This is actually the first time I have built a full PC and I went all out on a hardline watercooled ITX system because apparently I'm a nutter.

I had a desktop PC when I was a teenager that I tinkered with and upgraded but then had a laptop and a Mac for a while. I put together a 1080p Gaming PC a few years ago using an MSI Nightblade barebones system as a base but I wanted a new PC to take advantage of my 4K TV and decided if I was going to spend money on a new PC I may as well spend a bit more and make it the PC I really want rather than just another PC that's good enough as I already had something good enough.

I spent months scouring the internet, on this subreddit, and watching videos to learn as much as I could about watercooling, overclocking, case modding and of course RGB-ing, and now I can finally join in with my own build - The Little Green Water Cooled Machine.

System Specs:

Case:

• Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX - Tempered Glass Edition

Components:

• ASUS ROG Strix Z390-I Mini ITX Motherboard
  
• Intel Core i7 9700k CPU @ 5Ghz on all cores
  
• Nvidia RTX 2080Ti Founder's Edition GPU @2100Mhz
  
• 32GB HyperX Predator RGB DDR4 RAM @3200Mhz

PSU:

• EVGA Supernova 750 G3 750W PSU
  
• Custom MDPC-X Fully Sleeved Cables by PexonPCs

Storage:

• Samsung 970 Evo 500GB NVMe M.2 SSD (Boot Drive/OS)
  
• Crucial MX500 1TB SATA M.2 SSD (Game Storage)
  
• Seagate Baracuda 4TB 2.5" HDD (File Storage)

Water Cooling:

• 2x EKWB CoolStream SE 240 Radiators
  
• 4x Thermaltake Riing 12 Plus 120mm Radiator Fans
  
• Thermaltake Riing 14 Plus 140mm Exhaust Fan
  
• EKWB Revo D5 RGB PWM Pump - Plexi Top
  
• EKWB EK-RES X3 150 RGB Reservoir
  
• EKWB Vector RTX 2080Ti RGB GPU Block - Nickel & Plexi
  
• EKWB Vector RTX GPU Backplate - Nickel
  
• EKWB Velocity RGB CPU Block- Nickel & Plexi
  
• EKWB CryoFuel Acid Green
  
• EKWB 16mm OD PETG Tubing
  
• EKWB Nickel Fitings
  
• Barrow 5-way Ball Splitter - Nickel
  
• XSPC Ball Valve - Nickel
  
• 2x XSPC Temperature Sensors
  
• XSPC Temperature Display - Green

Lighting:

• Thermaltake TT Sync Controller
  
• XSPC 8-Way RGB Hub - Black
  
• WOWLED PC Addressable RGB LED Strips

Case Modding:

I had the top panel custom plasma cut and then I fitted it with lab-grade steel mesh as dust filtration. I had to cut out parts of the case to fit the radiator up in the top as I wanted to maximise the space inside the case but didn't want to hide the fans away.

I also cut out an opening in the radiator tray to allow easier filling of the reservoir and cut a hole for the temperature display screen in the PSU shroud. This was the first time I have used a rotary tool though and the hole was not perfect so I used a silver piece to frame the sensor and hide any imperfections in the cutting.

I had to drill holes to mount the pump in the bottom of the case as I couldn't use the slots the case comes with as there would have been no room for the cables, I also had to cut out a slot to mount the reservoir with some sliding adjustment. The amount of cutting and case modding I ended up having to do was well beyond what I was expecting.

Temperatures:

• CPU - ~35 when idle, ~70 under load.
  
• GPU - ~35 when idle, ~65 under load.
  
• Water - ~30 when idle, ~45 under load.

3D Mark TimeSpy Extreme Score

It was a lot of work but it was great fun other than when I accidentally ripped one of my favourite t-shirts by getting it caught on something. Temperatures could probably be lower in a bigger case with better airflow and bigger/better radiators, but I was willing to sacrifice some cooling potential for aesthetics and a smaller build and I'm glad I did as I love how it turned out.