project:sufficiency

[shadowscotland]

The first of the last set of parcels arrived for me today so I thought that I’d start writing up my build log.

I got into watercooling for a quiet life and to reduce my electric running costs (pc was OC running 24/7 at load)
and swapping all the fans for a 3w pumps made sense to me.

As with many taking their firsts steps into the world of WCing I went with a second hand ‘kit’.
But it wasn’t the usually XSPC or Swiftech kit’s, it was a Zalman Reserator 2.

But as with most things IT, I got the upgrade bug and moved away from the original kit of parts to
achieve high performance and remove the last fan in my build (PSU). I removed the RES2 body from
my loop a few months ago after maybe 4 year. If you find a Res2 I highly recommend you get it.
They will change the way you think about computing – they really are THAT good.

I have had my CPU/GPU/NB/MosFet/PSU/HHD all in a loop – but fanless is a pita.
In an air conditioned server room it’s workable – but a home PC - it’s more trouble than it is worth.
Others told me this as I got closer and closer to a 0dB system – I ignored them, I was wrong.
Why am I telling you all this – Well I think it helps explain some of my hardware choices, and of all the
build logs I’ve read, the ones with stories or themes are the ones I’ve enjoyed the most. But enough history.

Project:sufficiency

Sufficiency or in the words of Mary Poppins ‘Enough is as good as a feast’
It’s an old idiom that related to food portions, personal contentment and global resources equally.
It’s qualitative. It’s a personal reference point, it’s not accepting second best but at the same time
not over specifying for something that will never happen.

But sufficiency is also quantitative - do we have enough food for the week?
Will my pc overheat in summer when running full load? Will it be inaudible during the day?.
Will it allow me to work at home without waking my wife?

This isn’t a i7/800D/5970 build log – but I hope you enjoy it all the same.

 

Case: Lian Li PC-S80B
A double box aluminium server case - designed like a tank for reduced noise but showing its age in design features.
I got it pre cut to accept a PA120.3 in the roof, has the quality I want and the space I need to accept a full
internal passive loop.

Mobo: Asus Maximum II Gene
One of the first gaming grade mATX motherboard - almost everything it’s bigger brother has
except a few pci slots. To by honest my P5Q vanilla was fine, but it was always a second best option.

The Gene will work with my ram, allow NB and MosFet cooling with a single waterblock,
has a better overclocking/undervolting bios and has the 24pin power socket in the right place.
The mATX form factor also allows some additional modelling opportunities.

CPU: E8200es
Engineering sample of the popular wolfdale chip – Duel core, large cache what more do you need.
It’s a great chip that runs cool, overclocked at around 1.1 volts. Perfect for CAD, Office and light gaming.

Ram: Transcend aXe PC2-9600
One of the fasted DDR2 sticks available – Four 1Gb sticks of Micro D9 covered in oversized
aluminium heat spreaders – runs with very tight timing/low volts at 800 will do silly speeds
but enough D9’s have been sacrificed already.

GPU: Sapphire 3870 ‘blue pcb’
ATI answer to the 8800gs – cool, low energy more than enough for my needs. Was a bargain
with a Blue EK full cover block and a good upgrade from my passive 8500GT.

HHD: 2x Samsung 32mb SLC in RAID & WD black 500Gb
Silent running, high read/write speed, single level cell SSD’s – Not as good as the Intel’s.
But they are quicker/quieter/a more energy efficient that the raptor they replace.
The western digital (inside a GUP) takes care for the rest.

PSU: Yesico FL-550 Fanless
High wattage passive psu - rock solid fanless server grade psu.
It has a low amp's on the 12v rail so not a gamer PSU but perfect for my needs

Radiator: PA120.3 - dual-row, dual-pass copper triple radiator – still one of the best.

CPU Block: XSPC edge – high flow and as good as impingement blocks – EK supreme top.

GPU Block: EK-FC 3870 CF – high flow with blue plexi top to match pcb.

NB Block: EK-NB ASUS HP (?) – subject to change.

Res: EK-Multioption 150 – small and versatile res - upside down instillation.

Pump: D5 vario – powerful pump with variable speed/flow – best quiet pump.

Top: EK-D5 X-TOP Rev.2 – small performance increase and G1/4 threads.

Barbs: Primochill ghost – nickel plated brass High flow – Invisible and 10.1mm ID.

Tube: Feser/xspc Black – will test a few types with the barbs and see what’s best.

Detailing: Copper wire – more on this as the build progresses.

Optional external radient rad with QC's - maybe

 

[shadowscotland]

Heres a few shots of the case to get you started - as you don't see S80 very oftern

Front/side view - The outer side panel has been removed so that the inner 'box' is visable
Rad grill/PA and fill port visable on the top

Rear - passive PSU visable

 

[Ducky Spud]

Bit of an intresting build, not often you get a 'lower spec' build that has watercooling as well.

How does that PSU cope? Ive always been wary of passive PSU's myself but would love one to quieten my PC a bit, but like you said, not good for gaming PC's.

Anyway, good luck with the build, keep us updated

 

[shadowscotland]

Bit of an intresting build, not often you get a 'lower spec' build that has watercooling as well.

Intresting that you class a ROG mobo, engineering sample cpu, D9's and SLC SSD's as 'lower spec' - but yes this is not your standard build
I'm not your standard pc owner, vive la difference!

How does that PSU cope? Ive always been wary of passive PSU's myself but would love one to quieten my PC a bit, but like you said, not good for gaming PC's

The Yesico is possably the best passive psu you can buy
All the others inc the silverstone nightjar's have catches in the warrenty that say you MUST have case airflow.
The Yesico doesn't need this, the whole casing and the fins at the back being a HS.
It also has a molex connecter that can be linked to a 'safety' fan - if the psu hits a user defined value (42-62c)
the fan is power up - if not the fan is always off. Had it linked to a fan for the first month of use - it never turned on

It will cope with most mid range cards - but has 18amp on the 12v rail
but then you need more that a 550w psu if you are building an overspec Quad/SLI monster.
I'm aiming for sub 150w at load (CPU/GPU)

Been playing around with modifying one of my EK-NB blocks instead of getting the EK-NB Asus HP.
The last option has the most potential as it's just drilling two holes but the fixings may foul the tube/barb.
I will use M3 bolts just like the HP block does so should be fine, but will most likely have it
rotated 180 degrees so the in/out lets are on the left.

 

[Ducky Spud]

Haha, I was simply going off the CPU and graphics card, hadnt noticed it was an engineering sample I'll let you off, its actually probably going to be quite nippy! haha

 

[shadowscotland]

A few more pic's for you all - should give more of an idea of what it all about.

Standard box shots - the XSPC edge is no longer made, with is both understandable
(the design killed hundreads of milling bits) and a shame as the design is up there with the best of them.
Some would say the HK3 is a more manufacturing friendly version of the edge but with better pre-chambers.

It been in my loop of a while now and all those vertical fins needed a good clean.
So out with the Tommy K and a tooth brush (did a hot water/soap wash after)
finishing with a distilled water rince.

All the kit layed out for inspection - notice the odd one out. It's an EK supreme 775/1156 top plate.
And yes that is a cardboard spacer on the back plate - the sponge one stayed on the first mobo
The cardboard one has seen at least 4 mobo's

 

[shadowscotland]

Some assembley shots - not a bit fan of acrylic in blocks due to micro cracks.
That why I've opted of the supreme top - also will allow greater mounting pressure.
You will also see the primochill ghost barbs, been meaning to get theses into my loop for a while.

The nuts are in that loction just for the pic's - they would be pining the back place to the mobo in real life

Final shots for today show the copper wire coils - the final version will be different but these give a flavour
of what's to come. Still in two minds on the dull look (bioshock esk) or shiny

 

[booyaka]

Nice one - always interested in your different builds - good luck

 

[JonJ678]

No tubing kinks for you then, good idea.

Using a piece of the ek block to avoid damaging the xspc is also a very good idea.

Are you intending to use a single fan on the radiator, or none at all?

I'll watch this space with interest. Thank you for posting the log so far.

 

[shadowscotland]

Thanks for the comments guys

Are you intending to use a single fan on the radiator, or none at all?

None

Single case fan (front supply via side grills) with indirect air path using the S80 design.
Possitive presure case with Rad and psu as only outlets vents.
So fan assists the hot air to rise with a few baffels.
very simular to the way a fan assisted storage heater works (Bottom-cold in / top-hot out)

I have it the opposite way round at the minute - fan is rear extract with psu/rad as inlet.
But want to reduce the fan noise more - and indirect sound path is only real way to acheive this.
Will swap it back if the temps do not match the theory.

I'll go into all this in more detail later - as the S80 air flow is very different to a standard atx case.

 

[Tiamat21]

Hmm, no updateS?

 

[SupermotoMX]

yea waiting for an update too, looks like an interesting build

 

[shadowscotland]

Thanks for the nudge - can't beleive it's been a month
Was installing a starfield suspended ceiling in my son's room and the wife has been very poorly
so have had very little 'me' time of late. Looks like I've already broken my minimum of one update a week aim.
Will try harder

Will be moving the hardware into my spare case so I can work on the internal S80 panels.
I perfer Midnight blue to black and it's more in keeping with the tube and Gene.

Also been very dissapointed with the ID of some SLI / Male to Male threaded connectors.
If a barb can be 10.1mm ID why is a connector < 8.5mm
Have a third on on it's way but may just use barb & tube...

 

[JonJ678]

Can you drill out the sli connector?

 

[shadowscotland]

The connecting pipe OD is only 9.5ish.

I'll either splash some cash on a bitspower/Koolance fitting or use barb and hose.
Will do a few mock up and see what position I like my res and pump in most.
If close together I'll get a bitspower male/male rotary connector as I know they are +9.5mm ID.
But a nearly £10 for the black version, I'm likely to go with my invisable 'ghost' barbs

 

[Monkey Puzzle]

The connecting pipe OD is only 9.5ish.

I'll either splash some cash on a bitspower/Koolance fitting or use barb and hose.
Will do a few mock up and see what position I like my res and pump in most.
If close together I'll get a bitspower male/male rotary connector as I know they are +9.5mm ID.
But a nearly £10 for the black version, I'm likely to go with my invisable 'ghost' barbs

I can't see pictures, only text (websense, grr)... What's happening with the EK supreme top on the xspc edge? Does it fit properly without modding - I've bought an HK3.0 copper as the off-angle sit of the edge on my 1156 board looks wonky(!). Can you just buy the copper supreme top and put it on the edge and use the supreme 1156 mounting bracket? Presumably that turns it into an impingement block?

If that's the case I might be tempted to do that - the edge has more fins and surface area than the HK3.0...

Are you using the compression fitting primochill ghost barbs or the ones that hide under the tubing - I have the latter for 1/2" tubing, and had hoped they'd hold without clips, but sadly the knurled fat barbs aren't fat enough for that to work.

Nice work btw.re there not more powerful, lower heat output GPUs that use a smaller manufacturing process though?

 

[shadowscotland]

It's the EK top mounting plate that I've used - not the pre-chamber.
I want max flow so impingement blocks are a big no-no for me.

HK3 has a significantly better pre chamber design to the edge. So preforms better.
But the edge beats everything except the fusion V1 in mimimal pressure drop.

And yes I have the metal ghost fitting - will be using them with 7/16 I think
But was planning on useing cable ties anyway (as a band of colour) with feser 1/2 black tube.
This has a slight hint of blue to it which I didn't like with the P5Q but works well with the Gene.
Will get some 7/16 and see what I like better

MP were you trying to say I could have got a cooler running more powerfull card?
Open to surgestions - but picked the 3870 up second hand with the full cover block so last summer
(seamed like a good idea at the time) untill xp pro and the ATI .dll's didn't play nicely

Decided on Audi - Crystal Blue (metalic) for the case internals (sorry MP you can't see that pic either)
As on second thoughts midnight blue would have been fine on the outside but too dark for the inside.
I have primer and three can of colour in my bag so will paint the panels at work over the next few days.
Credit too leoncc on painting his TJ07 - Still wasn't sure untill I saw his recents results

 

[Monkey Puzzle]

It's the EK top mounting plate that I've used - not the pre-chamber.

Still don't really understand as the edge has the plexi all-in one top that has mounting holes in it so not sure how the ek mounting thing sits on top of that... I'll have to have a proper look at what you mean when I get back from work.

I want max flow so impingement blocks are a big no-no for me

HK3 has a significantly better pre chamber design to the edge. So preforms better.

The HK has a rubbish post-chamber design though - the outlet only goes through a semi-circle through the exit barb, with the outer copper shell obscuring half of the barb lumen so loses pressure there.
I'm tempted to mod mine - There looks to be a good bit of copper plenum-wall to play with.

But the edge beats everything except the fusion V1 in mimimal pressure drop.

And yes I have the metal ghost fitting - will be using them with 7/16 I think
But was planning on useing cable ties anyway (as a band of colour) with feser 1/2 black tube.
This has a slight hint of blue to it which I didn't like with the P5Q but works well with the Gene.
Will get some 7/16 and see what I like better

MP were you trying to say I could have got a cooler running more powerfull card?
Open to surgestions - but picked the 3870 up second hand with the full cover block so last summer
(seamed like a good idea at the time) untill xp pro and the ATI .dll's didn't play nicely

Not having a dig or anything - just thought that the 3870 probably puts out a lot of heat compared to something like a 4850. Found this btw - http://www.geeks3d.com/20100226/the-real-power-consumption-of-73-graphics-cards/

Decided on Audi - Crystal Blue (metalic) for the case internals (sorry MP you can't see that pic either)
As on second thoughts midnight blue would have been fine on the outside but too dark for the inside.
I have primer and three can of colour in my bag so will paint the panels at work over the next few days.
Credit too leoncc on painting his TJ07 - Still wasn't sure untill I saw his recents results

 

[shadowscotland]

The 4xxx were only just out at the time I think - but that is more watts that i'd like.
clocking it down to a 3750 on the core will help, went with ati at the time due to massively lower idle power usage.
Thanks for the link, something to consider

 

[shadowscotland]

I’m very pro doing things yourself but painting case parts one at a time is very time consuming.
Especially when the top coat is nothing like the colour swatch – on my third colour now.

I filled the office with fumes on by first mist coat of primer so the rest has been done outside.
Not ideal as it only just getting above 10c atm, and dust keeps falling onto the surfaces.
But still, little-by-little I’m making progress – will post up some pic’s when the top coat is how I want it.

As to the gpu issue – I’m going to stick with my 3870
It’s only 5w more at idle and B/ray playback that the best card of similar spec
(an a lots better that 8xxx and 9xxx cards)
So it seams pointless to get a new card to lower gaming electrical/heat load when I game 4h a week at most.

EDIT: just a quick shot of a panel back on the case - lighting isn't great sorry.
As you can see it's almost midnight blue (the colour I decided againest in the end)
And not really metalic, but I did stop at two mist coats as it wasn't getting any lighter.
New colour is more striking - simular to the asus pcb you can see in the case.