[Build Log] From an Aussie

[Parkway Drive]

Introduction

 
Hey guys,

My name's Justin and I've been a long viewer of NCIX and Linus Tech Tips. I've been watching the live streams week after week and decided to post up my build. I had an image of my build on Linus' Facebook page which he was kind enough to share. This is my 2nd personal build and my first watercooling build.

Just so you guys know this build was completed in August 2012

So what makes my build different?
To be honest, probably nothing much. Some of the mods I've done, I've seen others who have something similar.
The only thing I really have different that I haven't seen yet is my Blue modded Maximus V Formula

In Australia there really aren't too many places to get your watercooling supplies from.
I want to thank the guys at PC Case Gear, The KoolRoom and GAMMODS for getting some much needed stock into Oz. Cheers


*** I've only posted some of the pictures of the build ***
Full Album Here

I'm really sorry for my bad photo and shots. They were just so I could document the build.

[Parkway Drive]

System Specs

CASE: Corsair Obsidian 800D - USB3.0 SATA6GB/s
CPU: Intel i7 3770K 3.5GHz (OC to 5.1GHz, 4.6GHz - 24/7 usage)
MOTHERBOARD: Asus Maximus Formula V (modded blue)
AUDIO: Asus SupremeFX IV / ThunderFX
RAM: 16GB (4x4GB) Corsair Dominator GT @ 1866MHz 9-10-9-27 (modded blue)
GRAPHICS: EVGA GTX670 FTW 2GB in SLI (OC 1215/3314 (6628 effective))
PSU: Corsair AX1200 80Plus Gold (modded blue)
SSD (OS/BOOT): Intel 520 120GB x2 (RAID 0)
SSD (STEAM GAMES): Samsung 840 Pro 256GB
HDD 1(SECONDAY PROGRAMS/BACKUP): 320GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.12
HDD 2(STORAGE): 2TB Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EARX
HDD 3(STORAGE): 500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.11
HDD 4(STORAGE): 500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.11

HDD 5(BACKUP): 3TB Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 ST3000DM001
DVD-RW: Samsung OEM SATA 22x
DESK: Ikea Besta Desk - white
KEYBOARD: Razer BlackWidow Ultimate
MOUSE: Razer DeathAdder V2
MOUSEPAD: Razor Goliathus Speed Edition
HEADPHONES: Sennheiser HD558
SPEAKERS: Logitech X-540 5.1
MONITOR (MOVIES): Dell P2412H 24"
MONITOR (TRIPLE SETUP): Dell P2412H 24" x3
MONITOR (AUX): Dell E228WFP 22"
MODEM / ROUTER: Billion BiPAC 7800N
INTERNET: TPG ADSL2+ Unlimited
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit

WATERCOOLING
CPU COOLER: Swiftech Apogee HD CPU Waterblock - Black
RAM: EK-RAM Dominator X4 Copper + Plexi
VGA: EK-FC680 GTX Copper + Plexi x2
VGA BACKPLATE: EVGA GTX680 reference backplates x2
RADIATOR 1: XSPC RX480
RADIATOR 2: XSPC RX240
PUMPS: Swiftech MCP655 Variable Speed x2
PUMP MOD: Bitspower MCP655 Pump Mod Kit - Matte Black x2
PUMP TOP: Bitspower Dual D5 Mod Top - Black Acetal
RESERVOIR: EK-Multioption RES X2 250 Advanced
TUBING: PrimoChill PrimoFlex Pro LRT Tubing - UV Blue 1/2ID 3/4OD & 3/8ID 5/8OD
KILL COIL/ADDITIVES: PrimoChill Antimicrobial Kill Coil / Liquid Utopia Clear
FLOW INDICATOR: Bitspower Flow Indicator - Matte Black
THERMAL COMPOUND: OCZ Freeze Extreme / Arctic Cooling MX-4
COOLANT: Glendale Distilled Water

FITTINGS:
- Bitspower G1/4 Matte Black 3/8 Compression Fitting CC3
- Bitspower G1/4 Matte Black 1/2 Compression Fittings CC5
- Bitspower G1/4 Matte Black 90 Degree Adapter
- Bitspower G1/4 Matte Black Rotary 90 Degree Adapter
- Bitspower G1/4 Matte Black Triple Rotary 90 Degree Adapter
- Bitspower G1/4 Matte Black 45 Degree Adapter
- Bitspower G1/4 Matte Black 45 Degree Rotary Adapter
- Bitspower G1/4 Matte Black Case Top Water Fill Set
- Bitspower G1/4 Matte Black Mini Valve
- Bitspower Matte Black Mini Dual G1/4 Extender
- Bitspower LTC6 Single Black Luxury Tube Clamp For 5/8 inch
- Bitspower G1/4 Matte Black Low-Profile Stop Fitting
- Bitspower Carbon Black Multi-Link Adapter
- Bitspower Crystal Link
- Bitspower G1/4 Carbon Black Multi-Transfer Adapter
- Bitspower Carbon Black Dual IG1/4" Extender-20MM
- Bitspower Carbon Black Dual IG1/4" Extender-25MM
- Bitspower Carbon Black Dual IG1/4" Extender-30MM
- Bitspower G1/4 Carbon Black IG1/4 Extender-15MM
- Bitspower G1/4 Carbon Black IG1/4 Extender-20MM
- Bitspower G1/4 Carbon Black IG1/4 Extender-25MM
- Bitspower G1/4 Carbon Black IG1/4 Extender-30MM
- Bitspower G1/4 Carbon Black IG1/4 Extender-40MM
- Bitspower G1/4 Carbon Black IG1/4 Extender-50MM
- Koolance QDC Extreme Flow No-Spill Male VL4N-M13-19S
- Koolance QDC Extreme Flow No-Spill Female VL4N-F13-19S
- Koolance Mini Extender (M-F)
- Koolance Mini Coupler (F-F)
- Phobya T-Block Black

MODS & MISC
PSU CABLES: Corsair AX1200 individually sleeved cables - Black
LEDs: BitFenix Alchemy Connect 30cm Blue LED Strip
LEDs 2: Jaycar Custom Blue 3mm Waterclear 3700mcd
RAM LEDS: EK Twin 3mm LED Kit - Blue
RAD GUARD 1: Bitspower Mesh Radgaurd 480 - Black Aluminum
RAD GUARD 2: Custom 240 Rad Guard
SLEEVING: ModSmart Pro Sleeving Kit - Black
MONITOR MOUNTS: Brateck Dual Vertical & 2x Brateck Single LCD table mounts
FANS (RADIATOR): BitFenix Spectre 120mm Black Tinted Blue LED x6
FANS (CASE EXHAUST): BitFenix Spectre 140mm Black Tinted Blue LED
FAN CONTROLLER: Lamptron FC5 V2 Fan Controller - Blue setting
FILTER 1: DEMCi Flex Quad 120mm Magnetic Fan Filter
FILTER 2: DEMCi Flex Double 120mm Magnetic Fan Filter
FAN GRILLS: Custom Black 120mm steel fan grills
PERSPEX (ROG LOGO): Blue Tinted 3mm Cast Acrylic
PAINT: White Knights Squirts - Bermuda Blue
SLOT PROTECTORS: Lamptron SP2 - Black
SATA CABLES: BitFenix Sleeved SATA III Cable 180 Degree 30cm Black
USB 3.0 ADAPTER: 20pin internal USB3.0 adapter
VGA EXTRAS: Modded custom 5mm/6mm M3 screws
CABLE TIES: Nexus Velcro - Black/Blue

[Parkway Drive]

The Build

The first thing I decided on was to look for a new case. I was split between the 800D and the TJ07. I surfed around the net and saw some nice mods for both the 800D and TJ07 but I ended up going with the 800D since the cost of shipping for the other cases were almost more than the case itself (especially to Australia) and the newer features of the 800D outweighed the TJ07. This was back in early 2012 when there was no news of the 900D and to be honest I still prefer the look of the 800D over the 900D.

With the new case chosen I knew it wouldn't be able to fit on my desk with my current setup so I had to get a new desk. I thought if I get a new one then I might as well make use of the room and go with a surround setup which in the end has actually been really useful as I utilize all the monitors while I'm not gaming. I've gotten so used to multiple monitors that if I went back to using a single then it starts to frustrate me. (First world problems :p)

So where does everyone in Sydney go when they need furniture? Probably the same as everyone else: IKEA.

Found a perfectly sized desk to fit and that was that, well you know how it easy with IKEA stuff...

DAY 1

So I finally had a free day from work and university (or college as some of you might call it) so I decided to start modding the case to fit the XSPC RX480 rad in the top of the 800D. I measured the top and used the Bitspower 480 Mesh radguard to get a stencil of where I would need to cut. I wanted to keep the top piece intacked as best I could since I was going to use it for the bottom 240 mod for the other RX240 rad. While I was measuring up to cut the top, my two Swiftech MCP655 pumps arrived from the US. Damn Sydney weather postponed my case mod as it started to rain so I decided to start work on the pumps since I now had the parts to do so.

I modded the swiftech MCP655 pumps with the Bitspower D5/MCP655 matte black mod kit to fit the inside of the 800D and also a bitspower dual D5 top which would add efficiency and power the the pumps. I sleeved the cables and added the backplates to perfectly line up with the speed variable switch on the back of the pumps.

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[Parkway Drive]

DAY 2

The next morning I woke up and found this box outside my door.

While I do have GTX670s the EVGA GTX670 FTW models use a reference GTX680 PCB so thankfully GAMMODS had these in stock.

That same day I also received my EVGA GTX670 FTW from PCCG so I had to throw it into my temporary rig and finally retire my old 8800GT in SLI which served me well for a good 5 years.

[Parkway Drive]

DAY 3

I had some free time in the morning before work to mod the top on the 800D to fit the Bitspower 480 Rad guard and the XSPC RX480 Radiator.

So I had drawn up the cutout for the top grill before but I decided that I also wanted to save the cutout to use on the side panel for my RX240 which was going to sit sideways on the bottom of the case. This was mainly cause I couldn't find the Bitspower 240 rad guard in Australia, and waiting a few weeks for it to get shipped from the US would take forever. *** In the photo I have the fans intaking from the top. The final with the LEDs are how I have them orientated as outtakes ***

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[Parkway Drive]

DAY 4
So today I went to work getting the bottom HDD cage removed for the bottom mounted XSPC RX240 Radiator.

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I went to put in the back 2 fans and noticed that part of the mid plate holding the hot swappable drives is blocking the fans from sitting flush so I'll have to dremel out a bit more.
 

 

[Parkway Drive]

DAY 5

As I couldn't find a good 240 radgrill in stock in Australia, I'd just make my own from the left over top cutout that I did for the 480 rad. I cut away the extra bits and it turned out pretty nice. The intake has a magnetic dust filter over it so no worries about dust getting into those honeycomb grills.

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With the dust filter

[Parkway Drive]

DAY 6

Got my 4 new Dell P2412H monitors today. 3 of them I use in surround with an old 22" as an Aux on the top while I have the spare 24" for movies and TV shows set up infront of my bed just infront of the case.

Also while I had the time I went into photoshop and printed out a few labels to help complete the theme of the build. This is one of the blue AX1200 and also went to the extent of doing the blue for the Corsair Dominator GT RAM modules. I wasn't worried about the heatspreaders on the RAM cause I was gonna take them off to make way for the watercooling block anyway.

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[Parkway Drive]

DAY 7

I really would have loved to spend the time on sleeving all the cables in my build but with work and uni taking up so much of my time, I really didn't have the time or the money to order sleeving from MDPC-X. I opted for the cheaper and time saving option of getting the sleeved kit from Corsair, and yes it isn't perfect but I'm still very happy with how it turned out.

I also routed some of the front IO cables and modified the back of one of the 5.25 drive bays as the space between the radiator was a tight squeeze. I actually used some thin gardening pipe to use as molding so that the sharp edges wouldn't cut the cables. Nothing special.

[REDNINJA2012]

wow nice build really inspiring

:cool:

[Nit3Rid3R]

Damn boy, that looks great! Can I haz it?

[Guest]

That's a niiiiiiiiiiceeee PC. Be a shame if something happened to it... :P

Any further upgrades planned?

[hiyayhi]

Looks SWEET!

Oz FTW :D

[Parkway Drive]

@REDNINJA2012 - Thanks, I tried making the build as much of my own as I could...well as much as a watercooled 800D can be anyway. Pretty sure most people with an 800D have it watercooled so nothing too unique. But if it does inspire some then that's great. I still look at all the other rigs and it still gives me inspiration to mod more, so I'm honoured to pass some on.

@Nit3Rid3R - Thanks Nit, unfortunately it's my only rig at the moment and I'm heavily programming and coding for uni at the moment. But thanks for the comment.

@windspeed36 - Thanks and...ah what are you planning to do mate...:confused: I was looking at getting a twin pack of the Corsair SP120 quiet editions for the bottom side panel fans to get more intake coming in through the bottom of the case, besides that I really don't know if I'd do anything more. I've seen a lot of other mods that way surpass anything I've done with the case but I really don't think I'd have anymore big gaps of free time to get much more done. So unfortunately it'll probably stay like this for a while.

@hiyayahi - Hey, fellow Aussie I presume. Thanks mate for the comment.

I still haven't finished posting up the rest of the build log but I will soon. As usual, uni and work getting in the way as always.

There are still the modifications I did to the Maximus V Formula to get all the parts from looking red to blue and a few more things to finish to get to the final look.

Thanks for the feedback and responses guys, I thought for a sec that the build was too crap that no one would say anything.

Cheers

[Parkway Drive]

Day 8

Asus Maximus V Formula with the ThunderFX. When I opened it up I have to admit, it made me rethink my whole blue and black theme and maybe switch to a red. But I stuck to my initial plan and the ideas I had for the board. I'll have more on that in coming posts.
I have to say the board looks amazing, even in red and black. If there was someone building a red and black theme this is definitely the board to get. The board was heavier than I thought with that massive fusion thermo block. It comes with a tonne of accessories and the only thing I can say is I wish it came stock as a blue and black board. I probably would have paid extra if there was.

Anyway went along with testing and post to make sure nothing was wrong or DOA. Turned out sweet so it was straight to starting the careful motherboard mods I had planned.

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[Parkway Drive]

DAY 9

So since having the Maximus V Formula for almost a week now I've completed most of the motherboard mods I set out to do. I think most of you will find this crazy (and I do to some extent, but desperation does funny things). Anyway I really wanted the MVF but sticking to my Blue and Black theme I needed to convert whatever was red on the board. Firstly, Yes this probably has voided my warranty but I'm a perfectionist in the case of PCs and it took me a long time to prep and do all this perfectly. I haven't found anyone in the world who has done this to the Maximus V Formula yet so I may be the only one (dumb enough to do so).

So I took off the block and preped it for spraying. I researched as much as I could on painting motherboards, heatsinks, etc. Actually found a guy that sprayed his entire board including PCB and a few heatsinks and his PC still ran fine. So that was a bit reassuring considering I was only painting the plastic slots and only a small part of the Fusion Thermo which I'll be watercooling and results have shown with water cooling on the block it pretty much stays at ambient temps.

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So after reinstalling the block I went on to do the rest of the board. SATA, RAM and PCI slots. Even the start button on the top corner.
Luckily it has a white glow behind the start which I really liked so it actually looks good with the blue button and white letters. The reset however was red so I've been able to neutralise the glow behind it so it doesn't glow. Haven't looked in the bios yet but I know theres and option to turn off the redline PCB lights next to the SupremeFX IV so that will be turning off. I was looking at putting blue LEDs below the redline and that would make it glow but when I tested with some blue LEDs it actually made the light come through as white for some reason and didn't look as nice. So I'll just be leaving them off.
You'll notice that I haven't got any paint on any other components and even on the PCI slots, the pins at the bottom don't have any paint.

It pretty much looks like some Spider-Man mod but all the red parts that you can see will be covered by the hardware or anything that is visible is blue.
 

 

The next mod that I've been working on is the glowing ROG logo at the center of the board. I had ordered some blue perspex from the UK so I was waiting for that to arrive.
 

[Parkway Drive]

DAY 10

So I got my blue perspex all the way from the UK and attached it to my custom circuit ROG logo for the board. Turned out pretty much exactly what I wanted. Installed it into the case and ran some MemTest86+ to ensure the RAM Dimms were fine.

Also got a big delivery of fittings and other parts from PCCG so I got to work on putting the watercooling together even tho I should have been working on my Uni assessments.

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[Markkedi]

Wow, there is some serious modding going on in this thread. Nicely done :) Will be following this more from now on.

[Parkway Drive]

Wow, there is some serious modding going on in this thread. Nicely done :) Will be following this more from now on.

Thanks, still have a few more updates to go.

[HoZy]

PCCG & GAMMODS <3 haha

Love the build, Lets hope my water cooling build doesn't let us Aussies down! We have to keep a decent name for ourselves hahaha

The dedication to colouring your gear blue is amazing, Scary but amazing. I guess it's as crazy as me delidding my 3770k lol

Also, I'd love to know how your Laptron fan controller goes, About to order one from PCCG after pay day :)

Cheers

Mat

[Parkway Drive]

PCCG & GAMMODS <3 haha

Love the build, Lets hope my water cooling build doesn't let us Aussies down! We have to keep a decent name for ourselves hahaha

The dedication to colouring your gear blue is amazing, Scary but amazing. I guess it's as crazy as me delidding my 3770k lol

Also, I'd love to know how your Laptron fan controller goes, About to order one from PCCG after pay day :)

Cheers

Mat

Thanks HoZy

I was considering delidding and lapping my CPU as well but thought about reselling it later on.

I love the Lamptron FC5 V2. It has more than enough wattage over each channel to hook up a bunch of fans too. I really didn't want anything too flamboyant but something that would just have a blue display and wanted the build to look clean and simple.The build quality of the FC5 is some of the highest I've seen in a fan controller, it uses a black anodized finish. The control of voltage is also very smooth, with a steady hand you can increase or decrease by 0.1 of a volt and find that balance between silence and performance.

My only concern is if you're planning to use the FC5 in your Define R4, then you probably won't be able close your door if you use it in one of the 5.25 bay cause the knobs might protrude too far.

Either way I'll be keeping an eye out on your build log as well so can't wait to see what happens.

Cheers

[Parkway Drive]

DAY 11

My shipment arrived from PCCG so I had my Arctic cooling MX-4 to finally start putting some of the blocks on. The Swiftech CPU blocks have always looked awesome and the all black look was exactly what I wanted for my build. It performs alongside some of the best and is actually really good value at around $79 AUD which is pretty much cheaper then all other blocks here in Oz.

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I also got some black 120mm wire fan grills to help protect the radiator fins since I would be working in tight places.
Also got some BitFenix Sleeved SATA cables since I needed straight SATA cables to mount the SSDs on the back motherboard plate and I wanted to check out the BitFenix sleeving which from what I've read looks pretty nice and it feels really good and easy to route.
I got a new fan controller because the biggest problem I had with my old one was it wasn't fully adjustable. My Lamptron FANatic matches the front of the Antec 900 perfectly since the mesh cover is exactly the same as the 900 but the problem was the fan channels could only use 0V (off), 7V (low), 12V (high) settings for the fans. So I found the Lamptron FC5 V2 and looked perfect for my needs. 0-12V control with front LED control which I wanted for a Blue readout even tho I could change it to heaps of other colours if I wanted to. I am honestly suprised that the build quality of the FC5 is really nice and solid, it doesn't feel cheap at all and the knobs are smooth and easy to control. The readout has the RPM, voltage and temperature in celcius or fahrenheit. I didn't install the probs so I am only using it for the RPM and the voltage. Here's how I wired the channels:
1. Two Top front 120mm RAD fans
2. Two Top back 120mm RAD fans
3. Back 140mm Exhaust fan
4. Two bottom side 120mm RAD fans

Got my first shipment of fittings from The Koolroom

[HoZy]

DAY 11

My shipment arrived from PCCG so I had my Arctic cooling MX-4 to finally start putting some of the blocks on. The Swiftech CPU blocks have always looked awesome and the all black look was exactly what I wanted for my build. It performs alongside some of the best and is actually really good value at around $79 AUD which is pretty much cheaper then all other blocks here in Oz.

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I also got some black 120mm wire fan grills to help protect the radiator fins since I would be working in tight places.

Also got some BitFenix Sleeved SATA cables since I needed straight SATA cables to mount the SSDs on the back motherboard plate and I wanted to check out the BitFenix sleeving which from what I've read looks pretty nice and it feels really good and easy to route.

I got a new fan controller because the biggest problem I had with my old one was it wasn't fully adjustable. My Lamptron FANatic matches the front of the Antec 900 perfectly since the mesh cover is exactly the same as the 900 but the problem was the fan channels could only use 0V (off), 7V (low), 12V (high) settings for the fans. So I found the Lamptron FC5 V2 and looked perfect for my needs. 0-12V control with front LED control which I wanted for a Blue readout even tho I could change it to heaps of other colours if I wanted to. I am honestly suprised that the build quality of the FC5 is really nice and solid, it doesn't feel cheap at all and the knobs are smooth and easy to control. The readout has the RPM, voltage and temperature in celcius or fahrenheit. I didn't install the probs so I am only using it for the RPM and the voltage. Here's how I wired the channels:

1. Two Top front 120mm RAD fans

2. Two Top back 120mm RAD fans

3. Back 140mm Exhaust fan

4. Two bottom side 120mm RAD fans

Got my first shipment of fittings from The Koolroom

Soo many bitspower fittings, Oh My GOD!!!

Thanks for the photos of the Lamptron as well,

Today sure is PCCG delivery day, I got more gear as well haha

Cheers

Mat

[Parkway Drive]

DAY 12

I started the day by putting one of the EK-FC680 blocks onto the EVGA GTX670 FTW graphics card. Luckily the FTW models use 680 reference design PCBs but if you are looking into watercooling your cards then make sure that it's either a reference PCB or there's a specific block for your card, e.g. Asus DirectCU II, etc.
I also got some EVGA GTX680 backplates. They look sweet.

*** Just a note that if you get waterblocks and a backplate make sure you have long enough screws to fit through the plate and block. Luckily I researched if there was anyone who had problems and turns out that they couldn't put the backplate and block on with the stock screws so when I was at Jaycar gettin the LEDs for the ROG logo I spotted these and noticed they were M3x6mm which fit perfectly into the block and backplate.
 

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I installed the block and started planning the layout of the loop. If you notice I used two bitspower fillports to attach fittings directly through the midplate and attached the flow indicator so you can see it through the case window.
I also attached the 3/8" Primoflex pro LRT UV blue tubing to the Fusion Thermo waterblock of the Maximus V Formula. My main tubing is 1/2" but the 3/8" is just to attach the motherboard block into the loop. Going from 1/2" down to 3/8" will restrict the flow but it won't be much and won't effect the performance.
Inorder to fit the reservoir I needed to drill holes in the motherboard tray to screw the clamps through.
To finish off the loop I installed the EK-RAM Dominator X4 block on the Dominator GT RAM. With the red heatspreaders off, the build starts to look more complete and the blue tubing looks awesome. I'll be adding some blue LEDs to the RAM block which is predrilled with 3mm holes.
 

Connected up the pump and bottom reservoir. I'm waiting on another two shipments to finish off the loop and then I can run a leak test and move the build to my room. I'm using Distilled water + Kill coils + Biocide in my loop and I won't be using any dyes even tho I was looking at Mayhems which looks awesome but I just feel safer if I put the minimum amount of additives. I attached the kill coils directly in the reservoir so the water would get a good treatment.
 

[Parkway Drive]

DAY 13

So when I last left I was waiting for my last 2 shippments of fittings from PCCG and TheKoolRoom. Well they arrived at the end of last week and I've been busy fixing and getting everything together. It's finally finished...for now anyway.

The guys at PCCG and The KoolRoom definately have their shit together on their shipping.

Didn't take a pic of the PCCG order but it was just some LEDs and extra fittings. I didn't end up using the Bitspower crystal links. The guys at TKR were nice enough to send a free drink.

I also added in a drainage line/tap right at the lowest point in my loop and also an extra 90 degree fitting as my fillport that I just hook an extra line too.

Another bonus was I found some perfect distilled water in Big W out at Stocklands Wetherill Park. From an Australian company that's also located in Wetherill Park that use a proper process for distilled water, rather than just demineralised.

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