I want to build something nice

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8 Feb 2009
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111
Good evening overclockers forums.

I'm currently in a v fortunate position to have a reasonable budget for a pc build and looking for advice, although I have kept upgrading over the years a lot has changed since the last build and id like to do something a bit nice (lighting, braiding the cables etc)

AMD is now a serious consideration for the first time since I started an interest in all this (2009 according to my post history)
Water cooling is something i've not done before (i'm v capable with assembly etc but know almost nothing about the components)

Id like to use my old stuff to build a pc for my kid so although id normally just upgrade a few things this is pretty much a new build - Psu, MB, Ram, Cpu, a nice fast drive so I can pass one of my ssds on to the kid and a case. I already have a 3090Ti (msi suprim version) and id like to water cool that as well as the cpu with clear hoze and bright fluid - i do love the idea of the kraken lcd cooler but am told it might not be up to the task of a higher end cooling job?
Im fine for assembly but know little to nothing about sizes of fittings radiators reservoirs etc

I am not bothered about overclocking these days and just want something super stable that gets the job done and will do so for the foreseeable future.

Usage wise, mostly driving games and a bit of video editing - already have 1440 monitors but will upgrade to 4k in the future.

Not a huge fan of rgb, more inclined to show the coolant of but a little on the ram might be nice.

so far iv found the appropriate water block for the GPU and a case - any help and advice greatly appreciated - £2500 but could stretch a little further if it was to make a worthwhile difference I also have ssds and psu i can use in the mean time to enlarge the budget a little more for other bits if needed.

Cpu ?
Ram ?
Psu ?
Cooling ?
Fast drive ?
Motherboard ?
Gpu - MSI rtx 3090 Ti SUPRIM (already owned)
Case Lian Li O11D EVO Mid-Tower Case in white or black (not owned) £180 to £190
water block Phanteks Glacier RTX 3090Ti MSI Graphics Card Water Block with Backplate (not owned) £194.00
braiding etc separate and not part of budget
Thankyou in advance for any and all advice, one last thing, im moving to Canada in approx 4 weeks and keen to get this done before I go as the current exchange rates and Canada's terrible postal service make it a non viable project to do over there.
 
This is a very short space of time to plan and build your first WC PC. You really need to get a wiggle on and make decisions quickly. You will inevitably run into a problem at some point that will mean you have to order some more fittings and I just hope they are in stock when you need them.

Cpu ?
Ram ?
Psu ?
Fast drive ?
Motherboard ?

These are all electronic components and you can make these decisions relatively quickly and you will then be able to pick your cpu block and get moving on the other WC components.

I suggest you post a pic of a build you like the look of and want to try and get close too. Easier to make suggestions once the variables are narrowed down.

Few questions to help you along:-

Hard or soft tubing?
Standard pump+res or distro plate?
How do you want to orientate the gpu ?
Using a 3090ti , as far as I am aware they work a lot better with an actively cooled backplate , is this in your plans?
If using an active backplate does that effect your choices of gpu orientation?
What psu do you already have? If it is suitable for the build you can most likely just order the correct braided cables for that PSU.
Thankyou for the reply - yes the time is the big issue here.

Hard tubing with nice right angle bends would be preferable but not an absolute as things like that can be changed in the future (obviously id like to get it rite straight of the bat) Ill need to spend some time looking at the pump+res / distro plate options as im not sure what a distro plate it. If an activly cooled back plate gives better cooling and is available then that sounds like the way to go.
Not fussed about orientation but i should consider it re plumbing - worth noting i don't need to get the plumbing / gpu water cool system assembled before i go as it works as is for now (I will have to strip the pc down in to anti atatic bags / original packaging and put it in the container for shipping before I go anyway) also worth noting the water cooled side of things can be purchased in Canada and ill still have access to these forums from there (but i like to have it as sorted as possible before i go)

Psu is a rog strix 850w gold but I feel it might be a little low on power? - if pre braided are available ill prob go that route I just fancied doing it my self as something new to learn.

Electronic components wise there is a vast choice these days, i have some time this evening to look at some systems already built, the over clocked bundles gave me a few ideas last night. Ill post an update once I have a few ideas.

Looks wise im going for qite an open design, would love to do a wall mount but not viable atm. Once i get my work shop up and running after the move i may well mount everything in a glass topped table but thats at least 18 months away so for mow i was thinking id just grab the Lian Li O11D EVO Mid-Tower Case in white as its nice and open with reasonable space - im picturing hard tubing with super neat bends, probobly green fluid, braided cables clipped neatly but hidden away as much as possible. going for a clean sterile look not much rgb make the water cooling the star of the show.

Ill have a quick look for a photo or two of what i have pictured in my mind in a bit,
 
I suggest you post a pic of a build you like the look of and want to try and get close too. Easier to make suggestions once the variables are narrowed down.
Going for simple/minimal/ max space around components
I really like the clean look of THIS
I dont like the bendy tubing in THIS but do like the look of the rest of it (im visualising it with a water blocked Gpu)

edit
im not sure why the second link isnt working
https://cdna.************.com/stati...d/267831.1de88fdcc7ab501e60b7eeb72b65175f.jpg

Edit2
Well that's unfortunate - maybe because its from a competitors web site?
Ill find something else.

Edit3
The second one was similar to THIS one - like the the cable management don't like the flexy tubing
 
Last edited:
The Edit3 link seems to be broken so cannot see it either.

Can only see the first link and it is indeed a beautiful build. 2 radiators and standard res pump combo. Looks like it is the O11 Dynamic, could have put a much thicker rad in at the top as there is loads of room. Tubing is very nicely done.



This is my PC in an O11 and I have a distro plate and not a pump/res combo. Vertically mounted gpu as well. Will do more work on it in new year when I upgrade. If you go for the O11 Evo then there are so many options to arrange the parts it is dizzying.


Seen a few builds arranged like the one above. Sure he did not WC the gpu but you can even if it is in that configuration
Apologies for the slow reply, I've had hardware failure nightmares compounded by living in a rural location - any way, a nice clean installation is never a bad thing :)

Your build is beautiful well done and thank-you for the video - I shall be watching it over lunch with a note pad shortly.

The options certainly are dizzying - I've come to the realization with the time constraints I currently have, I must rethink my plan.

I think it best I lock down the electronic hardware, get that ordered, built and working how I want it, then disassemble and get it packed in the shipping container with a view to leaving the beautifying / water cooling for the future once I get settled in Canada.
A bit disappointed, but priorities are just that, and I haven't seen my wife or kids for 18 months.

Hopefully this thread can continue through to the completion of the build, just with a bigger time frame than originally anticipated.

Next logical steps...
Decide if it's AMD or intel
Look at pre-built systems and upgrade packs for ideas.
 
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