[Build Log] Project Frost - Case-Labs THW10 | X99 Watercooled | i7 6950X | Titan X | Borosilicate Glass Tubing

[Revan654]

2 minutes ago, Bananasplit_00 said:

that should be a nice soldering iron but check if you get any solder included before you buy more, the included stuff is usiually decent and lasts for a while aswell so you can save a bit of money  

 

It's just the iron unless I buy the Kit version. I know this is the same one that Mod-One sells.

[Revan654]

14 hours ago, W-L said:

I've used Rustoleum clear coat before with good success, a better one is probably going to be Duplicolor as they are an automotive brand. Just make sure you follow the instructions and that the paints are compatible as I've seen clear coats wrinkle or crack the base coat before. It would be best to test a small section. 

I'll take a look, Thanks.

 

I was looking at the following items:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VKY3I4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2OWTFZVIG7K1P

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005ENZ8CS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001C42OXY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

[Revan654]

 

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Switching back to single sleeve for my Fan & USB cables. Since the single sleeved wire type cables would be a nightmare due to all the cables I have. I only have one so far & it's already a bit annoying to deal with.

 

Plus it's much easier.

 

Just started with fan cables & I'm already low on female connectors(I had 100 to start with).

[Revan654]

- Mod-One is now carrying same 16AWG that Ice-modz carries(Which is 2.4mm thick, Compared to other wiring which is only 2.0mm). Only difference I can see is Mod-one wiring is shiner (Not 100% sure due to the fact how lighting is reflecting off the cable.

- I have one last order headed my way (These wires are designed for my Sata & Molex connectors). Should be here within two weeks.

- I have to wait for Moddiy to send me the right terminals since they screwed up horribly with my last order, sending me the wrong terminals or forgetting completely. USB cables I need to make will have to be put on hold while I wait for them to send out the correct parts.

- The age old question. Silver or Gold terminals? Most companies sell silver, except for Ice-modz & Moddiy. My default PSU cables (The ones that came with my PSU) are all gold plated. I might as well use Gold for everything(Atlease for the terminals I can get ahold of in gold).

[Revan654]

 

Finally a company that doesn't use subpar parts released some LED type fittings. Best of all theirs a UV version. I might grab some for the front of my PC.

[Bananasplit_00]

20 minutes ago, Revan654 said:

 

Finally a company that doesn't use subpar parts released some LED type fittings. Best of all theirs a UV version. I might grab some for the front of my PC.

do it, its going to look awesome  

[fredih]

12 hours ago, Revan654 said:

 

Finally a company that doesn't use subpar parts released some LED type fittings. Best of all theirs a UV version. I might grab some for the front of my PC.

Oh that looks awesome.. Might get some as well..

[Marine_Boy]

17 hours ago, Revan654 said:

-SNIP-

 

Finally a company that doesn't use subpar parts released some LED type fittings. Best of all theirs a UV version. I might grab some for the front of my PC.

RGB

[Revan654]

1 hour ago, Marine_Boy said:

RGB

Except it isn't RGB. It's solid colors only. UV can not an option with RGB.

[Revan654]

5 hours ago, fredih said:

Oh that looks awesome.. Might get some as well..

 

Trying to figure out what would be the best option plus how many I need to buy.

[BoredErica]

On 3/30/2017 at 9:51 PM, Revan654 said:

What is the benefit of having 2 reservoirs for 2 pumps instead of 1 reserveror and a pump connected to another pump? 
Also, what is this box you are putting the reservoirs in? 

[Revan654]

^ More liquid, Takes longer for the coolant to heat up. Plus it looks better.

[Revan654]

[Revan654]

That didn't last long, all wire from Icemodz has been used(50ft). So far I've only done a single EPS cable & cut cable for motherboard ATX (24 Pin). Guess I'm going have to mix Mod-One & remain wire from Ice-modz for my GPU cables.

[Revan654]

 

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Started work on my ATX Cable, Going to be a very short run since my PSU is basically right next to ATX connector.

[Marine_Boy]

19 hours ago, Revan654 said:

Except it isn't RGB. It's solid colors only. UV can not an option with RGB.

It's cool anyway  

[Revan654]

I keep messages about my Sleeving process & where I buy everything. I might as well highlight a few things while I'm currently doing my sleeving

Wire: 16AWG 2.4mm (This is thicker wire then what most place carry, I prefer it since it's easier to mold to how I want it). It can be obtained from Mod-One or Ice-modz. I haven't seen it anywhere else being sold. For 22AWG I only use MainFrameCustoms (Since it has a very thick threads & it's higher grade wiring compared to what you can buy at other places. You could also get ribbon style wiring for 22AWG (same that Corsair uses on their fans). It's very expensive compared to normal 22 AWG wire. 150 ft of normal wiring will cost 30 dollars, 150 feet or Ribbon wire will cost about 200 dollars.

 

Sleeving: MDPC-X (This is the best & very easy to get over almost any wire).

 

Terminals: I prefer using Gold plated(Better Contact and prevents corrosion, Their is zero issues using Silver & Gold plated versions together), This is where it comes difficult. Most places only carry Silver terminals. I buy my terminals direct from Moddiy, Ice-modz or Singularity Computers(Singularity having the best version, Moddiy has a good selection as well). The international shipping is very reasonable. Only down side is may have to wait 10 days for your items unless you use express shipping.

 

Connectors: I know they all look the same, Their is a bit of a difference between them. The most commonly connector found is made by HWT or LHE (Fans). I prefer using JMT, these are the same connectors used on Titanium lines from EVGA & Corsair. Their very high quality & last a bit longer (HWT seem to get dented more easily). If you want JMT I suggest buying from Singularity computers, Since their cheaper their compared to moddiy(Moddiy seem to overcharges for them. They want 2 dollars per connector(You also get the terminals with them which are gold plated). Also if you can't get ahold of JMT I find TKG a very good second choice.

 

HeatShrink: I only use 3/16″ from MainFrameCustoms. I have used other sizes with mixed results. Some have a much lower max heat point (Which heatshrink will break). Others take much longer before the melting process will start. I go with the thinnest heatshrink possible that will fit over MDPC-X. *Place the heatshrink on the sleeving before threading the wire through, Since it's allot harder to get the heatshrink onto sleeving after the wire has been threaded. When you have Y Cables or double crimped wires you will need to use 1/4" heatshrink. Their also glued versions of heatshrink available for those cables you can't use heatshrinkless one like dupont or fan cables using MDPC-X sleeving.

 

Tools:
A: Hakko CHP-170 Flush Cutter (I use this to cut wiring to sleeving). It has a carbon top which makes allot strong then anything made out of metal.

B: Knipex Self Adjusting Wire Stripper (It makes a 6mm cut & completely removes the wire without any issue, well worth the money)

C: X-Acto Z Series Knife (Only needed if your going to use punch down connectors (Sata & Molex), Other wise no need for this item.

D: MDPC-X Crimp Tool (This will crimp all your terminals from ATX to Fans.
E: Original MOLEX Pinremover - MDPC-X Edition (Used to remove any ATX terminals already placed in a connector or you can use Lampton 5 in one tool.

F:  Victorinox Swiss Army (I use this to remove fan terminals from the connectors. Mine is bit different, since mine is over 20 years old. It will do the same job (Just don't use the sharp point, It will damage the terminal). I also use this for watercooling, It comes in very handy.

G: Soldering Iron (This is for all your double crimped wires that's in the ATX & GPU). It's easier to solder two wire together then double crimping two 16AWG wires, Sleeving those wires & some how try to get them inside the connector. It's doable, But it's very difficult(I have done it with my one ATX cable, I later ditched it & went with soldering method). I also use soldering iron for my Sata & molex cables, This way I don't have to daisy chain wires together. Not to mention daisy chain method for sata power cables can put stress on the Harddrive connectors, specially if their very close together like SSD are. For those people not willing to solder, Icemodz offers pre-soldered wires for ATX & GPU from 30cm to 60cm in length.

 

 

^
Double crimp in a single port hole, When you do this you can't use cable combs. Not the best example since the burning & sleeving is a mess. Another reason why I don't favor double crimp wires on a single port holes. It requires more melting so the two wires melt together & stay attached.

 

H: Lighters (You don't need anything expensive, just buy a few outdoor lighters from the dollar store).

 

Crimping: is straight forward place the wire inside the terminal & push down. I pre-crimp it to some degree before place the wire inside the terminal, so the wire locks inside the terminal & doesn't move around. Do not allow the unexposed part of the wire to go past the second crimping point.

 

Melting Process: Make sure the sleeving is hanging a bit over the first crimp, place the heatshrink so it passes over that point & covers the second crimp, But does not touch the two pins stick up from the terminal. Now using the lighter heat the area of the first crimp (you will heat top, bottom, Left & right) each for five seconds. You will now quickly pinch what you just heated (you can roll it too if you want)(Be carefully as it will be hot, try not to burn your self). Now heat the top & bottom only for 3 seconds & quickly cut away the heatshrink.

If done right it should turn out like this:

 

Cable Combs: I personally favor anything from mnpctech, They are heavy duty aluminum or carbon fiber (They will not break). Most other companies use cheap plastic or acrylic. If you want closed combs which mnpctech does not offer. I find icemodz are very good quality. You can buy them directly from icemodz or Mod-One. They no longer make Sata combs for those select few who actually used those type of combs. They still make the molex ones.

[Revan654]

 

Seems Cablemod has now releasing kits for Corsair Dominator Platinum. Their very expensive if you need to replace all eight of the ram sticks. It would be 120 dollars to do so.

 

If you just need the extra colors MainFrameCustoms sells all the colors expect blue & white. They also have some UV colors too.

[Revan654]

[alphastrata]

what kind of gear do you need to do all this cabling yourself?

 

&,

where are you getting the wiring diagrams for all these cables or are you purchasing, stripping & just overall customizing..?

[Revan654]

4 hours ago, alphastrata said:

what kind of gear do you need to do all this cabling yourself?

 

&,

where are you getting the wiring diagrams for all these cables or are you purchasing, stripping & just overall customizing..?

 

Joke right? If not Hits head on keyboard. Go up two post & read the giant post about my sleeving. All pin layout can be easily found on overclock or google. I can't directly link due to the fact each PSU is different.

[Revan654]

 

Just noticed EK did away with their EVO coolant, Replaced it with Cryo. The Blue coolant is way to light for my liking.

 

I went ahead and bout some of Mayhems XT-1 Nuke. UV Blue with a bottle of blue dye (Just incase it needs to be darkened). Mayhem said it was ok to use with my tubing without any problems. I'll take their word on it.

[Revan654]

 

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Nothing really special, I replaced all the visible silver screws with black screws. I had darker steel screws on the top of the res originally, I replaced them with stainless steel screws. I felt the steel screws were a bit cheap.

 

The mounting screws (Which are M4 countersunk, were allot harder to find). These are pure Aluminum screws.

 

Replaced the screws in my GPU to stainless black screws. Now everything matches or very close to it.

[Bananasplit_00]

thought i would ask here because you probably know, what are some tips for someone that has never done watercooling before and is going to do a full custom hard loop? im going to do a full custom loop after the summer and i was just wondering if you had any tips for someone thats been a hardcore air cooler all my computer career(because screw AIOs when you can have a NH-D14 or NH-D15). just anything that comes to you would be nice to hear  i know what sortof needs to be done but extensive research and tips never hurt!  

[Revan654]

- Never use anything from ThermalTake, Even Mayhem has a warning label on their site saying they will not support anything from TT. All their products are Aluminum based. Basically the same as a AIO. True watercooling is copper based or Copper/nickel plated.

 

- Radiators, find Hardware Labs the best. I like 50 to 60 thick radiators.

- Fans, ML Pro are the fans to go with currently. BeQuiet Silent Wings 3 are also good fans, they do not have the performance that ML Pro have.

- Tubing, I know some like PETG since it's easier to bend. I find acrylic better since you can use any coolant you want with it & it's cleaner. Plus it has a higher melting point. Of course Glass is the best if you know how to work with it. I prefer 16mm sized tubing.

- Fittings, Bitspower is the best. If their to expensive. Barrow is a very good second choice.

- Coolant, EK & Mayhem are the best.

- Always build some sort of drain into your system.

- Also you want a heatgun, bending insert & some kind of tool to create the bends. AlphaCool is the easiest to work with. MoonSoon cutouts work great to, As long as you have some place to drill them down to.