The Utterly Imbalanced CaseLabs TX10-D build(s)!

[vsg28]

They really are. The typical way was to have the "push" set of fans in front of the radiator mount (as seen by the gap in the front) but I like the stealth look right now. Hopefully this way doesn't lower performance or anything but I think I will be fine.

Just secured in another 120mm rad, 2 Aerocool fans and another MCP35x pump as well.

 

[vsg28]

Thanks guys, yes the cooling should be enough to bring everything to near ambient under normal load.

I love the look of this radiator mount. Especially with the fact that's its a solid piece of metal with the circles for the fans cut out. Looks menacing!

Tell me about it! Especially since I am coming off building in the 900D, I love this implementation so much. All the big rads will be on quick disconnects so I can just pop the entire mount/fan/rad assembly out for dusting without dismantling anything. No way am I spending on filters for this build, running naked this time

Funny thing- I now know over 8 owners of the 900D who have in the past 3-4 months all gone over to CaseLabs (STH10, SMA8 or the TX10 in my case).

Damn all those rads and fans ii need more updates

I got the drill points marked on the Mo.Ra mount, will drill them in later today. So that will be one impressive assembly ready to be dropped into the top. The Mo.Ra is going to perform like a reservoir in terms of filling and bleeding the GPU loop. The actual reservoir in the GPU loop is going to be mostly aesthetics.

 

[vsg28]

Sorry for the Late Reply, i have the PWM version and what caselabs case would you recommend nothing extreme like yours tho

Thanks Andy, I figured as much. I will likely get it when the next "sale" comes up here.

What kinda system you have in mind? If you are going to be transplanting that ATX system you have in the sig, then the new Mercury S8 would be great. It comes in at a decent price, has horizontal motherboard and plenty of cooling for most people.

If you had specific ideas in mind, just let me know.

There should be more used 900Ds on the market soon then?

Yep, but given the weight of that beast I wouldn't count on them really being on forum marketplaces. Check out local listings, I was shocked to see 4 900Ds at great prices at my local Craigslist.

 

[vsg28]

Plenty on OCN, lemme find some that are finished. In the meantime check out Stren's review (http://www.xtremerigs.net/2014/04/04/caselabs-mercury-s8/ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tteAA4NR1zc), he does a good job telling you what's possible with this.

The first build that actually came to my mind was the PPPP (Powerful Pretty Pink Processor) by cpachris: http://www.overclock.net/t/1477162/the-powerful-pretty-pink-processor-aka-the-pppp/0_50

Edit: 2 more ongoing builds from fantastic builders: http://www.overclock.net/t/1470432/build-log-salive8-caselabs-s8/0_50 and http://www.overclock.net/t/1477720/build-log-hurrikaine-case-labs-s8/0_50

 

[vsg28]

Let me tell you this: 18 fans and the 72 hex screws are not easy to mount on the Mo.Ra:

I know, I know.. I will have to cable manage better and drill a few more holes to give power/control the fans above but at least I am making full use of the extended top now. I also installed the SR1 below the Mo.Ra on the left side of the case:

With everything put in place, it looks a lot neater:

Now, I will need to add in more 5 1/4 devices so that front bay area isn't fixed by any means. I also got a Diva 'Dapter (aka the Double D's) from a member on OCN:

For those who have no idea what this is, it is a amplifier board to boost the PWM signal off an Aquaero. Now the newer batches of the Aquaero 6 are supposedly already boosted, but this will help fully control devices such as Corsair SP120 PWM and the Laing D5 PWM that don't exactly adhere to the PWM standard. Since I have 16 SP120 PWM fans in here, I am eager to test it out.

While all this was going on, I got in touch with Thermene who have been making thermal paste from graphene. While their gen 1 paste from graphene oxide wasn't ground breaking, I got 2 samples of their new gen 2 paste and it is really promising. We have a home built device to measure electrical and thermal conductivity of thin films and I tested this against MX-4, PK-3 and AS-5. I don't know how the latter 3 measured their values but, other than PK-3, the actual values I got are different than what they report- especially AS-5 which was noticeably worse.

Thermene, on the other hand, came in at 11.44 W/mK which is the best of the 4 I tested. The measurements done took cure time into consideration and the mounting is not a variable either so I am very impressed by it. I was in no way sponsored to say this and I will be using it in my build (and likely everywhere else in the future). PK-3 was quite close too for those who are wondering.

 

[vsg28]

That's right! I will begin installing the motherboard/CPU/RAM in the motherboard tray tomorrow and have some actual hardware in place.

 

[vsg28]

It would, you are right. But the options for fans any larger than 140mm are very small given the limited market for them. In my case, I am going push-pull on everything so I can run them at minimum speeds or even off and still be fine for anything other than benching hard.

 

[vsg28]

Again, likely yes. But I got the fans for free and the rad (at least the Pro version anyway) did not come with the 180mm adapters. So I wasn't going to bother spending more to get 180mm fans and the adapter when this was readily available. I have to get more pumps, reservoir, cables, coolant etc and this is not even including what Haswell-E would end up costing (CPU, motherboard, DDR4) lol.

 

[vsg28]

Those are 140mm fans (Gelid Wing 14s) on the Mo.Ra Pro 9.140 rad. My 120mm fans are the Corsair SP120 PWMs, the Noiseblocker eloop B12-2 and the Aerocool Shark.

Ya, cabling is going to be hard but I got 4 modmytoyz PCBs and then it will just be 4 wires going into the case. The extended top will block off everything so no cables will be seen.

 

[vsg28]

Just looked over your log, where are you using the 180mm fans?

 

[vsg28]

Oh that looks good! New log coming up for it?

 

[vsg28]

Figured, still looks nice.

I love, love, love the removable motherboard tray. Such a simple idea and yet so useful!

Since Haswell-E isn't out yet, I decided to assemble the z87/KPE rig. First off, the Maximus 6 Formula:

I kinda cheated since the EK M6F and the Koolance 380i was already on from the previous build. Also, that massive cutout means either easy cabling or untidy looking mess of cables. I will make my mind as cables come in on whether or not I get the back covers for the motherboard trays. Next up, more bling bling with the Corsair Dominator Platinums and the light bar upgrade kit:

I see the upcoming x79/x99 build as a bit of redemption in that I bought into the hype from "tech reviewers" and went with the stereotype forum favorites: 900D, Asus ROG with all them gaming features like Sonic Radar that I have used never, Corsair Dom Plats etc. Oh well, live and learn. Too bad the upcoming Rampage V Extreme will still be one of the best x99 boards and have features I will continue to never use.

Now then, let's have something Classified:

Again, if anyone wants to see more pics of this engineering beauty, I link two albums: Unboxing the KPE and Watercooling the KPE

Now then, one KPE is good but two are better:

Ok, ok I know it is on the stock cooler but I have to test it first. How about a better looking SLI bridge instead?

A 120mm exhaust fan later, it is back in the case for now. I got a thin 120 rad on the way that I might put in exhaust instead if it doesn't clash with the MOSFET block. The Phobya G-Changer definitely doesn't.

A better look at the sheer amount of space left:

Not to worry, there will be two massive reservoirs going in there along with 2-3 pumps. Heck, in my mind that space actually seems small now. One more look, this time with the door closed:

I might have to get one XXL windowed door if this doesn't suffice. I will be removing the entire motherboard tray out, install the tech station parts and use it outside with the dual 480 rads till I get all the reservoirs and pumps inside.

 

[vsg28]

Naming the build log after the case was definitely the way to go lol. I got a few more parts in since, and got around to working with the Mayhems Blitz kit as well. I will have another update with more pictures soon.

Mick from Mayhems is also sending me a lil something something for "winning" a contest so eagerly awaiting that.

 

[vsg28]

It is full cover in that it cools the core, VRAM and VRMs but I know what you meant. I don't like it myself but EVGA is partly to blame there with them having told EK there is no need to cool anything to the right of the PCB. Turns out that they underestimated how hard people like I would push them on water lol. I would have loved a block like the EK 290x Lightning.

There isn't any other option for the KPE unfortunately so not a whole lot that can be done. I was considering the plexi version but it wasn't due in stock for a while when I got these. The only good thing is that with the normal ATX motherboard configuration as in side 1 of this case, they won't be seen a whole lot.

I do need heatsinks to put on the exposed parts though, preferably copper with non permanent mounting. Any suggestions?

 

[vsg28]

Think I will skip on that, thanks

Photography and Computers are two of the most expensive hobbies ever

 

[vsg28]

Thanks for reminding me though, need to sell two lenses I barely use these days. That should be enough for the 5960x.

 

[vsg28]

Are you gonna put some lead in the bottom of the case just incase the fans make it hover around the room?

Despite it being all aluminium, the case itself weighs over 40 kg with the pedestal and extended top. This thing ain't going anywhere

I know I haven't had an update in a while, should have a big one in a couple of days.

 

[vsg28]

Thanks guys! This thing is tall enough for me to lean on, no desk around to fit this under

 

[vsg28]

So the build log just got sponsored (partially) by a US watercooling retailer. This definitely will help when I need to order more pumps, fittings etc. Mick from Mayhems also sent along a Blitz Basic to go along with the Blitz Pro I had previously bought so I got plenty of Part 2 here. Unfortunately the US customs meant Mick had to change his Part 1 solution so I only get 1 liter effective instead of the 2 liters normally. This simply is not enough to clean out all the rads I have. Now I need to see if picking 2-3 more Blitz Pro kits is worth it just for Part 1.

 

[vsg28]

Thanks. As promised, here is a massive update. Now this relates mostly to fan control so if you are not interested then please skip past those sections.

Now then, a couple of international packages came in this past week. First up:

Now what could that be? Oh ya, replacement brackets for the Aquaero 6 so they actually do fit in a standard 5 1/4" bay.

Those didn't look any different from the naked eye, or dSLR lens for that matter. In fact, here is an image with one of the old and new brackets each next to each other. Imaginary brownie points for those who can tell which one is which:

Got them installed on the AQ6, man that red heatsink looks very nice!

But does it actually help out? It was hard to fit the AQ6 in earlier, the display front plate used to bulge out a bit and I was just about to order the Caselabs short non-confirming mounts when I realized I might as well make good use of Shoggy's offer of replacement brackets. This way, I can be rest assured that this would work with any case for anyone in the future- if it does work, that is!

Yes!! Thanks Shoggy, it was a massive relief getting this in easily with no real effort.

Before I go to the next international package, I had something in mind with the Aquaero, Darlene's Diva 'Dapter which was referenced previously in here and the Corsair SP120 "PWM" fans. My other PSU, the Corsair ax1200i, is already in the case so I figured what better way than this to test out the EVGA 1300G2 that I had recently bought:

Customary EVGA logo close up shot above. Speaking of close up shots and small objects, here is the NZXT Grid which is currently at a great price on Amazon (US website anyway) next to a Nexus 4 for comparison. The thing is much smaller in person than what I expected from images:

10 channel 3-pin fan hub, each channel capable of supplying upto 3 watts. It comes with all the cables needed as well. So at <$10 currently, this has to be a steal- not really. Thanks to an OCN member, I realized that the rpm (tach) signal wire is split to all 10 ports in this making it useless to use with most fan controllers because the rpm speed inputs from all of the fans will corrupt the signal and the fan speed will not be correctly reported to the controller. Even cheap 3-pin fan splitter cables will only have all three wires going to one of the fan plugs, and just the 12v and ground to the rest. So I decided to open 'er up to see if newer batches had this corrected by any chance.

Unfortunately not, while faint one can still see the RPM trace going across from channel to channel on the PCB.. Oh well, there was already a solution provided above so I did the same, i.e, cut off the RPM signal prong from 9 of the 10 ports and make sure that single port with the RPM prong is occupied:

Problem solved, the Aquaero displayed RPMs correctly now. So I now started testing the real issue I had: Corsair's PWM implementation on their SP120 fans. Feel free to skip this section if this is not relevant to you. First up, the SP120 QE

Hooked directly to the Aquaero, at 50% PWM control:

Now connected to Channel 1 of the Swiftech 8 way PWM splitter, which is powered straight from the 1300G2:

Ok, that's close enough. Let's add in another fan:

We already start to see the effect of a non-standard PWM implementation. So now with fan 3 added:

Fan 4:

Fan 5:

Getting bad now, what about 6 fans on the splitter?

Ouch! Now adding fan 7:

Full speed already, no control whatsoever possible. Finally, fan 8:

Nothing changes as expected. So can the Double D help out? I hooked up the splitter to the adapter and had the passthrough over to the Aquaero.

Now with all 8 channels filled, and at the same 50% PWM signal:

Darlene is a magician- or someone with a very good electrical engineering background. Personally I prefer the former. Control is back on, the only change being a lower RPM compared to when a single fan was hooked up directly. I can live with that, I don't imagine having to run full speed anyway. The QEs are pretty quiet (who would have thought!) so let's try out a bigger challenge- the Corsair SP120 HPE fans.

First up, a fan hooked directly to the Aquaero at 50% control:

Now the same fan hooked via the Swiftech splitter:

Identical for all intents. Let's add fan 2:

Sigh.. Why did you have to do this, Corsair? Oh that's right- proprietary implementation + making a controller that is the only thing to work with it = Profit :thumbsdow

Fan 3 added:

Fan 4 added:

Now with fan 5:

and the dreaded 6th fan:

As expected, a massive jump with 6 fans on. A few users have reported having no control with 6 fans but I have a wee bit left as was the case with the QE fans. But now with fan 7:

As before, everything now runs at ~100% speed no matter what. Adding in the final 8th fan does nothing really different:

Does the 'Dapter help here too?

Yes, it does. As with the previous case, the RPMs are lowered a bit. That isn't an issue for me as I said before but I am curious as to why this is happening. Moving on, I hooked up both splitters to the adapter PCB and then to the AQ6:

No need to repeat the results here, it was the same as before. So I am confident the PCB will perform as intended with all channels occupied. In fact, this is so good that daisychaining also works. I hooked up 15 fans total (8 HPE, 7 QE) to the adapter and then to 1 channel on the AQ6 and it worked great. There is a caveat though- if I hooked up the 8 HPEs to 1 channel on the Swiftech splitter that housed 7 other QE fans, then there was no control available. If I daisychained it so that the QEs were hooked to the splitter that had the HPE fans, it was fine. Another point of curiosity but since I don't have any plans on having these different fans on the same channel, it does not affect me. Hopefully it will help others who want to try this.

Tl,dr.: Darlene's Diva 'Dapter works great. If you have a PWM controller (Newer Aquaero 6 units have this taken care of apparently) and have Corsair's PWM fans, chances are it won't work as expected. This will help.

Now to the other international package, Mayhems sent me a Blitz Basic kit for coming in close to winning a contest a few weeks back. I had already purchased a Blitz Pro kit from PPC so here they are together:

Blitz Basic has only his Part 2 solution which is enough for a 4 L effective cleaning solution of a loop. Now if you have rads that you suspect haven't been cleaned well from the factory *cough..Alphacool, Phobya..cough* or have purchased 2nd hand rads which have had dyes/colored coolant run through them, I would recommend using Part 1 on the rads alone. Here is the issue I have: Thanks to US customs, Mick was forced to change the formulation of Part 1 so it only gives 1 L effective as opposed to 2 L everywhere else. The Alphacool Monsta 480 alone consumes over 650 mL filled and I got a Mo.Ra 3 9.140 and Black Ice SR 1 560 that were used by a previous owner which I want to clean up as well. While I am at it, I might as well clean the other rads I have too. So I would imagine needing 3-4 L effective Part 1 (I have numbers for all the rads but that Mo.Ra) which means needing another 2-3 Blitz Pro kits just for more Part 1. I am tempted to just do the Monsta and and SR 1 rads now and have the rest cleaned with a dilute phosphoric acid solution but if anyone has suggestions otherwise, I am all ears.