AS THIS WAS my first liquid-
cooled machine, I started off
with a straight piece of tubing
to get things going. These
14mm hard tubes need to be
cut down in length to fit, so to
get this measurement right
you need to measure from
where the fitment starts on
each end. With a hacksaw,
cut down just over what you
have measured out as you
can always reduce the length of the pipe. Thankfully, the Corsair
kit contains this saw and a vice mount to keep the tubing nice and
secure when cutting. Once you have your length cut, you need to
use a tube reamer deburring tool to give the tubing a smooth lip
around the edge. This can make a slightly uncomfortable screech
sound, but don’t worry! Using both sides of the tool, twist it on the
tube gradually as you don’t want to make the tubing too short.
After you’re happy with your tube, see if it fits. This can be
tricky but just angle your fitments a little wider to make room for
the pipe. Then if that’s all good, you add the compression fittings.
These split into two parts. One part goes into the connection and
the other you put on the tube when installing, then slide it up and
it clamps the tube into the fitting. It also contains a rubber O-ring
to keep things nice and secure. Tighten this on each side and then
you should have a secure fitment. Always make sure you tighten
everything as much as you can to stop any potential points of
failure. Leaks aren’t going to be fun for anyone.
TRY TO SQUEEZE the coolant in gently through the filling bottle to
avoid foaming. Unfortunately, we were a little hasty and got some
bubbles but these will naturally go away after running the system
for some time. We left the PSU on and secured the plug in the top
of the fill port, checking all of our paper towels—not a splash of
blue in sight. This is by far the scariest part of the water cooling
process, but finding out that there are no leaks certainly lifts a
weight off your shoulders. At this point, we could relax.
IT MAY LOOK LIKE we’ve just
jumped ahead here, but a lot
of liquid cooling is rinse and
repeat. You may be wondering
about the bends in the build—
in theory, these work in the
same way as a standard bit of
pipe, with the same cutting and
deburring. The only difference
is the bend, which is made using
a heat gun. It’s an intimidating-
looking tool, but with a little
practice, I was able to create a decent 90-degree angle. Using the
silicone rod in the kit, mock the pipe up inside the case to figure
out the length you need. Again, cut more than this, as you can
always trim it down. Lubricate the silicone rod with water and
insert it into your cut tube, making sure you can easily pull it out.
Have a bowl of cold water nearby for cooling the tube down.
On low heat, hold this tubing above the heat gun and slowly
rotate to heat the section on the tube you want to bend. When
measuring the tube, score a line roughly where the bend will go
and keep the heat focused on this point. Hold the tube about an
inch above the heat whilst gradually spinning it. As you do this,
you’ll start to feel it loosen up, and with a little wiggle, this will
start to bend. Heat the inside of the bend you are forming, then
bring it to the corner of a table to get a 90-degree angle on the
pipe. Blow on it to cool it and then dunk it into the cold water to set
the pipe into place. If you’re new to tube bending, practice first on
a rough cut of tubing.ONCE THE TANK IS PRIMED, it’s time to turn off the secondary
PSU and connect the reservoir up to the primary PSU. Make sure
all the appropriate cables and connectors are attached and run
the pump once more by turning the system on. An important
cable to connect is one from the reservoir pump that goes into
the CPU fan header to regulate the pump’s speed. Also, keep
your paper towels in place until you know everything is running
smoothly. Once you’re satisfied with the build, you can crack on
with some cable management and pop the front, top and side
panels back onto the case. Lastly, we added the Corsair LC100
case accent lighting to the bottom of the case, which connect up
to SATA and are magnetized so stick to the case easily. As we said
before, keep the system running and this will hopefully eradicate
any unnecessary bubbles in your loop.THE FIRST PIPE
LETTING THINGS SETTLE
PIPE BENDING
THE FINISHING TOUCHES
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JUN 2022 MAXIMU MPC 23
BUILD IT