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

[BuildLog] Project 12 (Phantom 820)

XNine

CaseLabs Rep
Joined
Mar 9, 2012
Messages
172 (0.04/day)
Location
Los Angeles
System Name Project 14
Processor Intel 4770K
Motherboard Asus Impact
Cooling MIPS Waterblock
Memory 16GB
Video Card(s) GTX 780 with AquaComputer block
Storage 256GB Samsung Pro 850, 2TB Western Digital HDD
Display(s) 27" Acer 1440P
Case CaseLabs Mercury S3
Power Supply Silverstone 700w Sleeved with MDPCX
Mouse Mionix Castor
Keyboard Code with Cherry Clears
Software Windows 10


Hardware
Case: NZXT Phantom 820 (modified)
Motherboard: Asrock Extreme 6/GB 2011
CPU: Intel 3820
Ram: Samsung Green low-profile
GPU: Sapphire 7870
Fans: NZXT 200mm, Gelid 120mm Fans for radiators.
Sleeve: MDPCX Black and Vanilla Sands
PSU: NZXT 850watt

Watercooling:
Reservoir: EK Multioption 250
CPU: EK Supremacy Nickel/Acetal
GPU: EK 7870 Waterblock
Controller: Aquaero 5 Pro controller w/ Waterblock and custom face plate
Radiators: EK XTX240mm and XT360mm
Tubing: Tygon R3400 1/2" 3/4"
Fittings: Monsoon Cooling
Pump: EK 4.0

Table of Contents:
Coming very very soon!
 

XNine

CaseLabs Rep
Joined
Mar 9, 2012
Messages
172 (0.04/day)
Location
Los Angeles
System Name Project 14
Processor Intel 4770K
Motherboard Asus Impact
Cooling MIPS Waterblock
Memory 16GB
Video Card(s) GTX 780 with AquaComputer block
Storage 256GB Samsung Pro 850, 2TB Western Digital HDD
Display(s) 27" Acer 1440P
Case CaseLabs Mercury S3
Power Supply Silverstone 700w Sleeved with MDPCX
Mouse Mionix Castor
Keyboard Code with Cherry Clears
Software Windows 10
Time for an update!

Unboxing late at night:


Removing Fan hub for sleeving




Now, it's time to remove the mesh and prepare for plexi windows. I need to remove the 200mm fan mount as well... so...













And it's time to start sleeving and cable management. I find it much easier to Cable manage from the beginning to avoid headaches down the road.



Some really cool gear came in. EK gives you a lot of nice stuff, like nice stop fittings for reservoirs and radiators, cable adapters for their pumps, different sized screws for radiators. The 7870 block also came with an adapter to mount fittings horizontally instead of vertically.... REALLY awesome that they include all that kind of stuff in their products.




Monsoon Rotary fittings. These things are awesome. Very well built and you can customize their look with colored "accent disks." As well, light port rotarty fittings are available if you want LEDs to color your clear tubing instead of using dyes.



The LED fittings come with a couple of different sleeved cables. I already have some though, as I'll be using amber/yellow LEDs in this build.







Now it's time to mount the radiators. 360mm up top


HUGE BOX!


For tiny items... Greenpeace would be really annoyed!


Cutting down the rods...














Mounting the Pump and reservoir:






More to follow soon!
 
Joined
May 21, 2008
Messages
4,113 (0.71/day)
Location
Iowa, USA
System Name THE CUBE 2.0
Processor Intel i5 13600k
Motherboard MSI MPG Z690 EDGE DDR4
Cooling Phanteks PH-TC14PE BK 2x T30-120 Fan mod mount
Memory G.Skill TridentZ 3200 MT/s C15 32GB 2x16GB
Video Card(s) Gigabyte Aorus 1080 Ti 11GB OC: Core 2GHz, Mem 5.7GHz
Storage WD SN770 250GB / 3x WD SN850X 2TB / Toshiba X300 4TB / 2x RAID1 Toshiba P300 3TB
Display(s) Samsung 49" Odyssey OLED G95SC 240Hz 5120 x 1440
Case "THE CUBE" Custom built, pure Red Alder wood
Audio Device(s) Beyerdynamic DT 880
Power Supply Corsair RM1000X
Mouse Logitech G700
Keyboard Logitech G910
Software Windows 11 Pro
Very nice!
 

XNine

CaseLabs Rep
Joined
Mar 9, 2012
Messages
172 (0.04/day)
Location
Los Angeles
System Name Project 14
Processor Intel 4770K
Motherboard Asus Impact
Cooling MIPS Waterblock
Memory 16GB
Video Card(s) GTX 780 with AquaComputer block
Storage 256GB Samsung Pro 850, 2TB Western Digital HDD
Display(s) 27" Acer 1440P
Case CaseLabs Mercury S3
Power Supply Silverstone 700w Sleeved with MDPCX
Mouse Mionix Castor
Keyboard Code with Cherry Clears
Software Windows 10
More updates coming soon. My jigsaw decided to crack my Plexi, so, I'll be working on that...
 

XNine

CaseLabs Rep
Joined
Mar 9, 2012
Messages
172 (0.04/day)
Location
Los Angeles
System Name Project 14
Processor Intel 4770K
Motherboard Asus Impact
Cooling MIPS Waterblock
Memory 16GB
Video Card(s) GTX 780 with AquaComputer block
Storage 256GB Samsung Pro 850, 2TB Western Digital HDD
Display(s) 27" Acer 1440P
Case CaseLabs Mercury S3
Power Supply Silverstone 700w Sleeved with MDPCX
Mouse Mionix Castor
Keyboard Code with Cherry Clears
Software Windows 10
Small update for today. Unfortunately, my 7870 needs to be sent in for RMA which really skews my hope for having it done in the next week, but, rest assured, I'll have more this weekend.

DWood's custom Aquaero Panel that will be going in:

This is the rough outline he sent me. It only took like 3 PM's to get it from idea to final draft.


And this is the panel already cut and bent, and ready for paint. It has shipped so it should be here Monday or Tuesday!


The panel has 5.25 flaps for mounting it in the bays, the Aquaero will be mounted flush into the plate so there's no logos and no mounting screws to be seen. :)


His work is fantastic, he's super easy to work with, and his prices are insanely low for the results he gives his customers. I don't put my name behind a lot of people, but this is one person I do!
 

XNine

CaseLabs Rep
Joined
Mar 9, 2012
Messages
172 (0.04/day)
Location
Los Angeles
System Name Project 14
Processor Intel 4770K
Motherboard Asus Impact
Cooling MIPS Waterblock
Memory 16GB
Video Card(s) GTX 780 with AquaComputer block
Storage 256GB Samsung Pro 850, 2TB Western Digital HDD
Display(s) 27" Acer 1440P
Case CaseLabs Mercury S3
Power Supply Silverstone 700w Sleeved with MDPCX
Mouse Mionix Castor
Keyboard Code with Cherry Clears
Software Windows 10
Update!

Sleeving USB 3.0 front headers. I haven't seen anyone make a tutorial on how to do it, and it was quite a task, let me tell you.


The main problem, is that you either need large sleeve to go over the motherboard connector, or, you need to modify the headers because the casings are heat-sealed after they are installed on the header.

So, we cut both side with an exacto knife, leaving both screw mounts intact. Cut below and above it. You have to go fairly deep, but ensure you aren't cutting any wires. There's also hot clue on the wiring/connector to keep everything in place. When you remove the connector from the casing, you've gotta be careful, otherwise it the connector will come apart.







After it's removed, you just use your MDPC USB sleeve to sleeve the cable. Placing the casing back on the connector takes a bit of work, just make sure you put your heatshrink ON before the casings. Once the casings are on, then you can torch your heatshrink.






Just waiting for the Heatshrink to cool down to hit it again to make sure it's nice and form-fitting.

The Hue Lighting system.


Fans prepped for cleaning of where the Gelid decals were. Custom stickers are on order :




Starting on tubing. Those Monsoon compressions look really sexy.


And now I await my GPU back from RMA, and perhaps there's a little something something coming this week. :)

The Custom front panel should be here today or tomorrow, so that will be test-fitted and the project box for the lighting completed as well.
 

de.das.dude

Pro Indian Modder
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Messages
8,756 (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

XNine

CaseLabs Rep
Joined
Mar 9, 2012
Messages
172 (0.04/day)
Location
Los Angeles
System Name Project 14
Processor Intel 4770K
Motherboard Asus Impact
Cooling MIPS Waterblock
Memory 16GB
Video Card(s) GTX 780 with AquaComputer block
Storage 256GB Samsung Pro 850, 2TB Western Digital HDD
Display(s) 27" Acer 1440P
Case CaseLabs Mercury S3
Power Supply Silverstone 700w Sleeved with MDPCX
Mouse Mionix Castor
Keyboard Code with Cherry Clears
Software Windows 10
Time for an update!

So, the GPU should be in my hands Monday or Tuesday, which means? Build time! Now... for some more modding work....

Received the custom Aquaero 5 panl from DWood








Some Stickers for the fans.








Now it's time for some Acrylic work. I found that if you actually use a Dremel Metal cutting disc, and use the top surface of it, you can "grind down" or shave off acrylic in orderly fashion, which allows you to get more detailed results with a handfile once you're done.



Once cut down, I hand-file it


PERFECT!


Then I use a propane torch to gently "kiss" the edges to make them nice and smooth. No screws are needed to install as the acrylic fits perfectly into the opening....

But.,.. I felt something was missing.... Something just didn't feel right... We need it to match the rest of the build... and there's mesh.... so...




Now, we need a hole for the LED.... X marks the spot...









More to come in the next few days.... :) The fun REALLY begins..
 

WarEagleAU

Bird of Prey
Joined
Jul 9, 2006
Messages
10,812 (1.67/day)
Location
Gurley, AL
System Name Pandemic 2020
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 "Gen 2" 2600X
Motherboard AsRock X470 Killer Promontory
Cooling CoolerMaster 240 RGB Master Cooler (Newegg Eggxpert)
Memory 32 GB Geil EVO Portenza DDR4 3200 MHz
Video Card(s) ASUS Radeon RX 580 DirectX 12 DUAL-RX580-O8G 8GB 256-Bit GDDR5 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video C
Storage WD 250 M.2, Corsair P500 M.2, OCZ Trion 500, WD Black 1TB, Assorted others.
Display(s) ASUS MG24UQ Gaming Monitor - 23.6" 4K UHD (3840x2160) , IPS, Adaptive Sync, DisplayWidget
Case Fractal Define R6 C
Audio Device(s) Realtek 5.1 Onboard
Power Supply Corsair RMX 850 Platinum PSU (Newegg Eggxpert)
Mouse Razer Death Adder
Keyboard Corsair K95 Mechanical & Corsair K65 Wired, Wireless, Bluetooth)
Software Windows 10 Pro x64
DUDE! This looks bad ass. Makes me want to mod my Switch 810 but I just love it in its stock White form. Subscribed.
 
Joined
Aug 2, 2009
Messages
4,013 (0.75/day)
I used a Jingway 1200 pump for quite awhile, it didn't have the most snort, but I loved how quiet it was. I still have it out in the garage as a spare, with the EK res attachment and a longer multi-tube section. I can't express all the goodness I feel about your method of mounting the fans to the radiators, I'll be stealing that for sure:toast:
 
Joined
Mar 6, 2010
Messages
2,186 (0.43/day)
Location
England
Subbed because... the pictures speak for themselves.

:toast:
 

XNine

CaseLabs Rep
Joined
Mar 9, 2012
Messages
172 (0.04/day)
Location
Los Angeles
System Name Project 14
Processor Intel 4770K
Motherboard Asus Impact
Cooling MIPS Waterblock
Memory 16GB
Video Card(s) GTX 780 with AquaComputer block
Storage 256GB Samsung Pro 850, 2TB Western Digital HDD
Display(s) 27" Acer 1440P
Case CaseLabs Mercury S3
Power Supply Silverstone 700w Sleeved with MDPCX
Mouse Mionix Castor
Keyboard Code with Cherry Clears
Software Windows 10
Thank you everyone. :) Unfortunately, I had some casualties on the build over Thanksgiving. My SSD and Aquaero are dead.

However, the loop is all in place and things are coming along. I should have all of this completed fairly soon. I hate it when things don't go according to plan.
 

XNine

CaseLabs Rep
Joined
Mar 9, 2012
Messages
172 (0.04/day)
Location
Los Angeles
System Name Project 14
Processor Intel 4770K
Motherboard Asus Impact
Cooling MIPS Waterblock
Memory 16GB
Video Card(s) GTX 780 with AquaComputer block
Storage 256GB Samsung Pro 850, 2TB Western Digital HDD
Display(s) 27" Acer 1440P
Case CaseLabs Mercury S3
Power Supply Silverstone 700w Sleeved with MDPCX
Mouse Mionix Castor
Keyboard Code with Cherry Clears
Software Windows 10
So many things have happened since I started this project.
My SSD, Aquaero screen, and Hue board all went bye-bye. So, I had to get replacements for each.

I added a Samsung 840 Pro SSD, a new Aquaero screen, new Hue control board, 16GB more of RAM for a total of 32....

To top that, I chucked my old Corsair PSU in favor of the mighty Seasonic. Sure, my Corsair was technically a Seasonic, but, it was time for the OEM. Sleeving the new Seasonic was a daunting task. They have a really redundant and stupid pin set up on their full-modular systems.
There's a 24pin motherboard connector splits into a 10 pin and a 19 pin on the PSU side. Why? No real reason that I can think of, other than it's proprietary and a real pain in the ass.

Other than that, things are looking up! Got everything installed and we're back up and running!

Here's a sneak-peak:



I had trouble mounting the Aquaero, because it uses some stand off to connect the original faceplate to the unit itself, this made lining the buttons up impossible as they were just a 1-2mm too high. So, I had to rearrange the mounting and use some aluminum spacers to get it all where it needs to be.

Fortunately, my plan worked (and why wouldn't it, I'm just that awesome) :thumb:

More to come in the next couple of days!
 

XNine

CaseLabs Rep
Joined
Mar 9, 2012
Messages
172 (0.04/day)
Location
Los Angeles
System Name Project 14
Processor Intel 4770K
Motherboard Asus Impact
Cooling MIPS Waterblock
Memory 16GB
Video Card(s) GTX 780 with AquaComputer block
Storage 256GB Samsung Pro 850, 2TB Western Digital HDD
Display(s) 27" Acer 1440P
Case CaseLabs Mercury S3
Power Supply Silverstone 700w Sleeved with MDPCX
Mouse Mionix Castor
Keyboard Code with Cherry Clears
Software Windows 10
After two months of delays and issues between life and the build, I'm proud to say, that Project 12 is DONE. Fini.

I will let the images do the talking.... for the most part. :)

BTW... Thanks Newegg! I always wanted a huge box for my 1 tube of TIM. :D




























































I just want to take a moment to say thank you to a lot of people, a lot of which have really helped me through some rough times and have inspired me to be and do so much more!

To Adam, wish you were here so I could share this with you. May you rest in peace.

Charles, Nils, and the rest of the MDPC fam: Thank you for inspiring me and being the people you are.
Bill Owen: I've always loved your work!
NZXT and the NZXT Modding Community!
Gregor at EK for putting up with all of my crap! lol
Dwood: For metal and plastics!
Geno with Monsoon for late-night emails, talks, and bringing out my favorite fittings and innovating on the watercooling front!
 
Top