Project Orange Horizon

[easynator]

banner by Rumikarimu

 

A few years ago, I was in another country and couldn't play any games (for 3 years)... When I came back to Canada (Quebec), I decided it was time to upgrade my gaming computer. I had a Q6600 with a NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT. The first thing I did was to upgrade the GPU with a R9 270X but I was still unhappy. I could still play my favorite game (TF2), but it was a little bit laggy with others like CoD Ghost (which we know is the most optimized game ever).

 

After seeing a few amazing custom builds, I decided to start my own project. At first, I wanted to go with a mITX with a Caselabs S3. I loved Snef's Purple Chimera and really wanted to go with that case. After a few researches, I found it was quite hard and expensive to get a Caselabs in QC... The project that really pushed me to build my own computer was the Titanfall project by Jameswalt1. Then, one day, I found an amazing deal on a UK website for the Parvum Systems S2 case and decided to jump in the water.

 

Long story short, I have almost completed my build and wanted to show you what I had done.

 

Table of contents

• The memory
• The CPU water block
• The motherboard
• The pump & reservoir combo
• The video card and its water block
• The case
• The radiators
• The loop and the fittings
• The fluid
• The LED
• The poll (hi-res photos & tell me what you think!)
• The benchmarks (CPU Overclocked)

Main parts

• CPU: i5-4690K
• Motherboard: Asus Gryphon Z97
• Memory: 16GB Corsair Dominator Platinum CL9
• Video card: evga GTX 780TI 3GB Superclocked
• Storage: Samsung Evo 500GB
• PSU: Corsair AX860i
• Cooling: Custom Loop (Acrylic)

Custom Build Of The Month

• Forbes Magazine - The Most Amazing PCs Of September 2014

Additional details can be found here

[easynator]

Top 4 of the hi-resolution photos

[easynator]

Reserved #2

[easynator]

Reserved #3

[easynator]

The memory

• Dominator® Platinum with Corsair Link Connector — 1.5V 16GB Dual/Quad Channel DDR3 Memory Kit (CMD16GX3M4A1866C9)
  

• Dominator® Platinum Light Bar Upgrade Kit
  

 

The process

This is how I "painted" my light bar for the Corsair Dominator Platinum.

• Take the crystal light bar;
  

• Use a marker and "paint" the bars; and
  

• Voilà!
  

 

The recommendation

I would recommend to put the light bar into some kind of DYE solution instead of using a marker for a better result.

 

The photos

 

 

[easynator]

The CPU water block

• Bitspower CPU Block Summit EF (Intel) White (Model 2012) (BP-WBCPUIAC-CUMBKWH)
  

• Bitspower Summit CPU Block Intel Mounting Plate - White (BP-CPUIPT-WH)
  

 

The process

I didn't pick the CPU water block for its performance, I really bought them for the look. I considered painting the mounting plate in orange but changed my mind while assembling the parts together.

 

The photos

 

 

[AlwaysFSX]

No need to reserve posts, just add them as you go along. I will be watching this thread intently.

[Laputacake]

Looks good so far.

[easynator]

The motherboard

I decided to go with the Asus Gryphon motherboard because I could use the armor/thermal kit to cover the motherboard.

• Asus Gryphon Z97
  

• Gryphon Armor Kit for Z87
  

 

Some people asked me if both pieces were compatible since I was mixing a Z87 component with a Z97. I read on a few forums they would be working together but had never seen the final result so I still decided to move ahead and try it. They clip perfectly. You don't even have to mod the armor kit!

 

The process

Painting the armor kit was easy but I made a big mistake... For some reasons, I thought I had bought a glossy white but realized, after I added the coats, that it was a clear coat instead. That's why the armor kit doesn't shy like it should. It's basically the white from the primer...

 

This is what I did:

• Prime; and
  

• 4 coats of clear coat.
  

 

 

But I should have done this:

• Prime;
  

• 2 coats of white; and
  

• 3 coats of clear coat.
  

 

 

The photos

 

 

 

 

[easynator]

The pump & reservoir combo

• Pump: DazMode STORM D5 VARIO 8-24V Pump w/TACH cable
  

• Pump Mod: Bitspower - Bitspower D5 / MCP655 Mod Kit - Deluxe White Finish
  

• Reservoir: Bitspower - Water Tank Z-Multi 150 - Limited White POM Edition
  

• Reservoir: Bitspower - Water Tank Z-Multi 80 - Full Clear Acrylic Version
  

• Sleeving: DarkSide - 5/64" ( 2mm ) DarkSide HD Cable Sleeving - Orange UV
  

• Sleeving: DarkSide - 5/32" ( 4mm ) DarkSide HD Cable Sleeving - White
  

 

 

The process

I initially bought the Tank Z Multi 150 but it was a little bit too high when combined with the pump so I ordered the Tank Z Multi 80 and switched some of the part to make it nicer.

 

Other than that, I sleeved my cables (for my first time). I didn't bought any heatshrink so I used white-electrical tape to seal the sleeving around the cable.

 

I will sell the spare reservoir really soon, so stay tuned if you are interested to buy it

 

The photos

 

 

 

 

 

[easynator]

The video card and its water block

• Video card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti Superclocked w/ EVGA ACX Cooler
  

• Waterblock: EK-FC780 GTX Ti - Acetal+Nickel
  

• Backplate: EK-FC780 GTX Ti Backplate - Black
  

 

The process

I was really stressed for this part of the build. I had spend a fair amount of money on the video card and I knew that installing the water block would void the warranty. I followed carefully the instruction provided with the EK Block and installed the water block. I think it took me like an hour to do that.

 

I painted the backplate at the same time that I painted the motherboard armor kit.

 

I added too much thermal paste so I'm probably going to loose a few degrees...

 

Trust me, the video card is quite heavy once assembled!

 

The photos

 

 

 

 

 

[HellaflushMcSwaggins]

Are you watercooling the GPU too?And are you going to use rigid acrylic tubing or flexible tube?Nice progress.

Edit: By the time I made this postyou already made 2 posts(Pump+GPU)

[Laputacake]

Subbed +1

[easynator]

Are you watercooling the GPU too?And are you going to use rigid acrylic tubing or flexible tube?Nice progress.

Edit: By the time I made this postyou already made 2 posts(Pump+GPU)

 

Rigid acrylic tubing FTW!

[GhostWindGamer]

This is already looking good   subbed

[easynator]

The case

I selected the Parvum Systems S2 case because I found it quite original compared to other cases. In addition, I had the option to take my favorite color which saved me some paint work... I ordered the case from, the UK when it was on sale...

 

The process

I found interesting that Parvum doesn't provide build instruction in a paper format to assemble the case. Instead, they refer you to a video on youtube so you just have to watch & stop to assemble the case. 

 

The photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[easynator]

The radiators

• 2x Alphacool NexXxoS ST30 Full Copper 240mm
  

 

The photos

 

 

 

 

 

[easynator]

The tubing & the fittings

• Tons of Bitspower Crystal Link Tube - 201mm
  

• Tons of fittings...
  

 

The process

I built a rotative drain system in order to save so space in the case. It also helps to actually drain the system since it is at the same level as the tubing going to the GPU water block. I had a lot of issues with the tubing alignment. It's harder that what I thought. Each mm counts and if you miss by 1, the design looks flawed... I must admit that it's not perfectly align, but I'm still happy with the end-result.

 

The photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[easynator]

The fluid

• Mayhems Pastel - Orange Concentrate
  

• Distilled Water
  

The Process

As you know, bleeding the system is the "critical" part of a water cooled build. For me, it's not only the step of removing the air and the bubbles from the system, but also the first leak test that you do for hours. You are crossing your fingers that everything will work, that you have properly fix the tubes to the fittings. Oddly, I had a small leak from the reservoir itself but was quite easy to fix by twisting the top and the bottom part of the reservoir.

 

At this point, the build is almost done. You just need to connect all cables and voilà!

 

The photos

 

 

[easynator]

What do you think so far?

[GhostWindGamer]

Dude I freaking love this system  :wub:

[Norman_the_Owl]

Lovin' it so far!

[DildorTheDecent]

I love orange builds. Thinking of doing one myself in the next few years. How does it look when powered up?

[hawthorne]

What do you think so far?

It's awesome!

[Jokrik]

Well built my friend!