Midnight Smurf: Watercooled SLI 650D Rig

[PapaSmurf6768]

Midnight Smurf

Hello again LTT peoples! A while back I attempted to post up my build here on the forums but I never really got around to completing the log like I had liked.  Now that the forum doesn't, I guess I'll just be blunt, suck, I wanted to post up a full log of pictures from my computer I started almost a year ago. I'm only going to put the finished build pictures here, if you want to see any more of the build check out the link below, it has over 200 pictures of me going from an aircooled, single card system to a watercooled SLI beast! Enjoy the photos!

 

Full build log pictures: http://s1236.photobucket.com/user/papasmurf6768/library/Computer%20Build

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Only thing I have changed since these photos were taken is I've covered up the AX750 sticker with some more carbon fiber vinyl. In the future I hope to get a helix, tube style res to get rid of the front bay res and possibly add some more radiators somewhere to get better cooling.

 

A "before" shot when I had first built the PC in June of 2012:

 

And a couple shots of the build on my desk. I run a Qnix QX2710 monitor, it's a Korean 1440p screen. MURICA!

 

Hope you like my rig, the thing runs like a dream and I couldn't be happier!

 

**Specs:**

Intel i5 3570K @ 4.6GHz

MSI Z77A GD65

ASUS GTX 670 x2

Corsair 650D

GSKILL Ares 1866MHZ 4x4GB

OCZ Vertex 4 128GB SSD

WD Caviar Blue 500GB

Corsair AX750 w/ Custom Sleeving from MDPC-X

ASUS Xonar DSX Sound Card

 

**Watercooling Gear:**

1 XSPC D5 Dual-Bay Res/Pump Combo

XSPC EX280 Radiator

Phobya 200mm Radiator

XSPC Raystorm CPU Block

EK ASUS 670 GPU Block x2

EK Link (Between GPUs)

[Thibaudv]

SWEET JESUS

 

Just a little question, the color scheme is black and blue, right? If you look at it without the fancy lights, do the colors match well with the motherboard (I fear if I do something like that the brown will look bad on the motherboard since I've got the same one)

[MzCatieB]

nice carbon fibre covering, looks awesome, also i dont see a res anywhere?

[PapaSmurf6768]

SWEET JESUS

 

Just a little question, the color scheme is black and blue, right? If you look at it without the fancy lights, do the colors match well with the motherboard (I fear if I do something like that the brown will look bad on the motherboard since I've got the same one)

 

No color scheme was actually green and black :D Haha the motherboard does match everything pretty well, the RAM is pretty exact and the cables are a bit darker than everything but overall the colors mesh really well.  The brown on the motherboard is only the copper traces shining through the black PCB and is really only seen as brown in really bright, white light. It looks black if I look over at it right now.

 

nice carbon fibre covering, looks awesome, also i dont see a res anywhere?

 

Thanks! The res is in the front, it's an XSPC dual-bay res and pump combo.

[MzCatieB]

Thanks! The res is in the front, it's an XSPC dual-bay res and pump combo.

ohhh makes sense now  :D looks awesome

[Thibaudv]

Oh you just edited the picture; that explains a lot :p

 

Still, EPIC build! I want to do something similar with the CM690II :-) I will surely take notes from this beauty!

[XiaoPigs]

Man I wish I had the time and patience to do builds like these :(

It's very pretty I must say. Love the small carbon fibre coverings too :3 Extremely neat and tidy overall. I don't see a single wire out of place anywhere.

650D such an awesome case despite its age.

Looks like there's another build up for contention for one of the Build Logs of the Week Spot.

Murica f*ck yea. *Explosions in the back ground*

[PapaSmurf6768]

Couple more things I wanted to put in!

 

1. My 3570K is running at 4.8GHz, 1.375V, and is delidded!

 

I'd recommend delidding to those of you with some patience and a steady hand. It's really not that hard and definitely helps with temps!

 

2. A quick benchmark. Not sure when I actually ran this, I'm gonna redo it so I can get some updated numbers:

[Dave :)]

Love the attention to detail such as the wrapping of the SSD. Makes the whole build look so awesome and complete. Great job :D

[red_leader1138]

Looks great.

[TicTac]

Nice build man looks awesome love it :P

[dOug]

Really nice job on the sleeving; looks flawless. Carbon fiber touches are just right. The only thing I would suggest is removing the label on the PSU.

[JordanMac]

WOW, i love the hints of carbon fiber everywhere you see some PC's that are rapped in the stuff, but you've put enough on there for it to stand out but not too much it looks stupid. Very nice!

[edschofield15]

Nice colour scheme, Love the carbon fibre, you dont see a lot of 200mm rads, the fromt res really suits the 650d. and I havent even looked at the specs yet LOL

[Nicktrance]

I love the blue and black colour scheme and all the carbon fibre touches everywhere.

[Lethal Squirrel]

This is pretty sick! I love all the carbon fiber vinyl on everything! the sleeved cables are awesome too!

[MalcolmSex]

I absolutely love your build! Aesthetically speaking, this is a dream.  So much so, It has raised a few questions.

First off, acoustically speaking how are the spectre pro fans? I am particularly curious about the 200mm. I am a silence freak and I have been looking into these fans.

Secondly, out of curiosity why did you ditch the OCZ power supply? I heard about coil whine issues but also that they're pretty rare. 

Also as a suggestion, If you don't mind voiding your warranty then I think your PSU would fit a coat of paint quite nicely. Even if it is as simple as painting the fan grill blue and adding some blue pin striping around the AX750 logo (now carbon fiber) 

[madman1876]

What temps you getting after the delidding?

[Dacho]

Love the rig. Love the name. Nice job, man ;)

[PapaSmurf6768]

Love the rig. Love the name. Nice job, man ;)

 

 

This is pretty sick! I love all the carbon fiber vinyl on everything! the sleeved cables are awesome too!

 

 

I love the blue and black colour scheme and all the carbon fibre touches everywhere.

 

 

Nice colour scheme, Love the carbon fibre, you dont see a lot of 200mm rads, the fromt res really suits the 650d. and I havent even looked at the specs yet LOL

 

 

WOW, i love the hints of carbon fiber everywhere you see some PC's that are rapped in the stuff, but you've put enough on there for it to stand out but not too much it looks stupid. Very nice!

 

 

Really nice job on the sleeving; looks flawless. Carbon fiber touches are just right. The only thing I would suggest is removing the label on the PSU.

 

 

Nice build man looks awesome love it :P

 

 

Looks great.

 

 

Love the attention to detail such as the wrapping of the SSD. Makes the whole build look so awesome and complete. Great job :D

 

Thank you to all :D

[PapaSmurf6768]

 

What temps you getting after the delidding?

 

By delidding I dropped about 15C, from 80C in Prime95 to 65C.

 

I absolutely love your build! Aesthetically speaking, this is a dream.  So much so, It has raised a few questions.

First off, acoustically speaking how are the spectre pro fans? I am particularly curious about the 200mm. I am a silence freak and I have been looking into these fans.

Secondly, out of curiosity why did you ditch the OCZ power supply? I heard about coil whine issues but also that they're pretty rare. 

Also as a suggestion, If you don't mind voiding your warranty then I think your PSU would fit a coat of paint quite nicely. Even if it is as simple as painting the fan grill blue and adding some blue pin striping around the AX750 logo (now carbon fiber) 

 

The Spectres in all honesty are just decent fans for the price.  At 12V they are definitely loud, but at 7V they become very quiet. The 200mm specifically is just about inaudible at 7V. However, they really don't push a ton of air and I could probably have gotten better fans for the money, but they just looked to damn awesome to pass up.

 

I got rid of the OCZ really just because I wanted a Corsair.  I got the OCZ for such a good deal that I managed to sell it for the same amount that I paid for it, then I put in a little more money for the AX750.  It definitely wasn't a bad power supply, but OCZ's bad reputation kind of scared me, and it did have a bit of coil whine that was somewhat annoying.

 

Thanks for the kind words and the suggestions!

 

[kn100]

I love the coolant colour you have there. It's really, really pretty.

[Gaming_Addiction]

Is that the matte version of the QX2710?

[atomicmonkey101]

wow really nice build. Lets see the setup!

[EpicGeekonFire]

Smurf Colored! How much you want for this amazingness?!