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[Build Log] The Big Red "Devastator" CaseLabs THW10 - Custom Powder Coating

112K views 564 replies 83 participants last post by  maxermaxer 
#1 · (Edited)
Build Log Index with Links Post #2

Final Top 100 Pictures Post #3


Welcome to my build log! This is not my first build, but it is the first time that I’ve done a build log. I’ve have learned a lot over the years from hanging out on OCN, so this is my opportunity to contribute back to the community.

I will do my very best to make this build log fun, entertaining and informative, with lots of pictures. I am a total amateur at photography, but I do have a Nikon D3300 camera, which isn’t high end, but should take much better pictures than a cell phone can. Hopefully I can improve my photography skills along the way as well.

Here’s some background on how I got started on OCN, and how I got to this point. Back in 2012 I was planning to do a new build, and I wanted to build it in a red case. After doing some googling, I found The Big Budget Boomer Box build log. When I found the build log, it was already over 2,000 posts long. I just got completely sucked in, I was in complete awe! It took me several weeks, but I read every post until I got caught up, and have been on OCN almost daily since then.

So I want to thank @cpachris for getting me hooked on water cooling!

I also want to thank all of the many great builders and modders here for all of your contributions. There are so many great build logs here!

Scope of Project - Estimated Completion:
This is going to be a long term project for me. I have always been one to “quick tear it down, do the upgrade, and quick get it back together I need my rig”, I’m sure many of you can relate to that. My current machine is serving me well, so now I can take my time on this one without having to rush anything. I want to enjoy the ride!

I estimate this to be completed no sooner than the end of this year 2017, or more likely early 2018. When it’s done it’s done. I am very busy at times, so there might be several weeks or even several months at a time when little may get done. Just hang in there with me and you’ll be glad you did.

Plus the hardware I plan to put in this build will not be available until the second half of this year. I have lots to do meanwhile. I see so many people buy all their hardware first, and then by the time they are done with the build the hardware is a generation or two old. By the time I buy the hardware for this build, the case, radiators, fans, most of the water cooling, plumbing and wiring will all be done. It will be a complete chassis just waiting for some awesome hardware.

Naming:
No this does not have anything to do with any transformers, I just like the name "Devastator". I’ve had this project and name rolling around in my head for several years. Way back when I first started gaming, Duke Nukem 3D was my favorite game. I had memorized every map, knew where all the good weapons were, where all the armor was, and the “Devastator” weapon was my favorite weapon in that game.

Secondly, this will be my main rig for years to come, and I want this build to “Devastate” anything I throw at it, whether that is gaming, photo or video editing, as well as mass storage, and whatever else I want it to do.

Third, my fantasy football team is named "The Devastators". I won my League Championship this year too.

Case Selection:
I waited years for CaseLabs to come out with the “Gemini” case, but it has been delayed, and once I saw the THW10 case come out, I decided that would be the perfect case for me. I was planning on starting this build some time this year, early 2017.

However, after CaseLabs got so busy last Summer that they had to stop doing custom orders temporarily, I was worried that they might be so busy in the future that they would not ever offer custom orders again. I really wanted a reverse ATX case because I sit at an “L” shaped desk, with the computer to my left, and I want the main side to show from my chair, and also the video card blocks can be seen much better in a reverse orientation.

I know that most likely no resellers are going to carry the THW10 case in reverse ATX, and certainly not in the configuration that I wanted, or in the color I wanted.

So I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the THW10 on the last day for custom orders (at that time) which was July 31, 2016. I’m super glad I ordered it when I did! It took 16 weeks, and finally arrived the weekend after Thanksgiving. I was at the end of a long list of custom orders. And now, as of this writing, you can still order the case, but the only two choices you have is the color black or gunmetal, and ATX or HPTX.

My Custom CaseLabs order:
MAGNUM THW10 - Customizable
Case Color: Gunmetal
Form Factor: XL-ATX
Orientation: Reverse
Left Door: XXL Window CLEAR
Right Door: XXL Window CLEAR
Standard Power/Reset Switches with Sleeved Cables
I/O Panel: USB 3.0/HD Audio
Flex-Bay Configuration Left Side: 140.2 (280) Mount with Solid Bay Covers
Flex-Bay Configuration Right Side: 140.2 (280) Mount with Solid Bay Covers
Top Radiator Mounts: Two 140.4 (560) Mounts
Bottom Radiator Mounts: Two 140.4 (560) Mounts
Reservoir Mounting Plate Two Single Mounts

Also ordered
2 x Flex-Bay 140.1 (140mm) Fan/Radiator Mounts
Caster Kit
Flex-Bay 5.25 Device Mount – Short
Flex-Bay 5.25 Device Mount - Short HD
Flex-Bay 5.25 Device Mount - Short Adjustable
Ventilated PSU Cover
Switch Assemblies - Style: Switch Plate - No I/O
Replacement Retention Clips Gunmetal
Along with a bunch of extra screws and misc hardware

Theme:
No real theme per se, just a “nice clean build”, and “max rads - max fans”.

Colors:
Red – Gunmetal – Black - Chrome

Projected Hardware at start of build log
Motherboard: Asus X299 Rampage equivalent
CPU: Intel Core i7- Skylake X
Memory: G.Skill 64 GB
GPU: 2 x EVGA Volta Titan or 1180ti equivalent
PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA 1600 T2
SSD: Samsung 960 EVO 1 TB for OS & Programs
SSD: Samsung 850 EVO 2 TB for games
HDD: 4 x Western Digital Red 8 TB in RAID 10 for mass storage

Actual Hardware Used
Motherboard: Asus Rampage VI Extreme
CPU: Intel Skylake X Core i9-7900X Silicon Lottery delidded 4.7 GHz bin
Memory: G.Skill TridentZ Royal 32GB 3600 16-16-16-36
GPU: 2 x EVGA RTX 2080 Ti XC Gaming
PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA 1600 T2
SSD: Intel Optane SSD 480GB for OS & Programs
SSD: Samsung 850 EVO 2 TB for games
HDD: 2 x Seagate Iron Wolf Pro 12 TB for mass storage

Cooling:
Radiators: 4 x Hardware Labs Black Ice SR2 560mm
Radiators: 2 x Hardware Labs Black Ice SR2 280mm
Fans: 30 x EK Vardar F3-140ER and 2 x EK Vardar F4-120ER with custom painted fan blades
Pumps: 2 x Aquacomputer D5 with USB and Aquabus interface
Pump Top: Bitspower Dual D5 Mod Top Acrylic - Polished
Pump Mod Kit: 2 x Bitspower D5 Mod Kit - Chrome plated
Reservoirs: 2 x Aquacomputer Aqualis XT 880ml with Nano Coating and Aquabus interface
Fan Control: Aquacomputer Aquaero 6 XT and Aquacomputer Aquaero 6 LT
Fittings: Bitspower Silver Shining
Tubing: Bitspower Acrylic 16mm hard tube
Water Blocks: Bitspower for SSD and HDDs and Watercool Heatkiller for CPU, VRMs, and GPUs

Miscellaneous
Sleeving: MDPC-X
Lighting Control: Aquacomputer Farbwerk USB & Bluetooth version and Asus Aura software.




So let’s get started with some unboxing pics



Nicely packaged



Mother board tray. Everything comes wrapped in thick plastic


The only piece that was damaged was the center divider that was on the bottom of the box. It was bent/bowed in the center from all the weight in the box. At first I thought I was going to need to get a replacement. I'm thinking "oh no this will take me weeks to get another one", but I was able to straighten it out. I very carefully put the center of the bend at the edge of the table, put my forearms on each side and bent it straight. I had my doubts before I tried straightening it, but after I was done, it was so straight that I could not tell anywhere that it was slightly bent before. Phew!



Top and bottom mounted to center divide


Front panel on


Outer panels all on











So hit that SUBSCRIBE button and join me on my journey!
 
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18
#2 · (Edited)
Build Log Index with Links


1. The Test Fit Order

2. The Rest of the Radiators Order

3. Max Over Kill Radiator Cleaning and Flushing Guide

4. The Fans are here!

5. Radiator Selection Criteria - Hardware Labs SR2 Multi-Port Radiator Pros and Cons

6. Fitting and Mounting the Bottom 560mm Hardware Labs SR2 Radiators - The Drain Set-up

7. Fitting and Mounting the Top 560mm Hardware Labs SR2 Radiators - The Fill Port Set-up

8. Fitting and Mounting the Front 280mm Hardware Labs SR2 Radiators

9. All Six Radiators Mounted

10. 17 Pieces at the Powder Coat Shop

11. Another Order comes in - Fittings - Tubing - Aqua Computer

12. Painting Radiators

13. Custom Illusion Red Powder Coating Completed

14. Mounting the Aquaero XT and Aquaero LT with Stealth Mount

15. Fan Testing

16. EK Vardar Fan Painting Guide Part 1

17. EK Vardar Fan Painting Guide Part 2

18. Mounting the Reservoirs - Aquacomputer Aqualis XT Pros and Cons

19. The First Tube - More cutting on the case

20. Installing Reservoir LEDs and Wiring the Fans

21. Modding the SSD Hot Swap Bays

22. Installing the EVGA SuperNOVA 1600 T2 Power Supply

23. Mounting Dual Aquacomputer D5 Pumps with Auqabus Interface - Custom Mounting Brackets

24. The Inside Color Scheme

25. Testing EK CryoFuel Blood Red Coolant - Choosing a red color of sleeving

26. Testing the Bitspower BP-EML16 fittings for 16mm hard tubing

27. Pump Set-up Finished

28. How to Update the Aquaero Firmware and Flash an Aquaero LT into a Slave unit using another computer

29. CPU and Motherboard Selection

30. Working on the Tubing

31. Asus Rampage VI Extreme Motherboard Unboxing

32. Intel Optane SSD 900P 480GB Unboxing

33. The RAM is here!

34. Up and running on the Test Bench - Windows Installed

35. Testing the RAM with HCI Memtest

36. The Quick and Dirty 5 GHz Over-Clock

37. How to use Rep+ to your advantage

38. Asus Aura Sync RGB Software Demo

39. Installing the Aquasuite Software and preliminary set up

40. Cinebench and CrystalDiskMark Benchmarks

41. Back Side Tubing Complete

42. Main Side Tubing and Loop Details

43. Picking a Pattern for the 24 pin Cable

44. Eight Pin and Four Pin Motherboard Cables Complete

45. Only six sata ports - Four Hard Drives in RAID 10 or Two Hard Drives in RAID 0?

46. Building the 24 Pin Cable

47. CPU Water Block Selection - Watercool Heatkiller IV PRO Acrylic HWLuxx Edition Unboxing

48. Custom Front Panel USB Type-C Port

49. Power and Reset Buttons

50. Sleeving the Front USB and Audio Panel Cables

51. Case Lighting

52. Sound Insulating the Solid Flex Bay Covers

53. Mounting the CPU and VRM Water Blocks

54. Water Leak Testing the Chassis

55. Tubing the VRM and CPU blocks

56. More Tube Bending

57. Unboxing the Bitspower Waterblock for the Intel Optane 900P SSD

58. More Tube Bending for the Back Side

59. Back Side Tubing Complete - Again

60. Bitspower Intel 900P Waterblock Installation

61. The Hard Drive Set-Up

62. Testing the Seagate 12TB Iron Wolf Pro Hard Drives

63. Polishing the HDD Waterblocks

64. Mounting the HDD Waterblocks and LED lighting

65. Custom Power Cable & SATA Cables for the HDDs

66. Tubing the Hard Disk Drives and the Intel 900P SSD

67. Sleeving & Shortening SATA Cables

68. Unboxing the EVGA RTX 2080 Ti Video Cards

69. Sampling Red Coolants and Dyes

70. Modding the NVLink Bridge

71. Making the Video Card Power Cables - Sleeving Tools

72. Final Air Pressure Test - Water Leak Testing - Fire it up!

73. Overclocking the 10 Core i9-7900X CPU

74. How to easily move your Game Library & Games Saves to a new rig - Installing the 2TB SSD

75. Watercool Heatkiller Acrylic Nickel Video Card Waterblocks

76. Overclocking the EVGA 2080 Ti Video Cards on air

77. Mounting the Heatkiller Video Card Waterblocks and Chrome Plating the Backplates

78. Video Card Tubing

79. Modding the NVLink Bridge... again

80. Reinstalling the Hard Disk Drives - The Last Bend

81. Final Leak Test - Blitz Part 2 Flushing - List of Fittings Used

82. The Final Unboxing - G.Skill Trident Z Royal Silver Ram

83. More Hard Disk Drive Drama - RMA Hell

84. i9-7900X @ 5135.97 GHz takes over the #1 spot in the 5GHz club!

85. Modding the Doors with Tempered Glass Windows and Sound Insulation

86. Reworking the CPU and RAM Overclocks

87. Overclocking and Benchmarking the RTX 2080 Ti Video Cards Now Under Water

88. Storage Overview, Expandability & Benchmarks

89. More Video Card Benchmarks with even better scores

90. Aquaero & Aquasuite Software Setup Guide

91. The Final Drain and Fill with Aqua Computer DP Ultra Red Coolant

92. Final Pictures - Top 50 Outside Daytime Shots

93. Final Pictures - Top 50 Nighttime Shots

94. Asus Aura Sync RGB Videos

95. Final Specs with Vendor List

96. The Big Move

97. Game Benchmarks

98. SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless Gaming Headset

99. Devastator Flow Rate Testing

100. LG UltraGear 38GL950G-B Curved 144 Hz G-Sync Gaming Monitor

101. Game Benchmarks on the 3840x1600 Widescreen Monitor

102. Red Dead Redemption 2 Completed on the Widescreen

.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Final Pictures – Top 50 Outside Daytime Shots

Due to the large amount of pictures I have to share with you here, I am going to break down the final pictures into two posts. This first post is all outside shots taken under both sunny skies, and overcast skies.

Some of these pictures were taken shortly after filling and purging the system with the Aqua Computer DP Ultra Red coolant, and there are still air bubbles inside the reservoirs. The pictures without any air bubbles in the reservoirs were taken several weeks later.

Keep in mind that I’m just an amateur photographer. I don’t have any fancy lighting equipment or backgrounds. I have an entry level Nikon D3300 DSLR camera. I used the 18-55mm lens that came with it for the indoor nighttime shots, and the only extra lens I have purchased, an AF-S Nikkor 35mm F/1.8G that I used for the outside daytime shots.

Most of the pictures I have posted throughout this build log have had little to no editing done to them. I just take a lot of shots and then show the best ones. All of these final pictures have been cropped, and edited to the best of my abilities, so I hope you enjoy them!

I feel like there should be a drum roll or a band playing :band:

Let’s get started by looking at the build without any of the outer panels on, and out in the bright morning sunlight.



























This is with the front panel installed.








Now the top panel is installed.


















With the doors on it is extremely hard to get good photos due to the tempered glass windows reflecting like a mirror. This first shot I actually tried to get the reflection, you can see the trees, blues skies, and clouds behind me.




This is my ghetto setup to keep the reflections from the tempered glass windows down to a minimum. A black table cloth clamped to a five foot ladder and my tripod. I moved this around in front of wherever the reflection came from, and it actually worked fairly well.




All the motherboard lights are set to red, and the two RGB strip headers are set to white for the video card waterblocks, and the Intel 900P waterblock. The RAM is also set to be all white here.










This is the same lighting scheme except with the RAM changed to all red.







Love the “Devastator” logo lit up on the Aquaero display!






Now for the back side








Here’s a few more shots with the door off on the main side.






This is under overcast skies and normally I would not be able to shoot from this direction because the sun is off to my left front at this time of day. My rose garden provides a nice background… another one of my time consuming hobbies!






















Final Pictures – Top 50 Nighttime Shots

The rest of these pictures are taken in the dark with various different lighting effects. The Aquasuite software and the Farbwerk controls the four RGB strips that serve as case lighting. Mostly these case lighting strips are just set to all white, there are a few shots here with the case lights turned off, or set to red.

The Asus Aura software controls the lighting of the motherboard, the RAM sticks, and the two RGB strip headers. One of the RGB strip headers controls the strips in both video cards, and the second RGB header controls the strip in the Intel 900P water block.

To start with I have the Aura software set so that everything, motherboard, RAM and RGB strips are all red.




















This is with the case lighting off. Now you are just seeing the motherboard, RAM, RGB strips in the waterblocks, and the always white LEDs in the reservoir, the CPU waterblock, and the two hard drive waterblocks.






This is the back side with the case lighting off. Pretty dark here, just the white LEDs in the reservoir, and pump top can be seen.




Now the case lighting is turned to red. It’s just all washed out in red, so I won’t ever be using this particular lighting scheme.






Here’s the back side with the case lighting all white again.


















Various close-ups










One thing I really like about having the RGB strips in the waterblocks set to white is that it shows the red coolant inside the waterblocks.


















The reflection off of the chrome plated backplates is like a mirror :thumb:
























This is one of my two favorite lighting schemes. Case lighting all white, then in the Asus Aura software I left the motherboard and RAM all set to red, and just turned the two RGB strips to white.












I’ll bet some of you thought I might not ever finish this project. It did take a long time, but I must say that this is one of the most fun projects I’ve ever done in my life, and I thoroughly enjoyed the process!

Barefooter

.
 
#9 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trestles126 View Post

Subbed
Hey thanks for being my first subscriber!
Quote:
Originally Posted by NeeqOne View Post

This is a massive build. In for the ride.
thumb.gif
Glad you are in for the ride
thumb.gif

Quote:
Originally Posted by emsj86 View Post

Dubbed. Thought this was a white at first by the picture on casabs thread
Welcome. Better pics coming.
Quote:
Originally Posted by skingun View Post

I'll be following
smile.gif
Welcome, glad to have you follow along.
Quote:
Originally Posted by IT Diva View Post

I'm a sucker for a big Caselabs build, . .

Sign me up!

Darlene
Yeah... I think I'm a sucker for ANY CaseLabs build
biggrin.gif
Glad to have you here. I really admire all your awesome window and lighting mods! Always top notch work. My favorite is the mod.
thumb.gif


One of the first things I did was to buy this cart. I will use this to build on. It gets tiring moving a computer case around a table while you are working on it, and this thing is going to be heavy. I am really happy with it, very easy to just spin the case around. It's actually an AV cart, very well made and heavy duty. Here's a link with more info Luxor / H. Wilson AVJ42XLKB Adjustable Height 3 Shelf Black A/V Cart with Keyboard Shelf I actually bought mine on ebay.
The first picture is just the bottom part. You could leave the top off and just use the bottom as a short table.




Here's some outside shots of the case. On the new cart of course.




With two 280 mounts in front and a 140 mount on the upper left side. I plan to put the HDDs there with a 140mm fan in front.


That's just a spare motherboard to give you a better size reference.



With the side panels on. I took the windows out for now. I don't want to peel the paper off yet.

 
#13 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by seross69 View Post

Subbed
Welcome seross69!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mad Monk View Post

Subbed
Glad to have you!
Quote:
Originally Posted by wads98 View Post

Subbed!
Welcome to the build log and welcome to OCN!

The "Test Fit" order



This is the test fit order. I ordered just one Hardware Labs Black Ice SR2 560mm and one Hardware Labs Black Ice SR2 280mm. With these two radiators I can fit the 280mm in the front on each side, then put the 560mm in the bottom, and then in the top so I can verify they will fit, before I order three more 560s and one more 280. From my measurements, they should fit.

Also ordered:
(UN)Designs Pump Z3-Bracket for D5 & 140mm Fans - Black x 2

Bitspower BP-2D5TOPAC-BK Dual D5 Mod Top Acrylic Version - this part was unavailable for a long time

Bitspower 2D5TOP D5 Pump Bracket

Aquacomputer Passive Heatsink for Aquaero 6 - Black

Aquacomputer Mounting Plate for Poweradjust 2 USB - Black Anodized Aluminium

Noiseblocker NB-BlackSilentFan XM1 40mmx10mm Ultra Quiet Fan - 2800 RPM - 11 dBA
 
#14 ·
Very nice. Wanted to build this case before I decided to just update my s8 with a pedestal. I was always nervous for any type of custom work such as the distribution plate or res I had made. I can think of endless cool things to do with this case. Jim at clockwerks really does cool custom work and is super easy to work with if u ever thought of doing something custom but thought it's not possible. That's how I get till I finally just reached out to Jim.
The SMA8 build monochrome is what got me really jiving to do some custom stuff if you haven't seen it look it up. I can really see something similar in ur case in front of the mobo tray ?
Just talking out loud.

Is that case primered? What color are you going to paint it if so?
 
#16 ·
drool.gif
wubsmiley.gif


Not sure I can be seduced away from my case of the hots for the Mercury S8; but you may do just that Sir. Your parts selection is all that. I subbed understanding this was a long-term project.

With that clearly acknowledged more and faster please I beg of thee. (Sort of reads like the unintentional culmination of a dubious dating scenario doesn't it?
jerry.gif
) Ah well when properly viewed everything is lewd.
biggrin.gif


The Aquaero is a product line I have shied away from; just not sure I have the skills. If / when you can spare the time I'd value your thoughts on your choice to use this specific product line.

Cheers,

Mad Monk
 
#17 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trestles126 View Post

Very nice. Wanted to build this case before I decided to just update my s8 with a pedestal. I was always nervous for any type of custom work such as the distribution plate or res I had made. I can think of endless cool things to do with this case. Jim at clockwerks really does cool custom work and is super easy to work with if u ever thought of doing something custom but thought it's not possible. That's how I get till I finally just reached out to Jim.
The SMA8 build monochrome is what got me really jiving to do some custom stuff if you haven't seen it look it up. I can really see something similar in ur case in front of the mobo tray ?
Just talking out loud.

Is that case primered? What color are you going to paint it if so?
Oh I have been watching your "water plate" you have going, looks incredible! I will check out clockwerks.

The entire case is "Gunmetal". It does look like primer in the outside shots, it was a very bright morning. The outer panels will be getting a custom powder coat in red
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OCDesign View Post

Mad plan. Completely mad.

Mammoth case, huge cooling power, top-whack hardware list...I look forward to it immensely!
"Mad plan" that is exactly what I thought when I first subscribed to your build log
biggrin.gif


Great to have you. I have really enjoyed following your IRONBEAST build!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mad Monk View Post

drool.gif
wubsmiley.gif


Not sure I can be seduced away from my case of the hots for the Mercury S8; but you may do just that Sir. Your parts selection is all that. I subbed understanding this was a long-term project.

With that clearly acknowledged more and faster please I beg of thee. (Sort of reads like the unintentional culmination of a dubious dating scenario doesn't it?
jerry.gif
) Ah well when properly viewed everything is lewd.
biggrin.gif


The Aquaero is a product line I have shied away from; just not sure I have the skills. If / when you can spare the time I'd value your thoughts on your choice to use this specific product line.

Cheers,

Mad Monk
Well... I got a good laugh out of your post
smile.gif


The Aquaero can be a little intimidating if you aren't familiar with it, but once you get it set up how you want, it's all automatic. I'll cover more on the Aquaero and the set-up procedure later in the build.

In the mean time I would suggest subscribing to the Aquaero Owners Club

You can learn a lot just following along here with all the questions asked.
 
#19 ·
The test fit went pretty good. I will have to do some minor modding to get the radiators to fit the way I want. More on that later.

Here's the next order. A slightly damaged box. Let's see if everything is ok.


Nicely packaged as usual from Performace Pcs, so no damage done. There's some Mayhems Blitz kits on the right.


Three more Hardware Labs SR2 MP 560s, and one more Hardware Labs SR2 MP 280.


Aquaero 6 XT


Aqualis XT 880ml with Nano Coating, Fill Level Measurement and Lighting Option
This reservoir is absolutely magnificent! A picture does not do it justice once you actually have one in your hands!


Parts List from this order:

3 x Hardware Labs Black Ice SR2 Multiport Black Carbon Radiator - 560mm

Hardware Labs Black Ice SR2 Multiport Black Carbon Radiator - 280mm

3 x Mayhems Blitz Part One

Mayhems Blitz Part Two

Aquacomputer Aqualis XT 880ml with Nano Coating, Fill Level Measurement and Lighting Option

Aquacomputer Mount for Aqualis Reservoir

Aquacomputer Aquaero 6 XT USB Fan Controller, Graphic LCD, Touch Control, IR Remote

2 x Aquacomputer SPLITTY9 splitter for up to 9 fans or aquabus devices

ModMyToys Button Head Cap Screw M4 x 30mm - Red - Pack of 12

36 x Bitspower G1/4" Low-Profile Stop Fitting with O-ring

2 x Bitspower G 1/4" Silver Shiny Rotary 90 Degree IG 1/4" Adapter BP-90R

Coming up next... Radiator cleaning
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#22 ·
drool.gif


I admit it I am jealous.
wink.gif
Will that resivour fit on a duel EK D5 pump top?

As an aside I am up to post 745 of 9,387 on the Aquero thread you recommended. A rather long winded way of saying thanks for the idea and I am reading everything and googling when I get stuck. Thank you and + Rep.

Cheers,

Mad Monk
 
#23 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trestles126 View Post

Love me some aquacomputer goodies
Yes! Aquacomputer definitely makes great "goodies"
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Drizztly View Post

Subbed! Top notch hardware
thumb.gif
Welcome to the build!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mad Monk View Post

drool.gif


I admit it I am jealous.
wink.gif
Will that resivour fit on a duel EK D5 pump top?

As an aside I am up to post 745 of 9,387 on the Aquero thread you recommended. A rather long winded way of saying thanks for the idea and I am reading everything and googling when I get stuck. Thank you and + Rep.

Cheers,

Mad Monk
Aquacomputer makes a reservoir with a pump top built in. My pumps will be separate, so I went with these.

Oh man... I did not mean for you to read then entire Aquaero thread. Just subscribe and follow from this point forward is what I was thinking. Anyway I'm sure you're learning by reading all the posts. Thanks for the rep
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#24 ·
MAX OVER KILL RADIATOR CLEANING & FLUSHING GUIDE

Here I will show you how to "Max Over Kill" clean and flush your radiators. This is way over kill for most people. Before putting radiators in your new rig you should at the very least fill them with distilled water, shake it up a bit, dump it out, rinse and repeat at least three times. For many people this is all you need to do.

I plan to run a red colored coolant which are known to discolor if your radiators are not clean enough. I'll be using Mayhems Blitz part 1 and part 2. This is basically using Mayhems instructions with my own twist to it. In other words a few more steps. I have the time now, and want to be sure my radiators are as clean as possible.

Here's the Mayhems Blitz kit. I've used this product before and been very happy with the results.


The first step is to flush the radiators with hot water from the faucet. I used the utility sink in my garage.
I have an adapter hooked to the faucet with a "Y" so that I can flush two radiators at a time.
Just crack the faucet enough to get good water flow, run the hot water for 30 minutes on all radiators.
This will get the bulk of any residual flux, and the big chunks out.

WARNING: Do NOT turn the water on full blast or you could damage your radiators!


Now fill the radiators with Blitz part 1. I used three bottles and had to dilute it just slightly more than the directions to fill all six rads.
Notice I have the port ends raised to help purge the air out completely. Also that funnel screws into a G1/4 port, and works great to pour the Blitz in with. Put the plugs in and let sit for 12 hours. You can shake them several times if you'd like to. I set this up in the evening and let them sit over night.


Now the next morning, back to the sink and dump the Blitz part 1 down the drain. Hook the radiators back up to the faucet and rinse for five minutes with hot water to get all the Blitz part 1 out. Here's a shot of the two 280s.


Here's my cheapo flush machine that I put together on my last build. It's just a water filter purchased at Home Depot and a pond/fountain pump.


I tried running all six radiators together, but the pump was not strong enough, so I did three radiators at a time. Mix up the Blitz part 2 and pour into the bucket, and just let the Blitz part 2 run thought the radiators and filter. I did six hours per three radiators, you could go up to 12 hours no problem if you wanted to.


The second batch of three rads.


Now take the radiators back to the sink, dump out the Blitz part 2 and flush another five minutes of hot water to get all the residual Blitz part 2 out.

Finally the last step is to fill the radiators with distilled water, shake and empty out. Three total runs of fill with distilled water, shake and empty.

Here you go... you can't tell from the outside, but these radiators are as clean as they can be on the inside, and my coolant should stay beautiful
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#26 ·
Also subbed.

I'm doing a similar build in a TH10A. Reverse layout. Heatkiller IV GPU block. Four 120mm based SR-2 rads instead of your six 140mm ones.

One area I'm still trying to work out is a drain solution. Given your rad layouts are similar to mine (minus the front ones), it would be handy to know what your thoughts are on the drain for your rig.
 
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