Monolith

BucketInABucket

New member
So this is my second proper computer build, and my first open loop!

This is a system that's going to be used for both university work and gaming, and I wanted to create something that would be functional as well as a work of art. I want something quiet but also very powerful, and I have some mild OCD so this is a chance for me to make it as perfect as it can be. I've always disliked the RGB ALL THE THINGS trend, so the theme is going to be a simple black with white accents. I plan to mod the case I'm using a little to accept the parts I want to fit in it, so this log will also detail how I do that.


Parts list:
Intel Core i7-6700k: This little thing is approaching a year old now, and comes from my previous build. It still packs plenty of power, so there's no reason to upgrade to a 7700k, and I can't justify a Ryzen build (yet), so I'm sticking with this one.
Zotac GTX 1080Ti Founder's Edition: I like my FPS and I'm impatient, what can I say?
Gigabyte Z270-MX Gaming 5: Had it from when I was planning a mATX build. I might change it out to a full ATX board if I decided to upgrade to Ryzen.
Corsair Vengeance LED White 3000MHz 4x8GB: Black with white LEDs and I happened to have it from my previous build. Slick looking, quality RAM.
Anidees AI Crystal Cube: I was lucky enough to be given this beautiful case by Anidees, so it will be the centerpiece of this computer as well as what ties the whole thing together.
Corsair AX860i: An incredible, quiet power supply. Had it from my previous build so it'll be reused.
Samsung 950 Pro 512GB: Got a spanking deal for it last year. My boot drive as well as where the essential programs will be installed.
Fujitsu F300 480GB: Yes, they make SSDs! Given to me by my dad, this is my games SSD.
WD Green 3TB: Also given to me by my dad. General storage purposes.
Corsair ML Pro white fans: They sound and perform great and also look amazing. In the build they go!

Cooling:
XSPC Raystorm Pro: Black and comes with two white LEDs. Sleek, a good performer and excellent value for money.
Watercool HEATKILLER​® IV for T​ITAN X and​ GTX 1080T​i - ACRYL ​Ni-Bl: A beautiful waterblock which has a slot for a LED strip which will naturally be white.
Watercool HEATKILLER​® Tube 150​ D5: Same reason as the GPU block. Beautiful, black, cool looking. I asked Watercool.de to make mine with 4 LED strip slots instead of one to get more even lighting in the reservoir.
Alphacool ​Eispump VP​P755: Beefed up, smaller D5. Why not?
Black ​Ice Nemesi​s Radiator​ GTS 280: The radiator going in the front 280mm radiator space. The best in class slim radiator of it's size, that's about it.
s x Magicool G2 Slim 240: Two of the are going in the top of the case. The AI Crystal Cube can only accept radiators up to 120mm wide if two are used at the top and these are the best performers in that category short of importing Black Ice Nemesis L-series radiators from America which I don't want to wait for. They're also dirt cheap!
Nanoxia CoolForce LED Fitting 16/13 - White: LED fittings! These will be used in place of LED strips. They look so cool and will make my build look unique, so hell yeah here I go! They're also cheaper than the Thermaltake RGB fittings and are much simpler to use.
Other fittings: To attach the 240mm radiators together as well as go behind the motherboard tray where there is no need for LED fittings.
Bitspower stopcock: Got it for cheap from a nice friend. Will serve as my drain along with a length of tube and a fitting he gave me.

Ordered the 240mm radiators, a multiport top, some 16/13mm Alphacool acrylic tubing and, because the website I was looking at didn't have them, a few fittings from other brands (EK and the WCUK house brand) instead of the Nanoxia ones I wanted to get at first.

This is it for now, I'll sign it off with most of the parts initially fitted in the case to let me plan out the build!

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So a bunch of parts have been coming in! The CPU block, GPU block, pump and reservoir are all here. Well, and a Nemesis GTS 280 which I already had, but it's not very exciting so I'm not including it here. The reason I didn't go for all watercool.de parts is because they don't have a CPU block which lights up, so I chose the Raystorm Pro which has a very similar aesthetic which matches the watercool.de parts. I must say, they do look fabulous together.

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I requested the reservoir to be made with all four aluminium struts allowing for a LED strip, as I want the most even lighting possible and the stock one comes with only one strut supporting a LED strip.

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I got a cheap 5m LED strip, a few molex to 3 pin fan adapters, a bunch of 3 pin female fan headers and a few XH-2P connectors off ebay. I plan to connect the LED strips directly to the PSU, via first the 3-pin fan header and then the adapters. This gives me the least fuss, as the pump already uses a molex connection, and is relatively simple to make myself.

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As the GPU block also has space for a LED strip and the 1080Ti's PCB has an XH-2P male connector that's used to light the Geforce GTX logo green on the stock founder's edition card, I used an XH-2P connector to connect another LED strip directly to the 1080Ti's PCB. However, it doesn't really seem bright enough when I tested it, so I got another more expensive but brighter LED strip which I'll be installing when it comes.

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The build is coming along quite nicely!
 
Some 3mm techflex, two 240mm radiators, the other fittings and the multiport top came in today. I took the opportunity to sleeve some LED strip cables. However, only two out of the four I made worked...can't figure out why but I suppose two will be fine.

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