Fat guy in a little coat; water cooled Node 304

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Outlaw85

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Feb 7, 2012
Messages
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**Also posted over at Overclock.net- [Build Log] Fat guy in a little coat; water cooled Node 304 - Page 5

This is my first real attempt at having a build log. Usually I would just use the components as is when I build them. I'm definitely a noob when it comes to this type of modding. I did post other pics over at OC.net but thought I would share here.

OBJECTIVE;
Water cool and clean up cabling.

SPECS;
CPU; Intel i7-4770K
RAM; G-Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1600 2x4GB
HDD; Western Digital 500GB RE3
GPU; EVGA GTX 660 SC
PSU; Corsair CX430W PSU
CASE; Fractal Node 304

LOOP SPECS;
RAD; Coolgate 280 (2x140mm)
CPU; XSPC Raystorm
GPU; EK Full cover
PMP; MCP355 w/ Koolance top
RES; Bitspower 80ml

ADDONS;
30x Bitspower Super Tight Weave 1/16 Black
30x Bitspower Super Tight Weave 1/16 White
20x Bitspower Super Tight Weave 1/4 Black
20x Bitspower Super Tight Weave 1/4 White
10x Bitspower Super Tight Weave 1/8 Black
3x Red and White LEDs
1x XSPC LCD Temperature Sensor V2 w/ sensor plug
2x XSPC LCD Temperature Sensor w/ sensor prob
1x Bitspower G1/4" Matt Black Q-Rotary Adapter
2x Swiftech 15mm Lok-Seal Male/Female extension
3x Swiftech 3/8" Barb (2pack)
5x Swiftech 45° Swivel Elbow
4x Swiftech 90° Swivel Elbow (will not be used due to leaking)
12x Primoflex Advanced LRT tube White 3/8 x 5/8
12x PrimoChill Anti-Kink Coils 5/8" Red


13167596114_4bd6004b4b_b.jpg


13167442193_1f23f55a3a_b.jpg



Pre-build... We're going to have to do something about that cabling!
13167336623_bb8379d27e_b.jpg


Pre-build, HDD cage hitting GFX card
13167232175_855de9b553_b.jpg


H80i
13167342803_83ff007aaa_b.jpg


No disassemble!
13167513064_79d203909a_b.jpg


Pure nakedness
13167531014_c2d420cd65_b.jpg


GFX card block addition
13167352413_7ee86d4fd9_b.jpg


GFX card block installed
13167247845_9de59b5dbb_b.jpg


CPU block installed
13167562714_9f5f972f04_b.jpg


Looks like clearance is very slim or it's hitting the cpu locking bracket
13166925995_91215ed394_b.jpg


Let's remove that...
13295747995_7bc0870ba3_b.jpg


What the...
13296122864_5eff40136b_b.jpg


HEY!!! Easiest delid FTW!! (bought used, did not realize it had been delided)
13295913633_2870322621_b.jpg


Cleaning up WB for even seat on CPU die (unfortunately, I did not get finished shot)
13296108984_361592c3f4_b.jpg


No more clearance issues (wires are for temp prob)
13295748385_f0a66be914_b.jpg


Running plumbing and checking tubing clearances (I changed out 90deg for 45deg)
13167316145_6a8e04bc49_b.jpg


More tubing running and checking of clearances
13167175365_68e2632c14_b.jpg


Clearance check from the top
13167283633_47cc6ee128_b.jpg


Leak testing and air removal (90deg already removed)
13167237033_86018b001a_b.jpg


Testing temp lcd's (2 shown; 3 in total)
13167119865_1dd6de8912_b.jpg



More to come
 
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This is a great project being done in a great manner!

I'm curious about how it will look all finished and what kind of temps/sound levels you end up with.

Nice.
 
Thanks shollz and c3k

Wow... its been a long time since I posted in this. Sorry.

There has been quite a few changes since the above post.

Whats been done;
Removed reservoir
Removed 90deg fittings
Completed cable mangement/shortening
Completed loop
Completed delid (thanks sil180sr)
Completed cpu bracket removal
Cleaned up CPU block for direct die cooling
Bleed loop
Completed basic tests and gaming for temps

Have not done;
Cut out case top for radiator grille.
Get radiator grille
Cut cross bracket to fit over rad/fan for HDD bracket
Get mSATA for OS
Much in the way of overclocking. In the ASROCK A-Tuning, I've only bumped the multiplier to 42 (default 37). Change to 43, BSOD. This is without changing anything else.

Currently running no case top with 140mm x3 running off the motherboard, It is definitely not any louder than my previous setup. Centurion 590 with 120mm x6-7

Here is all the pictures I've uploaded of the build so far;
https://flic.kr/s/aHsjUCXY7F

Point of no return;
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8pin CPU sleeved;
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8pin CPU routed and wrapped, running under mobo;
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8pin CPU soldered and heat shrunk;
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Testing... uh, I think we have a leak..
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View from top of how rad and hdd will be mounted;
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Continued sleeving;

24pin. 80% of the length is not needed
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4pin Molex
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SATA
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Finished PSU
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Fitting tubing
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Testing loop after removing 90's
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Fiting loop in case
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Changed from plain distilled, to distilled plus food coloring
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Little cramped
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Still need some cable cleanup
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How it sits now. I may have to remove the bottom fan above the PSU to get it to fit and may have seating issue with block and CPU lock down. Still testing. I also still need to get a grill, cut out the top and front for lcds
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update
added a couple pics of the fat guy in the little coat. Still needs some wire clean up but it will get there.

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Some delid pics


After bracket was removed and cleaning cpu compound
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CPU goo found under IHS
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Cleaning up CPU block to make sure it is a good surface. Some reason I didnt see the pics of it finished.
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Block mounted with temp prob mounted
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Now that I've made you scroll to the bottom. The temps
Prob Temps (as I type this)-
#1-Pump- 22.7c
#2-GPU- 23.2c
#3-CPU- 24.4c

I can't say I have kept a close eye on them during gaming/testing though. I have watched core temp. The highest I have seen it was at 42x multiplier which it peaked at 54c. This is still running no case cover though.

hope this helps for an update.
Any questions, temps or pics you want, let me know and I will do my best to post them up
outlaw
 
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Would you suggest something like?
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12460840

When it comes to the more finite parts of electronics, I am definitely not in the know I do know this PSU is not liked over on another forum. More for overall quality/reviews than the caps alone.

I would also need to buy a new, more powerful, soldering iron. When I did the wiring, the 3 I have wouldn't get hot enough to melt the PSUs solder. I ended up leaving a short wire off the pcb and solder the new wire to it.
 
Zygomatic said:
Really? Corsair uses CapXon caps in their PSU's? I'd throw some better caps in there while you got it open, especially after all that modding
Click to expand...

Eh, they aren't the greatest, but atleast they aren't Fyujj... whatever the fuck the Fufufufufu caps where in the old antecs. I've used countless CX series PSUs and they're all still kicking. Only Corsair PSU I've ever had fail on me is a GS600.

Also, do you really expect top tier caps in a 19 dollar PSU? You're kidding yourself if you do.

To the OP, those caps will be fine in your scenario. Do not buy the RadioShack caps, they're probably worse, or atleast just as mediocre as the CapXcon.
 
Thanks for the info. Makes sense with the RadioShack caps.

The only way this would have happened was when I open the PSU back up to flip/change out the fan. But even then would have been iffy just because I don't know much about them.

On an unrelated subject. What do you guys think...

I was looking at the pc last night and wondered if removing the last hard drive tray and trying to put a window in the top would be cool. I also wanted to make the side vents into larger openings, windows with openings for ventilation
Something hopefully as cool as this 2d render for the top.
9umesx.png


Thanks again,
Outlaw


Here are some fan grills I was looking at. Quite a few actually. Can anybody help me decide?
0 (First choice so far)PrimoChill Hex 2-Layer Rad Grillz - Dual 140mm - Red / White
1Primochill Carbon BiColor 2-Layer Dual 140mm Rad Grillz - Black/Red
2Primochill Carbon BiColor 2-Layer Dual 140mm Rad Grillz - White/Red
3PrimoChill Hex 2-Layer Rad Grillz - Dual 140mm - Red / Black
4Phobya Dual 280 Radiator Grill - Stripes - Black Powder Coat
5PrimoChill Hex 2-Layer Rad Grillz - Dual 140mm - Black / Black
6PrimoChill Hex 2-Layer Rad Grillz - Dual 140mm - White / Black
7PrimoChill Hex 2-Layer Rad Grillz - Dual 140mm - White / White
8Phobya Dual 280 Radiator Grill - HEX - Black Powder Coat
 
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Actually the list price for that PSU is $49.99. At least they are high temp (105C), keep em cool and they should be fine. I work in the coin op industry, we have Motherboards / PSU's from the early 90's still running 24/7. Bad caps may not be as big of an issue as it once was, but if your's ever let you down I would recommend Panasonic or Nichicon (my personal choice) capacitors. Digikey.com seems to have the best selection for caps. It's usually an easy fix if you have an old motherboard or graphics card with swollen or busted caps that you want running again. Then again I am very cheap and most of my equipment at home is discarded junk that I repaired :p, and far from the cutting edge
 
Thanks for the recommendations. I will leave well enough alone for now. No reason to fix what's not broken. (knock on wood) It hasn't given me any problems.

Now I just need to find a grill so I can start chopping some metal.
 
Didn't realize it's been this long already. Only revived because I am doing a small upgrade. Adding a WC GTX 980 hopefully next week. Anybody interested in me posting updates?
 
Cool. Thanks.

It was cleaned up a bit from the last picture.
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Since the picture above (4/27/14)

Not Completed-
1. I never got around to cutting the cover up and have just been running it open.
2. I never got a good mounting option for the temp readouts but think I do now. Now it depends on room after the GPU goes in.
3. Almost forgot. Replaced Z87 motherboard with Z97 after it died.

Completed-
1. Added new HDDs. OS- 250GB SSD, Storage- 600GB Raptor
2. Most of the wire management. I didn't cut any of the LED wires. I was actually able to stuff the wiring behind the front panel with the 2x 2.5" hard drives.

Still to be done-
1. If the PSU holds up. I will reroute the 24pin out the side towards the motherboard instead of it's current loop. If this doesn't work, a Silverstone SX600-G will have to go in.
2. Maxing out memory at 16GB
3. Possibly adding m.2 SSD to free up some room in front panel.
4. Since the 980 is a full inch longer, I will have to relocate/remove the reservoir and move the pump
5. ???
 
I agree.......

I don't think that 430W PSU has the muscle to power the GTX 980, not to mention the
lack of PCI-e connectors.
 
I will be replacing the 660 with the 980. The only reason the 660 is still there is I didn't want to break the loop to test the 980.

For the 430W, It will get replaced with the 600W SFX Silverstone. The 430 might be right at max but I'm not willing to push it which is why the 800W is running the GPU for now.
 
Quick update.

I got some help over at OCN on fixing my tubing issues.

Since I have to relocate the pump, I figured it a good time to do something with the plumbing. The white flex tube is awesome for.. well... flexing but with the anti-kink coil, it doesn't like to do or hold tight bends. This makes it really stressful on the rotary barbs and has caused leaks. My fix for this is to have too much tube for extra wide turns.

Now I have some copper tube and going to clean it up.

Here's an idea of how it will look (will have black zipties)
20160121_184305 by Jesse James, on Flickr


Here is the EK gpu block that came today.
20160121_193702 by Jesse James, on Flickr

off to work!
 
Shame about "the tumor" -- my favorite thing about this build was how you managed to get it all actually /in/ the case. Still, if the degrees are needed... nothing to be done.
 
Thanks and I agree. What I will do first is test with out the tumor. As long as temps are solid (~60 or less) with minor OC. I will leave off. I know it's not much, but hoping the copper will help since there isn't much heat being added to the loop.

**update
1515 - I finished putting the GTX660 stock cooler back on for the kids gpu update. And I finished putting the EK block on the 980. What I need to work on now is getting the chassis cut up a little bit. With not having the reservoir anymore, I need a way to drain/fill the loop. The res was the only access I had to a drain/fill port because the rad was littler end to end on the chassis.
 
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I had finished cutting a the drain/fill port into the back of the case and another opening in the front of the case for wires to pass through. I was also able to get the rad and chassis repainted to clean up all the scratches.

I'm hoping to get started on reassembly but thinking of how I can better mount the rad.
 
A loop was constructed last night into this morning. It is not the prettiest and does have a couple flaws, like leaking in the hardest spot to fix.

Also, I'm going to be removing some 45s and using some silver 90's instead. They won't be as nice for matching the build but they will be way more functional. To do this I cannot run full push/pull though. I will do it with 3 fans. The 90 will interfere with the fan closest to it.
 
small update. Redid some of the tubing. Found I couldn't use the chrome 90s because of barb size. Made it work. Already looks cleaner imo and so far so good.
 
For any of the stalkers here.

I've been running 2 PSU's since my 430 only has 1x6/8pin. While running them through a Kill A Watt meter. I have yet to see 361W broken. I'm seriously considering adding the 6pin to the 430 and calling it a day.

Rear drain/fill port added-
20160127_072324 by Jesse James

Top view-
20160127_072238 by Jesse James

Side view-
20160127_072252 by Jesse James

Unfortunately, wasn't able to keep 4x P/P. At most I will be able to 3x P/P. If I used the 430, it will be just as before with 2 pushing in and the PSU pulling out.
 
I was able to get the 2x 6pin wired up to the cx430. While typing this, I am at 80w. Still need to load test to see if i'm still around 360w.

Had to remove the 3rd fan but was able to sneak the cx430 back in BARELY. I will have to figure out how to make everything fit though. The psu is right up on the case edge and doesn't let me use even the 90deg power cable.
 
Soo.... either I am going to have to figure something else out with the pump or replace the psu.

As is-
To fit the PSU, the 90deg off the pump will stick out. the side. If I leave pump where it is, the psu 90deg will stick out side.

Mod Option A-
Leave PSU.
Remove reservoir.
Turn pump on side

Mod Option B-
Leave pump/reservoir
Replace PSU with SFX model

I did run IBT along with Valley benchmark on ultra. I maxed at 368W with CPU @ 4.3Ghz/1.199v and stock GPU
 
Love the hard pipe. I think I'm going to do that for my next build -- planning to move back from air to water. Fans are too damn loud to get the temps I want right now.
 
Draconian said:
I would suggest one of the silverstone SFX units personally. the 600W version has 2 6+2 pin PCI-e connectors

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256109

I use the 304 for my rig ant work, nice work so far :)

Edit: the 450W has the following also PCI-Express Connector 1 x 6-Pin, 1 x 6+2-Pin
Click to expand...


Thanks! I was originally looking at the 600 but didn't want to spend another $135 then go through all the wire chopping again. I didn't see that on the 450 and didn't consider it really because I already have the 430 and was hoping it would all fit somehow. I might still have some options without buying a new one. I'll get some pics posted of how it is now.


silent-circuit said:
Love the hard pipe. I think I'm going to do that for my next build -- planning to move back from air to water. Fans are too damn loud to get the temps I want right now.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I'll only speak to the soft copper. It' was fairly easy to work with. If you are going soft copper and need a bender, buy one that does 180deg. It will make life a lot easier. I overlooked that on the one I bought and had some battles getting a clean 180deg. I did also get a manual pip bender, it looks like a spring which worked but would have been easier with the 180deg.


Here's the 90deg I got (only looked at price)-
http://www.menards.com/main/plumbin...4444239599-c-8601.htm?tid=-610638029791464051

Here's a 180deg I should have gotten-
http://www.menards.com/main/plumbin...452513820-c-8601.htm?tid=-5490732789043970449

Here's what the manual one looks like. I only bought the size I needed. It was less than $2. Any more for a single one isn't worth it imo.
http://www.menards.com/main/plumbin...4444236268-c-8601.htm?tid=-610638029791464051


Also, the way I'm doing it has some pro's and con's
Pro-
Flexibility (allows some movement of parts without requiring disassemble)
I didn't need to buy all new fittings (used 90's and barbs I already had)

Con-
Looks (obviously not as clean looking as proper hard tube fittings)
Added leak point (with the barb - hose - copper, there is a higher chance of leaking than with a single fitting.)
It's softer (while still rigid, when bending the bender may turn the opening more oval.

I did have the leak issue when my copper was a little thrashed from trying to get the right bend. I ended up replacing it with a new piece that didn't have any issues.

With the ovaling of the end, This wasn't too much of a concern as I typically needed to cut it off anyways.

Outlaw
 
Hmmm... I hadn't considered that!

Only concern would be cooling of the psu itself. If it were lowered enough, I could get a 140mm under-mounted on the rad again.

For the power, I could cut the 90deg off and hardwire (or use connectors) to the relocation plug.

Whole new world opened here. Thanks! Now to do whatever it is I'm going to do before March!


Here are some pics


Started wiring together
20160207_183852 by Jesse James

Close-up of finished wiring/soldering and plugged in/running. I do have sleeves ready to go over the heatshrink. I just wanted to make sure everything was good before sleeving.
20160207_201052 by Jesse James

Super snug fit. It is raising the rad up a bit on the psu side because of the wires still under the psu.
20160207_201035 by Jesse James
 
Lol Noted. And 5 O'Clock somewhere :)

I may live in the US but I do take responsibility for my actions.

On that note.
Personally, I don't see any real issues with going open PSU. As it sits, if water to somehow leak over the PSU, it's getting in regardless of the cover or not. If there are fingers in that case that aren't mine.. the question is why?!

I still think it's a serious consideration to do. It will shrink the foot print considerably. The only thing to figure out is mounting.
 
Just make damn sure you aren't grounding anything out that shouldn't be... or shorting anything.. Or sadness.
 
lol to "or sadness". I'm by no means an electrician but am comfortable with simple electrical projects. I am thinking to use motherboard standoffs if I can find a good way for mounting.
 
Overdue update for those who are still interested.

Since the last update-
1. I've removed the reservoir.
2. Relocated the pump to the front wall.
3. Left the PSU cover on and mounted it back inside the case.
4. "Mounted" the hard drives to the front wall and put the cover on.

Some pics

Top view
20160217_202855 by Jesse James

Preparing for top off while removing air from system
20160217_215008 by Jesse James

Trying not to make a mess in the case
20160217_215220 by Jesse James

All mounted
20160217_202906 by Jesse James

GPU side
20160218_190350 by Jesse James

Pump
20160218_190400 by Jesse James
 
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For anybody still lurking.

I did not need to take silent-circuits route. I did get everything where it needs to be. I had some issues getting the air out of the line now that I don't have a res but with everything mounted, I was able to shake the case and use the rear rad port to get it all done.

Next step is getting the case cut up so I can finally "finish" it.
 
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