Project: FRB

Dirk Diggler · 12 Jul 2016 at 20:37

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)

Just need to get hunting for a new case now... I fancy a change from the Air540.

Quantum-192 · 12 Jul 2016 at 22:08

That monoblock is going to look really awesome on the MB. Looking forward to seeing it in place.

What coolant colour are you going to use?

Dirk Diggler · 13 Jul 2016 at 04:44

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)

Quantum-192 · 13 Jul 2016 at 10:21

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!

Dirk Diggler · 13 Jul 2016 at 12:31

Quantum-192 said:
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? :eek:

HPTL7 · 13 Jul 2016 at 15:32

that is one huge heatsink.

Dirk Diggler · 19 Jul 2016 at 21:20

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.

Mark_D · 20 Jul 2016 at 13:47

Every time I think about building an HTPC I always get carried away and think to myself "Well if I'm building a PC I may as well make it good enough for gaming". Basically this is exactly what would happen if Project HTPC ever got off the ground! Very nice String

Dirk Diggler · 20 Jul 2016 at 14:09

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 · 22 Jul 2016 at 21:07

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. :eek:

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. :cool:

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.