USING A DISTRO PLATE
A distro plate can make dealing with rigid
tubing much easier, as it can remove a lot
of the bends, distributing them from pre-
drilled threads to run in straight lines to your
components. Most distro plates are designed
specifically for a single model of case. This
means they can be expensive, but also that the
threaded holes are positioned so they line up
exactly with your hardware.
This means you just need to run straight
lines of rigid tubing to your hardware, with
maybe some small tweaks here and there.
As well as making your tube-routing exercise
easier, a distro plate looks fantastic and really
puts your coolant on show.
Even better, a distro plate can work as a
reservoir, fill and drain port, as well as a pump
mount, so your loop will look very clean. The
one from EK we’re using is made for the
Lian Li O11D Mini case, and has various inlets
and outlets that are generally aligned with
waterblock and radiator positions in the case.
The coolant passes through channels in the
plate to other inlets and outlets. This means
you don’t need to go through the hassle of
connecting components at different angles
directly, and it also reduces your bending and
cutting time. In fact, you might not need to bend
any tubes at all, although you’ll need double
the number of fittings to cater for the all the
inlets and outlets on the distro plate.
On this page you can see the excellent
instructions provided by EK that suggest
ports to use for connecting your various
components to the distro plate. This is
important, as there are 16 ports on the
inside of the plate, so it’s worth starting
with the suggested ports first and adjusting
if necessary.
Of course, waterblocks
and radiators have slightly
different port placements
between models, so they
might not line up exactly. A
great tool for adjusting your
tube runs slightly is a rotary
adjuster. This is a shallow,
straight fitting, which can
rotate to move the thread
and tube around in a circle,
so you can line it up with its
opposite end.
This is useful in any
circumstances, as it
reduces the precision
needed to align rigid
tubing and can prevent you
wasting bent tubes and
money. It’s also useful with
a distro plate, as you’ll be
dealing with lots of straight runs, and if a tube
is slightly out of alignment with a fitting at the
other end of the case, bending the tubing to
compensate may not be an option if the angle
is too small. Thankfully, rotary adjusters are
available in a range of colours including those
in EK’s Torque range we’re using here.
The distro plate uses existing case holes to
secure itself and is easy to install. Make sureyou orientate it so the pump is at the bottom,
as the chamber above it acts as a reservoir and
should sit above the pump. The distro plate
also reduces the clearance for radiators, and is
designed to be used with EK’s SE 360 radiator,
so be sure to use the right components with it.There are 16 ports on the inside of the plate, so it’s
worth starting with the suggested ports first and
adjusting if necessaryA rotary adjuster is a great tool for adjusting your tube runs slightlyThe distro plate we’re using is made by EK
especially for the Lian Li O11D Mini caseFEATURE / CUSTOMISATION