So it began! Build is complete but not all the pictures are ready so here's a few to begin.
It's been around 5-6 years since i upgraded the pc and actually threw any money into it. It served me well in the time i had it so recently as you can see above i upgraded to the Z390 platform rocking a 9600KF paired with Gigabyte's SLI gaming X board and Corsair Vengeance Pro RGB 3200mhz memory.
After wasting money on 2 x 980ti's and having them not really work for any of the new games i wanted to play, it was time to switch them out for MSI's 2070 Super Gaming X Duo based on the frozr cooler design. This card is a beast, though doesn't overclock as well as i thought it would do (silicone lottery probably). I managed a stable +110 on the core and 1ghz on the memory without much issue though anymore on the core and it would blue screen. All in all its a nice upgrade from sli 980ti's and in most instances it runs faster than the sli setup. I did buy this with the intention of watercooling it later in the year however EK have got back to me and said they have no plans on making a block for this card...
. While upgrading this i also upgraded the PSU to a EVGA 750 GQ modular. Very nice build quality and i love the eco mode at the back which turns the fan off until it reaches a pre-set load or temperature, keeps the system nice and quiet. Was a lot better quality than my old Corsair builders series psu and even my previous Seasonic unit which was fully modular.
Next up was a new case! With this came some challenges as i wanted to utilize all the radiator space available in the case. I had 2 x XSPC EX240 and a 360 40mm slim rad to fit. In my old case i would have the pump sat freely and not mounted to anything at the bottom of the case however with the new case i really wanted to mount the pump and reservoir securely and to give it that cleaner look. In the end i ended up buying a whole new pump top and reservoir combo namely.. Alphacool
eisbecher D5 250ml pump res combo. I had the pump already so didn't need a pump included. Gotta say this is very well built, quite heavy as well but feels sturdy enough that if you dropped it, it wouldn't be damaged. The tube itself is very scratch resistant however the acetal pump top is not so much. Already put a few marks on it from fitting the mounting brackets. With this pump res combo i could now mount this in my chosen case, the Lian Li O11 Dynamic! Must be everyones case of choice this year! I mounted the 240 at the top and bottom and the 360 on the side with airflow wise pull at the bottom as intake and top as exhaust and the side as exhaust as well... although i've seen people mention that having the side as intake gives best results...
thoughts on this?
With the new layout meant new tubing as well so i opted EK's ZMT matte black tubing. I'm abit 50/50 on this... i found it to kink quite easily even at very light bends it would tend to flatten out so i was careful not to bend it too much. with all the space at the back of this case i decided to run some tubing round the back to keep the front looking neat and clean.
More pics to come... And here they are!
I have new braided cables coming to match the new theme... 6 years of sitting in my room in heat has done them no good tbh so out with the old and in with the new. Also in need of another 4 RGB fans to match the rest of the system, i'm using Antec's prizm fans at the moment and for budget fans they do the job and keep the temps down. (
not a rainbow chaser)
I do regret not going hardline though it could be a new investment along with a distro block... we'll see.
Shoutout to
@StigBourne for making sure my delivery came next day! Ordered in the afternoon and came next day early morning! Thank you!
, I will defo put up a tutorial of sorts. It's still a work in progress but once it's complete it should look the bomb!
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and there's no sign of corrosion!
