Hey Guys, I'm back with another slice of build log goodness. This time thanks to sponsorship from HEX GEAR and E22 I'm going to be building in the all new HEX GEAR R40. I'm over the moon to have been given the opportunity and can't wait to get stuck in. So HEX GEAR provided me with the 'Black R40 Premium Micro ATX case' and a 'R40 accent pack' (reserve in black). E22 sent me a world of modding supply goodies which I'll post once the photos are done. Currently all hardware is being provided by me with 99% of the stuff all bought and ready to go. These are the current planned specs. Although these may change as the build progresses. SPECS: Intel Core i7-2600K Silverstone Strider Plus 1000W R40 Premium Micro ATX case - Reverse Black on Black! ASUS ROG Maximus IV GENE-Z68 MATX KLEVV Genuine 2400mhz 16GB (4 x 4GB) Asus GeForce GTX 980 DirectCU II OC Strix WC: EK Water Blocks EK-DDC 3.2 PWM EK Water Blocks EK-DDC Heatsink Housing - Black EK Water Blocks EK-Supremacy - Nickel EK Water Blocks EK-FC980 GTX Strix - Nickel EK Water Blocks EK-FC980 GTX Strix Backplate - Black EK Water Blocks EK-FC Terminal DUAL Parallel - Plexi DarkSide - Dual LP240 Extra Slim Radiator DarkSide - Dual LP360 Extra Slim Radiator Bitspower DDC Top - POM Version Bitspower Premium G1/4" Black Sparkle High Flow 1/2" Compression x12 Bitspower BP-BS30R G1/4" Black Sparkle Rotary 30-Degree IG1/4" Extender Bitspower G 1/4" Black Sparkle Rotary 45 Degree IG 1/4" Adapter x6 Bitspower G 1/4" Black Sparkle Rotary 90 Degree IG 1/4" Adapter x4 Aqua Computer Aquatube Delrin Reservoir - black Tygon R6016 Neoprene Tubing (1/2 - 3/4) Tubing Mayhems X1 - Dark Red 1ltr x2 MISC: DarkSide - CONNECT Dimmable Rigid LED Strip White - 12" (30cm) x2 BitFenix Spectre PRO 120mm Fan - All Black x5 ----------------------------- The HEXGEAR R40 case. ... The case is shipped flat packed requiring full assembly. The parts are very well packed with each component wrapped separately and all nuts/bolts bagged and labeled. The instructions are very clear making the build process a breeze and a pleasure. ... The design is well engineered and once assembled it's a unit! very solid! It's packs some weight which really adds to that premium fit and finish. The Hexgear guys should be really proud of themselves, their first case on the market and it's a goody. ... The 'Accent Packs' are simple to swap out and they are all you need if you want to flip the orientation. The case I went with ships with white front/rear accent panels and I opted for the black reverse pack. I built the case stock, then swapped them out. ... The case sits on two pieces of clear acrylic which make it appear as though it's floating (in the right light). You can also get rubber feet if that's more your thing. I'm hoping to have some lights escape the bottom of the case to amplify that look of levitation. ... ... I enjoyed how all the bolts are hex and it came with the tools you'll need. The instructions invite you to send in photos of your build to add to the gallery on their site, it's a nice touch. The little details really show off how much time and effort has been put into the design. ... ... I didn't get into the internals as I plan to touch on that as the build progresses. Plenty more photos over on the Imgur album if you want to check them out. Next update I'll show the parts E22 sent over. I don't think this will take me too long to complete. I'm busting to get my teeth into it so expect updates to come thick and fast. Thanks for checking it out. Let me know what you think. J.
UPDATE 1 E22 have supplied me with all the modding supplies I need to make new cables for the Silverstone ST1000 along with the BitFenix Spectre Pro fans and some other goodies. .. Fingers crossed I'll start the cables later in the week. E22 stock just about every connector type you'd need. ... Teleios Fusion R/B, I'll be using this on the main cables then Teleios black for things like the LEDs, Fans etc. ... 18 AWG WIRE, they sent me 5 metres of the stuff.. which sounds loads.. but it sure doesnt look it. haha ... These are 3-pin fans so I intend to use a PWM switch and wire them all into that. I like how they have hexagons in the design. Currently thinking of using the 6th fan in the PSU and leaving the rear 120mm case mount empty. ... Stealth Combs Bumper Pack, should be plenty in there.. I'm hoping to get a lot done this week. I'll be modding the mount plate tomorrow, so that'll be the next update. Thanks for checking it out. J.
UPDATE 2 Quick update. this is the R40's mount plate. The case ships with the blank plate but HEX GEAR offer a number of factory cut options if you want them. I did this with a hand drill, a Dremel cutting wheel and a few files. Think i need some new tools, haha.. ... ... ... Top port will be swapped out with a 90' fitting and a fill port. Maybe the same on the bottom port for draining. I'll try the middle with an LED but I'm not to sure how well light penetrates the X1.0 Oil black. ... ... ... Time to put the blocks on the hardware and start fitting it into the case. Still need some RAM for this one. I've not pulled the trigger on the second 980 yet either, I can't make my mind up.. haha. Thanks for checking it out. J.
UPDATE 3.0 - DARKSIDE RADS & ASUS GTX980 STRIX + EKWB BLOCK Another update with MODZERO FORTY, the mounting plate from the last update is in the case and I've a pretty clear idea on how the loop with work now. So the rads and fans are going in and the blocks are going on. I still hope to go SLI as the second card is still available but it's looking unlikely. My 14 week pup managed to steal a tub of grapes which ended up costing me nearly £200 to get sorted out (grapes can cause kidney failure in dogs). So the SLI budget has been blown. However, there is still time. Something may land on my lap, I can but hope. The RADS. Went with the Darkside LP range again, I needed <30mm rads to fit in the top and bottom chambers of the R40. I was impressed with the LP240's I used in MODZERO KIMKO and they are still priced really well here in the UK. Picked these up from MAYHEMS store. DarkSide LP240 and LP360 ... ... ... ASUS GTX 980 STRIX ... ... ... I normally go with reference cards as 9/10 I'll be watercooling, which makes getting a block all that much simplier. So this was the first non-ref GPU I've had in a while. I found a great deal, so sold my original GTX Titan (some kid on eBay got a bargain!) and picked up the strix. ... ... Under the giant cooler the PCB slims down and it's quite the PCB. Really like the custom 10-phase DIGI+ VRMs. ... I'm using the EK Water Blocks EK-FC980 GTX Strix - Nickel and Black backplate. I like the little strix logo. ... The block looks good, I don't intend to make use of the two LED ports. I did with MODZERO FOUR but as the coolant will be black, all the LEDs did was show off the mill paths in the plexi. The R40 has plenty of head space and as it'll be reverse the case lighting should do a good job lighting up the GPU. So that's it for now. Sorry there are so many photos! I'll have mini update later in the week. I'm currently waiting on some last minute additional fittings from HighFlow and in the mean time I'll be starting my cables. What do you think, make the push for SLI or leave it as it is? It's purely aesthetic value at this point. This build will mainly be used to work from. Thanks for checking it out. J.
UPDATE 4.0 Just a little update, the mounting plate, rads and fans are in the case.. we'll most of the hardware is now in the case as I'm working on the cables. But I took these shots after I shot the GPU at the end of last week, hadn't intended to use them (hence the finger marks all over the front of the R40) but I liked em, so here we are. haha ... ... ... I've got a couple ideas for the loop now, my initial thought (and I'll still try it) may be a little too 'busy' looking, so I have something I like more in mind. If I'm not happy with the loop using flex I'm ready with the hardline. ... This is my simple but effective break out studio setup.. The lights collapse simple enough into a protective soft bag and the backdrop just rolls up. the 'table' is just a length of old desktop that folds in half and I slide it under the sofa, the 'table legs' are storage containers that live in the cupboard on the right. The build is progressing well, I've started making the cables but sure enough, I ran out of wire half way into the 24pin. With E22 moving headquarters this week, I can't really do much more until I resupply. All being well I'd like to get the cables done by this time next week. Thanks for checking it out. J.
UPDATE 5.0 - Cables & Fitted Hardware It's been a while but progress has resumed. I grossly underestimated just how much wire/sleeve I'd need and so promptly ran out.. haha. E22 were in the process of moving at the time so I put the project on hold and awaited a supply drop. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... So the loop is next, sadly it's looking like the second GPU is off the table (budget issues) which has messed with how I originally saw the loop being routed. Also KLEVV ram is harder to source here in the UK than an honest tory. So for now at least I'm making use of some RAM I had left over from MODZERO FOUR. ... I'll share photos of the cable management in the final shots, I'm pleased with how it's looking back there but seeing as I'll have to unplug most of it when I fill the loop (lost my old trusty PSU I use to run the pump when I'm filling) I'm hoping to improve it a little more. Thanks for checking it out. J.
PROGRESS UPDATE Unhappy with the loop and how the coolant looked in the Mayhems tubing I ordered a Darkside LPX 360 (crossflow) rad and some Tygon Neoprene 1/2' ID tube. I fitted the new xflow rad and moved to the new tubing. I've redone the loop maybe 3-4 times now... I simply wasn't happy with the way it was looking. I had a BP flow indicator gathering dust, so I added it to the loop. At the pump RPM I'd set for normal workloads it wasn't spinning so up'd the pump speed a little and away it went. Then decided I didn't like the loop so drained it, tried again. I'm finally happy with the loop but for whatever reason the flow indicator stops spinning shortly after the pump kicks in (I'm still bleeding the loop). I can't work out why as the flow rate is fine, I can see the tiny bubbles whizzing around. So now, I'm looking at draining it again to remove the flow indicator, which is a shame. I know they are pointless really, but I like how they look and works well with the builds aesthetic. Hmm.. J.
That's the way ha ha ha ha I like it ha ha ha ha!!! Clean but gorgeous. Superb sleeving! I urge and command Asus to send you another Gpu!
That would be nice huh, they didn't send me the first one. lol. All the hardware is bought, I had my eye on a second GPU but the budget wouldn't allow it. It did however, allow some KLEVV GENUINE ram. I finally sourced some here in the UK. I picked up two 8gb (2x4gb) kits. I have one in hand and the other should be here tomorrow. so fingers crossed I'll be draining the loop, attempting a repair on my faulty BP flow indicator and installing the RAM. Then I'll take some shots for another proper update. J.
UPDATE 6.0 - THE FINALE (ISH) It's done, for now at least. The build has been running on my desktop for a few weeks. For one reason or another I wasn't happy with the original loop, so it's seen a few revisions. I went from the Mayhems Clear flexi with Mayhems Oil Black to Primochill LRT Onyx Black with Di-Water to Tygon Neoprene with di-water + Mayhems dark red dye. I'm no photographer but do enjoy trying. I wanted to capture the build powered on with the way I have the LEDs set up. The two white Darkside strips are run quite dim as not to over power the Klevv RAM, they also cast a great shadow over the midwall (not that you can really tell from my photos... oops). ... ... ... ... ... ... ... I'm really glad I held out for the KLEVV RAM. Originally looking for the URBANE kit I really struggling to find enough stock in one place to fill all four dimms. In the end I was able to pick up the KLEVV GENUINE 4x4gb 2400mhz kit at a great price, SO glad I did. In the process I was sent some KLEVV URBANE by mistake. I'll certainly be putting that to good use soon*. So it's finished, ish.. I'm in talks with a company that can make me two new all glass tinted side panels. If that ends up happening I'll break out the studio lights again and be sure to share. Whilst this thread has been quiet the Bit-Tech modders group over on FB have shown lots of support, so thanks for that folks. I'm eager to get started on a new project, couple builds in the works. Hoping to reach out to possible new sponsors in the coming weeks to make them extra exciting. This wouldn't have happened without the support of E22 and HEX GEAR, massive thankyou to those guys. Furthermore the help both Nate and Hans have provided during this process has been amazing. Thanks Guys. J.
