Buld Log: 700D Gaming System

[diellur]

Hi guys,

As promised, I've put together a build log to cover the assembly of my water loop. Thanks to everyone on this forum who helped me with questions I had. So, before I take you through the build, just a recap of the kit I bought:

EK Supremacy CPU water block
2x EK Supremacy VGA water blocks (bridge edition)
EK Bridge
EX360 and EX120 radiators
XSPC Nylon Dual Bay reservoir
Laing D5 Pump
Masterkleer PVC tubing (13mm OD/10mm ID)
Koolance 4-way drain valve
Scythe FT AP-15 fans
Kill coil

I decided to go water after getting my second 560Ti (an eBay bargain!) as my motherboard only has one PCIe slot between the two GPUs. Given that the 700D isn't known as the best air-cooling case and I had originally bought it to WC anyway, I pulled the trigger. Apologies in advance for the quality of the photos...I was using my iPhone and it's not the best instrument. A tad blurry/over-exposed in some places.

My 560Tis, ready for their water blocks:

EK Supremacy Universal VGA waterblock...both the standard mount (right-hand GPU block) and GF560 are shown.

The 560Tis I have are from MSI, and have a non-reference PCB layout, hence I needed a modified mounting bracket. In my research I heard a few bad things about EK, but I have to give them a +1 here. Not only do they give you excellent information about what you need for your components, I found their customer care to be fantastic. I waited the 3 business days they state on their website and, when no change had happened to my order, I contacted them. They milled the equipment that day and I had it the day after. IMHO, it doesn't get better than that (although you may note that I didn't get the nickel blocks... ).

The 560Tis with their bridge. I had originally thought to just use universal VGA water blocks until I figured getting a bridge was a good idea (and looked better). Unfortunately, I hit a snag here when I over-torqued one of the screws and heard a 'snap'. It looks like I knackered the thread, so the screw won't clamp all the way up...it still tightens, but not as much as I'd like. The 560Ti in question was on the bottom at the time, and it was a bit loose. However, I swapped it to the top card and got some plumber's tape which seemed to help...I've also used duct tape to provide some additional water-proofing! The leak testing hasn't shown a problem, but the tape should at least stop a spray...will be watching this one like a hawk.

The CPU waterblock went on with no problem at all:

The rads were a piece of cake...I've taken a pic of the EX360 with the fans installed:

The res and the pump, before...

...and after:

The drain valve...dunno why, but I love this bit of kit!

Everything installed pre-tubing. Note the kitchen towel sticking out of my rad...I rinsed it out then stood there with it dripping, thinking about how I'd prevent the water from getting on my components...

To be continued...

 

[diellur]

This is why it pays to thoroughly check your loop before firing up the pump!

Leak-testing:

I used to have the Mod on my single 560Ti, and a chap called Dwood provides brackets for a more robust mounting mechanism than zip-ties. I got a hold of one of them, and a quiet 92mm fan to cool the VRAM and mosfets. However, going custom WC meant that I couldn't use Dwood's bracket anymore...I was concerned about the potential for heat build-up between the two 560Tis, and wasn't convinced that passive heatsinks would be sufficient in between them. I was chatting about this with a fella in work and he said he'd knock up a bracket that I could use with the 92mm fan...thanks mate.

Yes, I know, it's not black...I'm an engineer. Functionality over form. I've secured it to a single stand-off...once I have the time, I'll crack out the drill and make a more permanent home for it, but right now this will do the job (and the single fastener means I can rotate the fan as I need to...). It provides a decent breeze between the two GPUs, happy days.

The completed build (with jump-started PSU for leak-testing)

I'm not 100% happy with the routing (the tubing from the drain valve to the EX360 is a bit long, for example, and some of the shorter runs are a bit tight) but I'll be getting some other bits and pieces soon (quick-disconnects, flow meter etc) so will take the opportunity to correct it. I think I need a couple of 45-deg fittings, which will help. However, there's nothing that hampers the flow and the connections are secure.

The bleeding went OK, although having watched Youtube I got the impression that the water would scoot around the loop quickly. No such luck...I flicked the switch and I got a bit of movement, but that was it. I had to jiggle the res, top it up to max and cycle the pump several times before it would start to flow. The benefit of a res/pump combo is that the pump wasn't running dry AFAIK, and I got the loop bled in about 45 mins of cycling and topping up. The GPU bridge isn't leaking, you'll be pleased to know! I'll be watching it closely, though. The pump has a strange resonant frequency at settings 3 and 4, but at any other it's pretty much inaudible...I'd read some bad things about bay reservoirs re noise but am quite happy with mine. Ditto with the AP-15s...they're quiet, although I have them hooked up to my fan controller so I've got the throttled right back. Even at max, they're still on a par with the 2xH100 fans and Kuhler 620 fan I had before hand, so I'm happy.

The hardest part of this build was the GPU bridge and water blocks...they are well-made, but fiddly to mount. I didn't think I was exerting that much force on the GPU block which suffered from the stripped thread, so I guess the advice I'd give to anyone reading this as instructions is to not go too hard. Metal screws and plastic threads aren't a match made in heaven.

I'll keep you all posted on any changes I make...I have a feeling I'm just at the beginning. Look at the lovely space at the bottom of my case, ripe for modding and a 240 rad, no? Thanks for reading.

 

[christop]

LOOKS GOOD MAN!!!

 

[manofchalk]

Looks great!
Really love the placing of the (Koolance?) drain valve, makes the loop seem to have hidden depths (with the side panel on) and hides your method of draining the loop in a convenient way, which is an issue I have struggled with.
Also liking that kill-coil placement .

Only thing I would say that needs improving would be general routing. Next time you tear the loop down, I suggest flipping the CPU block around so the tubing doesn't have to cross, swap the tubes going in/out of that 120mm rad.
Just to make it look a bit purdier .

What is the flow order? Since the pump/res is obscured by the bays I cant tell which way the waters flowing.

 

[Lutfij]

I concur - You can have the 120 rad feed the GPU parallel(or orthogonally) to the ports on the GPU.

Well you've learned your first lesson - never overtighten, always finger tight is good - you may use tubing slipped onto barbs/fittings and rotate clockwise to get a snug fit - but finger tight always holds!

Second lesson - is the tubing routes, as advised by manofchalk - rerouting will help wonders aesthetically and functionally - I'm an architect mind you I'd try to remove the drivebay res and find another home for it within the case maybe around the area where the drive caddies are, seeing that you're not hesitant at modding the case. If you plan your next purchase and parts out properly, you'll be passing off a lesson to us in turn

Third lesson - you need a larger mobo to cover that mobo tray

Nice build though!

 

[Motopsychojdn]

Nice to see you join us all mate
Points of interest for me,
The cards although both MSI, have slight variances, different heatsinks and caps on one, are you certain they are both the exact same card or did MSI have alterations/revision at some point?
EK, fine company in my experience apart from the Nickel fiasco,
That drain valve, I know, it just looks 'Medical' lol, I like it
Why do precision screwdriver cases always, and I mean ALWAYS Crack??? they could make them from something decent surely....
Use of Duct tape, I approve.
Pump wire needs routing differently to hide,
This might help with your top rad fanwires,
But I'm staying tuned here and want this to look Fkn awesome for you mate,
I'll help if I can
**Edit, Sorry I missed your previous Gpu modding man, I could've suggested a hybrid solution that is very good **
Moto

 

[diellur]

Only thing I would say that needs improving would be general routing. Next time you tear the loop down, I suggest flipping the CPU block around so the tubing doesn't have to cross, swap the tubes going in/out of that 120mm rad.
Just to make it look a bit purdier .

Definitely...it works right now, but it could be better.

What is the flow order? Since the pump/res is obscured by the bays I cant tell which way the waters flowing.

Pump/res -> CPU -> 120 rad -> GPUs -> Drain -> 360 rad -> pump/res

I'd try to remove the drivebay res and find another home for it within the case maybe around the area where the drive caddies are, seeing that you're not hesitant at modding the case. If you plan your next purchase and parts out properly, you'll be passing off a lesson to us in turn [\quotemsg]

I quite like it where it is...I was thinking of turning the 360 rad around though, and using angled connectors to link it to the 120 rad. Now I've got the build put together, it's easier to plan...beforehand, I was only able to guess at how it would fit into my case.

Third lesson - you need a larger mobo to cover that mobo tray

I used to lol...P8P67-Pro. Then my last PSU died and took the mobo with it, and I liked the look of the Gene. It does look a little lost inside my case (if you want a laugh, check out the 900D and the fact it supports mini ITX!)

The cards although both MSI, have slight variances, different heatsinks and caps on one, are you certain they are both the exact same card or did MSI have alterations/revision at some point?

The one I got from eBay seems to be a new revision (it had the heatsink attached, mine doesn't). They play nicely together in SLI...60fps on max in BF3 and Skyrim so far at 1080p.

Pump wire needs routing differently to hide,
This might help with your top rad fanwires

That looks great...I mounted the fans on the wrong way round and didn't have the heart to reseat them lol! Nice trick with the tape.

Thanks for the suggestions guys...I'll update this thread as the build progresses.

 

[Lutfij]

:lol: -> yeah when I saw that I had a good laugh! To think that the case labs case(dunno which model) also supports itx on a large scale case

Its a pleasure mate - just give us more eye candy to stare at

FYI - angled fittings add restriction to the loop - sometimes that means adding more speed to the pump dial=more noise. The reason I brought this up is cos most stories end this way with the drive bay res where the first solution people think of when managing tubing is by using angled fittings and then they complain of the rattling noise from the bay res.

 

[diellur]

Good to know...I'll bear that in mind! I'd rather not move the res...pump is at 2, and the system is quiet.

 

[Motopsychojdn]

Good to hear
That hybrid Gpu cooling btw,
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/forum2.php?config=tomshardwareuk.inc&cat=15&post=351461&page=1&p=1&sondage=0&owntopic=1&trash=0&trash_post=0&print=0&numreponse=0&quote_only=0&new=0&nojs=0
No reason it wouldn't also work for cards other than the DCII's
Although your bridge system would need to either go or be reworked into the shrouds, but Watercooling the Gpu and air for the memory/Vrm's, its a good thing
Moto

 

[diellur]

That looks cracking...good effort! A few people have done something similar with the AIO mod, and it's the best way to do it...a lot of GPUs rely on the fans to cool the VRMs etc. I don't think that the MSI 560Ti heatsink comes apart in the same way, it's fairly integrated, but I'm going to double check that.

 

[mlcaouette]

Just posting up to follow your updates diellur, I'm liking the look so far! It will look even better once you sort out the fan cables and the minor tubing issue pointed out above.

 

[toolmaker_03]

hello i was looking at the loop you have and would like to suggest a few things that i like to with my loops it makes it easier to fill, drain and flush i like to place my res right before my pump and i implament a fill/flush system that i like to place right before the res in the loop here is what that looks like i have two on my current setup.



hope this helps

 

[JazzyMouse]

Yep, i concur. This really is a cool clean looking WC setup. Gives me so many ideas for I start my loop!

 

[diellur]

Thanks. I'll be updating the log in a few weeks (really busy atm) to make it tidier, too.

 

[diellur]

I've managed to get around to updating my work-log for the upgrades I’ve made to my loop. New components are:

2x quick-disconnects (no idea of brand, so I've linked the shop location for male and female parts.
EK D5X Top for Laing D5 pump
EK dual bay spinner reservoir
Shoggy Sandwich

The first thing I did after the initial build was get some quick-disconnects for the GPUs...I had to replace the O-rings on the male parts for the end which interfaces with the female part, as the ones they came with were damaged. However, once this was sorted, they worked like a charm. Obviously, I need to use a towel to absorb any drops when I use the QDs, but they make life easy if I need to remove my GPUs (I've had to do this a couple of times for various reasons).

When I installed the QDs, I also tried to fix the issue from when I stripped the thread on the bottom waterblock. My idea was to bore out the existing hole, but unfortunately the screw I bought wasn't enough, so I ended up putting the original back in and re-applying the duct tape. Now I check my loop every 2-3 days, just to make sure there are no obvious issues, just by cracking open the side panel on my case and peering in. As the case panel hinges at the bottom, there’s not usually a great deal of light, and one one check I spotted a shiny plastic cap at the bottom. Puzzled, I opened up the case further...

So it looks like the bridge needs tightened up! I managed to find a better screw, but apparently acetal is a tough material! Hand-screwing this thing in was impossible, and I nearly burned out the motor in my drill trying to get the thread into the block with the screwdriver fitting. So I replaced the screwdriver fitting with a drill fitting and showed it who was boss. That worked, and the new screw fitted a treat. The bridge mates up perfectly with the waterblocks and I don't need the duct-tape (although I gave it a good leak test just to make sure!). I found that there's a technique to mounting the EK GPU waterblocks onto the bridge; install the bottom waterblock, then fit it to the GPU. Then install the top waterblock onto the bridge, and then fit it to the second GPU. It seems a bit backwards, but it is much easier to fit this lot together without the GPUs getting in the way.

It'll not be a surprise to some that I found a pump/res combo in the bay to be loud, and I ended up being fairly aggravated by a tone it was putting out so I decided to separate the two. I got an EK pump top for my D5 and a separate EK spinner bay res. The 700D has a good space for a pump at the bottom. I got two 90 degree fittings for neatness and isolated it on a Shoggy sandwich. I can't hear it when the PC is on, and my case is on my desk...that's on setting 3. At 5 you can hear it, but it's still very quiet. I tend to run at 3 anyway, so no bother there. The loudest thing I can hear in my system as I type are the fans, which are running at 5v.

I did a bit of research into how I could tidy my loop, and with the pump at the bottom it was looking to be tricky if I wanted the res to feed into the pump. I found some clips done by Phobya that seemed to do the trick - in my head it looked tidier, but I have to say I'm happy with how this turned out.

I've got the drain on the outflow from the pump, so it can drive the fluid out when draining without running dry. It works a treat, just make sure that you have a big enough jug! That drain opening on the fitting turned out to be a bit useless too...the screw aperture doesn't let the water out! So I end up just loosening one of the G1/4 blanks.

I also rotated the CPU waterblock as suggested earlier, and flipped the 360 rad around. It was a bit of tight working to get the tubing connected but I got there, and it seriously reduced the length of some of my tubing runs.

I also have to say thanks to my lovely wife, as to remove the 360 rad I had to disconnect the fans from the fan controller. They were zip-tied together and in cutting the zip-tie, I inadvertently cut the black cable on one of the fans. However, my wife has deft hands and took about 30 seconds with some wire strippers and insulating tape to fix it (I'm not very good when jobs get that fiddly!) Saved me needing to get another AP-15!

So my build is now like this:

The loop goes BAY RES - PUMP - CPU - 350 RAD - 120 RAD - GPUs - BAY RES. I may add a 140 rad on the bottom intake in the future, which will require a rethink in the loop layout, and may get some better quality tubing as mine does have a tendency to kink. In a couple of locations there is some restriction from the tubing...nothing major, but it's a niggle. The temps are good…currently idling at 31 – 37 deg C on the CPU, 36 deg C on the top GPU and 32 deg on the bottom GPU. That’s in a cupboard-office with the door closed. Gaming, the GPUs hit mid-40s and the CPU can go to about 50.

A couple of vanity shots to finish off.

 

[Motopsychojdn]

Tidy enough man,
Shame about that leak on the bridge but you seem to have coped with it
For now hehe,
Moto

 

[diellur]

It was a very unpleasant moment! It must have been a very slow seep that just dripped off of the bottom of the bridge. I hate to think what would have happened without the duct tape.