[Project Log] NeverMore

[TerranBrackiatt]

welcome to the project log for my "i'll never ever build a water-cooled PC" water-cooled PC, Part 1.

"NeverMore's" name is also derived from Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven," one of literature's favorite poems. Previously, i named my PCs after computers from Douglas Adam's "HitchHikers Guide to the Galaxy," including "Marvin" (an old AMD socket A / AGP build currently web-surfing and streaming HD video for my roommate), "Deep Thought" (an old AMD socket 939 rig that i damaged the CPU while OCing, but still works as long as i drop a windows disc in the CDrom drive), and "Earth" (currently in my sig). i thought it was time to switch up the naming convention, as the motherboard and case names already follow a stellar theme similar to how i was going to name her.

i'm building a new PC. why? is "earth" running out of steam? is "earth" no longer capable of running any game on the market? no, "earth" is still quite capable, even after 4 years of dedication. "earth" ain't even really tired, yet. but she's asking for a rest. she can't keep pace with the sandy or ivy bridges, at least, not without an extra video card. and i'm tired of looking at my horrid wire management job. so she's going to backup status. and the upgrade bug has bit me again. and not just upgrade for performance sake. upgrade for the fun of the hobby of building PCs! this time i'm gonna add a water-cooling loop. because water cooling loops are cool.

the updated build list for "Nevermore": (after i changed my mind a couple times)

~prelude: new monitor: (technically, this is part of "Nevermore's" build, even though i bought it about 2 months ago)
Dell U3011 2560x1600 30" Monitor

~Round 1: new parts
Case: Cooler Master Cosmos 2
CPU: intel i7 3930k
motherboard: MSI mpower x79 big bang
RAM: G. Skill RipjawsZ 16 GB (4x 4GB) DDR3 2400 quad channel kit

~holdovers from "earth"
GPU: Nvidia GTX 670 4G (2 in SLI)
Storage: 240 GB intel 520 series SSD
600 GB VelociRaptor 10,000 RPM SATA 3
2 TB Western Digital Cavier Black 7200 RPM
Sound: X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty 7.1 channel soundcard
SoundBlaster Gigaworks 7.1 speakers (made by cambridge soundworks)

Round 2 and 3: Water Cooling:
~CPU block: Swiftech Apogee Drive 2, with integrated MCP35x pump
~Radiator: Swiftech MCR220-QP Res R2 dual 120mm Radiator w/ 4 Enermax T.B. Silence 120mm blue LED fans in push - pull configuration (1100rpm, 60cfm)
~Reservoir: Aphacool Bullseye
~Tubes: Primachill blood red 1/2" ID 3/4" OD tubing
~Fittings: 6 Bitspower triple swivel elbows, Swiftech compression fittings

~Round 4: more new parts:
Optical Drive: LG 16x BD-R
Power Supply: SilverStone st1500 1500W 8-12v rails

Additional Fans: (none of which are louder than 25 Db)
~1 coolermaster MegaFlow 200 Blue LED front intake (110CFm)
~2 coolermaster 120mm GPU intake (55 cfm ea.)
~2 Noctua NF-F12 PWM 120mm top exhaust (95 cfm ea.)
~1 Noctua NF-P14 FLX 140mm back exhaust (110 cfm)
Miscellaneous: Bitfenix blue sleeved cable extensions (24pin mobo, 2x8pin eps, 5 6pin pcie)


so, here's the first round of new parts: MSI x79 big bang mobo, g.skill 4x4g 2400 quad channel kit, i7-3930k, and a cosmos 2 case:


step one: while waiting for the water cooler, might as well drop the board into the case, and the ram and cpu, too. i thought i'd throw the fans over the ram just for temporary looks:


step two: Apogee Drive CPU water block / pump... and the rad on top with some enermax fans (blue LEDs, 1100rpm, 60cfm, 14db). one 20" test length hose attached.




step three: order more compression fittings. i slipped while tightening the hose down on this fitting on the rad, and over-torqued it. notice how i broke the g 1/4 shaft. you can see my finger through the threads. you can also see how scratched up the compression fitting is, just from trying to get it off. i installed a g 1/4 cap in that hole on the rad to make sure the threads are still good. i'd hate to have to throw away a rad. If that mounting position fails the leak test, i can always swap the hoses to the other side and mount the rad on the bottom of the case, basically where those 120mm fans are on the bottom right. that compartment is currently holding HDD cages.

Now, the worst part of this whole thing, is that i'm considering getting a second rad, one for the top, one for the bottom. i'm a little paranoid right now about water cooling to begin with. ("i'll NEVER ever build a water-cooled PC!" i said...) That paranoia somewhat extends to whether one double rad will be enough to keep the 3930k cool at 4.0 Ghz. One of OCF guides said i7s can easily generate 250W at 4.0. and shouldn't i have a 120.1 per 100W? Heck, i'm even considering dropping "Earth" (with an old GTX 480) into the cosmos 2 and building NeverMore into a Corsair Obsidian 900D with a triple rad... and a MCP35x pump + res... (i suppose a pump + res would be a good idea anyway if i drop in a second rad.) Dang it! Why do i have to enjoy PCs as a moneysink!

One more note: i'm thinking to go with the following colour scheme:
-fan LEDs: blue
-CPU heatsink LED: red (cause the CPU should be a different colour)
-hoses: green (to match GPU lettering)
All the PSU cables are sleeved in black, and the X-fi card has lighted white lettering.

Of course, there's no window in the Cosmos 2 side panels, so i'd have to open the case in order to see the pretty colours, but that's another reason why i'm considering a 900D build. or i may buy a second side panel just to cut out a window... /sigh.

more to come this weekend i hope.

 

[txus.palacios]

i installed a g 1/4 cap in that hole on the rad to make sure the threads are still good. i'd hate to have to throw away a rad.

Glad it was not damaged, but, anyway why would you have to throw away a perfectly working rad just for a little thread problem? I am sure you could go to a rad shop and they could fix it if you ever face that problem.

If I were you I would keep one of the RAM fans. When you watercool, airflow on the board usually disappears. It might help you shave a degree or two.

 

[TerranBrackiatt]

txus... funny you mentioned the fans... i'm so paranoid i don't throw anything away when it comes to PC parts. (i would never really throw away a brand new rad... was just huffing mad at myself, and that's what i thought in the heat of the moment.) i'm also so paranoid that i install the heatsink twice on the CPU. the first time so i can remove it, to make sure the TIM covers the heatspreader without gooping up on the mobo, and then cleaning if necessary. then reapply the TIM if i'm satisfied.

i forgot to mention airflow in the case... a single 200mm intake fan in front of the upper compartment HDD rack. (i can mount another 120mm on the back side of the rack.) at least one 120mm intake on the side panel for GPU, 140mm exhaust on back, and the rad, if i leave it up top is in a push - pull with 4 enermax 120mm exhausting air out the top. if i drop the rad to the bottom, i'll find 3 more 120mm exhaust fans for the top.

as for those RAM fans, i was originally planning on installing both of them with the water loop. i should have mentioned that before. they happen to also have LEDs. i'm just not sure what colour.

another side note: the recommended installation for top mount radiator in the cosmos 2 case is to hang the rad inside the frame, and mount the fans outside the frame above it. i just don't like losing access to the wire management holes above the motherboard. here's a pic from the h220 AIO page. slightly different rad, but the size is close enough to illustrate my dislike of the recommendation. also note the fill port can't be used as a fill port without removing the rad from the case:

 

[txus.palacios]

Those fans are blue IIRC.

 

[Culbrelai]

<3 Cosmos II

Good luck man, Watercooling would scare me too much lol

 

[TerranBrackiatt]

i've made up my mind:

since there's already blue lights, i'm gonna use red primachill hoses. gonna place the double rad in the bottom, and hang a swiftech micro res from the forward most top fan hole. to be on the safe side, gonna add a fill tube to the top of the res, and a drain tube from the "fill port" on the rad's res, since it'll now be at the bottom of the loop.

there's enough room between the closed side panel and the floor or the main compartment to run the hoses. i don't have to go through the wire management holes. basically, i'll be able to remove the entire loop from the case without having to drain / disassemble first. adds to my peace of mind...

and thanks for wishing me luck!

 

[TerranBrackiatt]

/sigh... you know, i appreciate the overtime, but it's getting a little frustrating not having enough time to assemble "Nevermore." i guess that'll have to the inside joke about this rig. it seems like i'll nevermore finish it! okay y'all can stop rolling your eyes and stop groaning now, i know that was bad... here's the little bit o' progress since last weekend:



you'll notice the rad is mounted in the bottom compartment, and i've placed the pwm splitter and plugged in those push / pull fans. you'll also noticed i replaced the CM 140 with a Noctua. can you blame me? i like 110cfm better than 70ish. at 3 fewer decibels. also mounted 2 Noctua 120s up above, too. so basically i'll have about 220CFM intake (200mm front, 110cfm, 2 120mm GPU, 55cfm each), and about 300cfm exhaust (140mm:110cfm, 2x120mm, ~95cfm each) for a negative pressure system. (hopefully no dust collects inside!) the fans on the rad in push-pull will suck air in one ear and out the other, so don't count toward the pressure. er, i mean: in one side and out the other...

now for my updated plans (yes, i changed my mind again):



the purple box represents an alphacool bullseye reservoir, mounted in the forwardmost top 120mm fan mount cutout. the red lines are basically the hoses. the green circles will be bitspower triple-swivel elbow fittings. those two blue boxes are the 120s mounted on the side panel to intake air onto the GPUs. now, i'm also thinking to add a 5th swivel to the cpu lock / pump outlet, and then running the hose over the inlet hose, and THEN down to the radiator through a 4 way G-quarter block + swivel elbow. i'm just not sure how i'm gonna attach the block to the case yet.



since there's 6 G-quarter fittings on the reservoir, (3 on the side, 3 on the bottom) i reckon i'll use the center bottom one for a LED, and fit a silver bullet in on the side.

P.S. congratulations water coolers, you've converted me.

 

[MattMan657]

That's a really cool case. I actually just finished setting up the Apogee Drive II last week, so far so good. I can only hear it if I go above 4000rpms on it, anything less it can't be heard over the fans. You'll like it.

Also, you mention about getting an MCP35X. Figured I'd say that the built in pump in the Apogee Drive II is an integrated MCP35X.

Side note, the H220 uses a very similar res/rad combo as the res in the H20-220/320 Elite setup. Therefore, the fill port must face upward otherwise you loose a portion of the built in reservoir combo functionality. Henceforth, the setup of the H220 in that picture is not correct.

 

[TerranBrackiatt]

matt, thanks for the encouragement!

the h220 pic i copied from is the swiftech site. that's actually how swiftech recommends mounting the h220 in the cosmos 2. i tried mounting the elite's rad above the top instead of below it, and i couldn't fit the dust filter back on, at least without it being raised up a couple inches, and it didn't look too good. i also tried mounting the rad with fans right side up inside the case from the top, and there's just not enough room. the rad touches the motherboard and blocks the cables up top. also, the case's brace for the fan blocks the fill port. so basically, the h220 or even the basic MQP or MXP rads from swiftech don't really work as a res in the top of the cosmos 2.

that's precisely why i'm adding the alphacool bullseye reservoir, hence expanding the loop. well, i should say that i'm preparing for the just-in-case moment later on if i decide to add GPUs or RAM to the loop. i reckon i want as easy a time for draining and refilling the loop as possible.

i like the case, but wish it was just a little bit more like the corsair 900d. a couple more inches room up top to mount a triple rad in push-pull, and a slightly taller bottom compartment, to mount the PSU on its side so a quad rad would fit down there, too. and a window above the GPU fans in the side panel, and i'd have called the case perfect. (i don't care to see the drive cages in my windows.)

and yeah, i forgot the apogee drive was an integrated mcp35x. and everybody keeps saying it's unstoppable! (that was a good action movie, by the way, with Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. that was Tony Scott's last film, and it's fantastic! "Unstoppable") so i guess the only reason i'd get a second one is for redundancy. old navy nuclear engine room training dies hard you know. 2 of every part. 2 coolant loops, 2 pumps in each loop, just in case something fails. and since the gov't always goes with the lowest bidder, it's guaranteed that something will fail when you're out at sea. i keep wanting to put a pump at the lowest gravitational point in the loop due to the that training...

my next issue, while i'm waiting for the reservoir and triple-swivel joints, is PSU. i'm thinking i want to NOT carry over the toughpower 1200w PSU to the new rig, so i started a thread in the PSU guru subforum with my concerns: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7473415#post7473415

 

[MattMan657]

Yea from what you say it doesn't sound like the Cosmo is the best case for the Res/Rad combo. But it sounds like you got your bases covered!

You're going to really like the Apogee Drive II. I am no expect with water cooling at all but I just finished my first build and I had no issues with the Drive II in any way. Once I had my design down it was a total breeze. Combine it with your bullseye and you are going to be golden.

 

[Culbrelai]

One thing I dont understand is how do you mount the Res, pump, etc I understand how rads go on, they go on the fan slots and the fans are sandwhiched on either side, but do you have to mod the case to mount pumps?

Can you just superglue the pump/res to the case?

 

[txus.palacios]

Supergluing is bad. Baaad. Cyanoacrylates are bad.

Just throw them on the case or stick them with double-sided tape. Also, there are bay reservoirs that accept pumps, for example, XSPC's D5.

 

[TerranBrackiatt]

all righty...

ordered the PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256054

here's OklahomaWolf's review: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=175

i love how the HOT BOX could NOT overheat this monster to the point of shutting down. texas summers can be brutal 100F-110F (over 40C) for months on end, working A/C units overtime and then some. my room in the summer is typically 80F+. so no worries there at all! and it's quiet. and it has eight 12v rails rated at 25A each. 12v1 for EPS, 12v2 for EPS, 12v3 for 24pin mobo and one peripheral cable. 12v4 for peripherals. 12v5-8 each dedicated to its own GPU. and even though it's almost 9 inches long it still fit's easily in the cosmos2. and i got it for $100 off, on sale.

speaking of the case again, if i need to later on, i can always hang a 120.3 from the top (as long as it's not a swiftech L-shape), a 140.1 inside the back, and a 180.1 in the front (if i remove the last hard-drive cage. there's still the double hot-swap cage i can re-add inside the bottom of the 5.25" cage) of course, if i do that it'll be because i got a good deal on a pair of waterblocked titans, and also add another mcp35x pump + reservoir for redundancy.

/sigh... there i go a rambling on again. hopefully i get the rest of the waterloop tomorrow... PSU should be here friday. i'm restless. i'm bacon deficient. note to self: self? make sure to eat plenty of bacon for breakfast before assembling and testing the rest of the waterloop...

 

[Conumdrum]

Don't forget the vegetable for balance and nutrition. The FDA classifies pizza as a vegetable for lunches, so two best foods and your healthy.

I always hated waiting for parts. Then I always took my sweet time to build once I got them. Dunno why. I like a slow tinker to build a relationship I guess........

 

[Farwalker2u]

TerranBrackiatt

since there's already blue lights, i'm gonna use red primachill hoses.

Just a thought.
If I remember my physics correctly if your sole light/illumination source is blue and your hoses are red, the hoses should appear black, because there is no red to reflect to your eye.
Is that the effect you are seeking?

 

[TerranBrackiatt]

The blue LEDs are on the front 200mm case fan, and on the 120mm fans on the radiator. I'm gonna swap out the faceplate of the pump for ablue LED there too. But basically, those LEDs wont affect the tubing because of their location... that IS and interesting idea though. I might have to try it!

PS: I'm also thinking of using yellow sleeved cable extenders for the GPU, CPU, and mobo cables...

 

[TerranBrackiatt]

D'oh! BitFenix doesn't make yellow extensions!

http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/products/premium-modding/alchemy-cables/

i was thinking yellow for the following reasons:
~would complete the primary colour wheel. [red (hoses)-blue (LEDs)-yellow (cables)]
~would help the bacon-coloured Noctua fans blend in a little better
~would be accented by the bullet heatsink on the mobo
~would compliment the green Nvidia lettering on the GPUs

now i gotta choose among: black, white, red, blue, green, silver, or orange.

~black: would blend in with all the other black wires and black motherboard and black case in a stealth kinda way
~white: would contrast everything and help the noctua's blend, also matches the X-Fi light
~green: matches Nvida lettering on the GPU
~blue: would match the LEDs
~red: would match the hoses
~orange: might accent the bullet heatsink and noctua fans
~silver: shiney!

i don't know: what do y'all all think?

 

[Conumdrum]

Plaid. Of the Ferreth Clan from Northern Scotland. They used 5000 GHz LED to plaid their Codpiece.

It's a PC, you do what you want, we don't need to know how you decorate. But post pics.

Just do it as you like. This is the WC forum, not Martha Stewart's TV show.

We have a forum for PC decoration...... Ohh maybe we don't.

 

[Boulard83]

Plaid. Of the Ferreth Clan from Northern Scotland. They used 5000 GHz LED to plaid their Codpiece.

It's a PC, you do what you want, we don't need to know how you decorate. But post pics.

Just do it as you like. This is the WC forum, not Martha Stewart's TV show.

We have a forum for PC decoration...... Ohh maybe we don't.

Like !

 

[MattMan657]

My red LEDs look better than your red LEDs.