Ten minute modding

Between inside and out - Watercooling

Most people don't think of watercooling as a ten minute project, and indeed I agree with them. So why does this page exist? Because - there are so many quick mods that people could do to their already existing watercooling setups that just aren't being done.

A lot of times, the "look" of watercooling is dictated by the block and the fluid - clear tubing and plain and simple fittings make for the base of most setups. Most modders don't really ever notice the large variety of support products at their disposal. However, commercial manufacturers have been working for some time to bring a new look to watercooling.

Watercooling is often looked at as an internal component of a mod, and doesn't often make a dramatic appearance on the outside of the case. However, if you look at a couple of the more popular mods in history (I'm thinking specifically of Cold Fusion by Sleepstreamer and CrazyBlobz by Alonso Bistro), you'll see that they do just the opposite.

Bringing your tubing through "walls" on your case (interior or exterior) can be for necessity or dramatic effect - but please feel free to use tubing grommets!! They'll help maintain a professional appearance and simultaneously help protect your investment.

Tubing coming out of your mod can look great if you've got a futuristic effect that you're going for, but you can also show off that gorgeous and expensive cooling setup by using one of several different types of custom reservoirs. The reservoir is not even a truly necessary part of the loop, but it's one of the best areas to show off a little bling. From a "boring" square bay res to a jetted and lit AquaComputer or Thermaltake creation, there are a million options - with one just waiting to be worked into your style.

Another great area for simple modification in the water loop is the radiator. Because the rad has to 'breathe' fresh air, it needs venting to the outside. A radiator grille is a very simple but effective addition to the outside of your case, especially with some of the awesome patterns from the likes of AC Ryan.

However, a good radiator grille doesn't have to stop at the metal - putting a small piece of UV reactive plexi behind that metal will help really turn what was previously just a dark hole into a real accent piece, setting off the grille above. Fortunately, these are sold separately wherever you buy your Radgrillz - there are even whole plexi grilles that can fit directly behind the metal ones. The effect is subtle but very effective - enough that it almost bugs me to not see them used more often!

Getting Tubular

I think that the most overlooked area in all of watercooling is by far the tubing. What colour would you like, clear or black? Yes, I understand that showing off the cooling fluid inside is a fun thing to do, but it seems that it's the only thing to do - unless you want to make it all disappear.

This problem was one that I brought to my favourite crazy german, Martin "Smoothy" Gennat of Feser One. "Don't worry, Brett, we fix this too. Just like the coolants." Martin wouldn't tell me everything at the time, but I was greeted with a sample package not long after - a tube for every colour of the rainbow. Some were UV reactive, others were just plain cool - but one thing is for sure, your tubing doesn't have to be boring anymore.

Feser Tube is now shipping and comes in two common thicknesses - 3/8" ID and 1/2" ID. If you're building a watercooling loop already, you owe it to yourself to give this stuff a try - it's as kink-free as Tygon, bends nicely, and looks ace. It owes a bit of its strength and quality to the extra thickness - most 1/2" ID tubes, for instance, are only 5/8" OD, whereas the 1/2" ID Feser Tube is a whopping 3/4" OD. Plan your fittings accordingly!!!

If you've clicked the link and are scratching your head at the colours, you're reading right. There's actually a silver and a white on top of the colours you'd normally expect like red, green, and blue. Yes, both are UV reactive and yes, they do retain their colours under that UV light. The white in particular is quite striking - I've actually got a little project that will be using it, so hopefully you'll see it in our forums soon!

While you're redoing your tubing, take a minute to look at some of your fittings. Barbs are great, but compression fittings really leave a much more polished look and at the same time they get rid of a lot of hassles present in barbs. The average loop (CPU/GPU) will have around 9-10 fittings on it at max (depending if there is a reservoir involved or not) - compression fittings are expensive, but if you're already investing so much in cooling then they're probably not out of your price range.