Ultra Rogue M925 build log

[Clovett]

Ok time for me to start posting about my (to me anyway) exciting new build. I have not had a new PC for several years and am coming from a Q9550 that was water cooled with a Thermaltake symphony tower described in another thread.

I guess we start with a parts list for my build

Seagate 1TB drive
Raptor 160GB drive
2 WD 250GB drives
Swiftech 90° Swivel Elbow Lok-Seal™ Adapter
Swiftech G1/4 1/2" Barb Fitting s
Phobya Balancer 250 Matte Black
Sunbeam Rheobus Fan Controller 5.25
Swiftech HydrX Coolant
Arctic Silver Céramique 2 Tri-Linear Termal Compound
Koolance PMP-450 High-flow Pump
Bgears B-Blaster High Performance Dual Ball Bearing 140mm Fans
Danger Den DreamFlex 1/2" ID - 3/4" OD UV Green PVC Tubing Kit
Coolgate dual 140mm radiator
Koolance metal barb clamps 3/4
Swiftech Apogee HD High Performance 4-Port CPU Waterblock black
Ultra Rogue M925 Full Tower Gaming Case

The drives, except for the Kingston SSD are from my other machine. I know that there are lots of cases and I can't compare since I have not seen this. This case, compared to my regular cases, is awesome and everything I could have wanted. Cable management is awesome and while the case is not huge it seems big on features. Had I went with a 240 double I could have mounted it in the inside top.

While waiting for my block I went ahead and moved into the new case. I really like the airflow and cable management features. I believe the top mounted radiator will work well although I did not order enough 90 degree turns I can make it work.

Now for a few pictures!



















While waiting for my block I went ahead and moved into the new case. I really like the airflow and cable management features. I believe the top mounted radiator will work well although I did not order enough 90 degree turns I can make it work.

 

[Clovett]

Received the Apogee HD block, the Koolance clamps and the grills for my 140mm fans today. Broke open the hose package and found that 3/4 inch Koolance clamps are too large. Even the plastic clamps that came in the cable kit are too large! So much for QC!

Sigh

It's off to Autozone tomorrow to pick up a package of injector clamps that will work.

At least the fan grills match my case and the Apogee HD in black looks awesome.

 

[Clovett]

I'm in the middle of remodeling my house and finally got some time for the water cooling project. The 3/4 hose is too large for my old GPU waterblock, guess I should have seen that coming.

Ordering a Swiftech MCW82, another weeks delay. However since I am already ordering I'm going to get a 90 or 45 degree fitting so I can use 3/4 hose off the Apogee HD. Anyone have any experience with that before I order? I know it says you can't use three 3/4 hoses off the Apogee HD but I would think I could if I used a fitting that allows me to put the third hose higher than the two used for the CPU.

Also is anyone else running a Swiftech MCW82 on a GTX 760?

 

[Clovett]

I can't post pics yet but my loop is together and I am starting my fill. Coming from a system that had a pump flow of a corsair H100 that D5 pump is scary! I wasn't ready for that much water movement so fast! Wow

Ok I'm up and running with a 4770k and an overclocked EVGA 760. My CPU and GPU are 22 degres C at idle. The only thing I am worried about now is my VRM on the video card. I don't have a heat sink on them but do have a 120mm fan blowing directly on the VRM row.

 

[GTXJackBauer]

I can't post pics yet but my loop is together and I am starting my fill. Coming from a system that had a pump flow of a corsair H100 that D5 pump is scary! I wasn't ready for that much water movement so fast! Wow

Ok I'm up and running with a 4770k and an overclocked EVGA 760. My CPU and GPU are 22 degres C at idle. The only thing I am worried about now is my VRM on the video card. I don't have a heat sink on them but do have a 120mm fan blowing directly on the VRM row.

Since you have a simple loop you could just leave your pump at setting 3 or 4. No need for setting 5.

Also I noticed your timing on this post. Did you let it leak test for 12-24 hrs? It looks like from the time you posted to filling the loop (Priming) and edited only gives you under 5 hours of run time. I hope you had everything disconnected as well.

 

[Clovett]

Since you have a simple loop you could just leave your pump at setting 3 or 4. No need for setting 5.

Also I noticed your timing on this post. Did you let it leak test for 12-24 hrs? It looks like from the time you posted to filling the loop (Priming) and edited only gives you under 5 hours of run time. I hope you had everything disconnected as well.

I did the leak test with a separate power supply from an external drive kit with no power on the system. I put plumbers grease on every o-ring and a light coat on the barbs. It may leak on the Swiftech swivels but my guess is if it hasn't leaked in 4 1/2 hours it's not going to. Is there any real reason for 12-24 hours?

I also used one of the secondary bypasses on the Apogee HD so technically I'm running a loop and a half.

I'm less worried about leaks than VRM temps on my GPU card.

 

[GTXJackBauer]

I did the leak test with a separate power supply from an external drive kit with no power on the system. I put plumbers grease on every o-ring and a light coat on the barbs. It may leak on the Swiftech swivels but my guess is if it hasn't leaked in 4 1/2 hours it's not going to. Is there any real reason for 12-24 hours?

I also used one of the secondary bypasses on the Apogee HD so technically I'm running a loop and a half.

I'm less worried about leaks than VRM temps on my GPU card.

We recommend usually 24 hr leak test runs because some leaks can become very slow in the process and not noticeable in the first few hours.

As for the water block I'd be careful using more than two ports because the water will enter the least restrictive route. I would only use two ports out of the four. A image would be nice to see your configuration.

As long as there is some type of air flow going to the VRMs you shouldn't have an issue unless you've upped the voltage on it. Have you put any heatsinks on them?

 

[Clovett]

We recommend usually 24 hr leak test runs because some leaks can become very slow in the process and not noticeable in the first few hours.

Any time I use tubing I always put plumbers grease on every o-ring and inspect every one. In addition I put a thin coat on the barb. I can't ever recall having a leak other than a ruptured piece of tubing or pipe. That usually occurs in the first 5 minutes. I even coated the large o-ring that seals the pump and the one that seals the GPU waterblock.

As for the water block I'd be careful using more than two ports because the water will enter the least restrictive route. I would only use two ports out of the four. A image would be nice to see your configuration.

I thought about that quite a bit myself. I finally decided that since I am adding a GPU block with a similar design on that port it would work out by putting a restriction for the water flow that bypasses the CPU block. The Apogee is designed to do this and not suffer as long as it is the first block in the flow path, and it is. I think it's totally awesome that both my CPU and GPU get, basically, the same water temperature. It makes for a higher flow system. This is my system as I was about to flow test it. The fan leads still had to be soldered together for the controller so don't mind the mess.

As long as there is some type of air flow going to the VRMs you shouldn't have an issue unless you've upped the voltage on it. Have you put any heatsinks on them?

No heatsinks. It comes overclocked from EGA and since the VRM's are upside down my only option would be to attach heatsinks. If I did that I couldn't RMA it during the 3 year warranty. It's fully covered as long as I put the cover back on. I do have a fan blowing right on it, as I did for my overclocked EVGA GTX 560 in my last build but it did have built in heatsinks.

Update. I ran Prime95 for 10 minutes on torture setting with 8 instances running. My 4770k appears to overclock on the low end but for now it is rock solid at 4.1Ghz which is how I tested it. The CPU temps never exceeded 57 degrees C. I really couldn't be happier at this point. I would rather bave a Haswell that runs cooler than get a few more Ghz.

As for the resistance of the additional ports off the Apogee HD that is probably why they recommend a smaller ID tube on those. To make sure the resistance through the CPU section is lower. However doing it this way cools both better for the way I use my PC and I can turn all my fans low making the operation totally stealth slient!