Mine PTSD is well documented in two other threads. Long story short: I exchanged AIO for $1500 EKWB custom water cooling loop, just to get same (or maybe even worse) thermal performance that I had with off the shelf AIO. Due to multiple problems along the line whole build took me more than a month and I'm very unpleased with how it turned out. And the final nail to this coffin - while I was struggling with that stupid water loop I managed to do all sorts of damage all over the place. Had to replace DP cable, front case panel (Evolv X, panel alone costed me around $50 with shipping).
I have three other machines acting as all sort of local servers. With all of them I had three goals: small, quiet, packed with parts (mostly ssds). And I almost achieved that, just the case manufacturers are complete morons, designing their cases in such a way that there is plenty of wasted space everywhere, that you can't do anything about it and, unless you want to use a driller, you need to mount everything in some randomly pre-defined places. This is insane. Let's take Bitfenix Phenom micro-atx case. There is so much room inside it, you can literally stack eight 3.5" and like twenty 2.5" drives but noooo sir! Some idiot decided that only space you have for the drives are... on the side panels! And each time you open this thing you rip half of the cables.
And just don't let me started on all these damn youtubers with their worthless tech reviews. This alone gives me PTSD and pain. Watching them you learn that there is no better screwdrivers set than iFix It, which is totally overpriced garbage, everyone is one big happy family of EKWB, and water cooling in general, advocates, and then you sit there staring at your just-bought loop, exactly matching one they showed and praying that your rig would not melt. That's when you realize how much bullshit is going around. How all these LTTs, GNs and other "test" the hand-picked parts sourced by manufacturers PR departments, in the air-conditioned rooms on open-benches. And you feel like a total moron that got screwed on quite some cash.
EvilVir got a reaction from YT_DomDaBomb20 in Building PTSD (share your stories of pain and failure)
