----------------- It's time again for another build and the Corsair 900D case looks like a nice challenge. My last build (QuakeCon 800D) was a pleasure to create and I am proud of what I was able to accomplish. I love the quality of the Corsair Obsidian series and the 900D is their premiere flagship case. I am looking forward to modding the case and powdercoating the exterior surfaces to suite my theme. The theme I decided to go with is based on my favorite graphics card company - NVIDIA. The color scheme will be their company colors of green and black. There will be an illuminated claw logo inside the case just below the 5.25" bays. ----------------- Now let's get started with the components... Main Components: Case: Corsair Obsidian 900D CPU: Intel i7 4930K Ivy Bridge-E Motherboard: ASUS Rampage IV Black Edition Memory: 32GB Corsair Dominator Platinum 2133Mhz (8x4GB) GPU: 2 x EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti Superclocked in SLI SSD1: 240GB ASUS RAIDR Express SSD2: 360GB Corsair Force GS SATA III SSD3: 360GB Corsair Force GS SATA III PSU: Corsair AX1200 Modular Watercooling Components: CPU Block: EK Supremacy Clean - Acetal Motherboard Block: EK-FB Kit ASUS R4BE - Acetal GPU Block: 2 x EK-FC780 GTX Ti - Acetal GPU Backplate: 2 x EK-FC780 GTX Ti Backplate - Black Pump: EK D5 X-Top Pump Top w/D5 Vario Radiators: 2 x EK Coolstream 480 PE Quad 120mm Reservoir: Aqualis Pro w/LED Holder - Nano Coated Tubing (Lower): EK-ZMT 3/8" ID x 5/8" OD Fittings (Lower): Assorted Bitspower G1/4 Compression, 3/8" ID x 5/8" OD Tubing (Upper): Primochill 1/2" OD Rigid PETG - Clear Fittings (Upper): 20 x Primochill Rigid Revolver Compression Miscellaneous Components: RGB Controller: NZXT Hue Fan Controller: ASUS Front Base Fan - Radiator: 14 x Corsair SP120 High Performance 120mm Fan - Front: 2 x Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition 120mm Fan - Rear: Corsair AF140 Quiet Edition 140mm PWM Splitters: 2 x Swiftech 8-Way PWM Splitter Sleeving: MDPC Toxic Green and Black ----------------- I will keep this build log updated as the assembly commences and it starts to take shape.
Your last build? What build? According to your three posts on this forum, you've just started "QuakeCon 800D". I smell copy pasta.
Here is the new Corsair Obsidian 900D case fresh from delivery... This is an extremely large product! The case alone weighs in at 41 pounds when it is empty. I can't help but wonder the final weight of the build once it is loaded with all the components. Here is the unit out of the box. The flat black color scheme is alright, but I can't wait to start getting some color into this thing!
Received the ASUS Rampage IV Black Edition (R4BE) motherboard and love the new black color scheme! Here is the box unopened and ready for action. The new design is top-notch and I almost feel bad about modifying it. I especially love the new heatsink shroud that is placed over the I/O panel. No way am I losing that! I have the R4BE motherboard laid out and ready for it's operation. The Intel i7 4930K CPU, EK Supremacy Clean CPU block and EK full board R4BE kit are ready and waiting. This is the new EK-FB Kit ASUS R4BE full board water block kit designed for this board. It was very easy to remove the existing R4BE heatsinks. This is the Mosfet heatsink with the shroud connected. Here is a shot of the Southbridge heatsink. Now that the heatsinks are removed, it is time to install the i7 4930K CPU. I removed the I/O cover shroud and connected it back over the I/O connections. Here are all the new heatsinks installed. Close-up of the Southbridge area. CPU and Mosfet blocks close-up. I just love the quality of the EK products! Here you can see an assortment of some of the products that will be used on this build.
Received a delivery of memory this afternoon. The shipment includes two sets of Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB (4x4GB) rated at 2133 MHz. That will allow me to fill all 8 memory slots for a total of 32GB of memory! These modules are of high quality and just beg to be used. Here are the modules ready for installation in the R4BE motherboard. The black and chrome accent the motherboard color scheme perfectly! Took about 2 minutes to snap the modules into place. Love the overall appearance they present.
Time to disassemble the exterior panels for powder coating. This is the window-side of the chassis with all panels removed. This is the right-side of the chassis. Here are the front and rear supports, side lower panels, front plate, and top panel removed and ready. These are the two large side panels. They are all at the powder coating shop and should be ready in a couple of days.
Now that the case panels are off to the painters, I can finally get around to the graphic cards. Here is a shot of both the EVGA 780Ti Superclocked video cards and their EK blocks / backplates. Here are the cards out of the packaging and ready for their modifications. Removing the old cooling assembly was very easy. I cleaned them up a bit and they are now ready for the next step. Here is a close-up of the GK110 chip. The blocks went on smoothly with no problems at all. Here is one of the backplates freshly installed. I love the quality and workmanship of the EK backplate logos.
I have just picked up the exterior panels from the shop and the powder coating looks amazing! The colors are fluorescent green and a semi-gloss black. Here are the panels unwrapped and laid out. In this shot are the lower side, rear, front, and top panels. For the top panel I separated the metal assembly from the plastic filter for the powder coating process and this shot is when it was reassembled. The green really pops against the black filter. Here are the left and right side panels. Lastly, here are the front and rear frames that were done in a semi-gloss black. Can't wait to start assembling it again!
Started assembling the case back together and love the contrast of the black and green. Here is a front shot without any of the side panels in place. Now for a back of the case.
Since the main braces were powder coated, the rubber pads had to be removed. These pads are held in place with adhesive transfer tape and are tricky to remove cleanly. Here is a shot of the bottom with no rubber cushions in place. After thoroughly cleaning the rubber pads to remove all residue from the original factory adhesive, I used Scotch adhesive transfer tape (924) to reattach the rubber pads to factory specifications. Here are all four pads with the tape in place. Here is a shot of the pads reattached on the bottom of the main braces. The process was clean and they are back to factory appearance and durability.
Now to mount the power supply... Here is a shot of the Corsair AX1200 modular power supply. I have 3 of these units now and love their dependability and modular functionality. Mounting the unit took about 5 minutes. I oriented the fan to pull air in from the right hand side of the case. Here is a shot of the back of the case with the power supply in the left lower bay. The black PSU case complements nicely with the other black accents.
To cut down on all of the unused cable pass-through areas, I had a motherboard tray cover created. This will eliminate all the unnecessary openings so that a clean appearance is seen from the window. Here is a shot of the motherboard tray with all the grommets removed. This is the motherboard tray cover with the openings designed for the Rampage IV Black Edition. The two top openings are for the 8 fan cables that will be installed on the upper radiator. Here is the cover installed. As you can see, all the empty pass-through areas between the motherboard and 5.25" bays are covered. This open area is where the reservoir will be mounted.
This build will incorporate two 4x120mm (480) radiators. I selected the EK Coolstream 480 PE Quad due to their size and good performance. Here is a shot of these beauties lined up. The build quality is excellent and I love the radiator nameplate, even though it will never be seen. Here is a shot of all 17 Corsair fans. Each 120mm fan box is a twin pack containing two fans each. The 140mm fan is a single unit. Better shot of all these fans. I painted the fan rings to match the build color scheme and replaced all the fan stickers with custom ones. Here is a shot of the first four fans mounted on a radiator. Here are all eight fans for the top radiator that will be in a push-pull configuration. You can see the difference in the front and rear fan stickers.
I decided to utilize the Primochill Revolver fittings for this build. I chose the nickel plated brass color. These can be purchased in 10-packs and come with a small wrench for tightening them down. I will be needing at least two of these 10-packs to start. Here is the motherboard with the temporary caps over the fitting openings. I installed six fittings around the CPU area (2 on CPU block, 2 on MOSFET/VRM block, 2 on southbridge block). This is a close-up of the fittings on the CPU block.
I decided on the Aqualis reservoir (model 34040) that is made by Aquacomputer. This reservoir is equipped with a borosilicate glass tube instead of acrylic. This material is scratch-resistant and very durable. I went with the Pro version since it includes six 5mm LED holders and the inner glass is nano coated to reduce water beading. Here is the reservoir and holder out of the box. To disassemble you merely unscrew the top piece and the whole thing comes apart easily. There are 2 screws holding the bottom metal piece in place. The six LED holes can be seen in the bottom reservoir piece, towards the rear. All of the wiring must lay along a very narrow channel and fit through the opening on the front. I think six 5mm LED lights are overkill, so I am going with four. I selected two of the XSPC twin 5mm Green LED wiring kits. I will work on getting these installed tomorrow and should hopefully have the reservoir mounted soon.
Now to mount the reservoir on the motherboard tray cover... I measured at least 3 times to ensure that I was centered in the appropriate area and that everything lined up behind the tray. In this shot I have tape marking the motherboard corners and fill hole for when the tray is removed for drilling. I used a step drill bit from Home Depot as this bit gradually increases the hole diameter without stressing the acrylic too much. The hole came out clean and perfect! I used a Bitspower pass-through fitting for connecting the top of the reservoir to provide more stability. Here is the mounted reservoir all ready for fluid. I screwed on the Primochill Revolver fittings and tested out the four 5mm LED lights to ensure everything is functional. Can't wait to see it with the waterfall effect!
For the pump I selected the EK D5 X-Top Pump Top w/D5 Vario. I love how this pump is compact and yet offers increased hydraulic performance (up to 15%) compared to original Laing D5 vario pumps. The clean design scheme matches perfectly with the other EK water blocks. It is a shame that no one will ever see this pump as it will be on the bottom covered by the mid-plate. A side shot of the pump. The blue/black/yellow cables will be sleeved before installation. Here is the pump ready for installation and all wiring sleeved in black MDPC-X material.
Finally completed installing all 8 fans in push-pull configuration on the upper radiator and mounting it into the case. This is a view of the assembly from the top, although no one will see this as the top filter covers it completely. Here is the view from the interior. The lower radiator assembly was easier since it involved only 4 fans.
I decided to try out the 240GB ASUS Raidr Express. RAIDR Express is the world’s first and only PCIe-based SSD that features two BIOS chips and an onboard hardware flip switch, letting you alternate between legacy and UEFI modes. The card itself is small and the appearance is a sleek red and black. The card even includes an attractive backplate to cover the PCB card. Here the card is mounted on the motherboard between the two GTX 780 Ti video cards.
