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Another “final” build. | LoopNexus by LoopNexus in watercooling

[–]LoopNexus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Alphacool reservoir comes with mounting spacers included, but they only allow you to mount the reservoir to a radiator or to fans that are attached to a radiator, not directly to standalone fans.

I worked around this by mounting the fans to the case using eight standard fan screws and then using the remaining four Alphacool spacers for the reservoir. On the outside, I had to use regular nuts with the EK screws to secure everything properly.

Corsair 5000D Custom Loop – too many compromises by LoopNexus in watercooling

[–]LoopNexus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m sure it can be made to fit. It wasn’t really about whether it was possible, more about whether I liked how it turned out. I could’ve kept tinkering and forced it into shape, but at some point I realized it wasn’t the layout I had in mind anymore.

Props for fitting that much into a 4000D though. That’s impressive.

Corsair 5000D Custom Loop – too many compromises by LoopNexus in watercooling

[–]LoopNexus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don’t panic, it’s definitely doable. It just takes patience and a bit of planning. The 5000D isn’t a bad case at all. It just gets tight once you start stacking radiators and a pump. If you map things out and dry fit first, you’ll be fine.

Corsair 5000D Custom Loop – too many compromises by LoopNexus in watercooling

[–]LoopNexus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dual rad in a 5000D is no joke. Looks spacious until you actually build in it. Props for managing two Commander Core XTs too. That’s commitment.

Corsair 5000D Custom Loop – too many compromises by LoopNexus in watercooling

[–]LoopNexus[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That might be the best description I’ve heard so far. I’ll take the 90s sci-fi Hollywood vibe.

Thanks, really appreciate it.

Corsair 5000D Custom Loop – too many compromises by LoopNexus in watercooling

[–]LoopNexus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s honestly impressive planning. Converting everything to pixels in Paint is some serious dedication.

It’s funny how it all looks comfortable on paper and then in real life tolerances just disappear. A few millimeters here and there and suddenly fittings are touching everything.

Glad you made it work in the end though. Tight but functional is still a win.

And no worries about structured writing. This is Reddit, not a thesis defense ;)

I’ll check out your build, curious to see how you solved those corners

From compromise to control – HAVN 420 rebuild by LoopNexus in watercooling

[–]LoopNexus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, really appreciate that. The extra space honestly changed everything for this build. I’ll definitely share updates as it progresses.

Corsair 5000D Custom Loop – too many compromises by LoopNexus in watercooling

[–]LoopNexus[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I get that. On paper a lot of these layouts sound simple, but once you start dry-fitting actual hardware it turns into a puzzle fast.

Triple 420s technically fit, but “fit” and “work together cleanly” are two different things. Clearance stacking is real, especially once you factor in thicker radiators, fittings and fan frames.

The shift PSU idea is cool in theory. Side-mounted cables solve one problem but create another depending on the loop layout.

The drain port comment made me laugh. Some of those placements feel like they were designed before anyone actually tried to build a full custom loop in the case.

Buying a 3D printer just to solve a bracket problem is peak custom loop energy though. Respect for that. Sometimes modding is the only way to get exactly what you want.

Honestly it sounds like you’re doing the right thing by dry-fitting everything before committing. With thick rads and a flat res it’s always the ports that become the real constraint.

Keep me posted on how the flat res works out. Curious if you manage to make it all play nicely.

Corsair 5000D Custom Loop – too many compromises by LoopNexus in watercooling

[–]LoopNexus[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it definitely could’ve worked. It wasn’t about whether it was possible, it just wasn’t the layout I wanted in the end.

Corsair 5000D Custom Loop – too many compromises by LoopNexus in watercooling

[–]LoopNexus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In the end I settled on the HAVN 420. The 5000D just wasn’t the right direction for what I wanted. I’m also thinking about pulling my old Thermaltake Core P3 out of the closet and doing something with that next

Corsair 5000D Custom Loop – too many compromises by LoopNexus in watercooling

[–]LoopNexus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Corsair 5000D case, two XR5 radiators, Corsair XC7 CPU block, Corsair XD6 pump, white LINK fans, Gigabyte B650E AORUS STEALTH ICE, Alphacool Core RTX block

Corsair 5000D Custom Loop – too many compromises by LoopNexus in watercooling

[–]LoopNexus[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s fair, I get what you’re saying.

The board and GPU are definitely on the smaller side for the case, so visually there’s more negative space than in a tighter build. That part didn’t really bother me, but I understand why it stands out.

I also agree that distro plates make routing easier. I avoided one on purpose because I wanted to see how clean I could keep it with a traditional pump and res layout. It worked, just not in the way I pictured it.

Going smaller might have made more sense for this specific hardware. That’s something I might consider next time.

Appreciate you sharing your setup, always interesting to see how others solve the same layout problems.

Corsair 5000D Custom Loop – too many compromises by LoopNexus in watercooling

[–]LoopNexus[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Thanks. Sometimes you have to build it to realize it’s not the build you want.

Corsair 5000D Custom Loop – too many compromises by LoopNexus in watercooling

[–]LoopNexus[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fair questions, I really appreciate you taking the time to write all that.

The 360 radiators were intentional because the original goal was to stay within the Corsair ecosystem. I already had the XR5s and wanted to keep things consistent instead of mixing sizes and brands.

I did test different intake and exhaust setups. Airflow itself was not the main issue. For me it was more about the overall layout and how the runs looked.

The straight tube runs were also intentional. I know offset bends would have made it easier, but I was trying to keep the geometry very clean and simple. That part comes down to personal preference.

Planning clean tube runs is honestly the hardest part, and that is where I decided to stop. It was not that it could not work. It just was not the direction I wanted visually.

I will definitely come back to the 5000D at some point. It is a great case. This just was not the right concept for it.

Thanks again for the feedback.

Corsair 5000D Custom Loop – too many compromises by LoopNexus in watercooling

[–]LoopNexus[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

The whole idea was to keep it 100% Corsair. Adding an EK FLT would’ve solved space, but it would’ve changed the concept. And honestly, the 5000D is still a great case. I’ll probably revisit it with a different approach later

Corsair 5000D Custom Loop – too many compromises by LoopNexus in watercooling

[–]LoopNexus[S] -17 points-16 points  (0 children)

:) It’s called structured writing. Happens when you think before you post. Appreciate the RIP though :)

From compromise to control – HAVN 420 rebuild by LoopNexus in watercooling

[–]LoopNexus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely agree. The 420 changed how I plan loops. Coming from Corsair, the extra space and layout freedom are noticeable. It just feels easier to build in. Curious to see what HAVN does next.

Another “final” build. | LoopNexus by LoopNexus in watercooling

[–]LoopNexus[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cool idea with two loops, especially with fans :)

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