[joejoe69]

Project Shift: Ever Changing, Never Ending

About the build
This build was a current gaming rig called "Project Cobalt", which was a Corsair Carbide 500R build. When I first built Project Cobalt, I never intended on building a custom water cooled loop. The closest I thought I had gotten to water cooling was an H100 from Corsair. The tides had turned when I started to push the Ivy Bridge 3770K to its limits. Initiallly, heat was indeed the limiting factor of the build but space was an even bigger limitation once the water cooling gear started expanding. What started as a means to cool a tiny 22nm chip turned out to be an addiction of a luxury that most common PC builders still don't understand...

See the original build and video below:

Spoiler: Project Cobalt Build Log

http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=109513

Spoiler: Project Cobalt Video

Project Shift? Why the name change? What's different?
Everything in Project Cobalt was transferred over into the NZXT Switch 810 in gloss black, hence the project name, "Shift", also meaning change, move, displace, and of course switch, as in Switch 810. The idea behind it was to let the water cooling components stretch its legs and still operate more efficiently with a greater surface area, and with a great possibility for upgrade. Big changes includes a 420mm top rad, Corsair HX750 PSU, more Bitspower fittings for straighter tube routing and pump housing upgrades, new color scheme comprised of Mayhem's Pastel blue Berry and custom color-matched individually sleeved cables, drainage system, and white lighting to keep the color contrast in check, as I found the Project Cobalt to be drowned in too much blue LED lighting. And finally, Project Shift is undergoing many changes as more parts arrive...

Spoiler: Project Shift Video

Spoiler: Project Shift - The SLI Upgrade

Big thanks go out to Frozen CPU, Sidewinder Computers, and Performance-PCs for their excellent service and wide variety of PC and water cooling parts.

Spoiler: Parts List

The Parts List

- Core components -
Case: NZXT Switch 810 full tower
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K @ 4.7GHz, 1.336V (De-lidded)
MB: ASUS P8Z77-V Deluxe
GPU: Gigabyte GTX670 Windforce OC x2 SLI
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 1600MHz 16GB
PSU: Corsair GS800
SSD: Intel 520 Series SSD 240GB
HDDs: WD Black 2TB/WD Green 1TB
ODD: Don't need one...

- Liquid Cooling -
CPU block: Swiftech Apogee HD
GPU block: Bitspower VG NGTX680 x2 SLI (reference designed)
Radiators: XSPC EX420/EX240
Tubing: XSPC Clear High Flex 7/16" x 5/8"
Coolant: Mayhem's Pastel Blue Berry
Fittings: Bitspower Matte Black 1/2" x 5/8" compression fittings
Reservoir: Bitspower Multi-Z 150mL standalone
Pump: Swiftech MCP655 w/Bitspower pump top and housing mod
Fans: Corsair SP120/AF140 Quiet Editions
Fan Controller: Lamptron FC5

http://s183.photobucket.com/user/joejoe69_album/media/IMG_1741_zps94ad9215.jpg.html

*This project build log is currently a work in progress*

Spoiler: Build Log Process #1

http://www.overclock.net/content/type/61/id/1262893/

Spoiler: Build Log Process #2

http://www.overclock.net/t/1355177/build-log-project-shift-nzxt-switch-810/140#post_19952181

Spoiler: Build Log Process #3

http://www.overclock.net/t/1355177/build-log-project-shift-nzxt-switch-810/230#post_20273146

 

[joejoe69]

Mods

*Disclaimer* Mods void your warranty. Perform them at your own discretion.

Spoiler: DIY Clear Window Mod

DIY Clear Window Mod

NZXT has blessed the owners of the Switch 810 with a large, beautiful window. However, at certain angles or with certain lights, it just bleeds an ugly tinge of light at the edges of the window. and it just bothers me.

What you'll need:

Screwdriver
Dremel w/ cutting wheel and sanding cylinder
Jigsaw (if available)
Razor blade
Painter's tape
Fine file
Sharpie
Matching Paint (for your side panel after bare cuts)
Plexiglass or acrylic
3M Extreme Tape (double sided)

The clear window is held on by these bendable tabs on the interior side of the panel. With a screwdriver, you will need to gently bend them enough to lift the window piece out. Don't lift them past a certain point, or else you'll ruin the exterior side of the panel. There are about 12 of these suckers, take your time.

This lip is the cause of everything you saw on the other pictures.

Lay your NZXT window onto your new acrylic or plexi window and trace the shape of it with a pen or Sharpie.

Cut your new window with either a Dremel cutting wheel or jigsaw on the inside edge of the line your traced. Any imperfect edges can be cleaned off with a fine file or Dremel sanding cylinder.

Cut all the tabs that hold the stock window in place, enough to where it is flushed with the inside lines of the window. Remember, they're connected directly to the side panel so any deep cuts will show outside. Again take your time. When you are done, you will have bare metal showing after you cut your tabs. It's the perfect time to cover them up with matching paint to prevent corrosion. I leave you with that option on how you do it. But for me, since I have a gloss black Switch 810, I just used a black Sharpie. I've done this to a few black cases before and they never corroded.

Here's the 3M Extreme Tape. The best thing when screws aren't around. Lay the tape on the inside edges of the window.

Now before dropping your new window onto the tape, remove the protective film of the side of your new window that mates with the side panel. On this pic, the other protective film is already removed.

With a razor blade, cut the tape along the edge of the new window and remove the excess off.

Finished product. No more bleeding lights.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Spoiler: Corsair SP/AF Fan Colored Rings and Sticker Swap

Corsair SP/AF Fan Colored Rings and Sticker Swap

Using your lovely Corsair fan as an intake but can't see the color matched rings, except an ugly rating sticker? Look no further, swap them around!!




What you'll need:

Scotch Tape (clear)
Black Sharpie Pen
Fingernails

First, remove the ugly fan rating sticker on the exhaust side of the fan and Corsair logo sticker in the front with your fingernails (if you've got any). Swap them around but throw away the rating sticker you if don't need it.


Next, place the ring on the back as flushed as you can by matching the shape of the ring to the shape of the fan itself.


Now, get some clear Scotch tape and stick lit like so on the sides that don't show when it's installed in your rig. For example, I put this one on the bottom of the fan because no one will look under my fan anyway.


Color the black side of the clear Scotch tape with the black Sharpie to hide the ghettoness.


I've applied more tape where it can't be seen while installed in the case.


You don't see the tape. But since I taught you how, you can see it...or can you?

 

[joejoe69]

Build log process #1

Christmas 2012. Look what Santa squeezed down the chimney? What am I saying? Chimneys don't exist in Hawaii...


Side-by-side comparison between the two cases. The 500R is dwarfed by the Switch 810 by nearly 3" in length and 4" in height.


Draining the loop at its lowest, safest point in the 500R. I will remedy this with a Bitspower drain valve.



Parts removed from the 500R


The water blocks, rads, and pump had to be flushed of the XSPC EC6 coolant in order to use Mayhem's Pastel Blue Berry. I used a 50/50 mix of distilled water and 100% isopropyl alcohol on a spare Phobya DC12-260 pump and Swiftech Micro Res V2, with a spare GS600 PSU.



The Swiftech MCP655 finally gets a new housing to match the rest of the Bitspower pump top and fittings, before getting flushed with plain distilled water. It also gets a new mounting solution with a UN Z2 bracket that bolts onto 120mm fans. Removing the twist collar off the pump reveals the pump and o-ring.


Before mounting the matte black cup housing for the pump, the molex connector leads need to be removed to allow it to pass through on of the holes at the bottom plate.



The leads get fed through the bottom plate and the variable speed screw adjuster is visible for future adjustments.


Finished product.


All the parts are ready for the install.


Here we go again...



EX420 installed. Quick note, there's no need to remove the optical drive bay side covers to fit this rad.


Corsair Airflow Series fans galore!!


The case spacing for 140mm fans and rads are 20mm in the NZXT. The middle fan screws hold up the 420mm rad and the other AF140 fans are stuck on the roof with 3M Extreme mounting tape. Also notice I placed the front stickers onto the back side of the fans to get rid of the ugly fan rating stickers.



Lamptron FC5 screwed in.


Loop created. The route starts from the reservoir, down to the pump, into the bottom EX240, out the rad and up to the GTX670, then up to the EX420, down to the CPU block and back in the res.


The juice: Mayhem's Pastel Blue Berry concentrate. Just add 750ml of distilled to make a full liter.


Filled up and lit up.









I like the *********** status light that the Switch 810 comes with, so I chose to use white on my Lamptron FC5 V2 to match.

 

[joejoe69]

*saved for finished pics*

 

[KakaoDj]

Are you using Push/pull on the 240 radiator?
Also, how long is the extender on top of the reservoir?
And also, are you using any extenders on the outlet of the 420 radiator?
And one more question

, how long is the extender on outlet of the CPU waterblock ?

Sorry for all these questions, found this buildlog, and it is pretty close to what i will be building soon. So i though i would steal some of your ideas

 

[joejoe69]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KakaoDj

Are you using Push/pull on the 240 radiator?

No, just pull. If I had gone with push/pull, the Bitspower reservoir would've stood higher than it does now and the tubing going across the RAM would not have been possible. Push/pull, in my opinion, is useless and noisy with the fans I'm using.
Quote:

Originally Posted by KakaoDj

Also, how long is the extender on top of the reservoir?

The extender on top of the reservoir is 20mm.
Quote:

Originally Posted by KakaoDj

And also, are you using any extenders on the outlet of the 420 radiator?

I'm using a 15mm extender along with a 90* angle adapter with the dual rotary 45* fitting on the outlet port (mb side) of the rad. The inlet port (window side) also uses a 90* angle adapter, but with a triple rotary fitting.

These are the angle adapters: http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=59_346_393_620&products_id=26764
Quote:

Originally Posted by KakaoDj

And one more question

, how long is the extender on outlet of the CPU waterblock ?

That extender is 30mm long.
Quote:

Originally Posted by KakaoDj

Sorry for all these questions, found this buildlog, and it is pretty close to what i will be building soon. So i though i would steal some of your ideas

No problem, always willing to help!!

 

[Gunsrunner]

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Quote:

Originally Posted by joejoe69

Project Shift

About the build
This build was a current gaming rig called "Project Cobalt", which was a Corsair Carbide 500R build. When I first built Project Cobalt, I never intended on building a custom water cooled loop. The closest I thought I had gotten to water cooling was an H100 from Corsair. The tides had turned when I started to push the Ivy Bridge 3770K to its limits. Initiallly, heat was indeed the limiting factor of the build but space was an even bigger limitation once the water cooling gear started expanding. What started as a means to cool a tiny 22nm chip turned out to be an addiction of a luxury that most common PC builders still don't understand...

See the original build and video below:

Spoiler: Project Cobalt Build Log

http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=109513

Spoiler: Project Cobalt Video

Project Shift? Why the name change? What's different?
Everything in Project Cobalt was transferred over into the NZXT Switch 810 in gloss black, hence the project name, "Shift", also meaning change, move, displace, and of course switch, as in Switch 810. The idea behind it was to let the water cooling components stretch its legs and still operate more efficiently with a greater surface area, and with a great possibility for upgrade. Big changes includes a 420mm top rad, Corsair HX750 PSU, more Bitspower fittings for straighter tube routing and pump housing upgrades, new color scheme comprised of Mayhem's Pastel blue Berry and custom color-matched individually sleeved cables, drainage system, and white lighting to keep the color contrast in check, as I found the Project Cobalt to be drowned in too much blue LED lighting.

Note
This is a short build log photo-wise, due to the fact that I hadn't taken much pictures during the meat of the build, mostly during the very end. Also, for you photophiles, please don't mind the crappy cell phone pics and vids mixed in there. The wife only allowed me a 2-day weekend to get this done so I had to use what was available for me at the time. Most of the install is straightforward and similarly covered in Project Cobalt. I do however, have a video below that shows the build from beginning to end. Enjoy!!

]

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Big thanks go out to Frozen CPU, Sidewinder Computers, and Performance PC for their excellent service and wide variety of PC and water cooling parts.

Spoiler: Parts List

The Parts List

- Core components -
Case: NZXT Switch 810 full tower
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K @ 4.7GHz, 1.336V (De-lidded)
MB: ASUS P8Z77-V Deluxe
GPU: Gigabyte GTX670 Windforce OC
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 1600MHz 16GB
PSU: Corsair HX750
SSD: Intel 520 Series SSD 240GB
HDDs: WD Black 2TB/WD Green 1TB
ODD: Don't need one...

- Liquid Cooling -
CPU block: Swiftech Apogee HD
GPU block: XSPC Razor GTX 680 (reference designed)
Radiators: XSPC EX480/EX240
Tubing: XSPC Clear High Flex 7/16" x 5/8"
Coolant: Mayhem's Pastel Blue Berry
Fittings: Bitspower Matte Black 1/2" x 5/8" compression fittings
Reservoir: Bitspower Multi-Z 150mL standalone
Pump: Swiftech MCP655 w/Bitspower pump top and housing mod
Fans: Corsair SP120/AF140 Quiet Editions
Fan Controller: Lamptron FC5

*This project is already finished however this build log is currently a work in progress*

Bloody good job man, I especially like the edit on the video.

Makes me think, I've been slacking off too much.

 

[S3ason]

Lookin' very nice! Subbed.

 

[joejoe69]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gunsrunner


Bloody good job man, I especially like the edit on the video.

Makes me think, I've been slacking off too much.

Lol thanks. It was a little rushed actually. I still have bits of it that should've made it a little longer but I had to wake up 3 hours before work. I also forgot to add finished results.

 

[joejoe69]

Quote:

Originally Posted by S3ason

Lookin' very nice! Subbed.

Thanks!!

 

[Gunsrunner]

Quote:

Originally Posted by joejoe69

Lol thanks. It was a little rushed actually. I still have bits of it that should've made it a little longer but I had to wake up 3 hours before work. I also forgot to add finished results.

Yeah must admit, I was waiting for the finished front shot at the end. But hey, it kept me in suspense! LOL
Like a Hollywood movie, leaving room for the sequel. Ha Ha Ha

What program do you use?
I dabble with Adobe Premier Elements and Cyberlink Power Director. Prefer PD to PE myself.

 

[joejoe69]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gunsrunner

Yeah must admit, I was waiting for the finished front shot at the end. But hey, it kept me in suspense! LOL
Like a Hollywood movie, leaving room for the sequel. Ha Ha Ha

What program do you use?
I dabble with Adobe Premier Elements and Cyberlink Power Director. Prefer PD to PE myself.

Haha yeah, I guess that's the idea now.

Honestly, this vid was quickly made with Windows Movie Maker. I previously used Sony Vegas most of the time, seemed okay. I gotta try others though.

 

[joejoe69]

*double post*

 

[KakaoDj]

Haha, i have one more question

, where did you get the UNZ-2 120mm fan bracket? Can't find it anywhere

I really like this build. big rep!

 

[barkinos98]

subbed man! loving them blue builds!

 

[joejoe69]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KakaoDj

Haha, i have one more question

, where did you get the UNZ-2 120mm fan bracket? Can't find it anywhere

I really like this build. big rep!

Sorry, I misspelled it. It's actually UN (Designs) Z2 120mm bracket. They're available here: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8797/ex-pmp-79/UNDesigns_Z2_Pump_Bracket_-_120mm_Fan_Mount.html
Quote:

Originally Posted by barkinos98

subbed man! loving them blue builds!

Thanks!!

 

[asguitarplaya]

How were you able to fit smaller tubing with 1/2" fittings? Wouldn't that stretch the tubing? I'm getting all the research possible before I build a WC set up. Any advice would help

 

[joejoe69]

A little distilled water helps with getting them lubricated to slip on easily. For the most part, they're easy to install even though they're 1/16" smaller tubing. They'll stretch but they won't break, they'll act like smaller hoses on a regular barb fitting. However, I would suggest using the same size ID hose for your compression fitting's ID. I had a lot of left over 7/16" ID, 5/8" OD hose to use from my last two loops so I didn't want to waste them as they were excellent tubing that didn't plasticize.

 

[asguitarplaya]

Thanks for the tip!
Was looking into getting primochill primoflex advance LRT tubing. Any good?
Quote:

Originally Posted by joejoe69

A little distilled water helps with getting them lubricated to slip on easily. For the most part, they're easy to install even though they're 1/16" smaller tubing. They'll stretch but they won't break, they'll act like smaller hoses on a regular barb fitting. However, I would suggest using the same size ID hose for your compression fitting's ID. I had a lot of left over 7/16" ID, 5/8" OD hose to use from my last two loops so I didn't want to waste them as they were excellent tubing that didn't plasticize.

 

[joejoe69]

So far I've heard or seen nothing but good about them. It's tough to say since it just released a few months back. I plan on getting some Durelene 1/2"ID, 5/8" when I service my loop the next time.