Technica: A Subaru Themed PC. My Magnum Opus

[GlorifiedPaperShuffler]

In my other build log, I called my wife's build "The Guinea Pig". A guinea pig for what you might ask?

 

Well, here is a build I call "Technica", named after Subaru Technica International (STI), the motorsports and high performance division of Subaru (the car manufacturer, not the telescope).

 

The parts list isn't finalized yet, since I estimate it'll take me months just to do the mods I have planned for the case.

But think Ryzen 9, 2080 Ti, all watercooled, RGBed to the max, plus a good helping of automotive grade paint.

 

This is my dream build. It's been about 6 months in conceptualization.

For the longest time, I referred to it in my budget/parts sheet as "Magnum Opus", because I think this will be the last major build I do from scratch.

Everything after will just be updates to the internals here and there.

 

The build's theme is Subaru, but specifically, the design will try to evoke themes found in the following Subarus:

 

So lots of WR Blue (I'm partial towards WR Blue Pearl), a touch of Cherry Blossom Red/Pink (undecided if I should harken back to the original pink or the newer pinkish red), and just a touch of High Viz Yellow.

 

I'm starting this thread today, because today is the day the case for this build arrived:

 

Yes, I am a nutjob who just paid for a C700M. My fingers are tightly crossed that this case will be the last case I buy.

Beyond this, I hope everything will just be a matter of upgrading internals.

 

If you are thinking of buying a Cosmos C700M, know that it is a MASSIVE case. My wife's Crystal 570X looks like a toy next to it.

 

Yes, this also does mean that I got parts for a 2nd build before finishing the 1st.

I'm hoping to take advantage of what remaining warm weather we have outside for painting.

Additionally, I can do more detailed planning with the case in-hand, so I can see what I can take apart for painting, and how I can best apply the color theme discussed above.

 

Will update when I make more progress.

[Firewrath9]

Nice! will it be hardline? Also for radiators I'd reccommend Hardwarelabs GTS and GTX radiators as those are the OEM of what Corsair produces and they perform a bit better as Corsair uses the OEM versions which are slightly thinner for better compatability (

398mm x 133mm x 29.6mm (L x W x H) on GTS vs corsair slim 396mm x 120mm x 30mm), the extra 13mm of thickness reduces resistance and gives better temps. Same with the thicker rads)

[dizmo]

I really hope you find a way to incorporate some of the gold in there as well. Their gold wheels really do define what a proper STI should be.

[GlorifiedPaperShuffler]

8 minutes ago, Firewrath9 said:

Nice! will it be hardline? Also for radiators I'd reccommend Hardwarelabs GTS and GTX radiators as those are the OEM of what Corsair produces and they perform a bit better as Corsair uses the OEM versions which are slightly thinner for better compatability (

398mm x 133mm x 29.6mm (L x W x H) on GTS vs corsair slim 396mm x 120mm x 30mm), the extra 13mm of thickness reduces resistance and gives better temps. Same with the thicker rads)

Absolutely it'll be hardline! I'm currently thinking of a way to evoke the Boxer Engine with my hardline routing. See where it'll take me.

 

I'm kinda torn between just running blue coolant, or if I should try to color match the Cherry Blossom Pink/Red by mixing coolants. Not sure if the latter will result in problems.

 

I'm currently partial towards EK rads really, though I'm perusing Alphacool's range as well. I'll check out Hardwarelabs. No harm in doing so.

 

8 minutes ago, dizmo said:

I really hope you find a way to incorporate some of the gold in there as well. Their gold wheels really do define what a proper STI should be.

I forgot to mention...the hardline loop fittings will be gold!

[Firewrath9]

Just now, GlorifiedPaperShuffler said:

-snip-

Nice! Are you going to use a clear coolant or a Pastel coolant? Imo pastel looks much better, but I've heard of people having issues. Are you going to paint the fans, or use RGB fans?

th

thats a chart of a bunch of 360mm radiators, (albeit at 750rpm, which is silent, there are more graphs here: https://www.xtremerigs.net/2015/02/11/radiator-round-2015/5/)

Thats why I reccommend hardwarelabs radiators, becuase they perform very well for their cheap price (60$ for a thin 360mm radiator, and 100$ for a 60mm thick one)

 

I wish I had more money for a build like this xD, perhaps one day I'll save up and convince myself and my wallet.

[GlorifiedPaperShuffler]

2 minutes ago, Firewrath9 said:

Nice! Are you going to use a clear coolant or a Pastel coolant? Imo pastel looks much better, but I've heard of people having issues. Are you going to paint the fans, or use RGB fans?

Probably clear, because I'd rather not risk problems.

Fans will be RGB, but I have not decided which fan yet. There are a few fans that carry a linear RGB design, instead of circles. I'm still researching if demanding a linear RGB design will mean compromising performance. On the other hand, circles don't really fit all that well in the design I have in mind.

 

2 minutes ago, Firewrath9 said:

thats a chart of a bunch of 360mm radiators, (albeit at 750rpm, which is silent, there are more graphs here: https://www.xtremerigs.net/2015/02/11/radiator-round-2015/5/)

Thats why I reccommend hardwarelabs radiators, becuase they perform very well for their cheap price (60$ for a thin 360mm radiator, and 100$ for a 60mm thick one)

I saw their website, and it's mighty tempting. The cheap price helps too, because I intend to paint the radiator's side panels (leaving the fins black). It'll be nice if they're cheap to replace if I screw it up.

 

2 minutes ago, Firewrath9 said:

I wish I had more money for a build like this xD, perhaps one day I'll save up and convince myself and my wallet.

I know the feeling man. To get the money to do this and other things, I gave up a year of my life for my employer, and worked in our HQ in Japan for that time.

[Firewrath9]

21 minutes ago, GlorifiedPaperShuffler said:

Probably clear, because I'd rather not risk problems.

Fans will be RGB, but I have not decided which fan yet. There are a few fans that carry a linear RGB design, instead of circles. I'm still researching if demanding a linear RGB design will mean compromising performance. On the other hand, circles don't really fit all that well in the design I have in mind.

 

I saw their website, and it's mighty tempting. The cheap price helps too, because I intend to paint the radiator's side panels (leaving the fins black). It'll be nice if they're cheap to replace if I screw it up.

 

I know the feeling man. To get the money to do this and other things, I gave up a year of my life for my employer, and worked in our HQ in Japan for that time.

oh yeah they also offer it with primer white, which i think is good if you're going to paint it

http://www.performance-pcs.com/brand--hardware-labs/color--primer-white/

[Unforgiving]

Make sure to get a closed deck processor 

 

(lol Subaru joke) 

[GlorifiedPaperShuffler]

11 hours ago, Unforgiving said:

Make sure to get a closed deck processor 

 

(lol Subaru joke) 

Too bad they don't make em anymore.

Oh well, at least with a processor you can just delid and fill the insides with liquid metal.