Red Phantom (Small Not Important Update)

[CtW]

Red Phantom

This has been my main computer since July 2013, but because I didn't capture the build process, I figured it would be best to show it off when a major-ish change has been made to it. That change is the addition of the NZXT Kraken G10. I mostly use it for web-browsing and gaming with some occasional CAD and GIMP work. On to the specs.


Computer:

• Case: NZXT Phantom 410 in black - Looks good, easy to build in, does everything I need it to do
• CPU: Intel Core i7 4770k @ 4.2 Ghz - It was on sale at Microcenter.
• CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 - It was the cheapest AIO Microcenter had in stock when I got it
• Mobo: Gigabyte Z87X-UD4H - I intended to get the Maximus IV hero, but this was cheaper, and so much better looking
• RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 1x8GB @ 1600mHz - This was on sale as well and I intend to upgrade to Vengeance Pro RAM in red.
• GPU: EVGA GTX 770 w/ACX cooler (replaced by Kraken G10) - I love this card. The ACX cooler does a great job and is very classy.
• GPU Cooler: NZXT Krake G10 w/ Thermaltake Water 3.0 Pro - Temps are ~20 degrees lower, and it is nearly silent, need I say more?
• Storage: 1 x 120GB Samsung 840 and 1 x 2TB 7200rpm Toshiba HDD
• PSU: Corsair CX750M - Single 12v rail, 80 plus bronze and semi-modular. Its really good.
• Fans: 6 x Corsair SP120 Quiet Edition Fans - They look nice and perform well
• OS: Windows 8.1 - With Classic shell, I have the same experience as in WIndows 7 and I have had no trouble with game compatability thus far

Peripherals:

• Mouse: Mionix Naos 8200 - Damn, this mouse is comfortable
• Keyboard: Logitech G510 - I wish it was mechanical, but it does its job very well none the less.
• Mouse-pad: Razer Kabuto - The perfect mobile mouse mat.
• Keypad: Razer Nostromo - I thought I needed it, then used it for a couple months, then stopped using it. I might sell it but for now it is just sitting on my desk.
• Speakers: Logitech Z506 - 5.1 surround sound for $99 that sounds good. 'Nuff said
• Headset: Beyer Dynamic DT 990 Pro 250 ohm w/ Antlion Mod Mic - Both are great for the price 
• Monitors: 1 x HP x2301 23in LCD monitor on top of an upside-down DSi box and an 11 year old Envision monitor that has surprising viewing angles.

On to the Pictures!

(Excuse the blurry-ness. THe ISO of my camera was set wrong which resulted in a very low shutter speed, which, combined by my unsteady hands, caused the blur)

The box for the G10.

What was in the box.

The box for the Water 3.0 Pro

What was in the box

Some pics of the build before the addition of the Kraken

Yes, that is indeed thermal paste (IC Diamond 7 karat) loosely tied to some cables.

The Disassembly of the GPU

The card w/ the ACX cooler on it.

The cooler is off, revealing the top plate which does a nice job of hiding the components as well as cooling them and giving the card rigidity. Unfortunately, the four screw holes closest to the GPU got in the way of the water block, so I removed them with tin snips. (Only after assembling the whole damn thing and finding the temps at 70 degrees at idle and hearing a bubbling/ whining sound)

The card and the radiator are mounted in the case.

As you can see, I have the bottom of the rad mounted to the top holes of the bottom fan which cools the hard drives. I had to do this as the plastic bit for the removable drive cage blocked the radiator from fitting in and modding it was too much work.

This is after disassembling the card a few times to make sure it was working properly, so to prevent hassle, none of the cables are managed and the radiator is sitting on top of the drive cage. As you can see, I have Unigine Heaven running to burn the thermal paste in.

The cables and tubes have been neatly tucked away into their final places.

A nice picture of the setup at night. The only bad bit is the blue LED on the front of the case. That will be swapped out for a red one soon.

The inside of the case at night. The red desktop background is creating the red light.

Up Next:

• new sound card (my internal sound is causing some problems),  Nope, audio's fine. I will get a DAC though
• red internal LEDs with a diffuser on top, To come later
• removal of the plastic drive cage bit that is ruining everything,
• some new headphones
• all complete by summer (hopefully)

After that:

• A second GTX 770 or an 800 series card,
• liquid cooling,
• mod to fit front 420 360 mm and top 360 280 mm rad,
• other heavy modding to the case
• cable sleeveing and lacing
• all complete when budget is built up (around year or two) or when I'm done with my water-cooled iMac.

Edited September 15, 2014 by CtW

[DIV1D3]

Much good. Many red. Such nice. Wow. 

[Sernyhough]

I like it,

are the pumps audible from those AIOs?

[CtW]

Aside from the sploosh noise at start up, they aren't that loud and are masked by the sound of the SP120s when they are at full speed.

[DuckyMF]

really nice how is the temps on the gpu vs the original?

[CtW]

really nice how is the temps on the gpu vs the original?

Thanks! The temps are amazing. At idle with the fans on the lowest speed with speed reducers on them (im using the fan controller in my case) the GPU is at 27-30 degrees Celsius. When the GPU is at full load @1200mhz and the fans are at max speed and the side panel is off, it hovers around 50 degrees. 

 

With the stock cooler, I was seeing temps at around 30-35 degrees and temps at 67-72 degrees when at full load.  Overall, I'm very pleased with the results and the air coming out of the radiator is nice for keeping me warm.

[chos5555]

Haha you are using your rads to keep you warm and cozy?

I would have a problém with that.. my GPU stayes @ 32 degrees C at max load

[CtW]

Haha you are using your rads to keep you warm and cozy?

I would have a problém with that.. my GPU stayes @ 32 degrees C at max load

it only actually warms me up if I turn the fans to low speed and have the side panel on for a while, then take it off. As at the low speed (with speed reducers to make it quieter) the GPU gets up to 70 degrees because no air is going through the rad. Right now, I have folding@home running with the fans at medium speed and its staying under 40.

[CtW]

UPDATE 1: Simple Adjustments

 

This is a pretty small update that is mostly cosmetics with a bit of airflow. 

 

In the OP I mentioned that there was a piece of plastic that was supposed to hold in a drive cage that was preventing me from mounting the radiator that was cooling my GPU correctly. Well today I discovered that it was not being held in by a rivet, but instead by an easily removable screw. I then took it off and mounted the radiator on properly in the front. These are the pics of the process

 ^This is the piece I mentioned, now out of the case.^

^This is the radiator in its old mounting place.^

^Now, I'm taking out the fan screws and putting in the radiator screws.^

^The radiator is now in place.^

 

I have made some other modifications as well. This includes taking the sticker on the side of my CX750M off 

(Results shown here)

 

and putting a 92mm fan by the expansion slots for added ventilation as the ambient temperatures inside the case get quite hot.

(This is it)

 

 

Here is what the rig looks like as a whole after the small changes I have made.

 

 

 

[WyvernAbstracts]

Should get a red sticker printed for the psu, other then that looks amazing. 

[CtW]

Should get a red sticker printed for the psu, other then that looks amazing. 

I plan to eventually make some sort of shroud to cover the PSU and bottom area so that is not necessary. I though about painting the sticker, but because of how it looked, that would be impossible to get right without going through too much work. 

[WyvernAbstracts]

I plan to eventually make some sort of shroud to cover the PSU and bottom area so that is not necessary. I though about painting the sticker, but because of how it looked, that would be impossible to get right without going through too much work. 

masking tape!

[CtW]

I recently overclocked the 4770k to 4.2 ghz. I used gigabyte's EZ-Tune software for it just to test it out and I have to say it is pretty nice and east to use. I have also completely stopped using Precision X for monitoring as it was constantly reporting that the GPU clock speed was 535 mhz after I overclocked it. I now use it only for overclocking everything and use GPU-Z for monitoring. Also, the RAM clock is boosted by 175 MHz to 1,900.8 MHz and the GPU clock up 175 to 1371.8 MHz. Currently with my GPU pinned at 99% thanks to F@H, it is only at 39 decrees Celsius with the radiator fans at 7 volts (with the speed reducers). It isn't that quiet, but while playing a game or watching a video, the fan noise is not noticeable.

[NerdNinja]

 

After that:

 

• liquid cooling,

 

 

*Whispers "Can I have the G10?"*

[CtW]

*Whispers "Can I have the G10?"*

maybe...

[CtW]

UPDATE!!!

 

I just edited the OP with some updates to goals and specs. In the time since the last update, I've gotten rid of the overclock as it was causing my CPU to hit 96 C when at full load. The 92mm fan has been gotten rid of, some electrical tape was added to cover up the 24 pin connector, and I got some new headphones! 

 

Time for some pics!

 

 What the rig looks like now  

 

The DT 990 Pro w/ Antlion mod mic

[The Robot]

Your rig looks amazing, and what do you think of that keyboard.

[CtW]

Your rig looks amazing, and what do you think of that keyboard.

Thanks!

 

About the Keyboard:

Pros:

• Great backlighting
• Great media controls
• Great software
• Large amount of macro keys w/ on the fly recording

Cons:

• Has slightly mushy membrane keys
• Not at all mechanical

[The Robot]

 

Thanks!

 

About the Keyboard:

Pros:

• Great backlighting
• Great media controls
• Great software
• Large amount of macro keys w/ on the fly recording

Cons:

• Has slightly mushy membrane keys
• Not at all mechanical

 

Thanks

[clarkmcc]

Nice job on the cable management

[CtW]

Nice job on the cable management

Thanks!