Case Mod - Complete Killer Panda - Z370 X Code

Update as of 21/6:

Starting to build up the new thread for the system to compare this against, the older brother to the Killer Panda. Go check it out here.

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24/5-18 12:59 (sorry for the delay) FINISHED PICTURES, LETS REVEL THIS PANDA!



A big thanks for everyone showing an interest in this build, it's been a long journey and it does not stop here, I'm still not done with the closet to put it in or the new desk setup, so will do some little updates as that comes along to.

But the main attraction is done:




It's a really really tight fit to make everything I wanted possible in this case, but I did it!



Bonus beauty shot:



My re-made GPU cooler and active m.2 cooler is both working like a dream


That slim 15mm fan was a really good idea, on top of a AquaComputer Kryo M2



Everything from my extended PSU mount, to my external EPS cables and my tons of fans are blending in pretty neatly IMO.



If I had not made a long build log about it, then you would probably not have a clue about all the work I have gone trough, I have exchanged every screw and pop rivet in the case, painted, put vinyl, drilled and more on all surfaces.



It was already a very rare and unique case to begin with, now even more so.



And now, the killer panda!



The really strong sunlight played monkey tricks on me, it is red and black, not orange, will try and get better pictures indoors another day.




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Desktop update!

This is the front logo seen from indoor light, more like how it looks in real life.
The black aluminum and black vinyl is almost the same tone, so it's only in very specific angles and light conditions that the panda is visible, it's a shy animal.



The closet setup at the spot it was intended to be right from the start.
You can also kind of see the 3x ML140 Pro white light fans there suck air up to the upper compartment, where the other 2x ML140 fans are placed on the inside of the air ducts - with the help of the 2x ML120 inside the ducts to draw the hot air out.
Works better than I could have hoped for actually, at idle the CPU is staying around 40C with a very warm room temp of 27C because of summer.



Tried to take pictures so you can see the helping mirrors, they are mostly for a purpose other than *bling*, but actually they are more useful when the system it not finally installed and the system can be pushed around a little, as I can way better look behind it and inside it, to see if everything is installed the way I intended it.
Remember, it is a closet after all, there is really limited space and I have to stand on something to reach there, so to get all the help I can i.e. to plug in a cable behind, that is a huge bonus.



Speaking of mirrors, I did the same behind my big a$$ monitor.



Here it's slightly easier to show you what the purpose is.
I can see the inputs!



Looks like this from the front, the "bubble" at the end of the table is my brand new Hue Go lamp that I just picked up, am charging it now to play around with tomorrow.



Same setup looks something like this at brighter light.
Sorry for the colors, my camera and indoor light is not the best combo so tried to compensate in post process and ended up at this.



From another angle





If you wonder why I have 2 keyboards, then the wireless Logitech one is connected to 2 machines below the table, where I'm also hiding my music DAC I use for well yea, music, and right now my surround headset is plugged into one of the machines, my "Mini3" i3 based tiny magnetized PC that can carry it's own weight under one of the desk shelves.
The other one is an even lower powered Linux machine only used to browse the web on, if I don't need any power for anything extra, build both of them out of scrap parts I had laying around from other builds that are worth too little to sell but are too good to throw away.



I'm trying to keep it pretty clean with no visible cables under the desk, mainly because my son loves to stay under there when I play games, so he can watch a movie or sleep.


Stay tuned if interested in a last update about the numbers of this PC, all the specs and benchmarks. Cheers m8

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ORIGINAL POST:


I have for now the better part of 3 months been trying to plan out what to do to re-build my gaming PC.

It's about time to start logging it as work is now underway.


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Interruption:

As of 20/5-2018 I can now foresee the future and put a deadline on the build:

The Big Reveal

Deadline Thursday 24th of May at 12:00 midday (GMT+1) Danish Time (I'm from Denmark)

I am still not sponsored by anyone, or have anyone help with building it, it's all my own doing and there is a ton of parts, so assembly is not super quick, sorry.

More than 16.000 people have seen the 4 threads there is showing of this work:

Bit-tech.net

Overclock.net

Tweak.dk

Linus Tech Tips


Back to the original program....
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A little story first, I build my first PC when I was 10, so I have 20+ years of hobby experience in building and using computers.
I'm not a IT pro by any means, I work in a total different area of expertise as my daily job.
I currently have 7 desktops and 3 laptops, all purpose builds for the tasks they need to do. This one is my primary PC, my gaming PC.
I reside in Denmark, northern Europe, and here specialized hardware like the things I would like to use, usually cost more than other places and is hugely difficult to get your hands on, so I might not use the exact same components as you would, because I can't get them here or can't afford them.
Because of that last fact, keep in mind I don't speak English natively, but it does help me I have lived in multiple countries and have a African wife who I'm speaking English with daily.
This is not going to be a quick build, I do have a family with two little kids and a lot of things to attend to.
The panda is my favorite animal, its starting to be quite rare, its usually calm and its neutral colored - that's going to be a bit of a theme here for this build, not overly much but a bit.



Lets get on with it!



The build so far looks like this, a full on mess, as parts are starting to get chosen, ordered and delivered.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img924/6949/5jhefl.jpg

As you can kind of see in the picture, the PC is inside a closet, as I really hate noise and I want it locked away when I'm not home in case of theft (I have one time had a break in and now since then fortified my house, as I don't even want to tempt a thief ever again).

It looks a bit like this:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img924/580/52YQWB.png

I'm an Sketchup addict, I admit that. So for months I have tried to plan out the build by spending many many hours drawing up parts.

Now I have kind of given up and just order the things I know I want and hopefully my idea will come to life.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img922/1765/tlHXio.jpg

This is the only parts im perfectly sure of how to fit in my case, the CPU block, the radiator, fans, motherboard and gpu. The rest will be figured out as they arrive.


The parts as of now:

• Asus Maximus Code X Z370 motherboard
• Intel i5 8600K Der8auer Advanced Edition CPU
• 16 (2x8) GB Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR4 2400MHz CL10 RAM
• Zotac Amp Extreme GTX 1070 graphics card
• Corsair Force MP500 120GB NVME SSD for boot
• 500 GB backup HDD for live recovery drive (in case I tinker too much and something wacks up)
• 1TB WD Black for games, 2,5inch drive (because its way quieter than the 3,5inch version and still really awesome)
• Corsair ML120 120mm fans (right now its a pair of 140 on my prolimatech cooler, but will of course be removed when I have the CPU block, I have a tower of Corsair ML fans laying around).
• Phanteks 120mm Halos Lux fan frames
• HW Labs Nemesis GTS 240 white radiator (not installed yet)
• EVGA SuperNova G2 750watt Gold PSU
• Koolance 702 coolant (not installed yet)
  
  
• All sorts of wire extensions to make it pretty.
• A panda sticker
• A blood spatter sticker
• Bamboo tape

When I assembled it as of now in the temporary state, it hit pcpartpicker:

https://pcpartpicker.com/b/h929TW



I have a pump, top and housing on the way in the mail from UK and a Alphacool reservoir from Germany also on the way.

Fittings to be determined, same as tubes, block I want a heatkiller IV Pro but have not ordered it yet.

 

oh wait, should probably say my case is the Lian Li PC-V33. A very compact cube case that's very understated and not available anymore.
There are not many hits on google for it, so it looks like it was a little bit too special for people to care about.

I got one on a really good discount a few years back, the last one in their store, and I think it looks amazing and it fits my needs just perfect.

Its best described as an all aluminum test bench with a roof and sides that open up like the engine bay on a big truck, I will show more pictures later so if interested then stay tuned

 

Actually, let me update you with a few more pictures and a video from when I unboxed my motherboard.

The board looks astonishing and is indeed a high-end board



Well and to be honest I kind of regret I bought this CPU, a specialized version of the 8600K, ended up costing more than a 8700K but is guaranteed to last at least 2 years with 5GHz on all cores at reasonable low temps.

Its a handpicked 8600K, delidded, with liquid metal and an engraved IHS from Caseking, tested to der8auer specifications for OC.



Now I have it and I will stick with it for a long time, so have to just suck up that it costed more than a 8700K, it looks real pretty though.

Unboxing the motherboard and installed the CPU, made a little video as I at that time could not find anyone with this model.

The video is entirely made on my phone, even the editing and adding music and text, no pro production here, so bare with me.




Will update when there is more to show/tell.

 

just found a picture from the day I bought my graphics card, apparently that was the 10th of december 2016 before GPU prices got too crazy.

Photo taken with my phone back then, a iPhone 5, so quality was not really a thing then.




I post it here to give to show what my biggest issue is and why I have chosen the radiator I have.

This card is massive! As big as my forearm (im not so little, just the card thats real big)
I hope my plans work out and have measured correct, else something drastic have to be done.

The AMP EXTREME is an amazing card despite its size, its very rare I hear the fans because everything is just oversized

 

Let me give you a little update and explain a few things.

First of let me show you around a little bit of the room all this is happening in, its not the typical setup.
There is 5 desktops and 1 laptop all connected to the same screen and keyboard mouse, you just can't really see it.



As I have said before, this system is optimized for gaming so this is in general the system I will spend the most time on.
Its placed inside a closed, and then the peripherals are at my custom build desk some meters into the room, all cables between desk and all the computers are hidden away as best I could.



Because of this setup it is a little unique challenge in finding the perfect case, but I did and choice ended up being the Lian Li PC-V33 cube case.
I'm fairly sure you have never seen it before, its not a big success and was only available for a quite short time compared to other Lian Li cases that ends up as classics.

Here its stripped down of the exterior so I can work on it.

Front


Back


Side


Top


As you might notice, there is not any real elegant or practical way to mount drives in the case, and its always been a little annoying in that regard.
Luckily, my former case was also a cube, the Aerocool Predator XCube, a much more clunky version of the same concept.
The hard drive cage from that one fits perfectly in the basement of the case, so I will see how to fix there at one point.



Also another thing im thinking of doing is to move the power supply a little out of the case, to give more room for cables and res/pump.
To do so im going to dismantle my also former HTPC case, the Coolermaster Elite 110, it has a bracket on the back that moves the psu about 3cm out, could end up make a big difference in the internal layout of things.

Beside that, I now unpacked the radiator, it looks really nice in white.



Because my theme idea is Killer Panda I have to make it mainly black/white and therefor also have some matching SATA cables



Oh yes and you can also see my aluminum cable combs from ebay, they look way better than the plastic ones my cable extensions came with.



Im going to use Phanteks cable extensions for the power cables, its the cheapest nicest looking option I can find, remember I live in Denmark and the whole thing will be in a closed, so pretty cables is not really the main thing but nice to have.



Also have some cable tie anchor points and some rubber for the sharp alu edges.
The rolled up thing is bamboo tape, we will come back to that later on if my plan works out.



QUESTIONS:

Together with the 240 rad and a 100ml res, I will have not extensively long tubes, but after looking at the bottle of coolant im getting doubts about if 700ml is enough??
Its only for cooling the CPU with.



Despite how nice the rad looks on the outside, I was also a little disappointing that the threads inside looks rather oxidized



How to deal with that??

 

You can always top off with distilled water. Most here recommend flushing the radiator with it too before use. Rad inside looks pretty good. It's not black or green. I think you are seeing the etching caused from the solder flux.

 

Really, I can just mix this thing that closer resembles anti freeze with distilled water to top off if not enough?

The rad inside do look good, deeper down in the hole its nicer looking, just the threads that looks a bit like rust. Was thinking I could take a fitting and screw in and out a few times to loosen it up and then rinse.

I have a bottle of Alphacool Ultra Pure Water, more distilled than regular distilled water, was thinking of getting a Blitz Kit to mix in and pre-clean with.
https://www.mayhems.net/collections/best-selling-products/products/mayhems-blitz-kit

 

I'm taking a chance here, just ordered a discounted version of the CPU block, only reasons to why its discounted should be cosmetic faults, nothing wrong with performance.

Watercool Heatkiller IV Pro with matching backplate for optimized cooling and easy install, a sleeved extension cable for my DDC pump thats on its way, some Hydronaut paste because im real tired of the muddy application with Kryonaut. I think the price is pretty ok compared to what im going to get.

I have looked at tons and tons of reviews of waterblocks and in general its been the IV Pro that comes out with the lowest temps. Also chosen this one because I want a all metal block with no chance of cracking, I want it to be super reliable when build.
Lastly, I would imagine the anodized surface actually fits rather well with the amour on the motherboard and the fact its 2-toned like a panda also seem appropriate in this build.

 

I just remembered today I have not told you about the front panel connectors!
I'm going to use some rather nice ShakMods white and black extensions to follow trough on the scheme.

Also, here you see the boxes from my 2 Halos Lux fans.



Actually, todays update is more going to be about a new package that arrived, my reservoir from Alphacool.



Cape Corp Coolplex HF Metal 10, a tiny little res thats seriously heavy and really really nice looking!
Way better in real than in pictures, its beautiful!
I have always seen Alphacool as somewhat a middleground in quality but this for sure changed my mind, wow.
Actually even more so because this is a B-Ware thats supposed to have cosmetic faults, I just really cant find them.



The threads look nice





The paint job looks really really good in deep black finish



And I really looked hard but cant find a scratch on the glass, so I have no clue why this is a B-ware model?



Only reason I can find would be someone bought it and returned it before use, thats just good news for me because I bought the same thing for cheaper than normal

Still waiting for the pump before I can start mocking things together and figure out how to actually build in this case.
Also, am working on a deal of digital flow meter and temp sensor, to utilize some of the many sensors build in to my motherboard (also because of the fact that the whole thing is inside a closed and I cant really keep an eye on it, easier to do so in monitoring software)

Stay tuned for more updates as I progress

 

Updates are coming in almost daily now. I think my wife thinks its crazy, as she is the one receiving the packages, I have not really told her what I'm building (why even both explaining it).

Today came another package:




All the parts for my pump!
The actual pump is a genuine Laing DDC 18W 3-pin controlled 12volt pump, chosen this one because it was a really good offer but also because its the highest flowrate direct pump I can find.
I always thought I wanted a PWM pump, but thinking about it I actually rather have a steady stream of water, instead of one that changes up and down all the time, to keep the noise the same.
Variable noise levels is really really annoying.
Chosen the one with highest flow rate as I think it will give me the best result, even at lower than standard speed.

Am combining it with a EK XTOP as its supposed to also improve flow rate and have a top mounted intake, which I am thinking I will need.

Lastly, a Alphacool metal base, just to round it off and stabilize it more than the flimsy plastic feet does in generic version.



im quite excited to assemble this but will not do it today as its getting late and I still wait for something called White Lithium Grease, that someone recommended me to fill the inside of the metal bottom with to avoid air-gaps, keep pump temps down and to minimize vibrations. I have not assembled a pump like this before but it sounds like a good idea so better do it right in the first try.

stay tuned for more, its soon going to be more than a package party

 

Well, this build is certainly a situation of old dog, new tricks. I learned something new today.

I wrote a email to Highflow.nl were I have bought the radiator from. Just to be sure if the strange looking threads was a RMA or not.


Got an answer back that this totally looks like the brazing technique Hardware Labs use to join pieces together, like to make the threads stick to the tank, and is nothing to worry about.
Nice, but what the H is brazing and post-brazing?

Looked it up, and it looks like it basically means its joined together with flames!
Well then all is good, fire is really rock n' roll!

I just tried using one of my old fittings, a fillport, and actually looks like the "rust" looking surface comes off relative easily, just wish i had a longer thread to screw in all the way.



There is shinny nice cobber under it! The O-ring made a dirty mess, but cant be seen when there's a fitting on so no worry.




---bonus question, can you see a difference in the color and/or sharpness of these 3 pictures? They are taken with my actual real "old-school" camera, instead of my smart phone. To me it looks better, but i'm unsure.

 

I'm hoping I can soon start actual work, but there are quite many pieces going into this and still packages to pick up.

Today something interesting arrived:



* Thermal paste, Hydronaut as im real tired of the gooey consistency of Kryonaut (I usually use Kryonaut but its time for a change)
* Sleeved extension wire for the pump, both because its sleeved and look better than the standard Laing wire but also because im actually not sure the original would be able to reach, now it will
* Backplate for cooler operation and more stable mount
* Heatkiller IV, because its supposed to be one of the best and because the two tone look fits my board pretty nicely



The block is also a discounted model, B-ware, but I really have a hard time to see were the fault should be, just like the res, but I saved quite a bit so im happy,
Maybe it will be easier to spot whats wrong when I unwrap it. For now I will leave it in its box.

In other news, I have just ordered some speciality fittings (like a extension piece and a flow meter), so now there is another package soon on its way.
No actual fittings and tubes yet, to be determined.

These pictures is by the way again taken with the phone.
I have a camera stand, light and a remote on its way for my nicer camera, so when the build starts for real pictures will be better than before. -stay tuned if this interests you

 

about a week has passed and not much have happened because I'm currently struck by a annoying case of winter flu. It's been snowing here the past many days and my kids have been un-well so of course its also hitting me.
energy levels are really low, so even that i have had a little more time on my hands, that time have mainly been spend on sleeping and drinking this horrible mixture:



One of the more interesting developments is i'm getting ready to assemble stuff, and for that my camera accessories arrived.
I now own a a Velbon CX-888 Black camera tripod and a China 160 LED dimmable LED light.
My Sony camera is beyond that wifi equipped and have a remote shutter app, so I can now take completely blur free pictures with enough light.
For the pictures in todays update they are actually taken freehanded as I did not feel like unfolding the rather complicated tripod this time just for this.



I know I said I would not make more pictures of just stuff coming home, but when its pretty interesting parts I can't help it.



Lithium grease to put in the metal base cover of my DDC pump, as recommended by EK. So now Im ready to assemble the pump.
Barrow 3-way fitting (orange bag) so I can connect my temperature sensor (the black bag), a male-male adapter (2nd orange bag) so I can connect my flow sensor (the box).
The motherboard have all kinds of connections and I think its a real shame to not use a few of them, also to learn new things and see how all this actually works.
Barrow components is way cheaper than lets say Bitspower, I actually ended up getting all these parts for same price as similar flow sensor in bitspower alone would cost.



I guess one of the reasons the price is so low, is because of finish.
Like the flow sensor looking rather matt and unpolished, but I don't really care as long as it has a stable read-out, then it does not matter how it looks. for that matter it could even be black or white or any other color (I might even paint it because of this).



if anything, it actually looks rather nice from the side



So now I have a pile of pieces, tools, drawings and much more just waiting to find its place.
I really hope my energy soon comes back and I can concentrate to get things done.



Actually fun fact, the white plastic box behind the mess, I have 2 of those, there is about 20 fans in each of various brands/qualities/sizes as I never really sell fans when I upgrade so I have along the way ended up with a surplus amount of fans. You could say, I got fans! Literally....

 

Some of you might know I'm a little Sketchup addicted... I admit that... But nothing beats real life 3D!
I now have so many parts I can try out some of my ideas in real, one of being - should I use push or pull on the radiator fans??

No doubt it would look nicest with pull, but I imagine I would be getting a little better airflow in push mode...
Also, if I do push and place my RGB fan frames on the outside of the rad, it will only illuminate the rad itself and that might look a little dumb.



Another thing im thinking about is, should I mount the graphics card in the 16x slot or the 8x slot?
No doubt I would get much better airflow in the 8x slot, but I get a marginally better performance in the 8x slot, its only a GTX 1070 so every little thing counts to get as much for my money as possible.





By the way, I have another package on its way from China this time, a PCI fan frame holder for 2 fans.
Was thinking I can either put them right next to the side to either suck air into the case, or to exhaust it directly trough the side - or in case I use the 8x slot I could let air blow in on the backside of the GPU as it is getting seriously toasty on the back of the card.



Don't mind the finger guards on a few of the fans, I have a lot of these ML120 fans and have used them in various combinations since I bought them.
The GTX 1050Ti box is the card I use in another of my builds, the length of the box is really close to the length of my GTX 1070 so that's why I'm using it here to mock up.


It's about to get more and more real, stay tuned.

 

I don't think I have mentioned it, this build is only financed by me, no sponsors.
So at every decision I have to make the right choice as I can't afford to make mistakes.

So I am back to the drawing board, or boards.
I'm drawing on my phone when I commute



I draw at work


I mock up at home



and I'm about to get back into SketchUp for some more 3D modeling.

I think I have found a way, a combination of all this planning, will do a 3D drawing soon to make sure it all works out - and not until after that I can continue ordering fittings and pipes.


I have never claimed this is a fast build, but we are inching closer and closer to some actual exciting mod/assembly. I know these updates are boring, but thats the life of a struggling enthusiast.
Stay tuned for much more exiting stuff to come soon!

 

One of the coming days I have to try fit the hardware in the case, because im getting prettty close to a final loop design now.
I'm 90% sure this could be it, because I think I can fit the res on top and the pump below, with clever use of a few bulkhead fittings and a mix of hardline tubes on top and soft tubes below.

This is as far I can draw it in sketchup without real measurements of fittings and tubes



Im thinking of making a small purchase of the fittings im very sure I will need no matter what, and then try figure it out from there.



Also just think I found the tubes I want, Alphacool brass tubes, they look really awesome in chrome and they come in real short lengths as i barely need any.

Still not sure what actual fitting I should use, but im looking at the Monsoon EV2 in white to keep the build white/silver/black or the new fittings from alphacool, thy look really hot.

now its coming close to 1am in the night here and im up for work tomorrow morning so i better go to bed...

 

nice

 

Thanks

I would have liked to make a update about some interesting discoveries I made on the build over the weekend but its almost midnight again so it has to wait, stay tuned for some actual hardware pictures this time around!

 

This is going to be a rather long update, there are many things to show this time around.

First of all, I bought a random selection of parts and accessories:



Its a stepped drill set, cutting oil, scent sticks, rubber coating (similar to plasti dip) and some paint can guns for better control.
What as all this for?

I was looking at the state of the build and got an idea, I can paint the metallic parts black and white to really make it a Killer Panda!



So that explains the rubber coating and the paint guns.
Then I tried out the placement of the res, like I had planned in sketchup



it actually fits rather nicely!

But at the same time it became quite clear how massive my graphics card is.



It fits with a fan in front, but no radiator...

I have an idea of replacing the GPU fans with a PWN fan splitter and 2x ML120 fans, because I have them laying around anyway, and that would also mean I can loose some of the hefty plastic shroud around the card.
Not totally clear if I can attach the fans somehow to the heatpipes, or If I should get a second PCI fan holder like the one I already received from eBay.

I will figure it out.

To give myself some more wiggle room I decided to remove the whole front fan holder, also to make it easier to later on paint the parts separately and put new rivets in afterwards.

The casemod have begun!





I really hope I have measured everything correct, because I'm starting to cut the case here and there.



The inlet and outlet under the res. Made with my rather cheap stepped dril set and some really good cutting oil, the oil really makes up for the drill being pretty bad.


Also, used the same method to make 2 holes in the back, so I can route the 8pin CPU power cable around the backside of the case, because else it would end up running either all around the motherboard or over the post code display or some other stupid way.

Will make more sense when I put it together but the result of the cutting turned out better than I had hoped.

I forgot to buy a digital caliper, I could use one now...



going back to the rad and fans, I would prefer the fans in front blowing out of the case, I know it gets less RGB flavor that way but will in my situation give the best temps im sure.
minor problem is, the screws I have for the rad then have too big heads to fit in the fan frames indents and are also too short to fit trough fan frames, fan, holder and then into rad...
Will see what length I need in the end when I can measure it.



Sorry for the real long update, but at least some actual progress is now happening.

For those who have read trough, here is a money shot:



My overpriced very bad a$$ CPU

Stay tuned for more.....

 

This here seems to be a never ending spending spree...
Just ordered on Amazon:

Digital caliper

Angle ruler

Mayhems cleaner Pro (I bought the supposed to be last in stock)