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Version Water - Fractal Define C [PostBuildLog]

For Science!

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So this build continues from a previous build where I used an AIO and air for a dual GPU setup. However although the AIO worked beautifully, I got gradually annoyed at how the twin turbines that the GTX1080 Turbo was in comparison. So I decided to go full custom watercooling - so yes, AIOs can be a gateway drugs towards a full custom loop. This is my first loop on my first PC :)

So this was the air-cooled build, as nice as it was, the GPUs were loud AF.

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To make watercooling worth it with the 7700L, obligatory delid. You can see how much TIM there was on the die.

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and on the IHS

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Cleaned using scraping and isopropanol. The TIM was replaced with ThermalGrizzly Conductonaut.

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Boys and girls, make sure your computer still POSTs after doing something crazy like a delid. Also, wasabi is not a good thermal compound, would not recommend.

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Dissassembly of the GPU block. I was very lucky to find a waterblock for the 1080-Turbo. Bitspower was the only company that made a full cover block for this card.

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Cleaned the GPU :)

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Following the instruction with the pads, and using the EKWB method with arctic MX-4 thermal compound.

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Assembled block

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While Bitspower blocks are perceived as more expensive than for example EKWB. One should remember they come with backplates by default.

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Since space is such an issue in the Define C, I bodged up some custom feet for my D5 pump using the UNI-holders from EK. Super-glued some HDD spacers for rubber feet and velcro for extra stability.

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Make sure you get a drain port. This is made from a male-to-male dual rotary, T-splitter, and a ball-valve.

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Installation of the monoblock. Its for the Strix motherboard, but is also compatible for the prime.

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After re-mounting the motherboard, the next thing that had to go in was a 360 mm radiator with the fans - any other order meant that this wouldn't go in. White chromax for accents, but removed from the side that contacts the radiator for a better seal against the radiator. 3 fans connected to one header with a splitter.

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Returning the dual-GPU block. Note for future builders, would highly recommend removing the SLI bride when building.

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Mounting the top 240 mm radiator.

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Much darker in the interior as a result.

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Looking into ways to mounting the floating reservoir. Currently trying the uni-holder + res mounts. Notice how the D5 pump barely clears the PSU shroud and so the custom feet was necessary since other methods made the pump too tall.

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In the end I used just a uni-holder to prop the res from the bottom, and the hardline tubing also keep the res up to a degree.

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Installation of the Koolance flow meter & multiplier, my original intention was to hook this up to the CPU_FAN header so that if flow dropped too low, the PC would shut down. However the multipler takes too long to kick in and I was sometimes failing to post (Due to cpu fan error) and so after establishing I had a good flow rate, this was removed.

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System was filled up using EK-CryoFuel. However I managed to kill quite a lot of my LED strips, presumably during the filling process because some of them were still plugged into the PSU molexes. So you can see that the monoblock is dead, and that the left LED strip bottom section was fixed to yellow for some reason. Also the SLI bridge was also fixed so some kind of green. Lesson learnt: unplug even unimportant components like LED strips during the filling .

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So I replaced the LED strips and the SLI bridge (didn't like the ROG one too much anyway, I think it went well with the original build, but the EVGA looks much better for this waater one). Also, custom cables! I also removed the koolance meter since I was getting more than 1 gpm so was happy to settle for that knowledge.

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Chaos in the back, the panel still closes, but it is very tight :P

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RAM clearance. Basically none, the 30 mm rad + 25 mm fan barely clears the LPX memory.

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GPU clearance, again barely clears with a 30mm rad + 25 mm fan. This can be made easier if you mount the fan outside of the case between the front panel. But I take pride in the face that everything fits inside my case.

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The only thing I don't like is that the bottom tube is not quite parallel to the bottom of the case. Maybe to be redone in the next scheduled maintenance.

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Side panel still fits, yay

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19 minutes ago, For Science! said:

Dissassembly of the GPU block. I was very lucky to find a waterblock for the 1080-Turbo. Bitspower was the only company that made a full cover block for this card.

Isn't the 1080 turbo running on a founders board? couldn't you have just used any FE block? or have I been misinformed somewhere along the way?

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Just now, Zyndo said:

Isn't the 1080 turbo running on a founders board? couldn't you have just used any FE block? or have I been misinformed somewhere along the way?

Its a custom PCB unfortunately

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Noice!

Intel HEDT and Server platform enthusiasts: Intel HEDT Xeon/i7 Megathread 

 

Main PC 

CPU: i9 7980XE @4.5GHz/1.22v/-2 AVX offset 

Cooler: EKWB Supremacy Block - custom loop w/360mm +280mm rads 

Motherboard: EVGA X299 Dark 

RAM:4x8GB HyperX Predator DDR4 @3200Mhz CL16 

GPU: Nvidia FE 2060 Super/Corsair HydroX 2070 FE block 

Storage:  1TB MP34 + 1TB 970 Evo + 500GB Atom30 + 250GB 960 Evo 

Optical Drives: LG WH14NS40 

PSU: EVGA 1600W T2 

Case & Fans: Corsair 750D Airflow - 3x Noctua iPPC NF-F12 + 4x Noctua iPPC NF-A14 PWM 

OS: Windows 11

 

Display: LG 27UK650-W (4K 60Hz IPS panel)

Mouse: EVGA X17

Keyboard: Corsair K55 RGB

 

Mobile/Work Devices: 2020 M1 MacBook Air (work computer) - iPhone 13 Pro Max - Apple Watch S3

 

Other Misc Devices: iPod Video (Gen 5.5E, 128GB SD card swap, running Rockbox), Nintendo Switch

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IS that a 240+360 or just 240?

Build

Spoiler

Ryzen 5 1600, Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo, Gigabyte X470 Gaming 7. TeamGroup Viper 4133mhz 16gb, XFX RX 480 8 GB (1000mhz cause dying), Samsung 850 EVO 250 GB M.2 SSD, An old 1tb 5400 rpm 2.5" HDD, TeamGroup 480gb & Kingston 480gb ssds (May RAID 0), 1TB Western Ditigal HDD, EVGA 750W G2 PSU, Phanteks P400s

----------X-----------X------------

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2 minutes ago, For Science! said:

Its a 240 + 360

Oh ok... NOICE. 

Build

Spoiler

Ryzen 5 1600, Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo, Gigabyte X470 Gaming 7. TeamGroup Viper 4133mhz 16gb, XFX RX 480 8 GB (1000mhz cause dying), Samsung 850 EVO 250 GB M.2 SSD, An old 1tb 5400 rpm 2.5" HDD, TeamGroup 480gb & Kingston 480gb ssds (May RAID 0), 1TB Western Ditigal HDD, EVGA 750W G2 PSU, Phanteks P400s

----------X-----------X------------

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  • 2 years later...

hi!

I am thinking of doing a build like this, i also got the define C case, (without a window)

 

Just wondering, hows the noise levels on your GPU's after this build? did it improve? Worth doing for just the noise improvement?

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20 hours ago, sondreni said:

hi!

I am thinking of doing a build like this, i also got the define C case, (without a window)

 

Just wondering, hows the noise levels on your GPU's after this build? did it improve? Worth doing for just the noise improvement?

oh yeah, much quieter compared to blower gpus 2x. well worth it for noise improvement.

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