Soldato
Hiya all,
As some of you maybe aware, i've been wanting to do full loop watercool for quite some time, it had to be red and i still remember my first go at it with a 9800pro and using DangerDen bits.
Unfortunately my first attempt back then didn't work out quite so well, with a mixture of rushing to get it finished before heading off to Iraq and my lack of knowledge and skill, it resulted in x1 dead 9800pro
Fast forward a few years and having left the Army, i found myself working for Asda, which i hated, but it allowed me the chance to save up enough money to get myself a decent rig finally and my intention was to do a full loop.
But, as it is with life, happiness can be taken just as quick as it's given and i found myself in a very dark place shortly after due to issues with PTSD.
I'd always known that i had underlying issues, even before leaving the army, things like Hypervigilance and recurring nightmares, but i suppose like a lot of soldiers and ex squaddies, i just got on with it which turned out to be a big mistake.
In a very short space of time, i found myself unable to leave the house, talk to friends or family and was bombarded with constant flashbacks, thankfully though, with the help of my family, my truly amazing girlfriend and a Veteran's counsellor, I'm finally getting on top of it and turning it around.
Resulting in me only recently getting a new job in an area that i've wanted to work in since leaving the army, but better yet, the ability to get this full loop sorted once and for all!
Before i get cracking with pics, some of you may be wondering why the life story intro.. Well, tbh, i've read countless project threads and while the systems people build are truly incredible, I've always felt that it's a very generic thing,"This is what i bought, this is how i put it together, this what it looks like finished".
As I've mentioned, having a Good spec rig that's got a full loop in it has been something i've wanted to do for a long time, it's not just a case of spending money and putting it together, at least not for me, it's a personal thing, it's not just a project thread.. it's MINE.
Anyway, on to the build!
Money is still tight at the moment so lots of the parts were bought secondhand where possible.
Specs
Pump/Res: XSPC X2O 750 Dual Bayres/Pump (Black) V4
Gpu block: EK Water Blocks EK-FC R9-290X - Nickel (Original CSQ)
Backplate: EK Water Blocks EK-FC R9-290X Backplate - Black
Cpu block: EK-Supreme LTX - Nickel CSQ Intel CPU Waterblock
Mayhems Pastel - Red Coolant 1L
Primochill Primoflex Advanced Tubing 13/10 - Clear
XSPC EX240
Black Ice Stealth GT 240
So that's what i had, a decent enough spec for what i'll be using it for, and it cost me 210 pounds all in!
** Images wider than 1280 pixels should be linked or placed in spoiler tags **
http://i.imgur.com/5bwTPzC.jpg
Some D day was friday and i got to it straight after work
Sorry for the crap pics, all i had was my phone, i'll grab the camera out later and get some better shots.
GPU block first.
http://i.imgur.com/pHtyNqZ.jpg
Then the backplate.
http://i.imgur.com/WLrxsNR.jpg
The finished article, looks fantastic and a damn sight quieter than the stock blower.
http://i.imgur.com/hOkTTju.jpg
On to sorting the cpu out, i may need to reapply paste on this, as all i had was AS 5, not the best stuff to be using and probably better paste available I'd imagine now.
Cpu backplate.
http://i.imgur.com/uJyqQDJ.jpg
Nice clean cpu ready to fit the block.
http://i.imgur.com/KYkywGK.jpg
The Cpu block fitted, i wasn't sure how far to tighten the block down, really wish these things had a mark or something you could aim for, regardless, i tightened it until i was happy.
http://i.imgur.com/ONrvVRE.jpg
Gpu and Cpu blocks installed.
http://i.imgur.com/0wNj35W.jpg
Next up was getting the Res/Pump into location and both rads, i decided to mount the EK on top and the Gt on the bottom, going against my original plan which was to mount a rad on the front, mainly to make the tubing a little better to look at.
http://i.imgur.com/SfArO3e.jpg
Moving on to installing the compression fittings, had an assortment of normal, 45's and 90's to use, it was tough going on my fingers and i have to the blisters to show for it.
http://i.imgur.com/ieykbl7.jpg
Starting on running the tubing.
http://i.imgur.com/ZJ8fuzE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/NUGz3R3.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/l3ELXLg.jpg
Finished
http://i.imgur.com/GOIQyda.jpg
On to filling, my nerves were completely shot by now, had my fingers crossed, double check everything i'd done.. and began to pour..
http://i.imgur.com/be5Z2va.jpg
Success!, not leaks! and a few jumps of the psu to get the coolant circulated resulted in this.
http://i.imgur.com/veoRsyo.jpg
Had a nasty air pocket, but a few shakes seems to have done the trick.
http://i.imgur.com/lkSPo4A.jpg
and so, that's how it stayed for a few hours, i didn't move, just constantly checking for any signs of a leak.. there were none, a job well done.
http://i.imgur.com/CS8sgOs.jpg
That's how it stayed until this morning when the Corsair SP fans turned up, i got them installed quickly.
http://i.imgur.com/zAykjH1.jpg
Tired, chuffed and with a cup of tea in hand, i sat down and just looked at it, it was finally done, something i'd wanted to do for so long was complete, it also acts as symbol for me that things are finally moving in the direction that i want them too.
The finished system.
Future plans include adding a second 290X or changing to a 290X lightning, getting a new Psu and moving to Haswell E, but for now, I'm just going to enjoy it.
Cheers for looking guys, i appreciate it, thanks to Paul, Ploppy2k3 and all the others that helped me along the way with answers to my questions and advice.
Dave.
As some of you maybe aware, i've been wanting to do full loop watercool for quite some time, it had to be red and i still remember my first go at it with a 9800pro and using DangerDen bits.
Unfortunately my first attempt back then didn't work out quite so well, with a mixture of rushing to get it finished before heading off to Iraq and my lack of knowledge and skill, it resulted in x1 dead 9800pro
Fast forward a few years and having left the Army, i found myself working for Asda, which i hated, but it allowed me the chance to save up enough money to get myself a decent rig finally and my intention was to do a full loop.
But, as it is with life, happiness can be taken just as quick as it's given and i found myself in a very dark place shortly after due to issues with PTSD.
I'd always known that i had underlying issues, even before leaving the army, things like Hypervigilance and recurring nightmares, but i suppose like a lot of soldiers and ex squaddies, i just got on with it which turned out to be a big mistake.
In a very short space of time, i found myself unable to leave the house, talk to friends or family and was bombarded with constant flashbacks, thankfully though, with the help of my family, my truly amazing girlfriend and a Veteran's counsellor, I'm finally getting on top of it and turning it around.
Resulting in me only recently getting a new job in an area that i've wanted to work in since leaving the army, but better yet, the ability to get this full loop sorted once and for all!
Before i get cracking with pics, some of you may be wondering why the life story intro.. Well, tbh, i've read countless project threads and while the systems people build are truly incredible, I've always felt that it's a very generic thing,"This is what i bought, this is how i put it together, this what it looks like finished".
As I've mentioned, having a Good spec rig that's got a full loop in it has been something i've wanted to do for a long time, it's not just a case of spending money and putting it together, at least not for me, it's a personal thing, it's not just a project thread.. it's MINE.
Anyway, on to the build!
Money is still tight at the moment so lots of the parts were bought secondhand where possible.
Specs
Pump/Res: XSPC X2O 750 Dual Bayres/Pump (Black) V4
Gpu block: EK Water Blocks EK-FC R9-290X - Nickel (Original CSQ)
Backplate: EK Water Blocks EK-FC R9-290X Backplate - Black
Cpu block: EK-Supreme LTX - Nickel CSQ Intel CPU Waterblock
Mayhems Pastel - Red Coolant 1L
Primochill Primoflex Advanced Tubing 13/10 - Clear
XSPC EX240
Black Ice Stealth GT 240
So that's what i had, a decent enough spec for what i'll be using it for, and it cost me 210 pounds all in!
** Images wider than 1280 pixels should be linked or placed in spoiler tags **
http://i.imgur.com/5bwTPzC.jpg
Some D day was friday and i got to it straight after work
Sorry for the crap pics, all i had was my phone, i'll grab the camera out later and get some better shots.
GPU block first.
http://i.imgur.com/pHtyNqZ.jpg
Then the backplate.
http://i.imgur.com/WLrxsNR.jpg
The finished article, looks fantastic and a damn sight quieter than the stock blower.
http://i.imgur.com/hOkTTju.jpg
On to sorting the cpu out, i may need to reapply paste on this, as all i had was AS 5, not the best stuff to be using and probably better paste available I'd imagine now.
Cpu backplate.
http://i.imgur.com/uJyqQDJ.jpg
Nice clean cpu ready to fit the block.
http://i.imgur.com/KYkywGK.jpg
The Cpu block fitted, i wasn't sure how far to tighten the block down, really wish these things had a mark or something you could aim for, regardless, i tightened it until i was happy.
http://i.imgur.com/ONrvVRE.jpg
Gpu and Cpu blocks installed.
http://i.imgur.com/0wNj35W.jpg
Next up was getting the Res/Pump into location and both rads, i decided to mount the EK on top and the Gt on the bottom, going against my original plan which was to mount a rad on the front, mainly to make the tubing a little better to look at.
http://i.imgur.com/SfArO3e.jpg
Moving on to installing the compression fittings, had an assortment of normal, 45's and 90's to use, it was tough going on my fingers and i have to the blisters to show for it.
http://i.imgur.com/ieykbl7.jpg
Starting on running the tubing.
http://i.imgur.com/ZJ8fuzE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/NUGz3R3.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/l3ELXLg.jpg
Finished
http://i.imgur.com/GOIQyda.jpg
On to filling, my nerves were completely shot by now, had my fingers crossed, double check everything i'd done.. and began to pour..
http://i.imgur.com/be5Z2va.jpg
Success!, not leaks! and a few jumps of the psu to get the coolant circulated resulted in this.
http://i.imgur.com/veoRsyo.jpg
Had a nasty air pocket, but a few shakes seems to have done the trick.
http://i.imgur.com/lkSPo4A.jpg
and so, that's how it stayed for a few hours, i didn't move, just constantly checking for any signs of a leak.. there were none, a job well done.
http://i.imgur.com/CS8sgOs.jpg
That's how it stayed until this morning when the Corsair SP fans turned up, i got them installed quickly.
http://i.imgur.com/zAykjH1.jpg
Tired, chuffed and with a cup of tea in hand, i sat down and just looked at it, it was finally done, something i'd wanted to do for so long was complete, it also acts as symbol for me that things are finally moving in the direction that i want them too.
The finished system.
Future plans include adding a second 290X or changing to a 290X lightning, getting a new Psu and moving to Haswell E, but for now, I'm just going to enjoy it.
Cheers for looking guys, i appreciate it, thanks to Paul, Ploppy2k3 and all the others that helped me along the way with answers to my questions and advice.
Dave.
Last edited:
will update in a sec with better pics.