X

[Oneslowz28]

This is not really a mod but more of a "finished building my dream PC." After a few months serving as my testing station I have finally have her just like I want her. So with out further adieu I give you X.


Hardware list:

Case: Cooler Master HAF X
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD5
Processor: AMD Phenom II 965 Black Edition
RAM: 2x2GB Blue Crucial Tracer Ballistix
GPUs: 2x Gigabyte GV-R1587UD - UD5 ATI Radion HD 5870 1GB GDDR 5
PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 800w
DVD: Plextor PX-880SA Multi Writer
HDD: 2x WD Caviar Green 500GB, WD Caviar Blue 1TB, 1x Seagate 1TB
Fan Controll: NZXT Sentry 2 Touch Screen
Front LCD: Matrix Orbital GX Typhoon with rare inverse RGB LCD
CPU Water Block: Danger Den MC-TDX AM3
Radiator: Hardware Labs Black Ice SR1 240 w/ 2 Low speed Yate Loon 120mm fans.
Water Pump: Danger Den CPX Pro
Reservoir: Danger Den single 5.25" bay.
Fill Port: Bits Power with black Bits Power stop.
Drain Port: Danger Den Derlin Fill Port w/ PEX 1/2" ball valve.
Fittings: Danger Den 1/2" Fatboys
Tubing: 3/8" Tygon
Fluid: Fesser 1 Blue
Case Fans: 3 Xigmatek XLF Blue 200mm, 1 Cooler Master 230 Blue, 1 Xigmatek XLF Blue 140mm
Expanded USB 2.0: NZXT IU01 Internal USB Expander
Case lighting: NZXT LED String kit 2 meters blue, 2x 12" UV CCFL.




http://thebestcasescenario.com/oneslowz28/personal/HAFx/IMG_0089.jpgThe HAF X has been nothing but a joy to work with. I have reviewed a lot of nice cases over the last two years and I have to say that the HAF X is my favorite. It is a bit expensive but its price reflects its quality and design.

http://thebestcasescenario.com/oneslowz28/personal/HAFx/IMG_0094.jpgIMO the single best feature of the HAF X is its shear size. It comes pre-drilled to mount up to a 360mm radiator above the motherboard and still have plenty of room for 2 fans above and below the radiator. I am a little anal about cable management if you can not tell.

http://thebestcasescenario.com/oneslowz28/personal/HAFx/IMG_0105.jpgThis is the VGA support bracket Cooler Master includes with the HAF X. I has not been using it with my Gigabyte 5970s but noticed a little sag in them over the weekend so I put it on.

http://thebestcasescenario.com/oneslowz28/personal/HAFx/IMG_0106.jpgThat's the PCB and control hardware for the NZXT LED String.

http://thebestcasescenario.com/oneslowz28/personal/HAFx/IMG_0108.jpgQuick shot of the strait blades on the Xigmatek XLF 140mm. They move a lot of air and are dead silent even at full power.

http://thebestcasescenario.com/oneslowz28/personal/HAFx/IMG_0096.jpgNow we are getting into the water cooling. This is my custom drain line. It's fed from the lowest point in my loop which is the intake of my CPX pro pump. Flow is shut off by a 1/2" PEX ball valve. It terminates to a Danger Den Derlin Fill port. When I am ready to drain my loop all I have to do is screw a drain hose onto the end of the drain port (DD fill ports are normal G 1/4" threaded.) and open the valve. The flow will begin when I loosen the cap on the fill port.

http://thebestcasescenario.com/oneslowz28/personal/HAFx/IMG_9785.jpgAnother shot of the drain valve.

http://thebestcasescenario.com/oneslowz28/personal/HAFx/IMG_0097.jpgNow on to the other end of the loop. Here you can see how I hide my fill port. It Just loops over the cage for my Matrix Orbital LCD. You can also see how I have the reservoir plumbed.

http://thebestcasescenario.com/oneslowz28/personal/HAFx/IMG_0099.jpgThe fill port line is about 12" long so I can pull it out of the case when filling. It is terminated with a Bits Power Silver Fill port and a Bits Power Black stop plug. You can also see that I have my radiator mounted with the fittings down. I did that because it cleaned up the installation some.

http://thebestcasescenario.com/oneslowz28/personal/HAFx/IMG_9799.jpgHere is the Danger Den Derlin T-block. I have a heavy metal Bits Power T but I felt its weigh was putting too much stress on the reservoir.

http://thebestcasescenario.com/oneslowz28/personal/HAFx/IMG_0110.jpgThis is Danger Den's MC-TDX water block. Despite the things I hear about newer blocks like the Heat Killer's or what ever EK is peddling these days, I will swear by this block. Even with my 140w 965 running at 4.1GHz with a Vcore of 1.575, it keeps things under 57c. It's hard to ask for better temps than that. Anyone looking for a reasonably priced AM2 / AM3 block should check this one out.

http://thebestcasescenario.com/oneslowz28/personal/HAFx/IMG_0111.jpgI was not going to post this, but some people have asked how the back side of my motherboard tray looks. Well I am not happy about it, but it keeps things clean on the front. There are between 50 and 75 4" zip ties in this case total.

http://thebestcasescenario.com/oneslowz28/personal/HAFx/IMG_0115.jpgA shot of the back of the case. I use aftermarket black anodized thumb screws instead of the stock ones.

http://thebestcasescenario.com/oneslowz28/personal/HAFx/IMG_0088.jpgThis thread would not be complete with out a few glow pics. Yes it is that bright even with all the lights on in the room.

http://thebestcasescenario.com/oneslowz28/personal/HAFx/IMG_0079.jpgWith the lights off, its even brighter. I am thinking of renting it to the local airport as a runway beacon.

http://thebestcasescenario.com/oneslowz28/personal/HAFx/IMG_0084.jpgOne final shot with the door on.

As I was writing this I realized that I forgot to take a shot of the face. I will get that up later this week.

[SXRguyinMA]

looks sick! nice work!

[Kayin]

You've got junk built up in your CPU block.

[SXRguyinMA]

either that or air bubbles

[Oneslowz28]

Yea I forgot to mention that. That's the legendary Fesser 1 separation feature. It separated within 2 weeks of the loops running. The first loop separated before I ever heated it up. Here are 2 shots from me flushing out the system when I first built it and had all the leaks due to 10mm tubing on 3/8" barbs instead of 1/2" barbs on 3/8" tubing. I had to drain and flush because the it was a holiday weekend and DD would not be able to ship the new tygon until that coming Tuesday. Click the images for a high res where you can really see the solids. The system was flushed with distilled water which was ran through a coffee filter to strain out any particulates. I should mention that the fluid that has now separated is a separate bottle and not the original.


http://thebestcasescenario.com/oneslowz28/personal/fesser-1-seperation.jpg (http://thebestcasescenario.com/oneslowz28/personal/fesser-1-seperationlarge.jpg)
http://thebestcasescenario.com/oneslowz28/personal/fesser-1-seperation2.jpg (http://thebestcasescenario.com/oneslowz28/personal/fesser-1-seperation2large.jpg)

[Kayin]

Don't you have some stuff that won't clog your block around there somewhere?

[diluzio91]

like a 79 cent jug of distilled water?

[x88x]

Looking good, CJ. :D

The Feser One separation issue continues to perplex and confuse me...mainly because it seems to be fairly common and that I've used, I think, 5L of the stuff and haven't seen anything. :think:

[SXRguyinMA]

kinda like how when i first joined certain people :whistler: gave me flak for having a Tt WC system, yet I never had one single issue with it and temps were always on par with any other WC loop :D

[Oneslowz28]

Yea it really is hit and miss with the Fesser 1. I think it may have something to do with the pumps impeller design. Then again I could be completely wrong. I have some pretty cool nano silver fluid to test out in it soon. When I drain this loop I am going to try and have a friend take some pics of the "gunk" under a microscope.

SXR, I ran my TT kit for 5 months with out a single problem and its been in my server ever since running 24/7 with out a problem.

[Oneslowz28]

Yea it really is hit and miss with the Fesser 1. I think it may have something to do with the pumps impeller design. Then again I could be completely wrong. I have some pretty cool nano silver fluid to test out in it soon. When I drain this loop I am going to try and have a friend take some pics of the "gunk" under a microscope.

SXR, I ran my TT kit for 5 months with out a single problem and its been in my server ever since running 24/7 with out a problem.

[Liquid_Scope_99]

very nice setup man very clean gj

[Oneslowz28]

Thanks LS!

[Kayin]

Something in the feser fluid is either an emulsion or it reacts with the loop. A lot of dyes do it because they precipitate out of solution.

[blaze15301]

you could get colored tubes. i use primochill. i think they are pretty good. i have reused the same tubes for the past year or so now.jab-tech.com has a good price on it

[Oneslowz28]

I am contemplating moving to some colored tubing. I may order some that will fit the bits power fittings I have.

[MrGoat]

I've been running Feaser for a little over 2 years now. When I first setup my loop I flushed it with distiled and had 0 issues for a year. Last year I flushed it with tap water and within 2 weeks had all sorts of odds n ends floating around in there. Flushed it again with distilled and have been good for the past year now. Maybe its reacting with something that was already system?

[Oneslowz28]

I flushed it with 2 gallons of distilled before the first fill and before the second. Some people never experience the separation. I have a feeling that Kayin may be on to something with the precipitation theory. Since filling my loop, about 1/2oz has precipitated out the tubing. But that would not account for the separation in the first fill as it was separating after 16 hours of leak testing.

[Spawn-Inc]

kinda like how when i first joined certain people :whistler: gave me flak for having a Tt WC system, yet I never had one single issue with it and temps were always on par with any other WC loop :D

i wonder who that was :)

there are always people who luck out with any product no matter how bad it may be, BUT the majority have issues, so no point in recommending them.

i was one who didn't have much separation from feser, but i used the dye, not the premix.


setup looks really slick Oneslowz28! i like the pex pipe drain valve :)

[Oneslowz28]

Thanks Spawn! That really does me a lot coming from you. You were one of the members I was hoping would comment on this.

The funny thing... Koolance, and a few others sell similar valves for $15-$50. You can pick that one up at Home Depot, Lowes or any plumbing supply for $4.

[Spawn-Inc]

were they more then normal 1/2" solder style ball valves? i seem to recall them(solder style) being about $10 which was more then i wanted to spend, if they were $5 i would have grabbed some so i could detach my pc from my rad/pump case.

[Oneslowz28]

IIRC they were $4 and change from Lowes.

[Kayin]

I've used a LOT of PEX over the years. Good stuff, and a bit bigger ID than average, so there's more flow.

[jpmeyer038]

This is beautiful. Quite the inspiration for me lol. nicely done.

[Oneslowz28]

Thanks JP!

[Aero]

:up: Great looking rig. I always loved the clean look, and the blue on black is a great combo.

Also great idea with the drainage valve

[Oneslowz28]

Thanks Aero!

[Skateboxx]

awesome!:)

[Oneslowz28]

Thanks Slateboxx

[Fuganater]

Awesome build. So tidy too!

[DynamoNED]

This rig should be the motivation for me to water-cool my main system. You read a lot on the Internet on how blue-on-black color schemes are supposedly overdone, but this setup reminds me how good it looks when done correctly. Nice Job CJ.

[Oneslowz28]

That comment means a lot. I was going for that blue on black perfection.

[SXRguyinMA]

well it worked out nicely :D

[Oneslowz28]

Just wanted to update this. X was my only rig to survive the fire as it was in a garage because I had not moved it back into the house after a lan party I attended.

http://i.imgur.com/5IdjV.jpg

[OvRiDe]

nice.. Looking good!