Pre-Build, Re-Build.

[MrRotten]

Budget (including currency): $2700 USD

Country: US

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: General Gaming, plus some upcoming Game Titles.

Other details 

• CAS: [RAZER EDITION] LIAN LI PC-O11 Dynamic ATX Mid-Tower
• MOTHERBOARD: ASUS PRIME Z490-V ATX, ARGB
• CPU: Intel(R) Core™ Processor i9-10850K 10/20 3.60GHz [Turbo 5.1GHz] 20MB Cache LGA1200
• FAN: Cooler Master I71C CPU Air Cooler
• MEMORY: 32GB (8GBx4) DDR4/3200MHz Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro Dual Channel Memory
• VIDEO: GeForce(R) RTX 2070 SUPER™ 8GB GDDR6 (Turing) [VR Ready] (Single Card)
• HDD: 1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO Plus PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
• POWERSUPPLY: 850 Watts - Thermaltake Toughpower PF1 Series 850W 80 PLUS Platinum Ultra Quiet Full Modular Power Supply
• CASE FANS: Phanteks 9 Blade x6 120mm (3 Top/3 Side)
   

First things first --> Those Pre-Build details out of the way, I initially - never intended to Overclock. So when I first put this together, taking alot of advice, and some pre-planning/research, I thought this was the best way to go. (I was wrong, in hindsight...)

 

The Intent of this build was to just totally upgrade and overhaul my setup. I haven't had a New PC in about 8 years or so, I started running into situations where I was struggling to play certain games. So it was time. I'm very meticulous, take very good care of my equipment, and things tend to last me a long time with minimal issues as I can usually take care of any problems that come up.

 

I wanted a fresh, new, exciting setup that wasn't going to insanely break the bank, that was affordable to me, but also had plenty of ROOM for Growth.

 

The Goal was to give me entertainment in the short term, playing the games I currently Love on HIGH Graphics Settings and seeing those games from a new perspective.

 

Also to be able to play some upcoming games that are coming out in the near future, knowing that they would need something way better than I had.

 

But also, like I said, had room for growth. A lifelong PC enthusiast, I've honestly never Built My Own PC, I've built them for other people though and for work... I've always wanted to get into doing that though and I thought now is a good time to start. I thought purchasing a Pre-Build as my jumping off point would be the best - safest way to go, in hindsight I was probably wrong on that too. Lessons Learned.

 

I tried to balance Quality, Performance, and Cost. While keeping in mind that in the coming year or 2, that this PC would then turn into an exciting Project of mine to grow a Lifelong Hobby of mine.

 

Rebuilding it, swapping parts, upgrading things, or - using the Case and totally starting from scratch if I needed to... but, I felt the Components I picked would carry me through with minor adjustments here or there, and with the Warranty from the Pre-Build, I would be in no rush or pressure to learn and turn it into work. I'd get to enjoy it first. Not quite.

 

The First Month: I got the PC, opened it up, inspected it... and Immediately my Cabling OCD felt pretty disgusted with the Pre-Build Company not putting alot of care into it. I didn't buy my setup with RGB fans, so I thought the level of care they clearly put into Cable Management was just down right unacceptable and should have been better. No excuse for it... But instead of complaining to them, I am taking matters into my own hands and going to basically rebuild the whole thing and Cable Manage it MY WAY. --

 

Also, in the first 2 weeks, everything seemed to run perfectly fine... But then things started acting up. My CPU started Throttling Alot, even with Simple Things. My CPU would run very hot, and I wasn't comfortable with that. So I started digging deeper... I learned alot in this first month of owning this PC. For Starters, my CPU i9 Gen 10 Processor, that AUTO Overclocks on an Asus Motherboard by Default. -- That basically threw out me setting this up on a rinky dink AIR Cooler and getting away with that as long as I wasn't planning to Overclock. i9's Auto Overclock by default, those want to Overclock. I was having lots of problems, but then I found the Setting and stuck it to MANUAL... That solved all my problems, although, the results didn't make sense to me. Still will ask about that later... not the intent of this post. But that experience made me realize that although my initial intent wasn't to Overclock, I realize that was just because I didn't know how or was comfortable doing it... this experience ripped me out of that comfort zone and made me realize I needed to learn, and I needed a better CPU Cooler to get me there.

 

I also found though that all my Case fans were Installed for EXHAUST. I understand from a purely functional standpoint, that might be OK I guess.... but in all the studies I have done on this particular Case, it's best to have Side Intake with Top Exhaust on the 6 Fans. So I swapped those 3 Side Fans myself and greatly improved airflow/cooling.

 

Heading into the 2nd Month of owning this, I've been updating my Office, my Workbench, and doing my homework... making diagrams, plans... and the plan is to take this Pre-Build, and as it says in the Title - Rebuild it.

1. I'm going to be replacing the CoolerMaster CPU Cooler with an 360mm AIO. -- I haven't quite made the Final Decision on which AIO I will go with... every one of them has great PROs, but some very annoying CONS. I'm leaning towards the DeepCool Casle 360EX.
2. I'm replacing the Case Fans and going with a Budget RGB setup to start learning how best to do that and dive in. I got this sweet case, it feels almost sinful to not RGB the Fans atleast a little bit. I'm a minimalist, so I don't intend to go too nuts on RGB, but the fans seem like a pretty simple place to start.
3. Adding/Installing the 3 Bottom Intake Fans as well.
4. Totally Rerouting/Reinstalling all Cables

#4, totally Rerouting/Reinstalling all Cables and Cable Management is probably the thing right now that's giving me the most anxiety of all these Initial tweaks as I rebuild this.

 

This is the reason that brought me here... having watched all YouTube Videos on RGB, best practices and all that... I'm still left with questions.

 

The Puzzle I have to solve is this:

• I will have 9 RGB Case Fans. 3 on top exhaust for my AIO Install, 3 in the side as intake, 3 on the bottom as intake.
• I need to have 4 Pin PWM Connectors for all 9 Fans, and also 3 Pin ARGB Connectors for them as well.
• Fan Hubs and ARGB Controllers seem to be the best bet to go with.
• Choosing the RIGHT Fan Hub/ARGB Controller has proven to be tough... like the AIOs, they all have good PROs and CONs.
• On top of Choosing the Right one, I need to choose what Equipment in general I need. How many? Can I run Splitter Cables? What are the Do's and Don'ts?
• Is it ok to run all 9 Fans (Including the AIO 3 Fans) all from the Hub? Or, from a best benefits of CONTROL, should I run 6 Fans from the Hub and the 3 AIO Fans separated?
• How many can I daisy chain on 1 PWM Connector? I've seen 2 be the main rule of thumb it seems, but they make 3 way Splitters... when does it get to be too much?
• When it comes to ARGB, it seems no one really Splits those... so 1 Connector to a 3 Pin ARGB Connector. I assume that's to have the most flexible Control over each Fan and it's Colors?
• If you connect multiple Daisy Chained ARGB Fans to 1 connector via a Splitter, I assume whatever you change on 1 fan, it auto syncs the rest on that chain?
• When it comes to the AIO - is it best to not put them into the HUB? Should I run them separate from the HUB for best control? Does it really matter?
• Also, when it comes to Hubs, are they required to be paired/matched up to like Hardware? IE: Can I use Corsair Hubs with DeepCool RGB Fans? Which Software will be the source of Control on those fans if I did that? Can I use DeepCool Hubs with upHere RGB Fans??? I imagine it's all probably OK so long as I'm matching the right Connectors... 4 Pin PWM for Fan Control, and I prefer the 3 Pin ARGB for the RGB Controls. I assume as long as the hub supports that, I should be ok??

I know this is a LONG POST, sorry.....

 

This is basically my FIRST Build. Of this nature atleast.. I've never owned a high end system, never built one. I've built some low end ones, but none of them have been for me... so it's just, different.

 

I'm a Planner, and then Execute the Plan... and, I leave no stone unturned when it comes to plans. This has gotten me through alot in life, but it's also left me sitting on the sidelines for multiple good opportunities because I take too long sometimes to plan before I execute... I want to do this right, but more importantly.... I want to be the one to do it and do it my way.

 

Thank you for those brave enough to read all of this, and provide help, maybe it won't be any one... Guess we will see.

[brob]

Basic issue is the cpu cooler is incapable of doing the job even at stock settings. That you have discovered. Before you get into new fans, etc. Solve the performance issues. 

 

The motherboard supports aura sync. Any rgb hardware should support aura sync if you want to be able to synchronize the lighting.

 

This may prove helpful https://www.lian-li.com/argb-device-cable-kit/.

[MrRotten]

26 minutes ago, brob said:

Basic issue is the cpu cooler is incapable of doing the job even at stock settings. That you have discovered. Before you get into new fans, etc. Solve the performance issues. 

 

The motherboard supports aura sync. Any rgb hardware should support aura sync if you want to be able to synchronize the lighting.

 

This may prove helpful https://www.lian-li.com/argb-device-cable-kit/.

Thanks for the tips!

 

I think I solved the Performance Issues, as we both agree that the CPU Cooler isn't good enough for the CPU.

 

In hindsight, had I known, or understood more about the i9 Gen 10 Processors and how they want to be Overclocked, and are Auto Overclocking already out of the box with Asus MBs, I would have definitely done things a little differently.

 

Right now, having changed the Auto Overclocking in the BIOS to Manual, that made my system Stable and everything is running fine now.

 

My next goal is to Install an AIO Cooler - leaning towards DeepCool Castle 360EX.

 

I'm also going to add the 3 Bottom Intake Fans as well.

 

Because I'm going to be doing this work already, I figured what the hell... I mineswell clean up all the poor Cable Management from the Pre-Build Seller, and, I mineswell upgrade my Fans to RGB and start dabbling in that too. Taking advantage of the Holidays, Discounts, and people who want to buy me gifts... mineswell get decent RGB Fans to upgrade along with the new AIO.

 

I think at this point, I know what I want to do and I have a plan... I have done alot of research, watching Videos, and checking Reviews... and I think I'm there.

 

I'm going to be going with this Setup for my 9 RGB Fans.

Fans:

DeepCool MF120 GT -- a bit more on the pricier side, but I felt compared to the $30 cheaper ones, these looked way cooler and spending the extra little bit would be worth it.

 

Fan Hub:

DeepCool FH 10 -- This is capable of running x10 Fans with 4 PIN PWM Connectors. This will suit all my fan needs with this plan and my case.

 

Does that sound doable?

 

The other Part I am unsure about...

 

1. How do I then hook up the 9 ARGBs for those Fans?? I can't find a suitable ARGB Controller that will work... unless I buy Multiple smaller ones... I don't think I can use a Corsair ARGB Node without either a Corsair PRO or Commander Pro... I'm trying to avoid Corsair... Is there an ARGB Controller that can handle 9 Fan RGBs? I found a number of hybrid Hubs that are both Fan Controller and ARGB, however; still not enough for 9 ARGBs unless I add another whole Controller, or try and run some Splitters??? Due to how many Fans are in this plan/case, I thought still better to run all the fans off 1 Hub, and all the ARGB to another Hub for redundancy.
2. The other thing is... Is it ok to run the 3 AIO Fans to the Hub? Do those AIO Fans need to be connected a certain way for the System? Or should I give them something separate? Run them directly to the Motherboard perhaps? It seems from my research, running those Fans to the hub isn't really a big deal so long as the Connectors line up. They will be 4 Pin PWM Connectors, so they will be controllable from the MB and software. So I think it'll be ok. Would there be any added Benefits giving the 3 AIO Fans their own Hub? Or running them directly off the MB? Do I lose any functionality or performance with the AIO depending how I hook up those specific 3 Fans?

[brob]

Use the motherboard headers and aura sync software. Did you read to the end of the link I provided?

[MrRotten]

1 hour ago, brob said:

Use the motherboard headers and aura sync software. Did you read to the end of the link I provided?

...I guess I'm confused

 

The Link you Provided talks about Y Splitters to control PWM Fans in the first part.

 

Then in the 2nd part it talks about running Splitters off the MB ARGB Headers to control - Uni Lian Li - fans.

 

Those Uni Fans are over $100 for a set of 3... they don't need as many connectors/headers because they connect to each other.

 

I don't have Uni Fans. I plan on using DeepCool MF120GT Fans.

 

The link does explain that I can run Y ARGB Splitters off the MB headers, but my MB only has x1 ARGB Header.

 

I have 9 ARGB Fans.

 

So I think that means I'll need a Hub - since again, my Fans aren't the Lian Li UNI Fans.

 

Lian Li does have a Uni ARGB Hub, but I can't seem to find it sold anywhere, so I wonder since these are fairly new-ish, maybe that Hub isn't available yet?

 

Maybe I'm missing something on what you're saying?

[brob]

You would have to check, but I expect argb splitters work with any argb fans. The limits would also be the same. 

 

You are correct about needing a hub of you only have one argh header. Perhaps something like https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/coolers/rgb-accessories/masterfan-argb-and-pwm-hub/#image-Item2.

 

 

[MrRotten]

That's a pretty good Hub, does both the PWM 4 Pin for the Fans and also the 3 Pin ARGB for the Lights.

 

It's only 6 though, I'll need 9 for 9 Fans with RGB.

 

Do you think these can be daisy chained off each other?

 

For example: Plugging in 5 Fans and 5 RGBs to 1st Hub, then Adding a 2nd hub using the 6th slot Fan/RGB Header from the 1st Hub giving me another 6 connectors.

 

Do you think that will work?

[brob]

You could use argb splitters. Cooler Master has a 1 to 3 and a 1 to 5 offering, https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/coolers/?filter=50055/#!/Cooler Type=RGB Accessories.

 

 

[MrRotten]

Yea I thought about those, but that's more cabling, I wanted to try and avoid Splitters Cables.

 

What I did find though is 2 things.

 

#1 - A 10 Port Fan Hub for PWM - Connected to a PWM Fan Header on the MB and a Sata PSU Connection.

 

#2 - A 12 Port ARGB Hub - Connected to an ARGB Header on the MB and a Sata PSU Connection.

 

That I think will do the trick, no need to daisy chain hubs, they are standalone.... 1 for Fans, 1 for ARGB, so that adds a little redundancy there.

 

I only need 9 ARGB Ports for my Fans, so that gives me 3 extras I can use on Strips if I wanted or other things. I thought about getting this GPU Brace that has a ARGB Light/Connection on it.

 

So yea, I think these 2 Hubs will do the trick...

 

Hopefully...

[MrRotten]

Well, I made the appropriate purchases and finalized my Decision.

 

Here's what I picked up to prepare Rebuilding my Pre-Build.

1. DeepCool Castle 360EX ARGB AIO
2. DeepCool 120mm EX ARGB Fans x6
3. DeepCool 4 Port PWM Fan Hub (Using this for the AIO Fans/Controls)
4. DeepCool 10 Port PWM Fan Hub (Using this for the other 6 Fans/Controls)
5. 12 Port ARGB LED Hub 3 Pin (All 9 Fan's ARGB will be routed to this. Which leaves me 3 extra slots for other ARGB Strips or Bling)
6. LINKUP Cable Extenders Set
7. upHere ARGB GPU Brace (Mostly for the looks, Christmas Present - I don't have Confidence that it's going to actually Brace the GPU or that it's really needed. But it looks cool.)
8. Lots of Cable Management things. Case Mods, and Zip Ties. Cabling Mesh to keep things tight and organized in the back.

I've upgraded my workspace, purchased a small swivel work base and some tools... And, I'm ready to get started!!!

 

I expected when I purchased this Pre-Build that eventually it would become my first Project Hobby PC... I just didn't expect it to turn into that so soon. But, I'm game, and going to try and enjoy it. I'm excited to get in there and have a go at the Cable Management, I put a TON of thought into how I wanted to do it.

 

• For the AIO, right now my PC is Stable - but eventually I knew I would end up needing an AIO. So I am just going to get it done and not wait, get rid of that CoolerMaster Air Cooler.
• For the 3 AIO Fans I will Daisey Chain off the 4 Port Hub and plug that into the CPU Fan Header and the Pump into the AIO Header. This Smaller 4 Port Hub doesn't seem to have any other Connector for Power, no Sata, it seems to be self powered I guess???
• The other 6 Fans I will Daisey Chain into the 10 Port Hub together and the Hub plugs it into one of the other Case FAN Headers on my MB. This Hub has a SATA Connector too for it's own Power.
• I don't know if this was really necessary - 2 Fan Hubs, 2 Groups of Fans, but I felt in the end... I wanted to be able to Control the 3 Top Exhaust AIO Fans separate from the other 6 Intake Fans and so creating 2 Fan Groups independent of each other was the best way to do it.
• The other 6 Fans in the 10 Port Hub will all be in Sync, all Intake (3 Side 3 Bottom) and I think that's fine.
• For the ARGB 12 Port Hub, I'm a pretty basic kind of person with RGB... I think I'll be fine with them all connected up with the Hub which I believe means they will all Sync and won't have Individual Controls. I'm fine with that. I'm a little worried I may have over did it on the RGB, I'm pretty plain, and like it to be a bit dim, not super insane killer bright. My Office is like a Bat Cave... so none the less, my new PC Case will definitely stand out! The ARGB Hub connects to the 1 Addressable Header on my MB that I have, and also has a Sata Power Cable. I don't seem to have any other ADD RGB Headers on my MB, so I think this has to be the best and really the only solution to my RGB Problem.
• The GPU Brace is pretty straight forward, and it will have a 3 Pin ARGB Connector, I should be able to connect that into one of the left over slots on the 12 Port ARGB Hub.

I'm greatly excited for all of this to get here and get to work... hopefully I don't screw anything up.... LOL

 

If there's anything you can think of, if my Plan doesn't sound right, any issues you think I might have? Let me know...

 

I try to do my homework and go ALL IN on the plans, and I usually find when I do that I execute quite well when I put alot of thought into the planning.

 

I also wanted to thank you for your tips and help!!!