The_Edster

A guy at work started telling me about a cooling problem with his "Asus Black Edition 16-Core Processor", I kid you not those were his exact words.

A friend of mine posted a picture of his 3 display setup on Facebook, a girl commented "Why do you need three computers?". He had to nicely explain to her that they were just monitors and he only had 1 computer, it seems to me that an awful lot of people count the display as the computer because that's where they are physically looking when using the computer.

On intel probably not too much, you're probably gonna want that extra $100 over whatever additional performance you stand to gain through the increased ram speed

Intel doesn't care as much as AMD would.

A guy at work started telling me about a cooling problem with his "Asus Black Edition 16-Core Processor", I kid you not those were his exact words.

Hey everyone! First of all I'd like to apologize for the long wait for the final pics for this build, I have been extremely busy recently and just haven't had the time to get around to it. So without further ado, may I present Project Contrast (A.K.A Creamsicle)!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I am glad to be finally done this build! There are only a couple things I would change about it, the first is improving the paint job (there are couple areas where it is imperfect) and secondly get a motherboard that matches the color scheme. Overall I am very happy with it considering it is my first ever water-cooled build! Thanks to everyone who supported the project and stuck with me!
 

I received all of the final parts I need to complete the build and begin some acrylic tube bending!
 

I received 8 of these 24 inch lengths of tubing from Primochill which I'm hoping will be enough.'
 

Bitspower Mini-Valve which will be attached to the reservoir.
 
Sleeved cables!
 
 Got my 2 gentle typhoons and installed them with the 240 rad in the roof.
 
My first ever bend, just a standard 90 degree going from the gpu to the cpu.
 
A slightly more complex one going from the cpu to the 240 rad in the roof.
 

The 90 degree bend for connecting the reservoir to the 360 rad.
 
Close up shot..
 
The res is attached to the radiator by industrial strength velcro, I was skeptical but it actually held! It also is getting more support from the tubing attached now though.
 
The combo from above
 
The two bends in the system.
 
My favourite picture of the build so far!
 
My messy workstation..
 
It wouldn't be an official build log if I didn't include a pet!
 
Thats pretty much it for now, I'm going to be installing front 360 combo and doing the rest of the tubing and wiring for next time, then it will be complete!

Overall I think the painting went well though it definitely has it's imperfections, I think I applied the paint too thick and too quick in some areas causing some minor flaking. I will probably come back and touch these up later. The paint on the SSD's turned out really nice and I am very happy with them. The colour of the case paint was perfect and will look great with the Mayhems Pastel Orange concentrate I will be using.
 

All black case trim painted.
 

From the side.
 

Top case panel.
 

Close up of intakes on the top panel.
 

The painted PCI slot brackets.
 

From the back.
 

The flaking at its worst on the PSU shroud logo.
 

The view from the front, looking pretty sleek.
 

I added three striped on the window side panel, not sure whether to keep them. Thoughts and opinions?
 

The full case with the side panel window.
 

The painted SSD's.
 

The SSD's will be mounted on the PSU shroud of course.
 

The paint I used for those wondering.
 
*PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE IMAGES*

Welcome to the build log for Project Contrast! Right away I would like to preface that this is my first ever build log and water cooling loop so there are bound to be some mishaps. When I first saw the NZXT H440 I completely fell in love, I absolutely loved the minimal look and clean design and I knew I had to get my hands on one. That's exactly what I did! My PC has been running solidly in this case for around a month now but I think it is time to take it to the next level, and that is where the idea of this project comes in. The main idea is to have a full water cooling loop and have the whole build follow white/orange color scheme. Obviously in order to follow the color scheme I am going to have to do some custom painting on my white/black standard case. The loop is going to be done using hard line tubes (ambitious for my first loop) with white compression fittings and orange coolant. Anyway that is the main idea of the project, so lets get into it!
 
 
 
 

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770k (4.6GHz)
GPU: PNY GTX 780 3GB (Reference)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z77-D3H
RAM: Corsair XMS3 16GB (1600MHz)
SSD1: Samsung 840 Pro 128GB (Boot/OS)
SSD2: Crucial M500 240GB (Games)
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 2TB (Storage)
PSU: Raidmax AE 850W
Case: NZXT H440 (White/Black)
 
 
 
 

GPU Water Block: XSPC Razor 780 GPU Water Block GPU Back Plate: XSPC Razor 780 Back Plate CPU Water Block: XSPC Raystorm CPU Water Block CPU Face Plate: XSPC White Edition Face Plate Pump: XSPC D5 Vario Pump Reservoir: XSPC Photon 170 Tube Reservoir Top Radiator: XSPC AX240 Dual Radiator - White Front Radiator: XSPC AX360 Triple Radiator - White Fittings: 8 PrimoChill Rigid Ghost Compression Fitting (1/2" OD, 3/8" ID) Tubing: 6ft. PETG Tube (1/2" OD, 3/8" ID)  
 
 
 

- Paint all black case trim orange.
- Paint both SSD's.
- Paint head of thumbscrews orange.
- Paint PCI slot covers orange.
​- Paint rubber grommets orange.
- Sleeve all PSU cables with white/orange sleeving.
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 
 
Tools/Materials: - Heat Gun - Orange Spray Paint - White Spray Paint - Masking Tape - Compressed Air - Paint Primer - Thermal Paste - Screwdriver - Silicone Tubing     Optional (Drain System): Valve: Bitspower G1/4" Mini Valve     Table of Contents: Update 1 - Part Arrival & Paint Prep Update 2 - Case & SSD Painting Update 3 - Acrylic Bending & Final Parts   Final Pictures!

I didn't, I took it out completely just because there was no room. The only storage in the system are the two SSD's on the power supply shroud.

A guy at work started telling me about a cooling problem with his "Asus Black Edition 16-Core Processor", I kid you not those were his exact words.

Hey everyone! First of all I'd like to apologize for the long wait for the final pics for this build, I have been extremely busy recently and just haven't had the time to get around to it. So without further ado, may I present Project Contrast (A.K.A Creamsicle)!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I am glad to be finally done this build! There are only a couple things I would change about it, the first is improving the paint job (there are couple areas where it is imperfect) and secondly get a motherboard that matches the color scheme. Overall I am very happy with it considering it is my first ever water-cooled build! Thanks to everyone who supported the project and stuck with me!
 

Hey everyone! First of all I'd like to apologize for the long wait for the final pics for this build, I have been extremely busy recently and just haven't had the time to get around to it. So without further ado, may I present Project Contrast (A.K.A Creamsicle)!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I am glad to be finally done this build! There are only a couple things I would change about it, the first is improving the paint job (there are couple areas where it is imperfect) and secondly get a motherboard that matches the color scheme. Overall I am very happy with it considering it is my first ever water-cooled build! Thanks to everyone who supported the project and stuck with me!
 

Hey everyone! First of all I'd like to apologize for the long wait for the final pics for this build, I have been extremely busy recently and just haven't had the time to get around to it. So without further ado, may I present Project Contrast (A.K.A Creamsicle)!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I am glad to be finally done this build! There are only a couple things I would change about it, the first is improving the paint job (there are couple areas where it is imperfect) and secondly get a motherboard that matches the color scheme. Overall I am very happy with it considering it is my first ever water-cooled build! Thanks to everyone who supported the project and stuck with me!
 

A guy at work started telling me about a cooling problem with his "Asus Black Edition 16-Core Processor", I kid you not those were his exact words.

can't get any cleaner than this for the corsair carbide spec 02 case

A question I would ask myself would be; What am I going to be playing?
 
A few months ago a build a system for my brothers friend, very much like the one you have listed here, though with 16 gigs of ram. Though the only thing he really plays is CS:GO and Call of Duty. Games that my aging 660ti and i5 3570k can play pretty much maxed out.
 
Of course, it also depends on your monitor. If you are planning to upgrade to 4k or similar the 980 might be a good purchase, but otherwise I would personally go with the 970 for 1080 or even 1440p gaming.
 
The processor is your call. If you like to buy the latest AAA games (BF4 can use more than 4 cores, right?) and max them out, go for it, but otherwise, an i5 should still be plenty.

I received all of the final parts I need to complete the build and begin some acrylic tube bending!
 

I received 8 of these 24 inch lengths of tubing from Primochill which I'm hoping will be enough.'
 

Bitspower Mini-Valve which will be attached to the reservoir.
 
Sleeved cables!
 
 Got my 2 gentle typhoons and installed them with the 240 rad in the roof.
 
My first ever bend, just a standard 90 degree going from the gpu to the cpu.
 
A slightly more complex one going from the cpu to the 240 rad in the roof.
 

The 90 degree bend for connecting the reservoir to the 360 rad.
 
Close up shot..
 
The res is attached to the radiator by industrial strength velcro, I was skeptical but it actually held! It also is getting more support from the tubing attached now though.
 
The combo from above
 
The two bends in the system.
 
My favourite picture of the build so far!
 
My messy workstation..
 
It wouldn't be an official build log if I didn't include a pet!
 
Thats pretty much it for now, I'm going to be installing front 360 combo and doing the rest of the tubing and wiring for next time, then it will be complete!

Hey everyone! First of all I'd like to apologize for the long wait for the final pics for this build, I have been extremely busy recently and just haven't had the time to get around to it. So without further ado, may I present Project Contrast (A.K.A Creamsicle)!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I am glad to be finally done this build! There are only a couple things I would change about it, the first is improving the paint job (there are couple areas where it is imperfect) and secondly get a motherboard that matches the color scheme. Overall I am very happy with it considering it is my first ever water-cooled build! Thanks to everyone who supported the project and stuck with me!
 

Hey everyone! First of all I'd like to apologize for the long wait for the final pics for this build, I have been extremely busy recently and just haven't had the time to get around to it. So without further ado, may I present Project Contrast (A.K.A Creamsicle)!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I am glad to be finally done this build! There are only a couple things I would change about it, the first is improving the paint job (there are couple areas where it is imperfect) and secondly get a motherboard that matches the color scheme. Overall I am very happy with it considering it is my first ever water-cooled build! Thanks to everyone who supported the project and stuck with me!
 

Hey everyone! First of all I'd like to apologize for the long wait for the final pics for this build, I have been extremely busy recently and just haven't had the time to get around to it. So without further ado, may I present Project Contrast (A.K.A Creamsicle)!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I am glad to be finally done this build! There are only a couple things I would change about it, the first is improving the paint job (there are couple areas where it is imperfect) and secondly get a motherboard that matches the color scheme. Overall I am very happy with it considering it is my first ever water-cooled build! Thanks to everyone who supported the project and stuck with me!
 

This is the 1 biggest thing I would like to change about this build, unfortunately as I have said before I can't justify spending money on a new mobo when the one I have works perfectly
 
Haha thanks!

Hey everyone! First of all I'd like to apologize for the long wait for the final pics for this build, I have been extremely busy recently and just haven't had the time to get around to it. So without further ado, may I present Project Contrast (A.K.A Creamsicle)!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I am glad to be finally done this build! There are only a couple things I would change about it, the first is improving the paint job (there are couple areas where it is imperfect) and secondly get a motherboard that matches the color scheme. Overall I am very happy with it considering it is my first ever water-cooled build! Thanks to everyone who supported the project and stuck with me!
 

Thanks! Oh believe me I would love to! Unfortunately those things aren't free 
 
It's killing me too haha! Seriously thanks though 

Hey everyone! First of all I'd like to apologize for the long wait for the final pics for this build, I have been extremely busy recently and just haven't had the time to get around to it. So without further ado, may I present Project Contrast (A.K.A Creamsicle)!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I am glad to be finally done this build! There are only a couple things I would change about it, the first is improving the paint job (there are couple areas where it is imperfect) and secondly get a motherboard that matches the color scheme. Overall I am very happy with it considering it is my first ever water-cooled build! Thanks to everyone who supported the project and stuck with me!