Project Omega (900D Build)

[Alasdairhurst]

Hey guys,
So, this is my first proper high end build, and my first foray into watercooling. My current rig was a pre made custom rig, and I've upgraded everything in it. The only thing left is the hard drive

Current Build (Upd. 12/06/2013)












Well, here it comes!

Confirmed:
Case: Corsair 900D
Power Supply: XFX Pro 1000w 80+ Platinum
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 512GB
Headset: Corsair Vengeance 2000
Speakers: Edifier R1600T
CPU: 4770k
GPU: Nvidia GTX 780
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z87X-OC
RAM: TeamGroup Vulcan Orange 2133Mhz 2x8GB

Watercooling: Tubing size not yet planned.
Radiators: 2x 480mm 60mm
CPU Block: Aqua Computer Cuplex Kryos XT
GPU Block: Aqua Computer Kryographics for GTX 780
Fans: 8x Scythe GT 1850
Pump: Aqua Computer Aquastream XT Ultra USB
Resevoir: 2x FrozenQ Liquid Fusion White tubed custom
Tubing: Primochill Primoflex Advanced Tubing - White
Fittings: Monsoon Orange compression fittings
Coolant: Aqua Computer Double Protect Ultra Clear or distilled water.

Concepts:

Original FT02 Build:

900D Concept:

I'll be going for a white alternative to that instead of green now.

External Power Switch:

The case will be at the back of the room behind the desk, so for ease of access i am building up an external power switch using a spare PCI bracket, some buttons and a stereo cable between the PC and the box.
When the cable in the back is removed, the circuit breaks and gives functionality back to the case power and reset.

Concept:

Progress:

11/06/2013 and earlier

























12/06/2013

Ok, started my first attempt at sleeving a spare cable...





But it failed!
Yeah... I put it too close to the hob and melted the plastic lol. I did better on the other side though.





TBC...

And here it comes...

11/06/2013 and earlier

Headset arrives! (With the 3.5mm cable for the power thingy )



Haribo!



One of these is mine





And here it is!



It's Massive!



PSU and SSD Arrive too.





PSU unboxing:





















Speakers came a while back:







12/06/2013

And it emerges out of the box from whence it came!







Placed on my desk.







The box takes up half of my room. Nowhere else to put it yet though... It doesn't even fit through the door to the loft where everything else is kept.



Shiny fans



"Installed" the PSU and the SSD





I "Stole" some grommets from my CM 690 II They fit exactly as I hoped. When i cover up all the unused holes, these will do nicely for the 8pins to hide the open holes at the top.



I think I'll look for some sleeving for the PSU next while I wait for the motherboard that I want to be released


Update: 19/06/2013

A few changes to my build:
I'll be doing for a black background as usual with white as a secondary colour, but adding orange highlights. I can get a cheaper board now that is still good, and fits in with the colour scheme. I can also use the orange square on my SSD. This adds a splash of warmth to the build

I got my sleeving and utilities and a 4pin extension to test on.

here's the "before" shot:



The ATX pin remover tool



Unfortunately it didn't manage to remove a single pin... So I picked up some paperclips and made my own tool



measuring the wire length for sleeving



voila!



Managed to stick on the ends and stop them fraying with contact adhesive. Let's see if it lasts



All sleeved! Looks better than I first expected. (I have orange and white heat shrink as a backup)







The money shot:



I also got some larger grommets as an alternative at the top. Big thanks to ToxicTBag (Tony)!

 

[Alasdairhurst]

Nice, gl with the build.

Thanks

Subbed. Love the switch idea, could you explain how you get it to link with the jacks? never seen this concept before.

Off topic you look like Jay from the inbetweeners

Well it's kinda hard to explain , I use the ground on the jack as a shared wire and then split to each individual button, and then the left and right on the jack are connected to the other side of the switches. On the other side, 2 sets of both the power and reset switches come off it. one set plug into the motherboard, and the other to the front panel. when the jack is plugged in, the circuit to the front panel is broken using the switch, and the external one is used.

oh, and thanks, i guess

 

[Alasdairhurst]

And updated! I'll be keeping most of the log in the first post to keep it tidy and i'll post a changelog in these bump posts

- added current build
- added 900D unboxing and showcase
- added first attempt at cable sleeving

 

[Alasdairhurst]

Update:
Started cable braiding
Changed build colours to orange, white and black for more flexibility.

I'll try to work on the other side of the switch and get that finished off

 

[Alasdairhurst]

White and Orange

Mine is Black and Orange

We can be orange bro's! If that's even a thing...

 

[Alasdairhurst]

Sorry about the lack of updates recently. The camera is away at the moment, so there should be some new piccys up next week

I have my 4770k, Z87-OC, a 480GB vertex 2e that I got of offer for steam games, and my GTX 780

Memory is on it's way. Gibbo has been kind enough to order in some 2x8GB orange teamgroup memory (2133mhz) for me

Hi there

Just set it up on pre-order:-

TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD316G2133HC11ADC01) @ £129.95 inc VAT

Named after the god of fire in Greek mythology, the Team Vulcan is the combination of high-end craftsmanship and top-notch technology. The short version heat sink of Team Vulcan prevents difficulty in installation due to large and bulky heat dissipation device of motherboard. The arrow-shaped opening design helps increase heat dissipation. In addition, the explosively red color combined with diamond cut pattern not only shows great texture but also the crazy sensation of over-clocking speed.

Made of chips from major manufacturers, Team Vulcan passes series of harsh testing and verification procedures which have proven its stability and durability. Currently, DDR3 2400 CL10, DDR3 2133 CL11, DDR3 1866 CL9/10/11 and DDR3 1600 CL9 are available to cover the mainstream Dual- and Quad-channel specifications that pretty much satisfy the demands of players of all levels.

Features:-
- Module Type 240Pin Unbuffered DIMM Non ECC
- CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS 11-11-11-31
- DRAM Density 128x8 / 256x8 / 512x8
- Data transfer bandwidth 17,100MB/Sec (PC3 17100)
- Heat Sink Aluminum heat-sink
- Working voltage 1.55V-1.65V
- Warranty Lifetime warranty
- Haswell & AMD Richland compatible


Only £129.95 inc VAT.

ORDER NOW

Ordered 10 kits, shall leave Taiwan Friday, hopefully arrive Tuesday next week.

so there's 9 left for anyone who wants them

 

[Alasdairhurst]

Started writing a reply earlier but it got lost

Finally an update with pictures after a while

I have some new hardware since the last time, and i've done a test built to check everything out.

I have:
Intel Core i7 4770k
Aquacomputer Aquaero 5
Aquacomputer Aquastream XT Ultra
8x Scythe GT 1850
2x XSPC AX480
OCZ Vertex 2e 480gb
Gainward Nvidia GTX 780
Gigabyte Z87X-OC

I'm still sleeving the cables, but the ones that are done look great so far

I ordered 2 Liquid Fusion 250mm reservoirs from FrozenQ with custom white tubes and white LED's so they should arrive sometime this month hopefully.

Here are the pics then

The box



Opening



tada!



a close up



angle shot



New GPU vs Old GPU (stock coolers) - the old one now has an Arctic cooling accelelro extreme II but the card has a new owner now



Motherboard





Accessories



Here it is!



adding the GPU and nice sleeving



Close up of the sleeving



The vertex 2 this time



In the box...



And out



The memory from the last post



In the board (Looking good)



Another shot



The CPU from the front



the side



The chip itself



Now the fan controller:



Accessories



Close up



Out of the box



Pumpin'









All the fans



Close up



Finally the radiators





The motherboard backplate; Nice and squishy on the back, and doesn't have the metal still there from being punched like the cheaper boards do.



Basic test setup with the cables I have and the *sigh* stock cooler







All that's left now is the waterblocks, fittings, tubing and coolant to be ordered, the reservoirs to arrive, the other side of the power button to be finished, the carbon fibre finish and covering for the unused areas, fan painting, and the rest of the cable sleeving

Quite a way yet, but hopefully i can finish by the end of the summer

 

[Alasdairhurst]

Just got confirmation that my reservoirs have shipped so they should be here in 3-5 days

 

[Alasdairhurst]

I did some benchmarks with my new GPU. It looks like the CPU makes a lot of difference though in valley:

The GTX 780 is overclocked in both cases to 1.2Ghz core (+200), 7.2Ghz effective memory (+600). I may be able to get more with watercooling it.
The CPU on the new rig isn't overclocked, but the 1100t is slightly overclocked to 3.5ghz

Current Rig
New Rig

 

[Alasdairhurst]

Looking great so far man, really like the colour scheme.

I have the same surname as you which is pretty uncommon up here in Scotland.

Thanks! I have a few more blocks and things now, but I still have the reservoirs to come as they were stuck in parcelforce's version of customs but i've managed to sort it out and delivery is "arranged" it should be 48hr but i'm yet to see any movement. Once you see it all together, you'll be able to see the scheme in it's true colours

The other side of the power button is almost finished. i checked out the switching mechanism for the two sets of buttons and they worked, but after soldering it doesn't work, so i've ordered a more robust 6.25mm mount for in the computer and hopefully that should solve the issues.

 

[Alasdairhurst]

Thanks!

The reservoirs came at 9AM today and they look fantastic! I just need to figure out how to unscrew them and replace the cathodes that i got with it, then sleeve the little switch that comes with the cathode converter as I never even knew i was getting one.
Then i'll post up all the latest pics

 

[Alasdairhurst]

Finally the new update

This features:
2x FrozenQ 250mm Liquid Fusion Custom White.
AquaComputer Cuplex Kryos XT
PrimoChill Primoflex Advanced White 13/10 tubing
Finished cable sleeving

Update on the external power switch:









all sleeved



Build log update

The reservoirs!!!


Individual shot


Non lit


PCI bracket switch. Looks terrible and unsleeved.


Soon took care of that. Cut off the extension which was just in the way and stopped me sleeving one of the cables without having to cut and reattach it.


The tubing. Very flexible and looks great!


the CPU Waterblock


More box


Accessories






The actual block


Finally the finished power cable sleeving!

 

[Alasdairhurst]

They don't come cheap For my custom ones that fit in with my build it cost the following:

Subtotal $236.98
Shipping & Handling $57.40
Discount (SUMMER13) -$35.55
Grand Total $258.83

+ £21.37 VAT charge on the customs.

but if you buy the standard colour ones from over here it costs about £60 each.

 

[Alasdairhurst]

Update time Got lots more stuff today.

The external power switch is now soldered and ready. Just needs some tube covering and coating and it's ready. I created a new PCI bracket for the (now 6.25mm) jack on the PC side for the switch and used the same bracket for the cathode LED switch.

Anyway, lots of watercooling stuff came today

The coolant.


The new fan for the back of the case. I may spray the blades white.


Out of the box


Included accessories are a fan speed reducer and a fan cable extender.


And orange mounting thingies


the extra cables. Slightly different shade than my other cables which is disappointing, but i need to find some way of getting the sata cable to be long enough to show the cable on both sides - the SSD when it is mounted and on the motherboard.


Unwrapped


GPU block and fittings




Fittings which won't be visible


Monsoon!


Straight fittings


90 degree fitting


All together


Tube snipper


And the GTX 780 engraved waterblock


All the components are ready now (Just case modding things left)

 

[Alasdairhurst]

I was hoping people would still have some interest I'm working on a custom carbon fiber wrapped back and midplate at the moment and should have an update coming soon once they are all cut out

Since you are the corsair rep Greybeard, i was wondering if getting a replacement acrylic window (possibly without the metal part to save costs as it just screws in place easily) is possible when my build is completed? It got a bit scratched in the building process which i'm really unhappy about (should have kept it covered!)

 

[Alasdairhurst]

Not a problem at all. Though, I can only send you the whole window side panel, as is. No way in our system to work around it. Submit a ticket here and request the window side panel and I'll see to it that it gets process right away.

Thanks

 

[Alasdairhurst]

The template is almost finished for the back now. (just need to get the mounting placements for the reservoirs and where the tubing goes straight down to the basement as per that green concept that i did)
I'll have some new images up tomorrow

 

[Alasdairhurst]

Okay, here's the new update:

Radiator fitted in place:


Watercooling bits for the basement


The new orange alpenfohn fan fitted.


Finally got the orange monsoon stop fittings and the extensions that were missing from the pump.


Started on the template for the back panel. The original panel is full of holes and stuff that have been punched through that look messy and that i don't need so i'm making the new one and carbon wrapping it


Here's the cut one for the basement. I just need to finish the back and line up the reservoirs so that i can line up the holes for were the tubing comes out of them and down into the basement.


Fitted a spare old mobo that i had lying around to make sure the screws were lined up right and the extra thickness of the panel didn't interfere with anything.


Woo! Athlon 64!


Template all cut out. All that is left is the reservoir holes creating.


And fitted with the motherboard. Looks a lot neater despite the white which will be black when it's done.

 

[Alasdairhurst]

Here we go! The carbon backplate is finished!!!
It includes areas for mounting a tube res, and makes use of the holes that are available in the case to securely attach it without modifying the case at all!

Testing out the res mounting mechanism


Close up


Attaching the reservoirs!


Starting the wrap!


Now a step by step installing the test hardware










Just got a few holes to make in the midplate then that is getting wrapped!

 

[Alasdairhurst]

Really sorry about the lack of updates guys! I've had problems with the computer for a month and been back at uni. I have taken pictures throughout though. I've just rebuilt it this week, and it seems to be working find now, so here it is

Start off with something fun! Who wants to see a miniITX board in a 900D?



Stole some grommets from my CM690II (and the one at work... shh! )
and drilled the holes in the plate. At this point i've no idea if they will be exactly right, since i can't measure everything up, but they are in the right general location, and away from any obstructions below.



Finally wrapped the plate



I'm quite happy with that.



The grommets didn't work as well as i expected though...



Quite a steep slope between the front rad hole and the grommet. Too bad the radiator is just below it... I'll have to find a 45 degree monsoon fitting.



Finally getting round to fitting everything!



Such a mess... (it's going to get worse!)



Rads and PSU fitted. (Ride-em Squirrel!)



Assembling my shoggy sandwich! As you can see, i've used some magnets for the base. It actually works very well and holds it in place in the bottom of the case, but you can move it around wherever you like manually.



Some front mess this time and some fittings.



Shoggy sandwich ingredients up close.



It sticks to anything! (as long as it has iron content)



NOOO! The double sided sticky tape wasn't as sticky as i planned. ended up ripping the whole thing off



At least the bottom one worked...





I have my own sticky tape!



Problem solved! Looks very steampunk!



My first ever tubing cut, and a short one at that! The valve is now fitted to the radiator!



Here's the long one! Not exactly as I'd planned out, but this saves a lot more tubing as well as a fitting. It looks a bit better too.



The drain. Worked out very nicely!



Attached the long tube run to the top radiator.



And fitted the pump with plenty of room to spare.





The 45 degree fitting arrived!



Connected!



Finally tubed up the CPU block. Looking good! There's something missing though... I wonder what it is!



That's the one!



The screws, they're so tight! (That's what he said)



Yo dawg! I heard you like screwdrivers. I put a screwdriver in a screwdriver so you can unscrew a screw while you unscrew a screw!

Needed more leverage for the minuscule screwdriver that came with the waterblock, so i stuck it in a female star fitting (can't remember the proper name)



Removed!



And the new block fitted!





That looks much better!



I decided that the grommets didn't go well after all, so i left them out. The holes look neat anyway with the carbon wrap. I'm unsure about the orange sleeve colour now though.



Time to fill her up. I don't have a funnel, so this weird contraption will have to do.



Yeah...



And a wide shot.



Those pesky bubbles!



Now THAT'S what you call a mess. My 27" was now sold, so i had to make do with a tiny 19" screen on the side of my room since the cable i had couldn't reach to the shelf at the back... Bring on weeks of playing dungeon defenders with my keyboard on my lap



Unfortunately the fan on my XFX 1000w Pro was sporadic, and would spin up terribly even at 60w load (should be only over 300w load). I kept it for a few weeks like that but it got very annoying so i returned it for a new shiny RM850.









Looks cleaner than the XFX at least.



Remember how I said that I didn't like the orange of the sleeving?
Why not make my own 70cm extensions! (Cost a FORTUNE though for the sleeving and tools)







Thanks Nils!







Since I was going to remove the grommets, i thought it may be fun to add a white background.



Finally chose the monitor that I wanted! I was looking at the Dell and Asus 27/30" monitors but the price of the 30" and the backlight bleed issues of the 2713hm were putting me off. This showed up on offer for £500 rather than £800 so i snapped it up straight away!



The picture quality and ID is amazing! Really glad I got this monitor.



Then I start to get more problems. My OCZ 480GB SSD dies on it's first day, and most of the time, the computer fails to POST the first 2 or 3 times. I've tried everything here except taking it apart.

It's the holidays now, so i managed to find time taking my PC apart and running it on the test bench. No errors.
Rebuild it and again, no errors. I'm baffled

A month after i returned the SSD, i get the replacement. It dies on it's first day. I'm not happy.

Everything else, however works fine and i'm back to my nice clutter free (and very nice looking compared to before) setup!



Look how thin the monitor is!



Back on my back shelf



Fancy new Wallpaper



The back is quite cluttered there, and the 24pin cable is too short so the end of it warps. I'll need to do some cable management, but after i've made my new cables! (still got the MDPC ones to make when i find time next)





Custom stand for headphones and xbox controller!







I really need to cable manage after i've sold and tidied up all my old PC components



And here we get the before/after shot! (i'll do a better one when i've tidied the desks and finished cabling)




I'll update this later on when i've finished cabling and tidied up, but that's pretty much it for the time being!