This is my first watercooled build ever. It is also an ~$10K build. Insert references to the POS $10K desk.
You might wonder why I chose the 9980XE and not a Threadripper. First and foremost, I am an enthusiast, who also happens to have a job which requires multiple virtual environments. I am also (most importantly) a musician. And finally, I am a gamer. This rig does all of those things well and has no shortcomings in any area.
I was actually going to make this my first Threadripper system, but couldn't find a motherboard that had exactly all the specs I wanted; only Asus did, and it just so happened that I had to get a board from their Workstation line to fill that need.
As I discussed in quite a few threads over the years leading up to today, the idea was to build a system that was powerful, and most importantly, silent. With the advent of all these new powerful CPUs and GPUs, air cooling was completely out of the question. Additionally, I had a requirement to move the heat and noise OUT of the computer case and far away as possible. The only way to do this was to do watercooling, and to use an external radiator.
I'm proud to say that I achieved all of my objectives with this build. It's now in production, and I type on this as I'm writing this post. Without further ado, here are the specs.
CPU: Intel 9980XE
Motherboard: Asus WS x299 Sage Pro/10G
RAM: 128GB G Skill RGB Z
GPU: MSI nVidia RTX 2080 Ti Seahawk EK
GPU support bracket: CloverTale Graphics card support bracket
Sound: Sound Blaster Z PCI-E
PSU: Seasonic Snow Silent 1050W
Case: Fractal Define R6 USB C
Triple monitors: Asus PG279Q (x2), BenQ BL3201PH (x1)
I went with 1/2" tubing for my build. The watercooling specs are as follows:
Radiator: MO-RA 420 Pro
Fans: Noctua NF-A14 PWM fans (x18) <--- [yeah that's not a typo]
Reservoirs: Heatkiller Tube 150 (x2)
Pump: Watercool D5 Vario (x2)
Tubing: Mayhems 1/2" clear tubing
Fittings: All XSPC compression fittings
Valves: XSPC black chrome (x2) [for outlet]
Liquid: Plain distilled water, no color
Biocide: Mayhems Extreme biocide
Here are pics as I was building the rig. Click on the pictures for the full image.
Here it was when I started leak testing.
This is the final configuration.
Here is how it's situated in my office/room. Don't worry, will be moving away from this house soon, which is why it's temporary at best. It's right underneath my mobile synth workstation, with the watercooling tubes going to my computer which is under my desk.
You might wonder why I chose the 9980XE and not a Threadripper. First and foremost, I am an enthusiast, who also happens to have a job which requires multiple virtual environments. I am also (most importantly) a musician. And finally, I am a gamer. This rig does all of those things well and has no shortcomings in any area.
I was actually going to make this my first Threadripper system, but couldn't find a motherboard that had exactly all the specs I wanted; only Asus did, and it just so happened that I had to get a board from their Workstation line to fill that need.
As I discussed in quite a few threads over the years leading up to today, the idea was to build a system that was powerful, and most importantly, silent. With the advent of all these new powerful CPUs and GPUs, air cooling was completely out of the question. Additionally, I had a requirement to move the heat and noise OUT of the computer case and far away as possible. The only way to do this was to do watercooling, and to use an external radiator.
I'm proud to say that I achieved all of my objectives with this build. It's now in production, and I type on this as I'm writing this post. Without further ado, here are the specs.
CPU: Intel 9980XE
Motherboard: Asus WS x299 Sage Pro/10G
RAM: 128GB G Skill RGB Z
GPU: MSI nVidia RTX 2080 Ti Seahawk EK
GPU support bracket: CloverTale Graphics card support bracket
Sound: Sound Blaster Z PCI-E
PSU: Seasonic Snow Silent 1050W
Case: Fractal Define R6 USB C
Triple monitors: Asus PG279Q (x2), BenQ BL3201PH (x1)
I went with 1/2" tubing for my build. The watercooling specs are as follows:
Radiator: MO-RA 420 Pro
Fans: Noctua NF-A14 PWM fans (x18) <--- [yeah that's not a typo]
Reservoirs: Heatkiller Tube 150 (x2)
Pump: Watercool D5 Vario (x2)
Tubing: Mayhems 1/2" clear tubing
Fittings: All XSPC compression fittings
Valves: XSPC black chrome (x2) [for outlet]
Liquid: Plain distilled water, no color
Biocide: Mayhems Extreme biocide
Here are pics as I was building the rig. Click on the pictures for the full image.
Here it was when I started leak testing.
This is the final configuration.
Here is how it's situated in my office/room. Don't worry, will be moving away from this house soon, which is why it's temporary at best. It's right underneath my mobile synth workstation, with the watercooling tubes going to my computer which is under my desk.
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