Water cooling metallurgy (asus ROG maximus IX extreme)

[Jamezman]

Okay, so i want to buy and use the maximus 9 extreme motherboard in my first water cooling build but i can not determine the fittings to use with the monoblock.
(asus says "ALUMINUM plate (top cover) and Acrylic body")
So, with this being the case i need to use an aluminum rad and fittings. The problem is i can not find strictly aluminum parts, either that or they are not labeled as such. I have found a few rads but the fittings are the hard part.

Any help in the right direction would be great. Thank you ahead of time!

PS. ill be using the Thermaltake Core X9 Black chassis for said build with the top two rad mounts filled with 120mm style fans.

 

[n0ns3ns3]

it's a normal copper (cold plate)-acrylic(top) bitspower monoblock. the aluminum cover is just that grey thing on top fro cosmetic purposes only and it does not come in contact with liquid during operation.
you should be looking for normal copper/brass (possibly plated) parts like fittings, adapters, rads etc.

 

[Jamezman]

it's a normal copper (cold plate)-acrylic(top) bitspower monoblock. the aluminum cover is just that grey thing on top fro cosmetic purposes only and it does not come in contact with liquid during operation.
you should be looking for normal copper/brass (possibly plated) parts like fittings, adapters, rads etc.

First off. If that is your rig in the picture i give you props!

Now just out of curiosity how do you know that it is copper i spent hours trying to find out... and then the asus "help" is misinforming me? I mean it makes sense for it to be copper. I just want to know what type of wizardry you used to figure this out?
Also you seem pretty knowledgeable in water cooling. what do you think of the case?(thermaltake core x9)

 

[n0ns3ns3]

Yes, it is my main rig in almost final form. Since the version in pic, the tubing was changed from acrylic to glass, and couple of useful gadgets added:
1. flow sensor
2. monitoring + visualization device https://shop.aquacomputer.de/product_info.php?products_id=3593
that allows monitoring of the loop and configuring fans curve based on liquid temp. the later could be avoided if this CPU block was available when I built my system: https://shop.aquacomputer.de/product_info.php?products_id=3564 (check the video at the bottom of the page).
Unfortunately it was released few months after I built my system.

The curiosity thing is simple - bitspower do not make aluminum parts. Asus using either bitspower or EK made preinstaled monoblocks/VRM blocks. Always brass/copper, optionally nickel plated like this bitspower M9E.

The case ... it's very cool in terms of options and layout, though way too big for my taste. Not to mention that I don't like/trust TT products.
It has enormous cooling potential that is not going to be needed like ever. And I really don't like wasted space on my desk (or around it).
Of course if you like it and don't have my OCDs, it's a cool thing
As a side note regarding this case, 2x420 (3x140mm based) XFlow rads on top would be the best choice with this case. like those http://hardwarelabs.com/nemesis/gtsxflow/420gts-xflow/

Since you asked for "extended" opinion, I just can't stop wondering why would someone go with Z270 MB and 7th gen CPU in late 2017.
I mean there is a much more powerful 8th gen i7-8700K with Z370 motherboards.

Have you figured out what other parts you are going to use for the loop ?

 

[Jamezman]

Since you asked for "extended" opinion, I just can't stop wondering why would someone go with Z270 MB and 7th gen CPU in late 2017.
I mean there is a much more powerful 8th gen i7-8700K with Z370 motherboards.

Have you figured out what other parts you are going to use for the loop ?

well i already have a 6700k in my build. once i started looking to upgrade to liquid i saw the motherboard.. and i love the idea of it.. yes i know its last last gen stuff but i dont think there is a z370 version of the built in monoblock just yet plus if i upgrade that is another couple hundred dollars. now i agree the 8700k would be great but, as your rig (i7-4770k) shows im sure you dont need the best of the best to be great. to my knowledge i wont be bottlenecking my 1080 anytime soon with the 6700k. so to sum it up buying the waterblock flow meter and everything else that comes with the mobo it would be "around" the same price of buying it all seprate.(not including if i bought a 8700k..) plus it has leak detection.. and it cools my already purchased m.2.. oh yeah and all the rgb lol

PS. you do have a fine point with the case i may look into a different choice but its just hard to find a case that takes eatx thats not huge while still having ample room for everything i want to put in the loop..

 

[n0ns3ns3]

what MB do you have right now ?
I mean a monoblock like on this one is around 130$ flow and temp sensors are under 50$ for both. so paying 450$ for this board might not be very rational
Even if there is no monoblock for you current MB, there are CPU blocks like the one I linked above that already have built in temps and displays and whatever fun you might be looking at for under 150$. those 300$ could be spent on other great things.

as for my rig, it was kinda best. the point of getting the best is the lifespan. there is only one feature that i want and my CPU do not have. so either i switch it for 4790K if I see one for ~150$ or will just do the full upgrade next fall with the new 10nm 6-8 cores at about 5GHz.

 

[Jamezman]

what MB do you have right now ?
I mean a monoblock like on this one is around 130$ flow and temp sensors are under 50$ for both. so paying 450$ for this board might not be very rational
Even if there is no monoblock for you current MB, there are CPU blocks like the one I linked above that already have built in temps and displays and whatever fun you might be looking at for under 150$. those 300$ could be spent on other great things.

as for my rig, it was kinda best. the point of getting the best is the lifespan. there is only one feature that i want and my CPU do not have. so either i switch it for 4790K if I see one for ~150$ or will just do the full upgrade next fall with the new 10nm 6-8 cores at about 5GHz.

Okay so you have brought up some valid points. I think ill do a bit more research on parts honestly thats why i like to come to forums because you realize there may be a way better deal out there.
when i get it all planned out ill post it on here.
i may get an 8700k i dont know yet but we shall see!
oh and current mobo is a asrock gaming k6
also one more question whats the best hard-line tubing for a newcomer?

 

[n0ns3ns3]

while you thinking, here is one for more thing for you to research
http://www.performance-pcs.com/bitspower-bragi-asriz170-nickel-plated-full-covered-block-original-match-design.html#Specifications
though this block does not list your board specifically, they have same VRM. that means 99% it will fit just fine.
while you toying with this idea and possibly looking for sources to get one in stock or used, also think about what important to you and what you want to achieve. I mean with the loop. the best clear tubing out there is glass. but it's a bit tricky to cut. but it remains clear, no scratches and completely agnostic to coolant chemicals. PETG is the easiest to work with, but it's softest, scratches the most and does not like polypropylene glycol that is part of many coolants. the mid ground is acrylic still scratchy even from whipping dust off. the last two can be bent, glass can not be bent at home.
IMO, glass is the best and not harder to install (trading cutting with bending).
And of course the best hardline tubing for new comer is a flex soft tubing
BTW, don't go beyond ~13mm OD for the tubes, especially hardline.