Case Mod SR2 Build

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I have been lusting after an SR-2 rig for some time and now i am in the position to get one.
After much consideration and head scratching,i went for the Little Devil V8 inverted HPTX case.

I realize that this build may seem disjointed,it has been running for a while on other forums..
Sorry about that..anyway...






I was VERY tempted by the caselabs MH10 but the shipping costs and VAT crippled that idea...£700 for a case is unacceptable to me!!

Hardware:

Board: SR-2 ,MIPS mobo block with VRM block and 2 Watercool HK 3's (black)
CPU: x5650 Hexacores
Ram:12-24Gb Corsair or G Skill....not decided yet
GPU: 3x 7950...this really depends on the availability of reference layout cards
Storage: 2x Force GT 120Gb SSD (1 for OS,1 for games and everything else) 1x 2tb HDD for storage
PSU: 1200w Silent Pro,maybe Strider 1500w













This rig will be dual loop and 24v,the reasoning behind this is the restrictive rads will make a D5 cry if left on its own to do the work!
As usual SpecialTech is my vendor of choice for this....anyway TO THE PR0N!!

Cooling:
2x 360 AMS rads with D5
1x 480 AMS Dualcircuit rad
2x Bitspower 200mm Res (depending on how much room the PSU takes up)
2x Watercool HK blocks in Black
1x MIPS SR-2 mobo block
2x 24v D5 pumps
1x Koolance 24v twin pump controller
Koolance Copper pipe fittings
















Some components may change but this is how i see it coming together.




A little bit of progress...

Double wires FTL.












Off come the stock EVGA plates for the cut down version (supplied,EVGA are thoughtful like that)



Watercool back plates..



Mounting hardware..



Right then.....

Whats this?


Magoo also wants to know what it is.










The SR-2 is a huge board but is tiny in there








Chrome plated.....yum!

PSU done,just the molex and sata to do...





Also swapped the fan panel around so Silent Pro looks the right way up...

Ok,first hitch of the day,looking at the clearance of the PSU to the AMS rad and have discovered they wont fit. 146mm wide rad=PITA!



So the Dual psu extender is required after all.



Also,the bloody 24 pin is too short,24 pin extender GO!

My doubts about the Chrome flaking off the tube was put to rest....



Today i had a look at the bending required,no sniggering at the back please.

You may have been wondering what the red tape was for? it is the 0 line for the bend,i can work out the length required to get 2 90 bends to meet to set out dimensions


To get this..


Got some push fit fittings to make the test fitting.






I may even keep using these fittings,they look ok and are 1/3rd the price of the koolance fittings.
Downside is i dont trust push fit fully,not like a proper compression fitting.

The tails have not been cut yet,i want the piping at the same level. So,i need to get the Ram in and see what i can chop off...


Or i could use 45's...

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A set of 10mm benders,about £20 for a good set of rothenberger ones,cheap ones have poorly aligned guides.

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These are the fans i have chosen,in the 2350 variant....must have....must have.....must have..



Also in 140 for the case!

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Originally Posted by KayinBlack

Don't worry about the push fits, they're far more secure than any compression. If they weren't, Legris stuff wouldn't be used in just about every machine we ran at JVC. I'm using them for the same thing in my build. Steel tubing there too.

I use push-fit all the time at work,a good compression fitting with olive will be a stronger union,i am at mains pressure at work tho...a 15psi air test will find any leaks before water goes in loop.

Tubing is Copper,plated in chrome,easier to bend and easier to cut with a 10mm autoslice.

Thanks Guys for your comments so far,i appreciate it.
Is it bad to be looking to another build already? Got a few ltrs of Novac 649 for some immersion action next year....

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Originally Posted by Sarakon

It's so shiny This looks like it will be fun. Could you please tell me how those fans perform, once you have managed to test them a little. I saw them the other day and thought I might give them a go

No problem,im hooking up 3 on my bench for some rough comparative testing.
Will post results.

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Originally Posted by maestro0428

Love hardware builds like this. Now if my wife would only let me spend dough like that on a new rig!

The secret is.....dont tell her.

Have excuses ready. She asked me why i needed 1200w power supply. The answer? I will not be using it at full capacity,its for efficiency .



Happy days!

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Originally Posted by Cheapskate

I've seen your build already. I came to see Mr. Magoo again.

He is legend.
He is also a trained killer.

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Been a bit of a change to my rads choices,seeing as the AMS is TOO damn big,i am using XSPC RX 480s instead....

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Some of the loop which came today..


24v capable D5's



Bitspower Res..why would you buy anything else??



Some of the fittings..



Dual 24v pump controller



2 480 XSPC rads...



Special mention and thanks to Coolmiester at XSPC for 1 of the 480 rads and to Steve at Specialtech for getting in AMS rads in especially for me that i cant use...i know he spent a good few hours trying to source these for me.






Still waiting for one more 480 rad and 2 Koolance D5 tops then i can get going on the loop.
Ordered more 10mm Copper pipe today so i can get on with the pipework.

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Originally Posted by KoSoVaR^

please dont use those ugly fitting for the pipes !

I have 180 bends on the loop which counts out using the double o-ring fitting (phobya/BP sli fitting),these are push fit with a lock ring,much more secure and reliable. Looks,in this instance,are secondary to performance.

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Originally Posted by Tattysnuc

i'd not come across the "single use Koolance Pipe fittings" before that you are using. +rep for bringing them to my attention!

Thanks.
You can get them in the UK here.
http://specialtech.co.uk/spshop/cust...pid-15374.html

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Snug as a bug...





You can see why the AMS rads that i wanted wouldnt fit....

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Spider at SpecialTech sent me his old Ram....for free no less!
Many thanks to the miserable old git,i really appreciate it.

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Moar pipe bending today,got the spacers i forgot to order!

ST got my stuff out fast as usual.







Taking shape now...

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Delivery turned up with goodies...



This PSU screams Quality,very nice choice i think...plus the cables look easy to braid with no double wires!

Result!






a free fan you say? some enermax 'stadium light' job...



Specs for the unit..



Dominator GT's and a Force GT SSD..



I wont be using the airflow fans tho..





Looks mint dont it.







So....time for some work!

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Last rad appeared today along with a couple of fans...





Annoyingly,the cables are not braided and they have coloured all the wires black,so good luck if you want to braid these...for a £12 fan,braided cables are not a lot to ask.
They do include a 7v resistor tho for those without controllers




They look great in case.
Now just waiting for the 12 120 SP versions and another 140....

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Unrelated but i think you will like.

Mayhems Thermodynamic on pre production test in my bench.

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ST got the rest of my loop in.

Sorry about the crap pics,the weather is bad and my phone is no-pro

2 Koolance D5 tops and the rest of my fans.











The pics of the pump tops doesnt do them justice,they are the best bit of machining i have seen on WC gear.
No swirls or tool marks,even the impeller machining is spot on.

Should get all the loop in and done this week,ordering the first of the GPUs and another SSD end of the week.

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Originally Posted by Sarakon

Those fans look awesome and so does the pump. Need pictures of it all coming together

Ok...

Got the fans on the lower XSPC rads...





Perhaps a DSLR is in order...

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Originally Posted by Squigly

Those fans are looking sweeet!!! And lurv the tubes are they plated copper or???

Chrome plated copper.
Copper tube would of looked odd with all the red in the case

Originally Posted by rak500

Lovely build!
I really like the case!
Quick question though, wouldn't it be better to cool both cpu in parallel rather than serial?
As in splitting the cooling route to cool both CPU at the same time?

Would of been awkward to do with this tubing,serial is easier.