You'll never believe how cheap this was!

[@joaocastro924]

Water treatment works engineer here! Res return on top is better because it allows for higher residence time of water and better mixing, this will mix different water temperatures faster making the system more effective. suction and delivery on the bottom have the risk of sucking higher temperature water that came from suction to run through the loop.

[@MRrailaway]

true! but don't forget we are working with a difference of 1-3c between the coldest and hottest part of the loop, the reduced noise from bottom delivery usually is a higher priority

[@roadkill11000]

This is the kind of content I originally subscribed to your channel for. More please. Thank you for this!

[@Eric79-f7i]

Thanks for doing this series. I'm looking to custom loop my system and am coming from a place of complete ignorance in regards to what components/fittings I need, positioning, etc. So this is going to help a lot in not being overwhelmed, and not spending needlessly. Appreciate. If you could do something about the CAD/USD exchange rate next, that'd be fantastic!

[@scarecrow5848]

@@ChrisGR93_TxS its easy to replace soft tubing. even if it collapses, you can just replace it down the line. black soft tubing should be the same quality as clear, and clear *will* eventually gunk up and get messy, even if its just the tubing itsself.

[@scarecrow5848]

@@ChrisGR93_TxS d5's cost too much for a starting point, which was the point of this entire video.

[@Eric79-f7i]

@@scarecrow5848 I don't mind spending money, when I'm getting value out of it. I just hate spending for nothing. Ie: When I was updating myself to build this new build, I was looking at expensive B670 boards. It wasn't until after a lot of research that a B650 was all I needed for the 7800x3d. My budget was cut literally in half (totalling all of the components I had originally listed) and I was able to figure out where to spend and save. So if a D5 pump res is legitimately the way to go for longevity and noise, then I won't mind spending the money.

[@Hamlock_Maneuver]

Go with the liquid freezer 3 AIO. Dont waste your time with this.

[@Eric79-f7i]

@@Hamlock_Maneuver I wanted to cool my GPU more than the chip, instead of running 2 different aio's I decided on an open loop. I have already ordered alphacool GPU, pump/res, cpu block.

[@kennethraff2002]

First off thank you for all of the non-biased information that you provide on your channel. Secondly, thank you for understanding that while explaining components that other people may not have the same knowledge of those components and so you take the extra time to explain things so I also appreciate that. I have not built PC in over 10 years. I am in the middle of building one. Prior to watching your videos I bought a $360 AIO of which I’ve returned at this point in favor of buying a custom waterloop set up and I spent right at $200 more than you. My cost was $463 however it includes the CPU and GPU with a 360 radiator and a 240 radiator. I don’t feel like enough channels are talking about loops really coming down in price in comparison with years before us

[@Wooskii1]

You're going to have a great time! I was in the same boat a couple years ago and I was happy to realize that both building, then using, a PC feels so much better than it was 10 years ago.

[@kennethraff2002]

@@Wooskii1 I feel like I woke up in the Star Wars section of Disney land 😂😂😂. I’m building my brother a computer now because I have the blues on building. So much fun and the options now are so much more diverse.

[@brandyboutwell9388]

as i come from an automotive background before getting into computers, i am so glad you mentioned galvanic corrosion. also love your automotive channel.

[@T.Lspitz]

Whats his automotive channel called?

[@DGGuaglianone]

I’m really happy seeing this “budget” custom water loop because I’ve always wanted to build a custom loop but cost has always been the inhibiting factor

[@matthew_ferguson]

3 Thermalright ARGB 120mm fans for like $13 on Amazon. Love those.

[@insomniacbritgaming1632]

I picked up the new Noctua style fans for $25 for 3..

[@groenevinger3893]

@@insomniacbritgaming1632 not argb..

[@singlsrvngfrnd]

I've got SEVENTEEN of the Thermalright SW120's in my dual PC Lian Li V3000 build and they are absolutely fantastic.

[@Wooskii1]

I'm all about cheap Amazon fans if I'm not trying to go through a radiator.

[@insomniacbritgaming1632]

@@groenevinger3893 so? I'd rather have quiet performance over loud poor performance and shiny...

[@DrForbin001]

Dude, I love watching you do water builds, friggin magic! I did my first water build, soft tubing three years ago. I did my first hard line PTEG water build 18 months ago thanks to you. You got me over my fears to do DIY

[@hacoberthejacober3345]

Next, the super loop absolutely ridiculously over the top.

[@WyattOShea]

We have an internet provider called Superloop in my country :P. Just thought it was amusing reading your comment.

[@Niyucuatro]

i would love to see a loop that also ahs a tiny 1 fan radiator on the back of the case.

[@FakeName39]

Big Rig Radiator or dont bother :D

[@HackoDis]

Its called skunkworks :D

[@banescar]

Go watch literally any other video of Jay xD

[@jamesmelandry3595]

I think that individuals that take this route will find their very happy, I followed your sound advice and set my loop up with maintenance in mind, made it supper easy to maintain and I do not feel I need to start from scratch every time I want to do some sort of upgrade and Like you said I really enjoyed how you can expand the original loop. great piece on helping people know that custom water cooling can be affordable and a lot of fun..

[@christophergriffis7019]

Bought 2 white dracaena 360 radiators 9 months ago from their manuf website and got them 1/2 off bc they accidentally priced their 360 rads to the 120mm price LOL. My only complaint is that the radiator frame (where the screw holes are) wasn't perfectly flat but not an issue once you attach fans/ mount to case. Pro tip: If you have a heat gun/ hair dryer you can easily remove the dracaena logo plate and straighten, reorient, or remove as you want. I don't care for the logo but the black plate on a white rad does go kinda hard.

[@MarkusArkus5]

So I guess custom loops are not only expandable, but also easily upgradable if you swap CPU architectures. Just change the cold plate and keep everything else. I hadn't ever thought of a custom loop, but this makes it seem much more approachable.

[@ano_nym]

With some tinkering, modding/making a custom "holder" for it, you could probably keep the same one for a while too. Unless CPUs explode up in size between the upgrades.

[@fermitupoupon1754]

Depends on the CPU block. The 40 euro and up blocks often have mounting kits available for new sockets. My 30 euro block came with 11xx 1200 AM3 and AM4 brackets. The manufacturer now sells a 1700 and AM5 kit for like 7.50. The only part that does not carry over to a next build is the GPU block. Those are specific to a PCB layout. The sad part about that is that it's often the most expensive part as well. GPU blocks start at about 150-160 euro for good ones. The best advice on water cooling a GPU is to first buy a block and then buy a GPU to match, rather than hope you can find a block for a random GPU you've bought. Or just buy a GPU with a block installed from the manufacturer. But yes, realistically speaking everything except for the GPU block carries over.

[@ano_nym]

@@fermitupoupon1754 do you have any experience with China blocks? Like the ones you get on AliExpress. I don't want to pay a fortune for a GPU block and will likely buy an older GPU so not even sure the "good" brands will have any for them left in stock.

[@ilovefunnyamv2nd]

Hey the water cooling guy did a water cooling build, showing just how affordable this csn really be, awesome! Last year, I upgraded my graphics card and put it into a server... since it only had a Waterboro, I had to upgrade the server for water cooling, I got a similar old cpu block and tubing from the hardware store. And the cheapest barb fittings I could find. Its been running like a champ

[@mikeoleksa]

For the record Antec has 5 packs of 120mm PWM fans for 20 bucks on Amazon. They've released a new line that seems to compare to the Arctic fans that have become popular due to their price and quality.

[@RyTrapp0]

Thermalright too - TL-C12 fans(same ones used on their 120mm coolers) are $12 for a 3x pack; $4/fan like the Antecs. Also, $13 for a 3x pack of white ARGBs, $15 for 3x ARGBs w/ infinity mirror hub, they've been killing it.

[@INFIN1TY-]

Arctic > Antec for fans tho. Always.

[@Revon-Feuer]

Thermalright has basically made everything obsolete with their prices. And reliability isn't even a concern with thermalright.

[@JerziTBoss]

I'd still pick Arctic fans. The value is hard to beat for sure.

[@a.x.w]

The arctic P12 have insanely good value. The only reason I no longer use them is that the motor's noise floor at low rpm is higher than e.g. phanteks T30 or noctua fans. Those aren't comparable on price, though.

[@thatfordboy4297]

I have a $300 CPU loop that uses all name brand recognizable parts. (As I have mine configured it's more like $340, as I required a low profile fitting that others wouldn't). Anyway, Alphacool pump/res, and cpu block. HWLabs 360mm rad. XSPC matte black fittings, and premix. 10/16 EDPM from EK(before things went fubar). Just wanting to note. You can get away with "quality" or otherwise recognized parts for a little more. With most of the added cost just coming from the CPU block @ $50.

[@XavierDaniles]

I have used Alphacool for YEARS. They are a great brand.

[@brucepreston3927]

​@@XavierDaniles Yeah, my Alphacool stuff has been great! They did have a bad run of their D5 knockoff pumps several years ago, but I haven't heard anything bad other than that...I actually still have one of those pumps in my system, but thank god mine seems to not be affected...I was checking it constantly when I first heard about the issues...One thing I really like about Alphacool Radiators is that they have a lower fin density so you don't have to blast your fans at 2000 rpm to get really good airflow through them...

[@jskop566]

​@@XavierDanilescompletely agree. Their pricing is fair given the quality too.

[@thatfordboy4297]

@@brucepreston3927 Yeah I had heard sub par things of their early pumps. That said, the specific build that I made uses one of their Apex pumps. On paper worse then my EK rebanded D5 in my main system. But it has done nothing but impress me. Quiet, more so then my D5.

[@brucepreston3927]

@@thatfordboy4297 I have one of the Vpp755 pumps...They had quite a few of the Vpp755 and Vpp655 pumps fail, I think it had something to do with the bearing they used...I believe the Apex you have is just the newer version of the same pump...Mine has been amazing though! It is super strong and almost completely silent...It actually works better than the name brand D5 that I bought before...I have a very large loop and it has no trouble keeping...It has been running everyday for 5 years, and I think one reason it has held up so well is because I set a static pump speed and don't allow it to adjust up and down with PWM...I was told that it constantly spinning up and slowing down can cause issues long term with this specific pump...

[@BenjaminWassink]

My aio was gunktup with solderflux. I cleaned al parts and filed it with red car coolant. Runs great over a year now and still same temps as when i cleaned it.

[@ragetist]

My brother uses the same. People always talk about mixed metals but if car companies are ok mixing them and have made coolants just for that purpose I'd be pretty trusting.

[@ano_nym]

@@ragetist Have you looked under the hood of your car? It's a bit of a difference between the size and sturdiness of the components. Although the problem is probably exaggerated when it comes to PC water cooling. Would be interesting if some channel did a fully mixed metall build and had yearly updates on it.

[@ragetist]

@@ano_nym I know, big difference but there's also a big difference on how long the service intervals are between a gaming pc and a 1993 Toyota. Should do a mixed loop with a gunk trap at the bottom to see how what happens.

[@AdmiralGloval]

I’m with you 100%. You don’t have to have any RGB bling. I had a stepmom that I didn’t want to know my computer was running. So the less lights and leds the better. So you don’t need a system lit up like a carnival booth to have a nice rig.

[@ogshotglass9291]

Should I ask why you didn't want her to know your computer was running?

[@animalyze7120]

You also don't need to add water for cooling but goofs do it anyway.

[@ano_nym]

@@ogshotglass9291 up too late at night and she saw the RGB through the door probably XD

[@K05H]

17:37 I clicked for the thumbnail, stayed for the information and the build montage was the cherry on top!

[@greenmarine5]

First off thank you for doing this content, It's friggen Awesome!!! FYI Jay, if one has an Aluminum Rad, the best coolant to use is Honda Radiator fluid, it's usually blue and is designed to work with Aluminum. Plus you can get a gallon of it for like 20 bucks and it's already premixed. We use it in the coolant system of our Printing Presses at work, it's the only Fluid that Heidelberg allows us to use because the coolant radiators are 100% Aluminum with other mixed metals.

[@gcspence]

19:46 "Ow! That fan's spinning really fast." Maybe it's just been a really long work week, but I lol'd. Thanks for the laugh, and the information. I like channels that show a spectrum of costs and options, not just the latest, greatest, and most expensive. Kudos! Keep up the good work!

[@AcM.5233]

I've used those fittings on a "budget" soft tubing build for a friend. I was impressed for the price point.

[@Nano1406]

Tip. To improve the contact between the CPU block of that kind and the processor , using a caliper will help to calibrate how high each screws will be.

[@susanrobins4297]

That heat plate is "waffled" FYI that patters was found to be the most useful geomerty for removing heat in hgih power transmitting tubes with plate dissipation as little as 800W to tubes who can dissipate as much as 2.5 Megawatts. I have always wondered why the inside of every other cooler I have seen looks like a heat sink, not what some of us are use to seeing.

[@ChristopherGreerCDN]

What I remember is that other cold plates usually have a set of directional channels/fins along with a baffle which directs the coolant flow from inlet to outlet.

[@ronnierabell1]

You know, the cheapest loop I did was back in 2016. I had a 360 aio, a cpu water block, and two amd R6 390x at crossfire. I went to homedepot and bought clear vinyl tubing and hose clamps. I cut the aio tubing off and routed the hose to the cpu, then the motherboard waterblock and then it splits into a tree to put water on both blocks at the same time then joiners to one back to the the aio rad. No reservoir. No air bubbles. Work perfectly.

[@sp00n]

The display in HwMonitor is _not_ a bug. 100% utilization is adjusted to the base clock of the CPU, so the higher your CPU resp. the core can boost, the higher this number will be. (And also it's not a HwMonitor thing, it's a Windows Performance Counter thing)

[@alancarrick8062]

I have one of their AIO, got it about 2 years ago to replace the stock air cooler on my Aurora R7. Good quality and no problems.

[@vkmicrov]

Jayy!! Idea for a build. Find somebody with a resin 3D printer, have them PRINT you all the fittings you plan to use. Just the fittings. And then do a test of that and like, share your thoughts on it? would you trust 3D printed fittings? I 3D printed some fittings for my server build with soft tubing watercooling because i ran out of barb fittings, been over a year now and working perfectly :D

[@thisguybrett]

I really hope you continue this series with the new block. I wanna see if this is a viable option for a new water looper to try.

[@davidwallis494]

i was an early adopter of bykski and barrow kit, still using them today, never had an issue with pumps or anything else which others have had with recognized brand names. The Dracaena look decent too

[@JerziTBoss]

My fans of choice are Arctic P12 and P14. Super cheap, PWM, they can be daisy chained and I used them in all of PC I've built and I am yet to find issue with any of them. They are also reasonably silent and reliable.

[@martheunen]

Love the 80s vibe B roll music! More please! :)

[@esqueue]

My cheapest loop was made about 13 or more years ago for an Xbox 360 and later upgraded for a PC. I initially used a plastic electronic junction box as a water reservoir, a submersible fountain pump as a pump, relays to allow it to be controlled by either 5 or 12 volts, a 1977 Pontiac Bonneville without A/C's full copper and no brass heater core as a radiator (available in costed $30 USD at the time!!!!!), the heater core's box as a shroud, two generic 120mm fans, some plastic hose from a hardware shop, two brass nipples for the heater core and some 2 part putty clay to mold on the nipples. It was an externally cooled radiator and fan setup. This worked for years on a severely heatgun reflowed modded 360 with an available waterblock that covered both it's CPU and GPU. I later got rid of the console and moved the setup over to my pc and got a DDR pump and pc reservoir which lasted for many years. It first cooled my Core 2 quad CPU and AMD r9 290x for 4 years. I eventually had it only cool my 1080 ti video card by itself and hot a separate AIO for the i7 3770K CPU. Kept the same setup to cool my current 3080 ti on it's current cpu with AIO setup.

[@joyl7842]

Scratches on shiny finished metals are a big problem in the metal industry. I worked for a factory making high-quality flue systems for home-warming with wood-burning. It's so easy to scratch a shiny stainless steel pipe in a big busy factory. Loads of products fail quality checks because of that.

[@cyntist4120]

Thanks Jay for doing these vids

[@desmofan1864]

Cheap parts testing is a great idea! And those Time Spy thermals are pretty good with that old block.

[@salxorw3191]

I went and looked them up right as you mentioned who they were. Might use them to build my soft tube loop. Great stuff Jay!

[@DaveMuller]

I have been stalking your channel but I had to comment on how awesome it is to hear some 80s style synthwave in the background. Made my day

[@Retrainark]

Thank you! this makes me want to put a custom water loop in my next build and not worrying too much about GPU water block prices. BTW,I have seen copper plated aluminum heat sink when I'm shopping one for a DIY project. so what you see might not be what you get.

[@Andersonairchris]

I have some Dracena stuff in my custom loop only because I needed some stuff quick and I agree the product quality is pretty damn good for the super low price and spare o rings are a huge win when they are included like that

[@mckidney1]

I am surprised you did not show the reservoir sediment trick. It seems to fit all the parts and extra fittings.

[@Durbanite2010]

The budget fans I always go for are Arctic P12 PWM 5-pack from Amazon UK, which are usually in the $30 price range - if you add another $12 or so, you can get a 10-port SATA-powered fan splitter and some MX-4 thermal paste. You really can't beat a 6-year warranty on fans at that price and the build quality looks and feels more solid than Antec in my opinion.

[@ThereisNoCarrollinHR]

I love when you do these kinds of videos! Highlighting the brands that aren't popular is awesome. Even if sometimes your videos run these guys outta stock for a bit haha.

[@Rabessey]

Braided steel lines would look cool!

[@ADCloudy]

This was actually very cool to see that the prices can be managed with the right amount of research and time. Would be nice if you could make a video on some of the kits available on Amazon, since the prices for those are pretty insane.

[@raven1378]

Hey Jay. Long time fan here (I think one of the first vids i saw was you building Little Jays first pc lol). Love your content and work. You've inspired many of us including me.

[@seanyounk1]

16:18 Parts List + MX4 Thermal paste and a different CPU block. I see an Aveks brand on Amazon for $19.89 "CPU Water Cooling Block Waterblock 50mm Copper Base Cool Inner Channel"

[@pappabear2119]

Thanks for doing a review on their parts and radiators, was looking for another radiator, saw that brand on amazon but wasn't sure how it would hold up! didn't want to pay Corsair pricing if i didn't need to

[@Dexx1s]

Corsair pricing? They're one of, if not the cheapest known brands when it comes to their radiators. XD

[@Reevesi]

The Avengers may have "The Hulk" but they don't have "The Phil". Awesome vid/montage as usual sir.

[@ChristopherGreerCDN]

The music, shot composition, and editing in the B-roll segments are always amazing. I can only imagine Jay giggling away as he was unscrewing the cpu mount studs.

[@steadyclouds4614]

Hope for more good health updates. Thanks for the video, Jay!

[@DylanHH1]

you gonna give it that noctua and cool that thing 😂

[@Adam-xo5iq]

Every time he says it I’m wondering why Noctua hasn’t hired her for an ad campaign.

[@chatchaweewong1071]

Really love this kind of content, please keep it coming!

[@JETWTF]

The CPU block wasn't a mistake, you now have the baseline for cheapest and future videos can show upgrading and results.

[@EMU1]

I have used the same fittings on a few builds with no issues. The white version has a bit of thin paint on some of the interior areas, but functionally they work just as well as barrow, XPSC, Monsoon, EK fittings that I have used. I did try a different brand from Amazon, which I did not like. Tubing was much harder to install (didnt fit easily inside the compression collar alone, and then really hard to thread), and I scrapped them. I think that you could have gone with a slightly better CPU block, there are some really inexpensive bykskis or barrow blocks (not on Amazon)... but for the most part, the rest of the parts are more than good enough. Would like to see your update and comparison when the new blocks come in. For radiators, I tend to like the HW Labs rads from performance PC's, which tend to cost around the same price as the one shown in the video. People get carried away with builds, and often pay as much for one component that you can build a full loop with. I do a lot of value oriented builds, and often buy items out of build time and save some stock of them waiting to do builds when I can get things on sale for great prices. Then when its time to build, I have decent options and dont feel burdened by the costs of buying everything for what the cost is now. Prices on many things have increased across the board, but if not pressed for time, you can often find good deals. Although, many of the bigger companies now charge 2-3x the price for blocks, and shifted their market to "premium" where they used to be mainstream. It makes me think that the bottom may be dropping out of mainstream DIY watercooling, since most that would have done it before may just be going AIO now instead... so DIY builds are now premium focused, where absolute performance is the most important.

[@BMurray999]

I really like these videos, as someone whos always wanted to do watercooling but didnt think i could afford it, your really changing my mind. I personally wouod want to go for a bit better block so to see you try some mid range stuff wouod be cool for sure! Im in canada so the prices of everything are that much more rediculous

[@nostreborelyk]

When the Phil montage started, I felt like grabbing my sunglasses, getting a convertible, and driving around the city at night, contemplating tomorrow’s inevitable finale. I appreciate 80s synthwave always.

[@andrewdenzov3303]

Some of us started liquid cooling with automotive radiators aquarium pumps and blocks soldered from the crap. And now it’s good to see parts that not cost you arm and leg to build the system. And I’d love to see how this system compares with systems from 2000. Asetek waterchill Antarctica in example

[@ColtGColtG]

11:20 as someone who used to work in auto repair and parts. This is why i don't care if you're working on an old ass car or truck. If you replaced the old copper core radiator and or heater core with a newer aluminum one do not use the original "green" antifreeze...stuff has borates that while great in old systems will rot aluminum as soon as the 2 year old corrosion inhibitors wear out. Just flush it out and use the new stuff...

[@btb6011]

I'm looking forward to you going forward on this project. I built my computer 10 years ago planning all along to use water cooling. I got close to $4000 and then tapped out and use an AIO. Now planning on another build, just picked up a Nividia 4080 super.

[@PointingLasersAtAircraft]

I've used all of these components with great success.

[@andylego-yo8zc]

Do u know the price range for that setup?

[@PointingLasersAtAircraft]

@@andylego-yo8zc I couldn't tell you. I'm constantly building loops for a hobby and at work.

[@miketeeveedub5779]

Thank you Jay for demonstrating how far AIOs have come for price vs. performance. Anyone that would buy this budget loop over an AIO at half that price deserves the inevitable leakage on their video card or CPU.

[@D12sRcGarage]

i used those fittings on my first build was hoping for the best because of the price but 4 months laterand still no issues and im stoked your checking them out

[@reece2080]

Love the budget water cooling! keep the videos coming!

[@Mc-Derpulous]

I just ordered these fittings. Im gad i found a trusted youtuber using them.

[@Jasontyo]

Theres a killer deal somewhere right now for a liquid cooled 6900xt for like 350. these parts and that bad boy would be awesome

[@TougeMaw8671]

Been actually contemplating to build this to cool the processor for overclocking my 14900k the past two days and this vid came out on my youtube. For me as long as it would perform well I'd be happy.

[@josejalapeno2024]

I have that same cpu block, 2 240 rads and the same company as that block pump res combo with my i9 10900kf and keeps the cpu and 2080 cooled. Barbed fittings in an asus rog z11

[@josejalapeno2024]

120mm thermalright fans as well

[@kaos01]

Phil always on point with the music choice! 👌🏻

[@Ironclad17]

Really good video Jay! Custom loops are so intimidating, but it really helps to know where to focus your budget.

[@Wooskii1]

This video was awesome! I hope it's the beginning of a series 😉 and I can't wait to see what you do for the GPU.

[@OmarM.]

I don't plan on using anything other than air cooling with a good airflow case, but I do love watching these videos always

[@2Sp4c3]

Amazing building shots Phil!

[@AK90]

I have 2 of those CPU blocks in my Xeon server and they work great!

[@TheWhoudini1974]

I've got 3 Dracena radiators, a 480 and 2 360's. They're extremely narrow compared to some others I've seen, but the price was within my budget.

[@YtterbiumUK]

Would be interesting to see how a high end block would change results

[@stevencoad9224]

Seconded… the cheapest “name brand” I can see on amazon right now is the corsair for $69.99, that would bring the total up to $290 and likely perform great. I’ve used a different brand’s version of that pump (with a shorter res) in a SFF build with a 3900x and 1080ti and had no complaints, it’s basically a detuned/lower wattage ddc variant (ek used to sell one call the “spc” that was identical).

[@stevencoad9224]

I can’t edit but it was with a heatkiller cpu block, which is why I think a more name brand - hell even the $57.99 barrow - would perform better than the one he used

[@shawnbretthauer]

This is one of the videos about water cooling I’ve wanted to see. Thanks.

[@Fenix1861]

With the Rad and Block being copper, I would love to see a version of this hard tubed with copper pipe.

[@Fenix1861]

Especially since L-Type copper tubing is relatively flexible while M-Type is rigid, but easy to bend with a pipe or conduit bender and a lot of that stuff is available at you local hardware store. As a bonus copper has antimicrobial properties so should reduce need for biocides.

[@phenomanII]

My cheap loop is made out of used stuff. I bought a leak tester so that I could check the parts separately, before I got all of them. Getting a pumpres combo with a D5 for 1/4 the price is what lit the fire under me to get everything else. Universal block on the GPU for now, but whatever. It has been running for over a year with zero issues. Loving the temps and how quiet it is thanks to my completely overkill rad setup. (1260 rad anyone?)

[@ano_nym]

How does a universal GPU block work?

[@jackass315]

second hand and out of box parts are a great way to go , got my whole loop for about £100 its more of an expandable aio with the alpha cool eisbaer but i added a res and some clear tubing still a good start as now i have fittings and rads , i also got a used ek 240 rad for £20

[@ano_nym]

@@jackass315 are you buying open box at stores or used from regular people there?

[@jackass315]

@@ano_nym scan computers for the open box deal , and ebay for used parts , sometimes fb market place too if i have time to mess around

[@xXDarthBagginsXx]

benefit of a custom loop is longevity of being able to retain parts for future builds etc. I know I'm currently saving up for a block for my 4070Ti Super (Alphacool has the only block that will fit my card).

[@Marcel1984nl]

Nice Jay!

[@Deamonas]

i always use all in one water coolers but have wondered if real water cooling is worth the bother

[@JollyGiant19]

If you just cool the CPU, no. If you cool the GPU and CPU, probably if you OC or want it quiet when not under load.

[@samishiikihaku]

Depends on what you want to cool. Its possible to daisy chain rads to do alot of cooling

[@rustler08]

The reality is that unless you're planning on overclocking, it's really not. You get to self-congratulate on the low temperatures, but that's about it. The benefits of running at lower temps can be argued (such as longevity), but the reality is that there are still air-cooled 1080s out there that are alive all these years later (which aren't exactly cool cards). And your waterloop leaking or pump dying is more likely to kill your setup than running at a constant 70-80 degrees aircooled. If you want to do it, do it. But, don't do it thinking it's somehow massively superior. It really isn't, and you'll see maybe a few percentage points in performance.

[@noth606]

Having used both, no. The only time you want to go custom is if you want to go custom. I mean it. There is no technical benefit to it unless we really really get into the weeds, or want absolutely crazy performance maxxing out of it with multiple rads and so on, maybe a chiller too. I used to build swanky custom loops and OTT builds with UV reactive fluids and components and all manner of crazy sheisse but it was because I wanted to, not because it really was necessary, strictly speaking. I used to overclock the cr4p out of my systems too. I don't anymore. Part of it is because I'm pushing 50 and feel like 'been there, done that' but also largely because I'm wheelchair bound and it would be 25 times harder to do it now. I use a Corsair H150i RGB AIO with the LCD on it now. Also because if I'd go custom loop I'd want hard tubing and all the bells and whistles and I can't justify the cost of it since it's purely because it looks cool and is badass. Maybe one day I'll make another custom loop but I doubt it, it's too hard to do for me now and too expensive and too big risk.

[@ewmcdade]

Not really man. I used to have one but found it tedious. Get a good AIO and buy a non-ref design card with a great cooler. Liquid cooling was much more important back in the day when your graphics card sounded like a leaf blower running. I have a Red Devil card now and I’ve never even heard it spin up.

[@crystal_reverie]

I see the manufacturer giveing extra O-ring as they believe their stuff is going to fail easily, so Jay is already a way more positive person then I am 😆 Another great video, thankyou.

[@camjohnson2004]

Hey Jay, Hope you are feeling better. love the content

[@vincentsmith9180]

That loop looks very good! Nice RGB effects, simple but nice! Really like this content with, let's say, alternative and/or cheaper brands of hardware!! 👌💯🤟

[@itsyaboijoeysalads6300]

Very eye-opening video, definitely gets me more excited to try watercooling, I've been scared to try anything that isn't a big brand. Really wondering what this is like long-term too!

[@j_t_eklund]

Lap that CPU block and add a plexiglass bendable on top of the mounting arms that are flat with the height of the block. Cut out the middle so the block can push up trough it. Add another plexi or metal over that. Replace the screws for the mounting. Create a proper backplate the same way. Should shave quite a few degrees of the max.. Anyhow great video.

[@azntactical4884]

I did a custom 184mm alphacool aio setup. The pump had a small resavior built in. Works quite well considering it's coolong a 14900k. It did a better job than a dual tower cooler.

[@StretchAus]

Love this content keen for the other blocks to arrive for trial

[@vladvaro8350]

Thanks Jay, it just goes to show that you can build an inexpensive open loop, but throw a GPU specific water block into the mix and your price will more than likely double!, unless you buy a generic one size fits all. Cheers.

[@nicholasgiuliani5682]

Finally subscribed and hit the bell sorry for the delay really enjoy the content

[@brodatelc]

Good old Jayz is back, very good direction :)

[@xDEADLOCKEDx2468]

12:03 I'm not really a FAN of their logo, HAHA what a guy.

[@NowThatsPCGaming]

Jay can you do a follow up video pertaining to the 13-14900 CPUs. Now that it is sounding more and more like it is not just motherboards causing these CPUs to fail.

[@BeanieBrosPC]

I use them fittings. Never had a problem with them. Nice

[@aperson7624]

Thank you. I plan to watercool a zen5 loop and this is great for seeing what parts make sense to spend on, and what parts are best to get cheap. I GREATLY look forward to seeing the 20 and 40 dollar blocks, and if you would sneak in a 'top of the line' block as well, just to show what you get for 200 or so, that'd be nice. Also curious about radiators. If you swapped out for HWlabs radiator, what, if any, would the temp drop be.

[@Dexx1s]

Grab a HeatKiller for like $80 or the Alphacool Core 1 for about 110 and you've got the best performing block you can find. Temps between the blocks are usually 1-2 degree max. Spending anything above that is a complete waste of money unless you just really like the aesthetics. For radiators, you really have to go check proper benchmarks. There are things like fin density, the flow restriction of the rad and the fans you use with it. If you look for a review of the Corsair Xr5 for example, you should see a TechPowerUp review that compares it to other radiators. radiator reviews/comparisons require more of a GN type of review, not the kind of thing Jay does.

[@Chiongster101]

been running non-boutique brands for custom loop for a few years now, apart from the risk of some poorly made fittings, they work fine

[@averagemodeler]

i wonder if the block could be lapped? i didn't look to great in just those few seconds you showed us

[@josejalapeno2024]

Also, on my purchase review, I put instructions on how to get it properly mounted. Never had an issue since

[@Perrajajaja]

Cant wait for the update video with the 2 other blocks tested!

[@johnt.848]

That CPU block appears to be a perfect size for that CPU, perhaps use the mounting from another cooler and a CPU contact frame to mount it closer to perfect instead of having to guess with the supplied mounting kit. The Die height should be the same. This build has made me want to liquid cool my system now just for looks.

[@DJH316007]

Can you also test against a 360 AIO to show the difference?