Custom PC - UK (2021-09)

TYPES OF TUBING
Flexible tubing comes in a variety of thicknesses and materials, such as
black rubber and PVC, leaving you to just decide on the size and colour.
Bigger cases look better with thicker tubing, but thinner tubing won’t
impact on cooling performance. Rigid tubing is even more varied. As well
as different sizes of it, you also have a choice of acrylic, PETG, metal and
glass tubing.
For your first rigid tubing build, we recommend using acrylic or metal,
as it’s easier to work with them. We also suggest avoiding PETG tubing
unless you plan to install a coolant temperature probe. It’s easier to bend
and work with PETG than acrylic, but it can deform if the coolant gets too
hot, which can cause leaks.

Metal tubing is usually brass with a coating, often in chrome or

anodised colours. The surfaces can be quite delicate, so be very wary of

handling them too much. You can’t bend metal tubing yourself, but you

can buy pre-bent lengths that have been coated in specific colours. This

means you’ll need to use those or invest in angled fittings to point them in

the right direction.

RADIATORS
Generally speaking, to avoid having the need for your fans to spin up
regularly and ensure your dream PC is as quiet as possible, it pays to
build in some redundancy and this means adding radiator cooling power.
For every hot component you want to water-cool, you should aim to
have at least a 120mm radiator and ideally a 240mm radiator, so really
you need at least a 360mm radiator for a high-end GPU and CPU if you
want your PC to be seen and not heard. Smaller cases will be more

limited here, so you’ll need to weigh up your hardware preferences with

your need for a quiet-running PC.

If you decide to go down the mini-ITX route, which can make modding

your case cheaper and easier, you may be limited to a pair of 240mm

radiators, sometimes even less, which does hinder your options. Larger

cases, though, allow for much more extensive use of radiators and

water-cooling gear in general – just bear in mind that a big case will also

increase your modding times and costs.

PETG tubing can deform if the coolant

gets too hot, which can cause leaks

You need at least a 360mm radiator for a high-end GPU

and CPU if you want your PC to be seen and not heard

We recommend starting with acrylic or metal

tubing for your first rigid water-cooling build

FEATURE / CUSTOMISATION