Case Mod - Complete Project: Mini Metis Maximus (ITX X99 watercooled)

Apologies chaps - Vault-Tec got it in one! This year has been slow progress cos 'people' keep releasing these things called processors and motherboards, and guess who reviews them for a living.... I stopped working at 10:30pm last night - been lots of those recently! Urgh. Anyway, I'm working on a major update here as the project is nearly complete and ready for what must be its fourth final assembly! ha ha!

 

You have no idea how true that is.

 

Soooooo, I think we might finally be gearing up for a for a final, final, yes finally final build. Unfortunately, my dad has been ill so all my spare time has been spent seeing him or on the phone related to that. My other half is also unwell and I was actually in the back of an ambulance myself a few weeks ago - thankfully I'm okay, but sadly zero free time means zero modding.

However, I did have a few snags including yet another dead DDC pump, a leak as well as need to re-spray the front panel (god damn you spray lacquer) and fix a sagging reservoir. Due to the design, most of these things require a complete strip down and rebuild which takes around 4 hours. I also ditched the Aerocool fan as it just wasn't powerful enough so it's back to Noctua

There's one final thing to do, which is to try out some 2K clear coat in a can, which is meant to provide a harder more scratch resistant finish. So that's my next goal once I've sorted my heated spray rig out. However, as it's hideously expensive and only lasts a day or two once mixed in-can, I'm going to take the first few steps in my next build, which also needs a touch of clear coat, which is why some of you may have seen me fiddling with a Phanteks Shift recently It is my next build, despite the fact this one isn't finished yet, but they had to overlap due to the cost of 2K spray cans. Watch this space

 

Well here she is folks. I only needed a couple more hours work and some photos, but sadly my dad lost a two year battle against cancer a couple of weeks ago so I've only recently had any motivation to do anything other than feel pretty crappy.

Big thanks to Raijintek and Overclockers UK, Mnpctech, Intel UK, Corsair, ASRock, MSI UK, Samsung UK, CableMod, Noctua, Bitspower, Alphacool, Watercoolinguk, SilverStone, Mayhems and Global Art Supplies

Final specs:
Case: Raijintek Metis with SilverStone remote control
Paint: Rattlecan Montana gold supermarine blue + marble effect + 2K clear
Feet and grille: Mnpctech mini case feet + 140mm rotating insert
CPU: Intel Core i7-6950X (watercooled)
RAM: 32GB Corsair Dominator Platinum Special Edition
Motherboard: ASRock X99E-ITX/ac (watercooled)
GPU: MSI GTX 1070 Aero (watercooled)
SSD: Samsung 1TB 960 Pro (watercooled)
PSU: Corsair SF600
Cables: Custom CableMod
FAN: Noctua AF-14 Industrial
CPU waterblock: Bitspower ASRIX99 Monoblock
GPU waterblock: Watercool Heatkiller IV
Radiator: Black Ice SR2 Xtreme 140mm multiport
Tubing and fittings: Alphacool chrome brass tubing and fittings
Pump: Laing DDC
Reservoir: Phobya Balancer 150

You'll notice that the power button has gone - I actually filled it in and resprayed the front panel a while back. I also used 2K clear coat this time as the slightest ding would scratch the standard stuff. It looks fabulous and my photo skills really don't do it justice!

This must be like the 20th water-cooled mini-ITX PC I've built and despite having my main rigs watercooled for 15 years, I still learned a huge amount with Metis. I'm pretty happy with it, but there are plenty of areas I'm not so happy too. In order to cool a Core i7-6950X and GTX 1070, I had to use a full size 140mm rad, but a single 140mm fan in an enclosed space means the RPM is just too high/loud for me. It copes, as I knew it would, so concept was proved, but as an every day rig being paired with my sensitive ears...well, it's just not quiet enough.

It will be my daily driver for a while, but I'm already working on a Phanteks Shift build that will be even more powerful and of course water-cooled, but with several 30mm rads.

 

Thank Bill! I have to say that those Micro PC Case Feet of yours are absolutely made for this build!