[W.I.P] Green "Something or Other"

[Whaler_99]

So... time for some change... As the typically geek, it is hard to leave well enough alone. So, time to water cool my existing mATX build. 

 

If you check my current profile, running a pretty decent system in a mATX case. But, want to watercool it, because, why not. Also, will help my folding, keep temps down and allow for some overhead. So, I have gone about getting some more gear, picked up some used parts, a few new parts. Going to be re-using a Switch 810 - really like this case and it's options...

 

On with the parts list:

 

Case - Switch 810

Mobo - Gigabyte G1 Sniper M5

CPU - Core i7 4770k

RAM - 16GB (4x4) Corsair Dominator Platinum

GPU - Zotac GTX 780

Storage - 2 x Plexter M5 Pro 128GB for OS (RAID1), 2 x WD RE 1TB for Data and Games (RAID1), 1 x WD RE 1TB for Temp/Swap

PSU - Corsair AX 850

 

Water Cooling gear:

XSPC EX360 radiator - used

XSPC D5 Dual Bay Res (v2) - used

XSPC D5 Vari pump (Laing) - used

XSPC Raystorm CPU block - used

XSPC GTX 780 Block - used

 

Then I also picked up:

Alphacool NexXxos XT45 240 radiator - new

XSPC GTX 780 Back Plate - new

25' Primochill Advanced LRT Green tubing - new

EK CoolStream XTC 140 radiator - new

 

Waiting on:

Primochill CTR Phase II D5 Res - these are a new product from them, a compression based res. Look very cool with lots of options. Getting the 240mm one, clear POM, green with optional green diamond knurled replacement compression rings. Excited about see this.

 

 

Going to use this res with the D5 pump and not use the XSPC res. Don't trust those as I already cracked two of them, check my "out of the blue" build log for details on that.

 

Also got some green LED's for the various blocks, using all Noctua NF-F12 fans, except for the 140 rad, that will be a Noctua Industrial NF-A14 fan.

 

So plans....

 

Well, delay number one - needing to wait for the reservoir to coming in.

Second, my 780 started making a weird clicking sound on the fan under certain conditions... so a week of trouble shooting and off for an RMA. So, really need to wait for that to come back before I start anything.

 

So, one thing I am thinking of, the overall color scheme is going to work out as white, black and green. Probably wait to do some test fitting but thinking maybe to paint the rads green? Not sure though. I think I may need their black to anchor the the color scheme, as the mobo has the green lighting, green tubing, and led's. That may be be enough green, along with some UV lighting... painting them green may just be overkill.... Have to see. Maybe slap some green masking tape on the sides, give me an idea how it would work out...

 

Some thoughts on rads....

As some of you may have seen, typically myself and other will advise to not bother with a 120mm rad in a loop when you already have a few rads to begin with. This is usually due to two main factors, first being that 120mm when you already have say 2 x 240's or a 240 and 360 won't make a lot of difference. But the second reason is that typically this 120 is mounted on the rear of the case and many times there simply is not clearance if you already have a top mounted rad. Barbs, end tanks, all make for an almost impossible fit. So, the cost and hassle are not worth the gain.

In this case though, things a little different. The Switch 810 rear 120/140 mount has a slide system which allows you to move the placement and gives a lot of flexibility with mounting. Fitting in the rad, along with a top fitted one, won't be a issue. Along with that, the additional 140mm of rad with a high static pressure fan will help as my system will be running hot, due to folding, so an extra degree or two gained from it, hoping it be a bit more, will actually make a difference.

 

So, next steps....

Going to assemble a test loop with all the used components and run that. This is to ensure my used components are actually good and not leaking. Run that for a couple of days, will also help flush it all clean. 

Then when the 780 gets returned can start installing everything.

 

updates soon, going to build the test loop in the next couple of nights...

---

 

Update #1

 

Update #2 - Oct 2nd, 2014

 

Update #3 - Oct 8th, 2014

 

Update #4 - Oct 19th, 2014

Update #5 - Oct 29th, 2014

 

Update #6 - April 2015 - major upgrades

[MattP123]

[Hazy125]

I love the 810 as well, super good case... Except the side panel screws. Broke them in like a week

 

Is this a new 780 or the old one?

[Bloodyvalley]

yay

[alby800]

Cool! Subbed

[Whaler_99]

I love the 810 as well, super good case... Except the side panel screws. Broke them in like a week

 

Is this a new 780 or the old one?

 

Kinda new - been using for a about a year, but waiting for the RMA to come back, so will be new, kinda.

[vern021]

Can't wait to see the finished build.

[Whaler_99]

Update #1

 

So, this first update, I am testing some of the used components and also going to ramble on about some water cooling points.

 

First up, notice this pic of a cut I did with a very sharp pair of scissors.

 

 

 

 

Not to clean and one thing you want is a clean and even cut. Now, I ran over to home depot and got these tube cutters. I would recommend anyone who will be doing flex tubing get something like these. Were only 10 bucks, put the tubing in, quick squeeze and I nice, clean cut.

 

 

Why is this important you ask? Well, this way you get a really good and tight fit on your barb. Some people seem to think that the compression fitting on the barb, or zip ties, clamps, whatever you use, are to prevent leaks. They don't. If your seal is leaking, those won't help. If you have a nice, clean cut and that way the tubing fits on the barb properly, you won't have any leaks. The compression fittings and such are just an extra security measure to help ensure the tubing doesn't actually pull off.

 

Next, the fittings. You do NOT need to reef those suckers on. With proper O rings, tighten them down so they are finger tight and maybe just a little bit extra and you are good. Same when screwing on those compression fittings. You don't want to over tighten them. Finger tight is fine. If using just barbs, just some plastic zip ties. Again, not to tight as they will cut into the tubing. One reason I never use metal clamps, those are way to easy to over tighten and can cut tubing very easily.

 

Ok, so, got everything laid out. Here is why you always want extra tubing. I would say for an average build 10' is the minimum. Got SLI, triple rad? Better get 15'. And then get a few feet extra. You are going to make some bad cuts. Maybe change a run or two as you build and sort things out. Need to do some testing? Having extra tubing around is always a good thing.

So, I got everything hooked up. You will also notice I have fans on my rad. This is because even just the pump can introduce some waste heat into the loop, so better safe than...

And here with the compression fittings on and everything nice and tight, I can move things around. People seem to think once all hooked up, you can't touch it. Well, if you did it right, you should be able to move components around and such, without leaks and tubes pooping off

 

 

Handy little option for the PSU, adapter to short it, so now I can use the power switch on the PSU to turn it on or off. You can pick these up from most mod stores for a couple of bucks. You can also just use a paper clip and it yourself. Make sure you short the proper two pins.

 

 

Using used water cooling gear isn't to risky. Make sure you know exactly what you are getting, not random "cpu block". Avoid that. But get all the details and ask lots of questions. A seller who has looked after their gear will understand and have no issue answering all your questions. If they don't, move on.

 

So, testing these blocks and rad. Everything looks good, no leaks. And zero debris or coloring. The guy I got the parts from just used distilled water with biocide, so that is nice.

 

Also, even with new parts, especially radiators, be sure to flush everything a time or two to get rid any debris left from the construction.

 

---

 

So, now just waiting for my 780 to come back from RMA and the Promochill res to arrive and can get working on building the loop....

 

 

[Norman_the_Owl]

Score on the watercooling gear

[Whaler_99]

So, after running everything for a few days non stop, zero leaks or other issues. Yea!

 

So, time to drain the loop. Many people ask about this, and some spend money on T valves and other fancy stuff. I say, just unscrew a rad, place it outside the case, over a bowl and pop off a tube. Let it drain... then blowing through the tube will help force a lot more out. After that, pretty simple. As i alluded to previously, if you have you fittings on well, you can move parts about pretty confidently and get the rad, or a block, to where you need it to drain.

 

Just a quick shot of the initial drain... same thing I do on loops in my cases...

 

Now, something else that gets asked a lot, can you re-use tubing. Well, yes, under certain circumstances. First off, if not stained or anything and the color still works for you, perfect. Also, if clear, make sure it isn't foggy. That can be bad. Also, make sure there no gunk or build up stuck on the tube. Otherwise get new.

Now, one thing. As in this pic of then end I just pulled off after only a couple of days;

 

 

See how it is nicely stretched? That part you definitely do NOT want to reuse, as you won't get as tight as seal. Trim that end and the other end off. So, you won't be able to reuse on same run, but on a shorter run, or just keep as test/spare tubing...

 

That's it for now... just waiting for the 780 to come back from RMA, should be here in the next couple of days, and the res to arrive.

[GhostWindGamer]

Looking good so far subbed

[Whaler_99]

So another day... more stuff...

 

This week the RMA 780 came back. Zotac saw fit to ship me a brand new replacement. Very nice of them. Kudos to their support. This is the second GPU I have had to RMA through Zotac and they have been great. The card is in a rig right now testing it and good news, fan clicking sound is gone. So looks like this is ready to go.

 

Yesterday, the new res from PrimoChill showed up. Wow, really nice. Course bit of drama, the box if came packaged in was literally beat to hell. Was really worried it be damaged. But inside, PrimoChills excellent packaging of the res itself keep it nice and safe. You can read my full review here:

 

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/229423-primochill-ctr-compression-tube-reservoir-phase-ii-d5-enabled-240mm/

 

But for now, here are a few pics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, next up is to actually start putting this all together.

 

Won't be till next week though, this week I am in a World of Tank tournament, which means, need my PC in top form every night.

 

 

[Whaler_99]

Working away this past weekend on installing most of the gear. Don't you just hate Thanksgiving day and finding out you need some special washers, and of course everything is closed...

 

Next few nights should get most of it plumbed up and ready to start leak test.

[Whaler_99]

Sigh... bang head on wall... to update...

 

Computer has now been sitting on the build table for a whole week and is as useless as mercury is to watercooling.  :angry:

 

So, part of the vortex killer in the res broke. Needless to say I wasn't to impressed... But, Primochill sending me replacement parts... but now stuck waiting for them to arrive. You can read more about the res and the issues in my Primochill Res review. Happy with the customer service, just sucks stuff like this happens... anyways...

 

Got pretty much everything installed in the computer, including the res, for getting all the fittings lines up, tubing runs done, etc. Because of the way it is mounted, I can easily take the base off and install the new parts when they arrive. Typically I never install a drain tube/port either, but because I know I will have to drain this a few times, and I have spare ports on the bottom res, worked out perfect.

 

I have to say, the way I aligned my rads allowed for some clean runs. Also something to note, some blocks have have designated inlet and outlets, like the XSPC Raystorm. So prior to mounting the block, you need to spend some time figure our your loop, because if you do it all up with the flow in the wrong direction, it will still work, but you will take a performance hit.

 

Time for some pics...

 

First off, some before pic. I installed all the main hardware in the case and ran it for a couple of weeks to make sure everything was problem free. Course I ran into the fan clicking issue which delayed me, but I digress.

 

 

 

Now, lets tear this sucker apart shall we...

 

 

 

 

The EK 140mm res, looks really nice, and thick. You would definitely need to make sure you have the clearance to install this in the rear of a case.

 

 

 

 

One issue with mounting the EK, it comes with M4 screws, with about the smallest head I have ever. Seriously, I doubt it would work on any screw hole for a fan mount in the case. So, had to run out and get washers for it...

 

Next up is the 240mm Alphacool. This thing is really nice. I love the copper plugs they include and the plain, flat black finish. They include a bunch of stickers you can add on afterwards if you choose. Nice touch.

 

 

Ummm... Ya, the pic is upside down.

 

Couple of pix on the 780, pulling it apart and what it should look like. For more pix of this, check out my "Out of the Blue" build.

 

 

 

Next up was fitting the CPU block in... don't forget to properly clean everything... Also take note in the pic where my intake port is, based on the flow coming out of the res and into the 240 mm rad, to the GPU block, into the 140mm rad, then the CPU block and continuing on...

 

 

 

Then fitting the res in. Again, for more pics on this specifically, check out my Primochill review.

 

 

 

 

Someones trying to help...

 

 

Pic of the new Noctua fan. I have to admit, as impressed as I was with the new fan, the "extras" were a let down. First off, a 4 pack of silver fan screws. Silver?? Really?? For all those black and white cases out there? Come on, at least black screws to match the bloody fan. And... that was it! HUH? For years, when you bought a Noctua fan, you got speed reducers, spliters, extensions, vibration dampeners, heck, I got two or three bags of that stuff... now, nada. Leaves you... wanting...

 

 

Now most everything installed. Run some wiring and do some LED testing.

 

 

 

And finally some leak testing with all the tubing fit in. Man, those short runs are a pain to fit in...

 

 

 

That's it for now...

 

Will updated more once the replacement parts for the res are in and I can do some properly leak testing and get this puppy all finished up.

 

[mournfulbarrel]

please for the sake of humanity change out that blue piece!!!!! lol

[SMR]

please for the sake of humanity change out that blue piece!!!!! lol

It is just to fill the system.

[Whaler_99]

Bang head on desk... repeat...

 

Finally got some replacement parts from Primochill today... and not everything I needed. Now, originally I thought they were sending me a new CTR base unit, since you now have to screw the vortex killer in, along with the replacement vortex killer base and paddle. They seemed to think, they just sending me the vortex killer, it's base unit and the screws.

 

So, I email them, all pissed. They said, "Well, can I not just drill some holes?" WHAT? It's PMMA for crying out loud. Would need to special bit so as to not shatter or crack the base unit. But, and here is the kicker, the screws are machine threads, not screw threads. So, unless I am ALSO going to somehow tap the bloody holes, it won't work. Once I pointed this all out to them, they kinda of realized my issue.

 

So, yes, they should have sent me the CTR base with the new machined holes as well.

 

Great... But, gets better, they are out of stock! Grrrr...

 

So, now I am thinking to just crazy glue the old vortex killer down for the time being while they wait for stock and then ship me the CTR base unit... Will just through out the "bad" base and vortex once I have all the replacement parts I need...

 

<sigh>

 

So, hopefully this weekend, I might actually have something running... maybe...

[Whaler_99]

Customer support got back to me today...

 

They say, as a permanent solution, I can crazy glue it. WHAT? That's not a solution but a temp fix at most. So, I told the rep I would do this, but obviously I want them to send me a rev 2 res base, so I can have a proper setup, since this is all brand new. The rep then tells me that if I crazy glue it, they won't replace it, as that is a "solution". Or I can send back my res base unit, wait from them to come back in stock (apparently out now) and then they ship me a replacement. So... another what, month with my system down?? Forget that.

 

So I told them I am done with support, as this is going nowhere fast and I am not going to be without a system for a month. Honestly, if you need to replace a broken component, and it and some of the underlying pieces have now changed from the original spec, as in this rev 2, I would think all the rev 2 components would be shipped to ensure a proper replacement. Not some half hazard, crazy glue solution.

 

So, to sum this up. I am impressed with the unit itself. But, I have been completely let down by their customer support and will not be dealing with Primochill for any of my future water cooling projects.

[Whaler_99]

Time for an update... rig been running great since October, been folding with the 780 and temps are in the 38C range on the GPU and 40C on the CPU at load.

 

Installed my Bitfenix fan controller to help fine tune the rad fans, I found the PWM functionality on the mobo simply wasn't up to spec. I used the software provided by Gigabyte to make some fan curves and such, but at random times it would simply "forget" to apply them, or max the fans at 100%. Ack... Support was less than helpful. 

 

So, time for some upgrades. Thanks to the guys here in the Classified section, I got my hands on another 780 card and a Alphacool Nexxos UT60 360 rad. Top of the line performer. So, now thinking how to add things to the existing loop. With the EK 140 rad, the UT60 won't fit up top... So... Going to move things about and go real overboard. If your going to do something, do it overkill.

I picked up an Alphacool ST30 120mm rad. So, the thought it, pull out my EX360, swap in the UT60. Then move the EK140 from the rear, to the front, pulling out the one drive cage I have mounted. Should then be able to fit the ST30 on the rear. Yep... mundo rads... ANd of course tie in the 780 into the loop, have another matching XSPC block on order for it.

Then, with the drives, going to add a 3x2 cage I have to the the 5.25 bays for my main drives and then just have one 480GB SSD in the back.

 

I am hoping to be able to Fold full time on the 780's and keep the temps at around 40C with the extra rad coverage. 

 

Just need to wait for parts to come in.

[Whaler_99]

So... some back story on this update to the build, as some have asked, why all the rads? Especially the smaller ones.

 

Added in a 780 into the loop, upgraded the 360 rad and added in a 120 one...

 

When I originally started Folding with water cooled parts I was using a slim 360 and 240 rad to cool the CPU and single 780. Now, here is the part that is not commonly known. The majority of water cooling equipment is made to run with a sustained water temp of no more than 50C. After this you can have failures, especially around seals. This typically isn't a problem for the majority of builds. Even when gaming and such and your temps spike, this isn't sustained for a period hours on end, or days, as is the case with Folding. Now, with the two rads above, my average sustained temp hovered around 65C. This lead to two res failures, one thanks to a defect in the XSPC bay res design, and the second one having the sealant between the acrylic fail due to the temps.

 

So, in the Green Machine build, I want to be able to water cool for silence, and epeen and looks , and also Fold 7/24. So, I had the better 360, a new 240 and a 140. Sustained water temps average about 40C. Perfect. And this with all fans running about 50% and they being Noctua NF-F12's, they are pretty quiet. 

 

Now, upgrade time. I got a great deal on another matching 780, so in order to add it to the loop, I had to think about how much and type of rad to be able to handle the heat I would be outputting. So the upper XSPC 360 got pulled out and in it's place went in a Alphacool Nexxos UT60 360 rad. One of the best. The 240 stayed the same, an Alphacool Nexxos UT45. For clearance I moved the EK 140 to the front, it is a 60mm thick rad as well and then added in a Alphacool Nexxos UT30 120 rad to the rear.

 

Most times it is recommended not to bother with the 120/140 rads when you already have ample, such as a 360 and a 240. Typically true. But in this case, the benefit of the 140 in the front and the 120 in the read is probably giving me 5+ degrees of headroom, which when Folding 7/24 on two GTX 780's, does make a difference.

 

I have been running the system now for about a day of Folding on both cards. Average temps run about 36-40C on the cards and about 39-41 on the CPU cores. All in all perfect temps considering. And I can pretty much do anything with little variance in the temps. Gaming in World of Tanks say the card temps raise to about 50C on the primary and about 45 on the secondary.

 

So, yes, some people may look at the build and bitch about how over done it is... to bad. I really like it, the colors and such and that it is effectively dealing with a BOAT TON of heat output with no issues. 

 

Pics to follow...

[Whaler_99]

And now some pics...

 

First off some shots of the system up and running as it was...

 

   

 

Shot of the parts to be included in the upgrade, next rad's, GPU and block, fittings, etc...

 

 

Some shots of the interior before the upgrade...

 

 

 

Check out that cable management!  Honestly, as you cannot see it, I don't care!

 

 

 

Ok, now on to the work...

 

Got the Alphacool UT60 installed. It was a tight fit with leaving the res hooked up...

 

 

The 120mm in the rear done...

 

 

140mm in the front hooked up and second GPU in. That was a pain!!

 

 

And now everything all connected.

 

 

 

And now various over the top, over exposed, crappy camera pictures.

 

       

 

Final to-to's - at some point clean/fix that SLI cable. Nasty...