Revamping MoonLightRyzen & adding custom loop

[Santo22]

Been awhile since I've posted at all. Been busy busy, but I wanted to share as my new (or revised) build comes along. 

I finally got to pre-order a Define R6 in White with TG. So as I wait for that order to be filled, I started to piece together a custom water loop. I'm currently using a Core P3 as a test bench of sorts to get everything up and running. Don't mind the messy state the PC is currently in. Trust me, it drives me nuts, but the P3 makes it easy for me to try different things and get everything figured out. 

 

Currently I'm just using the soft tubing since of course I'm not going to bend a bunch of tubing until I get the actual case. Today the last of the parts arrived including the water temp sensor, the 14mm/10mm tubing and the fittings. Now I'm literally just waiting for the case and to figure out which water blocks to get for the Asus Strix GTX 1070's. Finding those seems to be the hardest part of this build so far. Well ones that I like and will work with these cards. 

 

Will update with more progress as soon as the Define R6 gets here. Looking like that probably won't be until sometime in Feb. Could definitely use some suggestions on coolant to use. I was almost thinking I might just stick with clear, but the Mayhem Silver keeps catching my eye. 

 

First pics from the original build in the S340 Elite which now houses a budget FX-8350 build. I honestly was not happy with the airflow in the S340 at all.

The case is great and very nice to build in, but it makes better use as a home budget gaming build. Definitely wasn't as water cooling friendly as the Define R6 should be. 

Next pics of the current set up. Again, just soft tubing and testing the system out. Same overlock and voltage settings netted a almost complete 20*c difference at load temps. Previously with the Kraken X62 in aida64 max load temps was around 72*c. In the current open air chassis with water loop it barely brakes 50*c. I'm sure that will change once it's in a case, but I also have another rad to add to the system and then the gpu's. 

 

Last pic the budget FX-8350.

 

Parts:

 

Asus Crosshair VI Hero

Ryzen 7 1700x @ 3.9ghz

G-Skill TridentZ 32gb @ 3000mhz

Asus ROG Strix GTX 1070 x 2

Corsiar RM850x White

Samsung 960 EVO 250gb M.2

Samsung 850 EVO Pro 512gb x 2

Seagate Firecuda 2tb & Barracuda 3tb

 

Cooling:

 

XSPC Raystorm PRO CPU Water block

XSPC AX360 & AX240 rads

XSPC Photon Pump/Res combo

XSPC 10k Temp Sensor

XSPC Fittings

Bitfenix Spectre Pro 120mm fans (trying to figure out which and if to use rgb fans)

XSPC 14mm/10mm PETG Tubing

 

Looking forward to start bending some tubes!

 

 

 

[Santo22]

[Santo22]

Well, the Define R6 most likely won't be here for a few more months, but the Phanteks water blocks for my 1070's came in. I couldn't just let them sit there, so I decided to make an even bigger mess of the Core P3. At least once the case does arrive, everything will be ready to get thrown in and then just have to switch over to hard tubing. 

 

Have to say, the Phanteks water blocks are MASSIVE. They literally weigh about 5lbs a piece. I know in the reviews people always say how heavy they are, but until you actually feel one, you don't realize it. 

 

Still don't know which direction to go with the coolant. Only running water and additive at the moment. Open to any suggestions on possibly a UV Blue coolant that is proven not to stain any of the components. 

 

 

Temps: 

Before adding the 240 rad and the GPU's CPU idled around 24c, hitting 50-55c under load.

 

Now with the GPU's in the loop and extra rad, CPU seems to only have changed a degree or two here and there.

GPU's however went from 32c idle and 64c under load to

25/29c idle and 38/42c while running benchmarks. Was able to squeeze a little higher overclock out of both 1070's and hit 2103mhz. Was it worth the $255 for the blocks? Probably not. But they do look pretty bad ass and I already had the 2 x 1070's. I'm not buying a 1080ti until the prices come way down.

 

I will be happy when everything is done and in the Define R6. 

[Santo22]

Quick update: Newegg has the Define R6 White TG due to be released March 7th. I pre-ordered it as soon as they listed it on their site in Jan, so I'm hoping I'm at the top of the list. In the mean time, I finally decided on the fans I wanted to use and picked up the Enermax T.B. RGB 120mm 6 pack. These fans are great! They look amazing and are cooling great on the radiators. My only complaint is you have to use their fan hub to control the fan speed and RGB's. They are linked into the mobo header and are controllable through Aura, but the fan plugs are specific to the hub. For this reason, you have to use the remote control to change fan speed. Also the hub is molex power :-/   PLEASE STOP USING MOLEX! 

 

Otherwise, they are perfect. Also got all the fittings I need ready to go as well as a flow indicator. Very excited to cram all this into the DR6 and get all the hard lines in place. Next post should hopefully be the completed build. 

[Santo22]

Update to my project:

 

So I was still waiting on the Define R6 that I had pre-ordered from Newegg in Jan, then I happen to come across a video featuring the new Lian Li PC-011 Dynamic that was due to be released in a few weeks. I almost feel like it was fate because I was still able to cancel the Define R6 and pre-order the Lian Li instead. I would have been so mad if I got the Define R6 and then saw the PC-011 because I think this case is absolutely perfect! Just got an email from Newegg saying the case shipped out yesterday and will be here Friday! After 4 long months of waiting for a new case, I will finally have it. Will post pics of the finally finished build once it's done. Most likely over the weekend. 

 

Pros for the Dynamic: Type-C front port comes standard, no extra money. Actually less money then the DR6 at $129.99 for the Alpine White. A little more radiator support plus specifically designed with water cooling in mind. 

 

Possible Cons: GPU's may have trouble fitting with water blocks attached. I've measured them and they are exactly 159mm which is the max width Lian Li says will fit due to the layout of the motherboard tray. It's going to be very close =-/  I'm sure also the Dynamic will not be as quite as the DR6, but with the right fan profile I don't think it will be a problem. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Santo22]

Just some pictures of getting stuff ready for the case which is due to arrive this Friday:

 

XSPC Black Chrome fittings and Asus HBSLI Bridge

 

 

[Santo22]

Disassembly has begun. Case should be here tomorrow. 

[Santo22]

So the case came in today and I got a lot done, but didn't finish yet. Tomorrow will be bending tubes and should be able to power it on. I can say the PC-O11 Dynamic is an amazing case to build in. There are some clearance issues where I wish they would have added like a 1/4" more, but everything fit and even the GPU water blocks allow the front glass to still be installed (with no space to be spared at all) 

Should have final picks up tomorrow. 

 

 

[Santo22]

Well, this water loop is more challenging then I thought it would be. Just ordered some more 90 degree fittings because everything is so tight i just cant get the bends the way I want. The line going into the GPU is not staying and the soft tube coming out of the GPU will be replaced when the fittings get here so ignore those. Just flushing out the system in the mean time. Also included a pic of the pile of tubes that didnt make the cut. 

 

 

[Santo22]

Just waiting on the fittings which should be here Wednesday and then I can wrap this project up and mark it done. 

 

Need to decide what color fluid too. I'm stuck between white or light blue or just leaving it clear. Let me know what you think!! 

 

Some pics in the mean time. 

 

[Crunchy Dragon]

That looks amazing, I really like what you did to the loop instead of it just being more or less direct bends.

[Santo22]

11 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

That looks amazing, I really like what you did to the loop instead of it just being more or less direct bends.

Thank you! The one loop going into the GPU is being replaced when I get my fittings. It just didn't come out how I pictured it. Also the bottom soft tube ofcourse will be replaced. 

[TekRed]

Awesome build, if you feel like parting with that P3 I'll be happy to help take it off your hands lol looking foward to seeing the finished project

[Santo22]

Well, after much stress and many scrap tubes, it's finally finished. Moved the flow indicator because it wasnt working, but it's still not working so I'll mess with that after I rest for a bit. Everything else is good to go though. Just staying with clear fluid for the time being.  As a first time water cooling build, I'm happy with the results. One thing I can recommend to any others thinking of doing a custom loop, get extra tubes and be prepaired to change plans along the way. Some things will just not work out the wat you want it. 

Let me know what you guys think and if you have any ideas on a way I could have done it better. 

 

 

[Chiefcinque]

Hey man! ive been snooping around to see how people rigged a liquid cooled SLI loop in one of these cases. How has the computer been?

 

What exact phantek waterblock did you use for your ASUS strix 1070s? I have two 1080tis and i want to see if the blocks are different so i know they will fit into the case.

 

Cheers!

[Santo22]

On 10/6/2018 at 1:02 PM, Chiefcinque said:

Hey man! ive been snooping around to see how people rigged a liquid cooled SLI loop in one of these cases. How has the computer been?

 

What exact phantek waterblock did you use for your ASUS strix 1070s? I have two 1080tis and i want to see if the blocks are different so i know they will fit into the case.

 

Cheers!

I used the Glacier blocks and I'm pretty sure the 1080ti is different. The 1070 and regular 1080 are the same, but I think the ti version may be different. They should still fit though. I'm still using the pc as my daily work station and its been great. doing 1070 sli is pointless though so at this point I'm just keeping it this way for the looks. I've been thinking about selling both cards and getting a 2080ti but at the same time I just want to leave it since its running fine for my use.