Project: JR2.0

[JR23]

Hello OCUK, firstly I apologize for not posting this log as it unfolded however I was building two rigs and working/getting ready to go back to University all in a very short space of time so I could only find the hours to maintain one build log. I will do my best to fill you in on everything that happened and the back story and follow it with a 'rig gallery' post with the finished pictures. I know I am not a regular contributor to OCUK forums but I seem to spend a surprising amount of time in the shop so...


The build started in early august and immediately took the name JR2.0, a combination of the case which I intended to use and my username, additionally it was also my secondary rig. Because of that I had to be quite tight with the budget and limited myself to £1k for the major components. The purpose of the build was to sit beneath my TV as a console replacement come HTPC making noise and aesthetics the primary considerations over performance. My room is black and red so conveniently my hardware choices followed that and the entire spec fell into place.

Intel i5-4690k
Asus Maximus VII Gene
Asus Striker GTX760
Corsair Vengeance Pro 2x4GB 2400MHz
Corsair Force LX 256GB
Corsair RM650
Corsair Hydro Series H105
Corsair SP120 Performance Edition PWM x4

Over the next few days the components started to trickle in and with a PSU and Memory kit borrowed from another build I managed to get what I had booted and checked over.









Perhaps not the most traditional gaming orientated peripheral but this K830 keyboard was perfect for the environment in which the build would be used.



The next parcel to arrive was the glorious ROG Striker GTX760 and RM650, it was a tough decision between this and the DCUii 280x however in the end backplates and colour won over shear price/performance.





Move aside Dominator Platinums, words rarely spoken however Vengeance Pro looked so right for this build.







So that just left one component! and fear not because the best truly did wait until last.



And then thanks to the epic modularity and thought that goes into every Parvum everything soon fell into place.



Those paying very close attention out there will notice that this S2.0 is missing a couple of things. Thats how I wanted it as where it will sit the back is equally as prominent as the front, thankfully Parvum were very obliging and cut a few things from the drawing.



That left just some very sexy MDPC-X sleeved PSU cables from Pexon PC's and I could crack on with the final assembly.







Thanks for reading through the much condensed build log, I hope you are enjoying it so far and it won't be long until I am back with the rig gallery

JR

 

[JR23]

Here are the final specifications and photographs of JR2.0.

Intel i5-4690k
Asus Maximus VII Gene
Asus Striker GTX760
Corsair Vengeance Pro 2x4GB 2400MHz
Corsair Force LX 256GB
Corsair RM650
Corsair Hydro Series H105
Corsair SP120 Performance Edition PWM x4
Custom sleeved RM650 cables by Pexon PC's using MDPC-X
Custom Parvum Systems S2.0

LG 47LB730V
Logitech K830









































Thank you for reading through and looking at the pictures, your support is much appreciated, I would be happy to hear any thoughts or comments you have on the build and I will do my best to answer your questions.

JR


P.S. Do you think I should post my other build on OCUK

 

[JR23]

Awesome builds mate, can't believe that's your "secondary rig"

Really stunning builds. In fact stunning pics too - you do your own photography?

Yep I take all of the photographs for my logs and gallery mostly just on my desk, I have a Lumix GF2 and a little bit of 4/3 kit that seems to do quite well when the light is good enough.

that looks awesome! unbelievable.
and I thought it looked quite good without a case already haha.

and yes. yes you should

Ok boss, I shall crack on with a build log of αclass later and try and get some more final shots this week.

Thanks guys. JR

 

[JR23]

Thanks everyone.

Them Bends look really clean in the Corsair Rig

I suppose I better start work on the project log then

JR

 

[JR23]

Very sexy, tidy and excellent choices too!

How much did this build cost you if you don't mind me asking?

Thank you, the original set of core components was £1k but then with cables, shipping and a couple of other costs it probably came out at very close to £1200 excluding keyboard and TV.

JR

 

[JR23]

Thanks for you comments everyone

nice build, love the black-red Parvum S2.0, cant wait for their ATX case to come out.

Yes that will be game changing but I think the ITX case is probably next on the table to go mainstream, there are a fair few around now.

That's an absolute beauty!

On a side note what is that tv model in the op?

Thanks, it's an LG 47LB730V.

Hi JR, are you going to mod a Stetson onto that case?

I guess it could hold my hat. JR is my initials and also my dads so i'm JR Jr. really but I am also an honorary American.

Stunning, I don't like Red & Black builds but this is as clean as they come.

Well done

Yeah there does seem to be a lot of negativity around red and black right now, either for being over done or perhaps that it's just easy to follow ROG branding. Personally I like it and I tried also to follow the colour scheme of my room. I am open to any colour scheme as long as it works and is well balanced. My next build probably won't be red, high quality motherboards seem to be more diverse than ever.

JR

 

[JR23]

JR2.0 Update!

So I may have got a little carried away with the OCUK black friday deals and picked up a new centerpiece for JR2.0, an Asus ROG 780Ti Matrix Platinum. This upgrade will also entail a few little tweaks to the case, maybe a lot of tweaks if this beast doesn't fit and some small changes to the cabling, perhaps some lighting too.











JR

 

[JR23]

I dropped by OCUK earlier today and picked up some watercooling goodies for JR2.0, what started as a GPU upgrade has somewhat snowballed into new cooling, a new SSD, case mods and more custom cables putting the new parts list as follows...

Asus ROG GTX780Ti Matrix Platinum
Fractal Design Kelvin S24
Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB
EKWB EK-Tube ZMT 16/10mm Matte Black
EKWB EK-CSQ Compression Fittings 10/16mm Black Nickel
EKWB EK-AF 90 Deg Rotaries Black Nickel
XSPC AX240 Black
XSPC EC6 Coolant Clear

I've put what I have together just to see how it's going to look, nothing is final just yet, this was just the logical way it went together. I wanted to use Matt Black tubing because there isn't really any glossy parts to the build and I thought clear, red or shiny black tubing wouldn't balance right. The only available option was EK-ZMT in 10/16 and it looks sweet. I had been very impressed with EK fittings in the past, especially with the quality of plating so went for black nickel AF rotaries and CSQ compression fittings. I did look at XSPC compression fittings but they didn't look right with the rotaries. Maybe I should have gone with black fittings but I just thought the dark nickel matched all of the capacitors and components on the motherboard.

Using the Kelvin allowed me to get much tighter tubing runs by cleanly bringing the fittings out on the bottom side of the block. The main reason I changed from the H105 was because of the pump noise, it was the loudest part of the rig, I tested the Kelvin before disassembling it and found it to be much quieter and it made a far more palatable hum with absolutely no vibration. Performance isn't a major concern but hopefully the XSPC rad will deliver.





So far i'm happy with the way it looks but I really can't wait to get the tool-less PCI back end for the case, the pump cover needs some detailing to bring everything together too.

JR

 

[JR23]

I assume the Fractal isnt from ocuk they dont stock Fractal stuff. Looks very sweet though m8 how is that Fractal cooler whats the noise like from it?

No it's from the only UK retailer who currently have them

Just put it back in the rig after filling it, with the pump maxed out it does make a bit of noise but i'll probably run it at 7v just to be as quiet as possible. With the window on and 4x 650RPM fans you can barely hear it. It does make quite a pleasant noise. It's definitely worth noting that the Parvum seems to exaggerate vibrations. In a normal case and any environment other than a totally silent room I don't think you would ever notice it.

JR

 

[JR23]

Just installed the OS and had a little play with OCCT (AVX Compatible Linpack mode). With the fans at 725RPM and the pump at 7v i'm getting load temps of 50C and idle temps of 25C (4690k @stock). Pretty cool!

JR

 

[JR23]

I really like your build - what tv is that btw?

Thanks dude, it's an LG 47LB730V.

JR

 

[JR23]

I've got the Kelvin sorted out and setup properly now with the Matrix Platinum fitted too. I've been giving JR2.0 a thorough testing with Black Flag, Hitman and Assetto Corsa and it's fairing incredibly well. The graphics card happily sits at 1280MHz while keeping composed at ~78°C with the fans at 1500RPM. The CPU is pinned at 52°C with the fans and pump on their lowest setting.



I have it sitting up on my desk at the moment with all my sexy black and red stuff.

Monitor: Asus ROG PG278Q Swift
Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K70 Cherry MX Reds
Mouse: Mad Catz M.O.U.S.9
Surface: Corsair Vengeance MM200
Headphones: Beyerdynamic MANUFAKTUR DT990 250Ω
Dog: Springer Spaniel (English Layout) Black - Jesse









DOGE!



JR

 

[JR23]

Lol i love those English layout dogs

This is England, we speak English, we write in English. Can't be handling those US format dogs.

really considering a parvum and builds like these make me want it more haha

Is what you need good sir is a Parvum! It's a level of commitment that you owe to your build, to show it your most complete affection.

At times i wish i went for a striker

Ermmm ahh... yeah the Striker was a great card, so cool and quiet with the way oversized cooler. The Matrix has quite a bit more heft to it and it spits out a biblical amount of pixels but you can tell you are stressing it. I genuinely couldn't make the Striker's load indicator turn full red, with all of the volts the stock BIOS had and all the overclock I could get it just sat there like meh... bit orange. Sometimes the fans hit 45%, the performance was modest but I would have to say it's the most 'fun' graphics card i've owned.

Love the colour coordination. Even the curtains and bike match up!

Naturally. The bike is actually an anniversary Stumpjumper in Specialized team colours, just happens to be black and red. The rims, rear mech, forks... are all specific colour coded parts.

And yeah the rest of the room is appointed and furnished within the aforementioned red/black/grey spec. It actually suits my big rig better, I guess i'll have to do a cave thread for you guys on OCUK, hmm where might be the most appropriate section.

JR

 

[JR23]

Did you mod those beyers yourself?

Great build!

No they aren't modded they are custom direct from Beyer, the finish of every part is different to standard Pro/Edition DT990's. Much like colorware you can choose everything and considering I ordered them right before Christmas they came pretty fast, it was 9 days from ordering to shipping.



Beyerdynamic MANUFAKTUR DT990 250Ω
-Matt Red Yokes and Aluring
-Black soft touch Housing, Mounting, End Piece and Cover
-Black Velour Ear pads
-Black Leather Headband

JR

 

[JR23]

Hello guys, i've just got back from i54 so it's time to get the build logs in order! I finished JR2.0 last september but I always had a few niggles with it that I knew could be improved, then the OCUK boys lured me into buying a Matrix Platinum, then a Neutron XT and various sexy watercooling parts!

I didn't need to take it completely apart, but it's always nice to clean behind the motherboard and really easy to get fingerprints off the case when it's apart. Besides I had like 3 hours to put it back together.



Parvum made a legendary job of the Kelvin cover plate, when I opened it I was surprised to see gloss black acrylic with raised letters but the contrast is amazing. I think I may have misinterpreted 'AIO' but with an XSPC rad, Corsair fans, EK fittings, MDPC-X sleeve and a Parvum cover this Kelvin is dank, kudos fractal!



I almost forgot the Neutron XT too, so much black and red love.



Pexon made me some more little bits over Christmas too changing the 6-pin PCI to another 8-pin for the mighty Matrix as well as a swag LED strip. It took a bit of deciding where to put it but I think I got it right.



It made i54 and I managed not to break it. Final pics II incoming.

JR

 

[JR23]

Well for the second time it's the final pics for JR2.0, now with loads of goodies OCUK tempted me into buying.

JR2.0 by JR23

Case - Custom Parvum S2.0
CPU - Intel i5-4690K
Motherboard - Asus ROG Z97 Maximus VII Gene
RAM - Corsair Vengeance Pro 2400C11 2x4GB
GPU - Asus ROG GTX780Ti Matrix Platinum
SSD - Corsair Neutron XT 240GB
PSU - Corsair RM650
Cables - Bespoke MDPC-X by Pexon PC's

Fans - Corsair SP120 PWM x4
Pump/Block - Fractal Design Kelvin
Radiator - XSPC AX240
Fittings - EK CSQ 12/16 Black Nickel
Tubing - EK ZMT 12/16 Matt Black
Rotaries - EK AF Black Nickel























































Thanks for following the build and checking this out. I think it's finished now, you know how it is, right guys?

JR

 

[JR23]

This looks awesome. Well done, I love it. The 5th picture up from the bottom reminds me of one of the bad guys in a kids tv show

So much perspective Thanks.

Wonderful build! So clean and perfect. Did Parvum make new back plates just for you and a single GPU? I really like the look and it seems to hold the GPU in place better than the current model does. I would be interested in getting the same as you have, since I will only run single GPU.

Yeah i've had two sets from them, originally if you look at the early pics I just had a regular back end without the fan mounts. The current one has the tool less style mounting from the X1.0 however because the case isn't inverted it goes together slightly differently. It fits together extremely tightly and the card essentially presses into the outer piece, we did it that way so the card fits as snug as possible and the hole is exactly the same size as the IO plate. I'm sure they would cut you one just like mine but just bear in mind that I hand finished it with a needle file. It's been done in a way that was best for me, not necessarily everyone. Drop Parvum an email and i'm sure they will be happy to hook you up.

It's also worth noting that the exposed red accent on the right was changed to be the same width as the accents on the front of the case. Just because without the PCI mounting plate cutout it could be.

Did they charge you extra for the backplate without the 80mm fan slots?

No, I ordered the S2.0 directly from Parvum last September and let them know i'd like it cut without USB ports or 80mm fan mounts and it was the same price as a regular S2.0.

JR

 

[JR23]

I couldn't resist a few shots of my Parvums together when I got home from Insomnia, seeing them next to each other really gives the some scale. It's not like JR2.0 is big but it makes Chocolate Box look tiny















JR

 

[JR23]

Very nice

Just out of interest, what camera did you use for these pictures?

All the pics in this thread were taken with my Lumix GF2 and the standard 14-42 lens, mostly just natural lighting, full manual, all that stuff. It does ok now I know how to use it can't wait to get a big camera one day but builds first!

JR

 

[JR23]

If id of known u was at iseries id of popped by for ideas for my parvum.. damn

I think i did see u running through area near stairs/lift with it Friday morning though? Unless someone else had a red and black parvum

Excellent build as said before

There was actually another red and black S2.0 there but if it was Friday morning then that was probably me.

outstanding work mate! love it

Thank you

JR