Case Mod Project Thief - Monster Water Cooled Build - March 9th

[Black_Mummy_DK]

ahhh... depending on what you use your workstation for, isn't it better to use the 990X for that?

looking good btw

[stren]

Originally Posted by Black_Mummy_DK

ahhh... depending on what you use your workstation for, isn't it better to use the 990X for that?

looking good btw

Thanks - they are both hexes, but the 3930K has the clock speed and core architecture advantage so it's faster for my job. Sometimes I run simulations that can take hours, so every little bit helps Sadly my tools don't scale beyond 6 cores, so I wouldn't even get an advantage with ivy bridge or with a 48 core G34 rig.

[Black_Mummy_DK]

Originally Posted by stren

Thanks - they are both hexes, but the 3930K has the clock speed and core architecture advantage so it's faster for my job. Sometimes I run simulations that can take hours, so every little bit helps Sadly my tools don't scale beyond 6 cores, so I wouldn't even get an advantage with ivy bridge or with a 48 core G34 rig.

hmm... okay, didn't know that actually O_o thought the 3930K was a bit for both gaming and work, and that the 990X was entirely for work

[wilkinson001]

This looks really interesting, keep up the good work. I cant wait to see the fully watercooled setup.

+ 1 sub

[stren]

Originally Posted by Black_Mummy_DK

hmm... okay, didn't know that actually O_o thought the 3930K was a bit for both gaming and work, and that the 990X was entirely for work

The 980x/990x was a hybrid similar to the 3930K/3960K. Both are fully unlocked for better overclocking unlike the 970 or 3820, and both feature higher clockspeeds than the 970 or xeon sb-es which is useful for workstations. It's really where the two worlds meet.

Originally Posted by wilkinson001

This looks really interesting, keep up the good work. I cant wait to see the fully watercooled setup.

+ 1 sub

Thanks - hopefully a few more fittings come in today or tomorrow, and I should be able to start trying out the loop in a temporary loop with temp radiators. Then I"m expecting

- the powder coated case in a few more days
- the huge iwaki aquarium pump in a week
- a bunch more gentle typhoons (bringing me from 10 to 24) in a few weeks

Then pretty much all I need are the remaining rads (180.3, 140.9), remaining fans (180's and 140's), and then I'll really have to buckle down on modding the custom backplates and the waterfall reservoirs.

[stren]

Got some more parts today:



3 ssds and a bunch of fittings:



This meant I could do some leak testing with the gpu/motherboard/ram loop. Still missing the other gpu for now though, but the important thing was to see if the ram block connections were good:



You can see water on the bottom right of the board. The GPU didnt' have it's spare ports sealed tightened down properly. Didnt' see that leak for a few minutes as it was dripping down the back of the block and was mainly hidden by the card and the block. You can see it coming out and filling up the pci-e socket:



The bitspower crystal linke sli fittings were part of the order too. The closest one in this photo leaked initially as it had fallen out of the o-ring. They're not that sturdy so it's a bit concerning that they might fall out. We'll have to see how it goes.



The top view is much nicer now though:



With red dye the crystal links won't look so out of place.

That's all for now. Case should be back from powder coating with another 14 gentle typhoons on tuesday, so expect a big update then Until then the board can dry out a bit I need more time for working on the backplates and the reservoirs.

[avolla]

any time anyone says they have a leak in their system my heart seems to skip a beat. I haven't tried it yet but i could see it turning into a nightmare very quickly. Glad to see you got your leaks fixed. I'd spend a little time trying to find a better sli if it feels like you're gonna have continuing problems with it. Keep up the great work

[stren]

Originally Posted by avolla

any time anyone says they have a leak in their system my heart seems to skip a beat. I haven't tried it yet but i could see it turning into a nightmare very quickly. Glad to see you got your leaks fixed. I'd spend a little time trying to find a better sli if it feels like you're gonna have continuing problems with it. Keep up the great work

It's really not that serious if it happens before you power the system up. Just dry the board out and you'll be fine. The trick is never to cut corners later on. For example in the past I tried to change a cpu without draining the loop, the tubing kinked and squeezed out some water but I didn't notice. Turned the computer on and the GPU died because the water had fallen onto the GPU. Took me a while to figure out what happened and I was lucky I didn't kill anything else.

Bottom line is, make sure to leak test thoroughly, always clamp tube down, perform regular maintenance and you'll be fine

[Bladesingerz]

nice work man, those sli connectors on the ram modules turned out fantastic, I hope they won't leak in the future

[si93]

man this is gonna be a sick build

[stren]

Originally Posted by Bladesingerz

nice work man, those sli connectors on the ram modules turned out fantastic, I hope they won't leak in the future

Yeah me too - they feel solid now, but I'm nervous haha.

Originally Posted by si93

man this is gonna be a sick build

Thank you

I'd also like to welcome my newest sponsor - DT Waterblocks. I'll be using and reviewing their new cpu waterblock the "5Noz".



This is the lowest restriction block out there - from Martin's Preview:



It'll be interesting to see how it does vs the raystorm which is one of the top blocks out there.

[stren]

The frame came back from powder coating: unboxing pics:









2 motherboard trays are better than one:



Some accessories:



These are only the frame parts - the exterior skin is still at smasher's place:



"Super Mounts" - From top: 120x4, 140x4, 180x3 and 5 way hard drive flex bay mount (120x5)



Pedestal front and back:



Frame top and bottoms for case and pedestal:

[stren]

Man you guys are quiet - but I bet you guys might be interested to know where I was today - I'll give you a hint there was a 150W laser...

I have a video that I'm trying to put together of building the case. Here's a shot of assembling the pedestal pieces:



- Unfortunately no more photos of the pedestal, but essentially there's a front and back and a top and bottom, each of the four joins look like the pic above.
- They get screwed together with 7 screws along the top and one on each corner (side).
- Screw the top and bottom to the front, and then add the back on.
- Then start work on the main case. Start with the center and work outward. Here's the motherboard compartment - the two inner vertical sheets and the top and bottom sheets.



- Assemble the two vertical sheets to the top sheet (8 screws):



- Then add the other bottom sheet (8 screws):



- Then put the case down on it's front and add the back (34 screws)



- Then put the case back on it's side so you're ready to easily add the front panel:



- Screw in the front panel to all the other pieces (36 screws) and put the case on top of the pedestal.
- Screw in any flex bay mounts and accessories
- Screw the case to the pedestal (4 screws) and it should look like this pic below



- Add the motherboard trays to the motherboard back plates and attach the handles (6 screws total)
- Add the hinges for the doors
- Rearrange any back panels
- test your super mounts fit
- Clip on the exterior frame panels
- start building or clip on the frame

Here's mine without the exterior panels, don't worry the black plate covers will dissapear by the end of the build (18 bay waterfall reservoir to come)

[mikeyman198]

[Bladesingerz]

What a monster off a case! Its just amazing how you made that assembly look easy

[jakobfrimmel]

That thing is massive!!! you sure that you didn't steal that from road runner??

[peteski]

judging by that door the case must be at least 3 feet tall and mate does it look sexy i cant wait to see some components in side +rep to you mate and keep up the good work

[NoobNeb]

Did you just casually say 18 bay waterfall res?????? nice work can't wait to see it all together

[wilkinson001]

This is going to look so good, i thought the initial water-cooling test set-up was good, this whole project will be amazing when its finished.

[catsol75]

How heavy is it?