Project "Caution! Overclocked" - CrossFire 7970 / X58 Extreme / Xeon / Corsair 800D

[Guest]

Can't believe X58 is 10 years old oh my.

[AT0MAC]

14 hours ago, RorzNZ said:

Can't believe X58 is 10 years old oh my.

Yea me too, Im little surprised too. But its a platform that seems to be getting some traction because it should still give quite the performance per cost, I'm going to put that to the extreme test here - not piecing together a cheap build by any stretch, but compared to my other build that cost more than 3x as much (Killer Panda) then it's interesting to see if it's 3x a better performer

[AT0MAC]

The past weeks product reveals + todays product: Swiftech H220!

Still to this day one of the meanest and most powerfull AIO pumps, I have actually used this cooler until shortly before I build Killer Panda.

Will do a fluid swap on it before this build, I know some have evaporated with the years there has passed.

You get todays update early, as im actually right now on my way to the postoffice, posting this via my phone!

Follow along tomorrow for more parts revealed, I have so many boxes there need unboxing......

[Drunkenvalley]

Hey, can you do me a favor and tell me how the H220 is compared to other pumps in terms of noise?  I've got an NCASE M1 that I want to watercool, but I want to keep it simple w/ something alike the H220, or Fractal Design's Kelvin...

[AT0MAC]

5 hours ago, Drunkenvalley said:

Hey, can you do me a favor and tell me how the H220 is compared to other pumps in terms of noise?  I've got an NCASE M1 that I want to watercool, but I want to keep it simple w/ something alike the H220, or Fractal Design's Kelvin...

Its older tech and does make some rumble, newer AIOs I have tried are way more silent, specially I used to have a Corsair a few years back, that one I was even sometimes in doubt if it was on...

I have personal experience with about 6 AIOs and out of those, despite the noise, the H220 is the coolest and best of the bunch I have yet to try.

Its all about headpreassure and surface area.

 

I dont know how the Kelvins are, but some YT guys seems to like it a lot, like Jayz2C.

 

Sounds interesting, a buddy of mine used to have an Ncase, its a nice box.

[Drunkenvalley]

Thanks. I was particularly wondering how it was compared to D5 and/or DDC, sorry for not being clear.  

[AT0MAC]

13 hours ago, Drunkenvalley said:

Thanks. I was particularly wondering how it was compared to D5 and/or DDC, sorry for not being clear.  

Im not sure I can tell you that as of now... Never owned a D5 and the DDC I run in Killer Panda is the 18W version that is running crazy fast and cant be speed limited, so it also rumble.

But follow along here, I might be able to tell you at a later time, there will be something featured later you might find interesting regards to water cooling.

[AT0MAC]

I did something really smart yesterday...

 

I have now unpacked all the packages I got this week and it's not so few, to take pictures of the whole lot - so now I have pictures enough for little over 1 week
Then I can maybe live up to 1 photo a day, every day, from now on.

 

 

Today's product: Lamptron FC2!

 

 

Old school fan controller with real mechanical potentiometers, nothing digital here, mechanics!
This is the one I have teasted some days as the solution to my very noisy fans, I told you I had a solution, it just had to come home from Italy first

[AT0MAC]

Just looked at the statistics, so far there is 3.540 people who have viewed my pictures leading up to this project.

 

Linus Tech Tips 950

Tweak.dk 931

Bit-tech 883

Overclock.net 776

 

Thanks for all the reactions and interest! We are not done yet so stay around

[AT0MAC]

I have just updated the "shopping list", see it in post #1.

 

As you can see, this is not a budget build!

Instead it has turned into a build that tells a story "I build a PC in 2009 and upgraded it in 2013, see how bad a$$ it is in 2018".

 

As I mentioned earlier, in those years I was a Mac modder and Apple user, so was not following what was going on in the PC world at the time. So this is to catch up and see what I have missed.

 

Now when all actual parts have arrived I am starting to figure out what I should mod into the build, I simply can't leave it untouched.

Also, need to change thermal paste, fluid swap the AIO, use some contact cleaner on parts and blow away dust, it all needs some love.

 

 

I promise it will be fun to see, this build is not like the rest around here.

[AT0MAC]

Today's product may not be quite 100% age correct, but the "style" is at least:

 

Bitspower true silver fitting and metal screw on hose clamps!

 

 

 

We are talking soft tubing in original style before hard tubing became mainstream and just 1 level over plastic strips, the golden (or silver) middle ground

Will be fun to see your reactions when I've uncovered the whole plan for the cooling system, it's a little bananas

 

 

[AT0MAC]

Just tried to see what I could have spend the same kind of money on if I wanted to buy new parts, it's a little depressing because I'm almost sure that would have beaten the Killer Panda in terms of performance....

 

Calculated in Danish kr.

 

Calculated in USD, almost similar just different PSU

 

Oh well, the money is spend and this is a rather interesting project anyway, so no need to be sad about I did not go this route. Just fun to think about what choices are out there.

[AT0MAC]

Bonus Picture!!

 

 

Had a little time today to actually do something practical on the project, like cleaning the graphic card that will be water cooled and clean the GPU block so it now shines as new.

 

 

 

... and as it is seen in the background I have the right "tools" for the job

[AT0MAC]

2 of the mods going into the construction of this machine, will be a vandal switch with light as a "Power" button and white sleewing to any of the many small cables that are not very pretty as standard.

So today's products: Paracord & Lamptron Vandal Switch!

 

 

[AT0MAC]

As we wait for this build to get up on it's feet, then today the Killer Panda got featured at Cable Mod on both Twitter and Facebook:)

 

-also, if you for some reason still have not seen what I refer to as the Killer Panda, then check it out there, its quite unique. Its that system I will pit against this old timer, two build by me (and maybe more) against each other

[AT0MAC]

Today's product: Radiator for graphic card, 140 mm for 1x 7970 should be enough

 

 

 

... see that's what I need the Helix fans for

[AT0MAC]

Bonus picture!

 

 

Wayback machine and I found the original product page at Lamptron for FC2 fan control (the current link they have today at their site dont work for this model) - here is a snippet from the manual from back then.

 

"For the power user that wants the best!"

[AT0MAC]

Today's product(s): 2x Laing DDC-1 T pump!

Why 2? It will make more sense when the next product is revealed. This is going to be crazy.

[AT0MAC]

Let's build a little more excitement before I reveal what I have in mind, maybe you already guessed it....

 

 

Today's product - water hoses! (Masterkleer)

[AT0MAC]

Trifecta!

Todays product: XSPC Dual DDC reservoir!
Now my plan should be rather obvious....

 

 

Triple loop system!

GPU + North Bridge + CPU, each on its own pump, own fluid and own radiator.

Also, collected this weeks parts into 1 picture, quite the collection....

 

 

 

Did another thing today, disassembled the CORSAIR 800D, oh boy does it have a ton of parts, interlocking, riveted, screwed in. Wonder what I should do to it, but at least its now easier to work on in parts.

 

[AT0MAC]

Not so many sweet products to show anymore, so im warming up to the actual mod and to restore these old parts. That alone is a whole project...

There where no pictues yesterday, so today you get 2 pictures instead to compensate.

I have cleaned, put new thermalpaste, new thermalpads and reassembled the 7970 card that is going to be watercooled.

Turned out way better than I had hoped!

 

 

There is a heatwave around here, with a light breeze, so im taking advantage of that and am cleaning the case parts today.

Had almost forgot how many parts there is, ohh boy supertower indeed!

 

 

See you soon for more hardware p0rn

 

 

[AT0MAC]

Honestly, I don't do much these days on the project, it's way too hot around here and can't think...

 

Sorry, but I'll be back!

 

 

Weather forecast for the coming week (wonder what happened to this week, but it is kind of just on repeat so why bother I guess, as I said, can't think clearly)

[Technomancer__]

4 hours ago, AT0MAC said:

Honestly, I don't do much these days on the project, it's way too hot around here and can't think...

 

Sorry, but I'll be back!

 

 

Weather forecast for the coming week (wonder what happened to this week, but it is kind of just on repeat so why bother I guess, as I said, can't think clearly)

are you kidding me that's freezing cold

[AT0MAC]

21 hours ago, Technomancer__ said:

are you kidding me that's freezing cold

 

Well compared to be living in one of the Scandinavian countries its extremely rare we have these temperatures, specially taken into consideration it's been going on for weeks now.

I can not concentrate figuring out the mods for this build when I sweat like a pig

[AT0MAC]

Imagine this:

• Building a PSU shroud and cover plate, because PSUs are ugly and the mid plate in the 800D is also not rather nicely looking.
• Build a new motherboard tray plate, as the one there is now is soo full of ugly holes
• Paint them both and give them some magic (will show you later what that means)
• 
  
• On the backpanel, try and fill in the pass trough holes for external watercooling (as it will never be used)
  
• Cut away the Corsair mesh on the 140 mm fan spot and use a much nicer fan grill instead.
• Radiator for 7970 graphics will be mounted at the back
  
• Paint the whole backpanel inside and out.
• 
  
• On the front I will try and fill in the door, so it can never be opened again
• Not sure if I will paint the front or not
• Cut a hole in the door for a 120mm fan, so the rad for chipset can be exhausted at the front
• Mount similar to 140, but in a 120 size fan grill here too
  
• Don't reinstall the hot swap bays
• 
  
• On the top, make a full cover plate, so it closes off the 3rd fan mount and eliminate the strange shapes on the top, making it totally flat
• Make space for 240 CPU rad in the top
• Mount CPU radiator on top, with similar rad grill as the fan grills are
• 
  
• Side panel, front side, cut the window square, instead of sail format like Corsairs logo is
• Mount a tempered glass side panel on the outside, to bring it into 2018 and really show off this beast
  

No doubt the easiest would be painting it a new layer of flat black, but I think thats rather boring.
I'm considering using vinyl, as most of the planes are completely straight and should not be that difficult, can give it a very interesting look that way

I need to figure out what parts I need to mod this with, but now I have a general blue print.

Mock up front:

Mock up back and top:

Mock up side:

Of course there need some holes here and there for cables, but nowhere as many as the standard case have, this is a much cleaner look to it.

Follow along, but for now nothing is scheduled.