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[Build Log] ::: MuxLees Core X9 - MX9 ::::

2K views 36 replies 1 participant last post by  MuxLee 
#1 ·
Hi all new here ....

Had a X9 case for a while, I bought it when they were first released I suppose . It sat in my work room for a while before I did my first build in it, which was a Z97 build however there was a fault with the MB , by the time it got sorted out z97 was obsolete !

So I am starting from scratch again this time with Z170 ( almost obsolete) - in Hindsight this was a "mistake" I would have gone for an X99 but that platform is almost EOL - but the next iteration of is not due for a few months ?

This is as far as I got with the Z97 build before the MB gave up on me !



Never got to complete the hard tubing on that one RIP maximus 7
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Anyway lets get started .....

The previous build was a Maximus 7 the current build is based on a Maximus 8 .

The first thing that struck me about this board was the lack of " Red" on the MB compared to the 7 so not only are most of components ( CPU / RAM ) obsolete my previous colour scheme is not going 'work' so I have decided to aim for a blue / grey / chrome theme





Parts List
  • Motherboard - Maximus 8
  • CPU - I7 6700K
  • GPU - KFA GTX 1070
  • Mem - 32 GB DDR 4 Geil 3200
  • PSU - Corsair AX860i
  • Case - Thermaltake X9
  • HDD 1 - Intel 750 400 GB NVME SSD
  • HDD 2 - Crucial 480 GB M2 SSD
  • HDD 3 - 3 TB

Will add the watercooling parts later

but its a dual loop system using monsoon pumps D5 and modular reservoirs
 
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#4 ·
Case - Update

These boxes are enormous but there is never enough room to build a system the way you want



Air cooled it looks fine and it looks like you could fit the whole world and its sister in there ..... but for some reason the dimensions don't sit well with water cooling ( lack of cable management , mounting positions for ressies and pumps ) .



This was my z97 build that did nt get completed ..........

I am planning a dual loop here so bear with me while I build and hopefully someone can help me out when I get stuck

here are the sketchup concept designs





and a side panel ( not sure if I will do this now ) not sure about putting the slimline DVD in there as drawn, but the card reader is a must and it has the usb port on the front so NP

 
#5 ·
So made progress and I have the basic build in mind so time for the cutting
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First thing get some wheels on it
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Strip everything out (again)




you could fit about 20 of these Brix in side this thing

Side Window cut out






Cutting slots for the "side bays"



This took ages to cut
 
#8 ·
Recycling an old chassis


... after trying multiple methods of reusing the standard trays I have an old sony RA watercooled pc doing nothing so I
took out a dual 5.25 bay and a dual 3.5 bay for the card reader



this will be for the Aquero 6 and multiswitch

with some filing /padding the gauges will fit neatly above the card reader





Motherboard tray with cable pass through

So next steps painting the trays and fix the drive bays to something ? cabling , rub down the panel again and respray primer and final coats .

Once I have a fixing method I will design a window for the lower half ......
 
#9 ·
update

got some more done on the case - prepping for the cable management




added cut outs for USB / Front panel cables etc will tidy them up before final fit




got the side panels painted - need to rivet them together . initially I was going to rivet them to the panel but that could be problematic for maintenance going forward ... so that's on hold for the time being

















need to strengthen that panel is sagging already come back soon
 
#10 ·
Monsoon Reservoirs

Bought the monsoon MMRS for this build









tried out a few configs to see what suites






looks to big for what I want - so back to the drawing board and try out a few more and finally decided on 3 50mm tubes with 2 connectors and the other res will be a 100mm tube with end caps .
 
#11 ·
Putting the first 3*50 res with the fill port end cap









and the 100mm with standard end caps with multiport





yes they look good when they are brand new but after a few weeks on the workshop shelf they start to look tired and the black n white theme is not working for me
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and my fittings are the wrong colour - they don't match the new motherboard
 
#14 ·
here are some shots of the final paint finishes








had to buy some extra bits as I decided that 100 and 50 plus the fill port was the way to go ...... today I may have to swap the 50 and 100 to line up better with the pump inlet



enjoy

The "problem" is now have the paint the pumps because they look so "dull"
 
#17 ·
The Rads ...... I had an EK rad 360 but the outlets are wonky ! which is useless if using hard tube ( need to post a pic in the EK thread )

so I bought two slimeline xspc rads ( maybe that should of been 2 480s but hey they are here now and I am not changing them







 
#18 ·
These come ready primed for painting ,

did the vinegar dance with them ...... and then I thought I would experiment with colours (again)








went for a blue/silver "crackle"

but I did nt like that so sprayed it silver again for a good base colour



I like this better













 
#20 ·
Update and reflections

Its really difficult to keep this thread up to date , I Have taken lots of pics as I make progress. Looking at back at the sketch I made at the beginning this has really changed into something I had nt really planned. I also had to RMA my processor which in hindsight was a good move. The other processor was never really stable at stock , however it finally decided not to boot ,..... Anyway they sent me a replacement which is much easier to work with I am just running a 4.3 overclock and I can actually run benchmark S/W with this chip .....

That was the start of the unintended changes , when the chip was returned I now have 5 fans that no longer work !!!! I suspect the culprit was the Mod DIY PWM splitter replaced them with CZ horde PWM splitters what a difference in quality
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I replaced the fans with these






They are quiet however they seem to be too close to each other on the radiator might trim them down with the dremel later on .... but performance wise I happy with them .

My intial plan was to replace the stock 200mm fan with these
rolleyes.gif





After a while was not really happy with them especially that controller box ,

I had these phoyba fans as intake and exhaust , the exhaust fan was a casualty of whatever happened . I replaced that with this



The phoybas are the ones with the LEDs ... I replaced the dead one with Shark in the centre , I have now replaced the other phobyas with Sharks

So all in 10 new fans
 
#22 ·
GPU Assembly








I am glad I did nt see the Phanteks GPU waterblock or I am sure this would of been in the spares box, but in all fairness I am really surprised by how good the build quality is . I will not mod this as I am happy with its look , ?

Might do something with back plate , the back of the KFA is not really good to look at so any backplate is better than this











Enjoy
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#23 ·
Made some progress on the case so I could do some prototyping for the loop placement

made a cut out cable pass through



and modded this bit to take a card reader






I had some mirrored Perspex to go inside the case - however it was not strong enough 3mm - and I dropped it and snapped !! I managed to get some 6mm white Perspex from a local supplier who cut it to the shape
smile.gif


 
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