The use of pass-through fittings allows the tubing to be aligned vertically. While this requires some modifications to the chassis it creates a unifying direction to the cooling loop, appearing structured and clutter-free. The vertical GPU also covers some of the less appealing connectors on the motherboard, which further adds to the clean aesthetic.

For convenient filling of the loop, an EK-Quantum Torque Drain Valve is installed onto the reservoir using a T-fitting. This is an exciting and compact innovation from EK with an "axial slide" open/close mechanism. It also has a male thread unlike traditional ball valves, allowing it to be installed without any adapter fitting.

The choice to not install any 3.5" hard drives also leaves plenty of space available in the bottom chamber which is effectively utilized for routing the cooling loop. The massive EK-Surface X360M radiator is fitted in the front of the chassis with its connections positioned at the bottom. The coolant flows from the CPU water block into the radiator (closest in the image) and exits towards the GPU block.

For convenient flushing and draining, an additional EK-Quantum Torque Drain Valve is fitted at the radiator outlet using a 3-way fitting. The valve is fitted pointing downwards which is convenient but requires further modification of the chassis. The rotary 90-degree fittings in combination with the soft rubber tubing is excellent and makes this kind of tube routing a breeze.

I've always felt that PWM and RGB control is unnecessarily bothersome, which is why I've chosen to implement a PWM and RGB control hub. From what I've read, the Corsair iCUE Commander XT works quite well to control fan curves and lighting. Furthermore, I've been using iCUE for a while for my Corsair headset and so far I haven't experienced any major issues with the application.

This eliminates the need to use PWM and RGB connectors on the motherboard entirely, reducing cable clutter. The hub has 6 PWM headers, 5 of which will be used to connect the fans while the last header will be used for the pump. The RGB headers will control lighting for the reservoir, GPU block, and CPU block, leaving 3 headers unused.

The hub itself connects to the power supply using a SATA power connector, and the motherboard using a USB 2.0 header. This presents a slight issue since the motherboard USB 2.0 header also needs to connect to the chassis front I/O ports. Hopefully, this can be resolved using a Y-splitter.

The EK-Surface X360M is a very thick radiator. Most radiators in All-in-one coolers tend to be roughly 25-35mm thick while this model boasts a massive 58mm thickness. This increases cooling capacity drastically due to the greater surface area. As described in the above section, this radiator should be able to match the max. thermal output from the GPU and CPU at roughly 1500 RPM fan speed. However, most applications rarely utilize both the CPU and GPU fully simultaneously which is why there should be plenty of temperature headroom for overclocking.

What this also means is that the radiator won't fit without modifying the chassis, therefore the highlighted area of the chassis will be removed. Even though the interference looks smaller, mounting the radiator becomes tricky which requires a larger chunk of material to be removed. The plan is to insert the radiator through the yellow area. The gap in the chassis will then be covered up using a 3D-printed part.

The Fractal Design North is a remarkable chassis that combines live oak, mesh, and contrasting light/dark elements to embody a true Scandinavian aesthetic. Its 45-liter volume places it squarely in the mid-sized ATX tower category—a noticeable size reduction from my previous chassis, the Corsair Carbide Air 540, which had a massive 63-liter capacity.

Over the past decade, mesh has seen a resurgence, particularly in small form factor chassis where cooling is limited. Personally, I appreciate its return for both performance and visual reasons. On the North, the mesh provides a striking contrast in texture when paired with the smooth white panels.

Besides the visual appeal, the North offers a few functional features that I think are great. A full-size magnetic dust filter is fitted at the front, which is easily accessible thanks to the snap-fit front panel. It also has a sliding top panel for easy access to the top fans, and a dust-filter for the power supply intake at the bottom of the chassis.

Design, Performance, Accessibility

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D is a late upgrade for the build, replacing my current Ryzen 9 3900X. AMD’s X3D CPUs are known for their outstanding performance, particularly in gaming. While I initially aimed to get a 5800X3D, availability in Sweden was an issue. Fortunately, I managed to pick up a 5700X3D on sale, which offers nearly identical performance.

I opted against newer CPUs like the 9800X3D or 7800X3D because I wanted to retain my current motherboard, which has an AM4 socket.

Cost, Compatibility, Performance

The ASUS TUF RTX 4080 is another late upgrade to my build. I ran into issues with my RTX 2080 Ti last year when the memory started artifacting, and within a week, the card became practically unusable. I had hoped to receive a replacement card from EVGA under warranty, but the 3-year period had expired 7 months earlier. Apparently, this was a common issue with the 2000-series RTX cards, most likely caused by subpar memory chips.

Due to EK not offering water blocks for the RTX 4070, I was left with two options: the RTX 4080 and the RTX 4090. Considering the RTX 4090’s exorbitant price, the RTX 4080 became the clear (though still costly) choice.

I chose the ASUS TUF version because of the water block’s sizing. While EK produces blocks for various brands, the ASUS and Gigabyte cards had the smallest blocks. Among Swedish retailers, the ASUS card was the more affordable option. Looking back, I should have researched the power target limitations of these cards, as the ASUS Strix version would have been better suitable for overclocking. Nevertheless, I'm satisfied with my choice.

Performance, Compatibility, Cost

The ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming is a mini-ITX motherboard with an AM4 socket, and it’s been part of my setup for quite a while. I'm using an ITX motherboard in this build because I originally planned a small form factor system in a custom chassis. You can read more about this concept here.

I selected this board because of its great connectivity and internal layout. It includes two M.2 slots, which is essential for me, as I’m not using any 2.5" SSDs or 3.5" HDDs. The connector placements for the 8-pin, 24-pin, 4-pin PWM, and 3-pin RGB are convenient and make cable management much easier. It also has built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 8 USB ports.

In terms of design, I prefer this board over other X570 ITX options, even though there is a bit too much branding for my taste.

Layout, Connectivity, Design

The Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB was chosen purely for their aesthetics, and while I’m generally not a fan of RGB lighting, I do think that well-placed LEDs can add a nice touch to the system. Even though I can choose any color, I usually stick with static white because it keeps things clean and understated.

This 32GB kit offers a 3466MHz frequency and CL16 timings, making it a great fit for the 5700X3D. A modest overclock to 3600MHz should be optimal, matching the FCLK frequency of the CPU.

One potential challenge is the height of these modules, which might interfere with the graphics card. Based on my calculations, there is a ~6mm of interference with the GPU block’s backplate. Addressing this will be tricky, as there are limits to how much the vertical GPU bracket can be offset. I’ll share more updates on this as I test-fit the components.

Design, Performance

The Corsair SF750 is a 750W small form factor power supply with a 80+ Platinum efficiency rating, and while choosing an SFX power supply for a chassis that supports full-sized power supplies might seem unusual, there’s a practical reason behind it. This particular SFX unit was originally purchased for a different project, so it ended up being an inherited component for this build. In hindsight, this turned out to be a fortunate choice because I later realized that an ATX power supply wouldn’t work with the layout of my cooling loop.

The pass-through fittings in this build make it impossible to use a standard ATX power supply without causing interference in the bottom chamber. Even with an SFX unit, the space will be tight. I’m confident that my measurements will hold up, but it’ll be interesting to see if everything fits as expected.

Size

For me, the choice of storage was straightforward. M.2 SSDs offer incredible speed, and unlike traditional 2.5" SSDs or 3.5" HDDs, they eliminate the need for cables—a feature that I feel outweighs the added cost. I didn’t go with a PCIe 5.0 SSD because my motherboard doesn’t support it, and I find the price unjustified for the small performance improvements.

Carried over from my current setup is the Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1TB, a 3^rd Gen. PCIe NVMe drive with a 3400/2500 MB/s read/write speed. The recent addition is the Kingstong Fury Renegade, a 4^th Gen. PCIe NVMe drive with a 7300/7000 MB/s read/write speed. The Kingston drive is installed into the front-facing slot which is passively cooled by an integrated heatspreader. The Samsung drive is installed on the opposing side of the motherboard (which only supports 3^rd Gen. PCIe) and is equipped with an EK heatsink.

I opted for the Kingston drive due to its expected lifespan of 2000 TBW which is relatively long compared to other SSDs on the market.

Size, Performance, Reliability

I think the EK-Quantum series CPU and GPU blocks look incredible. While the transparent variants are striking, I chose the understated black acetate finish with integrated RGB lighting. I’ve always preferred a less is more approach, and I think that liquid-cooled systems can easily become over-saturated with detail since there's a lot of visual elements.

When I bought the CPU block, the Magnitude and Velocity² series weren’t available, which is why I’m using a 1^st-generation block. If I were buying one today, I’d likely go for the full nickel Velocity² block. I also have the option of replacing the RGB-enabled milky white bottom section of the current block with a nickel-plated part, though I’m still undecided on which one I should use.

Design, Quality

I've opted for a single radiator setup in this build, which is why I've chosen to use the EK-Quantum Surface X360M. It's the thickest radiator EK offers, boasting a thickness of 58mm. While the North chassis can accommodate the full height of the radiator, it doesn’t allow for its full thickness, requiring some small adjustments to the chassis, as outlined in the previous post. The radiator also acts as the mounting point for the reservoir, and since it fills the entire height of the chassis I can hide the inlet and outlet at the bottom for a cleaner main chamber.

Based on my measurements, there will be just under 25mm of clearance between the radiator and the GPU block. This rules out the possibility of adding two additional fans in a pull configuration. Nonetheless, I’m confident the cooling performance will be more than adequate for this system.

Performance, Quality

EK's flat reservoirs caught my eye as soon as they were revealed. Their more compact and practical design is a big improvement over the traditional cylindrical ones, maximizing space efficiency—a critical aspect in PC building.

This particular flat reservoir was quite hard to find, but I was fortunate enough to grab the last one in stock from a Swedish retailer. It supports both D5 and DDC pumps, and in this build, I’ll be using an Alphacool DDC310. While the D5 pump is compatible with the build, I opted for the DDC pump because its size-advantage. The EK-Quantum Kinetic FLT120 D5/DDC Body also features integrated RGB, which I think will add a nice glow.

Reliability is paramount when choosing a pump, and I want to minimize the risk for malfunctions or premature failure. Alphacool sources their pumps from Laing, which I’ve heard are known for their quality. The Alphacool Laing DDC310 comes with a heatspreader top that should get plenty of airflow from the front intake, further minimizing the risk of failure.

Desing, Size, Reliability

The fans I'm using for this build are Noctua’s NF-A12x25 and NF-A14 fans, which are known for their excellent noise-to-performance ratio. While there are other options like the Arctic P12/P14, Nidec Typhoon, Phanteks T30, and Corsair RS120, their performance is still comparatively worse. The only exception being the thicker 30mm fans which are fairly similar. Regardless, the North only supports standard thickness fans in the front.

The last thing I want to see in this build is beige and brown (no offense, Noctua), which is why I opted for the Chromax versions in all black. The only downside is the price — one A12x25 Chromax fan costs around 35 EUR, while a five-pack of Arctic P12s is only 25 EUR. Noctua, you're great, but you're not that great!

Noise, Performance

I’ve selected fittings exclusively from the EK-Quantum Torque series for this build, with the exception of the pass-through fittings, which come from EK’s earlier product line. I opted for the semi-matte black finish, but they’re also available in nickel, gold, and satin titanium. While these fittings are relatively large, I think their striking design and premium feel justify the added size.

I'm using a bunch of various adapters such as rotary 90-deg, 45-deg, and T-fittings in this build to simplify and clean up the tubing runs.

Design, Quality

Although the tubing routes in this build seem simple enough for hard tubing, I opted for EK's matte black rubber zero-maintenance tubing. I appreciate the clean, minimal look and the practicality of soft tubing, especially considering this is my first liquid cooling build. It felt reasonable to choose the easier route rather than dealing with the complexity of hard tubing.

I’ll be using 10/16mm tubing, and in hindsight, I wonder if I should have gone with a smaller size. I didn’t fully account for how the larger diameter would affect the routing, and I now realize that smaller tubing would have allowed for tighter bends. Regardless, the thicker tubing fits well with the overall setup, and I’m sure I’ll be able to make it work.

Design, Practicality

To drill the holes for the pass-through fittings, I started by masking the chassis with tape and mapping out the positions using a calliper. To ensure that the positions were as accurate as possible, I 3D-printed a couple of tools to help me verify and check my measurements. Achieving perfectly straight tubing runs is no easy task. A small misalignment of 2 mm would result in a 1-degree crooked tube. While it might not sound like much, it is very visible to the naked eye.

I used an automatic center-punch to mark out the drill positions, and even though I was very careful I ended up with some misalignment. Thankfully I was able to correct this with a sanding roll attachment on my DREMEL. I drilled the holes using a 6-20 mm step drill and a cordless Bosch 18V screwdriver, which worked remarkably well. Before using the step drill I created pilot holes using a 3 mm drill. A key factor for achieving clean-cut holes was to stay in the 1^st gear (0-440 RPM) and occasionally pause to re-apply lubricating cutting oil. To finish off, I smoothened the edges using a manual deburring tool.

This is a common issue with most modern graphics cards. As cards have gotten more power-hungry over the years, their coolers have followed in size to keep up. While this issue generally presents with graphics cards in standard orientation, putting strain on the PCI-e slot on the motherboard, it remains an "issue" even with a vertical GPU bracket.

While the sag I'm experiencing might not impose any risk of damage to the hardware, it does impact the visual appearance of the setup. The weight of the graphics card causes the rear chassis panel to bend where the Flex 2 vertical GPU bracket is mounted. The result is a slightly slanted GPU which is noticeable when every other component sits in level.

To counteract this, I 3D-printed a small cylinder with a magnet insert that sits between the chassis and the tip of the vertical GPU bracket. This piece slightly lifts the GPU and transfers some of the load to the chassis panel below. Simple yet effective!

Another concern of mine was the clearance between the RAM and GPU, for which I was positively surprised! While there was an interference, it was actually 3 mm rather than the 6 mm I had calculated. I had a few spare motherboard standoffs which happened to be ~6.35mm tall (0.25") that were a perfect fit to offset the vertical GPU bracket. The result is roughly 3 mm clearance between the plug fittings on the top of the GPU block and the RAM.

Using low-profile G1/4" plug fittings is paramount here for clearance. These are roughly 3 mm tall when installed, as compared to the EK-Quantum Torque plugs that have an installed height of 5.5 mm. While not visible in this image, offsetting the GPU like this is also necessary to create enough space between the motherboard and the GPU to fit the 10/16 tubing.

Applying the EK M.2 heatsink was not as straightforward as I expected it to be. The SSD is sandwiched between a backplate and the heatsink which is held together by metal clips. To improve thermal performance, thermal pads of two different thicknesses are to be placed in between. Seems like an easy task at first glance, however...the clips would not flex as much as they needed to grip both sides of the heatsink. After applying highly excessive force in an attempt to attach the clips, I gave up since I'd be more likely to snap the SSD in half before actually succeeding.

The thermal pads that come with the SSD are 1 and 1.5 mm thick respectively so naturally I thought I'd use the thinner variant on both sides, if only they had provided more pads than the absolute minimum. Luckily, I had some spare thermal pads from the GPU block which I could use, and voila! The clips snapped into place!

According to EK, the heatsink should fit any single-side style M.2 SSD, which the Samsung 970 EVO Plus is, so I'm not entirely sure why it wouldn't. Either I received a faulty sample or the heatsink is poorly designed. Slightly too much frustration for such an insignificant component but I'm glad that I could resolve it at least.