Indigo

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Boulvejak
Jake
  • Someone Noticed
Member since
Computer Networks
Fort Worth, Texas, United States
www.youtube.com
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1,298
Build Approvals
9
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Standoffs for pipe-routing plate.
Standoffs for pipe-routing plate.
Bending the stainless steel sheet metal piece for the plate. Don't need a bending tool when you have clamps, a 3-pound sledge, a piece of plywood to dampen the blows, and some stress you need to work out.
Bending the stainless steel sheet metal piece for the plate. Don't need a bending tool when you have clamps, a 3-pound sledge, a piece of plywood to dampen the blows, and some stress you need to work out.
Test-fit for the plate with screw-holes drilled.
Test-fit for the plate with screw-holes drilled.
Rear space behind the plate for pipe-routing. 2 inch clearance provided by those stainless stand-offs.
Rear space behind the plate for pipe-routing. 2 inch clearance provided by those stainless stand-offs.
Hyte Y60 case compared to the MO-RA3 420. The MO-RA is a big ol' big-un.
Hyte Y60 case compared to the MO-RA3 420. The MO-RA is a big ol' big-un.
Leak testing the CPU block. I prefer Aquacomputer to EK, but my Dr Drop pump was non-functional, so I grabbed EK's tester instead and it was much more reliable.
Leak testing the CPU block. I prefer Aquacomputer to EK, but my Dr Drop pump was non-functional, so I grabbed EK's tester instead and it was much more reliable.
Thermal Grizzly ILM installation.
Thermal Grizzly ILM installation.
CPU block installed. I used Noctua NT-H2 thermal paste.
CPU block installed. I used Noctua NT-H2 thermal paste.
Separating the GPU from it's colossal stock cooler.
Separating the GPU from it's colossal stock cooler.
GPU finally separated. The stock thermal pads had a death grip on the card.
GPU finally separated. The stock thermal pads had a death grip on the card.
Kleen
Kleen
Thermal pads applied to GPU waterblock. Used the NT-H2 again for the GPU. I hear it has good longevity compared to something like Kryonaut and I did not want to deal with the downsides of liquid metal either. I'm looking for a reliable daily-driver. We'll see how it holds up.
Thermal pads applied to GPU waterblock. Used the NT-H2 again for the GPU. I hear it has good longevity compared to something like Kryonaut and I did not want to deal with the downsides of liquid metal either. I'm looking for a reliable daily-driver. We'll see how it holds up.
Temporarily installed the mobo/CPU and marked the plate for pass-through fittings using a laser level. This drill jig isn't as solid as a drill press, but it did good work. Made pilot holes with a small bit then went for the full hole with the stepper-bit.
Temporarily installed the mobo/CPU and marked the plate for pass-through fittings using a laser level. This drill jig isn't as solid as a drill press, but it did good work. Made pilot holes with a small bit then went for the full hole with the stepper-bit.
Stainless Swiss
Stainless Swiss
Self-etching primer applied after sanding and cleaning the metal. Never skip primer.
Self-etching primer applied after sanding and cleaning the metal. Never skip primer.
Drying after paint was applied.
Drying after paint was applied.
Sanding the heads of the screws from McMaster-Carr. They were pretty shittily-finished from the supplier. This took a few hours.
Sanding the heads of the screws from McMaster-Carr. They were pretty shittily-finished from the supplier. This took a few hours.
I don't have the skills or gear to get them perfectly flat, but they look much better. Left is factory, right is sanded and badly-polished.
I don't have the skills or gear to get them perfectly flat, but they look much better. Left is factory, right is sanded and badly-polished.
Test fit of painted plate with pass-throughs in-place with Mobo and GPU in-place temporarily.
Test fit of painted plate with pass-throughs in-place with Mobo and GPU in-place temporarily.
Case prep for drilling/cutting - keep the metal bits out of the riser and case electronics.
Case prep for drilling/cutting - keep the metal bits out of the riser and case electronics.
Removed section of the case floor to allow pipes to pass into basement from behind the plate.
Removed section of the case floor to allow pipes to pass into basement from behind the plate.
Holes for pass-throughs for QDCs.
Holes for pass-throughs for QDCs.
Additional hole for umbilical cable and USB port for Leakshield.
Additional hole for umbilical cable and USB port for Leakshield.
Hole for DC connector for Index.
Hole for DC connector for Index.
9-conductor cable for the umbilical. I used 8 of them. It carries 3 pair of PWM+Tach for the pumps and fans, as well as a shared 12V and GND pair. At 4.58 Amps (per Ohm's Law for 55W @ 12V), this load should be safe for up to about 9.5 feet over 18 gauge wire. We're going about 2 feet here. Much thanks to /u/R3Z3N on reddit for assistance with understanding how to make these.
9-conductor cable for the umbilical. I used 8 of them. It carries 3 pair of PWM+Tach for the pumps and fans, as well as a shared 12V and GND pair. At 4.58 Amps (per Ohm's Law for 55W @ 12V), this load should be safe for up to about 9.5 feet over 18 gauge wire. We're going about 2 feet here. Much thanks to /u/R3Z3N on reddit for assistance with understanding how to make these.
Chopped connectors
Chopped connectors
Case-side of the umbilical. This panel mount aviation-connector mounts on in the hole drilled in the side of the case.
Case-side of the umbilical. This panel mount aviation-connector mounts on in the hole drilled in the side of the case.
PC-side installed on case along with pass-through fittings and the panel-mount USB connector.
PC-side installed on case along with pass-through fittings and the panel-mount USB connector.
Plug-end of the cable with soldering finished.
Plug-end of the cable with soldering finished.
Radiator-side of the umbilical before adding the outer heat-shrink.
Radiator-side of the umbilical before adding the outer heat-shrink.
Full umbilical cable with heat-shrink in-place
Full umbilical cable with heat-shrink in-place
Cables sort of managed. Out of sight out of mind. I didn't want to shorten the cables so the parts can be re-used elsewhere if needed.
Cables sort of managed. Out of sight out of mind. I didn't want to shorten the cables so the parts can be re-used elsewhere if needed.
How the pipes need to route to respect the CPU/GPU blocks' in/out preference. This Bitspower flow sensor is such a piece of shit, but the nice Aquacomputer NEXT sensors are not possible to buy right now. I intend to swap it out when I can get one.
How the pipes need to route to respect the CPU/GPU blocks' in/out preference. This Bitspower flow sensor is such a piece of shit, but the nice Aquacomputer NEXT sensors are not possible to buy right now. I intend to swap it out when I can get one.
eety beety
eety beety
This was by far the most annoying part of the build. Those fittings were not fun to install. The needle-nose resin pliers were absolutely essential. Have to be careful not to overtighten though—it's not hard when using tools.
This was by far the most annoying part of the build. Those fittings were not fun to install. The needle-nose resin pliers were absolutely essential. Have to be careful not to overtighten though—it's not hard when using tools.
Finally installed and connected to external pass-throughs.
Finally installed and connected to external pass-throughs.
Finally installed and connected to external pass-throughs.
Finally installed and connected to external pass-throughs.
Tomato Candrel. 28oz can of San Marzano tomatoes for bend-radius. Bitspower 14mm proper mandrels for the straight reference.
Tomato Candrel. 28oz can of San Marzano tomatoes for bend-radius. Bitspower 14mm proper mandrels for the straight reference.
"Customer-facing" pipes complete. Ended up doing that bottom pipe for the top-rad with the wider radius using the tomato can.
"Customer-facing" pipes complete. Ended up doing that bottom pipe for the top-rad with the wider radius using the tomato can.
Top view of the pipes bends. I went with a tighter bend radius on the CPU turn to get more straight pipe parallel with the GPU runs. I think it looks better that way. That bottom pipe for the top rad I was talking about looks kinked here, but it's just the angle and lighting.
Top view of the pipes bends. I went with a tighter bend radius on the CPU turn to get more straight pipe parallel with the GPU runs. I think it looks better that way. That bottom pipe for the top rad I was talking about looks kinked here, but it's just the angle and lighting.
Here we re-did that bottom-pipe for the top rad with a wider-radius bend. You can see the runs to the CPU/GPU aren't perfectly straight to due the can not having a lip like the real mandrels, but I'm very happy with how it turned-out.
Here we re-did that bottom-pipe for the top rad with a wider-radius bend. You can see the runs to the CPU/GPU aren't perfectly straight to due the can not having a lip like the real mandrels, but I'm very happy with how it turned-out.
Leak test using the Leakshield before running all the cabling.
Leak test using the Leakshield before running all the cabling.
ASUS DIMM.2 module has thermal probe headers, but only long-ass cables. Had to wrap them all creatively-like to get them inside with the probe against the chips without disrupting thermal-pad contact.
ASUS DIMM.2 module has thermal probe headers, but only long-ass cables. Had to wrap them all creatively-like to get them inside with the probe against the chips without disrupting thermal-pad contact.
Had to cut an access hole in the case bottom to be able to install all the fittings and back-end cabling.
Had to cut an access hole in the case bottom to be able to install all the fittings and back-end cabling.
Made a dust-cover for it (MoKo makes a nice kit on Amazon).
Made a dust-cover for it (MoKo makes a nice kit on Amazon).
I am using the rear fan for an intake to help keep ram cool since I'm not using the cases' intended side fan mounts, so I did a dust-filter for it as well.
I am using the rear fan for an intake to help keep ram cool since I'm not using the cases' intended side fan mounts, so I did a dust-filter for it as well.
Here's where the temperature probes for the coolant were installed on the pipe-routing plate.
Here's where the temperature probes for the coolant were installed on the pipe-routing plate.
Thermal probe hanging between the RAM sticks.
Thermal probe hanging between the RAM sticks.
Thermal probe on the top radiator to check outbound air temps. I also installed one in the bottom intake fans to measure ambient air temps, but I did not get a picture.
Thermal probe on the top radiator to check outbound air temps. I also installed one in the bottom intake fans to measure ambient air temps, but I did not get a picture.
Aquaero 6 LT with heatsink. I velcro-mounted all my Aquacomputer gear, but this goober is only set up for stand-offs and is intended to be mounted with screws to holes you drill in the case.
Aquaero 6 LT with heatsink. I velcro-mounted all my Aquacomputer gear, but this goober is only set up for stand-offs and is intended to be mounted with screws to holes you drill in the case.
I had leftover sheet metal, so I made it a little backplate I can use to velcro-mount it.
I had leftover sheet metal, so I made it a little backplate I can use to velcro-mount it.
Caebal Mandagemint. Will need shorter cables to clean this up properly, but I'm ready to get this lovely fellow online. It's on my future to-do list.
Caebal Mandagemint. Will need shorter cables to clean this up properly, but I'm ready to get this lovely fellow online. It's on my future to-do list.
Filled full of Grape Soda (Mayhems X1 with dye). I would have liked to have used DP Ultra, but my MORA will be hanging under my desk and propylene glycol is nasty stuff. X1 is not as robust, but it won't kill my dogs if it leaks. Side note: X1 smells like whiskey.
Filled full of Grape Soda (Mayhems X1 with dye). I would have liked to have used DP Ultra, but my MORA will be hanging under my desk and propylene glycol is nasty stuff. X1 is not as robust, but it won't kill my dogs if it leaks. Side note: X1 smells like whiskey.
RGB on. I'm going for something with some character without being flashy nonsense. The lighting is static. There is a dim red shining up from behind the GPU and a golden orange shining downward from top lights. It kind of gives a stage-lighting effect that really makes the purple tubes stand out nicely.
RGB on. I'm going for something with some character without being flashy nonsense. The lighting is static. There is a dim red shining up from behind the GPU and a golden orange shining downward from top lights. It kind of gives a stage-lighting effect that really makes the purple tubes stand out nicely.
Power testing in OCCT. Doc Brown would be proud. Coolant reached an 11 degree delta from ambient after about 10 minutes before I turned the fans up. I set a fan scaling curve up after this.
Power testing in OCCT. Doc Brown would be proud. Coolant reached an 11 degree delta from ambient after about 10 minutes before I turned the fans up. I set a fan scaling curve up after this.
Thermal monitoring probes in Aquasuite. Running TestMem5 when these were captured, so it's a bit warm between the RAM sticks. Case intake fans scale on a curve with that ram probe.
Thermal monitoring probes in Aquasuite. Running TestMem5 when these were captured, so it's a bit warm between the RAM sticks. Case intake fans scale on a curve with that ram probe.
Fan group monitoring in Aquasuite.
Fan group monitoring in Aquasuite.
Virtual sensor for water delta temp. Rad fans scale on a curve with this sensor.
Virtual sensor for water delta temp. Rad fans scale on a curve with this sensor.
CPU overclock. All P-cores 5.7 @ 1.2V. Applied in BIOS, but shown here in XTU for the easy screenshot. Stability tested in OCCT, Y-Cruncher, and Prime95. The cooling can almost perfectly keep up with this OC. I'll get the occasional core throttle in Small FFTs with P95 or OCCT, but it primarily stays right on the money.
CPU overclock. All P-cores 5.7 @ 1.2V. Applied in BIOS, but shown here in XTU for the easy screenshot. Stability tested in OCCT, Y-Cruncher, and Prime95. The cooling can almost perfectly keep up with this OC. I'll get the occasional core throttle in Small FFTs with P95 or OCCT, but it primarily stays right on the money.
Cinebench with the CPU overclock applied.
Cinebench with the CPU overclock applied.
GPU core clock couldn't get stupid high before it would show errors in OCCT, but the memory went hard. I was assuming it was just ECC, but performance kept increasing in Superposition. This OC so far has seemed very stable between benchmarks and OCCT.
GPU core clock couldn't get stupid high before it would show errors in OCCT, but the memory went hard. I was assuming it was just ECC, but performance kept increasing in Superposition. This OC so far has seemed very stable between benchmarks and OCCT.
Superpostion score at the GPU settings above.
Superpostion score at the GPU settings above.
Night Raid score at the GPU settings above.
Night Raid score at the GPU settings above.
GPU running OCCT at 100%. The cooling loop does alright.
GPU running OCCT at 100%. The cooling loop does alright.
Completed PC. It's more purple than it appears here; the phone camera makes it look blue.
Completed PC. It's more purple than it appears here; the phone camera makes it look blue.
Completed PC. It's more purple than it appears here; the phone camera makes it look blue.
Completed PC. It's more purple than it appears here; the phone camera makes it look blue.
Radiator connections
Radiator connections

Indigo

CPU: Intel i9-13900KS
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Extreme
Memory: 2x32 GB G.Skill DDR5 6400 CL32-39-39-102 (F5-6400J3239G32GX2-TZ5RS)
GPU: ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition 24GB GDDR6X

The last time I did Watercooling, it was in the early 2000s. I bought my blocks from Dangerden, my fittings and tubes from Home Depot, and my radiator was a Chevy heater core from Pep Boys. It had a T-Line with a AA battery for a stop fitting. I went back to air after that as watercooling was hard to maintain and crazy high maintenance. And frankly I was a kid with no budget.

Times have changed. The watercooling industry has grown and has great products and support. There are hard and soft tube options that don't leech plasticizer. All of my past PC tinkering has led to a good career in IT and spending money to go with it. I'm going to fulfill a longstanding commitment I made to 13 year-old me to build something good when I had the funds to do so.

My current PC is a build I made in 2011/2012 for Battlefield 3 and upgraded to a Sandy Bridge 5820k in 2014. It has held up admirably with a stable 4.4 Ghz overclock, but the CPU is my bottleneck now and it's time to move on for the primary rig. I intend to overhaul the Sandy Bridge machine into a new carriable or console case with refreshed parts and use it for emulation, media, and other portable fun.

This new build is the first complete PC build I've done as a working adult and I'm making it completely how I want and sparing no expense. This is a project computer I plan to work on over several months and will involve case mods and custom soldered cables. Target usage is fueling my various hobbies and work requirements: gaming, virtualization, video editing, music creation, and programming. This is my first hard-tube build.
Color(s): Black Purple Silver
RGB Lighting? Yes
Theme: none
Cooling: Custom Liquid Cooling
Size: E-ATX
Type: General Build

Hardware

CPU
$ 539.99
Intel - Core i9-13900KS
Socket: LGA 1700
Cores: 24
Integrated Graphics: Yes
Motherboard
ASUS - Rog Maximus Extreme
Chipset: Z790
CPU Socket: LGA 1700
Size: ATX
Memory
$ 959.98
G.Skill - Trident Z5 (6400MHz) (Black/RGB) (2x)
Type: DDR5
Capacity: 32 GB
Graphics
ASUS - ROG Strix GeForce OC
Chip Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip: RTX 4090
Interface: PCIe x16
Storage
$ 967.92
Samsung - 990 Pro (4x)
Form Factor: M.2
Interface: PCIe x4
Capacity: 2 TB
Storage
$ 245.00
Western Digital - WD Black Desktop
Form Factor: 3.5 Inch
Interface: SATA 6 Gb/s
Capacity: 6 TB
PSU
Seasonic - Prime TX-1000
Wattage: 1000
Form Factor: ATX
Efficiency: 80+ Titanium
Case
hyte - Y60
Type: Mid-Tower
Side Panel: Tempered Glass
Case Fan
$ 227.70
Noctua - NF-A12x25 (Chromax/Black/Swap) (6x)
Size: 120 mm
Case Fan
$ 319.60
Noctua - NF-A20 PWM Chromax.Black.Swap (8x)
Size: 200 mm
Cooling
Alphacool - Eisblock Aurora Geforce RTX 4090 Strix + TUF mit Backplate
Type: GPU Waterblock
Size (WxHxD): 240 mm
Cooling
Aquacomputer - D5 Motor with PWM (2x)
Type: Pump
Cooling
Hardware Labs - Black Ice GTS
Type: Custom Loop
Size (WxHxD): 360 mm (3 x 120 mm)
Cooling
Watercool - HeatKiller IV Pro Intel ACRYL Clean
Type: CPU Waterblock
Cooling
Watercool - HeatKiller Tube 150
Type: Pump
Cooling
Watercool - MO-RA3 420 D5-Dualtop Module
Type: Water Cooling
Cooling
$ 314.24
Watercool - MO-RA3 420 Pro
Type: Radiator
Accessories
$ 211.50
Aquacomputer - Aquaero 6 LT USB Fan Controller
Accessories
$ 63.99
Aquacomputer - Farbwerk 360
Accessories
Aquacomputer - Leakshield Leak Prevention System Standalone
Accessories
$ 119.99
Aquacomputer - OCTO Fan Controller for PWM-Fans
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