Case Mod - In Progress The Powerful Pretty Pink Processor (aka, "The PPPP")

First up for the photoshoot out of my large and generous EK care package.....the XTX rads!





Like Corsair...EK is another one of the companies who always packages their products well. Attractive, protective, functional....







Comes with a set of long screws (30mm) and short screws, to get you through almost any installation.





Ahhhh....That's a good looking radiator. Nothing new about the XTX series....but it's EK's flagship line of radiators, and is always one of the top performers in testing.





The finish is superb, and the fins were almost perfect. It comes with 2x of the temporary stop fittings shown below, that you won't use. And also 2x of the nicer EK stop fittings. Allen wrench for the stop fittings included.





At 64mm thick, these are thicker than the SR-1's I used on my last build. Look and feel "muscle-y". Tough. I also love this bleed/fill/drain port on the bottom of the radiator. Could definitely come in handy.





Wait. What's that......





Oh yes. Of course. Rascally lil' panther.





My favorite shot....





I'm thinking about getting a small brush and using some Pink acrylic paint to fill in that EK logo on the side of the radiator.





Couldn't resist quickly putting on some fans to see what they look like on the rads. Love them!









The Mercury S8 will hold a 360 radiator in every spot that I'm using a 240. The reason I opted for the 240's was really that I didn't want to make anything feel crowded. By using 240's on the top of the case and in the flex-bays....this will leave me a little pocket of room for accessories in the flex bay that are longer (blu-ray, etc.), or for sleeving runs from shorter accessories. For the one that is side mounted in the bottom of the case, using a 240 leaves me a little pocket of space right behind the switch plate for all the cabling running from the front of the computer to the motherboard and other places. Could you still fit everything if you were using 360's? Probably. But it would be much tighter and cramped. That's not the look I'm going for with this build. Plus...3x 240's is probably more than enough radiator space to cool this Pinterest powerhouse!

Taking pictures of the CPU block now......more later.

 

Seeing as you happen to have some, could you please tell me the distance between the two fittings at the top of the XTX240 radiator?

 

71mm Nexxo

 

Yep. I get the same thing. 71mm from the center of one fitting to the center of the other.

 

I think the pink EK logo and lines would contrast really nice.
go for it.

 

Thanks. I'm thinking that would be a more subtle touch than pink fan blades. Right now, I'm leaning toward just having the accent ring on the fans pink....and leaving the blades and frame black. Then...let the pink EK logo on the rad mesh with the pink accent ring.

But....all decisions are in the hands of the wife-y.

 

This lil' cat keeps getting into my stuff.....





I didn't use much black sleeving in my last build....so this is my left over Black MDPC-X Family Pack, from the Big Budget Boomer Box materials. Perhaps I'll have a chance to use some black sleeving on this build......

 

Picture time! Today we are getting another item out of our wonderful EK care package. The EK Supremacy CPU Waterblock.





Once again, it's a nice looking package. Maybe Aquacomputer should go visit the EK warehouse and learn how to package things up nicely. I like Aquacomputer products....but my goodness. Sometimes their products come in a box that looks like it's been used about 20 times and almost never fits what is inside the box. EK packaging is a whole different world from Aquacomputer.

Lets open up this gorgeous box.....







Underneath the layers of cardboard and protective foam....the stuff is even then packaged in little plastic bags.....





The waterblock itself is packaged in a plastic bag with a sticker that seals it up as the original factory packaging.....





Mr. Panther likes the block. I went with the "Clean CSQ Nickel" version. I like these more than the original CSQ design with the cirlces.




The sticker says "remove" folks. Don't be a Chesty Spankers.





The block comes with 4 different jet plates. The one installed is their generic good performer, but there are specific plates of different thicknesses and width of openings, that are tailored for particular processors. The one on the far right is for LGA2011 processors, so I'll be swapping out for that one.





EK even includes some Gelid Extreme TIM, which is a good TIM. Nice touch.





Who's that good looking kitty? Who's that good looking kitty!





The base is nice and polished. Very well done.....







I really like the brushed aluminum look of the EK badges, and how they have used this design element across all of their product lines. EK even threw in some extra of these little disks for me so that if I have some inspiration on how to use them.....I'll be able to. Ideas anyone?








In the picture above and below you can get a feel for the difference in the sides of the block and the top of the block. The sides of the block retain a more "frosted" appearance, while the top of the block is more "clear". Also, when you get up close on a straight-on shot...you can see the machining marks in the block still. These are on the inside of the block in the water chamber portion. The outside of the block looked nice and smooth.





I'll be using the "lowfat" polishing method on this thing, and will take the frosted look off the sides, and smooth out the water chamber so that this thing looks like glass. Lots more pictures of that as I start the work.....


I took the block all the way apart and this is what the cold plate looks like naked.....







Well....after all those pictures and handling of the block...I had gotten it quite dirty. So I got a little pan of water out and put the block in it so I could clean it. Suddenly, and without warning....the cooling power of the EK-Supremacy manifested itself in a shocking display of frigidness.....











This block can keep things chilly! More to come!

 

Lots of fun photo's Chris
nice work!

 

Thanks fuzzy! I have one that was lots of fun coming up....

 

I like my martini's dirty.....but I like my blocks clean!






I told him that the block would help keep things chilly. He didn't really get it.....









I'll try and anticipate the questions before they even come.....

- Yes.....that is really gin.
- Yes.....it is a dirty martini
- No......I wasn't brave enough to drink it afterwards. But I did pour myself a fresh one.

 

I would not drink that neither olives are just wrong

 

lol.....nickel contaminated acyrlic laced gin? no problem. olives? forget it!

 

Needs some lemon rind. Amateurs...

 

I wanted to get a feel for my options on placing the pumps and reservoir, so I threw all the components I have so far in the case so I could get a better look.....





This is not the motherboard I'll be using.....this is my spare for the BBBB. But it's about the same size as the one I have my eye on. There are not many options for me on this side of the case. The cabling coming out of the PSU will take up most of the space between PSU and radiator, and I'll have some flex bay items (aquaero, card reader, etc.) in the upper flex bays on this side also.






That area at the front of the case on this side is where I have the most space available. I'm going to make the pink coolant the highlight of the inside, so mounting the reservoir behind that front window is definitely an option I'll consider. Putting in two pumps will require some more creativity.





I'll have pictures probably tomorrow of the EK pump tops I received, and they are huge. Beautiful...and huge. Much larger than the Bitspower tops I used in the BBBB. If I want to center the reservoir in the front window (and I think I do), there is no room on the midplate floor to mount both pumps. And the pump tops are so beautiful (really freakin' beautiful) that they should be displayed in a window also. I may need to build some type of vertical mount myself to put the pumps behind the reservoir, but facing the side window. They would have to be lifted off the ground and inch or two...because otherwise they would block access to the SATA ports. It would be sweet to have the bottom of the GPU cards and the two pump tops, all flowing with pink coolant, be what dominates the left side window.





Remember back in one of my early posts about how the dimensions of the case were important to me because of where it would be located? These two pics give a good feel for the size of the space I was dealing with, and how perfect the S8 fits that space.







Must go work on finishing the pump top pictures. I'm in love with the pump tops!

 

that blends in a treat with its surroundings

and just for Nexxo

"Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?"

 

Excited to announce the newest sponsor for The PPPP.......





Many computer forum members know Mike of Lutro0 Customs as one of the foremost sleeving evangelists. It was actually his videos I watched when doing my first sleeve job.....and I know I'm not alone in that regard. Lutro0 Customs is sponsoring all of the wire, sleeve, terminals, connectors and heatshrink for The PPPP. I'll even try out some of his sleeving tools that he sells from his website and let you know what I think. I used MDPC-X in my last build, so I'm anxious to compare Mike's new Telios line of sleeving with my prior MDPC-X experience. If you haven't checked out his website lately.....you should. He has really done a great job at gathering together all of the things you would need to do your own custom cables....into a one-stop shop.

I guess I have to redo the sponsor plaque.....right? Introducing......

 

lols. I love the martini photo shoot.
That things looking darn swank.

 

It was fun to shoot. Thanks! Got some other fun ideas in my head for more crazy photos....

 

If your looking for ideas my sister tried to do weaving/knitting with my sleeving once....