Question What are the biggest considerations when building a cooling water loop?

[SHaines]

As technology evolves over time, things that were once only for the hardest of the hardcore can become commonplace. Something that's becoming at least a bit more common these days is a cooling system built into how computers. With games like Cyberpunk 2077 promising to push technology to the limit, more and more people are likely to get their first water cooling systems.

With that in mind, what are the biggest considerations when building a cooling water loop? If someone is looking to introduce cooling, what are the things everyone should know?

 

[KentState]

Oh, and I think if companies are going to sell overpriced RGB strips, they ought to provide diffusion strips to go with them.

I try to mount LED strips, if used, so that they aren't visible, and instead shine back into the case. Otherwise, they need diffusion strips of some kind. I don't like see the individual lights.

 

[Aikouka]

I try to mount LED strips, if used, so that they aren't visible, and instead shine back into the case. Otherwise, they need diffusion strips of some kind. I don't like see the individual lights.

I tried that with my latest setup in a Lian Li O11D XL. I ran one of the strips on the bottom in front of the side panel, which worked pretty well, but I decided to run another one to the right of the front panel, which can't really be hidden all that well. Although, since I've replaced my front panel with a slotted panel from Performance PCs, I may just get rid of that LED strip since it was mostly there to serve the front tempered glass panel.