Project Daedalus- Open Air Hydro System [i7-8700k | GTX 1080 Ti | Custom Exotic Loop]

[EsvDefcon]

Hi everyone,

 

I've built a few systems in my time, but nothing publicly. My previous build was a very quick, jerry-rigged liquid cooled system, which was done out of necessity. I now have the time to more or less rebuild it from scratch, overhauling the mobo and CPU, and reconstructing the cooling loop from scratch.

 

PCPartPicker Build

 

We are starting with;

 

Motherboard; Z170 Pro Gaming

CPU; i7-6700k stock

GPU; EVGA GTX 1080Ti

PSU; EVGA Supernova G2

RAM: 16GB Corsair LPX @ 3200MHz

With a Thermaltake RL360 Pacific softline custom loop.

 

And going to;

Motherboard; Maximus X Hero Formula Z370

CPU; i7-8700k OC'd to 5-5.2GHz

GPU; EVGA GTX 1080Ti

PSU; EVGA Supernova G2

RAM: 32GB Corsair LPX @ 3200MHz

With a THermaltake RL360 Pacific custom hardline loop, including GPU waterblock, active temperature monitoring, and a drain valve.

 

 

Apologies for the relative mess.

 

 

This is an early log, as I have a lot of deliveries to wait on (which will all be here by Friday, at the latest, Wednesday at the earliest), but I'll be posting piece as they come in. I know some people do huge photography sessions with each component but this is going to be quite a brief journal, with me focusing mainly on the PC at each stage.

 

Incoming packages;

 

i7-8700k CPU

Maximus X Hero Formula Motherboard

Phanteks Glacier GTX 1080Ti waterblock

Thermaltake Digital Thermometer

4 metres of 16mm PETG hardline tubing (double order, too late to cancel, so plenty of test length)

2 * Thermaltake Hardline Compression Fittings

12 * Nickel Hardline Compression Fittings

T-Junction

Drain Valve

Stopper

PETG bending kit

XSPC EC6 UV Blue Coolant

 

I'm very excited about getting this build together. My existing loop has a couple of slow flow issues, and I did not include the GPU in the loop, as you can see above, and with the new components I think this should bring together a dreadnought of a system.

[Nicnac]

Those tubes are lookin thiccc....

[EsvDefcon]

4 minutes ago, Nicnac said:

Those tubes are lookin thiccc....

I was using Thermaltake coolant but it appears to have formed quite a few deposits within about 5 months, so they're in a bit of a mess anyway. Things should look a lot more sleek with the thinner hardline tubing in. Note that the reservoir is unscrewed in that pic; the lower pipe was previously more inline.

[EsvDefcon]

So, first lot in already. I had the write up open for a little while since I had to grab set up a RAW converter for this PC; I hadn't yet used a camera with this rig. So while waiting, the first parts arrived. I went ahead and threw the extension cables on, despite the fact that I'll be swapping the mobo in a few days. I figured that I might as well get them on and hook their combs up, and it definitely looks much neater. We will be transitioning to a blue colour scheme, of course.

 

 

I couldn't help but feel that the PETG shaping kit looked more like a set of torture implements.

 

[EsvDefcon]

The CPU has just arrived, and will be followed up this afternoon by the PETG tubing, compression fittings, and the digital thermometer. There's not much I'll be able to do with the comps until the motherboard arrives on Wednesday, but I'll probably do some test bends with the pipes today, and think about getting the reservoir drained tomorrow.

 

[EsvDefcon]

It didn't take me long to realise ordering a delidding tool would be a better idea... it arrives on Wednesday.

 

[EsvDefcon]

With the arrival of the pipes and thermometer this afternoon, I decided to make a start and backed up my work, since I'll have to use my laptop for the next few days. I drained the loop and gave everything a run through with hot water. I was surprised to find the volume of buildup from the coolant. It cleaned out easily enough, but I'll be doing a full cycle with distilled water for a couple of days at the very least before I swap it out for the new liquid. It will also be a good practical test for the drain valve.

 

 

These are more test bends than anything. The curves aren't perfect but I realise it's quite difficult to get the desired result by hand, so I'm fairly pleased with how they turned out. I can only complete these two pieces for now, as I need the motherboard to position the CPU route, and the drain pieces for the bottom section don't arrive until tomorrow. The drain will consist of a three-way junction, coming out of the pump, with the top port going to the GPU, and the corner port linking to the drain valve, which will be capped with a metal stopper.

 

I was unsure of where to place the thermometer, but in the end I decided to link it in before the radiator to get a readout of the coolant once it's completed a cycle of the system.

 

[EsvDefcon]

The drain parts arrived this morning. The placement may look a little odd, being so close to the PSU, but when used I'll be shutting the valve, unscrewing the end cap and replacing it with one of the old flexible connectors, running into a bucket.

 

 

I also received 5 litres of distilled water today, along with some CoolLaboratory 80W(mK)-1 liquid coolant, and the UV lighting, which I've attached in preparation. More significantly, after seeing that my motherboard still hadn't shipped, and noting the superior cooling features of a higher-end product in the range, I swapped the Maximus X Hero for a Formula, which arrives tomorrow alongside my delidding tool. I'll be setting that up tomorrow, delidding the 8700k, installing it, and sorting the CPU loop out. The GPU waterblock still hasn't shipped, and it might not arrive until Friday, but once it arrives I'll be able to finish the build.

 

I have to say, I'm very excited about the mobo upgrade.

[EsvDefcon]

Everything bar the GPU waterblock has now arrived. It looks as though it will arrive tomorrow. I delidded the 8700k, applied liquid metal coolant (at 80W(mK)-1), and completed the CPU->mobo->thermal monitor cooling line, which then runs to the existing thermal monitor->radiator->res/pump line. For somebody whose DT teacher called them "cack handed", I don't think my PETG bends turned out too badly, although I did give myself one hell of a nasty burn (about 7-8cm in diameter on my lower forearm) from an accidental collision with the heat gun's metal shield. I also moved my M.2 drive over and set it up within the Formula's massive heatsink, which also carries a thermal contact pad for good coverage. Quite a few photos incoming.

 

A quick snap of my "organisation" last night.

 

 

I was debating whether or not to just delid by hand, but despite being expensive for what it really is, I think it was worth it for the added safety. The IHS came off very quickly, and cleaning it up showed no damage to the die/board.

 

 

The mobo arrived in style.

 

 

 

The board was in very quickly. I haven't reglued the IHS, so I set it up horizontally and the socket clips are holding it in place. I grabbed a couple of shots of the M.2 installation and huge heatsink.

 

 

 

I began the line work by connecting the motherboard outflow to the existing thermal monitor port.

 

 

The CPU outlet flows directly into the motherboard inlet. When the GPU block arrives, I'll be finishing the loop to run from the drain section to the GPU, to the CPU inlet.

 

[MkaiL]

Nice build. 

Personally not a fan of TT when it comes to watercooling, they do have interesting cases though. One tip, bend a tube for the top (from mobo to rad) without the temp sensor since you're probably going to need it later (you should check reviews on that thing). Just keep it on the side so you can easily swap it if you need to rma it. 

[EsvDefcon]

1 hour ago, MkaiL said:

Nice build. 

Personally not a fan of TT when it comes to watercooling, they do have interesting cases though. One tip, bend a tube for the top (from mobo to rad) without the temp sensor since you're probably going to need it later (you should check reviews on that thing). Just keep it on the side so you can easily swap it if you need to rma it. 

Thanks MkaiL,

 

I purchased the sensor from Scan where it had no reviews, and I assumed it would be a solid product so didn't do my research with it (I'm also less of a TT fan now though, outside of this; £10 for basic compression fittings, etc.). I did a brief test after reading that some were DOA, and it's fine, but sounds like I shouldn't expect the screen to last for very long. For the time being I'm just going to hope that it continues to work; it's more of an aesthetic thing than a practical one, so if it dies I won't be that bothered, but good to know about the projections.

 

I need to tidy the cables up still, but I grabbed a pic of the power test. Also, the RGBs aren't yet customised, of course, as I need to finish and use Aura to tweak them.

 

[EsvDefcon]

So, everything is here, now. I'm actually almost finished, I just have the two GPU lines to attach now. My back is killing after some cramped working (I really need to tidy this place up), so I thought I'd take a break and grab a shot of everything.

 

When setting the GPU up, I suffered a minor heart attack upon realising the model discrepancy wasn't as slight as I'd first thought. However with perseverance, a hacksaw, and some pliers, it only required a slight adjustment to get the Strix block fitted to my EVGA model.

 

 

Note that while it's looking a bit like a disco right now, I'll be colour matching all of the lighting. It's just cycling currently as I haven't been able to set it up yet since I need to log in.

 

[EsvDefcon]

Just to keep this updated; the build itself is totally finished now, but I have a lot to clean up before I can grab some pics of the room setup. I was out of the country visiting family yesterday so I'm only now able to wrap everything up.

[Rosinbole]

Looking forward to seeing final pics!