Rookie Build: ArticGlow

[Scott_DFT]

Hi folks,
Brand new to these forums having come across them while researching for a new build.
I'm afraid it's nothing special, not compared to the amazing custom builds presented here, but without there being a 'rookie showcase' I still wanted to put the build out somewhere for posterity. And where else can you get a forum not filled with dumb internet trolls (and british to boot). Sorry too it's not much of a build log as I had to race through the build in one weekend.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this build was not what I have but what I came from. You see I'm not a regular upgrader so the jump is quite marked. As it happens I've kept it all AMD, with the Ryzen 2700X and the Vega 64; having come from a Sapphire HD 6850 1GB graphics card and a Athlon II X3 450. That's right, a 3 core processor. Not sure how much of a disadvantage that was against all those show offs with their quad cores, although I did notice that in racing and flight sims I always seemed to pull to the right...
I'l post some comparison benchmarks soon to show the differences in the experiance.

So yes I'll give some thoughts as a rookie builder; take on observations from the esteemed collective here; and hear any ideas on enhancements (not going to change too much but may go in the future for some extras like custom cables).

Oh and the name. Well it's a white build with glowy LEDs so .... ArticGlow. Like in all probability every third lit white case build; sorry folks.

So for the build basics:
Case: Lian-Li - PC-O11D Dynamic ATX Full Tower Case - White
Case Fans:
NoiseBlocker - NB-eLoop B12-PS 58.1 CFM 120mm Fan x3
XSPC RGB Series 120mm Fan - PWM 800-2200RPM - 5V - 3 Pack
CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7GHz 8-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: XSPC Raystorm Pro RGB CPU Water-Block (AMD/AM4) - White
Motherboard: MSI - X470 GAMING PRO CARBON ATX AM4
Memory:Corsair - Vengeance RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200
Video Card: Sapphire - Radeon RX VEGA 64 8GB (second hand)
Watercool HEATKILLER® IV for RX Vega 56 and 64 - ACRYL
Watercool HEATKILLER® LED Stripes - Size XS - RGB
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 750W 80+ Gold Fully-Modular ATX
Storage:
Western Digital - Black NVMe 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive
Western Digital - Blue 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive
Western Digital - Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive
Monitor:Samsung - C34F791 34.0" 3440x1440 100Hz Freesync Monitor
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit
Thermal Compound: Thermal Grizzly HYDRONAUT Thermal Paste - 1g
Alphacool XPX-1 thermal compound 4g
Watercooling:
Enermax Neochanger 200 mm Pump+Reservoir
XSPC EX360 3x120MM RADIATOR - BLACK
XSPC EX240 DUAL FAN RADIATOR - WHITE
Mayhems Ultra Clear Tubing 16/10MM (2m)
XSPC Soft Tube Fittings - Black Chrome
Mayhems Pastel White Fluid
Mayhems pure H20 (for initial testing)

Pics - Completed Build

Pics - Teardown (done while replacing the fluid)
Raystorm Pro hiding the 2700X (with likely too much paste...)

Vega 64 second hand from auction site converted with Heatkiller IV waterblock

Performs so well because it runs on milk provided by weasels, see:

here's the milking machine to prove it:

Rear looks quite tidy:

although that bar hides a lot

One small mod was to poke a drain port through the base:

Complete Build

From this photo (and others above) you may be able to spot two other personalisations, one after some major graft from me and the other courtesy of Lian Li; can you see?

Extra pics and videos at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/nTkeaVP66Nw9hMD18

 

[Scott_DFT]

Best Parts

• Getting the Vega 64 for a good price, bit of a gamble going second hand (nerves shaking while waiting to see how it did) but seemed to have done well (seller had photos etc. of how this was in a normal rig and not mining, still ultimately just on his word), and then stripping down and adding the waterblock (nerves shredded waiting for a successful post).
• Having the loop work well first time and not spray/leak everywhere. I'm glad as a novice I went with the soft tubing, especially given the limited time I had. Looks pretty good with the white fluid. Obviously the option is there in future to try hard tubing if I feel inclined.
• My "Black-Blue-Red" storage solution (with StoreMI) actually working and working well it seems.

Unusual Parts

• Because of refraction and other physics stuff, the reservoir of white fluid glows more aqua green when lit with light blue from below.
• Not realising how tricky it is to clear a loop of air when filling or clear of fluid when draining. No doubt harder by having the two radiators offset by 90 degrees in not just one but two axes. You realise how heavy the system is (even without the glass) when you are trying to rotate it round every angle; like a giant 3d ball bearing in a maze game.
• Case airflow is none too smart for the secondary components. It's major negative pressure so I'll be in regularly with air clean out the dust.

Worst Parts

• MSI Software. Command Center and Mystic Light, they've been part of MSI for years and yet they feel like some out-dated pet-project apps from an open-source graveyard.
• XSPC fans. Fans themselves may be alright and I liked there light ring as I wasn't going for the rainbow light show (as you can see in the photos) but I got the three pack and all three ended up with colour defect spots. Two were small shifts from blue to purple at a spot; the third was a further shift into green. OC of course agreed to swap them but then the stats weren't looking great for what the next batch would be after going to the bother so I kept them, putting the green spot down the bottom of the case where least noticeable.

Benchmark Highlights
Old: Sapphire HD 6850 1GB graphics card and a Athlon II X3 450
New: Initial test runs while on air, before adding the water loop. Will check with the overclocking forum what safe levels to try and push to, now that I'm on water.

OLD | NEW​

Novabench 885 | 2992
Realbench 25570 | 154553
Cinebench CPU 123 | 1725

(as time) 5m42s | 25s​

3D Mark : 1080p
SkyRider 6148 | 42573
Time Spy ROFL | 7235
Unigene : 1080p
Heaven (High) 786 | 4594

31.2 | 182.4 fps​

high/low 7.5/60 | 9.5 / 342.8​

Superposition (med) 1644 | 14001

12.3 | 104.7 fps​

high/low 6.2/17.6 | 75.6 / 136.8​

 

[alex crossland]

Good use of light. I like the colder blue green scheme. Very effective

 

[Scott_DFT]

Thanks Alex.
From the very first pic you can see how the base lit reservoir is all blue when using clear fluid but once on white fluid it takes the green tint, and as it uses the non-addressable 12v line same as the cpu and gpu blocks I can't change it further without messing those.
But happy to go with it; touch of variety; touch of character