JR23

goddamn you are a magician 

god its beautiful.

I love these photos.

This is badass

dude this thing looks awesome!

A few readers have been asking about performance, particularly when it comes to power usage and i'd imagine there is some serious inquisitiveness as to how CF scales too. Today i'm just compiling numbers from synthetic benchmarks rather than games purely because they are consistent and repeatable. The chosen few are Firestrike (Graphics!), Heaven and Superposition all in their most extreme 1080p form.
 

So the first set of data is taking a look at Crossfire scaling, the 'perfect' result here would be 400%. In order to control as many variables as possible all runs were at the same settings: 4.8ghz, +100% power target and 1095MHz rather than the highest achievable score. The CPU was clocked high to mitigate it's impact on scaling just as you would when comparing two different cards.
 
Firestrike: CF off - 18174, CF on - 63826, 350%
Heaven: CF off - 1838, CF on - 6620, 360%
Superposition: CF off - 3557, CF on - 13795, 388%
 
To help interpret the CF scaling results I ran another string of tests with the CPU frequency as the controlled variable. If these revealed a significant disparity between stock and overclocked CPU speeds that would account for some of the losses which may be falsely attributed to CF scaling. To save me making yet another run of all 3 benchmarks the GPU's are stock for stock this time.
 
Firestrike: 3.5GHz - 42881, 4.8GHz - 57797, +34.8%
Heaven: 3.5GHz - 5512, 4.8GHz - 6127, +11.2%
Superposition 3.5GHz - 11656, 4.8GHz - 11740, +0.7%
 
Now for the fun variables! Just like recent Nvidia cards raising the power target lets the GPU throttle up to an elevated TDP. However unlike Nvidia, AMD didn't mess about with +20% and instead +100% is a welcomed option, so obviously I went for that. The cores can run right up to 67°C without deviating from the desired clock speed so with the EK blocks that issue was completely removed. So in this set of data we see the difference between +0% and +100%, the clock speed remains the same at 1000MHz however with +0% the card is restrained to 350W rather than being free to take as much as it likes.
 
Firestrike: +0% - 57797, +100% - 60436, +4.6%
Heaven: +0% - 6127, +100% - 6254, +2.15%
Superposition: +0% - 11740, +100% - 12784, +8.9%
 
And exactly how much extra power (peak draw from the wall) did the cards take to achieve that performance gain...
 
Firestrike: +0% - 1065W, +100% - 1368W, +28.5%
Heaven: +0% - 1023W, +100% - 1138W, +11.2%
Superposition: +0% - 1010W, +100% - 1285W, +27.2%
 
For the final set we look at the same thing again only this time raising the voltage, core frequency and power target simultaneously. So not only is the card free to take as much power as it needs but the demand has also increased in a true reflection of stock vs. overclock. Because the GPU's are now allowed adequate power and are sufficiently cooled this is a completely static overclock, locked to 1267mV @1095MHz as soon as 3d clocks are enabled. As in the previous set the CPU remains at 4.8GHz for both runs.
 
Firestrike: stock - 57797, +100% - 63826, +10.4%
Heaven: stock - 6127, +100% - 6620, +8.0%
Superposition: stock - 11740, +100% - 13795, +17.5%

Firestrike: stock - 1065W, overclock - 1509W, +41.7%
Heaven: stock - 1023W, overclock - 1266W, +23.8%
Superposition: stock - 1010W, overclock - 1452W, +43.8%

Right then, some form of conclusion is in order. Personally I think it's fair to say that the Crossfire scaling is exceptional, to achieve 366% on average is more than anyone would've expected at such a low resolution. To do that with PLX and PCIe bandwidth alone is impressive, but then when you consider Firestrike is still CPU limited it becomes something else.
 
When it comes to power though it's pretty clear that the Fiji cores will quite happily take all that's going and not give much back in return. Perhaps that was a harsh perspective to take but as a percentage the gains come across somewhat small at the side of the power thrown at them. It's clear that they very rarely operate at peak efficiency, infact the 1000MHz stock clock is stretching them out considerably but that does make them very fun to play with in 2018.
 
Once furnished with a waterblock (or a very speedy fan on the aio) when you type in a core frequency and voltage then it either will or won't run at that exact frequency. There are no offsets, no dynamics at play it just does as asked and even more ridiculously the 200% TDP 1267mV setting is literally in the drivers.
 

TLDR; big numbers right here!
 

4.8GHz, 4.6GHz cache, 3200MHz C15, 1100/500MHz, 1525W
 

4.8GHz, 4.5GHz cache, 3200MHz C15, 1120/500MHz, 1286W
 

4.8GHz, 4.5GHz cache, 3200MHz C15, 1115/500MHz, 1472W
 
Running flawlessly all day, 51°C was the absolute hottest the cards ever got, PSU didn't trip. Might run some games tomorrow, check out how GTAV scales.
 
JR

Firstly thank you to those mentioned in the above image for supporting my endeavors once again!

I'm very excited to start my next personal project R1.0 INDUSTRIAL, after several months of collaborations it's great to be back in full control deciding my own specification. Not only that but setting the pace myself and taking the time to photograph everything and get it all out on the forums!
 
So a little writing about the project first to get things going, much like LIGHTNING this is centered around a very special piece of hardware and providing it with all of the power and cooling required is the main focus. The build won't be adorned with anything unnecessary however no compromises will be made along the way either. As the name implies aesthetically it will remain subtle and raw with nothing for show but nothing to hide. I intend to apply this way of thinking to each individual element and hopefully the end result will remain sympathetic to it's origin. 

As of this moment I don't have every part but I definitely won't be straying far from what I have decided as so many will be integral to the design of the case. I will elaborate on the reasoning as I unbox things but already it's clear that I have opted for completely colour neutral products with extremely reserved branding.
 
XFX Radeon Pro Duo x2
ASUS X99-M WS
Intel Broadwell-E i7-5960X
Corsair Dominator Platinum 4x4GB 3200C16
Corsair Force MP500 M.2 480GB
Western Digital Black 1TB x2
EVGA Supernova 1600T2
Parvum R1.0 INDUSTRIAL
 
Aqua Computer Aquaero 6 LT
Aqua Computer Aquaero 6 Passive Heatsink - Black
EK-Supremacy EVO X99 - Nickel Plexi
EK-FC Radeon Pro Duo - Nickel Plexi x2
EK-FC Radeon Pro Duo Backplate - Black x2
EK-XTOP Revo D5 PWM - Plexi (incl. pump) x2
EK-CoolStream PE 360 (Triple) x2
EK-CoolStream CE 280 (Dual)
EK-M.2 NVMe Heatsink - Black
EK-HD Adapter 10/12mm - Black x30
EK HD Tube 10/12mm 2-Slot (2 pcs) x2
EK-AF Angled 90° G1/4 - Black x4
EK-AF Extender Rotary M-M G1/4 - Black x2
EK-CSQ Plug G1/4 - Black x2
Noctua NF-F12 IndustrialPPC 2000RPM IP67 PWM x6
Noctua NF-A14 IndustrialPPC 2000RPM IP67 PWM x2
Noctua NA-SAVP1 Chromax - Black x4

Straight in with the aforementioned centerpiece and for once i'm not even going to attempt to conceal one for later!
 

 
Because there is just something about being instantly hit with 6 fully formed PCIe power connectors that it would be rude to hold back.
 

 

 
It comes as quite a shock when 6 screws later a magnificently elegant Cooler Master solution is unveiled, clearly far more attention was put into this than just doubling up their single card efforts.
 

 

 

 
But lets take an even closer look and not pretend a standard cooling solution was ever going to last long in my hands.
 

 

 

 
Very rapidly all kinds of beautiful secrets were exposed, two massive cores, PLX chips and endless power circuitry neatly tessellated inbetween. Considering the PCB size is no bigger than what would be found on a single GPU GDDR5 card the density is insane.
 

 
A good cleaning was in order to reveal the mirror perfect Fiji cores and all the little High Bandwidth Memes!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Already from the little bit of performance testing I managed to do (yeah these two cards instantly smashed my overclocked quad 780Ti's) and my time spent taking them apart I am completely in love with these cards. The brutal insolence of power, crossfire, PLX chips and the effort taken to package everything so elegantly together is astounding. 
 
I'll be back very soon with a preview of the case!
 
JR

A few readers have been asking about performance, particularly when it comes to power usage and i'd imagine there is some serious inquisitiveness as to how CF scales too. Today i'm just compiling numbers from synthetic benchmarks rather than games purely because they are consistent and repeatable. The chosen few are Firestrike (Graphics!), Heaven and Superposition all in their most extreme 1080p form.
 

So the first set of data is taking a look at Crossfire scaling, the 'perfect' result here would be 400%. In order to control as many variables as possible all runs were at the same settings: 4.8ghz, +100% power target and 1095MHz rather than the highest achievable score. The CPU was clocked high to mitigate it's impact on scaling just as you would when comparing two different cards.
 
Firestrike: CF off - 18174, CF on - 63826, 350%
Heaven: CF off - 1838, CF on - 6620, 360%
Superposition: CF off - 3557, CF on - 13795, 388%
 
To help interpret the CF scaling results I ran another string of tests with the CPU frequency as the controlled variable. If these revealed a significant disparity between stock and overclocked CPU speeds that would account for some of the losses which may be falsely attributed to CF scaling. To save me making yet another run of all 3 benchmarks the GPU's are stock for stock this time.
 
Firestrike: 3.5GHz - 42881, 4.8GHz - 57797, +34.8%
Heaven: 3.5GHz - 5512, 4.8GHz - 6127, +11.2%
Superposition 3.5GHz - 11656, 4.8GHz - 11740, +0.7%
 
Now for the fun variables! Just like recent Nvidia cards raising the power target lets the GPU throttle up to an elevated TDP. However unlike Nvidia, AMD didn't mess about with +20% and instead +100% is a welcomed option, so obviously I went for that. The cores can run right up to 67°C without deviating from the desired clock speed so with the EK blocks that issue was completely removed. So in this set of data we see the difference between +0% and +100%, the clock speed remains the same at 1000MHz however with +0% the card is restrained to 350W rather than being free to take as much as it likes.
 
Firestrike: +0% - 57797, +100% - 60436, +4.6%
Heaven: +0% - 6127, +100% - 6254, +2.15%
Superposition: +0% - 11740, +100% - 12784, +8.9%
 
And exactly how much extra power (peak draw from the wall) did the cards take to achieve that performance gain...
 
Firestrike: +0% - 1065W, +100% - 1368W, +28.5%
Heaven: +0% - 1023W, +100% - 1138W, +11.2%
Superposition: +0% - 1010W, +100% - 1285W, +27.2%
 
For the final set we look at the same thing again only this time raising the voltage, core frequency and power target simultaneously. So not only is the card free to take as much power as it needs but the demand has also increased in a true reflection of stock vs. overclock. Because the GPU's are now allowed adequate power and are sufficiently cooled this is a completely static overclock, locked to 1267mV @1095MHz as soon as 3d clocks are enabled. As in the previous set the CPU remains at 4.8GHz for both runs.
 
Firestrike: stock - 57797, +100% - 63826, +10.4%
Heaven: stock - 6127, +100% - 6620, +8.0%
Superposition: stock - 11740, +100% - 13795, +17.5%

Firestrike: stock - 1065W, overclock - 1509W, +41.7%
Heaven: stock - 1023W, overclock - 1266W, +23.8%
Superposition: stock - 1010W, overclock - 1452W, +43.8%

Right then, some form of conclusion is in order. Personally I think it's fair to say that the Crossfire scaling is exceptional, to achieve 366% on average is more than anyone would've expected at such a low resolution. To do that with PLX and PCIe bandwidth alone is impressive, but then when you consider Firestrike is still CPU limited it becomes something else.
 
When it comes to power though it's pretty clear that the Fiji cores will quite happily take all that's going and not give much back in return. Perhaps that was a harsh perspective to take but as a percentage the gains come across somewhat small at the side of the power thrown at them. It's clear that they very rarely operate at peak efficiency, infact the 1000MHz stock clock is stretching them out considerably but that does make them very fun to play with in 2018.
 
Once furnished with a waterblock (or a very speedy fan on the aio) when you type in a core frequency and voltage then it either will or won't run at that exact frequency. There are no offsets, no dynamics at play it just does as asked and even more ridiculously the 200% TDP 1267mV setting is literally in the drivers.
 

TLDR; big numbers right here!
 

4.8GHz, 4.6GHz cache, 3200MHz C15, 1100/500MHz, 1525W
 

4.8GHz, 4.5GHz cache, 3200MHz C15, 1120/500MHz, 1286W
 

4.8GHz, 4.5GHz cache, 3200MHz C15, 1115/500MHz, 1472W
 
Running flawlessly all day, 51°C was the absolute hottest the cards ever got, PSU didn't trip. Might run some games tomorrow, check out how GTAV scales.
 
JR

It's been a long day on the project today as i'm sure you will see in just a moment!
 

 
Things started off with some second ops on panels which required countersinks from both sides, most importantly the midwall so I could install female threaded standoff's rather than tapping the acrylic as usual. But also the base panels just so there would be no screw heads visible from very very low angles, just because.
 

 
All of my blocks arrived from various corners of Europe!
 

 

 

 

 

 
Certainly as 'full cover' as it gets, glad I opted for plexi.
 

 
Lots and lots of pads and paste later...
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
<3
 

 
280 for a Parvum, how strange this seems.
 

 

 
No doubt a healthy amount of rads to deal with all of the mighty cores.
 

 

 
Not just the case itself but everything i've changed to be 90° countersunk, it's definitely an addiction, such stress concentration reduction.
 

 
Now time to get all of my lovely Noctua's out, they've been waiting on this project for some time.
 

 

 

 
Naturally black Chromax for extra dankness.
 

 
I noticed through the spinning blades just a little of the wire insulation was visible and really detracting from the dankness. So added just a little heatshrink to blend them in. Normally I would of sleeved the whole fan cable but in this instance to keep things clean I will be joining them all together.
 

 
Both fans trimmed to length.
 

 
Stripped and twisted together followed up with a little solder to keep them securely together.
 

 
Then ATX crimps strange I know but hopefully this will make more sense when it comes to the next set of fans.
 

 
Again at this point I realized the lower part of the cable would be visible at an obscure angle through the intake on the PSU side...
 

 
So I sleeved back up past the midplate in Shade 19, I know this way seems complicated and still only half sleeved but they have a really fine gap to squeeze through.
 

 
Onto the next set. this time a pair of PE 360's packaged precisely at the back of the case flanking an extra cube in the centre.
 

 
And the rest of the Noctua's...
 

 
...love the F12 frame.
 

 
So this time I think what I did with the cables makes much more sense with a 6-way split, impossible with normal fan crimps but hopefully very neat with 4-pin EPS connectors, which i've checked should just tuck inbetween the rads.
 

 
Yet another novel idea to incorporate more countersunk screws was to use female standoff's.
 

 
It was an obvious idea which came to me when thinking about how to attach the Aquaero without having the back side of a brass standoff visible in the front of the case, hence I decided to use it for the board too.
 

 

 
The nickel plating looks perfect against the cubes and i'm sure the blocks too when I get to that part!
 

 
So here is the finished front accent panel and radiator assembly.
 

 
Just got to decide on my own pinout convention and add the block.
 

 
Same goes for the floor assembly, the gap at the front is precisely big enough for the 280 + A14's to nest into.
 

 

 
I just so happened to find the exact length of tubing needed to join the rads together, 54mm, in my offcuts.
 

 

 
And for no particular reason, the underside.
 

 
Even I rarely look at the bottom of my system, but still great to know it is perfectly consistent.
 

 
So that's just about everything for now, well except this little piece...
 

 
JR

It's been long enough already, lets save the writing until the very end...
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Right, writing, some thanks are definitely in order! As always the Parvum crew for being down with whatever wild idea we gotta get done yesterday and Noctua for getting the best PC fans in the world on the way to me faster than I could type an email. Things have moved on somewhat since I started this project but I’m extremely grateful for all of OverclockersUK's input especially Ian '8Pack' Parry. I will bring it over to see you guys one day! Not forgetting Corsair either, I probably wouldn't of picked this project back up for a long time had they not been gracious enough to sub in the SSD.
 
Since I drew the first R1.0 I wanted one for myself, I must have built 20 or 30, everywhere I went I just built R1.0's but now I finally have one distinguished enough to call my own. What I’ll do with it I don't know yet but it sure looks good next to LIGHTNING. It was a long journey particularly with the entire PSU debacle that put me off for so long. However now it has prevailed and 1600W+ of Fury can be unleashed at a moment’s notice it all seems to be worth it. The change of coolant and gold CPU block take it to a different level, I know I didn't show it before but the clear is a much better fit for the spirit of this build. Like a lot of things I was uncertain but when it started to perplex people at LAN as it appeared to have no coolant at all then it was obviously right.
 
XFX Radeon Pro Duo x2
ASUS X99-M WS
Intel i7-5960X Haswell-E
Corsair Dominator Platinum 3200C15 4x4GB
Corsair Force Series MP500 480GB
Western Digital Black 1TB x2
EVGA Supernova 1600T2
Parvum R1.0 INDUSTRIAL
 
Aqua Computer Aquaero 6 LT
Aqua Computer Aquaero 6 Passive Heatsink - Black
EK-Supremacy EVO X99 - Goldl Plexi
EK-FC Radeon Pro Duo - Nickel Plexi x2
EK-FC Radeon Pro Duo Backplate - Black x2
EK-XTOP Revo D5 PWM - Plexi (incl. pump) x2
EK-CoolStream PE 360 (Triple) x2
EK-CoolStream CE 280 (Dual)
EK-HD Adapter 10/12mm - Black x30
EK HD Tube 10/12mm 2-Slot (2 pcs) x2
EK-AF Angled 90° G1/4 - Black x4
EK-AF Extender Rotary M-M G1/4 - Black x2
EK-CSQ Plug G1/4 - Black x2
Noctua NF-F12 IndustrialPPC 2000RPM IP67 PWM x6
Noctua NF-A14 IndustrialPPC 2000RPM IP67 PWM x2
Noctua NA-SAVP1 Chromax - Black x4
MDPC-X sleeving - Shade 19
 
Now I’m on an absolute streak of finishing builds it might just be time to start more! See you all soon.
 
Quad GPU be praised.
 
JR

It's been long enough already, lets save the writing until the very end...
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Right, writing, some thanks are definitely in order! As always the Parvum crew for being down with whatever wild idea we gotta get done yesterday and Noctua for getting the best PC fans in the world on the way to me faster than I could type an email. Things have moved on somewhat since I started this project but I’m extremely grateful for all of OverclockersUK's input especially Ian '8Pack' Parry. I will bring it over to see you guys one day! Not forgetting Corsair either, I probably wouldn't of picked this project back up for a long time had they not been gracious enough to sub in the SSD.
 
Since I drew the first R1.0 I wanted one for myself, I must have built 20 or 30, everywhere I went I just built R1.0's but now I finally have one distinguished enough to call my own. What I’ll do with it I don't know yet but it sure looks good next to LIGHTNING. It was a long journey particularly with the entire PSU debacle that put me off for so long. However now it has prevailed and 1600W+ of Fury can be unleashed at a moment’s notice it all seems to be worth it. The change of coolant and gold CPU block take it to a different level, I know I didn't show it before but the clear is a much better fit for the spirit of this build. Like a lot of things I was uncertain but when it started to perplex people at LAN as it appeared to have no coolant at all then it was obviously right.
 
XFX Radeon Pro Duo x2
ASUS X99-M WS
Intel i7-5960X Haswell-E
Corsair Dominator Platinum 3200C15 4x4GB
Corsair Force Series MP500 480GB
Western Digital Black 1TB x2
EVGA Supernova 1600T2
Parvum R1.0 INDUSTRIAL
 
Aqua Computer Aquaero 6 LT
Aqua Computer Aquaero 6 Passive Heatsink - Black
EK-Supremacy EVO X99 - Goldl Plexi
EK-FC Radeon Pro Duo - Nickel Plexi x2
EK-FC Radeon Pro Duo Backplate - Black x2
EK-XTOP Revo D5 PWM - Plexi (incl. pump) x2
EK-CoolStream PE 360 (Triple) x2
EK-CoolStream CE 280 (Dual)
EK-HD Adapter 10/12mm - Black x30
EK HD Tube 10/12mm 2-Slot (2 pcs) x2
EK-AF Angled 90° G1/4 - Black x4
EK-AF Extender Rotary M-M G1/4 - Black x2
EK-CSQ Plug G1/4 - Black x2
Noctua NF-F12 IndustrialPPC 2000RPM IP67 PWM x6
Noctua NF-A14 IndustrialPPC 2000RPM IP67 PWM x2
Noctua NA-SAVP1 Chromax - Black x4
MDPC-X sleeving - Shade 19
 
Now I’m on an absolute streak of finishing builds it might just be time to start more! See you all soon.
 
Quad GPU be praised.
 
JR

It's been long enough already, lets save the writing until the very end...
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Right, writing, some thanks are definitely in order! As always the Parvum crew for being down with whatever wild idea we gotta get done yesterday and Noctua for getting the best PC fans in the world on the way to me faster than I could type an email. Things have moved on somewhat since I started this project but I’m extremely grateful for all of OverclockersUK's input especially Ian '8Pack' Parry. I will bring it over to see you guys one day! Not forgetting Corsair either, I probably wouldn't of picked this project back up for a long time had they not been gracious enough to sub in the SSD.
 
Since I drew the first R1.0 I wanted one for myself, I must have built 20 or 30, everywhere I went I just built R1.0's but now I finally have one distinguished enough to call my own. What I’ll do with it I don't know yet but it sure looks good next to LIGHTNING. It was a long journey particularly with the entire PSU debacle that put me off for so long. However now it has prevailed and 1600W+ of Fury can be unleashed at a moment’s notice it all seems to be worth it. The change of coolant and gold CPU block take it to a different level, I know I didn't show it before but the clear is a much better fit for the spirit of this build. Like a lot of things I was uncertain but when it started to perplex people at LAN as it appeared to have no coolant at all then it was obviously right.
 
XFX Radeon Pro Duo x2
ASUS X99-M WS
Intel i7-5960X Haswell-E
Corsair Dominator Platinum 3200C15 4x4GB
Corsair Force Series MP500 480GB
Western Digital Black 1TB x2
EVGA Supernova 1600T2
Parvum R1.0 INDUSTRIAL
 
Aqua Computer Aquaero 6 LT
Aqua Computer Aquaero 6 Passive Heatsink - Black
EK-Supremacy EVO X99 - Goldl Plexi
EK-FC Radeon Pro Duo - Nickel Plexi x2
EK-FC Radeon Pro Duo Backplate - Black x2
EK-XTOP Revo D5 PWM - Plexi (incl. pump) x2
EK-CoolStream PE 360 (Triple) x2
EK-CoolStream CE 280 (Dual)
EK-HD Adapter 10/12mm - Black x30
EK HD Tube 10/12mm 2-Slot (2 pcs) x2
EK-AF Angled 90° G1/4 - Black x4
EK-AF Extender Rotary M-M G1/4 - Black x2
EK-CSQ Plug G1/4 - Black x2
Noctua NF-F12 IndustrialPPC 2000RPM IP67 PWM x6
Noctua NF-A14 IndustrialPPC 2000RPM IP67 PWM x2
Noctua NA-SAVP1 Chromax - Black x4
MDPC-X sleeving - Shade 19
 
Now I’m on an absolute streak of finishing builds it might just be time to start more! See you all soon.
 
Quad GPU be praised.
 
JR

It's been long enough already, lets save the writing until the very end...
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Right, writing, some thanks are definitely in order! As always the Parvum crew for being down with whatever wild idea we gotta get done yesterday and Noctua for getting the best PC fans in the world on the way to me faster than I could type an email. Things have moved on somewhat since I started this project but I’m extremely grateful for all of OverclockersUK's input especially Ian '8Pack' Parry. I will bring it over to see you guys one day! Not forgetting Corsair either, I probably wouldn't of picked this project back up for a long time had they not been gracious enough to sub in the SSD.
 
Since I drew the first R1.0 I wanted one for myself, I must have built 20 or 30, everywhere I went I just built R1.0's but now I finally have one distinguished enough to call my own. What I’ll do with it I don't know yet but it sure looks good next to LIGHTNING. It was a long journey particularly with the entire PSU debacle that put me off for so long. However now it has prevailed and 1600W+ of Fury can be unleashed at a moment’s notice it all seems to be worth it. The change of coolant and gold CPU block take it to a different level, I know I didn't show it before but the clear is a much better fit for the spirit of this build. Like a lot of things I was uncertain but when it started to perplex people at LAN as it appeared to have no coolant at all then it was obviously right.
 
XFX Radeon Pro Duo x2
ASUS X99-M WS
Intel i7-5960X Haswell-E
Corsair Dominator Platinum 3200C15 4x4GB
Corsair Force Series MP500 480GB
Western Digital Black 1TB x2
EVGA Supernova 1600T2
Parvum R1.0 INDUSTRIAL
 
Aqua Computer Aquaero 6 LT
Aqua Computer Aquaero 6 Passive Heatsink - Black
EK-Supremacy EVO X99 - Goldl Plexi
EK-FC Radeon Pro Duo - Nickel Plexi x2
EK-FC Radeon Pro Duo Backplate - Black x2
EK-XTOP Revo D5 PWM - Plexi (incl. pump) x2
EK-CoolStream PE 360 (Triple) x2
EK-CoolStream CE 280 (Dual)
EK-HD Adapter 10/12mm - Black x30
EK HD Tube 10/12mm 2-Slot (2 pcs) x2
EK-AF Angled 90° G1/4 - Black x4
EK-AF Extender Rotary M-M G1/4 - Black x2
EK-CSQ Plug G1/4 - Black x2
Noctua NF-F12 IndustrialPPC 2000RPM IP67 PWM x6
Noctua NF-A14 IndustrialPPC 2000RPM IP67 PWM x2
Noctua NA-SAVP1 Chromax - Black x4
MDPC-X sleeving - Shade 19
 
Now I’m on an absolute streak of finishing builds it might just be time to start more! See you all soon.
 
Quad GPU be praised.
 
JR

Right, let’s get this done before 2018!!! I made some crazy progress before Christmas and with FTW and i1.0-II out of the way it's time to get it posted. The first stage of attack, take every single thing apart!
 

 
The system had been used for a few months (with huge stock GPU power cables trailing around the case) and then just sat for the best part of year full of it's Aurora silver + X1 black mixture. And actually despite common internet 'wisdom' nothing was clogged in the slightest, all fins clean, just a reservoir full of sediment and the usual traces of dye everywhere.
 

 
With the very top of the loop drained the reservoir lifted off so I could take out the PSU and it's special support cube. Definitely don't want that getting wet.
 

 
Then back end of the case removed to get at the cards.
 

 

 
Subsequently repeated with the front end, very glad I opted to stash a 4-pin to 4-pin ATX style connector between the rads!
 

 
After that the top lifted off the base, board came off, pumps off etc etc. I won't show all that stuff as it's been done in the thread once before and I also need to rebuild it.
 

 
So lets skip ahead to the good bit where everything is clean and ready to go...
 

 
While editing the above photos I fell in love with the gold hue to the CPU block, except it was regular nickel just with some oil leached out of the o-ring.
 

 
So I ordered a real gold plated Supremacy, and immediately took it apart to swap in the neat little 2011 mounting bracket. All gold hardware was too much.
 

 
But this was just right...
 

 

 
...perfect fit for the WS.
 

 

 
Fast throwback to the 10th.
 

 
Now I just needed all the other blocks up to the same standard, cleaning the plexi was easy, nickel less so.
 

 
Just some aurora m80s
 

 

 
All refitted, greased and torqued down.
 

 
<3 AMD POWER!
 

 

 
Time to commence rebuild, the EPS stayed in, 24-pin discarded as it just wasn't quite consistent enough.
 

 
All the D5 work remained, except they now utilize a spare VGA connector on the 3rd row instead of individual peripheral connectors on the Silverstone.
 

 
The WD Blacks switched from 2x6TB to 2x1TB, reason being I lived without them for a whole year and most likely will never use the HDD's at all in this build, so losing 10TB is no big deal. £500 of swag saved for another build.
 

 
Board is back in black.
 

 

 
Powerful vibes even before the GPU's hit. Pixels kneel before your God.
 

 

 
With one push and one clip the bottom rads are back in the game.
 

 

 

 
Extra 280, check.
 

 
Now it's time to the ridiculous task i'd been putting off for so long. I feel like I need to explain. The original Silverstone was 1:1, the 24-pin was at the bottom near the hole in the midwall and the PCI were all up top. The EVGA on the other hand, weird pinout, completely swapped layout so every single thing had to overlap.... AND THEN.... just as if all those obstacles were somehow easy to overcome this 1600W is 20mm longer, which when there was about 40mm to play with kinda made a difference.
 

 
Neatness wasn't optional here, it was completely mandatory if everything was going to fit inside the case hence I took a new approach to the problem.
 

 
First up instead of cutting wires to a rough length everything was excessively long to start out then layered out of the PSU in the most efficient order.
 

 
But to keep the pinout correct I had a cunning strategy.
 

 
I took an old 24-pin connector and drilled out each hole to a close fit on the 3.1mm OD wire, then I could poke it from the correct pin on the PSU to the corresponding pin at the 24 end.
 

 
So then all that remained was to trim each wire to the appropriate length, pretty easy when they were all held in the correct position and I could push/pull them through as needed on either side.
 

 
PSU out it was just time to sleeve.
 

 
Wire by wire I removed the PSU end, inserted the white wire to mark its exact route, then crimped the 24 end. Sleeved in Shade-19 and replaced back into its original position.
 

 
Several hours or maybe days later (I don't really recall early December) all 24 were done.
 

 
Such an improvement from my original EVGA set and moreover greatly reduced bulk in the back.
 

 
Time for the angery power bois!
 

 
They cleaned up purtty good too.
 

 

 
Best to get the toobs in early.
 

 

 
All the 8-pins would be a little more relaxed relative to the 24-pin, with a uniform layout not unlike the Silverstone each wire was a consistent increment longer than the previous. So once I got 4 wires to sit neat it went pretty speedy.
 

 
One 8 down, completing the set was just a case of continuing the progression, working up and across.
 

 

 
The entire set complete for the primary card. All layered over each other and stacked in, the next set was a repeat to the front row of VGA connectors. CPU1 squeezed between and then CPU2 tight over the top of everything.
 

 

 

 
And there we have them all, absolutely colossal ratio of power to size.
 

 

 

 
Screw what you guys think, I’m absolutely overwhelmed with the form of the cables as it stands now, in fact I think they may even be prettier than the first set.
 
The SATA's aren't connected yet, I’m going to check that out tomorrow, but I’m really not fussed about ever using them. So unless the additional cables are going to make an improvement to the overall look I may leave them out. Aesthetic drives are fine with me, at least they won't make any noise lol. Buuut if they fit in just right, could be even more epic.
 
JR

Well, it's been nearly a year now and I still haven't just quite done those cables, there were a few things I wasn't quite happy with, other more pressing projects came along (like that Ultimate GeForce PC thing) and no progress was made. I stole the HyperX Predator for ALUMIA and left R1.0 INDUSTRIAL in a bad way. But Corsair stepped in, graciously combining my Bit-Tech prizes and gave me reason enough to resume action! So maybe, just maybe it will be complete for this Christmas, now the disheartening feels of sleeving every cable for the second time have been forgotten.         I had some serious studio upgrades, new 3x8m vinyl backdrop all hung on brackets and rollers ready for more colours to be added. Covered my table with a sheet of acrylic so the vinyl stays super flat instead of being pressed into particle board texture. New lights too with a boom arm instead of a ghetto stack of boxes. Pretty legit all in all which is saving me a huge amount of time on the editing front, the background hasn't been artificially smoothed like before just dialed in and individual dusts spot healed out.           Here he comes, a 480GB MP500 rated at 3000mb/s read and 2400mb/s write!       Shortly after the NVMe arrives in his new habitat a wild EK M.2 Heatsink appears...       Because the MP500 is kinda fat with a chip on the reverse side thermal pads didn't fit exactly as anticipated by EK, with a 1mm pad to fill out the the exposed PCB area it clipped over with just the right amount of tension, any more would be broken NAND territory.     But still looking super tidy and helping out thermals, not that a life of benching Firestrike and occasionally running GTA V was going to upset the M.2 that much.         So plans for R1.0 INDUSTRIAL now are to strip everything down, clean all wet components, fit the M.2, swap the 6TB WD Blacks for 1TB WD Blacks and then build everything up completing the cables along the way!   JR

It has been forever and as such I bring extremely mixed news, R1.0 INDUSTRIAL was for a few days up and running, the loop was excellent, all of the hardware lived and it even managed a pretty extraordinary initial benchmark.
 
Firestrike Score 30266 with AMD Radeon Pro Duo(4x) and Intel Core i7-5960X
 
But... as the lack of final photographs suggests all was not perfect. The 1200 Platinum failed to provide stable power, so I had it replaced and the second unit was exactly the same. After a lot of testing exactly why it didn't work out is still a bit of a mystery, the peak load was only ~1050W but I think ultimately the instant spike from 300 to 1000W when all 4 cores came onto load was just too much and the extremely sensitive WS board shut it down when the +12v drooped. I used the PSU in my Tri-780 X79 rig for a few days and that had no issues at a similar peak load.
 
I then tried a 1500 Gold Silverstone in the R1.0 and everything ran beautifully for hours so I had to take several steps back with the build and swap out the PSU
 

 
Knowing I needed to go bigger than 1200 didn't leave too many options, either the 1500 Gold Silverstone or 1600 Superflower/EVGA, as the 1500 only has 4x PCIe power connectors across two rails splitting 24 GPU cables seemed a greater evil than dealing with Superflower's awkward 24-pin.
 

 
So the unit not adorned with butterflies and an octagonal fan grill won!
 

 

 

 
At 40mm longer than the Silvertone's accommodating this beast would be a challenge and also it's immense weight required a cunning plan.
 

 
Didn't need that sticker anyway.
 

 
Right, all the gubbins, no idea what this stuff does, just that getting fine bits of metal all over it is less than ideal.
 

 
The top and inside end came away easily leaving the  PCB screwed to the base, I didn't want to unsolder the plug hence wrapped the internals up in a bag while drilling the base.
 

 

 
With a 3.1mm hole drilled a Parvum cube was attached using a button head M3x6 screw ensuring it didn't intrude onto the PCB.
 

 
After marking the same hole location onto the top casing that was drilled to clear the head of the screw and slotted out with a dremel allowing it to neatly slot back into place.
 

 

 
It might now look like an odd cube resting on a PSU, however I already have a location for this drilled into the case.
 

 
So my elaborate and cunning plan is complete, and yes, I could of just put a cube under the power supply for it to rest on, but I want it to levitate!
 
Well, i've got a hell of a lot of sleeving to do, again, let's hope it's done in time for the snowy 4k ultra grass on Christmas day.
 
JR

Luckily I was so productive last week as a spontaneous 400 mile road trip stole most of my time this weekend! Still I had all of Sunday to make 6x PCIe cables, 2x SATA power, one molex and a 24-pin, which wasn't too impossible but it did mean I didn't really take any photographs of the process. (I will on PARVUM FTW next week, promise)


 



 
The PSU which spawned in last week without introduction is Silverstone's new 1200W Strider Platinum, they have added lots of much appreciated features over the Strider Gold, a semi-passive 140mm air penetrator, a lot lot more 8-pin connectors on the PSU itself and a power switch!


 



 



 
Combine all that new stuff with the amazing finish, unrivaled 1:1 pinout, Enhance OEM for the 1000/1200 Platinum and it's hard to imagine what else could possibly be done. But somehow Silverstone managed to go that tiny bit further and move all the annoying little white stickers which have to be there onto the side rather than the fan face, gg.


 



 
Surprisingly I had already built and partly sleeved an R1.0 with two Pro Duo's, that time I made each set of cables into a 24-pin it was very impressive but the way they all twisted over to get through the midwall just didn't seem natural.


 



 
So with mine I decided to treat them as individual 8-pins and keep them stacked horizontally through the midwall rather than end to end, they don't appear quite as disciplined but still a great flow and it did make the back side considerably easier which weirdly I find more important.


 



 
The 24-pin on the other hand I kept really tight to the board, just like the EPS and it's great too.


 



 



 
Well that is every cable finished, only one piece is left, the reservoir! Here it is fitted into the top 'accent' of the case.


 



 
Wats dis then?


 



 
JR

Even before the weekend has started I have lots to update you guys with, each day i've done a little before going to work so not too many pics have been taken but lots of progress. The first orders of business were the 8-pin EPS connectors as they would be right behind the CPU tubes.


 



 
After making each individual wire just the right length, threading them all through the midwall and assembling them into cables the next day I planned out what to do with all of the pump cables as it made sense to deal with the fiddly things first.


 



 
CPU tubes were simple 90° bends, measured, cut and fitted straight off.


 



 
The next cables I wanted to move onto were the PCIe 8 pins, hence I needed to fit the cards and everything that went before them.


 



 



 
It was pleasing to see when I looked down between the cards that the M.2 was still visible.


 



 
Still rocking the nut technique for Parvum alu PCI brackets using screws from the inside to locate the cards and then tightening them from above makes it so much easier to locate two cards and all the tubing simultaneously.


 



 
Very quickly the build is starting to look complete! The reservoir is the only big piece which is absent for now.


 



 



 



 
What can I say, MDPC-X, such consistency, much parallel.


 



 



 
Things are moving along equally as rapidly in the back too with the pumps completed as planned, and the SATA's too, all shade 19.


 



 



 
Yes, a PSU has appeared from nowhere, I was so impatient to open it and try it in the case on the day it released that I may have completely forgotten to take pics of it. But it's amazing!


 



 



 
Now i'm ready to start GPU cables! That may take some time for there are many.


 
JR

On Thursday I got the motherboard so i'm now very very close to having everything, late last night I started piecing it slowly together, taking lots of photographs of course. I'll be using an X99M-WS, it was a difficult decision between this and the Micro2 but as i've already used that in a project for a friend I felt that it was time to give ASUS' WS board a chance.


 



 
First thing to mount was the HyperX Predator M.2, I could of waited for the faster Polaris drives but at ~£100 less and with a significantly higher TBW rating I thought it was worth sacrificing the speed for what I consider the much prettier Predator. Can't say I find the 480GB version I have running at PCIe2.0 x2 slow!


 



 



 



 
Separated from it's PCI slot adapter the density is astounding, each individual chip is the same capacity as my first 2.5" SSD!


 



 



 



 
The huge socket was readied for a CPU!


 



 



 
After a lot of contemplation I decided to go with a Haswell-E chip for this build as the current mATX WS BIOS seems to have stronger memory support for the earlier generation.


 



 



 



 



 
With 4 dimm's in two banks the memory would be a real center point of this build but nothing was quite right, HyperX Predator too agressive, Klevv i'm just bored of seeing in WS boards already, G.Skill again just too complex to completely harmonize with the theme. So Dominator Platinum was the strongest candidate for it's symmetry and subtlety.


 



 
I'd fallen out of love with them when they changed to a sandblasted finish after the initial DDR3 production run, but, I still had an original quad channel kit! And as this will become my daily system it meant I could mix them up and continue to stare at the ornately machined heatsinks for another few years.


 



 
Very quickly I created a graveyard of Dominator Platinum parts, both old and new. I split the heatsinks off two of the DDR4 modules as well so I could swap the white sticker to the inside.


 



 



 



 
After a considerable amount of time gently prying off thermal pads and fiddling with tiny screws I had a very crisp looking DDR4 kit!


 



 



 



 
To match the Nickel/Plexi GPU blocks I also picked up a Supremacy EVO in the same finish.


 



 



 



 



 



 
Now the board is filling up the hybrid of original DDR3 and DDR4 Dominator Platinum looks just right with it's beautifully polished faces and machined tops.


 



 



 



 



 
Just enough time to try the board in the case for some strategically teasery lit shots.


 



 



 



 
Tomorrow I will be making two fan extensions from the Aquaero through the mid-plate to the rads so I can permanently assemble the pedestal. After that i'll be needing the PSU to gradually add cables and tubing until it's complete.


 
JR

Got some more shiny things from today's shopping spree and there are some more goodies in the post to enjoy tomorrow!


 



 


 

I still don't know why Aquaero's are supplied with some obsolete prehistoric mounting thing, and a... screen. But anyway disregarding that stuff what's left behind is rather awesome.


 



 
For an unknown reason I also decided to purchase these old fashioned gigantic mechanical things.


 



 
I will admit however they do have some strangely satisfying qualities to them. At the price however they should, even now i'm confused as to why I needed 12TB or why this system has 26 times more storage than my last one, overkill, maybe?


 



 



 
So time to start loading everything onto the backbone of the case, the Aquaero + Heatsink was simply 4 black M3x10mm screws, not the originals but far more in keeping.


 



 
Then the hard drives, I wasn't about to add some giant rubber monstrosity but just to give them a more secure and tactile home I did use some little vibration dampening washers.


 



 
Everything fitted neatly just as planned with the 3 devices evenly spaced over the height of the case.


 



 



 



 



 
This was good, I can't wait for the post...


 
JR

Although i've been really busy with FTW I hadn't forgotten my R1.0, just needed some more parts!


 



 
One major thing that was holding me up were these two little M-M rotaries, i'm sure I had 2 or 3 spares but when it came to fit the pumps I could only find one. Locating more proved to be a bit of a challenge with none in stock throughout the UK or the international retailers i'd use I had to wait for EK to get more, but they are here now.


 



 
First step was to fit the pump and fittings to measure the length of pipe needed.


 



 



 
Then with the pipes in place simultaneously push them in and screw down the pump. Luckily it all fitted really nice as EK resisted the urge to change any of the 3 components since I measured them


 



 



 
With the pumps solidly in place on the midplate the midwall could be added and screwed to the pump mountings.


 



 



 



 



 
Another easy task completed, hopefully I will be buying the rest of the hardware this week X99M-WS, 2x WD Black 6TB, Aquaero 6 and a  960GB HyperX Predator make up the bulk of the shopping list. It's going to be an expensive week!


 
JR

Just a little prequel to the previous update and the unveiling of the midplate here are some shots from it's assembly.
 

 
Much the same as with the custom reservoir each channel is sealed with a 2mm o-ring. The channels are 6mm deep and 12.5mm wide, consistent in cross sectional area with a 10mm ID tube.
 

 
As I mentioned previously the o-rings and grooves used were slightly smaller than usual on this part to allow the channels to pass closely together. Particularly where the channel between the CPU and GPU passes the horizontal channels at 45°. 
 

 
Achieving the parallel runs for the pumps while maintaining perfect symmetry was even tighter with the o-ring beneath the first outlet and second inlet being flattened off.
 

 
Once all the o-rings were bonded and in place it was time to screw the block together with it's lid, for that a huge amount of 6-32 UNC countersunk screws.
 

 
The lid has all of negative space surrounding the channels milled down 3.5mm to allow for a third opaque frosted black acrylic piece. Each port is surrounded by a small boss allowing the fitting to seal effectively against the lid. The OD was intentionally kept smaller than the fittings so this is not visible. 
 

 
And here again is everything assembled together, at 475x275x20mm this is a very satisfying slab of a midplate.
 

 
As you might just be able to tell from the droplets I couldn't help myself from taking a look at this with coolant, can't wait to see it equipped with pumps...
 
JR

It's been a long day on the project today as i'm sure you will see in just a moment!
 

 
Things started off with some second ops on panels which required countersinks from both sides, most importantly the midwall so I could install female threaded standoff's rather than tapping the acrylic as usual. But also the base panels just so there would be no screw heads visible from very very low angles, just because.
 

 
All of my blocks arrived from various corners of Europe!
 

 

 

 

 

 
Certainly as 'full cover' as it gets, glad I opted for plexi.
 

 
Lots and lots of pads and paste later...
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
<3
 

 
280 for a Parvum, how strange this seems.
 

 

 
No doubt a healthy amount of rads to deal with all of the mighty cores.
 

 

 
Not just the case itself but everything i've changed to be 90° countersunk, it's definitely an addiction, such stress concentration reduction.
 

 
Now time to get all of my lovely Noctua's out, they've been waiting on this project for some time.
 

 

 

 
Naturally black Chromax for extra dankness.
 

 
I noticed through the spinning blades just a little of the wire insulation was visible and really detracting from the dankness. So added just a little heatshrink to blend them in. Normally I would of sleeved the whole fan cable but in this instance to keep things clean I will be joining them all together.
 

 
Both fans trimmed to length.
 

 
Stripped and twisted together followed up with a little solder to keep them securely together.
 

 
Then ATX crimps strange I know but hopefully this will make more sense when it comes to the next set of fans.
 

 
Again at this point I realized the lower part of the cable would be visible at an obscure angle through the intake on the PSU side...
 

 
So I sleeved back up past the midplate in Shade 19, I know this way seems complicated and still only half sleeved but they have a really fine gap to squeeze through.
 

 
Onto the next set. this time a pair of PE 360's packaged precisely at the back of the case flanking an extra cube in the centre.
 

 
And the rest of the Noctua's...
 

 
...love the F12 frame.
 

 
So this time I think what I did with the cables makes much more sense with a 6-way split, impossible with normal fan crimps but hopefully very neat with 4-pin EPS connectors, which i've checked should just tuck inbetween the rads.
 

 
Yet another novel idea to incorporate more countersunk screws was to use female standoff's.
 

 
It was an obvious idea which came to me when thinking about how to attach the Aquaero without having the back side of a brass standoff visible in the front of the case, hence I decided to use it for the board too.
 

 

 
The nickel plating looks perfect against the cubes and i'm sure the blocks too when I get to that part!
 

 
So here is the finished front accent panel and radiator assembly.
 

 
Just got to decide on my own pinout convention and add the block.
 

 
Same goes for the floor assembly, the gap at the front is precisely big enough for the 280 + A14's to nest into.
 

 

 
I just so happened to find the exact length of tubing needed to join the rads together, 54mm, in my offcuts.
 

 

 
And for no particular reason, the underside.
 

 
Even I rarely look at the bottom of my system, but still great to know it is perfectly consistent.
 

 
So that's just about everything for now, well except this little piece...
 

 
JR

I managed to squeeze in a little time on the project between work and the GTA bikers update, just enough to get the first custom watercooling piece prepared.
 

 
As always lots of tapping but this time with blind holes and a counter bored hole for the fill port.
 

 
The o-ring sizes on this build are slightly different to what we would normally use, partly because it needed to be smaller in some tight areas of the midplate and also because the lids are much thicker than usual.
 

 
Each o-ring is made from a continuous extrusion of 2mm nitrile cord, cut to length. bonded together and the seated in 1.35 x 2.15mm groove.
 

 

 
Lastly lots of screws to tighten down.
 

 
And of course remove the backing from the polished acrylic!
 

 

 
Onto testing and a little coolant experimation, Mayhems aurora silver with X1 black concentrate really is something, perhaps slightly too much black this time around but I am in love with this combination.
 

 
Hopefully I will find time for the next piece this week too!
 
JR

Firstly thank you to those mentioned in the above image for supporting my endeavors once again!

I'm very excited to start my next personal project R1.0 INDUSTRIAL, after several months of collaborations it's great to be back in full control deciding my own specification. Not only that but setting the pace myself and taking the time to photograph everything and get it all out on the forums!
 
So a little writing about the project first to get things going, much like LIGHTNING this is centered around a very special piece of hardware and providing it with all of the power and cooling required is the main focus. The build won't be adorned with anything unnecessary however no compromises will be made along the way either. As the name implies aesthetically it will remain subtle and raw with nothing for show but nothing to hide. I intend to apply this way of thinking to each individual element and hopefully the end result will remain sympathetic to it's origin. 

As of this moment I don't have every part but I definitely won't be straying far from what I have decided as so many will be integral to the design of the case. I will elaborate on the reasoning as I unbox things but already it's clear that I have opted for completely colour neutral products with extremely reserved branding.
 
XFX Radeon Pro Duo x2
ASUS X99-M WS
Intel Broadwell-E i7-5960X
Corsair Dominator Platinum 4x4GB 3200C16
Corsair Force MP500 M.2 480GB
Western Digital Black 1TB x2
EVGA Supernova 1600T2
Parvum R1.0 INDUSTRIAL
 
Aqua Computer Aquaero 6 LT
Aqua Computer Aquaero 6 Passive Heatsink - Black
EK-Supremacy EVO X99 - Nickel Plexi
EK-FC Radeon Pro Duo - Nickel Plexi x2
EK-FC Radeon Pro Duo Backplate - Black x2
EK-XTOP Revo D5 PWM - Plexi (incl. pump) x2
EK-CoolStream PE 360 (Triple) x2
EK-CoolStream CE 280 (Dual)
EK-M.2 NVMe Heatsink - Black
EK-HD Adapter 10/12mm - Black x30
EK HD Tube 10/12mm 2-Slot (2 pcs) x2
EK-AF Angled 90° G1/4 - Black x4
EK-AF Extender Rotary M-M G1/4 - Black x2
EK-CSQ Plug G1/4 - Black x2
Noctua NF-F12 IndustrialPPC 2000RPM IP67 PWM x6
Noctua NF-A14 IndustrialPPC 2000RPM IP67 PWM x2
Noctua NA-SAVP1 Chromax - Black x4

Straight in with the aforementioned centerpiece and for once i'm not even going to attempt to conceal one for later!
 

 
Because there is just something about being instantly hit with 6 fully formed PCIe power connectors that it would be rude to hold back.
 

 

 
It comes as quite a shock when 6 screws later a magnificently elegant Cooler Master solution is unveiled, clearly far more attention was put into this than just doubling up their single card efforts.
 

 

 

 
But lets take an even closer look and not pretend a standard cooling solution was ever going to last long in my hands.
 

 

 

 
Very rapidly all kinds of beautiful secrets were exposed, two massive cores, PLX chips and endless power circuitry neatly tessellated inbetween. Considering the PCB size is no bigger than what would be found on a single GPU GDDR5 card the density is insane.
 

 
A good cleaning was in order to reveal the mirror perfect Fiji cores and all the little High Bandwidth Memes!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Already from the little bit of performance testing I managed to do (yeah these two cards instantly smashed my overclocked quad 780Ti's) and my time spent taking them apart I am completely in love with these cards. The brutal insolence of power, crossfire, PLX chips and the effort taken to package everything so elegantly together is astounding. 
 
I'll be back very soon with a preview of the case!
 
JR