I'm not certain. I know the strip in the end piece can be swapped out (the terminal shroud cannot be). I'll try to find out if we have plans to include D-RGB strips or something with it.
Geez. That's going to be one crazy build by the time you're done.
I see a couple of oddly positioned fans that appear to be for cooling specific areas? Have you seen the InWin MARS fans and would those be helpful for your purpose at all?
I'm not 100% sure yet. I believe the lighting can be kept. The monoblock should be an interchangeable design to where you can use single color or d-rgb from what I've been told.
No plans mentioned for an X Flow though I wish we'd add it
This was prior to me joining the EK team, but I literally have finished entire photoshoots of builds and then realized I had to redo all of the pictures because of the foil...
This. Adding some type of biocide and corrosion inhibitors is ALWAYS recommended. Not worth the risk to not use it IMO. I'd give everything a good cleanse as there could already be algae build up in hard to see places and then refill with something using additives. You can pick up some simple additive bottles to mix into the distilled water
Don't forget the GPU backplate if you're not using the stock one. Otherwise, it looks good!
As a side note, we'll be launching the Maximus XI Hero monoblock in February, though I'm not 100% certain on the date.
If you run with the 60mm XE 360 and use push/pull, you should be able to skate by with a single rad. Temps may be a little higher, but you won't have any throttling or performance loss. Just a louder setup from needing to run the fans at a high RPM.
2x 360mm rads are generally recommended so that you can max out the cooling ability while keeping noise down. You get the best of both worlds that way.