Dripping with style or floody disaster?

[OJ46]

Jesus, that's not a bad idea mate when the non PC parts are that cheap! I've gone full Aqua Computer... Not cheap at all but luckily the Missus was paying Not sure she'd be too happy if she came home from work and I'd mood lighted the entire house mind...
The window is definitely on the flimsy side and you ain't wrong about the static, put it on the carpet for 5 minutes and it goes back on furry
I was always a massive fan on Lian Li cases, but unfortunately over the last couple of years I think they've remained almost static, while the rest of the competition has leaped forward with new ideas. Would struggle to find a Lian Li I'd buy now apart from one of their desks.
Not going to go mad with the lighting at all in my Evolve case though, just going with a strip down the rear edge by the window and then another along the top behind the rad, with the brightness turned down to give just a slight glow... Oh yes, and the power LED has been changed to an RGB, so I'll be using that on white, changing to red and then getting brighter when GPU hits certain temps

UPDATE TIME: Parts I was waiting for have arrived today, so I've got the loop finished, checked it boots etc and all looking good, so when I get a few minutes will chuck the OS's on it and post some final pics / videos of the build

 

[OJ46]

Could try making a PCI bracket for the Aquaero.

Seen this thread, post 45.

Not sure how hard it would be, but could be an option.

Looking forward to seeing it lit up.

Not a bad idea that mate, and definitely one I'll be taking a look at. Love the Aquaero and the lights look awesome, but damn they're a pain to mount when you're short on space! Guess as long as it looks good when it's finished it's worth the short term ball ache

 

[OJ46]

Right, I've FINALLY got the loop sorted thanks to this part arriving, but I do think it might have put me off EK parts for life. Buy a reservoir, then buy a multiport top only to find out you also need the internal tube. Get one of those and then find out the multiport top only works with EK fittings, unless you splash out AGAIN on an adaptor... Then you realise they used the only size allen key that NOBODY owns (9mm), but which they very conveniently sell. Tidy!

Oh well, it's done now... See

So I boot her up, refilling the reservoir as it boots and watching the new joint like a hawk, enter the BIOS, and... No M.2 showing

Update to the latest BIOS via USB, reboot and... Nothing. Zilch. Just rebooting over and over again. DAMN! Not to worry, download the 2nd newest BIOS, update once again via USB and... DOUBLE RESULT!

Temperatures not looking too bad after 10 minutes of doing absolutely nothing but leak testing

What's the consensus on the XMP settings for the RAM? Heard you shouldn't up the voltage much on Skylake but was only running at 2133MHz as standard. Did try the standard MoBo settings to Auto clock it to 3200MHz, but that set the voltage to 1.5v

As you can probably tell from the colour of the first picture I've got one of the LED strips in, just need to mount the Aquaero and light controller properly now when I get the time to make a bracket. Did should a quick couple of vids to show the lighting as it is currently, but with the speed of my internet in the evenings it's a no go for now, so will upload them in the morning

 

[OJ46]

Ahh another black and white build, great inspiration for me I can't wait until my next upgrade, hopefully soon where I can start a new build. I am loving the white tubes, but the overall build is nice and tidy!

Cheers for the kind words mate, will you be adding a build log on here when you start the new one? Look forward to seeing it

Soooooooooo, to the update! Just a couple of quick vids to show the Aqua Computer lighting, although as stated previously this is with only 1 of the LED strips in, other to be mounted in the top behind the radiator once the Aquaero has been fitted properly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdTlcxvu29I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnTZSB47rSs

Sorry about the poor quality, was shot on a Nexus 6 so never going to be brilliant!

Oh yes, and as the motherboard has woken up and finally realised that there is an M.2 drive, I could finally cover that god awful green board

Much better, although won't even show once the Aquaero is in

EDIT: Just noticed the videos weren't working, so posted them as links instead

 

[OJ46]

I like the M.2 heatsink. Completely pointless functionally, but looks tons better than the green.

My current build uses a green M.2, but luckily the M.2 slot is under the ITX mobo, so nicely hidden away.

Cheers mate, there's nothing bugs me more currently than manufactures using green PCB's, especially when like Samsung they'll sell you a more expensive yet almost identical model with a black PCB... They must know how annoying it is and know people will pay the extra to avoid the rancid greenness!

Oh yes, and sorry for the excruciatingly slow progress guys. With my proper job, IT tech support for every local too cheap to use proper tech support and feeling like crap the last few days, not much has been done. Still, I have found one potential time saver...

Reckon that'll do nicely as a base for mounting the Aquaero and Colour Work, even if it does need a bit of modifying. Not sure whether to put one in front of the other or the Colour Work on top with the Aquaero underneath, but it should be here tomorrow or Thursday so will trial it then, and hopefully have it all finished ASAP!

 

[OJ46]

FINALLY! The last part has arrived and the second strip of lights have been mounted behind the top radiator

Reckon this is going to do quite nicely as a mount for the Aquaero & Colour Work boards, hardly going to show as they'll be underneath the bracket

So looks like that's my afternoon sorted, get the bracket modified, plug everything in and hope she flies

 

[OJ46]

Good find on the bracket, looks perfect.

Did it come with the pcie bit (YF-PCIex1)?

Got very lucky on that find mate, damn near perfect size. It did indeed, comes with a PCIex1 and a PCI & PCIe, so will be stable wherever you slot it

Couple of quick teaser shots as I wait for Windows 10 drivers to download. I'd forgotten how painful this was after years of Linux... No internet connection, so you get "Go online to update drivers" etc. GENIUS!

Why does red lighting never work in photo's? Or am I just crap at taking photo's?

Please ignore the massive mess of cables, it's just thrown together to get things running and set up properly. Thinking of cutting a piece out of an old case in the shape of the red outline below to make it look even neater once the main cables have been tidied / USB cables removed

Another random question from a watercooling noob: What's the usual temperature difference between ambient temp and water temp when basically idling? Currently running at 3° higher atm, but not altered pump speed / set fans up properly yet. Cheers

 

[OJ46]

Looking real good there!
Good job!

I'm also a watercooling noob but from what I've read, a few degrees above ambient is good at idle, but it's the temperature at load that's important.

Oh and a question, with that PCIe bracket, can you monitor anything you plug into the aquaero through software?

Cheers mate After slowing down the pump and optimising the fan speeds it's now about 1.5° above ambient and also a bit quieter without the high pitched whine of the pump

Unfortunately can't monitor anything extra on the Aquaero, the PCIe bracket is purely to support the weight of the SSD's that should have been mounted on it

Very nice work matey, bracket was a winner, looks really slick fitted like that. Like you say, a small cover will just finish it off perfectly.

Thanks Luggs Thinking of adding a 90° bend and going to within a cm or 2 of the motherboard, but also leaving a tiny gap along the top / bottom to help airflow from the PSU, just hoping it doesn't look stupid! Oh well, as it'll be cut from an old case there'll be plenty of room for errors

I will be! Although, it will be nothing as good as yours I will still log what I do.

Mines nothing special at all mate, everything I've done has been done using off the shelf parts, nothing like some of the truly awesome custom builds on here


Thought over dinner I'd just run a very quick 3DMark 11 test with everything bog standard, including the RAM and its truly horrendous standard clock... Not exactly setting the world alight (though not bad for a work PC ) but at least now I can see how much things improve

 

[OJ46]

What does the P in the score mean?

Not a clue sorry, it's the first time I've ever bothered testing a new PC

 

[OJ46]

Very awesome work sir, love the EVGA block on that card.

Out of curiosity, how is the white lighting on the lighting kit. Have the same kit in two PC's but always find the white is more of a pale blue so supplement it with Darkside White LED strips. Quiet annoying, but not sure if its just PCB I got or something.

Cheers Radox, appreciate the kind words

The lighting is just as you say, it's not quite a pure white light and has a subtle blue tint to it. I'm actually very happy with them though, think the subtle blue looks good and would definitely prefer it to the yellow tint of some lighting kits


Got a few minutes spare between jobs so knocked up a quick mock-up of what I was thinking for the cable shroud. Left a gap at the top level with the bottom of the Aquaero to help with airflow, and also think it's going to look fairly decent, like a teasing letter box
Currently got a small gap around the bottom as well, but might scrap that... Thoughts?

 

[OJ46]

Looks like today will be spent cutting, sanding and painting then, the shroud has won!

 

[OJ46]

What are you using, acrylic?

Seriously mate, I can only dream of using such exotic materials! I have at my disposal, and I'm really not joking, a saw, a hammer, a drill, a file and an old case to cut up. Yep, we're that advanced down here in Wales

Still if it gets the job done...

Nice build man, I'd be interested in seeming some more bench results and stuff as I'm planning on a similar build this year. Only main different will be mine will not be a full custom loop and mobo is different. But I'll have the same RAM, M2 SSD, CPU and a 980Ti

Cheers fella, you won't be disappointed as even at stock speeds this thing is seriously fast. Currently running an i7-3770, GTX 560Ti, 16GB RAM with Intel SSD and the new one makes this thing feel positively pedestrian

Oh yes, and one new test below

+1 shroud, looks much tidier!

She's been sprayed, so will hopefully have the whole thing finished by tomorrow and finally be able to start abusing it with some GTA V


In a very slight update while I wait for the paint to dry, I changed the RAM to the XMP profile (3200MHz) and ran the 3DMark 11 test again with everything else the same as before. I was expecting a VERY slight improvement from the 18880 before but this can't be right can it?! Didn't think RAM speed was supposed to make any real difference...

 

[OJ46]

Well it's a few weeks overdue and a ****load over budget, but good news guys & gals: SHE'S FINISHED! Sooooo, onto a quick photo update

New shroud in place, complete with nosing slot

To say I'm pleased with the outcome is an understatement, was expecting at least one complete balls up!

Think I made the right decision to go with 2 short LED strips, keeps the focus on the main components rather than the emptiness of the front of the case

Mmmmmmm, tidy... *drools*

White lighting, but somehow the also white fan has red stripes on it... Didn't think the fittings were that shiny

This is what happens when an idiot with a Nexus 6 attempts an 'arty' shot (also reminded me I need to remove the stickers from the RAM!)

Found a stray cable lurking by the M.2. He will be removed and punished.

Now time to play with some lighting

RGB module to replace the power LED is working like a charm. It's a bluish white when the water temp is cold...

...Then gradually changes to bright red when it's hot

And then, after all of this playing around with lighting, my incredibly stupid brain decided to wake itself up for 30 seconds: If the lighting when set to ice white has a slightly blue tint to it, why not just knock the blue channel down a bit? And yes, that did only just click into my head after days of playing with it

BEFORE: R 100 / G 100 / B 100

AFTER: R 100 / G 100 / B 50

Well I guess that's it folks, finally get to chuck some games on and take it for a spin! Will upload a couple of vids to YouTube showing the lighting effects when I get 10 minutes, although coming off a Nexus they won't be brilliant!

Anyways, hope you enjoyed following the build as much as I enjoyed making it, even if lack of funds, out of stock parts, me being dull etc did make it over run by a couple of weeks

 

[OJ46]

awesome work dude, nothing to be ashamed of in that build. Loved the log too

Thanks for the kind words mate, appreciate it

Think the end of this build is missing just one thing: A celebratory Guinness

 

[OJ46]

Guinness well deserved. It looks awesome

Very nice work overall. Love the case, absolutely gorgeous. Shroud looks Asome finished up

Glad it worked out without being a "floody disaster". Build looks splendid.

Enjoy your Guinness.

Cheers for all the kind words guys, very much appreciated. Many Guinness' were had, now needing an OCuK XL coffee mug full of coffee to wake up again

damn that looks so good. i done mine, in my rush and panic at every stage i never took photos of anything lol. i got a leak and also two of the screw standoffs on my gpu block broke one screwed right back in the other snapped. so now im in the boat of sending that back and just feel very disheartened by it so now not in any rush to finish it off lol, havent even sent the gpu block back for rma yet.

because i am doing mine in an ITX case same as yours but ITX version i actually never covered all my ports proper so cant exactly tell where the leak was from. got a slight incling its from the cpu block because i never tightened it enough maybe.

will probly have to leak test out side of case. 1st just to make sure nothing is faulty.

Damn, you really haven't had much luck mate but don't let it drag you down, get a new GPU block in it and get some photo's up

What's the ITX version like to build in? Love the cable management in this case, just wish they'd spent more time thinking of reservoir mountings...

Can't say I really leak tested mine properly, ran the pump for about 20 minutes with rest of the PC off but got bored after the top of the reservoir leaked, so did the rest of the leak testing / removing of air bubbles whilst I was setting the OS's up. Not exactly 'best practice' but hey, it worked out OK in the end so who's gonna judge

 

[OJ46]

Ran a 30 minute stress test using CPU-Z with the pump set at 30% and with an ambient temperature of 19°C. Main thing I'm confused by is the massive difference in temperatures between cores... Any ideas? Cause for concern? Water temp topped out at 26°C.

Currently got the fans set up like this, so very quiet but will turn them down further if gaming doesn't get it hot...

Fan 1 120mm front radiator (intake)
Fan 2 2 x 120 front intake fans
Fan 3 360mm top radiator (exhaust)
Fan 4 120mm exhaust fan

 

[OJ46]

Just thought I'd post a couple of night shots with the side panel on, even if they are still taken on a crappy Nexus

As nice as the red / blue / orange etc are, think I still prefer the ice white look. Also noticed a couple of bonus's: Seems turning the blue channel down a bit has 1) Made the red of the fittings & fans 'pop' (photo's don't do it justice ) a bit more and 2) Somehow gotten rid of the red stripes on the white fan... Not sure how that works but hey, I'll take it

And yes, I know, I still haven't removed the stickers from the RAM!

Right, I'll stop boring you all with photo's now and get back to lurking

 

[OJ46]

Right, had a slight change of plan with the PC. Was originally going to be my new work PC as well as being used for gaming, but now looks like I'm going to continue using my old one for work and leave the new one plugged into the TV to use purely for gaming. Only issue is that when it was built I only chucked a small 120mm radiator in the front as I needed the HDD space for work, but now I'll be able to fit a 240mm radiator in the front instead... Soooo, worth swapping out for better cooling / less noise, or more hassle draining and refilling the loop than it's worth? Opinions please guys

 

[OJ46]

The system looks excellent, very suave with the RGB LEDs and it looks very clean with the shroud and case covering up most of the cables. Not sure about cores though but I assume it's related to the spread of the thermal paste and the paste connecting the die to the IHS. I usually take an average of all the cores when comparing temps just to be safe though

Cheers mate, love the Aquaero but it really was a bugger for cable management! Very impressed with the Aqua Computer RGB LED's though, even with 2 short strips they're more than bright enough, and the software for customising them is near perfect Not quite so worried about the different core temps now tbh, seen people on here with more than double the difference between cores so guessing it's nothing too serious! And as you say, as long as the average is OK... After a few hours of GTA V with all settings maxed out I'm getting a max of high 50's for CPU and low 40's for GPU, with water temp at around 35°C, so now just need to decide whether or not to swap the 120 radiator for a 240 / 280...

 

[OJ46]

Are you able to say where you got the 'bars' heatsink for your SSD or at least what it is sold as? Just struggling to find a single heatsink that's vaguely the right shape. Also, what did you stick it on with and did you take off the Samsung labels first?
Cheers.

No worries mate, I found both types on eBay, just search "25mm heatsink" and there should be a few to choose from. Just be aware that A) You need some thermal pad to mount it (some come supplied with the pad, some don't) and B) make sure it's 25mm wide, not 25mm high as I very nearly balls'd up on this! The silver / grey bars one is a few mm too long so would either need to be ground down a bit or mounted over the screw with the M.2 already in place, but if it's of any use to you just chuck me your address and I'll happily send it to you along with spare some thermal pad I've got here Oh yes, and definitely remove the sticker first!

Really nice build OJ46, pics look fantastic! How long do you play with the rgb lighting before you actually get down to gaming? Excellent work fella!

Cheers Luggs, definitely got a bit distracted by the lighting but I'm boring now and just leave it on ice white... Apart from the RGB power LED which I seem to play with constantly, like an OCD child with a new toy! Doing something a bit nicer than my usual aircooled build was definitely worth it though, especially as the Mrs let me keep it under the TV in the living room for big screen gaming