means you need more radiator area or more noise to keep coolant temp from exceeding ~40C, and if you don't keep the coolant temp as low as possible the thermal expansion/contraction of the tubing dries out the o-rings in fittings and joints and will eventually cause them to leak. It's nothing but headaches and all for a subjective improvement in aesthetic. Does not make-a-sense. Since that misadventure, I will only run EPDM 7/16" ID soft tubing with 1/2" barbs and tube clamps, with a t-line and no reservoir (reservoirs encourage microbial growth and it slows flowrates), and I run automotive coolant at a 10/90 ratio to distilled water. That setup means the only maintenance my loops ever see is an occasional dusting out of the radiator every 8 months or so.. or if coolant temp is up a bit because I forgot to dust it out, otherwise I don't open my loops for several years at a time. Once they're built, I don't want to think about them again. The longest stretch I've ran a sealed loop with automotive coolant and EPDM is 8 years, and when I finally overhauled it, all the components still looked new inside.

[@eisenecke2060]

​@@K31TH3R That makes sense. So you just use a reservoir for filling the System and remove it?

[@brettfichtner8407]

As a woodworker who recently got into PC building, I've always thought "why don't I just build my own case?" Your channel is so cool! Perfect blend of tech and woodworking, and the production is next level. Very well done!!

[@klausstock8020]

When you use solid wood, the wood will likely warp from the temperature differences. Also, a metal case can remove up to 50% of the heat inside the case (for a typical fan-cooled desktop system). You will need a better and more elaborate cooling system. Back in the days I built two class A monoblock amplifiers out of wood (and electronic components). 150W of heat, when idle, per unit. I started by designing the (passive) cooling system first.

[@secondary2nd]

Bruh use aluminum metal sheet,

[@marcjones5862]

⁠@@klausstock8020😂 a metal case does not remove “50%” of the heat. Ventilation, fans and or radiators are what dissipates the heat.

[@klausstock8020]

@@marcjones5862 The metal case is s heart exchanger (a heatsink) which transports thermal energy from the air inside to the air outside. Note that I was referring to a "typical desktop PC". An industrial PC, dissipating 10W inside a sealed, watertight IP67 metal "cigar box" will require no other cooling, as long as the outside temperature is 40°C or less. But that's not a "standard PC". Same for the gaming system which dissipates 700W under full load. I estimate an Rth of maybe 2 K/W for an average steel PC enclosure. At 20W, the air inside the enclosed would be 40°C warmer than the outside air - too much already. But with fan assistance, and an observed temperature difference of 20°C, we can see that half (50%) of the thermal energy is transported via the fan, and the case takes care of the other 50%. Of course, if you insulate the case, temperature will rise and the fan will run faster. You will have a noisier machine, and, since the fan only speeds up at a higher temperature (at standard settings), your machine will also run hotter, reducing the lifespan of its compliments. In case of the 700W gaming PC running at full tilt, the enclosure will still be responsible for maybe 1.5% of the thermal energy transfer. That's why I said "standard PC", and "up to". And now you know why installing "anti noise mats" might make your PC quieter...or noisier, if it's not very energy-efficient to start with.

[@StopperJJ]

Great build. Really love the clean aesthetic and look of the system as a whole. I would caution bending the 12vhp connector to the graphics card. If not fully seated the connector can be a major issue whether its the Nvidia adapter variant or a direct line to the PSU like yours. They have melted and burned up routinely when first released and people weren't aware of the cable limitations. Cable mod makes a 90 degree adapter that solves the problem though and looks way cleaner. Being so close to the edge of the sled, it wouldn't be a bad 40 dollar investment to keep that cable from getting pinched and possibly causing a very bad, 450 watt fire hazard.

[@ZacBuilds]

Thanks for the concern! I've seen all of those videos so I was pretty cautious when using the 12vhp connector. The bend isn't that severe coming off the GPU and I made sure it was in the nice and tight.

[@askarn94]

@@ZacBuilds you could actually use a Riser Cable for the GPU that way you can place the GPU however you like (maybe even as a Cable cover just in case your 3D printed cable cover doesnt take cover from friendly fire) anyways awsome build i hope for more!

[@OldCrowle]

Why don‘t more people do this? Because lots of folks don‘t have a workshop remotely like this, if any at all. That‘s why.

[@t3rminallychi11]

Great video. Watercooling your components does not void your hardware warranty unless you break it during the disassembly or reassembly process though 👍

[@t3rminallychi11]

@@danstiurca7963 Those stickers are not legit. Removing or damaging that sticker cannot and does not void your warranty in the United States-It is against the law for a company to enforce this.

[@TheOmegaRiddler]

I've noticed he says this when he opens up his electronics. Not sure if it's just a joke.

[@t3rminallychi11]

@@danstiurca7963 It does make sense, you are allowed to open and tinker around with anything you purchase. You own it. That being said, if you damage it, the company is very unlikely to repair it for you. They can see what is accidental damage and what is a warranty defect.

[@craig9365]

@@danstiurca7963it makes sense cause its working. on people like you. who dont know the law and that the sticker is unenforceable and you can sue them and easily win. However they will likely cave and fulfill the warranty before that happens. and no no warranty is void if the sticker is tampered with in any way unless what you did actually did cause it to break. Which THAT makes sense. the sticker is completely legal. they can (for some reason) put it there to scare you. they cannot however void your warranty on the grounds "he tampered with the sticker therefore warranty void" as it is not a valid legal argument that a court will uphold.

[@tyrdchaos]

If you wanted to clean up the fan setup, I'd recommend some of the Lian Li Uni fans. I think you'd basically need 3 cables for all 9 of your fans.

[@kyrim1094]

yep you can even get it to only 1 cable for all 9 with the v2

[@jmwilsoND]

That's an expensive solution for something better cable routing can acheive for next to nothing. 11 lian li fans will cost $350 while something like decent arctics will be barely over $70. An extra $280 to get rid of cables that will never be seen has a debatable cost/benefit.

[@tyrdchaos]

@@jmwilsoNDBuilding a computer into a desk with $300 worth of materials, $500 in watercooling parts, and $4000+ in tools also has little to no tangible benefit over spending $200 on a case and air cooler (total), but here we are.

[@jmwilsoND]

@@tyrdchaos All of those compnents you mentioned added value. There's value in the pc and loop components as they contribute to things like his video editing in a way that adds productivity and more $, there's value in the materials of the desk as it's a more reliable and lasting piece of furniture as well as a video opportunity. His tools do the same thing. Your lian li fans provide 0 extra value.

[@tyrdchaos]

@@jmwilsoND and building the PC into a desk also provides zero value over using a case. I just don't get your point. The "value" you talk about is subjective and has no objective basis. It seems to me you have little to no experience buidling a computer. The number of cables you have to manage can be frustrating if there are a lot, especially when you have to do maintenance, such as cleaning the rad, cleaning the fans, replacing fans, etc. So the value resides in ease of maintenace and management. Saying something provides no value when the total cost of that thing is literally less than 15% of the overall cost of the build. He spent $1500 on a graphics card that provides almost no value over a 4070 TI (half the price). Like, your takes seem to make no sense in comparison to the overall build. And again, I stated the value, which is to clean the literal rats nest of cables zip tied to the side of the radiator. The value of this build is around hiding the PC and making the whole setup look clean. There is no actual value in the build outside of that. The temps are higher than they would be a similarly configured computer case.

[@James_Mansbridge]

Just some advice: orientate your fans so they're pulling air through the radiator, rather than pushing, as they currently are. Having your fans pull air makes maintanance much easier, as you don't have to take the fans off to clean the radiator. Either that, or get a dust filter.

[@FullTwistMoto]

I was going to post same thing...except add the front fans need to be reversed too. As of video this system will be pushing the hot air from rad into PC space...then front fans will be pulling the hot air out and blasting it at user.

[@nednerB107]

but then arent you pulling some warm or hot air through the rad?

[@James_Mansbridge]

@@nednerB107 Not if he installs the fans on the desk side. If he just flipped them, then the bigger issue would be lack of airflow, not heat.

[@wtfman81]

if possible do a push pull config for more performance and you can keep the rpms on the fans lower

[@SaSaaVirus]

and youre blowing youre now warm air over your pc, turn the fans around...

[@ZeFoxii]

You need a grounding wire to connect to one of the standoffs for esd. Cases normally do this automatically by connecting to the screw of the power supply.

[@sparkyenergia]

I don't believe that is part of the modern day ATX standard. It was in the old AT and baby AT stardards though. I've used many a ATX motherboard on top of a cardboard box, none of them have complained.

[@mdolan971]

@@sparkyenergia The mounting screws (from the case to the mobo) are the Ground. HOWEVER I do agree that as long as you do not have a "peak" in your current (usually after an outage) you'll be fine.

[@engjds]

No, its connected thru the power supply, there is only one ground plane, connecting multiple ground planes is a bad idea due to ground-loops.

[@melwillseptember752]

Amazing build, just noticed you may be new to water cooling, just a heads-up on a few things. You will need to clean your water cooling loop every year or so and have some kind of bacteria inhibitor in your loop to prevent algae and other bacteria from growing in your loop. You can also install a drain port at the lowest part of your loop to make it easier to drain your loop in the future. You could also have a flow indicator in your loop to see if the pump is working and coolant is flowing in your loop as you went with frosted hard tube. Must say though, that desk does look amazing, and maybe you could try relocating the power button to a small whiteboard piece of wood that you could place on your desk to turn on your PC, almost like the start button in a car, then you don't need to open the PC drawer all the time, just a suggestion though. Love your videos, waiting impatiently for the next one.

[@ZacBuilds]

Thank you! I appreciate the info I'll definitely keep that stuff in mind. I love the idea of a start button up top, but it would have to be something custom. Honestly I rarely ever use the power button. Just wiggle the mouse and it boots up. Still I like the idea.

[@JathraDH]

You don't have to clean the loop every year, especially not with a hardline build. Just use a ethylene glycol based coolant (assuming the tube isn't PETG). I have a custom loop that hasn't been apart in 6-7 years and has never been fully cleaned and runs opaque dye, and it still works 100% fine. Cools nearly as well as it did day 1 once I clean the dust out of the radiators. It has had the fluid changed 2-3x simply due to the dye fading (about every 2 years), but that was simply via the method of opening the drain slightly and cycling through 6-7 gallons of distilled then adding new dye, never taking anything apart or even draining/re-bleeding it. Cleaning is really only needed if you use soft tubing as the plasticizer leeches out over time and gums up the blocks. Dye doesn't do this really, especially not clear dyes, it gets blamed for plasticizers problems. It can also be needed if you let the system run with just pure distilled and heat up for a long period of time, THEN it will grow shit in it, but if you use proper coolant from day 1 this won't happen.

[@ccricers]

@@JathraDH Does putting a silver coil in the reservoir still work if you're using regular distilled water? That's how it was when I water cooled my PCs and never had a buildup problem (I didn't use hardline tubing though)

[@JathraDH]

@@ccricers Silver kill coils are really not advised as biocide because they completely screw your galvanic balance. For metals in contact with any type of electrically conductive fluid you really ideally don't want more than a 0.15 galvanic spread, the higher the spread the more the galvanic anode (highest anodic index metal) will corrode and deposit itself onto the rest of the loop. This is why the entire industry moved away from aluminum blocks because it has a galvanic index of 0.95 making it basically the highest metal in the loop and what gets corroded first, the blocks were literally getting destroyed by this. Silver has a index of 0.15 making it basically the low point of your spread, but most components in a loop these days are nickel (0.30) copper (0.35) and brass (0.40-0.45). As you can see, if you stick with only nickel/copper/brass you have a spread of 0.30 > 0.45 keeping it within the 0.15 range. If you throw silver in there however then your spread is 0.15 > 0.45 which is a 0.3 range and it will quickly corrode the highest metal without corrosion inhibitor. However, there is one other metal in your loop which is almost always overlooked, and that's tin/lead from the solder in your radiators. Tin is 0.65 and lead is 0.70. So realistically even with nickel/copper/brass you are looking more at a 0.3 -> 0.7 spread of 0.4, but with silver in the mix it gets far worse being 0.15 -> 0.7 0.55 spread which is quite bad. On top of this the anodic metal is literally the thing holding your radiators together and keeping it from leaking. This is why you really WANT to use ethylene glycol because it is a strong corrosion inhibitor and also a good biocide, well its bio-neutral but it still prevents growth. We have a GIANT industry in the world which deals specifically with water cooling car engines, and they all use radiator fluid which is literally just ethylene glycol. They probably know what the hell they are doing. People who refuse to use it because its slightly poorer heat capacity/transfer really are just shooting themselves in the foot, its used world wide in radiator systems for a reason.

[@Power5]

I always see this comment for custom loops. My Corsair AIO has been going for 10 years on my 2600k at 4.5ghz and zero issue. Do the AIO get out of needing maintenance in some way? Could you just get a holder to put an AIO onto a GPU and then never need to clean either loop?

[@notlikethisss]

in what world do you think 77c is over heating?

[@MandaVR39]

77c is the motherboard temp which means cpu is much hotter and those temps could damage the motherboard by deforming it

[@jrmyg1621]

77 celsius isnt too hot for a cpu under load, most computer hardware will be safe up to 100'c. but a cpu IDLING (doing mostly nothing) at over 60'c would likely be problematic.

[@Milan_M95]

@@jrmyg1621 How is he even getting 77C with that huge AIO

[@jrmyg1621]

@@Milan_M95 placement of the aio + CPU running at 100%

[@HORNOMINATOR]

so cool when carpenter guy and computer nerd come together

[@marnusvantonder4502]

because not everyone is rich enough to build a fully water cooled PC

[@skjetnis]

I loved this video, since it really reminded me about my first experience with watercooling. Would be nice to see you do a collab with LinusTechTips and show when how to properly make a nice wooden desk with some integrated stuff. Theirs are always so janky and "low" craftsmanship.

[@ZacBuilds]

I'd love to work with them, but I don't think they'd give me the time of day 😂

[@Tech.Closet]

Amazing project and execution! Good job!

[@ZacBuilds]

Thank you!

[@soulsketch10]

For your internal cable cover panels: Model a shallow recess into the flat front surface that can then accept another material. Metal, carbon fiber, wood, etc. It could be a nice little inlay panel.

[@MaxskiSynths]

Great job. Glad you chose to use frosted hard line tubes, they look beautiful!

[@ModBay]

I use a pipe cutter for tubes. Primochill also do a deburring tool for drills that is super useful! Love the video btw.

[@ZacBuilds]

Neat! I had no idea, I'll pick one of those up for my water cooling build

[@ledoynier3694]

pipe cutters will work on PETG tubes but will shatter acrylic, so, use where it makes sense :) Oh and anyone using PETG should be burned at the stake, this thing is for plastic bottles :P

[@willn8664]

Would be cool if places like Home Depot or Lowe's has a workshop area that people that don't have a workshop can use/rent.

[@hanks_2210]

See if there is a makers pace near you!

[@muatok9904]

Awesome desk if you run into thermal issues later you could improve airflow by cutting vent slots on the side of the cabinet maybe angled to blow toward the back so it doesn't blow directly on you. Alternatively you could cut a vent hole into the lower drawer space and corresponding hole in the back panel allowing air to flow through and out the back.

[@engjds]

thermal issues with 9 fans?