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[Build Log] Neophyte (In Progress)

6K views 90 replies 7 participants last post by  james41382 
#1 ·
This is my first water cooled rig. I started putting it together in June 2015. I'm starting the first upgrade in March 2016 (page 7). I'm replacing the pump and reservoir, adding a second GPU and changing the tubing in the main chamber from soft to hard tubing.

Chassis:
Case Labs SMA8
Silverstone 4 USB 3.0 and HD Audio

Core:
Seasonic X-1050 80+ Gold
Asus x99-a USB 3.1
Asus Rampage V Edition 10
Intel Haswell-E 5930k
G.SKILL Ripjaws 4 16 GB DDR4 3000 MHz
2x Zotac GTX 980Ti (SLI)

Storage:
Samsung 840 EVO 1 TB
2x Seagate Barracuda 3 TB (RAID1)

Peripherals:
BenQ XL2420TE 24" 144 Hz 1080p (Primary)
2x BenQ GL2460HM 24" 60 Hz 1080p
Ergotech Triple Monitor Stand (TW)
Ducky DK2108SZ (Blue)
Razer DeathAdder (Blue)

Main Chamber:
EK-XTOP D5 PWM (w/ Pump holder and 120mm mounting bracket) [Upgraded]
Bitspower Tank-Z Multi 150 V2 [Upgraded]
EK-XRES 250mm
EK Multiport top / Internal Tube
EK Nickel Fittings
EK PETG 10mm/12mm
EK-Supremacy EVO Nickel Plexi CPU Block
2x EK-FC 980Ti (Original CSQ) Nickel Plexi GPU Block
2x EK-FC 980Ti Black Back Plate
2x EK-FC Single Bridge (Original CSQ) Plexi Block
AlphaCool NexXxoS XT45 480mm full copper radiator
2x XSPC 480mm Radiator Gasket
8x Akasa Apache Black 120mm (4x Push/4x case)

Lower chamber:
EK Revo Dual D5
AlphaCool NexXxoS Monsta 560mm full copper radiator
2x XSPC 560mm Radiator Gasket
Case Labs 560/480mm Mounting Bracket
8x Akasa Apache Black 140mm (Push/Pull)
Bitspower Matte Black V3 Fittings
PrimoFlex Advanced LRT Tubing 3/8" 5/8"

Misc. Cooling:
Mayhems Blueberry Pastel
2x Swiftech 8 way PWM Splitter
Custom DEMCifilters

EDIT: Neophyte 2.0 start 2/28/2016.
 
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#2 ·
I received the rest of the water cooling components today. The core components and peripherals are coming later this week. I ordered some supplies to make custom PWM extension cables to keep the cable management nice and neat, which is coming from China and though I paid the more expensive shipping it may not be until late next week before that arrives.

I know these pictures have been up in the Gallery for a while, but I'm going to start incorporating some of them here. All comments and criticisms welcomed as I'm sure I have a lot to learn.
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The case flat packed.
...more unpacking.
Here we go.
Case Labs SMA8... Done.
 
#3 ·
I really like the mounting plate for the reservoir that is available for this case. It was simple enough modify this piece to mount my reservoir. Measure, drill and mount. I originally was going to buy all brass fittings before I realized how expensive they are. I think I'll eventually replace this reservoir with a larger one that is just black rather than brass.

The eraser rubbed off the black paint a little and one of the holes was about a mm off. But I got it done and it looks good.
Marked it. Started by making an indentation at each point I wanted to drill with a hammer and nail. Worked my way up using 4 different drill bits. Had to file the edges of the holes afterwards to remove some sharp aluminum bits.
Measuring the bracket I'm going to mod for the reservoir.
Measuring the distance I would like between the tank clamps.
Put the bracket back in the case now that the reservoir is mounted to it.
 
#4 ·
I originally wanted the EK Logo on the pump to face the side of the case with the window, but realized that it didn't make sense for the routing of the tubing. Turned it 90° toward the back of the case and now it should work nicely. My thought with mounting it on the fan was that it would help to keep it cool, but I believe most of the heat from the pump is dissipated by the water cooling system.

I decided to mount the pump to the intake fan just below the reservoir. I needed a bracket for the fan and 2 additional brackets from EK.

First I mounted the pump holder to the bracket that will be mounted to the fan bracket. Initially I decided to attach it by the anti vibration screws, but it didn't work out because the pump is so heavy.

Decided to mount the pump holder bracket directly to the bracket that is mounted to the fan bracket. I think it looks better flush like this and there is no strain on the screws. If there's an issue with vibration causing noise I may add some rubber washers between the two brackets later.

Ended up turning the pump this way instead because the inlet on the top has a straight shot to the outlet of the res using 90° dual rotary compression fittings. You can't see it here, but on the side of the pump facing the computer there's the outlet, which will have another 90° fitting going down to the inlet of the radiator.

There's just enough room between the bottom of the pump and the top of the radiator. With a 90° dual rotary fitting on the inlet of the radiator I think I'll be able to make that turn using 1/4
 
#7 ·
I now have all the core components. I'm a little concerned because the supplies I purchased through moddiy.com to make the custom cabling didn't come with a tracking number. I've tried to contact them several times, but haven't received a response.
thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif
Hopefully it has been shipped and will be here soon. Their web site says expedited shipping should be 2 - 5 days to the US, which would put it here tomorrow assuming it was shipped out early on Monday. Monitor should be here on Monday as well. I also don't have any shipping updates on the mouse.

With all that said I'm going to flush the radiator and Sunday and start putting this thing together. Debating on whether or not to polish the acrylics for the CPU and GPU blocks, but we'll see how motivated I am. The CPU acrylic actually looks pretty good, but the GPU acrylic is not clear at all. I'll take another look on Saturday in the daylight and make a decision. I'd like to get a second 980Ti and put them in SLI eventually, but I'm over budget
rolleyes.gif
so it will have to wait.
 
#8 ·
I had played around with the radiator and fans previously and found that the stop fittings made the mounting bracket not flush with the radiator on one side, which I didn't like. I considered modifying the bracket, but I didn't want to compromise the structural integrity of it. Decided to use the gasket instead and it worked out quite nicely. I also decided to run the PWM cables under the radiator rather than over because they're less visible that way. Now that I have the radiator in it's final configuration I flushed / leak tested it. After running for an hour there is quite a bit of stuff that was caught by the filter.

Got this radiator gasket from XSPC to make room for the stop fittings. Worked work well and I didn't have to mod the bracket.
This is the final configuration for the radiator.
Okay now to leak test it and filter out any junk from the factory. The filter is 5 microns and after running it for an hour there was quite a bit of stuff that was filtered out so I'm happy with the decision to purchase this equipment.
Wrapped the threads with standard tape for plumbing.
This is the setup while filtering.
You can see the pump in this picture.
 
#9 ·
I spent about 8 hours on Sunday sanding and polishing the plexi tops for the CPU and GPU blocks. It was a lot of work and tough I could've spent a little more time on the GPU piece I'm still pleased with the results. When I do a full tear down I'll probably spend a couple more hours on the inside of the GPU. Here's a few pictures to give you an idea of the before and after.

Decided to step sand and polish the plexi pieces for the blocks.
CPU plexi piece before.
CPU plexi after and what a big difference.
 
#10 ·
Installed the radiator and some fittings.

Ready to start the build.
Mounting the radiator. Noticed the drain port. That was a nice idea.
Here it is mounted.
Fittings going in.

Installed the PSU and the 2 8 way PWM splitters for the fans. Pulled the PWM cables through the underside of the radiator and connected them to one of the splitters. I'm happy with my decision to run the cables under the radiator rather than over because it looks really clean after putting a zip tie around them.

Core components, but I forgot the CPU box in the picture.
Here's the back after installing the PSU. Those are the 8 way PWM splitters.
Here's the splitters installed and the radiator fans connected. Looks neat a clean down there.
 
#12 ·
Installed the block and backplate for the GPU. Build is coming along really nicely. Still waiting on some parts from China, but I did receive the mouse yesterday. Had to order a couple extension fittings for work around the fans on the backside of the radiator, which should be here tomorrow or Thursday.










 
#14 ·
Undecided on the fluid because I've read that some can cause a build up over time and I haven't done much research on it. I bought 4 gallons of distilled water of which I have about 2.5 left over after flushing the radiator. Not sure how much it'll take to fill the loop, but I definitely have enough. I installed that Monsoon Silver Bullet which should prevent the growth of algae, but the build could use some contrast. The board has white accents so perhaps white fluid would look nice. Any advice about fluids in terms of thermal performance? What about the build up I've read about caused by some?
 
#15 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by james41382 View Post

Undecided on the fluid because I've read that some can cause a build up over time and I haven't done much research on it. I bought 4 gallons of distilled water of which I have about 2.5 left over after flushing the radiator. Not sure how much it'll take to fill the loop, but I definitely have enough. I installed that Monsoon Silver Bullet which should prevent the growth of algae, but the build could use some contrast. The board has white accents so perhaps white fluid would look nice. Any advice about fluids in terms of thermal performance? What about the build up I've read about caused by some?
I have never had problems with any Pastel ( Almost 100% of my builds used Pastel)

Performance of Pastel VS Distilled H20 is possibly within 5c of each other (Maybe smaller than that)

What fluids are on your list?

To Give an Idea of How much Fluid my Build used with 480mm (64mm Thick) x 2 Rads and 2 x 240mm RX XSPC Rads ( 46mm thick? ) It was around 1250ml of Fluid Per Loop.

So 1250ml x 2 = 84oz of Fluid. Or right over 1/2 Gallon

TCO
 
#16 ·
I just did a little reading and it sounds like there was an issue with the Pro LRT tubing turning green, but apparently it is fine to use the Mayhem's Pastel with the PrimoFlex Advanced LRT tubing. With that being said I'll probably wait until I've done some preliminary overclocking of the CPU and GPU to see how the system is running on distilled water before I add anything to it. If I decide to use that do I need to remove the Silver Bullet before adding it?
 
#17 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by james41382 View Post

I just did a little reading and it sounds like there was an issue with the Pro LRT tubing turning green, but apparently it is fine to use the Mayhem's Pastel with the PrimoFlex Advanced LRT tubing. With that being said I'll probably wait until I've done some preliminary overclocking of the CPU and GPU to see how the system is running on distilled water before I add anything to it. If I decide to use that do I need to remove the Silver Bullet before adding it?
If you are using a fluid with Biocide in it already (Pastel) then yes I would advise to remove the bullet so there won't be a conflict (If any)

I have used nothing but Prioflex LRT Tubing with every pastel. Never a problem.
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Cheap too. 10ft for 25$

TCO
 
#18 ·
I'll start thinking some more about the colors for coolant. I want to also sleeve the PSU cables eventually so I should think about an overall color scheme I suppose. The back lighting on the keyboard and mouse are blue and the heat sinks on the board are white. Maybe blue and white sleeving for the PSU cables with blue or white fluid.
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Any thoughts about lighting? If I do anything lighting I'm leaning toward white CCFL bulbs, but several people have advised me against CCFL and recommended LED instead. What I like about CCFL rather than LED is that the light is emitted in all directions rather than one particular direction. I think it would do a better job of illuminating the entire inside of the case. I'd probably have to run some wiring though since the case is so large.
rolleyes.gif
 
#19 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by james41382 View Post

I'll start thinking some more about the colors for coolant. I want to also sleeve the PSU cables eventually so I should think about an overall color scheme I suppose. The back lighting on the keyboard and mouse are blue and the heat sinks on the board are white. Maybe blue and white sleeving for the PSU cables with blue or white fluid.
smile.gif


Any thoughts about lighting? If I do anything lighting I'm leaning toward white CCFL bulbs, but several people have advised me against CCFL and recommended LED instead. What I like about CCFL rather than LED is that the light is emitted in all directions rather than one particular direction. I think it would do a better job of illuminating the entire inside of the case. I'd probably have to run some wiring though since the case is so large.
rolleyes.gif
All I use are darkside white LED 12" strips that hook up either 3pin or Molex (At your option)

IF you think they emit an odd light pattern, @Gabrielzm has a log for Chessboard that he used diffusers.

TCO
 
#20 ·
Either way with LED or CCFL I'd probably want one at the bottom and another at the top. If went with LED and I just put 1 strip on the top pointed down then the plexi side of the GPU won't be illuminated very well. What's you setup like and do you have any pictures of it?
 
#21 ·
The parts from moddiy.com finally shipped after a week. This is rather disappointing since I paid for expedited shipping, but I saw the first tracking update this morning. I now estimate that the supplies to make the PWM extension cables will be here by Wednesday. I guess there was an evacuation in China recently due to severe weather and I assume that's why the processing and shipping was delayed so long.
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Installed the drives and the Silverstone USB 3.0 + HD Audio component.



Unboxed and setup the monitor, keyboard and mouse. I really like the simple look of this keyboard.



Received the 25mm extension fittings to work around the back of the radiator.



This is a nice shot up from the bottom of the case toward the back side of the pump. Looks like the run from the outlet of the pump to the inlet of the radiator should be just about perfect.
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#22 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by james41382 View Post

Either way with LED or CCFL I'd probably want one at the bottom and another at the top. If went with LED and I just put 1 strip on the top pointed down then the plexi side of the GPU won't be illuminated very well. What's you setup like and do you have any pictures of it?
My Setup?



I have Six, 12" Darkside Leds In my Case

TCO
 
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