Custom Loop

[beerddlovliness]

hey all, Im wanting to do a custom loop.
Currently, I have an Asus x570i mini itx w/ a 3700x and a EVGA XC3 Black Ultra 3070. I am wanting to buy the Snow White Lian Li o11 Dynamic Mini. i do want to stick with mini itx. Want to water cool both CPU and GPU. I have looked up some parts and wanted to see what yall think and if there is any suggestions on anything?

Parts:

Lian Li o11 Dynamic Mini – White
EK-Quantum Reflection PC-O11D Mini D5 PWM D-RGB – Plexi
PrimoChill 360mm EximoSX Slim Radiator – UV Orange – x2
EK-Quantum Velocity D-RGB - AMD Nickel + Plexi
EK-CryoFuel Acid Green
EK-Quantum Vector XC3 RTX 3070 D-RGB - Nickel + Plexi
PrimoChill Complete 1/2 Inch PETG / RSX Combo Pack
Uni Fans - White or the White Corsair QL? i think they are


1) I am wanting to find a mini itx motherboard thats AM4 with a USB C header for the front panel. If anyone knows of one, let me know.
2) the Distro Plate for the o11 from EK has a pump included, thats why its not listed. I dont have any fittings yet cause Im not sure where to start with those lol. Ill definitely stick with Primochill so I can get the fittings in UV Orange.

I can exactly remember what materials can and cant go together? Nickel/Copper/Aluminum? I am planning on watching probably Jayz2Cents videos on watercooling and stuff, if anyoone else knows of other good videos, let me know.

I think the Orange/White/Green fluid color scheme would look cool.

So if yall have any suggestions, please share. or Comments. This will be my first time water cooling and I figured go big or go home. lmao. I was considering soft tubing but I think I would like the hardline more. This isnt happening anytime soon. I just decided on it last night. lol. The parts are expensive, close to $1k USD or just over so definitely not anytime soon.

Thanks for the assist

[AOD_DC0042]

I invested heavily in an open loop system early on this year. As of now, all of that is gone. Here are some bottom line facts from my experience:

- Once in place, the loop makes it nigh impossible to work on or fix issues without draining the whole system to take it apart
- If not setup properly a closed loop system can end up becoming louder than just fans on a system.
- I saw very little difference in heat metrics with my closed loop. I had a radiator that should have been fine for a GPU/CPU setup, but it's possible i needed more.
- The second you get an upgraded card, either be prepared to adjust your loop or shell out all that money on a new water block that fits that card. I had a 5700 xt I put the $200 on the front and backplate for it. Completely useless when I finally managed to snag a 3070.
- No matter what planning you've done to account for fittings, plan on the fact you will need more than that. I had multiple runs to Microcenter, which I was fortunate enough to have access to, and spent a lot more money on fittings I didn't anticipate I would need
- No matter how easy the videos make it look, hard tubing is a time consuming and patience demanding work. I got most of mine initially hard-tubed, but finally gave in and soft-tubed one of the most difficult parts because I couldn't take being out of having a computer a 4th day.

Since it sounds like you aren't ready from a monetary standpoint to pull the plug, please put some serious consideration into the choice you are about to make. I thought a blue liquid loop would look fantastic, and it did for the most part. But in hindsight it is not worth the hassle for me. I ended up falling back to a closed loop CPU cooler and quiet series fans and my system is running great.

If you are inclined to want a cool look of the inside of the case, investment in the RGB is probably the better option.

All that said, you do you. I just wanted to put up my experience. Forewarned is forearmed.

[beerddlovliness]

Thanks for the tips and advice DC. Those were the issues I had thought of before and why I have never done it / wanted to do it until now. I might just go the AIO route again. I have really good temps atm on both CPU and GPU so I wasnt doing it for that reason. I also keep my fans at a certain number and do NOT have them auto adjust. Its a bit louder than what most people like I think but I also dont have an AC on all the time to keep them super cold. My temps for both tend to stay below 70c 90% of the time so not a big deal there. And thats air cooling the CPU. Im still looking around at what I want to do. I do want to keep the ITX form factor but I want something kinda flashy for me lol. I dont see enough people doing anything super amazing with the ITX boards. Mainly, they just keep them in a small case in a corner and while I have that now, I kinda want more without going ATX. I dont need a board that big and ITX isnt super expensive like people say except depending on the case you choose.

anyways, thanks again for the tips!