How it started vs how it's going - Hazel (Purple Haze)

[dragonhart6505]

Spec:

 

Case - Thermaltake View 51

Fans - Mix of Thermaltake Riing/Riing Premium fans + controllers

Motherboard - MSI B450M Pro-M2 Max

CPU - Ryzen 3 3300x

Cooler - Noctua NH-D15 (fan swapped)

RAM - Corsair Vengeance 3600mhz 16gb (2x8gb)

GPU - ASUS GeForce RTX 2080Ti OC Gaming 11gb

PSU - GameMax 600W RGB (to be replaced shortly)

 

Story:

 

Met a guy on Reddit needed some coaching through how to start using OBS, he offered me some "old" mining gear as payment for my help; an entire gaming PC (minus the case) for 2 hours on a Discord call isn't a bad days work. When he shipped the parts over the holidays, however, the CPU and motherboard arrived damaged. I reached out here on LTTF for help in diagnosing/testing what could be salvaged and a very kind user (shoutout to BOTH of you legends for making my entire YEAR considering what I had going on) lent a more than generous hand in replacing the 3300x and motherboard as a Christmas gift. First upgrade after successfully testing the system was a kit of dual-channel RAM (originally had only one stick) and a WD BLUE 500gb SSD.

 

After having the system running for about a month in an open-bench setup on the motherboard box, I decided the system needed some proper love and attention so I started the "Purple Haze" project (as I'm calling it now...Hazel, for short). I found what I thought was a beautiful case with 11 fans + controllers on Facebook marketplace for $100. Little did I realize how HUGE this case was, lmao! The poor B450 motherboard looked so tiny inside this thing, but the GPU looked like it could fill some of space in with a vertical mount, which the case supports. I was planning on replacing the optical fiber cable and the fans on the GPU anyway, so I ordered a 200mm PCIE 3.0 Riser cable from Amazon (also Thermaltake...see a pattern here?) along with the clean optical fiber and a new fan assembly. I then found the NH-D15 on FBMP for $40 and thought the stock fans threw off the aesthetic so I replaced them with extra fans and a controller I hadn't figured out what to do with yet. Some repairs, fan configuration and cable management later...she's my masterpiece.

 

I'm not much for RGB...but if you have it, might as well use it. It's a little janky but I found a way to make it work to my taste. I plan on replacing the regular boring Riing fans since they're only addressable by a single light at a time over a Play/Pause RGB system. I think I'll replace them with another Riing Premium kit and put these at the bottom of the case instead. The RGB on the GPU and Riing Premium fans is set to a "stormy" effect and occasionally the GPU goes full RGB-unicorn-vomit...because that's fun, I guess *shrug*. I do plan to water-cool in the future, as this is not the quietest or coolest system, but temperatures are in check and it isn't audible with headphones on.

 

Thoughts, comments, questions or concerns (other than the shady PSU that will also be getting an upgrade in the next week or so)? What do you think?