Project: FRB

[Dirk Diggler]

MM Sale Thread: https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=29145685#post29145685


Having spent another full day of to and fro and justifying a purchase to myself, I've finally realised the obvious: I'll never be content with what I have. As soon as the latest one is built, I need a new project to be pottering on with. It's a never ending process, and in Scotland this is known as the Forth Rail Bridge Effect

As I progress, I'll usually find parts have become surplus to requirements and I'll sell them on. I always sell in the MM as I prefer to see well looked after kit go back to the OCUK community. I prefer to buy new kit for warranty reasons, but I've been known to pick up a bargain or two in the MM also. See the link under the bridge if you want to buy any of my "no longer required" kit. Please do not discuss items for sale in this project log thread

Current objective: Get the secondary system put together and plan how to apply the next coat of paint - A full custom loop for the main system that I may build in a Parvum S2.0 or maybe a different case.


More to follow...

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Current main rig:



5930k ([email protected]) | ASUS Rampage V | 980Ti SLI (Classy+Hybrid) | Acer X34a | Air540 | Samsung 950 Pro | SF 1200w Platinum | NH-D15S | 32GB Vengeance 2400 DDR4 CL14




Current "secondary" rig:

 

[Dirk Diggler]

First move is to get the second system up and running, then get some plans made. This system is used in my conservatory for general TV/Movies and also doubles up as a gaming system for my son. He's a PS4 boy but he enjoys use of my Steam library and has been known to add a few titles of his own . No monitor here, it's all getting hooked up to a 40" LCD TV.

Most goodies have arrived to allow me to get the secondary system built. Just waiting for the case from Ocuk and a Corsair H80i that I picked up in the MM. I also got the CPU/Mobo/RAM bundle & GPU in the MM.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x Parvum Systems Veer 1.0 ITX Case - Blacked Out= £89.99
• 1 x Asus Z170I Pro Gaming Intel Z170 (Socket 1151) DDR4 Mini ITX Motherboard= £134.99
• 1 x Intel Core i5-6600K 3.9GHz (Skylake) Socket LGA1151 Processor - Retail= £205.99
• 1 x Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-24000C15 3000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMK16GX4M2B30= £65.99
• 1 x Super Flower Leadex Platinum 550W Fully Modular "80 Plus Platinum" Power Supply - Black= £87.95
• 1 x Kingston 120GB SSDNow V300 Drive SATA 6Gb/s 3 2.5" (7mm height) Solid State Hard Drive - (SV300S37A/= £34.99
• 1 x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £259.99
• 1 x be quiet! Shadow Wings Fan PWM - 80mm= £9.95
• 2 x Corsair Fan, SP120 PWM Low Noise High Pressure Fan 4 pin, Dual Pack (CO-9050012-WW)= £24.95
• 1 x Corsair Hydro Series H80i v2 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060024-WW)= £74.99

Total: £1,014.73
(includes shipping: £0.00)
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CPU/MOBO/RAM : https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=29620221#post29620221
H80i : https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=29609767#post29609767
970 G1 Gaming : https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=29618380#post29618380

 

[Dirk Diggler]

This build is almost identical to mine... except I've opted for the Phanteks Enthoo Pro Mid Tower in white instead of the Parvum case

Chances are though yours will be built long before mine as I'm buying components a month at a time to keep costs down

I need to keep it as small as possible as it's being positioned on a shelf under the TV (wall mounted).

I do like the Phanteks case and am considering it for my main build, but first impressions are it's just a bit big to be sat on the desk.

Enjoy your build.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Time to get busy...

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Update : Initial build and some testing (and some headaches).











At this point, I need to disregard Parvum's instructions as they show a panel being fitted that doesn't exist. I've also noticed another couple of anomolies with screw sizes etc, so might as well just work it out and crack on IKEA style.





















At this point, I realised that there would be no secondary top panel which also means those zinc screws are visible. They will have to be changed for black.











With back panel fitted with one bolt, I now need to install the motherboard and GPU before I go any further. This is because of the unique support design for the GPU.





A little picture of the motherboard with a packet of Haribo in there to give an idea of scale, it's tiny!

Excuse the rusty old dryer for a workbench.





























Towering over the mobo, this thing is huge and will surely keep things nice and cool...








A little snobbery here, using a Noctua industrial in place of the supplied fan.





And it's all for nothing, as the cooler is too large. I wish I had checked before pasting and bolting up.

The product page for the case says max height 160mm and the page for the cooler says it is 158mm high. Tight, but it should have worked out. It turns out that 160mm is a typo on the OCUK website, and Parvum have it listed as max height of 150mm.

So, Intel stock cooler it is.























You can see the fixing method for the GPU, and TBH I think it's pretty poor considering the size and weight of modern GPU's.





Managed to squeeze in a cheeky 4TB mech drive as a temporary measure while I source some decent sized SSD's. I reckon you could fit 4 SSD's on the little shelf at the top where the OS drive is hanging at the minute.





Something really strange happened when I installed that front fan (left hand side). It made an unbearable racket, a really loud hum. After changing fans out and getting the same result, I finally switched it from intake to extract and the sound was gone. I really didn't see that one coming.

I also changed the little 80mm BeQuiet fan from extract to intake and fitted a little dust filter betweem the fan and the case (you can just see the filter if you look closely).

Next job for me will definitely be some cable braiding, those stock PSU cables are horrid, as is the red plugs. What are SuperFlower thinking about with them?





And in it's natural habitat, ready for some gaming.


Next on the list is to braid some cables, and work out how to get the CPU cooled properly before I overclock it.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Stress testing now complete. I never run Prime95 or similar unrealistic programs. It's like driving your car 60mph for 24hours in 1st gear, it might tell you the engine is robust but what's the point?

I ran Handbrake for half an hour to test the CPU temperature, and I ran 20 loops of Firestrike Extreme to test the GPU temps. As the CPU is at stock BIOS settings due to the lack of decent cooling, I'm not too concerned about stability only temperature.

One thing that strikes me here is just how capable this system is at stock settings. Sometimes we spend a heap of cash when "out the box" is every bit as good for the intended use. Obviously, I'm not going to leave this system as it is... I'm just making the point.

It's cool, quiet and very capable. A good foundation to build on.



Handbrake for 30 mins




Firestrike for 20 loops at Extreme




GPU stats from Firestrike run.
http://i.imgur.com/XyUtWaD.png


Now, for some cable braiding research to see if we can make things a little prettier.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Agreed.

I'm planning something a little bit different for the water cooling and it's related to the small form factor and it's restrictions.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Having researched the braiding aspect, I think I'll have to rule it out.

• The majority of the cable will be hidden in the PSU compartment.
• The case is so small that by the time the water cooling components are installed, any cable in the front will be barely noticed.
• The Superflower 8 pin PCI-E only have 6 cores, with some loop links and resistors attached.

Rather than invest the considerable time, I'm going to install some extensions instead.

Now to plan the waterworks, and that's going to be tight too... But worth the challenge (I hope).

 

[Dirk Diggler]

That poor GPU. Surely you must be able to attach it to the case somehow or at least allow less wiggle room with the current "mounting" system.

I think I'll need to rely on some hard pipe to keep it supported

EDIT: Having researched 13mm hard pipe, the materials and required tools are very difficult to come by. It seems most builds are done with 16mm pipe, but there's no way I could achieve the required bends in such a restricted space.

Con: I'll have to abandon the custom loop for the time being and either fit a decent heatsink or maybe a H80i. I can revisit this when it's time to downgrade one of the 980ti from the main rig. A custom loop in such a small case is a challenge I definitely want to take on at some point.

Pro: The main rig has no such restrictions on tube dimensions, so planning can begin for that loop just as soon as I get the little build finished.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

480GB SSD has been sourced from MM (£50)
https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=29670463#post29670463

A tower cooler that actually fits is being sourced which will hopefully allow for a modest overclock to the i5 (£33) - 145mm tall, so should make it by 5mm this time.
http://www.cryorig.com/h7.php

Parts list for the aesthetics as follows:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 2 x E22 Clear 24 Slot Cable Comb (Small) 3mm= £1.55
• 10 x E22 Clear 8 Slot Cable Comb (Small) 3mm= £0.78
• 4 x E22 Clear 6 Slot Cable Comb (Small) 3mm= £0.70
• 2 x BitFenix Alchemy SATA 6GB/s braided cable 30cm - White= £5.99
• 1 x BitFenix Alchemy 24pin ATX extension 30cm - White= £8.99
• 1 x BitFenix Alchemy 8pin PCI-E extension 45cm - White= £6.95
• 1 x BitFenix Alchemy 6pin PCI-E extension 45cm - White= £6.49
• 1 x BitFenix Alchemy 8pin EPS extension 45cm - White= £5.99

Total: £62.80
(includes shipping: £8.70)
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[Dirk Diggler]

OcUK sell a value bundle for the Alchemy cables, saves you a few quid.

£62 is kind of steep imo.

I didn't notice that, I'll have a look.

Cheers.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

I've bought all the cables and tower cooler has arrived. I'll update next week when I've put it all together and I'll post details of the temperature improvement I've gained with the new cooler versus stock. I'll also push the chip a little and post details for those that may be interested if doing a similar build.

I've also bought the centre piece for my main rig overhaul.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x EK Water Blocks EK-FB ASUS R5E Monoblock - Nickel= £122.99

Total: £131.69
(includes shipping: £8.70)
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Just need to get hunting for a new case now... I fancy a change from the Air540.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

I'm not sure on the colour yet, it'll really depend on choice of case. I'm trying to take my time with selecting parts as it's going to be a fair financial outlay so I want the finished system to last.

I'm currently mulling over a black/white Phanteks and could possibly go with a deep striking color to contrast the monochrome and possibly compliment with nickel GPU backplates.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x Phanteks Enthoo Primo Full Tower - Black/White= £199.99

Total: £212.59
(includes shipping: £12.60)
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[Dirk Diggler]

Magenta pastel gets my main vote.

Very striking against black/nickle and very different to the standard popular colours you see on most builds at the moment.

Either that or Lime Green.....Oops, shouldn't have suggested that as I have a build in mind for Lime Green Pastel

And the Phanteks Enthoo Primo is a beauty of a case. I'm waiting on the release of the Enthoo Elite later this year and I will be getting one of those faster than a rat up a drainpipe!

Bit close to pink there with Magenta

I'm thinking of green or red or maybe even yellow. By the time I get the parts sourced I'm hoping that the 1080ti has been released. At that point I can decide on whether to stay 980ti SLI or upgrade to the 1080ti but the price of the new card is going to dictate that decision (have a feeling the price will be ridiculous).

And talking of ridiculous pricing, how much is that deluxe going to retail at?

 

[Dirk Diggler]

For anyone interested, the Cryorig H7 is the absolute perfect fit for the Parvum Veer ITX case. It makes it by 1mm and performance is terrific.

I'll update with some pics and facts and figures soon. It's too hot right now, and the beer's too cold.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Cheers, Mark.

I've decided to strip down my main rig and sell the 980ti Classified, which I would have kept if it would have fit in this little Parvum. Instead, I've put the 980ti Hybrid into the Parvum which has meant selling the 970 (lost out on £20 after posting and stuff, so not a bad result).

So here's the finished article. It's currently running my X34a while my main rig is being overhauled, and I have to say it's doing a stunning job!








I'll post some temperature tests later.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

So I ran the ASUS auto tune thingy and have got [email protected]. Temperature at full load is mid 60s. I'm happy to leave the little rig for now (further tweaking in future will be required).

Turning my attention to the main rig, and the choice of case took ages. The only other case that seems capable of accommodating the RVE and custom loop is the Phanteks Evolv and after tape measuring my man cave to within an inch of its existence... I have ruled the Evolv out and have decided to stick with my Air540.

Traditionally, an Air540 needs a 360 rad in front and 240 on top. However, I want a decent sized res and I'd also like to maintain a level of fresh air intake, so I've decided to go for 2*240 rads, one on top and one on base. Time to get the Dremmel out.





Rig stripped down and HDD bays cut off previously when I had two 140mm fans there. I don't think this will do for a radiator though.







I need to go the whole hog and create two full sized squares for maximum air flow through the rad.







Retaining the middle bar provides enough metal for attaching the rad from the bottom. As the rad will sit on the base of the case, I'm happy to secure with only the two decent fixings. The magnetic dust filter with fit here nicely.







You'd never know that any butchery had taken place.







Time to dig out the mobo...







... And fit this bad boy!













I really hope that isn't too much paste. It didn't look that much when I was installing it.













And now tucked away in its box while I work on the rest of the water cooling. I've got the res and pump arriving tomorrow and I will no doubt be cutting some more metal to get things to fit where I want.