PROJECT: BLACK

matt100 · 10 Dec 2006 at 18:25

I had a pc65b for ages, it was my 2nd ever case and I've kept it for 3 years(ish) through countless motherboards/gfx cards, from just about knowing how to put a pc together to first watercooling efforts to mastering (i think) watercooling, to phase and back again.

It was looking a bit worse for wear and I fancied something new.. but what?? Something different, as a business venture I'd been checking out anodizing so I decided the thing to go for was...

A pc7+ lol.. I got a black one, took it to bits and had the insides sent off to be blackened up.. wound up with this..

So I thought.. whats to go in it??

I thought phase was a laugh but too high maintenance for my liking, my favourite ever pc was my dual loop pc65 so I decided to go back to it and do it better than ever..

The plan was 2 120.1 rads, one for the cpu, one for the gfx (at the time that was an x2 3800 and x1900xt lol.. things have moved on in the last 4 months!)

I didn't want to trash the case, just tastefull mods.. I decided I wanted thermotubes on the outside of the case for the crazy scientist look and everything else inside so just 2 small cuts on the roof.

Wound up with this..

matt100 · 10 Dec 2006 at 18:25

quick message about the cooling/components...

I wound up putting it together when I had a E6700-ES and 7950GX2.. I first thougt about trying the gx2 spacer kit and 2 maze4s like this..

But unfortunately the gap was still too close, I couldn't link them with tubing without it kinking so I went for an EK 7950 block and an EK cpu block.

I also wanted no spare wiring so I got a sata dvdrw (HATE ide cables), black sata cables and sleeved everything including the psu and fan wires, then I had the power and ide leds changed from the pc7 standard orange and green to red and blue courtesy of welshtom (rip lol) and set about hidining all the cables...

I learned from experience that its almost impossible to connect a dual loop system up outside the case and then get it into the case with finger intact so I measured all the tubing with it installed and clamped it all inside too, very time consuming and painful but it worked..

Finally once it was all connected the read fan went in with foam spacers (blue peter style) incidentally I used the supplied gasket on the rads to dampen fan noise.

matt100 · 10 Dec 2006 at 18:26

So, it was all together, I stopped up for ages filling it and tipping it around to get rid of the air, I appear to have 1 nopisy pump but it sounds to be getting a bit better so I'll wait before I pass judgement..

I also used orange dye instead of red because the red looks pink and the orange looks red.. go figure.. anyway, the finished article..

matt100 · 10 Dec 2006 at 18:37

with air and crap cable management my 6700 was idling at 45ish, its now showing 28 which I doubt is correct but still like for like a 20 degree drop I'll take that.. similarly the gx2 is idling at 32, not had time to load them up yet.

Things I would/might change? the rubber slip mat under the thermotubes.. Not sure about that but they won't stay in their holders and lay flat due to tubing bend and I don't want them scratching the case.. I might just cut the mat down so you can't see it.

More lighting, there is a 4" uv cathode in between the thermotubes and one in the case but I think I'll get 1 more long one for inside so you can really see the tubing but thats it!

What do you think??

matt100 · 10 Dec 2006 at 21:30

messiah khan said:
Very nicely done Matt. Im loving the blue/red contrast. Weird how the orange looks really red as well. Does it look as red in real life as it does in the pics?

yep, I probably used too much lol.. but yes its very red unlike the pink I got from using a whole bottle of "red" last time.

TaKeN said:
Looks ace
( RIP TOM ) << He get banned or something ?

yeah, silly man

FrostedNipple said:
lol thank allahn i dont speak like an american, i like it, perhaps you could install water for me

btw are those black boxy things at the base of your case pumps?!

I could but then I'd probably wind up going the same way as tom lol.. and yes, they're pumps. DDC12v pumps to be precise.

messiah khan said:
Yup. Too much pimping his own company afaik.

yeah, 'fraid so

matt100 · 10 Dec 2006 at 22:42

SpudMaster said:
thought you could only get ddc pumps to fit 3/8th tubing unless they had a different top like the alphacool plexitop??

nope, they're 3/8 outlets with jubilee clamps tightened right down.

the difference between 3/8" and 1/2" is nowhere near as much as all the fuss would have you believe

matt100 · 10 Dec 2006 at 23:29

erm.. probably about a third of a bottle? tiny bottle though.. probably about a teaspoon?? maybe a little bit more.

matt100 · 11 Dec 2006 at 22:09

thank you!

quick update, pump noise has gone now too as I thought it might... currently rock solid at 3.6ghz

matt100 · 11 Dec 2006 at 23:57

2 x 120.1 £90
1 ek gfx £80
1 ek cpu £30
2 x pump £100
2 x res £30
tubing £15
fans £30
total £375

that sort of cost.. very quick guesstimate. Blimey.. thats expensive! Mind you, that could easily be chopped in half(ish)..

maze 4 gfx, 1 rad, no res, 1 pump, half the tubing so I wouldn't let £400 put you off.

matt100 · 13 Dec 2006 at 19:47

the internals cost about £50 but I have trade contacts, plus I did the taking apart and putting back together.

matt100 · 15 Dec 2006 at 01:53

just a bit of an update, with the house quite hot the temps have settled at mid 30s idle with the fans almost off and 1.45vcore. I'm considering adding another fan to the cpu loop to make it push/pull.

Secondly the pump noise isn't totally gone, I'm half planning to swap the pump out but that would be a leaky red mess of towels and kitchen roll. One for the weekend then

matt100 · 16 Dec 2006 at 18:43

no I've done that before and its made almost no difference, tbh the push pull wouldn't probably change much either, I mean how low can the temps actually go if my house is as warm as it is now (I'd guess mid 20s).

main reason for push pull would be to put a red led fan behind the front grill

matt100 · 5 Jan 2007 at 00:33

quick update, I went for push pull on the front, and removed a fan grill I put behind the front grill and now the cpu is sitting idle at 35 and loads to about 50.

I can live with that! (and i got my nice blue fan on the front of the pc)

matt100 · 6 Jan 2007 at 10:17

here you go!

matt100 · 7 Jan 2007 at 12:56

Crossy said:
ah nevermind ive just read that you added the Blue fan..which one is it? is it quite and how much did it cost?

thanks Ryan

its an akasa blue fan, I think it was about £10 but I've had it ages.. very quiet, I use akasa fans when I want colour ones because you can get them with 3 pin tails so I can put them in my fan controller.

matt100 · 7 Jan 2007 at 18:03

yeah, my msn email is in my profile.. should be on later

matt100 · 15 Jan 2007 at 23:08

its blue UV but not the invisible blue, its dark blue uv dye so you see it without the lights. Can't link you up but its easy enough to find

matt100 · 16 Jan 2007 at 21:59

YooEntSinMeROYT said:
Fantastic WC setup matt.

Has inspired me to go ahead with my multi-loop WC setup this year. Project for the summer I think.

my work here is done

matt100 · 16 Jan 2007 at 22:01

gt_junkie said:
Really looks awesome! Great work!

What temps do you have the GX2 running at now? I'd be real interested incase i chose to upgrade from my zalman fatal1ty's to watercooling!

Cheers in advance!

gt

cheers!

it idles at about 35, loads to about 50 although to be fair I rarely get the chance to put it under constant sustained load so that might go up a bit but that is with the 1 fan on the gpu rad basically off (5v).

Thats also permanently at 645/1500

matt100 · 12 Jun 2007 at 19:42

don't get on msn too often tbh, all I used for the top was a dremel and some files then covered the edges with blowhole trim