Distro Plate vs. Pump + Resovior

So I've been running my latest build with an EK front distribution plate (which has the pump built in).

I have a secondary build that uses a Corsair pump + reservoir combo and I honestly feel that it's better than the distro plate configuration, but there are some other factors to where I can't just compare apples to apples (i.e. Ryzen 9 5900x on distro plate vs. Ryzen 7 5800x on the secondary build). Also on the secondary build, I'm only using the loop for the CPU and not a GPU.

My question at this point is, has anyone ever seen something similar to this, or, perhaps is the nature of a distro plate meant to be more for ease of use vs. functionality?

Has anyone possibly made a switch from a distro plate to stand-alone pumps or reservoirs, etc...?

The only benefit I've found with the distro plate is if space is very limited. I've seen some nice looking "glow boxes" with distro plates. I've never liked cramming beautiful loops into tight spaces so I always went big with my cases and loops. My current build is in a Thermaltake Tower 900. The ultimate case for showing off your work. For my smaller builds I still water cool but I focus on function and go with dedicated AIO solutions for my CPU and GPU. Not very pretty but they get the job done and require no maintenance.

From a performance perspective it pretty much comes down to the size of your radiator, the amount of air passing over it, and the rate your pump is able to move the fluid. I don't think using a distro or reservoir really affects performance. The distro just makes better use of space.

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Originally Posted by AOD_Abraxas601

The only benefit I've found with the distro plate is if space is very limited. I've seen some nice looking "glow boxes" with distro plates. I've never liked cramming beautiful loops into tight spaces so I always went big with my cases and loops. My current build is in a Thermaltake Tower 900. The ultimate case for showing off your work. For my smaller builds I still water cool but I focus on function and go with dedicated AIO solutions for my CPU and GPU. Not very pretty but they get the job done and require no maintenance.

From a performance perspective it pretty much comes down to the size of your radiator, the amount of air passing over it, and the rate your pump is able to move the fluid. I don't think using a distro or reservoir really affects performance. The distro just makes better use of space.

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Thanks for replying, Abraxas. Good points, and while we all know there's more Lian "Li O11 Dynamic cases + EKWB Distribution Plate" builds in existence than we can shake a stick at, I'll admit that I, myself, did jump on the bandwagon for finally getting around to my first custom loop build (after having started down that path my previous TWO builds...and I typically do a new build every 1 - 2 years). Mainly, it was because I was modeling just about every aspect of this build after one I had seen someone else post.

The use of a distribution plate definitely seems to me that perhaps its primary focus is to make it easier for people to get into watercooling in general, keeping it pretty straight-forward as to where your inlets / outlets go, options for how you run and bend tubing, etc.. I admit that for me it definitely seemed to make this particular build easier" but long-term I do not think I'm a fan due to how it limits build-ability (is that a word? ha).

So, in a nutshell, I have two primary builds, one is my main gaming rig and the other is for work / lab environment stuff, music (mixing / producing dance music), and other things that I would do there first before applying to my main rig (like initial Windows 11 testing, BIOS tweaking to see what to expect on main rig, etc...).

Granted, specs between the two aren't 100% identical, but you get the idea. And while I know I can't say that, "Hey, my secondary build that only watercools my CPU runs WAY cooler than the main build that costs nearly 2.5 - 3.0 x as much even though it has a different CPU and cooling loop design" the fundamentals of how the cooling in the secondary build work just seem more efficient.

That said, I'm thinking the main things to consider are:

1) Distribution plate with single reservoir takes in coolant that's essentially 2x - 3x warmer due to inclusion of GPU (duh)
2) Such as massive, single front distribution plate holds the warm coolant longer than smaller / multiple reservoir loop designs

But alas, short of completely tearing down the main gaming rig, ripping out the distribution plate and replacing with separate reservoirs, pumps, etc... will be a major pain in the arse (but I get it...could save me more pain, time and money in the long run if there's something flawed or not optimal).

Two pics for reference:

Primary (Gaming) Build
Ryzen 9 5900x, Aorus X570 Master, RTX 3090, EK Front Distro Plate, Lian Li O11D XL
(Build specs: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/VRw9JM)
https://i.postimg.cc/ncBNyVrx/PC-Build-Primary.jpg


Secondary Build
Ryzen 7 5800x, Aorus B450 M, RTX 3060, Corsair Hydro X pump + res, Lian Li O11D Mini
(Build specs: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZJF2Rv)
https://i.postimg.cc/7Z4jwvJ2/PC-Build-Secondary.jpg

I have a brand new Lian Li O11 Dynamic Evo sitting in my closet as I was planning on it being the case for my next build to start in a few months when the new Zen 4 chips and motherboards launch in September, and hopefully RTX 4000 series not far behind it. That'll be the most ideal time to do a different style loop I think.

Definitely think that having two, disparate loops (one for CPU and another for GPU) is probably the most optimal design in terms of cooling efficiency if you have the case to support it without it looking like a jumbled mess.

Who knows what new products and design ideas will come out along with the new AMD and NVIDA hardware before the end of the year as well....