[Project Log] "Lightning" (Air 540, H20, Tri-fire 290x, 7680x1440)

• CPU: Intel i7-3820 (4.625ghz)*
  
• GPU: 3x R9-290X (1200mhz core / 1500mhz memory)
  
• MB: Gigabyte GA-X79-UD3
  
• PSU: Superflower Leadex Gold 1300w*
  
• RAM:4x4gb Avexir Core Blue (2000Mhz)
  
• Case: Corsair Air 540
  
• Fans: Thermaltake Riing x8*
  
• Fan Controller: Mcubed TBalancer BigNG*
  
• HDD: Samsung HD204UI
  
• SSD: Corsair Force GT 120 & Samsung 840 Pro 256*
  
• Cooling: 3x EK FC-290x Nickel with EK Backplates & Terminal Bridge, Aquacomputer XT Di Modified g1/8>g1/4, 2x Laing DDC1-T, Aquacomputer Bay Res, Laing Acrylic Reservouir, Monsoon Freecentre 10/13mm, Barrow flowmeter, Barrow 45 & 90 g1/4, Barrow inline filter, Barrow Pressure release valve, Custom water manifold, EK Coolstream 360, Stealth GT 240*
  
• LCD: LCDSysInfo for Goverlay
  
• Displays: 3x Qnix QX2710 Evolution II Matte (120hz,105hz,96hz) & Accell Displayport to DL-DVI Active adapter
  
• Peripherals: Sumvision Nemesis Kane Pro Keyboard & Mouse, Saitek Cyborg Evo, Logitech Wingman, Logitech Force MOMO
  

* = due to change[/center]

Been a few years since i did the last machine and due to a burglary i never did get to completion but a random sale of a Formula IV kick started me into a new build.

The plan so far is to reuse and modify a lot of my previous build which is here and build this to a much higher quality now i have the tools to do so http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=668540

TLDR: Previous Build

This was stripped out and test fit to work out what im missing ect

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39623

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39624

I will be re-using:

Aquacomputer Aquabox 5 1/4 Bay Reservoir

Aquacomputer Cuplex Di

4x OCZ Flex 9200 Heatsinks

EK 360 Radiator

Black Ice GT Stealth 240

MCP350

3x Hyper Chrome Fans

Force GT 120 gb

Gigabyte Odin 800w

Parts to purchase:

I7-4930k

Corsair Air 540 - BOUGHT

• *50% COMPLETE* Aquacomputer Aquabox 5 1/4 Bay Reservoir Drill & tap G1/8 to G1/4, Replace Plexi Front
  
• *COMPLETE* Aquacomputer Cuplex Di - Make new clear top with g1/4 fittings rather than G1/8, Increase flow rate
  
• 4x OCZ Flex 9200 Heatsinks
  
• *COMPLETE* EK 360 Radiator Strip and polish to mirror shine
  
• *COMPLETE* Black Ice GT Stealth 240 Match Theming from rest of machine
  
• *COMPLETE* Force GT 120 gb Window & Mirror polish with activity light
  
• Acrylic Manifold
  
• Hardline Tubing
  
• Dual Pump
  
• Lighting rework
  
• Triple Monitor stand
  

Been a few years since i did the last machine and due to a burglary i never did get to completion. The plan was to reuse and modify a lot of my previous build which is here and build this to a much higher quality now i have the tools to do so http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=668540

TLDR: Previous Build

This was stripped out and test fit to work out what im missing ect

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39623

I will be re-using:

Aquacomputer Aquabox 5 1/4 Bay Reservoir

Aquacomputer Cuplex Di

4x OCZ Flex 9200 Heatsinks

EK 360 Radiator

Black Ice GT Stealth 240

MCP350

3x Hyper Chrome Fans

Force GT 120 gb

Gigabyte Odin 800w

Parts to purchase:

I7-3870k

Corsair Air 540 - BOUGHT

8/16 GB ????mhz Ram

LCSSYSinfo for GOverlay Display

Due to the prominent position of the HDDs on this case I wanted to do something special, remembering an idea i saw where someone windowed an SSD i thought it would look great.

Donor SSD

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39697

I invested in a dremel-a-like:

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39698

And set to work

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39699

Removed the annodising & rough with the sanding disks

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39704

Cut the centre and sanded the round corners

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39700

Cut and etched a test acrylic window

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39702

Fitted:

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39701

Bit disapointed the Circuit didn't fill the window but there's not much i can do about that.

Took a few days for my internet order to arrive but as soon as it did I hit up the sanding

Sanding Block

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39709

400

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39708

600

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39707

800

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39712

1000

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39710

1200

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39706

1500

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39705

2000 :) :clap:

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39711

Then I ran out of paper! and realised i may need to go to 2500 as it still wasnt shiny/mirror effect which it what i aimed for. I tried using the polishing compound from the dremel kit but this did nothing, neither did the Silvo.

I went to an engravers to ask what they suggested to use (and to see if they would polish it up if i failed) and they recommended using Peek polish......

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39713

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39714

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Sadly there are some manufacturing stains in the aluminum which I cannot remove

So thats the SSD up to date. I need to cut a better fitted window and that will be one part complete (Almost :thumb:)

====26/08=====

SSD Now complete

I made a new window as the first was only a test

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39926

Wired in 4 SMD Leds around the edge and hot glued in place

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39925

Testing

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39928

Final Test

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39927

FINAL PIC :dremel:

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39932

Radiators **COMPLETE**

360

I hadn't planned to do much to the radiators but after soaking in a bath for a few hours and blasting to remove the dust i accidentally scratched the side of the 360 to reveal quite good stainless steel underneath and some nice copper, The copper came up very nicely but sadly will not fit in the build so I will polish the steel and repaint the copper

After Cleaning:

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39744

The Tabs are bent back as the radiator was bought cheaply where teh previous owner screwed in too far an pierced the rad, i have repaired this using epoxy but had to cut into the rad to access it :(

I sanded it back down to 2000 grit again and polished

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39736

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39735

240

This one sadly was all copper so i debate leaving it black but I have tried to make it match the rest of the build with aluminium tape, im still undecided about this and am thinking of buying some mirror vinyl to replace it with and also the cpu top in light of comments about the Aluminium causing problems in the loop

Before:

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39741

During:

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39740

After:

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39743

These 2 Still need to be renovated & repainted to repair all the scratched paintwork

I know these arn't up to the standards of some of the builds on here but I simply do not have the money to replace the radiators and cpu blocks so im having to do the best i can with what ive built up over the years. Nearly all of this build has been amassed over 5 years secondhand, swopped, changed & upgraded and now ive got all the parts to a decent quality im trying to patch it all together to make a well planned through and designed case. My previous build was a bit of a frankenstein, constant work in progress. I do not want this to follow suit.:idea:

=====26/08======

Radiators Painted, Matt Black

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39924

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39923

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39922

I started with an Aqua Computer Cuplex Di which i had on my Q6600, sadly the nickle was worn and in need of some TLC. Also I did not like the G1/8 fittings and thought the block was too restrictive so the plan was to convert it to G1/4 to to improve flow and also increase the fitting compatibility as there isn't much made for G1/8 that looks clean, widen the impingement ports ever so slightly to cope with the extra flow and also widen the input port on the bloc as even at g1/8 it was slightly off centre and not wide enough.

During planning i worked out my tolerances were about 1mm which was a bit tight for my liking

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39726

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39721

This would leave me about 1mm or material either side of the metal. New toy required....

Drill Press Ordered:

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39731

Drilled out the port another 1mm each side

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39727

Unfortunatley, the crappy drill stand is way too loose and moves about 8mm horizontally so ill need to go back and finnish this by sanding as i couldnt trust the press to get close enough to the o-ring

I then started on copying the top:

Roughly cut using the coping saw

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39730

Set a dremel small sanding wheel into the drill press and lowered it to the base plate to make a router, This was then used to shape the final piece:

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39720

Perfect Fit!! :D:D:D:D:D

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39728

I attempted to clean the missing tainted nickel coating but this didn't prove successful so begrudgingly I opted to cover up the problem with tape, Aluminum tape to be precise

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39725

Ill probably redo this but for a first test i dint think it came out too bad, definatley better than it started

And the two met and fell in love <3

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39723

Still to do:

Mounting holes

G1/4

Fab 2 2011 mounting arms

====26/08======

Finnished the block top, to g1/4 in clear

Drilled out every 2nd impingment hole for better flow

Still to do

Find a way to mount 775 onto 2011 - Contemplating bending the screws to Z shape

====03/09========

Found a way by nibbling away at the corner of the arms that it fits!

Now most of the renovating / upgrading is complete or close I can start with the build. Quite excited, Ive been waiting a while to get to this part, about 2 months since i bought the Motherboard

With no delay......

1st new toy :D

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39933

Now I can get things test fit and do some serious tubing planning ect. now i can work out sizes

Test fitting

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40005

And some new toys, well not so new, i swopped my old q6600 for 4 fans and the i7-3820 is from CEX

some 6mm ID tubing for the ram, and some fan mounts

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40004

Gave the fans a good going over and a lick of paint

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40001

Installed a few parts temporarily while the ram, tubing and fittings arrive and run a 20% mix of distilled vinegar through the loop to clean it.

That water wasnt blue when it went in!!!

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=39999

No leaks!!! :)

I had planned to keep it like this but the front fans make a racket when on the ouside of the case as its too near the mesh so i need to move them inside the case, however that it too small for the top 240 to fit so im going to need to move the rad back 10mm and drill new mounting holes

Next up to install windows to get it up and running while i decide on which parts to buy and how to mount the rads as the top

Had another delivery today :) more parts towards refitting the loop

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40100

Just waiting for 2 more parcels and its ready to have a proper refit, One from aquatuning.de and another with some shiny barrow fittings :)

New pressie from the postie today fresh from germany and ebay

Kinda liking Aquatunings EOL parts £16 plus delivery and free sweets, thanks guys:thumb:

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40117

And some barrow fittings from mizucooling

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40118

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40119

I noticed the 90's are not the same colour as the 45's :sigh: they seem to have a slight gold tint to them, so ive wrote to them to query why and if they are all the same, there is a difference in the naming as one says shiny silver and the other says silver, however it seems that they only do shiny silver on the rotary 45's and silver on the fixed 45's so im waiting for a response

In other news, i bid on 3x 7970s with ek blocks, only won 1 so now i need to work out what to do as im 2 7970's short. so if anyones selling 1 or 2 with EK blocks, get in touch!!!

so i gathered together all the new fittings

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40126

And gave it a good refresh and tubing layout.

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40127

I have checked and there is enough space to bring the front fans inside the case and move the rad back inside as I dont like the sound from the fromt of teh case when the fans are on the oustide, the front panel slats are too close and make quite a lot of noise, im hoping this will help, otherwise i suspect a custom front & top will need to be made.

I have added another 2 fans to the top rad as theyre is also enough space to do push/pull, which i think is a wise idea as it is a high FPI radiator.

One thing that troubles me if the airflow, I cannot decide whether to push or pull into the case.

exhausting both out will blow the built up heat over the rads meaning theyre not getting the coolest air, the fans on the front & top will be mounted backwards and look worse from the ouside but ok from the inside. Also im concerned that due to the panel ill be building from the bottom of the case that theyre wont be enough incomming air to feed 5x 120 outputs.

The other option would be to pull in cold air from the outside, this will look better externally and allow me a dust filter, however this will blow warm air in heating up the components, I know previously that the general rule was to pull in but due to the components now running cooler is this still the rule. Also the same stands, I dont know if theyre will be too much positive pressure inside the case.

Im toying with the idea of outputting over the rads from the case and somehow mounting the 2x140s at the bottom of the case somehow for input air.

another option would be to have one rad input and one output but this would be effectively stacking the fans but will equalize the pressure inside the case. I suspect this may not be a wise idea but would love some feedback

Over the weekend I got a couple of jobs done:

Replaced the pump res top screw with an Oileye,

Fitted a top fillport and T-line to assist bleeding the air, connected to the Oil Eye

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40181

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40177

Connected all the tubing:

I think cable management will go out of the window in the rear of the case, ill try but the complicated tubing is just going to cause problems. There are 2 loops coming out from the pump and joining back in the reservoir so it runs parallel as i didn't want the ram to impact the flow rate too much

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40182

Moved the front fans inside the case as input fans and added the top rad and fans in push/pull exhausting out of the case

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40180

Sadly i ran out of 90 degree fittings for the 360 > 240 connection so that may have to wait till the material comes for the lower shroud before i switch this out.

The block at the bottom of the case has a drain port fitted that allows access from the underside to empty the loop as ive always found draining a pita and there may be a few drains on this project before completion.

Filling the Loop:

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40176

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40178

Leak Testing:

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40184

This proved that leak testing is indeed required as i found 2 where the 240 rad barbs wernt tight enough, couple of cable ties and all ok until i replace them with monsoon compressions

First sneak peek of the toy

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40179

Im still trying to workout the layout but heres the toy from Hong Kong i mentioned earlier on the GPU

It looks like a fan will fit into the lower shroud so i need to make up some templates to work out if it will fully fit

Next a uv ccfl was added to highlight the ram tubing, I covered 2/3 of it wil aluminium tape to make it beld in better. this will later be the same on the rest of the tubing.

And a semi finnished shot

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40183

Bought the first 290x with waterblock & backplate

Spliced the fans into one header for easier management and uniformity

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40413

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40416

Prepped the LCD & CPU Brackets for hydrographics

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40422

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40414

Also stripped the old aluminum covering from the inside of the block and replaced with silver vinyl and uv setting clear nail polish to prevent liquid ingress between it and the acrylic which should keep it silver

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40418

I also extended and re-routed the ram tubing to help keep the build looking clean

Added a 90 degree to the 360 rad to tidy the 360 tube

Tested the hydrographics on the backplate which came out ok for a first try but i learnt a few lessons, remove bubbles and make a slit in the masking tape so this will be getting removed and redone properly, this was only a test which is why there is still the old paint underneath

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40421

Wired smd leds to the sides of the CPU and GPU & tested:

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40415

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40424

And also built a new temporary test midplate as the lower tubing is now all at length

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40412

and bent to test shape

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40420

Final pic of this weekends work:

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40417

Delivery #2 of Barrow fittings

3 x 90 degree rotary fittings (1 for the rad, 2 for the cpu to move the tubing)

2 x Female to Female 90 degrees to direct the SB tubing out past the gpu's and down to the midplate

2x Blank Chrome end caps to terminate on the gpu (remove the hex nut)

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40356

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40358

Sadly one of the fittings had a gouge out of it obviously during production as it has been plated over

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40363

They guys at Mizucool (ebay) have been great and said they will send a replacement ASAP and wanted a photo so they could show the supplier.

Dipped most of the parts last night

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40456

Most of them came out ok but some small parts need touching up and i had some folding occur due to the tank not being large enough which is why the 360 rad isn't done yet

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40459

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40458

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40457

One thing im not happy with is that I can see where i roughed up the vinyl as its supposed to stick better, so i think i will retry some of these without touching the vinyl

I like the look but i think the CPU and LCD may be too much, so I need to work out whether to relocate the LCD back into the midplate or do "something" different, but im not sure what yet

Anyway on to the fitted pics

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40460

finnished the hydrographics on the remaining rad and covered the temporary midplate as its going to take a while before i get that job completed i think

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40516

qx2710 purchased! Cane in 3 days from korea and tbh im not blown away.

The monitors fine but i bought the more expensive version to be able to overclock it. which is fine, i can get it to 110hz, however only if the 290x is at stock, if i overclock the core then it flicks in and out of test mode ( red greed blue screens). Or i can run it at 60hz and overclock the gpu which just works out terribly!. I can either have gpu grunt but limited to 60fps, or 96hz but not having enough gpu power to get that high.

Im in hosital at the moment and havnt had a good chance to discover whats causing this but im reading maybe older drivers may help. Has anyone come across this issue that overclocking both an ati card AND the monitors causes no signal intermittently?? any help would be really appreciated.

The plan was to get one expensive single dvi style that will be the middle of three and 2x cheaper multi inputs to flank that will not overclock giving me the options to to run one @ 115hz or 3 at 60hz as i cant see me needing or having the gpu power to run 3x1440p at higher than 60. but it would have been nice to get the most out of the single centre screen for non eyefinity gaming

Been a bit quiet as ive been a bit ill after a life threatening asthma attack but im back now

PEBKAC - problem exists between keyboard and chair

Had a bit of a screw up which is still unresolved, the rig decided to power off and wouldnt come back on, Suspected the cpu may have blown due to running at 5.08 ghz (but at 1.425v onder water) did all the usual, bios, ram, cabling out ect and as a last ditch attempt decided to take it out of the case, however in doing so i put too much force on the SB waterblock and chipped the core = DEAD MOBO so im in the process of getting another, im thinking for the Gigabyte X79 UD3 for the price as it has decent coloring, 4x pcie, 4 ram, i hear its not the BEST overclocker but TBH if it pushes my 3820 to 4.6-4.8 ghz, ill be happy.

However once thats replaced, that may still leave me with a blown CPU, but heres to optimism.

TRIFIRE SWEETNESS

On the plus side, 3 months of ebay scanning and i finally dropped upon an EK watercooled 290x with backplates. not one, but 2!! :) So i came to a deal with the seller and picked up 2 Sapphire cards boxed with backplates and unused air coolers for £210 each. Happy with that as they come in at the same price as i paid for the first card plus £10 for the air cooler.

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=40704

So im nearing the end of the main hardware, I have left to buy:

2x QX2710 screens

1x Replacement motherboard

and a new psu that will run 3 (maybe 4) cards and an oced 3820 / Possible 6 core upgrade later)

I am debating whether to run 3x 290x and a gtx 470 for physx. leaving me open to be able to swop out the 470 for a 290x later if FPS need a nudge higher. Im doubtful that will happen as 4-way scaling just dosent look good value.

POWER!!!?????

Im thinking 200w for the system and id like to get some numbers for highly oc`d 290x`s at load but i think they may be able to hit 400W each so i think im aiming at a 1400w psu, plus something to power the gtx 470 which can max 230w. However im aware this will hardly be touched and i should be able to downclock/down volt it to maybe add 100w. Therefore 1500w.

I have an 800w currently so i think this will be fine for the system + 2x stock 290x`s, I did wonder about adding another psu just to power the last GPU but im still researching crossload and common ground to work out if its an option as it would save me a lot of money. If anyone has advise on this id love to hear!!

COST

And then finally once all the HW is together is to make the custom manifolds. So my dream PC is getting very close to a reality. Some of its been done on the cheap and bargains but i did some number crunching last night and worked out that if i were to go out now and buy all brand new at todays prices then I would be looking at.... and this is coincidentally the i7 name... or is it? £3820.34 (before shipping) - This dosent include the cost of tools that i had to be able to build this, or other bits like hydrographics and paint

So this pc isnt a "see how much £ i can throw into a rig" but a well thought out exersise in cost saving and best value for money to get what i wanted to achieve. Namely an Ultimate Dream Gaming PC (on the cheap)

Ive built some of this up over the years from bargains and sales, and some from parts that should have been scrapped but lovingly brought back to life like the 360 Rad that was bought for £10 punctured 3x and repaired with £3 JB Weld.

And 1700mhz ram thats actually just well researched good quality 1333 ram that was 1/2 the price of 1600mhz "Gaming" ram

It looks like it will cost me in total £2385 - saving almost £1500 on new for what I would condsider the highest spec available Gaming PC

Before i start arguments, i have said highest spec availiable. By this i mean, Yes i could have got 3x4k screens, or a 28 core CPU, or..... the list goes on, but there isnt enough GPU power availiable to run 3x4k screens, a 5960x, well why? its only got to have enough grunt to not bottleneck the gpus. the gpus only have to run enough to reach 60 frames. 8gb ram, I dont need more, (well i might).

Basically I have gone for the parts that will be enough to do the job at the best value for money, i think, only the 290x`s are overrated i think, and maybe i should have gone 3x 290 but I got them at a good price. not much more than the 290's, this wouldnt have been true if i was buying new however. Sadly I wish i had bought the screens a year or so ago when they were new to the market and going for £150 ish

And onto the shroud:

I had planned to buy some acrylic and bend it, however i passed a shop clearout and they were skipping some of the plexi magazine racks to this became the donor

Cut to a rough shape

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=41072

Cut the Radiator Space

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=41073

Nice snug fit

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=41074

Test positioning the LCD and decided to seperate the pump res from the pump

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=41075

Mounting the final piece

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=41076

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=41077

Tapped the new exit port

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=41078

Glued a noggin to the rear and cut the lower out to allow ease of access whilst leaving it as functional as possible

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=41079

Sadly, Due to trying to save money and picking up cards on ebay, I ended up with mismatched blocks which really irks me but Ill have to get over it.

Installed the water bridge

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=41080

This must have been taken pre reservoir seperation - while i was planning the tubing routing & best placement for LCD/SSD

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=41082

With Case

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=41081

And with Res moved

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=41083

Some things happened at this point but the pictures were sadly lost.

The tubing routing was decided, as was the placement of the Lightning SSD and the Samsung.

The loop was filled with Feser juice, never again will i have mayhems in my machine, as it says on the tin, its not for normal machines, just for short term show use. Hope they get past that as it does look pretty cool and lets you see the flow.

I moved the CCFL to the bottom of the case under the shroud

All of the Fan gromets were installed

The shroud inside was dipped in hydrographics which unfortunatley didnt come out perfect. This i may one day re-do but it will require a new shroud making

The fan wires were all sleeved

Pump mounted on anti shocks in the read of the case

Cable management in the rear

Redflames very kindly agreed to share the bitfenix prize so I can replace the fans :) Thank you very much to him and Gavbon

And it was all powered up!!!! :)

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=41085

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=41084

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=41086

So thats it up to date, its finally running and pushing 20000 in firestrike, 13000 firestrike extreme and just short of 4000 in haven.

Still to do:

Replace fans

GPU power wiring

Cosmetic work

Im thinking of a BigNG for fan control as i cant seem to get speedfan to run correctly. Im not too happy with the load temps of it either.

I have it running at 4.75 Ghz with the cards benchmark stable at 1220mhz core & 1350mhz memory. Daily ill drop them down to 1130 as i can do that on stock voltages.

Temps so far are about 10 degrees difference between the cards

Top card max ~54

Mid card max ~57

Bot card max ~64

and cpu about 55 degrees

This seems quite high to me so ill have to look into this but its not easy to now re-apply thermal grease without a full loop drain.

Finally got to but the 2 screens for eyefinity, theyre at the GF's at the moment so please be gentle with the setup, its not ideal but ii need to build a triple stand before they can go home lol

Managed to get all 3 running at 96hz using an accell Displayport > DL DVI active adapter and one of the new screens runs to 123hz so im happy with that. I can either eyefinity at 96hz or single screen at 123hz

I am planning to debezel the screens and build a stand that will allow the middle screen to overlap the edge screens so i only have one bezel width between them the panels are slim enough to pull this off but im still in the process of planing the stand so watch this space

I have added the light strips between the GPUS

Sadly i havnt progressed the sleeving :(

I mounted LEDS under the CPU retention arms and also SMD leds to the edge of the CPU top.

And bought some Upgraded the ram 8gb 1333 to Avexir 1600mhz 1600 (oc'ed to 2000)

Still with the Bitefenix fans as of last week

Bad picture im afraid, the blue hue isnt like that IRL

It looks like Corsair rather like my mod, really blown away with their comment and that they saw it it enough to repost :jawdrop: Means a lot guys!!!

"It might void the warranty, but this is one of the slickest SSD mods we've ever seen. Great work, Mark Standish! ‪#‎DIY‬ ‪#‎Corsair‬" :rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock::rock:

http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2626&pictureid=44969

- Good diamensions in there :)

Theres a very interesting delivery coming from china which im really looking forward to with allsorts of goodies in, sadly its likely to take a few weeks :( so ill need to find things to do while im waiting for that as ill need to do a full bleed and refill once it appears, Maybe its time to do the wiring sleeving thats been annoying me for so long and maybe something different on the psu side :)

Little update but oh my god what a difference! i had no idea how much this would help!! Time to reveal the the little black box Firstly, These went

Few holes drilled, and say hello to the new additions

Please excuse the wiring, its on my to do list.... but not till the chinese deliverys arrive :) 2 down:

4 Down

And its ready for a drive :)

I appreciate in normal use this wouldnt normally be much use but as its currently living at the GFs under a table and im actively upgrading it then these should prove a godsend being able to roll 25kg is a damn sight easier than shuffling it across carpet, It also gives me another 50mm height which will prove usefull further down the line ;)

Introducing the new fan controller - mcubed t-balancer BIGNG

Ive wanted one of these for years and ive now gotten to the point where i actually need to use one. I just about had control with the last fans (PWM) using speedfan but now im on the Riing fans i needed a better soloution

It has 4x channels. I currently have 10 fans and a pump :/ Maths dont work quite right here.

I would have preferred not to splice the Riing fan wires and thankfully Thermaltake provided a power reduction cable in each of the boxes which I could chop up without cutting up the fain fan wire :) So i decided on splitting it using

CH1 - Pump

CH2 - 360 Rad Fans

CH3 - 240 Rad Fans

CH4 - 140 Rad Fans

and the rear 140 fan controlled but the motherboard

Time to make a 1 to 3 way and a 1 to 4 way adapater::

Finnished :) and no fans were hurt in the fiming

I mounted the fan controller last night, I struggled with where to mount it as i dont have much space and thought it may have to be the roof but in a flash of complete luck it turns out that the screw distance for the CPU is almost exactly the same as the T-Balancer mounting holes

Perfect, Little bit of drilling out the PCB to take the thicker screws

A this point i decided i didnt like the Green PCB as it dosent fit with the theme at all so I decided to cover it, along with the HDD & DVD drive

Theyres still quite a bit of work to do around this side of the case but im waiting of parts so thats as far as i get for now. Im hoping to get it as clean as the front with a similar setup

Ive been doing some thinking and along with a shortage of space now in the main area and being unable to fulfil one of my aims for this build, I want to do something that will test me, im trying to design something special for the rear of the motherboard compartment, something i has planned previously but now hope to revisit. Ill post more when i have some more plans, its going take a lot of planning :)

In other news, Im hoping there may be some more exciting news on the horizon, that's currently being discussed and i'm really hoping it comes to something but if it happens will mean something fantastic for the build.... Fingers crossed :)

THATS PUTS THE BUILD UP TO DATE :), Thanks for reading

From here the updates will be a lot less scrappy, Currently I have quite a few orders still in the post and A LOT planning to do. This next push should involve some interesting things and i'm hoping will get me to a finished point. Keep watching this space..........

Ive managed to do some planning and measuring and planning and more measuring and more moving and..... you get the idea but i think ive managed to get a good 1st draft of the next project after 5 stages, Ill know more when the next parcels arrive from china

Have some tasters :)

I am planning to sandwich an 8mm central piece (the routing) between 2 4mm sheets which would contain the g1/4 ports, Ive been looking at quotes of laser cutting the central piece and hand making the 4mm sheets as im just not sure i can route out that much material cleanly with the tools i have.

However, Today i found an arthouse that i can join and use their laser cutter myself. At around the same price as getting the piece made. So im pretty sure Ill be going down that route.

This also means any further work will be very cheap £12.50 per hour. So think ill get all 3 pieces done with the laser cutter and maybe some etching while im at it. Time to go learn Adobe Illustrator.....