diy New ML Workstation - Journal

[Gerdih]

Budget (including currency): 5000€-6000€

Country: Catalonia

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Machine Learning, CAD, Rendering, playing

Monitors Double monitors in programmer configuration, left(auxiliary) vertical, right(main) horizontal

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): 

• Mobo: MSI MEG Z790 ACE MAX EATX LGA1700 Motherboard
• CPU: Intel Core i9-14900K 3.2 GHz 24-Core Processor  
• CPU Cooling: Optimus Foundation Intel CPU block
• RAM: VENGEANCE® RGB 96GB (2x48GB) DDR5 
• GPU: NVIDIA Founders Edition GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB Video Card
• GPU Cooling: HEATKILLER V PRO for RTX 4090 FE - ACRYL Ni-Bl aRGB
• Frontal radiator: EK-Quantum Surface S560 - Black
• Fans: NF-A14 industrialPPC-24V-3000 SP IP67 PWM
• Case: DIY aluminum-wood case

 

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

 

I am creating this thread to share with you my DIY computer plan. I want to build a personal workstation for home that will allow me to code my machine learning projects, do CAD and render 3d models. Additionally, I will also use the machine to play, but that will be minimal. 

 

I want this pc to serve me for a long time so after months of investigation I have decided to choose the MSI MEG Z790 ACE EATX as the core of this build. I believe this mobo will grant me a good balance between RAM size and RAM speed. It will also allow me to add a second GPU in the future and has thunderbolt4 capability, which was a must for me in order to perform fast external data transfers. I was considering other options such as: Z790 AORUS TACHYON , Z790 AERO G , ProArt Z790-CREATOR WIFI or EVGA Z790 CLASSIFIED, 121-RL-E798-KR, LGA 1700, Intel Z790.

I am designing a DIY pc case. The concept of the case is to maximize airflow while at the same time I can count on a large area to radiate heat with a water loop. The case is tall and slim to promote natural circulation of warm air from bottom to top. Also, it looks nice. Top will exhaust, bottom will intake, and frontal side will fit a quad noctua fan ekwb radiator.

 

I am attaching the first sketches of the case. I will be expanding this thread shortly.

Current state (21/11/2023):

Current state (19/12/2023):

 

 

Current build state (05/03/2024):

 

[my name is guru iam tech]

are you going to water cool this pc?

if you are going to put an rtx 4090 in there maybe you should use a pcie riser and vertically mount it. Is there any mounting area for that kind of mounting. Also pls label the pc parts in your cad program, that would be useful.

[Gerdih]

3 minutes ago, my name is guru iam tech said:

are you going to water cool this pc?

if you are going to put an rtx 4090 in there maybe you should use a pcie riser and vertically mount it. Is there any mounting area for that kind of mounting. Also pls label the pc parts in your cad program, that would be useful.

Hello. I could consider a vertical mount since that would help airflow. The pc case is designed to be tall and slim to promote circulation of warm air upwards and be exhausted from the top. I am attaching hyperlinks to the pc parts, is that what you are referring to?

[my name is guru iam tech]

1 minute ago, Gerdih said:

 I am attaching hyperlinks to the pc parts, is that what you are referring to?

no, just label where the parts will go in the case so it would be useful for others to plan if they want to use this case design.

[my name is guru iam tech]

btw are you going to water cool this rig.

[Gerdih]

Just now, my name is guru iam tech said:

no, just label where the parts will go in the case so it would be useful for others to plan if they want to use this case design.

Makes sense, will do so. Although not everything is decided yet.

[Gerdih]

Just now, my name is guru iam tech said:

btw are you going to water cool this rig.

yes

[my name is guru iam tech]

i guess custom water cooling is the way to go cause you have to get long tubing to different parts of the case and are you going to watercool the gpu too?

[Gerdih]

Just now, my name is guru iam tech said:

i guess custom water cooling is the way to go cause you have to get long tubing to different parts of the case and are you going to watercool the gpu too?

GPU and CPU, in a single loop.

[my name is guru iam tech]

3 minutes ago, Gerdih said:

GPU and CPU, in a single loop.

wow, that is very cool !

 

maybe you can fit the radiator on the top and bring the loop down. That will bring fresh air and cool the pc.

and you can set the bottom fans to bring the hot pc air outside. That might make your room a good oven to bake some cake.

[my name is guru iam tech]

oh where are you going to fit the reservoir, i can't see any place to fit one. 

[Gerdih]

1 minute ago, my name is guru iam tech said:

oh where are you going to fit the reservoir, i can't see any place to fit one. 

It is not shown in the pictures but most likely it will be a small cylindrical one in the bottom. I will update the pictures in the following days, I am reworking the whole construction of the case at the moment.

[Gerdih]

5 minutes ago, my name is guru iam tech said:

oh where are you going to fit the reservoir, i can't see any place to fit one. 

I am working on simplifying the design to make the manufacturing easier. I will add a core of sheet brass which will hold most of the elements in place, the wood skin will be just like in the images on the initial post. You can see a picture of the progress so far in this post. The core of sheet metal brass is shown, also the Mobo, the GPU, the quad fan radiator and the top fans. Take into account that most elements are not shown here and its in wip.

[my name is guru iam tech]

nice desing btw, update us when you made a design change.

[Blue4130]

1 hour ago, Gerdih said:

The case is tall and slim to promote natural circulation of warm air from bottom to top.

The second that you add fans, natural circulation is gone. I see two PC fans at the bottom. That will obliterate ANY natural convection in the case.

[Gerdih]

8 hours ago, Blue4130 said:

The second that you add fans, natural circulation is gone. I see two PC fans at the bottom. That will obliterate ANY natural convection in the case.

Top fan is going to exhaust warm air, while bottom fan is going to take in cold air. Wouldn't it be worse if it was the opposite?

[Blue4130]

22 minutes ago, Gerdih said:

Top fan is going to exhaust warm air, while bottom fan is going to take in cold air. Wouldn't it be worse if it was the opposite?

I'm just saying that convection will play zero roll as soon as fans are added. The force that warm air has in a case is so small that even the smallest of fans easily overpowers it.

[Gerdih]

27 minutes ago, Blue4130 said:

I'm just saying that convection will play zero roll as soon as fans are added. The force that warm air has in a case is so small that even the smallest of fans easily overpowers it.

Makes sense, thank you for the input!

[Gerdih]

Been working on the redesign of the metal sheet core. Here you can see the work so far. The metal sheet core is the box with holes. The 30mm thick quad radiator is displayed, together with 4 noctua 140mm fans. You can also see top and bottom fans (140mm). The supporting plate is displayed too (in wood). And an EATX mobo placeholder too (in grey and above the supporting wood plate).

[Gerdih]

10 minutes ago, Gerdih said:

Been working on the redesign of the metal sheet core. Here you can see the work so far. The metal sheet core is the box with holes. The 30mm thick quad radiator is displayed, together with 4 noctua 140mm fans. You can also see top and bottom fans (140mm). The supporting plate is displayed too (in wood). And an EATX mobo placeholder too (in grey and above the supporting wood plate).

@my name is guru iam tech how is that for tags?

[my name is guru iam tech]

15 hours ago, Gerdih said:

@my name is guru iam tech how is that for tags?

now its way easier to understand the cad. set the radiator for intake, more fresh air is always good. btw what are you going to do for case io? maybe buy io boards and place it in sheet core 2 if you have enough space after tubing?

[my name is guru iam tech]

15 hours ago, Gerdih said:

@my name is guru iam tech how is that for tags?

there is a small hole under the 3 fan radiator which can be used for the io boards.

[Gerdih]

9 hours ago, my name is guru iam tech said:

there is a small hole under the 3 fan radiator which can be used for the io boards.

That little opening will hold a box with usb connectors and levers, I will use little brass levers instead of buttons. As for the mobo IO cut, I'm currently considering using interchangeable backplates. These backplates will attach to the large opening you see on the left side of the latest image I shared. In the image below, the back plate is illuminated in a blue hue with a cutout for the motherboard's IO. I haven't included cutouts for the PCIE slots and PSU just yet. My idea behind this approach is to prevent having a backplate filled with unnecessary holes, maintaining a sleek and tidy aesthetic.

[Gerdih]

9 hours ago, my name is guru iam tech said:

now its way easier to understand the cad. set the radiator for intake, more fresh air is always good. btw what are you going to do for case io? maybe buy io boards and place it in sheet core 2 if you have enough space after tubing?

Yep, the radiator will be intake.

[my name is guru iam tech]

11 hours ago, Gerdih said:

That little opening will hold a box with usb connectors and levers, I will use little brass levers instead of buttons. As for the mobo IO cut, I'm currently considering using interchangeable backplates. These backplates will attach to the large opening you see on the left side of the latest image I shared. In the image below, the back plate is illuminated in a blue hue with a cutout for the motherboard's IO. I haven't included cutouts for the PCIE slots and PSU just yet. My idea behind this approach is to prevent having a backplate filled with unnecessary holes, maintaining a sleek and tidy aesthetic.

but it will be extremely expensive every time you upgrade your mobo, you have to think of future expenses to.

and also what are you going to do for mobo standoffs, where is the psu going, i don't see any place to mount the psu.

if you place it at the bottom, it will hinder airflow.