Hydroxyl

Exactly. GN's follow-up basically proves Linus and anyone defending him wrong. If GN had informed Linus, it would have been journalistically irresponsible!
 

There won't be a big WAN Show segment about this or anything. Most of what I have to say, I've already said, and I've done so privately.

To Steve, I expressed my disappointment that he didn't go through proper journalistic practices in creating this piece. He has my email and number (along with numerous other members of our team) and could have asked me for context that may have proven to be valuable (like the fact that we didn't 'sell' the monoblock, but rather auctioned it for charity due to a miscommunication... AND the fact that while we haven't sent payment yet, we have already agreed to compensate Billet Labs for the cost of their prototype). There are other issues, but I've told him that I won't be drawn into a public sniping match over this and that I'll be continuing to move forward in good faith as part of 'Team Media'. When/if he's ready to do so again I'll be ready.

To my team (and my CEO's team, but realistically I was at the helm for all of these errors, so I need to own it), I stressed the importance of diligence in our work because there are so many eyes on us. We are going through some growing pains - we've been very public about them in the interest of transparency - and it's clear we have some work to do on internal processes and communication. We have already been doing a lot of work internally to clean up our processes, but these things take time. Rome wasn't built in a day, but that's no excuse for sloppiness.

Now, for my community, all I can say is the same things I always say. We know that we're not perfect. We wear our imperfection on our sleeves in the interest of ensuring that we stay accountable to you. But it's sad and unfortunate when this transparency gets warped into a bad thing. The Labs team is hard at work hard creating processes and tools to generate data that will benefit all consumers - a work in progress that is very much not done and that we've communicated needs to be treated as such. Do we have notes under some videos? Yes. Is it because we are striving for transparency/improvement? Yeah... What we're doing hasn't been in many years, if ever.. and we would make a much larger correction if the circumstances merited it. Listing the wrong amount of cache on a table for a CPU review is sloppy, but given that our conclusions are drawn based on our testing, not the spec sheet, it doesn't materially change the recommendation. That doesn't mean these things don't matter. We've set KPIs for our writing/labs team around accuracy, and we are continually installing new checks and balances to ensure that things continue to get better. If you haven't seen the improvement, frankly I wonder if you're really looking for it... The thoroughness that we managed on our last handful of GPU videos is getting really incredible given the limited time we have for these embargoes. I'm REALLY excited about what the future will hold.
 
With all of that said, I still disagree that the Billet Labs video (not the situation with the return, which I've already addressed above) is an 'accuracy' issue. It's more like I just read the room wrong. We COULD have re-tested it with perfect accuracy, but to do so PROPERLY - accounting for which cases it could be installed in (none) and which radiators it would be plumbed with (again... mystery) would have been impossible... and also didn't affect the conclusion of the video... OR SO I THOUGHT...
 
I wanted to evaluate it as a product, and as a product, IF it could manage to compete with the temperatures of the highest end blocks on the planet, it still wouldn't make sense to buy... so from my point of view, re-testing it and finding out that yes, it did in fact run cooler made no difference to the conclusion, so it didn't really make a difference.
 
Adam and I were talking about this today. He advocated for re-testing it regardless of how non-viable it was as a product at the time and I think he expressed really well today why it mattered. It was like making a video about a supercar. It doesn't mater if no one watching will buy it. They just wanna see it rip.  I missed that, but it wasn't because I didn't care about the consumer.. it was because I was so focused on how this product impacted a potential buyer. Either way, clearly my bad, but my intention was never to harm Billet Labs. I specifically called out their incredible machining skills because I wanted to see them create something with a viable market for it and was hoping others would appreciate the fineness of the craftsmanship even if the product was impractical. I still hope they move forward building something else because they obviously have talent and I've watched countless niche water cooling vendors come and go. It's an astonishingly unforgiving market.
 
Either way, I'm sorry I got the community's priorities mixed-up on this one, and that we didn't show the Billet in the best light. Our intention wasn't to hurt anyone. We wanted no one to buy it (because it's an egregious waste of money no matter what temps it runs at) and we wanted Billet to make something marketable (so they can, y'know, eat).
 
With all of this in mind, it saddens me how quickly the pitchforks were raised over this. It also comes across a touch hypocritical when some basic due diligence could have helped clarify much of it. I have a LONG history of meeting issues head on and I've never been afraid to answer questions, which lands me in hot water regularly, but helps keep me in tune with my peers and with the community. The only reason I can think of not to ask me is because my honest response might be inconvenient. 
 
We can test that... with this post. Will the "It was a mistake (a bad one, but a mistake) and they're taking care of it" reality manage to have the same reach? Let's see if anyone actually wants to know what happened. I hope so, but it's been disheartening seeing how many people were willing to jump on us here. Believe it or not, I'm a real person and so is the rest of my team. We are trying our best, and if what we were doing was easy, everyone would do it. Today sucks.
 
Thanks for reading this.

So... I did a thing.
 
Story begins with me, guy who likes DIY but can't afford a proper workshop. Or just don't have a space. ANYWAYS, I was browsing eBay and found a TR4 beQuiet Dark Rock Pro for £20. I thought, hell, it's really cheap. So I decided to buy it.
I forgot about it until it actually show up at my doorstep. It is MASSIVE! I loved every single thing about this monstrosity. I had to mount it. But is it even possible?
By googling through the vast internet I found like 2 threads about it. 1 says that it's impossible, the other one that you have to be magician with machine working. I'm not...
... but I have Dremel.
 
It all started with checking the holes on AM4 motherboard. Since I'm lazy and I don't have any laying around, only in my main rig, I decided that I'll get measurements from the stock cooler.
TR4 Dark Rock has one arm for mounting screws longer than the other. So first one, I just needed to drill holes through it at the ends. No big deal (spoiler alert - massive deal).
https://imgur.com/DaGlVUX
The other one, smaller, all I needed is simply make holes bigger. Maybe with a simple drill I'll be able to do it? (no.)
https://imgur.com/SCQEo8D
Now, the main arm needs an extra hole to make sure it will align with holes. (Impossibru. At least without any super strong/special tools)
https://imgur.com/jDh2i1I
So... Let's do it.
 
First, I have couple of drills that might work. Decided to give it a try.
https://imgur.com/SsEN6uW
After 10 minutes, all I saw was just a small scratch. I gave up.
https://imgur.com/rr4aem8
If I don't have a specific drill, maybe I can just do a hole with a Dremel? It won't look good, but it doesn't have to. It has to be big enough to fit a screw through. Try the first cut:
https://imgur.com/RCIa6QR
So after incredibly professional job from me, (and destroying one Dremel blade https://imgur.com/m5qkGeq) it came out like that:
https://imgur.com/rA5EY5y
Oh, so professional!
https://imgur.com/Rg1qe6S
But wait. I'm not going to leave it all silver and shiny. I need to be professional.
https://imgur.com/9DExjzF
Brilliant. Now, let's try if the screw will fit: 
https://imgur.com/Eoyqlma
Surprisingly well. 
 
But I still have two more parts to destro... I mean, adjust. If I don't have a drill and I can't really do a star again...
https://imgur.com/se9qWCX
Meh, I'll be fine.
And final fit:
https://imgur.com/w5Vcj6t
 
Holly crap, it might actually work.
 
Or is it?
 
Well, it's time to check.
https://imgur.com/dA19YUP
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After disassembly of Noctua cooler I did a test fit of my better, improved mounting brackets...
https://imgur.com/DdBandH
It did not work. I mean, it kinda worked. Long one was surprisingly tough, it could easily hold the cooler, but the small one, I cut too short. What now?!
Wait... what about that Noctua bracket? Might work...
https://imgur.com/9IvmIBv
Well, from test fit I learned two things.
1) I didn't had to get any holes to make it work,
2) 1 screw less never killed anyone (did you ever disassembly laptop and had zero screws left? I didn't, yet they all work).
 
So as a test was positive, I decided to check first without thermal paste. Let's check.
https://imgur.com/SyFJYib
https://imgur.com/YpxsxmY
https://imgur.com/5PL0zpX
https://imgur.com/9QNY3is
It... works. I think. I need to tight the screws way too much that I like, but it does fit. I can lift a mobo by the cooler, and it has NO movement anywhere. So I'm happy. On this photo, you can even see how IHS makes contact with cooling plate:
https://imgur.com/xVXU03R
... or at least you could see, if I had better camera. Redmi Note 8 is not the best for it.
Back to DIY. I decided that it takes WAY too much time now, I need to mount it. If I break MOBO, I'll break it, but I need to make it work. So:
https://imgur.com/waFEFe1
https://imgur.com/EiWAPC7 (here you can see it makes a decent contact with IHS)
https://imgur.com/0yNlW32 (mounted middle fan and front)
 
 
AAAAAAAAAND! 
https://imgur.com/NPbhDIG
 
YES!
 
But wait. It did not post...
 
(because I'm an idiot and didn't fastened PCIe extension properly)
 
2nd try, and...
https://imgur.com/arZJKrH
SUCCESS! 
https://imgur.com/Y6tEFF9 Temps not bad...
 
OCCT stress test, after ~ 6 minutes it stabilized around 67*C and stayed there:
https://imgur.com/tvBTQxr 
 
So after all. The main questions:
1) Is it better than previous cooler? Yes, by 10*C.
2) Was it worth it? No.
3) Am I proud of it? Hell yes.
4) Would I do it again? Yes.
5) Do I recommend it? NO.
 
It was pain in the ASS to do it, but I had fun. And learned that I need to buy some new tools.
 
Hope you enjoyed it. I know I did.
 

So... I did a thing.
 
Story begins with me, guy who likes DIY but can't afford a proper workshop. Or just don't have a space. ANYWAYS, I was browsing eBay and found a TR4 beQuiet Dark Rock Pro for £20. I thought, hell, it's really cheap. So I decided to buy it.
I forgot about it until it actually show up at my doorstep. It is MASSIVE! I loved every single thing about this monstrosity. I had to mount it. But is it even possible?
By googling through the vast internet I found like 2 threads about it. 1 says that it's impossible, the other one that you have to be magician with machine working. I'm not...
... but I have Dremel.
 
It all started with checking the holes on AM4 motherboard. Since I'm lazy and I don't have any laying around, only in my main rig, I decided that I'll get measurements from the stock cooler.
TR4 Dark Rock has one arm for mounting screws longer than the other. So first one, I just needed to drill holes through it at the ends. No big deal (spoiler alert - massive deal).
https://imgur.com/DaGlVUX
The other one, smaller, all I needed is simply make holes bigger. Maybe with a simple drill I'll be able to do it? (no.)
https://imgur.com/SCQEo8D
Now, the main arm needs an extra hole to make sure it will align with holes. (Impossibru. At least without any super strong/special tools)
https://imgur.com/jDh2i1I
So... Let's do it.
 
First, I have couple of drills that might work. Decided to give it a try.
https://imgur.com/SsEN6uW
After 10 minutes, all I saw was just a small scratch. I gave up.
https://imgur.com/rr4aem8
If I don't have a specific drill, maybe I can just do a hole with a Dremel? It won't look good, but it doesn't have to. It has to be big enough to fit a screw through. Try the first cut:
https://imgur.com/RCIa6QR
So after incredibly professional job from me, (and destroying one Dremel blade https://imgur.com/m5qkGeq) it came out like that:
https://imgur.com/rA5EY5y
Oh, so professional!
https://imgur.com/Rg1qe6S
But wait. I'm not going to leave it all silver and shiny. I need to be professional.
https://imgur.com/9DExjzF
Brilliant. Now, let's try if the screw will fit: 
https://imgur.com/Eoyqlma
Surprisingly well. 
 
But I still have two more parts to destro... I mean, adjust. If I don't have a drill and I can't really do a star again...
https://imgur.com/se9qWCX
Meh, I'll be fine.
And final fit:
https://imgur.com/w5Vcj6t
 
Holly crap, it might actually work.
 
Or is it?
 
Well, it's time to check.
https://imgur.com/dA19YUP
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After disassembly of Noctua cooler I did a test fit of my better, improved mounting brackets...
https://imgur.com/DdBandH
It did not work. I mean, it kinda worked. Long one was surprisingly tough, it could easily hold the cooler, but the small one, I cut too short. What now?!
Wait... what about that Noctua bracket? Might work...
https://imgur.com/9IvmIBv
Well, from test fit I learned two things.
1) I didn't had to get any holes to make it work,
2) 1 screw less never killed anyone (did you ever disassembly laptop and had zero screws left? I didn't, yet they all work).
 
So as a test was positive, I decided to check first without thermal paste. Let's check.
https://imgur.com/SyFJYib
https://imgur.com/YpxsxmY
https://imgur.com/5PL0zpX
https://imgur.com/9QNY3is
It... works. I think. I need to tight the screws way too much that I like, but it does fit. I can lift a mobo by the cooler, and it has NO movement anywhere. So I'm happy. On this photo, you can even see how IHS makes contact with cooling plate:
https://imgur.com/xVXU03R
... or at least you could see, if I had better camera. Redmi Note 8 is not the best for it.
Back to DIY. I decided that it takes WAY too much time now, I need to mount it. If I break MOBO, I'll break it, but I need to make it work. So:
https://imgur.com/waFEFe1
https://imgur.com/EiWAPC7 (here you can see it makes a decent contact with IHS)
https://imgur.com/0yNlW32 (mounted middle fan and front)
 
 
AAAAAAAAAND! 
https://imgur.com/NPbhDIG
 
YES!
 
But wait. It did not post...
 
(because I'm an idiot and didn't fastened PCIe extension properly)
 
2nd try, and...
https://imgur.com/arZJKrH
SUCCESS! 
https://imgur.com/Y6tEFF9 Temps not bad...
 
OCCT stress test, after ~ 6 minutes it stabilized around 67*C and stayed there:
https://imgur.com/tvBTQxr 
 
So after all. The main questions:
1) Is it better than previous cooler? Yes, by 10*C.
2) Was it worth it? No.
3) Am I proud of it? Hell yes.
4) Would I do it again? Yes.
5) Do I recommend it? NO.
 
It was pain in the ASS to do it, but I had fun. And learned that I need to buy some new tools.
 
Hope you enjoyed it. I know I did.
 

So... I did a thing.
 
Story begins with me, guy who likes DIY but can't afford a proper workshop. Or just don't have a space. ANYWAYS, I was browsing eBay and found a TR4 beQuiet Dark Rock Pro for £20. I thought, hell, it's really cheap. So I decided to buy it.
I forgot about it until it actually show up at my doorstep. It is MASSIVE! I loved every single thing about this monstrosity. I had to mount it. But is it even possible?
By googling through the vast internet I found like 2 threads about it. 1 says that it's impossible, the other one that you have to be magician with machine working. I'm not...
... but I have Dremel.
 
It all started with checking the holes on AM4 motherboard. Since I'm lazy and I don't have any laying around, only in my main rig, I decided that I'll get measurements from the stock cooler.
TR4 Dark Rock has one arm for mounting screws longer than the other. So first one, I just needed to drill holes through it at the ends. No big deal (spoiler alert - massive deal).
https://imgur.com/DaGlVUX
The other one, smaller, all I needed is simply make holes bigger. Maybe with a simple drill I'll be able to do it? (no.)
https://imgur.com/SCQEo8D
Now, the main arm needs an extra hole to make sure it will align with holes. (Impossibru. At least without any super strong/special tools)
https://imgur.com/jDh2i1I
So... Let's do it.
 
First, I have couple of drills that might work. Decided to give it a try.
https://imgur.com/SsEN6uW
After 10 minutes, all I saw was just a small scratch. I gave up.
https://imgur.com/rr4aem8
If I don't have a specific drill, maybe I can just do a hole with a Dremel? It won't look good, but it doesn't have to. It has to be big enough to fit a screw through. Try the first cut:
https://imgur.com/RCIa6QR
So after incredibly professional job from me, (and destroying one Dremel blade https://imgur.com/m5qkGeq) it came out like that:
https://imgur.com/rA5EY5y
Oh, so professional!
https://imgur.com/Rg1qe6S
But wait. I'm not going to leave it all silver and shiny. I need to be professional.
https://imgur.com/9DExjzF
Brilliant. Now, let's try if the screw will fit: 
https://imgur.com/Eoyqlma
Surprisingly well. 
 
But I still have two more parts to destro... I mean, adjust. If I don't have a drill and I can't really do a star again...
https://imgur.com/se9qWCX
Meh, I'll be fine.
And final fit:
https://imgur.com/w5Vcj6t
 
Holly crap, it might actually work.
 
Or is it?
 
Well, it's time to check.
https://imgur.com/dA19YUP
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After disassembly of Noctua cooler I did a test fit of my better, improved mounting brackets...
https://imgur.com/DdBandH
It did not work. I mean, it kinda worked. Long one was surprisingly tough, it could easily hold the cooler, but the small one, I cut too short. What now?!
Wait... what about that Noctua bracket? Might work...
https://imgur.com/9IvmIBv
Well, from test fit I learned two things.
1) I didn't had to get any holes to make it work,
2) 1 screw less never killed anyone (did you ever disassembly laptop and had zero screws left? I didn't, yet they all work).
 
So as a test was positive, I decided to check first without thermal paste. Let's check.
https://imgur.com/SyFJYib
https://imgur.com/YpxsxmY
https://imgur.com/5PL0zpX
https://imgur.com/9QNY3is
It... works. I think. I need to tight the screws way too much that I like, but it does fit. I can lift a mobo by the cooler, and it has NO movement anywhere. So I'm happy. On this photo, you can even see how IHS makes contact with cooling plate:
https://imgur.com/xVXU03R
... or at least you could see, if I had better camera. Redmi Note 8 is not the best for it.
Back to DIY. I decided that it takes WAY too much time now, I need to mount it. If I break MOBO, I'll break it, but I need to make it work. So:
https://imgur.com/waFEFe1
https://imgur.com/EiWAPC7 (here you can see it makes a decent contact with IHS)
https://imgur.com/0yNlW32 (mounted middle fan and front)
 
 
AAAAAAAAAND! 
https://imgur.com/NPbhDIG
 
YES!
 
But wait. It did not post...
 
(because I'm an idiot and didn't fastened PCIe extension properly)
 
2nd try, and...
https://imgur.com/arZJKrH
SUCCESS! 
https://imgur.com/Y6tEFF9 Temps not bad...
 
OCCT stress test, after ~ 6 minutes it stabilized around 67*C and stayed there:
https://imgur.com/tvBTQxr 
 
So after all. The main questions:
1) Is it better than previous cooler? Yes, by 10*C.
2) Was it worth it? No.
3) Am I proud of it? Hell yes.
4) Would I do it again? Yes.
5) Do I recommend it? NO.
 
It was pain in the ASS to do it, but I had fun. And learned that I need to buy some new tools.
 
Hope you enjoyed it. I know I did.
 

https://imgur.com/tvBTQxr Here's after 6 minutes under 100% load on OCCT. Stays around 65*C.
And if I'll ever do anything like that again, I'll upload it properly. I was a bit worried that it will be massive post as photos are large, and I am way too lazy to change size (as you probably already know :p)
I mean, I'm a perfectionist. I love to put back every single screw, everything has to go it's way, every single cable has to go EXACTLY the way I want it. But with this one? I thought that probably I won't be able to do it like that, so if I can make it super weird, I'll do it.
I could do it, but I wouldn't be able to look at those flying sparks from Dremel blade. It was worth it 😛

So... I did a thing.
 
Story begins with me, guy who likes DIY but can't afford a proper workshop. Or just don't have a space. ANYWAYS, I was browsing eBay and found a TR4 beQuiet Dark Rock Pro for £20. I thought, hell, it's really cheap. So I decided to buy it.
I forgot about it until it actually show up at my doorstep. It is MASSIVE! I loved every single thing about this monstrosity. I had to mount it. But is it even possible?
By googling through the vast internet I found like 2 threads about it. 1 says that it's impossible, the other one that you have to be magician with machine working. I'm not...
... but I have Dremel.
 
It all started with checking the holes on AM4 motherboard. Since I'm lazy and I don't have any laying around, only in my main rig, I decided that I'll get measurements from the stock cooler.
TR4 Dark Rock has one arm for mounting screws longer than the other. So first one, I just needed to drill holes through it at the ends. No big deal (spoiler alert - massive deal).
https://imgur.com/DaGlVUX
The other one, smaller, all I needed is simply make holes bigger. Maybe with a simple drill I'll be able to do it? (no.)
https://imgur.com/SCQEo8D
Now, the main arm needs an extra hole to make sure it will align with holes. (Impossibru. At least without any super strong/special tools)
https://imgur.com/jDh2i1I
So... Let's do it.
 
First, I have couple of drills that might work. Decided to give it a try.
https://imgur.com/SsEN6uW
After 10 minutes, all I saw was just a small scratch. I gave up.
https://imgur.com/rr4aem8
If I don't have a specific drill, maybe I can just do a hole with a Dremel? It won't look good, but it doesn't have to. It has to be big enough to fit a screw through. Try the first cut:
https://imgur.com/RCIa6QR
So after incredibly professional job from me, (and destroying one Dremel blade https://imgur.com/m5qkGeq) it came out like that:
https://imgur.com/rA5EY5y
Oh, so professional!
https://imgur.com/Rg1qe6S
But wait. I'm not going to leave it all silver and shiny. I need to be professional.
https://imgur.com/9DExjzF
Brilliant. Now, let's try if the screw will fit: 
https://imgur.com/Eoyqlma
Surprisingly well. 
 
But I still have two more parts to destro... I mean, adjust. If I don't have a drill and I can't really do a star again...
https://imgur.com/se9qWCX
Meh, I'll be fine.
And final fit:
https://imgur.com/w5Vcj6t
 
Holly crap, it might actually work.
 
Or is it?
 
Well, it's time to check.
https://imgur.com/dA19YUP
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After disassembly of Noctua cooler I did a test fit of my better, improved mounting brackets...
https://imgur.com/DdBandH
It did not work. I mean, it kinda worked. Long one was surprisingly tough, it could easily hold the cooler, but the small one, I cut too short. What now?!
Wait... what about that Noctua bracket? Might work...
https://imgur.com/9IvmIBv
Well, from test fit I learned two things.
1) I didn't had to get any holes to make it work,
2) 1 screw less never killed anyone (did you ever disassembly laptop and had zero screws left? I didn't, yet they all work).
 
So as a test was positive, I decided to check first without thermal paste. Let's check.
https://imgur.com/SyFJYib
https://imgur.com/YpxsxmY
https://imgur.com/5PL0zpX
https://imgur.com/9QNY3is
It... works. I think. I need to tight the screws way too much that I like, but it does fit. I can lift a mobo by the cooler, and it has NO movement anywhere. So I'm happy. On this photo, you can even see how IHS makes contact with cooling plate:
https://imgur.com/xVXU03R
... or at least you could see, if I had better camera. Redmi Note 8 is not the best for it.
Back to DIY. I decided that it takes WAY too much time now, I need to mount it. If I break MOBO, I'll break it, but I need to make it work. So:
https://imgur.com/waFEFe1
https://imgur.com/EiWAPC7 (here you can see it makes a decent contact with IHS)
https://imgur.com/0yNlW32 (mounted middle fan and front)
 
 
AAAAAAAAAND! 
https://imgur.com/NPbhDIG
 
YES!
 
But wait. It did not post...
 
(because I'm an idiot and didn't fastened PCIe extension properly)
 
2nd try, and...
https://imgur.com/arZJKrH
SUCCESS! 
https://imgur.com/Y6tEFF9 Temps not bad...
 
OCCT stress test, after ~ 6 minutes it stabilized around 67*C and stayed there:
https://imgur.com/tvBTQxr 
 
So after all. The main questions:
1) Is it better than previous cooler? Yes, by 10*C.
2) Was it worth it? No.
3) Am I proud of it? Hell yes.
4) Would I do it again? Yes.
5) Do I recommend it? NO.
 
It was pain in the ASS to do it, but I had fun. And learned that I need to buy some new tools.
 
Hope you enjoyed it. I know I did.
 

So... I did a thing.
 
Story begins with me, guy who likes DIY but can't afford a proper workshop. Or just don't have a space. ANYWAYS, I was browsing eBay and found a TR4 beQuiet Dark Rock Pro for £20. I thought, hell, it's really cheap. So I decided to buy it.
I forgot about it until it actually show up at my doorstep. It is MASSIVE! I loved every single thing about this monstrosity. I had to mount it. But is it even possible?
By googling through the vast internet I found like 2 threads about it. 1 says that it's impossible, the other one that you have to be magician with machine working. I'm not...
... but I have Dremel.
 
It all started with checking the holes on AM4 motherboard. Since I'm lazy and I don't have any laying around, only in my main rig, I decided that I'll get measurements from the stock cooler.
TR4 Dark Rock has one arm for mounting screws longer than the other. So first one, I just needed to drill holes through it at the ends. No big deal (spoiler alert - massive deal).
https://imgur.com/DaGlVUX
The other one, smaller, all I needed is simply make holes bigger. Maybe with a simple drill I'll be able to do it? (no.)
https://imgur.com/SCQEo8D
Now, the main arm needs an extra hole to make sure it will align with holes. (Impossibru. At least without any super strong/special tools)
https://imgur.com/jDh2i1I
So... Let's do it.
 
First, I have couple of drills that might work. Decided to give it a try.
https://imgur.com/SsEN6uW
After 10 minutes, all I saw was just a small scratch. I gave up.
https://imgur.com/rr4aem8
If I don't have a specific drill, maybe I can just do a hole with a Dremel? It won't look good, but it doesn't have to. It has to be big enough to fit a screw through. Try the first cut:
https://imgur.com/RCIa6QR
So after incredibly professional job from me, (and destroying one Dremel blade https://imgur.com/m5qkGeq) it came out like that:
https://imgur.com/rA5EY5y
Oh, so professional!
https://imgur.com/Rg1qe6S
But wait. I'm not going to leave it all silver and shiny. I need to be professional.
https://imgur.com/9DExjzF
Brilliant. Now, let's try if the screw will fit: 
https://imgur.com/Eoyqlma
Surprisingly well. 
 
But I still have two more parts to destro... I mean, adjust. If I don't have a drill and I can't really do a star again...
https://imgur.com/se9qWCX
Meh, I'll be fine.
And final fit:
https://imgur.com/w5Vcj6t
 
Holly crap, it might actually work.
 
Or is it?
 
Well, it's time to check.
https://imgur.com/dA19YUP
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After disassembly of Noctua cooler I did a test fit of my better, improved mounting brackets...
https://imgur.com/DdBandH
It did not work. I mean, it kinda worked. Long one was surprisingly tough, it could easily hold the cooler, but the small one, I cut too short. What now?!
Wait... what about that Noctua bracket? Might work...
https://imgur.com/9IvmIBv
Well, from test fit I learned two things.
1) I didn't had to get any holes to make it work,
2) 1 screw less never killed anyone (did you ever disassembly laptop and had zero screws left? I didn't, yet they all work).
 
So as a test was positive, I decided to check first without thermal paste. Let's check.
https://imgur.com/SyFJYib
https://imgur.com/YpxsxmY
https://imgur.com/5PL0zpX
https://imgur.com/9QNY3is
It... works. I think. I need to tight the screws way too much that I like, but it does fit. I can lift a mobo by the cooler, and it has NO movement anywhere. So I'm happy. On this photo, you can even see how IHS makes contact with cooling plate:
https://imgur.com/xVXU03R
... or at least you could see, if I had better camera. Redmi Note 8 is not the best for it.
Back to DIY. I decided that it takes WAY too much time now, I need to mount it. If I break MOBO, I'll break it, but I need to make it work. So:
https://imgur.com/waFEFe1
https://imgur.com/EiWAPC7 (here you can see it makes a decent contact with IHS)
https://imgur.com/0yNlW32 (mounted middle fan and front)
 
 
AAAAAAAAAND! 
https://imgur.com/NPbhDIG
 
YES!
 
But wait. It did not post...
 
(because I'm an idiot and didn't fastened PCIe extension properly)
 
2nd try, and...
https://imgur.com/arZJKrH
SUCCESS! 
https://imgur.com/Y6tEFF9 Temps not bad...
 
OCCT stress test, after ~ 6 minutes it stabilized around 67*C and stayed there:
https://imgur.com/tvBTQxr 
 
So after all. The main questions:
1) Is it better than previous cooler? Yes, by 10*C.
2) Was it worth it? No.
3) Am I proud of it? Hell yes.
4) Would I do it again? Yes.
5) Do I recommend it? NO.
 
It was pain in the ASS to do it, but I had fun. And learned that I need to buy some new tools.
 
Hope you enjoyed it. I know I did.
 

So... I did a thing.
 
Story begins with me, guy who likes DIY but can't afford a proper workshop. Or just don't have a space. ANYWAYS, I was browsing eBay and found a TR4 beQuiet Dark Rock Pro for £20. I thought, hell, it's really cheap. So I decided to buy it.
I forgot about it until it actually show up at my doorstep. It is MASSIVE! I loved every single thing about this monstrosity. I had to mount it. But is it even possible?
By googling through the vast internet I found like 2 threads about it. 1 says that it's impossible, the other one that you have to be magician with machine working. I'm not...
... but I have Dremel.
 
It all started with checking the holes on AM4 motherboard. Since I'm lazy and I don't have any laying around, only in my main rig, I decided that I'll get measurements from the stock cooler.
TR4 Dark Rock has one arm for mounting screws longer than the other. So first one, I just needed to drill holes through it at the ends. No big deal (spoiler alert - massive deal).
https://imgur.com/DaGlVUX
The other one, smaller, all I needed is simply make holes bigger. Maybe with a simple drill I'll be able to do it? (no.)
https://imgur.com/SCQEo8D
Now, the main arm needs an extra hole to make sure it will align with holes. (Impossibru. At least without any super strong/special tools)
https://imgur.com/jDh2i1I
So... Let's do it.
 
First, I have couple of drills that might work. Decided to give it a try.
https://imgur.com/SsEN6uW
After 10 minutes, all I saw was just a small scratch. I gave up.
https://imgur.com/rr4aem8
If I don't have a specific drill, maybe I can just do a hole with a Dremel? It won't look good, but it doesn't have to. It has to be big enough to fit a screw through. Try the first cut:
https://imgur.com/RCIa6QR
So after incredibly professional job from me, (and destroying one Dremel blade https://imgur.com/m5qkGeq) it came out like that:
https://imgur.com/rA5EY5y
Oh, so professional!
https://imgur.com/Rg1qe6S
But wait. I'm not going to leave it all silver and shiny. I need to be professional.
https://imgur.com/9DExjzF
Brilliant. Now, let's try if the screw will fit: 
https://imgur.com/Eoyqlma
Surprisingly well. 
 
But I still have two more parts to destro... I mean, adjust. If I don't have a drill and I can't really do a star again...
https://imgur.com/se9qWCX
Meh, I'll be fine.
And final fit:
https://imgur.com/w5Vcj6t
 
Holly crap, it might actually work.
 
Or is it?
 
Well, it's time to check.
https://imgur.com/dA19YUP
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After disassembly of Noctua cooler I did a test fit of my better, improved mounting brackets...
https://imgur.com/DdBandH
It did not work. I mean, it kinda worked. Long one was surprisingly tough, it could easily hold the cooler, but the small one, I cut too short. What now?!
Wait... what about that Noctua bracket? Might work...
https://imgur.com/9IvmIBv
Well, from test fit I learned two things.
1) I didn't had to get any holes to make it work,
2) 1 screw less never killed anyone (did you ever disassembly laptop and had zero screws left? I didn't, yet they all work).
 
So as a test was positive, I decided to check first without thermal paste. Let's check.
https://imgur.com/SyFJYib
https://imgur.com/YpxsxmY
https://imgur.com/5PL0zpX
https://imgur.com/9QNY3is
It... works. I think. I need to tight the screws way too much that I like, but it does fit. I can lift a mobo by the cooler, and it has NO movement anywhere. So I'm happy. On this photo, you can even see how IHS makes contact with cooling plate:
https://imgur.com/xVXU03R
... or at least you could see, if I had better camera. Redmi Note 8 is not the best for it.
Back to DIY. I decided that it takes WAY too much time now, I need to mount it. If I break MOBO, I'll break it, but I need to make it work. So:
https://imgur.com/waFEFe1
https://imgur.com/EiWAPC7 (here you can see it makes a decent contact with IHS)
https://imgur.com/0yNlW32 (mounted middle fan and front)
 
 
AAAAAAAAAND! 
https://imgur.com/NPbhDIG
 
YES!
 
But wait. It did not post...
 
(because I'm an idiot and didn't fastened PCIe extension properly)
 
2nd try, and...
https://imgur.com/arZJKrH
SUCCESS! 
https://imgur.com/Y6tEFF9 Temps not bad...
 
OCCT stress test, after ~ 6 minutes it stabilized around 67*C and stayed there:
https://imgur.com/tvBTQxr 
 
So after all. The main questions:
1) Is it better than previous cooler? Yes, by 10*C.
2) Was it worth it? No.
3) Am I proud of it? Hell yes.
4) Would I do it again? Yes.
5) Do I recommend it? NO.
 
It was pain in the ASS to do it, but I had fun. And learned that I need to buy some new tools.
 
Hope you enjoyed it. I know I did.
 

Thank you! 

Going for similar build, my only issue right now is picking the right GPU. EVGA is probably the best choise here since the case seem to be designed for it but i never tried an EVGA product before and all i hear is thermal issue on their card which seem to be fixed by now but for what ever reason they added some bullshit fuse to the GPU PCB (inb4 it blows up after the warranty ends lol). I now want to stay away from it even more. The Strix is the best 10x0 series card imo, runs cooler and quiter also will match your ROG motherboard, aura sync etc... That being said you wont have enough GPU clearance if you decide to install 240mm rad, i blame NZXT for that, like ffs if this case was an inch longer it would support both x62 and 300mm GPU. You only got only few options here,

1. Either get air cooler or 120mm rad
2. Shorter GPU

Also i recommend that you get an SF600 PSU, it will help the GPU to breath. If you install ATX PSU, HDD and all the cabled the holes will be non existence. 
 

If you want to show off RGB you are going to have to go with a larger case. Small cases often achieve space saving by overlapping components and/or, as you have seen restricting component sizes.
 

Plug the AIO's pump to your CPU header, it'll give you a CPU fan error if the pump were to fail. There isn't really a difference between the AIO pump header, some have it so it always provides 12V or just slightly higher current carrying capacity.

I found this beautiful product: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Backlight-Gaming-Mouse-4000DPI-6-Button-LED-Optical-Mouse-Macro-Programmable-Mause-Computer-Mouse-Gamer-PC/32816467529.html?spm=2114.search0104.3.304.hUiA3T&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_5_10152_10065_5000015_10151_10344_10068_10130_10345_10324_10342_10547_10325_10343_10546_10340_10341_10548_10545_5130015_10541_10084_10083_10307_5690015_10539_5080015_10312_10059_10313_10314_10534_100031_10604_10603_10103_10605_5060015_10596_10142_10107,searchweb201603_1,ppcSwitch_2&algo_expid=709d2824-1636-4118-af52-744e2c5e454e-43&algo_pvid=709d2824-1636-4118-af52-744e2c5e454e&rmStoreLevelAB=5
 

You:Moooooooom......Mooooooom/ Mom: What?? / You: I really need that new mechanical keyboard / Mom: We already bought one for you / You: This one is better/ Mom: How? / You: it has RGB/ Mom: Who? / You: RGB you know red green blue and all the colors / Mom: I thought we already got you the one with the reds....... / You: No mom the keys are RGB/ Mom: well if you wanted the RGB than why did you ask for the red one? / You: No mom this one has red and the RGB / Mom: That is enough you don't need  an RGB. Children in Africa would be grateful to have the keyword you have / You: But I can't get 4k 60 fps without RGB lighting / Mom: 4 who 16 what? Have you been watching more of those Lenny's Tech Tips?? You know you need to finish that book report by Thursday, and you have the piano recital on Saturday to practice for / You: 4k 60.........Oh never mind whatever!! *runs to room and slams door violently*

Just imagine two 28 core xeons OCed...
 
It's... It's... beautiful.

Any live footage of Linus wetting himself?

dunno if someone else had that problem and told you about it but NONE of these geni.us links EVER worked for me. it sends me to amazon.de and never finds anything there. 
 
i'd prefer a direct link 

You can disable the cannibals in The Forest and turn it into a survival game, but its not really meant to be that so will be a bit lackluster.

The Forest, it is a game where you are stranded in a forest/island after a plane crashed, you need to hunt for items and animals to survive, make fires to keep warm and build a house, fortress or whatever your imagination allows you to.It has single player and co-op.

BeamNG.drive, TF2, CS:GO, War Thunder, Payday 2, RAID WWII...I'm just reading off a few of the games I have in my Steam library.

I have both cases. I love the 540. Gonna get another one for my other rig. I built in the core x9 and took it out, been sitting in the basement for over a year.
It is a nice case, but quite large. Love the horizontal mobo mounting, so much more room for water cooling and every panel is filtered. I cant bring myself to use it because I don't have enough stuff to put in it and I cant get it as clean as I would like. May try building a dual loop in it soon.

If you need a ton of space for hard drives the x9 beats the 540. Though I did get an adapter to run 5 hhds in total in the 540. Don't have pics of inside the case when I built in the x9 though. Got some old pics though of an average build I guess.