• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

[build log] Project Abyss

Joined
May 29, 2013
Messages
30 (0.01/day)


Sponsored By



This is my first massive build, I am constructing a new desk to house 2 separate computers, one for Gaming and the other as a small home server. the desk itself will house 2 computers one on either side of the desk and in the middle all the HDD's from both computers. On display will also feature water-cooling reservoirs and multiple temperature LCD's. The Water cooling of the rig will Chanel down under the desk into 2 large radiators that will be housed inside a tiny fridge to keep the water temps down around 0-10 degrees Celsius.

Rig 1 (gaming)
Mobo: ASUS Rampage IV
CPU: Intel Core i7 3820
Ram: undecided will be either corsair or g.skill
PSU: OCZ fatal1ty 750W
GPU: 1x Gainward GTX680
HDD: 2x Samsung 840pro 256gb SSD running of a raid card
HDD: WD 2tb Green

Rig 2 (Media Server)
Mobo: ASUS Sabertooth x58

CPU: Intel Core i7 930
Ram: G.Skill Ripjaws 12gb @1600mhz
PSU: Thermaltake 450W
GPU: EVGA GTX 550ti
HDD: Corsair Force 60GB SSD
HDD: 2x WD 3TB Green
HDD: 1x Hitachi 2TB
HDD: 1x WD 1TB Green

so here is the start of the desk and some of the parts that have arrived will keep you updated as i work on it.












And the Desk Progress





Will post more as i work on it this weekend.
 
Joined
Mar 10, 2010
Messages
11,878 (2.32/day)
Location
Manchester uk
System Name RyzenGtEvo/ Asus strix scar II
Processor Amd R5 5900X/ Intel 8750H
Motherboard Crosshair hero8 impact/Asus
Cooling 360EK extreme rad+ 360$EK slim all push, cpu ek suprim Gpu full cover all EK
Memory Corsair Vengeance Rgb pro 3600cas14 16Gb in four sticks./16Gb/16GB
Video Card(s) Powercolour RX7900XT Reference/Rtx 2060
Storage Silicon power 2TB nvme/8Tb external/1Tb samsung Evo nvme 2Tb sata ssd/1Tb nvme
Display(s) Samsung UAE28"850R 4k freesync.dell shiter
Case Lianli 011 dynamic/strix scar2
Audio Device(s) Xfi creative 7.1 on board ,Yamaha dts av setup, corsair void pro headset
Power Supply corsair 1200Hxi/Asus stock
Mouse Roccat Kova/ Logitech G wireless
Keyboard Roccat Aimo 120
VR HMD Oculus rift
Software Win 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores 8726 vega 3dmark timespy/ laptop Timespy 6506
2 radiators in a fridge , I don't think thats going to work unless said fridge is a hyper 1500watt unit it will not cool enough and the radiators will heat the small area in a fridge pretty quick , good luck though dude.
 

de.das.dude

Pro Indian Modder
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Messages
8,737 (1.74/day)
Location
Stuck in a PC. halp.
System Name Monke | Work Thinkpad| Old Monke
Processor Ryzen 5600X | Ryzen 5500U | FX8320
Motherboard ASRock B550 Extreme4 | ? | Asrock 990FX Extreme 4
Cooling 240mm Rad | Not needed | hyper 212 EVO
Memory 2x16GB DDR4 3600 Corsair RGB | 16 GB DDR4 3600 | 16GB DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse RX6700XT 12GB | Vega 8 | Sapphire Pulse RX580 8GB
Storage Samsung 980 nvme (Primary) | some samsung SSD
Display(s) Dell 2723DS | Some 14" 1080p 98%sRGB IPS | Dell 2240L
Case Ant Esports Tempered case | Thinkpad | Antec
Audio Device(s) Logitech Z333 | Jabra corpo stuff
Power Supply Corsair RM750e | not needed | Corsair GS 600
Mouse Logitech G400 | nipple
Keyboard Logitech G213 | stock kb is awesome | Logitech K230
VR HMD ;_;
Software Windows 10 Professional x3
Benchmark Scores There are no marks on my bench
dont need fans in a fridge. also the cooling wattage of the fridge should be double that of the whole system.

also a fridge is a bad idea. all that heat is going to be rejected into your room under the desk.
 
Joined
May 14, 2009
Messages
2,132 (0.39/day)
Location
Chicago burbs
System Name Halloween Boo!
Processor Intel Core i7 3770K
Motherboard Gigabyte Z77-Up7
Cooling Custom Water/ Thermalchill TA 120.3/ Swiftech Apogeee XT/ MCP655/ Swiftech M icrores/ XSPC RX 240
Memory 16G G.Skill trident 2400MHz
Video Card(s) 3 x Radeon 7970
Storage OCZ Revo Drive 240G
Display(s) 24 inch Viewsonic
Case Phobia WayCoolIt Test Bench
Power Supply Nexus 1100 watt
You can't put rads in a fridge. The heat dissapation will keep the compressor running and it will burn out. Refridgerator compressors are not engineered for continuous running plus there will not be much overclocking bonus from running at 35 degrees. Phase change would be the best way. many have tried the fridge idea and failed. It is not a new concept.

In the winter, I used to put my rads outside and had long tubing. The overclock benefits were minor compared to inside ambient of 20 Celsius. I may have grabbed a few hundred MHz on a i7 920 and a PII 965.
 

AsRock

TPU addict
Joined
Jun 23, 2007
Messages
18,843 (3.08/day)
Location
UK\USA
Processor AMD 3900X \ AMD 7700X
Motherboard ASRock AM4 X570 Pro 4 \ ASUS X670Xe TUF
Cooling D15
Memory Patriot 2x16GB PVS432G320C6K \ G.Skill Flare X5 F5-6000J3238F 2x16GB
Video Card(s) eVga GTX1060 SSC \ XFX RX 6950XT RX-695XATBD9
Storage Sammy 860, MX500, Sabrent Rocket 4 Sammy Evo 980 \ 1xSabrent Rocket 4+, Sammy 2x990 Pro
Display(s) Samsung 1080P \ LG 43UN700
Case Fractal Design Pop Air 2x140mm fans from Torrent \ Fractal Design Torrent 2 SilverStone FHP141x2
Audio Device(s) Yamaha RX-V677 \ Yamaha CX-830+Yamaha MX-630 Infinity RS4000\Paradigm P Studio 20, Blue Yeti
Power Supply Seasonic Prime TX-750 \ Corsair RM1000X Shift
Mouse Steelseries Sensei wireless \ Steelseries Sensei wireless
Keyboard Logitech K120 \ Wooting Two HE
Benchmark Scores Meh benchmarks.
dont need fans in a fridge. also the cooling wattage of the fridge should be double that of the whole system.

also a fridge is a bad idea. all that heat is going to be rejected into your room under the desk.

Hehe, and probably then some fridges tend to take 600+ and our current one take a a killa watt and it's only a bit over sized..

You can't put rads in a fridge. The heat dissapation will keep the compressor running and it will burn out. Refridgerator compressors are not engineered for continuous running plus there will not be much overclocking bonus from running at 35 degrees. Phase change would be the best way. many have tried the fridge idea and failed. It is not a new concept.

In the winter, I used to put my rads outside and had long tubing. The overclock benefits were minor compared to inside ambient of 20 Celsius. I may have grabbed a few hundred MHz on a i7 920 and a PII 965.


Yeah good point that is, i hate to see his electric bill later lol.
 
Joined
May 29, 2013
Messages
30 (0.01/day)
Hehe, and probably then some fridges tend to take 600+ and our current one take a a killa watt and it's only a bit over sized..




Yeah good point that is, i hate to see his electric bill later lol.

thanks for the ideas there guys probably good idea to test it out first before i build the base see what temps i get.

think i will have some copper piping run under the false floor and a fairly large reservoir in the middle of the desk and a medium sized one in the fridge depending how temps go

as for the build will be sanding back and painting the top this weekend and hoping some more parts come next week
 
Joined
Oct 10, 2007
Messages
1,540 (0.26/day)
System Name :3
Processor Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 - 3ghz
Motherboard GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Dynamic Energy Saver Ultra Durable II Intel Motherboard
Cooling cm 212 EVO
Memory G.SKILL 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model
Video Card(s) BFG GTX 275
Storage WD black 500gb Samsung 1tb
Display(s) 27" 1366x768 Olevia 527v
Case Antec Three Hundred
Audio Device(s) ALC889
Power Supply CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Ac
Software Windows 8 pro
what about an old style ammonia fridge, that doesn't need as much pressure, did anyone ever try that?
 
Joined
May 29, 2013
Messages
30 (0.01/day)
what about an old style ammonia fridge, that doesn't need as much pressure, did anyone ever try that?

must say i have never heard of an ammonia fridge how would that work

and think i might have to skip the fridge in the desk i might use a couple a few radiators in the base

also the EK fans are tremendously loud
 
Joined
May 29, 2013
Messages
30 (0.01/day)


Sponsored By


ok so paint came and so did most of the power cables
will be building base this week hoping to have it done befor my work roster changes to 12hr shifts
than will be wating on motherboard processor and ram also anyone have any advice on water pumps
should i use 1 or 2 and which ones would be best?















 
Last edited:

t_ski

Former Staff
Joined
Apr 11, 2006
Messages
11,960 (1.83/day)
System Name My i7 Beast
Processor Intel Core i7 6800K
Motherboard Asus X99-A II
Cooling Nickel-plated EK Supremacy EVO, D5 with XSPC Bayres & BIX Quad Radiator
Memory 4 x 8GB EVGA SuperSC DDR4-3200
Video Card(s) EVGA 1080 SuperClocked
Storage Samsung 950 Pro 256GB m.2 SSD + 480GB Sandisk storage SSD
Display(s) Three Asus 24" VW246H LCD's
Case Silverstone TJ07
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply Corsair AX1200
Keyboard Corsair K95
Software Windows 10 x64 Pro
I love my D5 vario pump. I tried two once in a loop, but had a hard time getting it to bleed. Of course, that was long before the series of reservoirs came out that directly support two pumps.
 
Joined
May 29, 2013
Messages
30 (0.01/day)
I love my D5 vario pump. I tried two once in a loop, but had a hard time getting it to bleed. Of course, that was long before the series of reservoirs came out that directly support two pumps.

you recon a that would be a better way to go get a resevoir that supports 2 pumps like the XSPC ones?
 
Joined
Mar 15, 2013
Messages
3,623 (0.90/day)
Location
GMT +2
System Name Red Radiance l under construction
Processor 5800x
Motherboard x470 taichi
Cooling stock wrath
Memory TridentZ Neo rgb 3600mhz (2x8 kit)
Video Card(s) Sapphire Vega 64 nitro+
Storage 970 evo nvme
Display(s) lc27g75tq
Case tt core x5 tge
Audio Device(s) sennheiser's pc323d usb soundcard
Power Supply corsair AX860i
Mouse roccat burst pro
Keyboard roccat ryos mk fx
Software windows 10
interesting project
sub
 

t_ski

Former Staff
Joined
Apr 11, 2006
Messages
11,960 (1.83/day)
System Name My i7 Beast
Processor Intel Core i7 6800K
Motherboard Asus X99-A II
Cooling Nickel-plated EK Supremacy EVO, D5 with XSPC Bayres & BIX Quad Radiator
Memory 4 x 8GB EVGA SuperSC DDR4-3200
Video Card(s) EVGA 1080 SuperClocked
Storage Samsung 950 Pro 256GB m.2 SSD + 480GB Sandisk storage SSD
Display(s) Three Asus 24" VW246H LCD's
Case Silverstone TJ07
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply Corsair AX1200
Keyboard Corsair K95
Software Windows 10 x64 Pro
you recon a that would be a better way to go get a resevoir that supports 2 pumps like the XSPC ones?

I have no experience with those, but two pumps without one is definitely more hassle than one pump alone. With the dual-pump res it could be better or it could be worse - I don't have anything to compare it to.

TBH, I have had a CPU block, mobo block and three GPU blocks in one loop with one pump and never has any issues with pressure or flow. I was only toying with the idea of getting max pressure and there being a backup in the loop if one pump died.
 
Joined
May 29, 2013
Messages
30 (0.01/day)
I have no experience with those, but two pumps without one is definitely more hassle than one pump alone. With the dual-pump res it could be better or it could be worse - I don't have anything to compare it to.

TBH, I have had a CPU block, mobo block and three GPU blocks in one loop with one pump and never has any issues with pressure or flow. I was only toying with the idea of getting max pressure and there being a backup in the loop if one pump died.

in all fairness its my first water cooled build i might try a single pump at first i will have temperature probs before and after the water blocks to keep an eye on the temps any suggestion on the water pump itself
 
Joined
May 29, 2013
Messages
30 (0.01/day)


Sponsored By


First layer of undercoat done only 16hrs till the next




painting should be done next week and legs will be here friday i hope
 
Joined
May 29, 2013
Messages
30 (0.01/day)


Sponsored By


Quick little update

Finally found some time to get into the city to pick up the rest of the parts on order.
I have decided that since i wont be going all out with 3 or 4 GPU's in sli that there was no real
need to get a the ASUS Rampage IV Extreme so i have chosen the Formula motherboard. I'm hoping
over the next week or so i will have the rest of the motherboard slots cut and ready to put the
top coats of paint on.

few quick photos bellow

The 2nd layer of Undercoat on finally





and the rest of the hardware still need to get in another Samsung 840Pro 256Gb Drive








And this is just about everything i need just have to get my arse into gear and get some
glass cut and finish the desk


Hopefully end of the work week will post some more
 
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
574 (0.13/day)
Location
Australia
Processor Intel® Core i5 6600
Motherboard Asus H170 Pro Gaming
Cooling Hyper 212 Evo
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB DDR4 2400mhz
Video Card(s) Gigabyte Geforce GTX 960 G1 4GB Gaming
Storage 256GB Intel SSD 525 Series
Display(s) 24" LG LED Monitor
Case Corsair Carbide 200R
Power Supply Seasonic MK12II 620W
Mouse Logitech G5
Keyboard Logitech G110
Software Windows 10 x64
Sub'd!!! =)
 
Joined
Aug 17, 2009
Messages
1,585 (0.30/day)
Location
Los Angeles/Orange County CA
System Name Vulcan
Processor i6 6600K
Motherboard GIGABYTE Z170X UD3
Cooling Thermaltake Frio Silent 14
Memory 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB)
Video Card(s) ASUS Strix GTX 970
Storage Mushkin Enhanced Reactor 1TB SSD
Display(s) QNIX 27 Inch 1440p
Case Fractal Design Define S
Audio Device(s) On Board
Power Supply Cooler Master V750
Software Win 10 64-bit
subbed
 
Joined
May 29, 2013
Messages
30 (0.01/day)


Sponsored By


Finished moving into new place and unpacked only thing left is to finishthe Build.
First Coat of paint done 2nd coat will be done tomorrow. And will be putting the base together
thinking of doing a carbon vinyl on the centre slope and the false floors so hopefully that will
Come this week

Photos


 
Joined
May 29, 2013
Messages
30 (0.01/day)


Sponsored By


finally got the first 2 coats of paint onto the desk came up much better than i was expecting.
Carbon Vinyl arived have aplied it to the false floors and decided to seperate the back devider
and mount the Resivior between them will get to work on that later today anyway time for some more pictures



 
Joined
May 29, 2013
Messages
30 (0.01/day)


Sponsored By


got some time over the weekend to get some more work done. decided against the single back seperator
and have gone for 2 with a mini cave in the middle looks a lot nicer provides that little bit more room.
have been trying to decide whether to add another reservior (or 2) behind and under the main reservior
not sure how it will look guess once i paint the new deviders and get the top on will make a decision.

and for the photos




 
Joined
May 29, 2013
Messages
30 (0.01/day)


Sponsored By


finally have time to post some more details about the build, top of the desk is pretty much complete
just have a couple of holes to drill for the watercooling tube and knock up the base, i had a fiddle
around with the fridge idea during the week and came to the conclusion that was stupid enough to even
consider it... didn't pan out but no problem as the 2 radiators will easily be enough for the rig.
got round to cleaning the dust and crap out of the desk and wipe it down i was actually quite impressed
how well it came up... now all that's left is new temp sensor displays (wanted red got blue) and also
a 2nd reservoir to mount with the pump as a fill-port for the whole thing.













 
Joined
Aug 1, 2009
Messages
959 (0.18/day)
Location
Currently somewhere around NSW, Australia
System Name hmmm... / lappy (ASUS Scar III)
Processor Intel Core i7-8086K / Intel Core i7-9750H
Motherboard ASUS Maximus XI Formula / ASUS G531GW
Cooling Noctua NH-D15s w/ 2 x Noctua NF-F12 PWM Chromax and 1 x Noctua NF-A15 HS-PWM Chromax Fans / Stock
Memory 4x16gb G.Skill Trident Z DDR4 3600mhz / 2x16gb Kingston Hyper X Impact DDR4 2666mhz C15
Video Card(s) 2 x EVGA GTX 1080 TI FTW3 / Nvidia RTX 2070 8gb
Storage 2 x Samsung 960 EVO Plus 1tb NVME/ 1tb Intel SSDPEKNW010T8 NVME + 2tb Samsung 860 EVO SSD
Display(s) Acer Predator X34P / ASUS 15.6" Screen
Case Fractal Design Meshify S2 White-TG + Noctua Chromax Fans / ASUS Scar III Case
Audio Device(s) Onboard + Logitech Z623 / Onboard
Power Supply Seasonic Prime Ultra Titanium 1000W + PROLINK PRO903WS / ASUS ADP-230GB B Power Brick
Mouse Corsair Vengeance M65 PRO RGB / Logitech MX Anywhere 2S
Keyboard Corsair K70 LUX RGB / ASUS Scar III Keyboard
Software Windows 10 Professional x64 / Windows 10 Professional x64
Awesome job! Subbed! :toast:
 
Joined
May 29, 2013
Messages
30 (0.01/day)


Sponsored By


finally had some time Monday to get a little work done on the build, firstly i finished mounting the LED's and UV Tubes,
and have had time to get one of the radiators mounted along with the power supply/s (one on display) and have got most of
the tubing in ready to mount the Mobo just have to get around to finishing the base for it and drag it back inside to set
it all up.. didn't take into account the size of the doors


LED's after i fixed the switch problem that burnt out one of the cables... lack of sleep does that



The Red Temp sensors finally arrived got them in looks far better over the blue ones. thinking of using them on the next build






Power Supply Fit in wasn't sure how it would look but it looks better than having nothing in that gap
 
Joined
May 29, 2013
Messages
30 (0.01/day)


Sponsored By


hi all sorry for the lengthy time this project has taken unfortunately work commitments get in the way of
free time. just a quick update finally finished setting up the water loop, and have one of the 2 Motherboards
in. will have the glass top arrive sometime in the next 2 weeks and maybe even decide to buy a RevoDrive 3x2 240gb
for the C drive on the main workstation even though i have had some bad luck with the RevoDrives in the past.. 3
different cards all failed within 6 months of use.. the original RevoDrive, RevoDrive 2 and RevoDrive 3.

here's some shots of the motherboard and cpu water-block installed

and potentially where the SSD drives will lay out
 
Top