EXTREME budget custom water cooling loop

[EdragonX]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khftz04T0Hs So I just watched a youtube video where a father and son made their own custom liquid cooling loop using a cheap fish tank pump, a jar as a reservoir, cheap vinyl tubing and a cheap water block from ebay. The results they showed do show an improvement in temperatures over an air cooler of the same price. So, I was wondering, is this practical at all? Could it be stable for long term use? What would be the negatives/risks. Even if it were just for looks less than performance would it be more of a harm than a benefit? Thanks!

 

[Onefurrybanana]

I wouldn't recommend it, i would buy a closed all in one system if i were you. Doing a custom build without proper materials could cause problems. For example if the pump isn't strong enough to move the water or if the connects aren't proper since your not using fittings then you could ruin your hardware.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

I wanted to stop watching 30 seconds in when they said "aluminum radiator" .... seriously, a pickle jar with two holes drilled in it, left on the desk ? Ethylene glycol ... because it has a higher boiling point ????

Nice perhaps as a science project, not practical for long term usage.

 

[rubix_1011]

There certainly have been people who have built very budget-friendly watercooling systems, but the biggest problems arise from quality and longevity of the components, especially the pump. Most aquarium pumps are designed with flow rates but not necessarily for the restriction that watercooling loops present.

Also, when it comes to Ebay sourced blocks and parts, be wary. Most are knock-offs or cheaply made and likely weren't designed and tested or maintained to a quality control process. For example, EK, Koolance and Swiftech all make their own blocks and hardware - they spend money on R&D, design, testing, quality control and improvements. The Ebay block might have just been designed to 'fit' a certain CPU socket, but might not be milled to mate with the CPU IHS very well, may not have proper flow channels or might have issues with how threads are milled for fittings. You also may run into situations where these blocks are milled from aluminum, which is one of the worst metals to have in a watercooling loop with brass or copper.

You CAN do budget watercooling, but you don't want to cut too many corners without really knowing what you're doing.