Project Bright Panel: Corsair 800D, Liquid Cooled, Illuminated Mid Panel - Page 3

Mr_Armageddon · #31 04-30-2012, 11:41 PM

Corsair Sleeved Cables Mini-Review, and More Sleeving…

I have to admit, these sleeved cable packages made by Corsair for their PSUs are a great value proposition. If someone just wants one specific color of sleeved cables, these are a great deal, especially when you factor in the cost of sleeving materials, and the time involved to sleeve and entire set of cables yourself. The connectors are also of high quality (although different layout than standard PSU connectors, more on that later), and the sleeving material is a tad thinner than the MDPC variants, possibly making things a bit easier when trying to manage your cable clutter. Overall for may individuals, these cable kits are a great buy.

But… not everyone will want these types of kits. I can see three main reasons why these would not be for everyone.

Perfectionists will notice that the heat shrink tubing is not even lengths across the connectors. For those going for looks / beauty, that could be a turn off.
Custom Cable Lengths can make cable management a lot easier. I for one have decided to go that route for this build, but in all fairness I did still use these cables, simply cutting them to my preferred length, re-crimping one side of the cables, and resleeving with MDPC sleeve.
Custom Color selections. Right now these kits seem only to be available in solid colors. Many sleevers like to use multiple colors in their strands. I am using 2 colors in this build (black & blue), hence the need for me to resleeve these cables once I had cut them down as stated above.

So for some, these sleeved kits by Corsair are great time savers and can fit a specific need (single color) very well. For others of a more DYI nature (or OCD / Perfectionists), they will be better off making their own sleeved cables. To the left below is a close-up of a few of the connections from the kit.

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Above right is a picture comparing the connector for an 8-pin CPU Power connection. This is the side that plugs directly into the PSU. This was not a problem, but something I just found to be interesting. The AX1200 has a different connector layout compared to a standard 8-pin CPU connection, as can be seen in the above diagram comparing the two. I had already completed an 8-pin sleeved set before the PSU arrived, only to find out it wouldn’t plug in. Luckily with the MDPC Pin remover, I was able to switch out to the one that comes with the AX1200 in just a few minutes. All is well.

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And here is my completed 24pin Cable/Connector. The AX1200 has the 24pin cable split into two connectors where it plugs into the PSU. The pic on the left is one of those two connectors. Not perfect compared to sets from the “Pros” that I have seen, but it is getting easier each time, and my results are improving bit by bit. Even with it getting easier (and faster)… I have found that sleeving still takes a LONG time if done correctly.

|-Goku-| · #32 05-01-2012, 01:33 AM

Is there a reason your switching from Feser one Liquid? Did it clot up the waterblocks?

Mr_Armageddon · #33 05-01-2012, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by |-Goku-|

Is there a reason your switching from Feser one Liquid? Did it clot up the waterblocks?

Yep. Its wasn't that bad yet, but there was a blue buildup of "Gunk" in my CPU block. Luckily it was pretty easy to flush out. The gunk is gone, but it dyed parts of the interior of the waterblock blue.

So sticking with colored tubing, and distilled water with PT Nuke and a Silver Kill Coil this go around.

gutcheck · #34 05-02-2012, 10:16 AM

Yea I noticed that too with colored liquids. I have Feser 1 in my loop now, but it is clear and I don't notice any buildup. No more colors for me.

gutcheck · #35 05-05-2012, 08:00 PM

Why do I read these. Sigh. I just bought a heat gun, some sleaving, heat shrink. Here we go again.

Mr_Armageddon · #36 05-05-2012, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gutcheck

Why do I read these. Sigh. I just bought a heat gun, some sleaving, heat shrink. Here we go again.

Ha ha, don't blame me.

Upgrading truly is a never-ending, and vicious cycle.

gutcheck · #37 05-05-2012, 11:20 PM

Well at least I can learn something new from you again. It will be fun.

gutcheck · #38 05-05-2012, 11:25 PM

I need to talk to you. I am thinking about building a shadow box just like your light panel. This never ends. I'll PM you some pix of my build once my new side panel from MNPC shows up. It's going to be epic. Also gettting some custom sleaving from MDPC too. We must be related.

gutcheck · #39 05-06-2012, 11:53 AM

"Only downside is my 2yr old is a button freak, and now tries to toggle them on/off every chance he gets."

I hear that.

Mr_Armageddon · #40 05-06-2012, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gutcheck

I need to talk to you. I am thinking about building a shadow box just like your light panel. This never ends. I'll PM you some pix of my build once my new side panel from MNPC shows up. It's going to be epic. Also gettting some custom sleaving from MDPC too. We must be related.

Sounds good. Looking forward to see what you have planned.

Mr_Armageddon · #41 05-06-2012, 01:55 PM

Sleeving... COMPLETED!

MNPCTECH finally has their MOD Ruler / Gauge back in stock, and mine came in this week. Pretty sweet little modding tool, but I won't have a chance to use it this time around since I am wrapping up the build. But since I can't seem to go more than 6 months without modding / upgrading something, it will get plenty of future use.

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All major sleeving is now complete. All I have left on the build is to connect all my fans an pumps to the AquaComputer / Corsair Link, and finish my tubing runs.

I know for sure that I will be using a two (2) AquaComputer USB PowerAdjusts to control my pumps, since they operate independently from other monitoring component. I will be testing the Aquero 5 and Corsair Link separately to see which will end up in my system long term to control my fans.

I still have to secure some of the cable runs to the back of the case with my cable clamps from MDPC, but here is a basic shot of all the major cables connected. Also in the pic is the SATA Power cable that I connected to the Hot Swap plate. It was very easy to sleeve, but a pain to get the actual wire to go in the connector. Ended up using a hammer to "tap" the two parts of the connector together.

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Almost done...

gutcheck · #42 05-06-2012, 06:17 PM

Wow that looks good. There really is no comparison IMHO to either getting custom sleaving or doing it yourself like this. I'm looking forward to seeing shots of the back.

Mr_Armageddon · #43 05-11-2012, 05:54 PM

I pretty much have everything set up now to start playing with both the AquaComputer Aquero5 and the Corsair Link. Just finished making my cables for, and sleeving the Poweradjust USB 2 pump controllers. I will be using them independently from the other control/monitoring units. From what I have seen from other users online, both the Aquaero5 and Link have a lot of capabilities. It just going to come down to which fits my needs the best.

Along with the Poweradjust USB 2, here is a shot of the 5mm Blue LEDs I just wired and sleeved, and a preview of how they will look inside the res. No liquid yet.

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Once I decide on which control unit to stick with, I can finish the cable management up no the back of the case. Even with using MDPC sleeving on all of my cables, there are still A LOT of cables to deal with. I don't know if it will look as clean & tidy as I originally envisioned it, but already it is a huge improvement over the spaghetti wire mess that used to abide back there.

x509 · #44 05-11-2012, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_Armageddon

I pretty much have everything set up now to start playing with both the AquaComputer Aquero5 and the Corsair Link.

Mr. A,

Have you done a side-by-side comparision of both these units? Does either product have some unique capabilities? Have you compared the cost of a "full build-out?" I looked at the Aquero 5 a while back and honestly, I was confused about what I needed, or didn't need, for a purely internally mounted control unit.

I like the idea of a USB-connected control unit, because in theory you can measure temps and then adjust the fan speeds as needed. Much better than spinning some dials (my opinion, of course

) and the internally mounted unit preserves the clean lines of the 800D.

x509

Mr_Armageddon · #45 05-13-2012, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by x509

Mr. A,

Have you done a side-by-side comparision of both these units? Does either product have some unique capabilities? Have you compared the cost of a "full build-out?" I looked at the Aquero 5 a while back and honestly, I was confused about what I needed, or didn't need, for a purely internally mounted control unit.
x509

I am getting ready to do that type of comparison. Both units are USB controlled and can therefore access system temps from the motherbaord, along with added thermal sensors that can be placed anywhere in the case. Both units seem to work great for fan control, but the Aquaero has the added bonus of controlling pumps as well. The downside with AquaComputer stuff is that most of the documentation is in German, aside from a single "English" forum they have set up for questions.

I will be putting both units through their paces this week to try and determine which will work the best for this specific build.