A Touch of Gray - InWin S Box, 5960x, GALAX GTX 980 HOF

[LED_Guy]

A Touch of Gray

 

Welcome to the log for my very first build. After more than 3 decades of using OTS computers, I have decided to take the plunge and finally build my own. I have spent decades developing technology and now I will finally have a tool to help me do it in style . . .


Background and Goals:

I do a lot of high end computing. I write custom code for Monte Carlo modeling related to the lighting industry. This requires a huge amount of computational horsepower to do in a timely manner. For a benchmark, my current computer (a laptop with an i7 2640M and 8GB of RAM) runs at 12-15 GLFOPS (Linpack). I max out the CPU for well over a week at a time. Seems like an obvious reason to go for broke with a 5960X doesn't it?

I also do optical design using ray trace software. This is similar to what GPUs do for games, except that I need all the details of what the light is doing: color, direction, intensity. Having a high end CPU helps with that, but you also need RAM, lots and lots of RAM. With my laptop I can only run 2-3 million rays and a really good optical design requires at least 25-30 million rays. That means as much RAM as I can pack onto the motherboard (in this case 64GB).

I also work at home, so in the evenings the same box will be running games. I haven't been able to play W.o.T. for over a year because the updates pushed me down to 10-12 fps. So, I also want some decent GPU horsepower.

All those data sets and design files means lots of storage . . . fast storage and redundant storage at that.

Now that I have set the stage, here is the build plan.

 

Components
ASUS X99 Deluxe
Intel Core i7 5960X
64 GB Ripjaws 4 DDR4 2800 MHz
Samsung XP941 512GB (boot)
2x Samsung 850 Pro 512GB RAID0 (applications/games)
2x Western Digital Caviar Black 4TB RAID1 (data/backups)
2x GALAX GTX 980 HOF (SLI)

2x GALAX GTX 980 Ti HOF (SLI)
Seasonic SnowSilent 1050W
3x Samsung S27D590C
Thermaltake Core v51
NZXT Kraken x61

Inwin S Box Titanium

Liquid cooling

Cuplex Kryos 0.925 Silver Edition
Uber 655 Fully Modded (D5) Water Pump (PWM) - Black Sparkle
Aquacomputer Airplex Radical 2 360mm Radiator -Copper fins
Monsoon Free Center Hardline Compression Fittings - Chrome/Black Chrome
FrozenQ NovaCore 220 Reservoir - Black Rails
1/2" OD 3/8" ID Clear Acrylic Tubing
6x Noiseblocker NB-eLoop B12-PS 400-1500 rpm PWM Fans

 

Case Modifications

Custom drive bay - diagonal mounting of SSDs and HDDs

Drive bay capacity increase to 4x 3.5" and 4x 2.5" devices

 

Remote diagonal mount for GPUs

 

False bottom for pump mounting and cable management

Substitutions
I had the build all planned out and then I managed to get my hands on the S Box Titanium prototype case from Inwin. There is a red/black version that is going into production and should be one sale sometime this year. The titanium version isn't scheduled for production, so I have a one of a kind case!!!

Great except for the fact that the S Box is limited to 120mm fans, so my 280mm AIO won't fit. The Kraken unit I have will just have to sit on the shelf and wait for another build. I hadn't planned on a custom liquid cooling loop, but I wasn't going to pass up on the case. CPU cooler tbd . . .

Other
I stumbled into the color scheme. Everything is black, white or a shade of gray, hence the name of the build. It also reflects my age.

With this much into the hardware, I will also be adding custom cables at the end of the build. I also picked up a pair of the 3M shielded PCIe extension cables and I am going to try doing a remote mount for the HOFs.

- Enjoy

[Suffokation]

HoF Master race.

Followed.

[spenser_l]

oh boy this is gonna be good. Followed.

[LED_Guy]

Just in case it isn't obvious from the information above, this is my own personal version of an ultimate build.

 

Even though I managed to get Intel employee pricing on the i7 5960x, the current cost is over $8,000 . . .

[LED_Guy]

Here is some of the hardware

 

[Swndlr]

HOLY SHIT

FOLLOWED

[Philz69]

Holy hell the money! Cant wait to see how this goes!

[ClownFace1511]

May I ask why not 980ti? Too expensive? Not enough money?

[Philz69]

May I ask why not 980ti? Too expensive? Not enough money?

I Really doubt money is an issue here... but its true it would've fitted the build a lot better!

[LED_Guy]

May I ask why not 980ti? Too expensive? Not enough money?

 

Actually, at the time I bought the components the 980 Ti HOF wasn't released.  In fact, the 980 Ti (of any kind) was just a rumor.  I had all these parts in hand back in March, but I ended up having 3 trials in 3 consecutive months - I work as an expert witness in technology/patent infringement cases.  The longest trial took 3 weeks of court time.  Prep and work outside of the court room takes huge amounts of time.

 

Within 2 hours of leaving the court room on the 3rd trial I got an email for another case . . .

 

I will probably be ordering a pair of 980 Ti HOFs in the next week or so . . .

 

Anyone want a pair of barely used 980 HOFs? :rolleyes:  (only plugged in to make sure all the components worked and the system booted)

[ClownFace1511]

Actually, at the time I bought the components the 980 Ti HOF wasn't released.  In fact, the 980 Ti (of any kind) was just a rumor.  I had all these parts in hand back in March, but I ended up having 3 trials in 3 consecutive months - I work as an expert witness in technology/patent infringement cases.  The longest trial took 3 weeks of court time.  Prep and work outside of the court room takes huge amounts of time.

 

Within 2 hours of leaving the court room on the 3rd trial I got an email for another case . . .

 

I will probably be ordering a pair of 980 Ti HOFs in the next week or so . . .

 

Anyone want a pair of barely used 980 HOFs? :rolleyes:  (only plugged in to make sure all the components worked and the system booted)

Ill take the 980's <3. Its all good. The HOF cards are really sweet, was going to get the 980ti ones but im going to watercool them so its a waste of money I can get my hands on the LN2 special edition ones though, shame im not air cooling. The 980's would be good in my other system though.

[LED_Guy]

In the mean time, here are some more component pics.

 

Performance PC Uber 655 Fully Modded D5 Pump (PWM) - Black Sparkle

 

FrozenQ Novacore Extreme 220 Reservoir - Black Rails (apologies for the stock image)

 

I gave some serious consideration to the Novacore Extreme Ltd,  but I honestly wasn't sure I would be able to get everything to fit in the case.  Those HOFs are 2 1/2 slot cards.  At 308mm x 129.1mm x 49mm they are some monsters.  I could always drop the fins off the reservoir to save real estate, but then I have to give up the eye candy appeal (not happening).

 

Between the HOFs and the reservoir the design/layout of the build took a few turns from the original plan.  Stay tuned for details

 

Airplex Radical 2 360mm Radiator - Copper Fins (apologies again for stock image)

 

This was another point I struggled on.  I could have settled for the aluminum fins, saved a few $ and paid a (small) performance penalty, but this build isn't really about cutting corners is it?  I know I could always paint the fins, but that increases (slightly) air flow restriction through the fins and also increase the heat transfer coefficient (another penalty).  I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

 

I could also install my fans in push configuration, but that would make cleaning a real hassle.  In the end, I will probably add an air filter that will cover the fins, so no paint.

 

I already called out clear acrylic tubing.  I love the look of the Monsoon Hardline fittings (black chrome).

 

I am not a real fan of fittings for all the angles in a cooling loop.  I know it makes construction and assembly a lot easier, but fittings add more flow resistance than bent tubing.  I know the work I am in for on this one.  I have designed and build gas panels for semiconductor equipment.  All orbital welded 316L SS electro-polished tubing.  Tolerances in that industry are +/-0.01" or tighter.

 

Precise bends calls for some hardware to make it all happen (as well as some skill and a lot of patience).  Let's throw in a Monsoon 1/2" bending kit.

[LED_Guy]

Instant sub for this and holy SH!T on the monitors, for the hardline tube id go with PETG but overall im looking forward to more pics on nerd porn

 

I think the last component of the cooling loop deserves its own post.  Enjoy!

 

If you know anything at all about heat transfer and thermal management, you know aluminum is good (and relatively inexpensive).  Of course if you want better performance you go with copper and pay a premium.  (copper adds some weight as well).  In the main stream, you just don't beat copper for thermal management - unless you are really serious and step up to the next level . . .

 

Silver has the highest thermal conductivity of all the metals.  It also comes at a price premium over copper that depends on the spot price at the time of sale.  By a wonderful coincidence silver fits the "touch of gray" theme as well.

 

Cuplex Kryos XT .925 Silver

 

Of course the picture on the box doesn't even begin to do justice to the Kryos Silver edition.

 

Put a little more effort in to camera work and lighting and you can get (what I think) is an even better picture

 

The cooling plate honestly is sterling silver.

 

The surface on the bottom is an amazingly good mirror - silver also has the highest visible light reflectivity of all the metals as well.  For those who wonder about the planarity, if you look carefully you can see the reflected image of the i7 5960X.

 

If you think it is a little distorted and maybe blurry, this picture was taken with a DSLR camera with a 200mm lens from about 15 ft away.  I focused on the cooling plate and the reflection of the i7 5960X is about another 15" further away.

[Br3tt96]

Soooooo expensive, yet sooooooo jelly....

Actually, at the time I bought the components the 980 Ti HOF wasn't released.  In fact, the 980 Ti (of any kind) was just a rumor.  I had all these parts in hand back in March, but I ended up having 3 trials in 3 consecutive months - I work as an expert witness in technology/patent infringement cases.  The longest trial took 3 weeks of court time.  Prep and work outside of the court room takes huge amounts of time.

 

Within 2 hours of leaving the court room on the 3rd trial I got an email for another case . . .

 

I will probably be ordering a pair of 980 Ti HOFs in the next week or so . . .

 

Anyone want a pair of barely used 980 HOFs? :rolleyes:  (only plugged in to make sure all the components worked and the system booted)

Now if you're offering a free HoF, I'll take one!!! But I assume you're not... :'(

[Lenidar]

Dis build <3

[hearthofsin]

oh i'm following this!
i've been considering buying 2 of those samsung screens! can you tell me if that would be worth the money i would have to throw after it?

[LED_Guy]

PLAN REVISION ! ! !

 

The 980 HOFs are out.  I ordered a pair of 980 Ti HOFs today - they should arrive Wednesday or Thursday.

 

I also have been redesigning the drive bay.  Here is what the stock bay looks like.

 

There is room for 6 3.5" drives.  The problem is that the reservoir I chose would make the main compartment extremely crowded unless I ditched the fins (not going to happen - I like the look).

 

To make more room, I am going for a diagonal (technically remote) GPU mounting scheme.  This frees up some room.  This was actually my plan from the time I saw the 980 HOFs.  It seemed such a shame to have a GPU with a great looking top face that would never get seen after installation.  The HOF logo is LED backlit and that is what you normally see.  Depending on you case, you can only see one or the other.  I wanted to be able to see both!

 

That still made for a tight fit and I would just barely be able to fit in a pair of 980 Ti HOFs.  The solution was to relocate the fan cage to the drive bay.  Now I have some real estate to work with.  The Ti HOFs are another 7mm longer - it doesn't sound like a lot, but I didn't have a lot of room to begin with.

 

So now I had to come up with a way to fit in the fan cage AND all my drives.  I am already mounting the HOFs at an angle, so why not the drives?

Here is the current version of my new SSD rack.

 

I can do something similar with the HDDs.

 

If I really wanted to push things, I could expand to 6 3.5" drives AND 6 2.5" drives - all without touching my dual 5.25" drive bays.  I didn't really see a point though.  I will be building out for a 4x4 configuration even if I only plan on 2x2.

 

The drive cables will run down the left side of the bay to keep things neat and clean.

 

There are a few more changes to the drive bay compartment that I am planning, but I'll save those for later.

[LED_Guy]

I originally thought about running my drive cables down the front of the drive cage on the left side and then across to the main compartment.  The curve at the base of the drive bay would be great to tuck cables behind.  The problem is that the wall between the drive bay and main compartment is almost 3" high so I would have to run all my SATA cables up and over that - just not attractive.

 

I did some more work this morning and I will be running my SATA cables up (left side of the drive bay) and behind/over the drives.  The top of the fan cage makes a natural shelf to run cables along.  There is also easy access to the main compartment at that level so cable management shouldn't be much of a problem.

 

My GPU cables will run down the back side of my HOFs and come out behind the PSU.  I will be using a false bottom to mount my pump.  It's actually a double false bottom with two levels for cable runs.  I will post some renderings later. . . .

[CydiaDash]

Followed

[Sardo]

Browsing forums led me to this... im glad it did.
 

[aom]

How many shades of gray?

 

But honestly, the build looks like its going to be amazing. Especially with the slanted GPUs, can't wait to see it when its finished.

[LED_Guy]

Thanks.  I stumbled across the name.  I'm personally not a fan of red/black builds as they seem to be everywhere.  2nd place seems to go to white (especially if you throw in white/black).  I started buying components late last year, just when the GALAX 980 HOFs came out.  I fell in love with the performance and appearance.

 

The name itself is a nod to one of my friends in the LED industry.  He commented that we had both been in the industry for long enough to have gray in our beards.

 

I wanted to do the angled GPUs for a long time and I was originally going to do it with reference NVidia cards (I think they look rather nice even if they are reference designs).

 

If this build goes well and I get enough feedback then I am willing to attempt some of the more outlandish designs I have been sketching out.  They make slanted GPUs seem tame . . .

 

I spent most of the design designing out the hardware for my drive bay.  It takes a fair amount of work to get it right (near ready for machining).  I should have renderings tomorrow.  After that it is back to work on the main compartment.

[LED_Guy]

Here are some renderings of the redesigned drive cage.  This is very close to final design.  A bent metal cage would be ideal as most of the structure could be made out of 18 gauge aluminum (1.2 mm).  The problem is finding a machine shop that can do precision bending.  You would do all you cutting, drilling and threading with a flat sheet and then bend into final form.  I am looking for +/- 0.20 mm tolerances (or better).  That's a real challenge given that I some of the attachment points are separated by 2 bends.

 

All the parts are designed to be machined from aluminum bar stock.  That makes for a lot of swarf (shavings/turnings/scrap), but it gives an incredibly strong structure and let's me get my tolerances.  I can also get the parts anodized or even better plated (thinking black chrome).  Black chrome would tie in with the color theme and match my tube fittings and the pump housing.

 

The SSD rack assembly drops down into slots on the horizontal plate and then gets pushed back to seat.  One or two set screws on the front legs will let me lock it into place.

 

The "rails" of the SSD rack are identical.  The SSD trays are all identical as well.  They screw to the rails from the front side.  On the back view you can see easy access to the attach screw locations on the lower side of the bottom of the SSDs.  There is enough clearance to install SSDs without disassembling the rack (a problem with my first design).  I will probably redesign the SSD trays so the "rails" are more symmetrical about the center of the SSDs.

 

You can also see some of the cut out detail for the integrated cable tray on the left side of the rack.  This gives clearance to remove/replace any of the HDDs without disassembling everything.  The SATA cables will go up the left side to a point able the SDD rack, to the back of the bay and then come around to the right side using the top of the fan cage.  (I still need to add a ledge/channel for running the cables to the back and across).  I also need to add some holes to the SATA cable channel on the left side.  If I thread the back hole, then I can use long machine screws to retain the cables in the channel (no cable ties!!!)

 

Here's a close up of the SATA cable channel.

 

On the back side, there are dovetail cutouts.  This let's you mount your HDDs on a tray assembly, then just hang it in place.  The dovetail sides make it easier to line things up.  Once that is done, you just let it slide down into place.  I might add some features to the hook assembly on the bottom of the HDD trays for a good friction fit, but I'm not sure its necessary and it means I might have to worry about wear/abrasion on any plating I use.

 

As I said, this is all really overkill since I am only installing 2 SSDs and 2 3.5" HDDs.  Designing for that would have left me with a ton of room, but in an awkward location to use in a manner that I could show off.

 

The cover on the drive bay is vented and has a filter.  I will probably add a pair of 140mm fans on a hinge type mount to so they will pull air into the drive bay and force feed the pair of 120mm fans into the cage.  That will give me some free cooling of the drives (not that I should really need it).

 

I have a some clean up work for the dual 5.25" bay compartment.  I have some plans for this in the future.  It is heavily integrated into the drive bay side and it won't be very easy to modify.  A few openings into the main compartment could add a lot of utility to the space . . .

[LED_Guy]

FYI - I had a good weekend - look what showed up . . .

 

I've never seen a side by side comparison of the GALAX 980 HOF and the GALAX 980 Ti HOF on line so I thought I would post one here

The logo around the center fan and the outer fan covers are all now chrome(?) plated

 

A new back plate with improved ventilation

 

More ventilation at the output end as well (the DVI cover came with the Ti HOFs)

 

The specs say the 980 Ti HOF is another 7mm longer.  It is very hard to notice.  Still, I am glad I redesigned the drive bay to free up some room.  Out of the box, fill rate is about 25% faster.  The boost in memory is nice as well.

[ClownFace1511]

Fuck those cards are sexy

I know. I could of got the limited LN2 ones but i was gonna water cool them so rip sexy fans