Thirsty Work -My Little Devil PC-V8 [Build Log] - Page 7

Thanks! I've learned so much reading other people's build logs here at OCN, and seeing various build tasks laid out step-by-step in those other logs helped give me the confidence to tackle this project. Certain parts of the build have taken more time than I anticipated (and I've certainly had to place more orders for extra parts than I planned for) but it has been tons of fun and a great learning experience.

Much appreciated! I've felt similarly regarding wiring and sleeving work when viewing other people's builds - it really helps put that bit of extra polish on the final result. I've learned quite a bit during this process, so hopefully I can do an even better job on my next project (which will most likely be when I start upgrading various parts in this build - I hope to stick with this case and most of my newly purchased components for quite some time).

[The Sleeving Continues]

I've had some time this week to continue working on all the various cables that need sleeving. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had some bad luck removing the pins from the cables that came with my Seasonic power supply, so I buckled and bought the pre-sleeved cables from Corsair. Those cables came, and before using them, I double-checked the layout with my multimeter to make sure there wasn't some subtle difference I was overlooking. I also checked the cables using a power supply tester before connecting the cables to the motherboard; I figure it would have given some sort of bad result if these probably-compatible cables had some problem.

I am happy to report the cables work just fine. However, one interesting quirk is the 6-pin PCI connectors. I checked these with my multimeter to make sure the layout indeed matched my Seasonic's cables, and they do. However, Corsair uses differently shaped pins which prevent these from plugging into my Seasonic power supply.


[The 6-pin Corsair connector (on the right) has some square shaped pins that, on the Seasonic, are the smaller pentagon shape. Pentagon-shaped pins fit in square holes on the PSU, but not vice versa]

Since the actual cables matched, I tried my hand at removing these devilish pins one more time. Either my technique magically improved, or the Seasonic really was just fiendishly difficult with regards to pin removal - because when working on the Corsair, I had no problems getting the pins out! With the pins removed, I transferred the Cables to a Seasonic-compatible 6-pin connector, and voila everything is now compatible! Keep this procedure in mind if you have a Seasonic power supply and plan on using Corsair's pre-sleeved cables.

Another task I worked on was getting dust filters installed in front of all my intake fans. I ended up using these for my 2 140mm fans front intake fans, and the 120 and 92mm versions for my rear intake fans.

The bottom 120x4 radiator, whose fans are running in intake mode, was a little tricker. I thought the most elegant solution would be to use one large filter for all 4 fans. I intended to order this filter , but accidentally ordered the 140mm version. As you can see, it is a bit too large and gets int the way of the screw holes (though I imagine the 120mm version would have the same problem).


[A too-big fan filter]

So I broke out the ole' utility knife and cut the screen out, trimming off the thick rubbery edge you see in the photo. I then used some silicon adhesive sealant and glued the sucker on the inside of the bottom piece of my computer case. It turned out wonderfully!


[Bottom 120mm x 4 fan filter installed!]

I've also been using the same silicon adhesive to attach the LCD strips that are running all over the inside of my case (there is about 9 feet total of these LED strips). The strips come with adhesive already applied, but mine kept sagging and becoming unstuck in various places. A little silicon adhesive set things right wherever these trouble spots turned up. I'm enjoying using the silicon adhesive in the case as if you need remove it later, or accidentally apply to much, after it dries it will just peels right off without damaging anything (something like superglue would make a big mess in this situation).

I also broke out the spray paint for a little experiment. I've always liked these cable management clips from 3M - and they might be handy for organizing cables on the back of the motherboard. However, I'm not about to stick white cable clips in my case - that would be madness! So far their appearance has been kicked up quite a bit by a paint job - perhaps they will make an appearance again in a future build log update.


[Painted Cable Management Clips]

In a few days I should have most of the cable management knocked out (a victory post will be made to celebrate the occasion)! Thanks everyone again for checking in and for the positive feedback and encouragement!

I really appreciate that! My wife and friends have been awesome enough to follow my progress and read my log, and I wanted to make sure I didn't serve up something too terribly dull for them to track

[Everything is Running on Air!]

I wanted to get the entire system up and running on air before starting on the water part of my build. This way I can be reasonably confident all the fans work, the CPU, GPU, etc. are all functional, and the various wiring and electrical work I've done is in solid working order before working moving on to ripping off stock heat sinks. Thankfully, I've finally reached this phase of the build! The cable management isn't perfect at this point, but since I've still got to remove everything and add all the water blocks and tubing, I figure it makes more sense to save my time and tidy up the cables more after I've got all the water blocks installed.


[Up and running on air]

Before getting to this phase, I of course had to get the third, top exhaust radiator installed...


[The top radiator is now snugly mounted]

This nest of cables is what is hiding behind the motherboard tray...


[I'll try and tidy this up after I get all the water blocks and tubing installed]

Now that I've made it this far, it is time to break out the compression fittings and water blocks!


[Bitspower fittings, reporting for duty!]