Project: THE CURSED BUILD

Vidar

Vidar

Vidar

Soldato
Joined
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Posts
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Location
Liverpool
So my, very soon to be 12 year old Daughter started high school in September. She has home work most nights that requires a computer and much to my dismay (absolute glee at finding a reason) I've come to the decision that the little crotch goblin is not allowed to disturb my evenings entertainment any longer. So we're going to build her first PC together! And what's more, dear readers I HAVE FULL FIANCEE APPROVAL!!!!


So, she'll be getting my 9900k, Z390 Aorus Master, 32gb of DDR4 3200Mhz Aorus Ram, 850w Seasonic Focus Gold. My 500gb Samsung 970 pro and a 1TB Samsung 860 Sata SSD; not to mention my current Lian Li uni fans. For the case and the heatsink, I've already submitted highly cheeky offers to Ocuk for some **B-Grade** stuff that she likes the look of and wants to buy with her savings (I've decided I'll be getting them for her though, for her birthday in a few days) The GPU and Monitor will be getting sorted out soon.

So this is my current system, guarded by the slightly dusty Darth Revan:-

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So I'm keeping the case, water cooling gear and the 3080TI for now as I've just got EK water block and active backplate from the members market for a very reasonable price!

I also have an extremely healthy budget of up to 4k, though I'm not intending to spend that much and shouldn't need to but I now need everything else!

I've decided on AM5, as it should offer a few years of socket support at least making future upgrades that bit cheaper.

Use case is 4K gaming on at least a 34" Ultrawide at a minimum of 144Hz within another 6 months and streaming/content creation. I do not want any Gigabyte products! Yes their hardware is pretty but the software is absolute dog ****!

So where do you guys put your money?

@Space Monkey @Mcnumpty2323 @Jay85 I'm tagging you for your sage advice!
 
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Mcnumpty2323 said:
Here's my sage advice :cry:

Sage

Expert advice from RHS on how to grow sage. Sage loves a warm, sunny and sheltered spot - and is attractive enough to be grown alongside other ornamental plants.
www.rhs.org.uk www.rhs.org.uk

Sorry mate couldn't resist that lol
Not had any sleep so can't think straight
At the moment

Your 3080ti should be up to the job

Guess first place to start would be decide what motherboard
Based on purely functionality?
Or aesthetics?
And lian li infinity fans for less cable management
Since going to have 9 fans

And since replacing psu
Get one that meets all the new connector standards
Platinum efficiency wouldn't hurt given electricity costs
Obviously nothing with less than 7 year warranty
Most likely 10 year

Considered whether threadripper could be an option?
Sticking with all nvme drives?
Or some sata ssds?
Click to expand...

Motherboard wise there only seems to be Asus, Giga *****, Asrock and MSI.
Out of them a lot hasn't been released yet and while I'm no massive rush I am itching to get started.
I do keep looking at both the Crosshair hero and the ROG Strix E but not sure how they compare given the £120 price difference.
I guess I'm thinking the better, more feature rich board now, the longer it will last me for future upgrades.

Threadripper doesn't seem a viable option, change my mind? lol
But I do plan on sticking with just NVME drives where possible.

Fans I'll probably end up going with the Lian Li SL120 INF's
I'm dubious about spending another £270 on them though
When the originals, have been so dire for me with poor quality wiring, LED burn in
and 2 complete fan failures and a failed hub.

PSU has me frustrated, I want a Seasonic ATX 3.0 as opposed to dropping hundreds on an obsolete unit but they don't come out until Mid December.
There's also no guaruntee that my custom cables will work with the new unit.
Don't want to be sat on my hands for a few months.
Will be going platinum or Titanium depending on cost.
 
Thanks to @Monkey Puzzle that's storage taken care of. Two 2tb 980 Pro drives for £344 is a damn hefty saving (after cashback)

@Cenedd Thanks, I know you're right but truth be told I really don't want more Gigabyte stuff!

@Mcnumpty2323 will see what gets said about the new Threadripper stuff but realistically I can't see it being necessary especially as they don't tend to be brilliant for gaming.

Fortunately Seasonic are continuing with the same pinout so my cables are safe!
 
So I think I've decided on some hardware.

So far I'm looking at:

My basket at [url=https://www.overclockers.co.uk]OcUK:
Total: £1,378.97 (includes delivery: £0.00)​
​
[/URL]

I want the Trident Z Neo Ram that OCUK don't stock sadly, but I don't know which kit to get @Jay85 if you can help me out pal, shoot me a whatsapp. I don't seem to have your number anymore.

I'm just waiting for the new EK AM5 blocks to drop in a few days before I buy the majority of the stuff I need.

I also need to decide on what fans to get, if anyone can recommend something better than the new Lian Li infinity fans I'm all ears?

Also can anyone recommend something like the Satin Black Corsair Hardline tubes with an OD of 16mm?
 
Parts-arriving.jpg


Parts starting to arrive and the anticipation is starting to get to me...

Question, is it worth squeezing a 3rd rad and low profile fans in the rear chamber side intake?
 
I mean I've got enough soft fittings I could comfortably test both configs but it's more work than I'm looking to do. My old system performed fairly well with two rads though one was skinny up top. My 9900k is a toasty boy when overclocked and the addition of side intakes and rear exhaust helped a lot, but that was just a cpu loop.

With reported temps of 95c under load on the 7950x and the extra heat from the gpu being added to the loop I'm just a touch concerned.

If I had anywhere to put one I'd include a massive external radiator.
 
Jay85 said:
Oh yeah i know his first spec very well, we use to talk a lot on whatsapp but i lost touch (my fault!) being abit overwhelmed with work and all. That is some upgrade though, will be night and day! It was quite a change going from a 9900k to a 12700k for myself personally.
Click to expand...

Amaze balls, you're alive! Shoot me a WhatsApp any time mate. I'm always about!

I'm really looking forward to getting ip and running now but I've gone and hit a snag I wasn't expecting!

Behold...

DOH.jpg


No idea how the hell this happened but just noticed it when I was about to start flushing my rads! Doh...

Oh well, looks like I've got another expense.

And yes I love my daughter but not to the tune of a 7950x and 3080ti lol
 
I'm going to rename this project to "The Cursed Build" as everything that can go wrong with it, has gone wrong with it and it's not over yet!

First off, I discovered the pain that is EKWB Matrix 7 compatibility. None of my old radiators or fittings lined up with the 2nd gen front distro plate. Having already sold my first gen distro and shipped it off I was feeling mighty stupid, I'd never heard of Matrix 7 so that's on me for not doing my due diligence.

Then came an eternity of waiting for out of stock items, I mean over 4 months, namely the Quantum Surface S360 but several fittings also.

Finally, within the past few days everything arrived, and I got to work! I'd spoken with EKWB Customer services to get a list of compatible fittings and rads that I'd need for my build. They where very helpful, noting the case, distro, motherboard, block etc and gave me a very specific list.

THE LIST WAS ******* WRONG!!!

They had me order fittings I don't need, not order enough of fittings I did need but chief issue being that the Quantum Surface P360 for the top they specifically recommended for my case and motherboard doesn't bloody fit! So now I need to go back and order another Quantum Surface S360, if I can find one in stock anywhere and also work out exactly what fittings I'll need for it. Also got a ton of stuff to return!

Oh and I also managed to yank a cable and bend some rgb header pins, that took a lot of finagling to get right.

I swear to god, if I get this blasted thing fully built and there's any more issues I'm going to set fire to it!

Well here's some pictures, forgive the mess I don't have a lot of space to work

20230317-160736.jpg
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@Mcnumpty2323 The P360 impacts the heatsink and chassis where the top corner of the I/O shield goes. It's only a few mm that's the issue but it also just means that the push fittings cannot slide in, even with lube.
 
OC2000 said:
The EK P360 will fit in with the push fittings, but you’ll need to put the fans on after. You will need to push the fans against the 8pin connects to get it screwed in and won’t be able to put a screw in the left corner one.
It is possible, not easy, but doable. Check my build last pic out.

That Matrix 7 has indeed caused nothing but challenges and a significant extra cost buying compatible parts!
Click to expand...

Thank you for the response and advice, I was borderline pulling my hair out last night. Especially when I could see pictures of the rad up there online.

I'm absolutely furious with myself over this build! I had the exact same case in white but wanted the black. I had the gen 1 distro but wanted the new one, and hadn't given any thought as to what Matrix 7 could mean. As mentioned above I'd already sold them so felt I had no choice but to continue and probably spent over a grand as a result. Money I could have put to better use! Like going towards a 4090 perhaps. In Hindsight I could have returned the case and distro and gone in a different direction.Hindsight is always 20/20 though.

Ah well, as my dad would say there's no point crying over spilt milk. I've learned my lesson and won't be making that mistake ever again. I do think EK have been very naughty with this though, locking you into their ecosystem without fair warning.

That said I'm very impressed by the quality of their fittings etc. I particularly like the hex key being able to slot into the fittings to loosen or tighten them. Having delt with stuck fittings in the past this is a god send I'm sure. I also really like how what I've got done looks.
 
ALXAndy said:
AHH welcome to custom pc building. Where hardly anything ever works first time !

It is looking superb though dude. Press on.
Click to expand...

Thanks man, how are you anyway? It's been a while.

I'm sure the pain from this build will be worth it once it turns on and moves to my desk. Have to say though, having built my daughters PC with an AIO that functions well, I must say I do prefer the look of a custom system.


OC2000 said:
Have you reversed the flow spinner on that flow meter?
Click to expand...

Yes mate, but only knew to do it after watching a recent Jayztwocents video where he needed to go back and do it.

I love the Primochil RFB he recommends aswell makes doing your tubes a piece of **** for fine adjustments and getting them smooth etc. Takes a little practice but yeah, excellent investment.
 
Mcnumpty2323 said:
@OC2000 that sounds about right
i got the p360 at the top in mine
though had to ditch the push fittings idea
And went with soft tube instead
As it turned out my v1 distro wasn't matrix 7
But my rads were
But I found that out the hard way
When 1 push fitting lined up but of course the other
Was 7mm out
And yeah I mounted the rad first
Then fans after
And it was literally mm tight
The lian li fans have a very square frame which doesn't help
And I also now hate matrix 7 with a passion
But as it was Xmas I just bodged it all in there and made it work
@Vidar Has a lot more patience than I do
Click to expand...

I'm a lot more medicated than you, pal lol
 
ALXAndy said:
I'm good mate. I hope you are on the mend. Look forward to seeing this one finished :)
Click to expand...

Reach out on Discord pal, I don't seem to have you on there anymore and it would be good to catch up. Recently told my disability is permanent but I'm getting by! And yep, can't wait for it to be finished so I can carry on playing 10 to 20 year old games :cry:

Jay85 said:
I feel your pain on this, it's been nothing but trouble lol.
Click to expand...

Any time you fancy a trip to Liverpool mate to step in with your water cooling sorcerers ways, be my guest!

Mcnumpty2323 said:
You will be by the end of your build :cry:
Click to expand...

Seriously, thinking about asking the doc to up my doses lol

As some of you may already be aware I'm also now dealing with the death of my Beyers

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It's a common fault with the Gen1's I have, requires a new cable which is extremely difficult to get and expensive, and needs to be soldered etc. I've had them a good few years and it's funny how you don't appreciate good audio until you don't have it anymore.

@ALXAndy You know a bit about audio equipment mate, don't you? Any recommendations for a new set of headphones, to pair with my GSX Pro Dac? Though I'm tempted to aim for a much higher level of audio for the future
 
ALXAndy said:
Yeah I learned that lesson about a year ago too :(

I had a set of beyer T5P. I got them for something stupid like £300 brand new. The head band wore out, the ear cups wore out. Like literally fell apart. I was just about to try and restore them when I made a mistake and blew up both of the Tesla drivers :(

That was a bitter pill to swallow I can tell you.

Thankfully I found a set of ex demo Audioquest Nightowl carbon for about £220. Right at that point my Grado RS2E also died and needed two new drivers :(

Nothing is built to last any more. Which sucks when you spend so much trying to get a high quality item. Those T5P RRP for a grand ffs.

I still see you on discord. Ive just not been on it much at all due to family issues. Well, not issues, my uncle had terminal cancer and passed away recently so I was occupied with family obs.
Click to expand...

Oh mate, I'm truly sorry to hear about your uncle. That must have been an incredibly rough time fir you and your family. I'm always about mate if you want to chat. I haven't got you on my contacts anymore, to be honest I thought you'd blocked me or something lol.

Like I say I had about 5 years out if those MMX300's and loved them. They've been absolutely perfect for me. And if I could get the cable for less than £90 (**** you brexit, £60 postage my ass) find someone to do the soldering,get replacement cushions, and clips for the headband as one side keeps popping, I'd fix them but at that cost I'm at a half decent new headset anyway.
 
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A small bit of progress made with the build, as I desperately needed something to take my mind off of things. I had to wait for an additional push in adapter, and the advice regarding removing the fans solved the issue. The fan to the rear is ever so slightly misaligned though as the heatsink on this board must be larger by a mm or two than others

I won't go in to too much detail, however on Tuesday afternoon my 12 year old daughter disclosed that she had plans to take her own life and with that disclosure we found evidence that meant this was no idle threat. My daughter was taken too and admitted to hospital. This comes as a direct result of the relationship she has had with her mother. My daughter is home now, being given extensive support by CAMHS but there is a very long and difficult road ahead.

To say I'm absolutely devastated is an understatement, I knew my daughter was really struggling with things but I didn't understand to what extent. To know that you probably won't be able to keep your daughter safe is the worst thing I've ever felt!
 
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