Watercooled Mini ITX Build: 6700k, M8I, Corsair 250D

[HdFkK]

So here we go, this is my Mini ITX "Gamecube". The sole purpose of this rig is gaming at 1080/1440p and entertainment purposes in general. I am about 50% into the process of finishing this build. But lets get into the components a little:

 

CPU: 6700k pretested @ 4,7GHz

MB: Asus Maximus VIII Impact

RAM: 16GB Teamgroup DarkPro DDR4-3200

Storage: Samsung 850 Pro 512GB SSD + 2*1TB WD Red Raid 1

PSU: Coolermaster V700 PSU + Cablemod Black/Red

 

 

Water-cooling stuff:

 

Maximus VIII Impact EK Monoblock Nickel

240mm*30mm HWLabs Black Ice Nemesis X-Flow Radiator

140mm*45mm Alphacool NeXXos Radiator

EK DDC X-Res 150 PWM Pump Res Combo

Masterkleer 13/10mm Tubing

EK Blood Red Coolant

Lots of fittings

 

Lets see it!

 

 

 

So you might have noticed there is no GPU and some things need improvements as well. First off, this is my first water-cooling build and this setup is only a test run. The tubing visible through the window is going to be replaced by hard tubing once I figure out how I am going to connect the loop and which GPU is going to be used, as I can't have any PCBs longer than 240mm since my reservoir is standing in the front corner and takes up quite some space. The system is also meant to be portable, so I´ll really have to see about the hard tubing. JayzTwocents got me interested in glass tubing, I could definitely see myself going for glass.

 

Problems I ran into so far:

 

- not fitting fittings - EK ones worked fine for my Masterkleer 13/10mm tubing, not so bits power and alphacool

- no noise dampening on the Corsair SP Fans, really loud, but I can't fit much dampening in there, it would be great if anyone has a fix for that

- first CableMod kit was not working, currently waiting for the reseller to ship me another one

- clearance issues all over the place, but with a little bit of filing I was able to fit everything just fine

 

 

The system is already up and running Windows. Temps are great so far, but numbers don´t really matter until I get a GPU in that loop.

 

Next steps:

 

- Install noise dampening/shock absorbers for all the fans hopefully

- Optimize CPU Overclock

- Decide on a GPU + EK Nickel Block 

- Install CableMod cables

 

 

I will keep this thread updated if anyone is interested in this project of mine. I will also put out benchmarks and temps once I get my OC where I want it to be. Until then, don´t let you carpet sprayed by your coolant like mine did

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ThinkWithPortals]

2 minutes ago, HdFkK said:

 

Looks stunning. Congratulations!

[littlelegsone]

what a beaut 

[Aytex]

Looks awesome

[HdFkK]

Thanks guys! I really want a GPU in there as soon as possible and mod the side panel with acrylic so it will be completely visible from the side. Cable management is tough in that case though.

[ThinkWithPortals]

9 minutes ago, HdFkK said:

Thanks guys! I really want a GPU in there as soon as possible and mod the side panel with acrylic so it will be completely visible from the side. Cable management is tough in that case though.

You did a good job getting the cables as neat as they are, it looks great. Are you planning on getting a Pascal/Polaris GPU in the summer?

[HdFkK]

17 minutes ago, ThinkWithPortals said:

You did a good job getting the cables as neat as they are, it looks great. Are you planning on getting a Pascal/Polaris GPU in the summer?

I would like to. If there is a good successor to the 970 with versions that have a short enough PCB to fit my case I would definitely get one. Otherwise I´ll get a 970 for cheap then, as some of those cards are really short and would fit perfectly. I don´t think I can put any LEDs in there tho, I love the look of red coolant and white LEDs in a Nickel-Plexi block. 

[HdFkK]

Update:

 

Got a 970 with a short PCB namely a 970 Superclocked by EVGA. Got a Heatkiller X3 with a backplate for that puppy and throw it in my loop to again go for leak testing for the next 24 hours. One might notice the wild mixture of connectors, that is because it is fairly hard to get everything from one brand, but I do not like the EK fittings too much but they and the Alphacool ones (as well as the ordinary tube fittings in silver) are the only ones that fit the Primochill tubing well. A Bay Res will be coming in later this week as well as a plexi top for the DDC, I want a more quiet system with a larger, visible reservoir that fits the overall characteristic of the build. it is going to be a Koolance TNK 501 with some ultra bright white LEDs lighting the red coolant. But first, here is the update:

 

 

 

[starwarsguy99]

What are your opinions on the Case?

My brother bought it and loves it, but it was a massive pain to build in it.