EK Quantum + Lian Li 2020-2021 Dual Loop Build

[JayWR10]

2020 Build thread for a new machine.  Started at the beginning of the year with this and slow and gradually over a 12 month period i've upgraded numerous times and swapped out a stupendous amount of components, not to mention the money spent on all the parts.  Here we are end of 2020 and we are still upgrading and still tinkering... let the build log begin...

 

Q1 2020 Planning

Parts used:

 

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x EK Water Blocks EK-Quantum Kinetic FLT 240 D5 PWM D-RGB Pump / Reservoir Combo - Plexi= £169.99
• 1 x ThermalTake Riing 120mm LED RGB Fan Sync Edition - Triple Pack= £44.99
• 1 x XSPC TX360 Ultra Thin Copper Triple Black Radiator - 360mm= £52.99
• 1 x Corsair ML120 Pro LED White 120mm Premium Magnetic Levitation Fan= £19.99
• 1 x Corsair Hydro X Series XT 14mm Hardline Clear Tubing - 3 x 1m (CX-9059003-WW)= £17.99
• 1 x XSPC G1/4" to 14mm Rigid Tubing Triple Seal Fittings - (Black Chrome) - 8 Pack= £28.99

Total: £345.44 (includes shipping: £10.50)

 

 

 

 

Everything else i've had previously so was reused in this build.

 

 

One thing i learnt through this rebuild, the corsair hydro x tubing is much harder than the usual PETG stuff im use to.  I didn't see this when i bought it and thought it was standard PETG but turns out its PMMA which is an acrylic/poly carbonate plastic so had to use a saw to cut it.  You can imagine my face when i first tried to cut it with a new tube cutter lol!

 

I do love this tubing way more though, its much more resistant to scratches and looks clearer.  Would definitely be using this again over PETG.

 

 

 

The EK Quantum Kinetic FLT 240 - First impressions...

It's very solid, very good quality and weighty!  The machining is top notch and the material itself is very scratch resistant as i found out when i dropped a few heavy fittings on it by accident!  It comes with all the necessary mounting hardware and an allen key tool to remove the G1/4 plugs.  I got the FLT version with the D5/DDC mount at the back.  As standard, the ports on the face are plugged leaving 2 open ports at the bottom.  I feel like the ports at the bottom should have been plugged instead, its very easy to miss and forget that there's actually ports down there.. just something to look out for.  The block also comes with a built in LED strip which i have yet to test out but does fit on a standard 5v ARGB header.

 

One thing i did notice and that i always do with EK blocks is testing how tight the screws are in.  In this instance the screws were loose.  If i was to fill this res block, it probably would have leaked eventually if not straight away as the vibration from the pump.  I would 100% you check all your blocks from EK when you first get them to make sure they screws are in tight!

 

 

 

As usual, a couple of pictures of the process and a short description.

 

Getting the EK Quantum Kinetic mounted with the D5 pump mounted at the rear.  Getting all this mounted together with the fan at the back for intake was an absolute ball ache to do!  The standard screws that came with the kit is not long enough, i had to dig out some old screws i had to make this all work.  Also note to remember to block off the bottom ports on the res block before you install it.  Last thing you want is to fill it and have all the coolant fall out the bottom!

 

 

 

 

New fans, Thermaltake Riing!  Came with the controller which i strategically placed under the res for easy access.

 

 

 

ML120's at the top, nice crisp but not over the top bright White led fans

 

 

 

This bitspower EF Summit that i've had for a millennia now...

 

 

 

GPU installed with the riser kit from Phanteks.  There is no room underneath, the verti mount sits on the fans shroud...

 

 

 

 

The first bend!  Used a mixture of tools and free hand to get the bends right, took a few attempts but PMMA is quite easy to work with provided you get it hot enough.  Minimizing those angled fittings and adding more complex bends, something my last build lacked.

 

 

 

 

 

Finally getting the last of the piping in but need to cut some down to fit a flow meter inbetween.  Also not 100% happy with the top bend, its slightly sacking downwards.  OCD kicks in, will need to adjust it.

 

 

 

 

 

More to come later!

 

Another thing to note, i found PMMA tubing fits much tighter in XSPC 14mm fittings.  Probably due to the fact that it was designed for PETG and not PMMA.  They do fit but takes alot more force to get them in, really have to twist and wiggle them to get them past the orings even with a nice chamfer edge.

[JayWR10]

Still Q1-Q2 2020:

Mega happy with the first outcome, i admit i had to redo those bends a few times but getting the hang of doing it now.  I wouldn't say they're perfect but alot better than how they were before.  Without all the angled fittings its so much cleaner and simplistic, achieving the end goal.  Using the quantum kinetic block is definitely the way forward for me, it saves so much space and easily mountable to any 120mm fan slot.  Without the big tube style reservoir and pump combo, i gain alot of space for nicer tube runs.  Highly recommend them here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JayWR10]

Q3 2020

The Revisit:

 

Since the launch of the 3080, i have sold my 2080 Aorus Xtreme WB and im now waiting on either a FE card or a Asus TUF gaming.  Chances are it won't be happening for some time but while im waiting i'll be updating the loop in preparation for said card.

 

One biggest change is going from a single loop to a dual loop system. 

 

I have since bought:

 

Alphacool eisblock aurora XPX - Finally retired the old Bitspower EF, massive improvement!

2x EK Quantum FLT 120 with D5 pumps

4x Aerocool Astro RGB Fans (On the way)

 

Hardline tubing has been changed to EK Water Blocks EK-HD Tube 10/14mm which seems to fit alot better than my previous tubing in XSPC's hardline fittings.

 

GPU and Block wise we're looking at:

 

Asus Tuf gaming 3080 paired with Alphacools new gpu block

Or

Founders Edition 3080 paired with EKWB gpu block when they release it. 

 

I'm choosing the EK block for the founders card purely down to where the inlet and outlet is placed.  It will be lessen the amount of tubing needed and allow for much cleaner runs.

 

 

So far i've managed to install a majority of the watercooling stuff for the dual loop but of course won't be finalised till i get the gpu block in so i can work out how it will all sit. 

 

 

Special shoutout for sorting me out on a good deal to the following over at OCUK Forums:

@wookiee87 for the FLT120

@R4z0r for the second FLT120

@Illuminist for the D5 pump

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second FLT waiting to be installed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JayWR10]

Q3 2020 - RTX 3090 Launch

 

New card RTX 3090 Palit Gaming Pro 24gb, she looks nowhere as bad as everyone makes it out to be tbh.  I was skeptical at first but i've changed my mind and i quite like it. Think it was the original colour of the rgb that put me off lol.

 

Onwards we look into watercooling this beauty and integrating it into a dual loop system.

 

 

 

 

[JayWR10]

Alphacool RTX 3090 Dual loop system:

 

No words, just pics 

 

Lian Li recognition, got featured on their facebook page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JayWR10]

Abit more of an update:

 

Wasn't happy with the fans running the new setup as the card is smashing out alot of heat and while i can maintain a good temperature i feel better fans are needed to lower noise levels.  Also to tidy up cabling, add some sensors and fluid changes to match the cyber punk 2077 theme.

 

The following products have been received or are on the way:

 

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x Mayhems X1 UV Pink Premixed Watercooling Fluid 1L= £6.95
• 4 x MDPC-X Sleeve SATA - Black, 1 Metre= £1.49
• 1 x Mayhems Dye UV Laser Green 15ml= £4.49
• 6 x EK Water Blocks EK-Vardar X3M 120mm Digital-RGB (500-2200 rpm) Fan - Black= £19.99
• 2 x CableMod WideBeam Hybrid LED Strip 30cm - RGB/UV= £22.99
• 1 x EK Water Blocks EK-D-RGB 6 Way Splitter Cable= £6.95

Total: £190.27 (includes shipping: £0.00)

 

 

Also 2x Bykski Flow Meters for both loops

 

 

 

Hopefully get this lot together before the weekend to put it together.  Will need to take it all part, drain the loops, clean out the radiators of all fluids and rinse thoroughly. 

 

 

Looking forward to building this up to an even better standard 

[JayWR10]

Q4 2020:

More products arrive!

 

 

 

Sata Cables arrived! 

 

 

 

 

 

[JayWR10]

More installation pics after further changes made to the loop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next update will be when Aquacomputer release a block for this card or a 3080 that i might still get.  The Kryographics NEXT generation blocks are something that i really want to own .  However we'll soon see i didn't get this and ended up purchasing a Watercool heatkiller V 3090 block with backplate.

[JayWR10]

New radiator for GPU Corsair XR7 55mm Radiator, temps using insurgency sandstorm as a baseline:

 

Old setup:  GPU temp - 55c (Max spike 57c) / Fan speed 70%

New setup: GPU temp - 46c (Max spike 48c) / Fan speed 55%

 

The most important thing for me here is the fan speed, its so much quieter than before, im over the moon with the outcome.

 

 

Give you a feeling of the size difference between the 2 rads lol, its monstrous!  I'm glad i didn't go for a 60mm thick rad though, theres literally a 5mm gap left and it probably would have touched.  Only sad thing is, i don't have a vertical mount anymore.  Only way to get around it is to go for the XL case which i may do in the future if i decide to build a rig for the wifey.

 

Fancy pics coming tomorrow, too late to do anything tonight 

 

 

 

[JayWR10]

That time of night again, picture time  for the archives

 

After installation of the new radiator i've resorted back to a horizontal mount...

 

Also i added 2 x small 80mm fans at the back for exhaust.  Seems to help bring down the cpu temp a little so its not drowning in rtx 3090 heat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JayWR10]

Some Benching with the new setup:  Not record breaking but certainly good, CPU upgrade is next.

 

New cooler gpu with average temp of 37c with the fans at 100% for the run i managed 14039!

 

http://www.3dmark.com/pr/399106

 

[JayWR10]

New Colour for nearing end of 2020:

 

EK Laguna yellow coolant

EK Azure Blue coolant

 

The colour separation , its so good.  Added a dash of uv yellow and uv blue to the mix for that neon effect but keeping the solid colour as well. 

 

Some clean unadulterated pictures for your viewing pleasure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JayWR10]

Ever since going horizontal again due to the thicker rad at the bottom i've really missed the vertical mount.

 

So tonight i've come up with a possible solution that i'm going to test out tomorrow once all my other bits arrive from ocuk.

 

I got an adjustable bracket which i've adapted to the phanteks vertical mount.  This required chopping up the mount which was abit painful to do but not that expensive of a part so it felt necessary to get what i wanted to achieve.  I drilled 2 additional holes in the vertical mount to mount the bracket which was easy enough.  This gave me both X and Y axis adjustability so i could shift the mount in any direction to compensate for the thicker radiator.  The extra spacing created from the adjustable mount also gave me the ability to route the display cables in any location provided i removed the pcie covers at the back of the case. Finally the vertical mount is designed to slot into the existing pcie blanking plate holes for extra rigidity however spacing it out meant it would not be able to and hence interfere with the motherboard.  Only option was to chop away the parts i didn't need and what i was left with is a much narrow vertical mount while still retaining a flat bottom.  The flat bottom is very important as it allows the mount to sit or be as close as possible to the bottom fans for support. 

 

A bit of filing and a lick of black primer and its ready to rock for tomorrow. I took some measurements and it should align up nicely while not interfering with the cpu block as its pushed up around 30mm from the previous vertical mount setup.

 

 

 

 

[JayWR10]

It's official!

 

Vertical mount in the O11D is nothing special BUT, vertical mount while having a 55mm thick radiator at the bottom is!  With some careful measuring, some cutting up and modding of vertical mounts i managed to get the gpu in and sat snug up against the cpu block.  it slightly blocks the ram but its still accessible round the back so swapping ram out wouldn't be an issue if it ever arose.

 

Took this opportunity to make turquoise as well by combining EK Azure blue with EK neon green to give me the correct colour.  Felt like a mad scientist in a lab with all these bottles and mixing up coolant to get the colour right.

 

a shoutout to OCUK and [USER=79388]@StigBourne[/USER] once again for getting the order out to me so quickly despite the busy period.

 

 

 

 

 

[JayWR10]

Delivered today and ready for installation tonight!

 

I managed a 5.1ghz all core boost @1.295v with llc on High.  Runs around 70c under full load and 55-60c while gaming. 5.2ghz is doable however it requires too much voltage which in turn burns out the VRM's on the board touching 120c!  I've since added a small Noctua 40mm fan to the vrms to keep the temps down which now settles around 70c under load.

 

 

Depending on how i feel, i might redo the cpu loop so im using less angled connectors and more clean bends.  See how i feel as i still need to overclock this old beast!

[JayWR10]

With the new cpu in and now pumping out close to 620-640 depending on the game, it's time for some power upgrade.. i mean just for longevity purposes. The 750w did fine and still is fine but im feeling abit more confident knowing i have the headroom so i can push the clocks some more.

Sticking with EVGA for their 10 year warranty: EVGA P2 1000w Platinum rated psu.

Never seen such a big box for a psu, thing weighs a ton as well.











Yes cable management is a sham lol, it could be worse!



Next up is Watercool Heatkiller V waterblock to replace the Alphacool gpu block.  Let's see if the new block can achieve better temperatures.  Delivery will be sometime in January, hopefully early...

[JayWR10]

Merry Christmas all!

 

Few little updates that i haven't posted yet.  Nothing major though as im still waiting on the watercool heatkiller block to arrive.

 

Added a EVGA powerlink adapter so i could reroute the dual 8pin cable.  Replaced the black extension cable with the 8pin lian li strimer plus to match the 24pin as well.  To finish it off i also swapped out the EK classic 90 degree fittings with their new torque fittings, looks loads better.

 

Oh and due to overclocking and much higher voltage needed for 5.1ghz on the new 9900k chip i've added a 40x20mm fan to the VRM heatsink for additional cooling.  It's a Noctua one painted matte black as it's not really aesthetically pleasing 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[A1200]

This my friend is one of the most beautiful rigs I have ever seen. Team up. Fight on!

[JayWR10]

New Update:

 

Unboxed and installed the Heatkiller V block finally , mega happy with it.  Not tested the temps yet but idles around 26c with a room temp of around 22c, will do some game testing later for a comparison with the Alphacool block.  The light distribution inside the block is insane, its very well lit and hits just the right spots around the channels of the flow.  Highly recommend this block to anyone looking for one now.

 

Also [USER=18660]@The_One[/USER] i can confirm it fits 

 

Warning PIC HEAVY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MEDIA=youtube]9IBINpDJaME[/MEDIA]