# The Powerful Pretty Pink Processor (aka, "The PPPP")



## cgipson1

Sounds like fun... (and a good way to keep the better half happy!)

(just be careful about the shade of pink you use... P > B ??? Pepto Bismol Pink?)











Subbed!


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## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cgipson1*
> 
> Sounds like fun... (and a good way to keep the better half happy!)
> 
> (just be careful about the shade of pink you use... P > B ??? Pepto Bismol Pink?)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
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> 
> Subbed!


Wonder if I could use Pepto as the coolant. Keep temps down while soothing the pumps. Science!


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## Oliver1234

Looking forward to this one, what case are we expecting to see here?


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## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oliver1234*
> 
> Looking forward to this one, what case are we expecting to see here?


Excellent question....and one I put a lot of thought into. My thought process behind arriving at an answer is long enough to deserve its own post....which will be up shortly.


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## cpachris

Selecting a case is usually the first decision I make when starting a new build. In fact, it's usually a case that inspires me to want to do a build in the first place. For this build, I didn't start with an idea about what case I wanted to use&#8230;.but rather I had some specific criteria that needed to be met by the case, that I'll describe below. Not incredibly exciting stuff, but it may help someone think through the right issues when selecting their own next case, and it will give you a good idea about why I ended up selecting the case I did.

*Size:* As I've previously mentioned, this build is for the wife-y, and it will be sitting on top of a built-in desk in her office area. Here is a picture of where it will ultimately reside.



That red arrow points to the space to the left of the TV, where the computer will sit on top of the desk area.

Because of some cabinetry that hangs on the wall above the desk top, the maximum height for the case would be just about 21.5 inches. But that height would put it right up next to the cabinetry, so I'm shooting for a case that is 19 inches or shorter for height, so that I'll have some room between the top of the case and the cabinet. I have plenty of room width wise, and have no requirements there. I'm shooting at keeping it less than 20 inches wide so that it doesn't take up too much desk-top space. Depth wise, I have about 22 inches to play with, although I don't want the case running right up next to the edge of the desk. So...I'm shooting for a depth of less than 20 inches.

So to summarize, less than 19 inches tall, less than 20 inches wide, and less than 20 inches deep, are the dimensions I'm looking for in this case&#8230;.based on the location where it will be kept.

With size as the only criteria to consider, I had a lot of cases that fit the bill.

*Radiator Capacity Available:* I'm a water cooler. Not only do I love how much quieter and effective water cooling is when compared to just air cooling, ...I also love how it looks, and even the maintenance involved. For me...it just makes it a fun project when you're messing with pumps and tubing and fittings and waterblocks. In my last build, I ended up with more than 120.24 worth of rad space. That's a lot. Clearly not necessary. But it was fun. It also allowed me to keep my fans spinning at about 600 rpm&#8230;.while maintaining very low deltas. For this build, I won't be cooling as many components, and plan to have much more normal radiator capacity. Right now, it looks like the loop will be cooling the CPU, 2x GPU's, and the motherboard. I think that 120.6 worth of radiator capacity will be more than adequate for what I'm trying to do with this build.

So to summarize, the case for this build needs to be able to hold 2x 360 rads, or 3x 240 rads. I think either combination would serve my needs. Or even 2x 240's and 2x 120's&#8230;.if that fit the space in the case easier.

The number of cases that fit both the size criteria and the radiator capacity criteria&#8230;.was a much smaller number.

*Motherboard Form Factor Supported:* In my household, we typically have anywhere from 3 to 6 computers up and running at one time...and maybe more in various stages of tear down or completion. For me, it helps if I can swap components around between builds and cases, as I'm tweaking one or working on another. That includes motherboards. So I have a general rule that all my cases need to support at least a standard ATX size motherboard, if not something larger. Never smaller.

With size, radiator capacity, and form factor criteria all being considered at once...it's a surprisingly small number of cases that would actually fit all of these criteria.

*Case Aesthetics:* I've mentioned already that this build is for the wife-y. One of her requirements is that it be pretty. For me, one of the ways to make a case pretty, is to have lots of case windows so that you can see inside the case, and then make sure that you have all the inside touches that make a build look sexy. Custom length wires, sleeving, lighting, etc. So ideally, this case will have as many large windows as possible, because I plan to put a lot of killer touches inside that need to be shown off.

*Case Material:* This is not as important to me as the other criteria, but I still have my favorite material. I've built in steel cases, aluminum cases, and plastic cases. Each has their own pros/cons I guess. But my favorite material so far has been my last case that was all aluminum. Aluminum ends up being so easy to work with if you need to mod the case a little, and cut out something here, or drill a new hole there. And it's so much lighter than steel, while not feeling as cheap as some plastic paneling cases. So I would prefer aluminum, even though this is not a hard requirement. .

Now&#8230;.many of you have probably already zeroed in on what case I might have picked...because there are simply not many cases that fit all these criteria. So...without any further pontification by me, let me present to you the case that was my first choice for this build. *The CaseLabs Mercury S8!*





For me...and this particular build&#8230;.this really was the best choice in cases I think I could make. Right size, right radiator capacity, right motherboard form factor support&#8230;..lots of window optons...all aluminum. This case fits this project. I've never built in a horizontal motherboard layout before, so that should make this build extra fun for me. I'm also thrilled and humbled to report that when I approached CaseLabs with my proposed project, they agreed to partner with me for this build and are officially my first sponsor for the project! That's probably worthy of a banner, right?











I didn't post too many pictures of the case yet because these are readily available on the CaseLabs website. My personal Mercury S8 is already in process of being built right now, so I'll flood with you with some high quality pictures after it's received, which should be soon. Maybe even a video or two of the assembly. Mine will be a special color though (multiple hints already given), and I'll talk about the process of selecting that color in my next update.

More updates soon!


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## blupupher

gonna sub to this, my daughter loves to look at pink themed builds.

Interested to see what comes of this.


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## mAs81

Subbed for sure..








"_She doesn't need a lot of powerful components to follow her Facebook friends. But she's going to get it anyway_" lol!!!!
That's the OCN way


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## p1en1nja

Sounds like a "pretty" interesting build if u know wat i mean







Subbed!


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## Oliver1234

An S8 build? I'm curious to see what you'll think up with this one!!! Any modding involved, or mostly stock stuff?????


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## wthenshaw

Subbed!


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## nvidiaftw12

Not gonna miss this one either.


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## tjr2121

Subbed for more epicness.


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## Panther Al

What, how could I not sub to the builder that got me to join this forum - not to mention back into building my own machines and using windows - in the first place? Your stuff is always auto sub.


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## vaeron

Subbed, can always use ideas for a build for my lady.


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## mandrix

I'm in again.


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## Barefooter

Subbed! This time I'm in from the begging! Looking forward to another great log.


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## rRansom

Looking forward to see how "pink and black" mix to create an awesome rig.


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## Jeffinslaw

Subbed!

Jeffinslaw


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## barkinos98

subbed brah!


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## gr3nd3l

Subbed for sure!


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## Whatts

Subbed for awesomeness!


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## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> gonna sub to this, my daughter loves to look at pink themed builds.
> 
> Interested to see what comes of this.


Not sure if that's a complement or not.....but I hope your daughter enjoys it.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Subbed for sure..
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "_She doesn't need a lot of powerful components to follow her Facebook friends. But she's going to get it anyway_" lol!!!!
> That's the OCN way


The Fastest Facebook Friend Finder (the FFFF) in the world! Maybe I should rename it?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *p1en1nja*
> 
> Sounds like a "pretty" interesting build if u know wat i mean
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Subbed!


I see what you did there.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oliver1234*
> 
> An S8 build? I'm curious to see what you'll think up with this one!!! Any modding involved, or mostly stock stuff?????


Definition of "modding" is so loose...it's hard to answer. I'll do some painting, some powder coating, some etching, some sleeving, some drilling....but I don't think I'll have to do extensive changes to the case. That's just the way CaseLabs cases are designed. They can become anything you want them to be without extensive cutting.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Subbed!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> Not gonna miss this one either.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tjr2121*
> 
> Subbed for more epicness.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> I'm in again.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Barefooter*
> 
> Subbed! This time I'm in from the begging! Looking forward to another great log.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jeffinslaw*
> 
> Subbed!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *barkinos98*
> 
> subbed brah!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *gr3nd3l*
> 
> Subbed for sure!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Whatts*
> 
> Subbed for awesomeness!


Love to see the ol' crowd in the new build!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Panther Al*
> 
> What, how could I not sub to the builder that got me to join this forum - not to mention back into building my own machines and using windows - in the first place? Your stuff is always auto sub.


Sniff. Sniff. So sweet it almost makes me want to cry. But instead, I'll just say thanks.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *vaeron*
> 
> Subbed, can always use ideas for a build for my lady.


You clearly are a good husband. We should start a club. The Super Sweet & Sexy Spouses Club. Naturally, we would call it.....wait for it....The SSSS.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rRansom*
> 
> Looking forward to see how "pink and black" mix to create an awesome rig.


Me too. I hope. No seriously....I'm worried about this one.

Took some pictures tonight of the pink samples I have and i'm working on a small narrative of how I arrived at the final shade. Should have time to post pictures tomorrow. Depends on how well my 10yo's team does in the baseball tournament tomorrow. We could have one game....or up to 6 games if they keep on winning.

More....eventually.....or sooner!


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## tompsonn

I do like pink.


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## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Love to see the ol' crowd in the new build!


How could we not show up?


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## Whatts

Indeed, how could we not? The BBBB was the reason I joined OCN and started my own build.

By the way, you really need to take a breath before saying PPPP out loud.
If not, you might end up having to pause in the middle and it sounds... different


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## vaeron

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> You clearly are a good husband. We should start a club. The Super Sweet & Sexy Spouses Club. Naturally, we would call it.....wait for it....The SSSS.


Of course. She loves pink but doesn't openly admit it, so it's either pink for the next build or change her current build from Dr. Who to Pink...


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## Oliver1234

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *vaeron*
> 
> Of course. She loves pink but doesn't openly admit it, so it's either pink for the next build or change her current build from Dr. Who to Pink...


Out of curiosity, how on earth do you theme a build Dr. Who????


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## vaeron

I'm doing a custom paint job on the rig to be the Tardis. You can follow along via the link in my sig! I'm in the process of designing it at the moment. I will be using blue, white, grey, and black.


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## cpachris

My 15yo would love that one. He wears Dr Who merch every day.


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## DerComissar

Looking forward to seeing this build progress.
Subbed.


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## wthenshaw

Cpachris, will this build log be as informative as BBBB was with in depth guides for each stage?


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## Oliver1234

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Cpachris, will this build log be as informative as BBBB was with in depth guides for each stage?


By the way he talked about the PPPP in his first post, it seems this will be scaled down quite a bit from something with the magnitude of the BBBB, but I don't know if he will still incoporate the same level of detail, I sure hope so!!


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## wthenshaw

I don't think he can resist/get away with less detail for a build for his other half.


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## socketus




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## vaeron

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> My 15yo would love that one. He wears Dr Who merch every day.


I got her obsessed with it, though the pink theme might come in handy in case she decides she wants me to make it Hello Kitty instead.


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## cpachris

Going to walk through how I (we) selected the color of the case. First off, as you'll recall, my marching orders from the wife-y were to make it "pink and black". Now...I could take the easy way out, and make a predominantly black case with pink accents. I've seen a few of these, and I've always liked them. I've got a soft spot for pink. But....I (we), decided that we really want to make this thing pop, and go for pink as the predominant color. So......the outside of the case is going to be pink, and the inside of the case will be black. A two-tone from CaseLabs....of which I've seen several sharp ones lately.

Since the inside of the case will be black, I think I'll also try and make the motherboard and components and fittings black also....and then really glam things up with pink accents and pink coolant. Perhaps even UV reactive coolant and accents so that I can have two lighting modes. One white LED mode...that shows off the (hopefully) beautiful wiring and components. And then one UV mode....that makes the pink stuff inside the case really pop. That will be especially effective if the motherboard, components and fittings are black(ish). But I'm getting ahead of myself. First...we need to pick a pink. And since the case will be powder coated, and potentially some of the other faceplates and components, I need to pick a pink powder as step one.

For those of you who have done some custom powder coating already, you probably know that the color samples you see online on your computer monitor....don't always look much at all like what the powder is actually going to look like. You really need to see something first hand that has actually been coated in that color if you want a good feel for what it will look like on your case/components. There are lots of quality companies that make powder. My personal favorite has become Prismatic Powders. Not only do they manufacture great powder, but their color selection is immense, and they offer free samples. Just go visit their website, and you can request up to 5 free samples online at one time. And you can filter for powders based on their color family and/or their finish. I probably had 15+ samples of crimson when I selected the color for the BBBB.

Jennifer and I ordered 9 samples that covered a pretty large spectrum of the pinks offered by Prismatic (there are more than 50!). The picture below has the actual color samples they sent us. They come on these little thin aluminum (I think) strips. On one side there is a sticker identifying what color it is. I kind of arranged them in order from lightest to darkest (left to right):





Looks like I forgot to flip that first one over and show the name. But the one on the far left is called "Sassy". I don't know how many of you out there actually calibrate your monitors, but I thought I'd play off the Pepto Bismal bottle that cgiopson1 introduced earlier, and take some pictures that include the Pepto bottle. If you want to see how close your monitor is to showing true colors...just hold up a bottle of Pepto to your monitor and see how close the color is. Kind of a ghetto way to calibrate your monitor.











I placed the bottle of Pepto over by the samples it's color is closest to. Pepto is much lighter pink than the ones in the middle of the samples, but not as "hot pink" as the one on the far left. Here are some closer shots of each color. You can get a better feel for the finish of each with these shots that are closer up. I'll include the Pepto bottle in each so you can contrast the color with a known substance. Even if your monitor is off....you'll know whether the pink sample if lighter or darker than Pepto...and that may help you wrap your brain around the true color. From left to right......

*#1 - Sassy* - This one is a hot hot pink that feels like it will glow in the day time. I did not like it. I'm glad Jenn didn't either.



*#2 - Sassy Vein* - This one was interesting. It's the same hot pink from above in #1, but with a grey color blown on top of it. It makes the color much nicer and richer. Jenn didn't really care for the texture though. I thought the texture was interesting.



*#3 - Matte Pink* - If you get a close up of this one...you can probably make out the metallic finish. It's ok. But Jenn seemed to like the solid colors better than the metallic or textured finishes.



*#4 - Cherry Blossom Pink* - This is a much darker pink. You can probably tell by comparing it to the Pepto Bismal...but this pink is much darker and richer. I like it.



*#5 - Rosette Pink* - Same as above. A darker richer pink. Very small differences between #4 and #5.



*#6 - Spiced Berry* - These next 4 are in the 'Pink' family for Prismatic, but they really are getting closer to raspberry than pink. Online they look much pinker than the samples showed them to be. Also, all 4 of these next ones are two-coat finishes. My BBBB crimson color was one of these two coat processes and Jim said it was one of the most challenging powder jobs he had done on a case. Tough to get consistency all over. #6, #7, and #8 are very similar in color and finish.



*#7 - Cran-Raspberry* - See #6.



*#8 - Booty's Berry* - See #7. My favorite name.











*#9 - Racing Raspberry* - Love this color. Very similar to my BBBB, but more raspberry than crimson. With a touch of pink. The finish is striking. But...it's really more raspberry than pink.



I really did let Jennifer pick the pink. I was trying hard to steer her away from the hot pink on the left...but other than that...I would have been OK with anything. This may sound funny, but in the end, she pulled out one of her favorite shirts that just happens to be black with pink football lettering. She said....I want it to look like this. Well....there was a real good match in our pinks....to the pink on one of her favorite shirts. So....the winner is.....



Spoiler: Click to Find the Pink Jennifer Chose!!!!







That's Rosette Pink in the middle. I would describe it best as a dark and rich pink. Definitely not a hot pink, which I wouldn't have liked at all. But I like this pink. I can work with this. Nice job Jenn.



So....we've picked the pink powder we are using. The CaseLabs Mercury S8 case is actually already in production now, and the powder has been ordered. Not sure how long it will take Jim and company to work a custom color into the waiting line....but probably not too long. I'll have some pictures of the case in all it's pink glory soon.

Until then...I've already started receiving some more components, so I'll be taking some hardware shots and introducing more sponsors over the next week or so. Also, now that I have the pink color of the case picked, I can start seeing what else out there matches it. You know....sleeving, coolant, paint, knick-knacks. Just need to start comparing some options with our Rosette Pink. More pictures of that this week also.

More soon!


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## seross69

late for the party but caught up and subbed for sure!!!


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## Jeffinslaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> For those of you who have done some custom powder coating already, you probably know that the color samples you see online on your computer monitor....don't always look much at all like what the powder is actually going to look like. You really need to see something first hand that has actually been coated in that color if you want a good feel for what it will look like on your case/components. There are lots of quality companies that make powder. My personal favorite has become Prismatic Powders. Not only do they manufacture great powder, but their color selection is immense, *and they offer free samples. Just go visit their website, and you can request up to 5 free samples online at one time.* And you can filter for powders based on their color family and/or their finish. I probably had 15+ samples of crimson when I selected the color for the BBBB.


I've come across them before but I didn't know you could order samples! +rep to that! Just ordered 5 samples of copper for my Compact Copper build. Trying to either match the Rust-Oleum copper spray paint or polished copper tubing.

Jeffinslaw


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## Oliver1234

Nice color choice!!! I was hoping for no hot pink, and before I clicked the spoiler I was hoping either the Rosette or the cherry Blossom, so you have my approval, can't wait to see the S8 covered in it!!!


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## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Cpachris, will this build log be as informative as BBBB was with in depth guides for each stage?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oliver1234*
> 
> By the way he talked about the PPPP in his first post, it seems this will be scaled down quite a bit from something with the magnitude of the BBBB, but I don't know if he will still incoporate the same level of detail, I sure hope so!!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> I don't think he can resist/get away with less detail for a build for his other half.


Well...I hope its informative...and enjoyable. Sometimes those two things are mutually exclusive. Sometimes not.

So I'll try and do some picture heavy guides (or video)....but I don't want to do them on the exact same topics I did them on in the BBBB....ya know? I'll keep my eyes open for opportunities. And no...if Jenn thought I was slacking off on her build...she wouldn't let me get away with it.


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## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tompsonn*
> 
> I do like pink.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DerComissar*
> 
> Looking forward to seeing this build progress.
> Subbed.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *socketus*


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *seross69*
> 
> late for the party but caught up and subbed for sure!!!


Welcome aboard gents.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jeffinslaw*
> 
> I've come across them before but I didn't know you could order samples! +rep to that! Just ordered 5 samples of copper for my Compact Copper build. Trying to either match the Rust-Oleum copper spray paint *or polished copper tubing*.


_*head turns at mention of polished copper tubing*_ I'm in. Subbing now.


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## cpachris

Today I was playing with some samples of pink UV sleeving I had ordered from modDIY. Since this build is going to contain some pink accents inside, and I know the shade/color of pink I'll be using for the case, I'm kind of on the hunt for pink modding gear that is a good match for my case color. I ordered some 1 foot samples of most of the sizes of UV pink sleeving that they sell at modDIY.

Below is an example of what it looks like, next to my color swatch samples that I displayed earlier:



It might be tough to see (since OCN nerfs my beautiful high res photos) but the pink UV sleeving is almost a perfect match for the "Sassy" color of pink on the far left. It doesn't really match the darker richer Rosette Pink that we selected for the case.....but is a GREAT match for the Sassy color. Here are a few more pics of the sleeving with the Sassy color swatch.....









It doesn't go horrible with my Rosette pink. But doesn't go great either. .I'll take some pictures of it in the case once my case arrives. I think the biggest drawback though is that it really isn't very high quality sleeving. If you are used to using MDPC-X, this sleeving feels cheap. Even the smaller diameter sizes are flat instead of round, and look like the braid is much looser than it should be. I definitely wouldn't consider it for my main sleeving material.....but....maybe it would suffice for some small pink accents in certain places. Maybe the SATA cords. Not sure. I think I'll keep looking. To be honest, I think the sleeving is going to be primarily black. I don't want to overdue the pink accents inside the case. I want the pink coolant to be the star of the show inside the case. Don't want to distract from that with some cheap pink sleeving.

I will take some pictures of it under black light next time I pull my lighting out, so those that are considering it can see how it looks when it reacts with UV lighting. Plus...if anyone is planning on building a case and powder coating it "Sassy", then they really should be considering using this sleeve.









I have another sample to play with also. More soon...


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## Jeffinslaw

Dye some white MDPC sleeving pink? Problem solved









Jeffinslaw


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## derickwm




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## PCModderMike

It's like a breath of fresh air finding your new log

Well, no really I was rummaging through BBBB, and found a link taking me here...needless to say I'm sticking around.


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## blupupher

how about white sleeving if you can't find the right color pink?


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## tuffarts

or soft yellow as an accent to the pink
the 2 colours work well together


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## 8BitPandaz

Sounding like a good build that's me subbed look forward to seeing more


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## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> It's like a breath of fresh air finding your new log
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Just One of Mike's Many......
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Well, no really I was rummaging through BBBB, and found a link taking me here...needless to say I'm sticking around.


I've said it before....I'll say it again. Mike has the largest collection of animated gifs at his disposal of anyone in the free world.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> how about white sleeving if you can't find the right color pink?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tuffarts*
> 
> or soft yellow as an accent to the pink
> the 2 colours work well together


I'm sure white and/or yellow would look good in the right circumstances. But my baby ordered up a pink and black computer. I'm here to satisfy.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jeffinslaw*
> 
> Dye some white MDPC sleeving pink? Problem solved


Clearly....we think a lot a like. It may come to this.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *8BitPandaz*
> 
> Sounding like a good build that's me subbed look forward to seeing more


Thank you Pandaz!


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## blupupher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> ...
> 
> I'm sure white and/or yellow would look good in the right circumstances. But my baby ordered up a pink and black computer. I'm here to satisfy.
> ..


Ahh, OK. I like pink and black also.


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## PCModderMike

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> It's like a breath of fresh air finding your new log
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Just One of Mike's Many......
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Well, no really I was rummaging through BBBB, and found a link taking me here...needless to say I'm sticking around.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've said it before....I'll say it again. Mike has the largest collection of animated gifs at his disposal of anyone in the free world.
Click to expand...

I'll try to keep it to a minimum.


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## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> I'll try to keep it to a minimum.


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## PCModderMike

I think I'm a little hurt...


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## mironccr345

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*


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## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> I think I'm a little hurt...


Be strong Mike! It will get better! Whatever you do.....don't jump!


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## mandrix

Are you guys through? sheesh......


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## PCModderMike

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Are you guys through? sheesh......


Oh sorry for disrupting your....wait, this isn't your log..


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## jameyscott

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> Oh sorry for disrupting your....wait, this isn't your log..


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## mandrix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> Oh sorry for disrupting your....wait, this isn't your log..


Know what a joke is, smart ?


----------



## nvidiaftw12

He mad.


----------



## Kinaesthetic

Oh boy, this has turned into Derick's build log 2.0.









OT though, you should dye white sleeving, and do a pink/white/grey/black color setup for the sleeving imo.


----------



## Oliver1234

Well for a thread full of computer nerds, I have to say this is pretty unusual entertainment...


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Ha, you've just got the OT crowd in here. Check out some other threads, like any of derick's, stren's, Paradigm's Lacidasical, etc and you'll see.


----------



## cpachris

In addition to the UV Pink sleeving I showed in my last post, modDIY also has some black and pink cable sleeving:

http://www.moddiy.com/products/Deluxe-High-Density-Weave-Black%7B47%7DPink-Cable-Sleeve-%286mm%29.html

I got a sample of it also, and it might be a better possbility for a match with the pink shade I'm going with. Here it is against all the original color samples.....



And some close-ups....





The pink is actually a really good match with the Rosette Pink powder that I'm using for the case.



It's still not the highest quality sleeve...but an interesting pattern and match of color. Maybe I'll find a spot to use some as accents only. Like the UV Pink before it...it is flat sleeve and I'm not sure it's going to look good mixed with the nice round look of higher quality sleeving. Perhaps I could use some just for the sata sleeving.

More later....


----------



## Oliver1234

I definitely like this sleeving choice much better, but if it's still cheap quality, is dying the sleeving to your color choice with MDPC sleeving an option??


----------



## blupupher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oliver1234*
> 
> I definitely like this sleeving choice much better, but if it's still cheap quality, is dying the sleeving to your color choice with MDPC sleeving an option??


But how well does dying the sleeving work? I know many nylons won't take dye well or are way off color from the dye.

cpachris, the 2 done sleeving looks interesting, but what about under UV?


----------



## Squeeker The Cat

hey.............im ALWAYS down for some pink!! subbed!!


----------



## luciddreamer124

I'm in!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oliver1234*
> 
> I definitely like this sleeving choice much better, but if it's still cheap quality, is dying the sleeving to your color choice with MDPC sleeving an option??


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> But how well does dying the sleeving work? I know many nylons won't take dye well or are way off color from the dye.
> cpachris, the 2 done sleeving looks interesting, but what about under UV?


I've had my fair share of trials and tribulations with dyeing sleeving. You can see what I did for the BBBB in this post. Plus, in my signature is a thread I started to document all the attempts I was making before I got to that final batch for the BBBB. So yes, dyeing sleeving is an option if I feel like I really need some pink sleeving and cant' find a good match. I haven't given up yet.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Squeeker The Cat*
> 
> hey.............im ALWAYS down for some pink!! subbed!!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *luciddreamer124*
> 
> I'm in!


Welcome gents!


----------



## Wibble360

Looking good Chris, excited to see how this one turns out!

I was starting to miss my regular BBBB updates so hopefully PPPP will last a good few months!


----------



## cpachris

Hot Zippee! Just got notification that my CaseLabs Mercury S8 has shipped! I should have it Monday barring any weather conditions....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wibble360*
> 
> Looking good Chris, excited to see how this one turns out!
> 
> I was starting to miss my regular BBBB updates so hopefully PPPP will last a good few months!


Thanks Wibble!


----------



## cpachris

UPS man left a BIG box on my front porch today. That's a 60mm lens on top of the box, just to give you some perspective on how big it is.



Since you can probably make out the logo on the side of the box.....I guess this is a good time to welcome my newest sponsor for The PPPP build log....Corsair!



I was absolutely thrilled when Corsair agreed to partner with me on this build, and they are throwing some cool stuff at it. Lets open the box and see what's in here....



The new AX1500i! I'm not even sure you can buy one of these yet. I'm pretty stoked....



I always love how Corsair packages up their AX line of PSU's.....



Very good looking....and an absolute beast of a PSU....



Fully modular of course. It is huge!



Comes in at about 8.75 inches long...



Which is about an inch longer than my AX1200i....which was pretty darn big itself.



Tons of connectors....



Even more connectors than the 1200i has (1200i on top....1500i on bottom)



...and Corsair PSU's are just so good lookin'. This is the 5th one I've owned. Love Corsair PSU's.



The PCIe connectors seem to go on, and on, and on, and on.....



Wait....what's that? What's that thing in the background?



Coming into focus....it's pink.....



Oh. It's time to introduce everyone to my little photography pal for this build log. That's right, I'm *P*leased to *P*resent my *P*hotography *P*al for the *P*owerful *P*retty *P*ink *P*rocessor *P*ictures....the *P*ink *P*anther.



He asked if he could help show-off all the cabling that comes with the AX1500i....



...but it comes with soooooooo many cables, that things quickly got out of hand.



These two shots are just for fun...





Sticker stats....



The fun part now will be deciding what to make this thing look like. All of the BBBB viewers will remember what I did with my last set of Corsair AX850's.....



With these...I took them apart and powder coated the PSU case in the same colors as the main computer case. I replaced the fan, copper coated the fan grill and screws, and made some custom vinyl stickers.

Not sure yet what I'm going to do this time. With pink and black build colors, the black already suits the build fairly well. Need to add a touch of pink though. Not sure if it will be through custom stickers....or something even more ambitious I've been playing with in my head. Need to noodle a little more first, and see how it look in the case. WHICH WILL BE HERE MONDAY.

You may have noticed in the first picture that this was not the only box I received. Oh yeah. There's more. Stay tuned.....


----------



## Oliver1234

Oooohhhh, I am CERTAINLY staying very tuned...


----------



## wthenshaw

I think a subtle change like changing the AX from red to pink would be enough.


----------



## mAs81

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> I think a subtle change like changing the AX from red to pink would be enough.


Or,if you're planning to put the PSU with the fan facing up,you can paint the fan grill pink!!


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Or,if you're planning to put the PSU with the fan facing up,you can paint the fan grill pink!!


And do a custom PPPP sticker in the centre of the fan grill, like on the BBBB


----------



## mAs81

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> And do a custom PPPP sticker in the centre of the fan grill, like on the BBBB


^^That..With this:


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oliver1234*
> 
> Oooohhhh, I am CERTAINLY staying very tuned...


Please do. The Corsair guys are being _*very*_ awesome to me. Lots more stuff to show off. But it takes time to setup all the picture shots.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> I think a subtle change like changing the AX from red to pink would be enough.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Or,if you're planning to put the PSU with the fan facing up,you can paint the fan grill pink!!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> And do a custom PPPP sticker in the centre of the fan grill, like on the BBBB


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> ^^That..With this:


Lol...I'll definitely be making any stickers that go on the final product. Not sure if the Pink Panther is going to make the final cut....but I promise I'll consider him.









Pink fan grill is definitely a possibility. I guess it could be theoretically better to have the fan facing down so that it draws outside air in to the PSU....but I can't imagine it could impact PSU temps much. That thing will be idling at about 20% load....hahaha. The fan won't even be running 90% of the time. And I think it looks better with the fan on top....so that's probably the way I'll go. That would keep the primarily dark theme inside....with a touch of pink. Would look nice I think.

But this PSU is so massive...that I keep playing in my head with the idea of putting a window mod in it. You know...do a cutout of the housing and put an acrylic window on the side so that you can see into the guts. Maybe even etch the Corsair logo into the side of the window and light it up from the inside of the PSU. Maybe a pink window so that lighting looks like a soft pink? It's just so big that I think something special could be done....


----------



## jameyscott

The corsair guys are always awesome! Definitely have treated me very well, and I'm just the average pro-sumer.


----------



## mAs81

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> But this PSU is so massive...that I keep playing in my head with the idea of putting a window mod in it. You know...do a cutout of the housing and put an acrylic window on the side so that you can see into the guts. Maybe even etch the Corsair logo into the side of the window and light it up from the inside of the PSU. Maybe a pink window so that lighting looks like a soft pink? It's just so big that I think something special could be done....


I would love to see that , sounds reeally good







Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> The corsair guys are always awesome! Definitely have treated me very well, and I'm just the average pro-sumer.


I second this..Even though I'm not from the USA,they always came back to me really fast when I needed them to..Plus the Reps here in OCN are always helpful!!


----------



## Wibble360

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> But this PSU is so massive...that I keep playing in my head with the idea of putting a window mod in it. You know...do a cutout of the housing and put an acrylic window on the side so that you can see into the guts.


Make a window and put a little Pink Panther inside ;-D


----------



## Beakz

This log is entertaining on so many levels! Subbed I am and forever will be!


----------



## Whatts

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> But this PSU is so massive...that I keep playing in my head with the idea of putting a window mod in it. You know...do a cutout of the housing and put an acrylic window on the side so that you can see into the guts. Maybe even etch the Corsair logo into the side of the window and light it up from the inside of the PSU. Maybe a pink window so that lighting looks like a soft pink? It's just so big that I think something special could be done....


That would definitely look great, maybe with some LEDs inside the PSU?


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Corsair didn't waste any time jumping on board did they. Guess they know quality when they see it. Kudos to you guys.


----------



## cpachris

This new AX1500i is so powerful, I think you're going to find it powering up lots of things you never even imagined.....



The phrase "Powered by Corsair" will never be the same again....


----------



## Oliver1234

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> This new AX1500i is so powerful, I think you're going to find it powering up lots of things you never even imagined.....
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The phrase "Powered by Corsair" will never be the same again....


Corsair, now powering your car, iron man suit, fridge, computer, and much more, all 80 Plus Diamond certified with an affordable cost of only 6,000 dollars!
Nice new avatar btw!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> The corsair guys are always awesome! Definitely have treated me very well, and I'm just the average pro-sumer.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> I second this..Even though I'm not from the USA,they always came back to me really fast when I needed them to..Plus the Reps here in OCN are always helpful!!


Yeah, they are super easy to work with, and they are here on OCN so often that it's very easy to get a question answered quickly.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> Corsair didn't waste any time jumping on board did they. Guess they know quality when they see it.


Could be that.......or could be all the pleading and crying I did.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wibble360*
> 
> Make a window and put a little Pink Panther inside ;-D


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> I would love to see that , sounds reeally good


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Whatts*
> 
> That would definitely look great, maybe with some LEDs inside the PSU?


Yes....something like that. On the hunt for a tiny Pink Panther now.







I'll take apart the PSU and see how much room I have to work with in there. Pictures of course. But I love the idea of a window on the side, with lighting inside the PSU....and possibly a little Pink Panther.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Beakz*
> 
> This log is entertaining on so many levels! Subbed I am and forever will be!


Welcome Beakz!


----------



## cpachris

Unpackaged some more love from my friends over at Corsair! Thanks guys!





This will be my first time using Corsair fans. I'm excited about trying them. They definitely are good looking....



They also look as though they will be extremely mod friendly. Of course you have the plastic accent ring that pops on and off, ....and Corsair even provides three colors to play with. But these are also going to be very easy to paint since they come off so quickly.



And each corner has this grey rubber insert. Naturally it provides some vibration dampening, ...but they are also easily removable if you want to paint the frames. Another thing I didn't know about the blades...is that they pop on/off without any type of little clip that you need to keep track of. Much like the Noiseblocker Mulitframe fans I used in my last build...these blades come on and off easy...again making modding very easy. Can't wait!



He really wanted to be in the pictures and help.....



I asked him if he wanted to help gather all the extra accent rings for me. He was doing well....



....until everything fell apart again. He can't help but get into messes!



I felt bad for him, so I let him have a little bit of fun for awhile....









We both knew that Corsair fans were supposed to keep your computer chilly....but it was HIS idea to see how they fared keeping food in the freezer chilly also....









Mmmmmmm...think I'll finish off the Caramel Cookie Dough ice cream before the wife-y gets home.

I've got even more love from Corsair to show off, so stay tuned!


----------



## jameyscott

Welp. That puts the 8 I just bought to shame. XD Can't wait to see where this is all going! Thanks for the laughs on the pictures with the pink panther. I think my favorite one was him riding all the fans.


----------



## p1en1nja

Love the photos!! Very creative with your helper. Keep up the good work!


----------



## luciddreamer124

I could see you thinking those are way too loud compared to the Noiseblockers


----------



## mAs81

Never seen anyone have so much fun with fans before...ever








Really love the picture where they are stacked onto one another!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Never seen anyone have so much fun with fans before...ever


Then you must have missed the last build log....














I had a few more fans for that one.


----------



## mAs81

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Then you must have missed the last build log....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I had a few more fans for that one.
































Just went through it..Wow..just..wow.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> Welp. That puts the 8 I just bought to shame. XD Can't wait to see where this is all going! Thanks for the laughs on the pictures with the pink panther. I think my favorite one was him riding all the fans.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *p1en1nja*
> 
> Love the photos!! Very creative with your helper. Keep up the good work!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Really love the picture where they are stacked onto one another!


Thanks gents! Pink Panther has been a good photo buddy so far. Just took some more pictures of some more Corsair goodness...and Pink Panther was there to hold the stuff upright for me. Useful...and fun. Plus, the wife-y likes him. We actually youtubed some old cartoon episodes last night to remember them from our childhood. She has been lurking in the thread to keep tabs on progress. She'll probably pop in and say hi at some point.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *luciddreamer124*
> 
> I could see you thinking those are way too loud compared to the Noiseblockers


Well I plugged them all in just to make sure they work, and at 12 volts, they do make a lot more noise than my Noiseblockers. But....they are spinning almost twice as fast. So....I guess that makes sense. I'll have them on a controller again so when they are undervolted I'm going to guess they will be fine. Will report back once I've got them setup.


----------



## JennG

Quote:


> Well I plugged them all in just to make sure they work, and at 12 volts, they do make a lot more noise than my Noiseblockers. But....they are spinning almost twice as fast. So....I guess that makes sense. I'll have them on a controller again so when they are undervolted I'm going to guess they will be fine. Will report back once I've got them setup.]


um, yeah- no noise. Our children are noisy enough. Please make the fans quiet.... and partially pink.


----------



## jameyscott

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Thanks gents! Pink Panther has been a good photo buddy so far. Just took some more pictures of some more Corsair goodness...and Pink Panther was there to hold the stuff upright for me. Useful...and fun. Plus, the wife-y likes him. We actually youtubed some old cartoon episodes last night to remember them from our childhood. She has been lurking in the thread to keep tabs on progress. She'll probably pop in and say hi at some point.
> Well I plugged them all in just to make sure they work, and at 12 volts, they do make a lot more noise than my Noiseblockers. But....they are spinning almost twice as fast. So....I guess that makes sense. I'll have them on a controller again so when they are undervolted I'm going to guess they will be fine. Will report back once I've got them setup.


I have a pack that I've been playing wit, and at 7v they sound almost exactly the same as my AP15-s at 7v while spinning faster. That's just me though, others may have different results because we all have different ears.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JennG*
> 
> um, yeah- no noise. Our children are noisy enough. Please make the fans quiet.... and partially pink.


I knew Jenn would poke her head in at some point. Welcome my wife-y. Pretty and partially pink. And quiet. Got it.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> I have a pack that I've been playing wit, and at 7v they sound almost exactly the same as my AP15-s at 7v while spinning faster. That's just me though, others may have different results because we all have different ears.


When I auditioned all my fans last time, I could tell some large differences among fans at full-speed....but there really wasn't that much difference once you undervolted them down significantly. I like that these fans will have more headroom for really turning up the rpm's than my last fans. Because a lot of heat can be generated when your Pinterest browsing.


----------



## Barefooter

Chris gets an AX1500i before any reviewers get their hands on one! Must be nice to be "connected"









The Pink Panther is awesome! What a great mascot for the build.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Barefooter*
> 
> Chris gets an AX1500i before any reviewers get their hands on one! Must be nice to be "connected"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Pink Panther is awesome! What a great mascot for the build.


Lol....no, not connected at all. This time, I was just in the right place at the right time. I had been working on a parts list with the Corsair guys for awhile, and originally it was going to be powered by a 1200i. Which would have been a real nice PSU anyway. Well, the miners bought up all the stock of the 1200i and Corsair had none available at all. A good problem to have I guess. Since I was anxious to get the build moving forward, they offered up one of the first AX1500i's. Gotta love Corsair.


----------



## rRansom

I'm a fan of your FANS!

Really nice pictures you've got there, and that video with the fans? Don't even get me started. Me and the guys at the office had a really good laugh so +rep on that.


----------



## Oliver1234

I hope those accent rings will either go pink or black...


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rRansom*
> 
> I'm a fan of your FANS!
> Really nice pictures you've got there, and that video with the fans? Don't even get me started. Me and the guys at the office had a really good laugh so +rep on that.


Lol...if I remember right, I was "triple-dog-dared" to do it by some of the forum members. Don't ever triple-dog-dare me.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oliver1234*
> 
> I hope those accent rings will either go pink or black...


Yes, the fans are really 4 different parts. The frame, the blades, the accent ring, and the rubber corners. I can't paint the rubber corners....but I could dye them black if I decided I needed to. I'll probably put together all the different combinations of pink and black with those 4 parts, and then post some pictures for opinions. The rads are probably going to stay black in this build....so I'm thinking that black frames with pink blades and accent rings might really pop. We'll see.


----------



## PCModderMike

Awesome news having Corsair back you...that new AX1500i is *HUGE*


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> Awesome news having Corsair back you...that new AX1500i is *HUGE*


Yes, Corsair has been awesome so far...and there is more to come.

No wrestling gif to convey that sentiment? Slacker! By the way...I'm working on an animated gif of my S8 getting put together. It's coming out pretty cool. I'll show that later today.....


----------



## PCModderMike

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> Awesome news having Corsair back you...that new AX1500i is *HUGE*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, Corsair has been awesome so far...and there is more to come.
> 
> No wrestling gif to convey that sentiment? Slacker! By the way...I'm working on an animated gif of my S8 getting put together. It's coming out pretty cool. I'll show that later today.....
Click to expand...

I have to save all of those for my log.









Making your own GIF eh...very interested in seeing that..


----------



## cpachris

Oh yeah. Made in the USA baby. And it's safe to say that this S8 is unlike any you have seen before.









Pictures tonight!


----------



## cpachris

Not your everyday CaseLabs S8......


----------



## PCModderMike

Ehhh


Just kidding, ready to see more!


----------



## akira749

Subbed!!!


----------



## Oliver1234

Wow, a cardboard box for a case, AND made in the USA??? Your right, the S8 is truly unique!


----------



## luciddreamer124

AHHHH! MUST SEE MORE.


----------



## cpachris

How to assemble a CaseLabs Mercury S8 in less than 15 seconds.....


----------



## seross69

I like it so much.. But now my Daughter wants one too


----------



## PCModderMike

You made the GIF!

Do want......to make my own case GIF that is...not a pink case.


----------



## DerComissar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> How to assemble a CaseLabs Mercury S8 in less than 15 seconds.....
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


That gif is awesome!
Great job. Rep+


----------



## Oliver1234

Very nicely done, can't wait to see it filled up!!!


----------



## akira749

The color is amazing!!!!


----------



## Erick Silver

Crap...thanks man...wife just saw that little gif of the case assembly....now she wants one....


----------



## mAs81

Even though you deprived us of pictures







the gif is awesome!!
I hope your wife likes the case so far!!!


----------



## Erick Silver

Can we get some static pics of that beautiful case??


----------



## freitz

Just ran into this thread. Subbed...


----------



## SinatraFan

Why do I want to quote John Melloncamp....

Paint the mutha PINK!

Love it! Looks fantastic!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *seross69*
> 
> I like it so much.. But now my Daughter wants one too


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Erick Silver*
> 
> Crap...thanks man...wife just saw that little gif of the case assembly....now she wants one....


The PPPP. Creating desire in women everywhere.










Quote:


> Originally Posted by *luciddreamer124*
> 
> AHHHH! MUST SEE MORE.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DerComissar*
> 
> That gif is awesome!
> Great job. Rep+


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oliver1234*
> 
> Very nicely done, can't wait to see it filled up!!!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> The color is amazing!!!!


Thanks guys. That was my first attempt at creating my own animated gif. Laborious process....but worth the effort. There are 119 frames in that gif, with about 20 key frames. The rest are transitions between the key frames with increasing opacity of the newly added part...so that it appears to materialize into the scene. Learned a lot playing around with all the options.

Might have to get creative with some more animation. Any ideas?









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Even though you deprived us of pictures
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> the gif is awesome!!
> I hope your wife likes the case so far!!!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Erick Silver*
> 
> Can we get some static pics of that beautiful case??


Just about finished. The most time consuming part is fixing the perspective while processing the pictures. But I'm just about done, so I'll flood you with some static case shots shortly.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> You made the GIF!
> 
> Do want......to make my own case GIF that is...not a pink case.


You'll be making your own before I'm done. Pink case....that is.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> Subbed!!!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *freitz*
> 
> Just ran into this thread. Subbed...


Welcome gents!


----------



## PCModderMike

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> You made the GIF!
> 
> Do want......to make my own case GIF that is...not a pink case.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You'll be making your own before I'm done. Pink case....that is.
Click to expand...

You're probably right.







Now I gotta be careful not to let my wife look over my shoulder while I'm surfing OCN and in this thread.
Like you said above....The PPPP. Creating desire in women everywhere.


----------



## stren

dattimelapse, now the whole build must be timelapsed


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Definitely looking forward to how this turns out!


----------



## cpachris

As promised...some better pictures of the case. It only took about 90 minutes to put it together, and that included the time necessary to take all the shots for the animated gif in earlier post. This little (when compared to my TH10) case is absolutely awesome. If you want to use a full size ATX motherboard, this case really hits the sweet spot for size. It's amazing how strong it is while being so light. The benefits of an all aluminum case I guess. I could stand on top of this thing and it would support me just fine. I'll take more pictures later of some of the unique features of the case, but for now...here are some shots of it in all its pink glory.....



Mine is a two-tone with black on the inside and pink on the outside. I'll keep the inside mainly black and add pink accents with the coolant and some small pink painted parts....







I'll probably put a 240 rad here in the front....along with a fan controller up top and maybe a panel for some switches for lighting.....



Pink Panther wanted to get in on the picture action here. Such a poser....



It has windows on four sides....left, right, front and top. I'll really be able to show off components in this with all the windows.











Left side of the case.....







The only difference in this picture is I added the side mount radiator accessory. I'll probably have a 240 rad here also. I think I'm going to pass on a 360 here so that I'm not cramped at all behind the switchplate. I want to keep that space available.....



Right side of the case....





Back of the case....





One of the reasons I fell in love with this case initially was the option of the window on top. Just love love love the thought of having a view of the components from up here also. I'll probably do a 240 rad here on top also on the right side. It will hold a 360, but again, I want to keep the space free and available behind where I'll put the fan controller. Don't want to feel cramped.















CaseLabs already had a slew of amazing cases to choose from before they released the S8. But I really think they hit a sweet spot with this one. Beautiful design. I'm pumped about a horizontal motherboard layout, because I haven't done that before. As I start building in it, I'll take some more pictures of some of the unique features.

More later!


----------



## cgipson1

Very nice! I am sure the other half is loving it, right?


----------



## mAs81

That is definitely a very,very,very,beautiful case!!Thank you for the top par pics.Can't wait to see it being filled with cool stuff!


----------



## socketus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oliver1234*
> 
> Wow, a cardboard box for a case, AND made in the USA??? Your right, the S8 is truly unique!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *luciddreamer124*
> 
> AHHHH! MUST SEE MORE.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oliver1234*
> 
> Very nicely done, can't wait to see it filled up!!!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Even though you deprived us of pictures
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> the gif is awesome!!
> I hope your wife likes the case so far!!!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cgipson1*
> 
> Very nice! I am sure the other half is loving it, right?


If this means a pic of the wife in the case, I'm ALL FOR IT









Ultimate accessory, esp for the LANS









A pink S8 is a girl's best friend !


----------



## Barefooter

The case is awesome in pink. Love the FOUR windows. I now have a new favorite animated gif too.


----------



## akira749

What do you have in mind for the coolant....I could be interested for my S8


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SinatraFan*
> 
> Why do I want to quote John Melloncamp....Paint the mutha PINK!
> Love it! Looks fantastic!


I was a freshmen in highschool when MTV did that contest. Ah.....memories.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stren*
> 
> dattimelapse, now the whole build must be timelapsed


Can you imagine the work involved with that? But....I do want to do some more animation for this build. Just need a good idea.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> Definitely looking forward to how this turns out!


Me too!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cgipson1*
> 
> Very nice! I am sure the other half is loving it, right?


She loves the pink n' black. Loves it.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> That is definitely a very,very,very,beautiful case!!Thank you for the top par pics.Can't wait to see it being filled with cool stuff!


Me too!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *socketus*
> 
> If this means a pic of the wife in the case, I'm ALL FOR IT


I'll try?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Barefooter*
> 
> The case is awesome in pink. Love the FOUR windows. I now have a new favorite animated gif too.


I think the gif is pretty cool too. CaseLabs put it on their FaceBook page! or at least...a link to it.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> What do you have in mind for the coolant....I could be interested for my S8


I have several samples that I'll do some pictures of coming up soon. It will be pink....but there is a lot of pink to choose from.


----------



## jameyscott

I better not show this to my wife. My second build would end up pink.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> I better not show this to my wife. My second build would end up pink.


Give in! Give in! Pink is PRETTY!


----------



## wthenshaw

Excellent photography to compliment an excellent case cpachris!


----------



## Wibble360

Awesome work already, will look forward to seeing how you fill this case out with gear.

I'm liking the horizontal layout more and more, seems a great way to show off a motherboard especially with the top window. Just realised it will show off the underside of the GPU cards' cooling blocks pretty nicely too, I always thought it was a shame they looked so beautiful but were hidden underneath the cards! Are you thinking plexi / nickel block with pink coolant...??

If you did a "final teardown" of the case towards the end of the build maybe you could do a timelapse of the final assembly...


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> What do you have in mind for the coolant....I could be interested for my S8
> 
> 
> 
> I have several samples that I'll do some pictures of coming up soon. It will be pink....but there is a lot of pink to choose from.
Click to expand...

Cool


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Oh my... With the alternate angles of that case, I absolutely ~LOVE~ that shade you two chose!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Excellent photography to compliment an excellent case cpachris!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> Oh my... With the alternate angles of that case, I absolutely ~LOVE~ that shade you two chose!


Thank you!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wibble360*
> 
> Awesome work already, will look forward to seeing how you fill this case out with gear.
> 
> I'm liking the horizontal layout more and more, seems a great way to show off a motherboard especially with the top window. Just realised it will show off the underside of the GPU cards' cooling blocks pretty nicely too, I always thought it was a shame they looked so beautiful but were hidden underneath the cards! Are you thinking plexi / nickel block with pink coolant...??
> 
> If you did a "final teardown" of the case towards the end of the build maybe you could do a timelapse of the final assembly...


It's going to have some nice gear.




















































Final assembly might work for animation. I'll have to see how attached some of the cabling is at that point. I could do a nice long one putting in all the rads and fans. And yes....plexi/nickel blocks with pink coolant. Great minds think alike.


----------



## ozlay

dat looks so koot









Random: I wonder if anyone has ever painted the usb 3 ports so they are not blue


----------



## Oliver1234

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ozlay*
> 
> Random: I wonder if anyone has ever painted the usb 3 ports so they are not blue


PPPPIIIIINNNNKKKKK!!!!!!!


----------



## maineiacsmoker

Ya know, reading 15 pages to catch up is a lot easier than reading 120 pages the first time I found the BBBB build log...lol. Chris, have you ever given any thought to using Paracord? Found this http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_kk_1?rh=i%3Asporting%2Ck%3Aparacord&keywords=paracord&ie=UTF8&qid=1397185412#/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dsporting&field-keywords=paracord+pink&rh=n%3A3375251%2Ck%3Aparacord+pink. Just wondering.....oh, BTW..Subbed!!

Cheers,

Dave

PS. I like the new C3 logo on your pics.....lol.


----------



## cpachris

Got some more Corsair goodies to show off. Thanks Corsair!



What's the only thing sweeter than a brand new Corsair Neutron GTX SATA3 240 GB SSD?



Two of them.



These are the flagship line of SSD offerings from Corsair. You can link here to read all the detail specs. I'll do some benchies after installation. I'm planning on running them in a RAID0 array. Nothing critical will get stored on this computer. The BBBB has some shared storage on it's RAID5 array. The PPPP is just about finding FaceBook friends as fast as you can.







I think it's universally agreed that RAID0 is a must-have for Pinterest machines also. That's just science.



This is the first 7mm SSD I've played with. It is striking how slim it is if you are used to the more traditional thickness.



Time to void that warranty.....



It comes apart very easily for mod options.





The whole PCB can come out of the case with just a few screws. Takes maybe 30 seconds to go from fully assembled....to a warranty-less PCB laying in front of you. But don't you feel good anyway??!!















Mod options here are many. The SSD case is a nice aluminum, so I could have that powder coated to match either the pink or the black in the case. Exact match. I also love the window mod that L3p did on some SSD's a build-log or two ago. Although I don't think those were the 7mm SSD's...so it might be tougher to pull off. I'd have to get some real thin plexi so as not to bother any components in there.

But if I do a window mod, I could even put an LED inside the SSD case to light it up from the inside. That would look sweet. There is plenty of room on the top end of the case. The PCB doesn't even extend to the last inch or so of the SSD case.

Another option would be to shuck the aluminum cases that they came in, and put both SSD's together into one little acrylic casing. You could join the PCB's for both SSD's together with standoffs, and they would still make a very slim package.

Whatever I end up doing...I think I want to really show these SSD's off. I need to find a prominent spot in the case where these can really be seen....and then do something special with them.


----------



## mAs81

Sweet SSDs,the PP apparently likes 'em more naked







Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Another option would be to shuck the aluminum cases that they came in, and put both SSD's together into one little acrylic casing. You could join the PCB's for both SSD's together with standoffs, and they would still make a very slim package.


^^This sounds awesome,plus then you'll have more room for water cooling


----------



## PCModderMike

Not one....but two. You lucky dog...err panther.


----------



## Xclsyr

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I'd have to get some real thin plexi so as not to bother any components in there.
> 
> But if I do a window mod, I could even put an LED inside the SSD case to light it up from the inside. That would look sweet. There is plenty of room on the top end of the case. The PCB doesn't even extend to the last inch or so of the SSD case.
> 
> Another option would be to shuck the aluminum cases that they came in, and put both SSD's together into one little acrylic casing. You could join the PCB's for both SSD's together with standoffs, and they would still make a very slim package.
> 
> Whatever I end up doing...I think I want to really show these SSD's off. I need to find a prominent spot in the case where these can really be seen....and then do something special with them.


Thin plexi to put inside the SSDs? Why not surface mount the plexi, and either a slight bevel on the edge or trim/paint the edges?

Bet you could make them lookk like you stored a couple cellphones inside....

BTW - You bet I'm subbed for another round!


----------



## mandrix

Love that shot with the PP holding the SSD.....and I like your new logo.


----------



## Oliver1234

This will be interesting to see what you do with them...


----------



## NixZiZ

Subbed, because why not?


----------



## Lefik

That shade of pink with the black on the S8 is absolutely gorgeous.


----------



## Wibble360

You could use two pieces of plexi to make a SSD case. Mount the PCB onto some thin (eg 3mm) plexi then use some thicker plexi for the top. Screw both pieces directly together, just use a router to take off some material from the top piece to allow room for the PCB.

Once that's done you could install a LED, laser etch a logo onto the plexi, etc. Just an idea.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Sweet SSDs,the PP apparently likes 'em more naked
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ^^This sounds awesome,plus then you'll have more room for water cooling


It would be fun to try.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> Not one....but two. You lucky dog...err panther.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


How much is that monthly gif subscription cost you?









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xclsyr*
> 
> Thin plexi to put inside the SSDs? Why not surface mount the plexi, and either a slight bevel on the edge or trim/paint the edges? Bet you could make them lookk like you stored a couple cellphones inside.... BTW - You bet I'm subbed for another round!


That would be easier. May play with it both ways. But I think plexi underneath the cover would look more "factory" than on top.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Love that shot with the PP holding the SSD.....and I like your new logo.


Thanks! I've got a smaller logo version I need to try out also. Coming soon....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oliver1234*
> 
> This will be interesting to see what you do with them...


I've never done anything special with drives before. This will be a first for me. But they are begging to be modded. Who am I to refuse?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *NixZiZ*
> 
> Subbed, because why not?


Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but....I'll take it!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lefik*
> 
> That shade of pink with the black on the S8 is absolutely gorgeous.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wibble360*
> 
> You could use two pieces of plexi to make a SSD case. Mount the PCB onto some thin (eg 3mm) plexi then use some thicker plexi for the top. Screw both pieces directly together, just use a router to take off some material from the top piece to allow room for the PCB.
> Once that's done you could install a LED, laser etch a logo onto the plexi, etc. Just an idea.


The glass brick of SSD's.







That would be pretty cool. Nice idea. I could stack them both together and cover them with the thicker top. To give myself some margin for error, I'd probably try it with a 3/4 inch thick acrylic top....and try my luck at routing at a rectangle for the PCB. I'm assuming my wood routing bits would work on acrylic? If I don't want to try routing a thick piece, I could build it up with smaller pieces where I've just cut out rectangles for the PCB. That would work also.


----------



## Lefik

I thought you might like these anodized pink sheets I found on Inventables. They're only half a millimeter thick so you can't use them to build anything very rigid, but they can be good for decoration if you get creative.


----------



## mandrix

Chris I don't claim any vast knowledge about routing acrylic, but I found an upspiral straight bit that seems to work pretty good. (double flute) Some of the single flute wood bits I haven't had much luck with.
High speed worked best for me.


----------



## Ragsters

Love it!


----------



## cpachris

All right. It's time to test paint some fans. But first, I need to pick a pink paint. Say "pick a pink paint" three times really fast...puh-lease. My *p*owder was *p*revoiusly *p*icked, but I *p*lan to *p*ursue *p*ink *p*aint for *p*lastic *p*arts.

Any-who.,.,..I'm actually going to have one more small batch of parts that I use the same Rosette Pink powder on. Small things like faceplates, SSD casings, etc. That works for anything aluminum. I can have that powdercoated. But there will be some plastic parts that also need to receive the "pink treatment", so I need to find a pink paint that is a good match. And fans will be the major plastic part that gets painted.

I started by heading to my local Hobby Lobby and picking up all kinds of shades of pink and flourescent pink paint.



I didn't shy away from picking up some of the smaller tubes of paint. It's a heavier medium, and I would probably never brush this on to fans for fear of not getting it evenly spread....but I can always thin it down and put it in a spray gun if I find a tube of pink that is the best match. I decided to put down spots of color on a black piece of cardboard, since the main thing I'll paint is the fans, and those are black.

I started with the two samples that were rattle cans.....



Then used a brush to paint circles of color for the rest of the paint samples....



and a second coat and third for some spots. I really looked like a pre-schooler at this point with all my bowls of paint out and circles of pink on my board.











None of the flourescent pinks were anywhere close to what I needed. I didn't even get out a UV light to try them, because they look so off in normal light.

There were several colors that were close....but this one was the closest. It's called Medium Magenta and is from Liquitex. It also had a very cool finish to it. Nice paint.



In the case....



Liquitex is actually available in rattle cans also....so now I just need to go find some. Hobby Lobby didn't carry the spray can version. But I believe Michael's does....so I'm off!


----------



## mandrix

Looks pretty darn close.


----------



## luciddreamer124

Perfect!


----------



## Wibble360

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I'm assuming my wood routing bits would work on acrylic?


Should work fine. I'm using a wood bit for the acrylic on my case and it has no problem cutting through Makloron (a really tough type of plexi that's used for machine guards etc). 



's a video I took a while back for my worklog (I was going slowly as it was my first time using the router).

The Medium Magenta looks just right on my screen...


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> All right. It's time to test paint some fans. But first, I need to pick a pink paint. Say "pick a pink paint" three times really fast...puh-lease. My *p*owder was *p*revoiusly *p*icked, but I *p*lan to *p*ursue *p*ink *p*aint for *p*lastic *p*arts.


I did it 3 times and got transform into this!!!!!!!



What's the reverse magic phrase?????


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Looks pretty darn close.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *luciddreamer124*
> 
> Perfect!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wibble360*
> 
> The Medium Magenta looks just right on my screen...


Found the rattle cans in the same brand/color at Michael's. Initial test....color looks the same as the heavier medium I was using. Now...I'll do a test sample of actual fans to decide on what combination of colors I want to use.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wibble360*
> 
> Should work fine. I'm using a wood bit for the acrylic on my case and it has no problem cutting through Makloron (a really tough type of plexi that's used for machine guards etc).
> 
> 
> 
> 's a video I took a while back for my worklog (I was going slowly as it was my first time using the router).


I haven't used my router in 5+ years. Maybe this is an excuse to dust it off (literally) and try it on some acrylic. Thanks for the video link.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> I did it 3 times and got transform into this!!!!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What's the reverse magic phrase?????


Lol....I don't think there is a cure. But try clicking your heels together three times and repeating..."There's no place like home....there's no place like home.".


----------



## Lefik

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> I did it 3 times and got transform into this!!!!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> What's the reverse magic phrase?????


arbadacarba?


----------



## socketus

someone is not aware of the Zard Oz saying, nor the famous red dirt of Oklahoma !!


----------



## PCModderMike

So. Much. Pink.
The coolant will be pink, is that correct? And the sleeving will be as well? Just a suggestion, but maybe have the fans white just to give some contrast and not overwhelm the build with pink?









EDIT: OR...pink blades, white frame?? I dunno I'm just thinking out loud here...








Whatever you do though I'm sure it will look great.


----------



## cpachris

Painting time! It has been beautiful outside this weekend here in Edmond, OK, so I thought it would be a good time to paint some sample fans. I found the Liquitex spray cans in the color I was after. While picking up paint, I also got a metallic nickel color from Velspar. I've mentioned this before, but I'll have a lot of nickel plated blocks in this build, so nickel will already be an existing color. Not sure I want it on my fans, but the whole point in trying out some sample combinations of colors is to see what looks the best. So I'm playing around with pink, black and nickel on the fan painting.

I grabbed one of my Corsair fans and told it that he was going to be sacrificed to the test painting spirits. Another fan immediately called out...."I volunteer myself as tribute!" I decided to sacrifice them both.











I promise more pictures of the fan prepping when I do it for real. This is just for testing. But I popped off the blades. Popped off the accent rings. Removed the stickers. Taped up the privates. And removed the rubber corners from the fan frames. Now we are ready.....



A quickie painting booth in the backyard....





You can see that there are three parts in each booth. The blades, the frame, and the accent ring. That gives me lots of combinations to try. I've already taken the photos up in the faux studio....so I'll post them tomorrow after I've had a chance to play with them. There are some pretty combinations! Pretty pink combinations! Pretty pink powerful combinations! Plenty of pretty pink powerful combinations! Plenty of pre......ok. I'll stop.


----------



## PCModderMike

I guess that update is pretty much telling me what I can do with my suggestion....


----------



## blupupher

I think I need to sue, your copying me.



























I meant almost identical!

(yes, this really is a computer I had, I painted the entire thing pink, mobo and all, and it worked after).


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lefik*
> 
> arbadacarba?


erehtdiduoytahweesi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *socketus*
> 
> someone is not aware of the Zard Oz saying, nor the famous red dirt of Oklahoma !!


Zard Oz? I'm scared to even look it up.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> So. Much. Pink.
> The coolant will be pink, is that correct? And the sleeving will be as well? Just a suggestion, but maybe have the fans white just to give some contrast and not overwhelm the build with pink?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> EDIT: OR...pink blades, white frame?? I dunno I'm just thinking out loud here...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Whatever you do though I'm sure it will look great.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> I guess that update is pretty much telling me what I can do with my suggestion....


Lol...I think we crossed on that first one. And yes...I agree that there we must be wary of too much pink on the inside. Or, better put.....a *p*lethora of *p*ink could *p*ossibly *p*resent *p*roblems. We'll see what the wife-y thinks about the fan combinations. Because she's right. Whatever she thinks....she's right.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> I think I need to sue, your copying me.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: An Example of Too Much Pink!!!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I meant almost identical! (yes, this really is a computer I had, I painted the entire thing pink, mobo and all, and it worked after).


.....because it takes so much time to remove the motherboard for painting. Still worked, huh? Amazing.


----------



## blupupher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> ...
> .....because it takes so much time to remove the motherboard for painting. Still worked, huh? Amazing.


LOL, yeah.
I was actually wondering if a motherboard would work after being painted. This was a computer I found (I think a socket 370) in someones trash that just needed a hard drive.


----------



## navynuke499

Not sure how I have missed this one so far. Subbed.


----------



## Oliver1234

Wow... I don't even know what to think of that...


----------



## cpachris

Here are some shots of the painted fan combinations. I have three parts that I can swap.....the frame, the blades and the accent ring. And I was playing with three colors.....pink, black and nickel.

Here are three with pink frames, nickel accent ring, and all three blade colors....







Here are three with black frame, pink accent ring, and all three blade colors.....







Here are three with black frame, nickel accent ring, and all three blade colors.....







For some reason I missed taking the shots with the nickel colored frame. Not sure why. I do have some shots of those in the next group I'll post, which is of the fans in the case. I also passed on taking shots of combinations that had the same colored frame and accent ring. It just adds more contrast and depth to the fans when the frame and accent ring are different colors.

I'd love to know which ones are your favorites! This is a democracy.....everyone gets to vote! But Jenn's vote counts as 50.









You'll see after I post the shots of the fans inside the case, but my favorite fans outside of the case, are not necessarily my favorites inside the case.


----------



## Rbby258

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


----------



## luciddreamer124

^ This.


----------



## Squeeker The Cat

do a pink frame, black ring, pink blades!!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Squeeker The Cat*
> 
> do a pink frame, black ring, pink blades!!


Yeah, for some reason I didn't think to buy any black paint.....so I couldn't do any combinations with a black accent ring, .....but there are a couple of combinations that would look good with a black accent ring....

I'm partial to the three color combinations though myself.....


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Hmm. Squeeker you posted my idea while I was editing it. I don't think that's fair.


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hmm. Squeeker you posted my idea while I was editing it. I don't think that's fair.


Those would look gorgeous imo!


----------



## cpachris

Oooooooo.....people are doing actual work here! Someone do a 3d animation render of what all combinations of fans would look like spinning.....


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*


Those 2 are my favorites. Also if you were to paint the frame nickel on the one right above it might turn out well too.

For some reasons i'm not sure I would paint the blades pink...it might be to much just my


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> Those 2 are my favorites. Also if you were to paint the frame nickel on the one right above it might turn out well too.
> 
> For some reasons i'm not sure I would paint the blades pink...it might be to much just my


See what you think when I post the next set of pictures of the fans in the case....but I think I agree that pink blades might be too much for the fans that are on the inside of the case/radiators. I want the pink coolant to be the star of the show on the inside. But....for the ones on the outside of the case/radiators..... that are behind the pink hex mesh of the case....the black blades just disappear and don't provide any "pop". I ended up liking the pink blades...and especially the nickel blades....once they are viewed behind the pink hex mesh of the case.

There is a good chance that I'll use one color combination for all fans that are behind the pink hex mesh....and a different color combination for all fans that are inside the case against a black background.


----------



## blupupher

I am for the all pink fan too, but as you said, once in the case it could be different.


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> See what you think when I post the next set of pictures of the fans in the case....but I think I agree that pink blades might be too much for the fans that are on the inside of the case/radiators. I want the pink coolant to be the star of the show on the inside. But....for the ones on the outside of the case/radiators..... that are behind the pink hex mesh of the case....the black blades just disappear and don't provide any "pop". I ended up liking the pink blades...and especially the nickel blades....once they are viewed behind the pink hex mesh of the case.
> 
> There is a good chance that I'll use one color combination for all fans that are behind the pink hex mesh....and a different color combination for all fans that are inside the case against a black background.


I like the idea of having a different schemes for the ones behind rad mesh and the ones in the interior!


----------



## Squeeker The Cat

you need to change the name from PPPP to P4 as in p to the 4th power LOL!!!


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Or as in Pentium 4. Which would imply it's slower than hell.

Unless you superscript it properly, but I still don't think Chris wants to change his naming scheme.


----------



## Jeffinslaw

That right there gets my vote. Too much pink will be too much I think.

Jeffinslaw


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jeffinslaw*
> 
> 
> 
> That right there gets my vote. Too much pink will be too much I think.
> 
> Jeffinslaw


+1

Don't overdo the pink inside when the exterior is all pink


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jeffinslaw*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That right there gets my vote. Too much pink will be too much I think.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> +1 Don't overdo the pink inside when the exterior is all pink


I think I agree for the inside of the case. But take a look at the next set of pictures and see if you agree that the nickel or pink blades look better for the outside of the radiators.


----------



## iwalkwithedead

Very nice teaser gif.


----------



## freitz

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jeffinslaw*
> 
> 
> 
> That right there gets my vote. Too much pink will be too much I think.
> 
> Jeffinslaw


Agreed


----------



## Oliver1234

They're all so nice I can't pick one!!! The only thing I would say is that if you go with one that involves any nickel, be sure to put some nickle elsewhere (like in the sleeving), so it's not all alone.


----------



## mAs81

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jeffinslaw*


I believe this is what would look best too..Since the inside is black you'll have to play with little "touches of Pink" for better contrast,if that makes any sense..


----------



## PCModderMike

Winner winner, chicken dinner.

I know I was giving you a hard time about there being so much pink in the build, but seeing it there, I like it!


----------



## Squeeker The Cat

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> I believe this is what would look best too..Since the inside is black you'll have to play with little "touches of Pink" for better contrast,if that makes any sense..


i like this one the best too................maybe find a way to JUST paint the center round part of the blade area pink?? to go along with the pink ring?


----------



## NixZiZ

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> I think I need to sue, your copying me.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I meant almost identical!
> 
> (yes, this really is a computer I had, I painted the entire thing pink, mobo and all, and it worked after).


For a few seconds there I was thinking that was a bad photoshop. Then I realized it was real...


----------



## cpachris

Here are the photos of the fan combinations behind the pink hex mesh of the case. For each combination, I have a series of two pictures. First I show the fan without the case cover on (so you can tell which one it is), and then a second picture of the exact same fan with the pink cover on the case. If you're like me, my favorite fan combinations changed once I saw them behind the pink hex mesh. That's why I'll probably end up with two different combinations of fan colors in this build.

Black frame, nickel ring, pink blades:





Black frame, nickel ring, nickel blades:





Black frame, nickel ring, black blades:





Black frame, pink ring, black blades:





Black frame, pink ring, pink blades:





Black frame, pink ring, nickel blades:





Pink frame, nickel ring, black blades:





Pink frame, nickel ring, pink blades:





Pink frame, nickel ring, nickel blades:





These next ones have the nickel frame, and were not included in my solo fan shots. Purely by accident.

Nickel frame, pink ring, black blades:





Nickel frame, pink ring, pink blades:





Nickel frame, pink ring, nickel blades:





Find your favorite fan from the previous shots in the ones above, and see if it is still your favorite fan when it's behind the pink hex mesh. For me...I think the nickel and pink colors provide lots more contrast and pop when behind the pink mesh. I like to see the shape of the fan behind the mesh, and with the black color, you really can't. It just blends away like it's not there. I like to see them! For the ones behind the mesh....I think one of my favorites is the black frames, pink ring and nickel blades. I like how the frame disappears into the black...and you are left with the pink circle that really pops, and then the more subtle color of the nickel blades that show up well behind the pink hex mesh.

For the ones inside the case/radiators (not behind the pink hex mesh), I'm not sure which ones are my favorite.

I know Jenn is peeking in and looking at pictures, so now is your chance to influence her decision with wise counsel.


----------



## nvidiaftw12

I like this non visible blades, so I would opt for black blades, pink frame and maybe ring.

Not a fan of the nickel at all.


----------



## Citra

This one^


----------



## mAs81

I still think that black frame/fan with the pink ring is the way to go..


----------



## MunneY

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> I still think that black frame/fan with the pink ring is the way to go..


----------



## The_chemist21

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Then you must have missed the last build log....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I had a few more fans for that one.


Fan Domino 2.0? Subbed.


----------



## Whatts

I like the black frame, nickel ring, pink blades for behind the mesh. Kind of looks like the blades are floating.


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> I like this non visible blades, so I would opt for black blades, pink frame and maybe ring.
> 
> Not a fan of the nickel at all.


+1 on the nickel, don't think it fits the theme IMO.

I'd say still go for black from pink ring black blades.

What we really need is pictures of the fans rotating.


----------



## WhiteWulfe

I like the black frame, pink ring, nickel blades the most myself ^_^;;


----------



## PCModderMike

I also like the look of the pink fan blades floating behind the mesh. So this gets my vote.
Black frame, pink ring, pink blades:


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Black frame, pink ring, pink blades:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


This combination for the fans behind the mesh is my favorite! It will still look good when spinning too.


----------



## Rbby258

Pink frame, nickel ring, pink blades


----------



## Barefooter

Such hard choices. When I saw the fans outside the case, I thought the pink fan blades would be too much pink, but behind the mesh the pink fan blades look great!

Not sure if I like the nickel. I do like the idea of one color combination for behind the mesh and a different color combination for the rest of the build.


----------



## ozlay

but will you still see the pink blades behind the mesh when they are spinning


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ozlay*
> 
> but will you still see the pink blades behind the mesh when they are spinning


They will just look like pink disks


----------



## Xclsyr

Looking at the choices, and...

Frame: not what I like to see, so - Black

Blades: Want to see them, but pink not contrast-y through the vents, so - Nickel

Rings: Actually like these best matching fan color, but pink contrast works too. so - either Pink or Nickel

BTW is it just my monitor or does the nickel have that much gold-tone to it? Like the color by itself as I see it, but not so much with the pink... Maybe substitute a shade that's a little more silvery than golden?

Also thinking of how it will look in the front Flexbay. You may need a coompletely different color mix up front. The pink frames might go better there.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xclsyr*
> 
> BTW is it just my monitor or does the nickel have that much gold-tone to it? Like the color by itself as I see it, but not so much with the pink... Maybe substitute a shade that's a little more silvery than golden?.


It's not your monitor. They definitely have a gold tint.....more so than a nickel plated block would. If I end using the "nickel" color in a fan combination, I'll change paints for something that looks more like the nickel plating on a block. It should look more "chrome" than it does right now. I think that may make it clash less with the rubber inserts in the frame also.


----------



## Wibble360

Black frame, pink ring, pink blades

The frame isn't what I want to see and it's cool how the blades look like they're floating when they're pink and the frame is black

Don't like that nickel (doesn't gel wth the pink) but would like to see a different shade


----------



## Oliver1234

I'd like to see the real shade you would use also, imagine asking us if a pink fan would look good, and it were a clashing horrible pink... that's what this nickle could be right now...


----------



## Drizztly

How about some mixing? The fans which will be behind mesh black frame/pink ring and blade, and the fans in the top section which can be seen without mesh black frame and blade with pink ring ?

Also -> subbed


----------



## SalisburySteak

I like the black frame, pink ring and blades. The nickel just doesn't look right to me.


----------



## SinatraFan

Can't believe its on Youtube but I had to post it!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SinatraFan*
> 
> Can't believe its on Youtube but I had to post it!
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Ahhhhhh.....memories.

Thanks for all the comments, observations, opinion and suggestions guys! Jennifer has narrowed it down to just a few combination possibilities...and has requested to see them spinning. Probably got that idea from you guys too. Thanks a lot.









I'm working on that right now....so I'll shoot video as I do it and post it here.

I also have an exciting new sponsor to announce....but I want to take some pictures first. These guys stepped up in a major way to support this build, and I can't wait to share it!


----------



## Barefooter

Drum roll please...


----------



## SinatraFan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Ahhhhhh.....memories.


Back when Mtv was cool and relevant


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SinatraFan*
> 
> Back when Mtv was cool and relevant


Back when they actually played music....


----------



## mandrix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Back when they actually played music....


...and not soap operas.


----------



## maineiacsmoker

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> ...and not soap operas.


And we now invite you to sit back and watch the newest MTV production.....AS THE STOMACH TURNS


----------



## cpachris

What would a Corsair sponsored build be....without some Corsair memory? My friends at Corsair REALLY came through for this build. They are sponsoring it in a big way. I've already shown you the AX1500i, all those gorgeous SP120 and AF120 fans, the amazing little Neutron SSD's....and now....the memory......





Corsair packaging is always amazing for their flagship products. Still can't get over how nice the PSU packaging was....and now look at this RAM package. Each stick is enclosed in the normal plastic casing....but then the plastic casings are embedded in this nice little rubberish cutout. The shape of the cutouts is consistent across the entire line of Dominator Platinum memory....and even some of the accessories. Very nice touch. When you spend top dollar on components, it should come in nice packaging. Corsair understands that.



He asked what it was, and I told him "memory". He said, "I just take Ginkgo Biloba".











Pink Panther suggested that this RAM is so good looking....that we should really just let him get out the way and shoot some glamour shots with the sticks. I obliged.



These sleeving colors are not being used in the build....but I thought they looked nice with the RAM.



I like the nice muted reflection of the sleeving on the light bars in this pic.....





You can see the Corsair Link connections well in this shot. I'll tinker with that for this build probably. Haven't used that monitoring tool before. I'd like to see what it's like.











I used 64GB of Dominator GT's in my last build. This will be my first experience with the Dominator Platinum line. I purposely chose 4X4 GB for 16GB total. I found that with my last build, I had trouble getting 64GB to overclock....or even get up to the XMP profile settings. I could overclock them when I used just 4 sticks (32GB), but not at 8 sticks (64GB). Just too taxing on the IMC I guess. Well.....Jenn should have plenty of Pinterest power with 16GB of memory, and this let me use less dense sticks, ....and just 4 sticks instead of 8. I think this is the optimal setup for this build. It is still utilizing quad channel memory configuration....but hopefully has enough headroom for some overclocking. This is rated at 2133 MHz and a nice tight CL9. I'll see how far I can push it.


----------



## wthenshaw

Corsair have been amazing to you!

Lucky guy


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> What would a Corsair sponsored build be....without some Corsair memory? My friends at Corsair REALLY came through for this build. They are sponsoring it in a big way. I've already shown you the AX1500i, all those gorgeous SP120 and AF120 fans, the amazing little Neutron SSD's....and now....the memory......
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Corsair packaging is always amazing for their flagship products. Still can't get over how nice the PSU packaging was....and now look at this RAM package. Each stick is enclosed in the normal plastic casing....but then the plastic casings are embedded in this nice little rubberish cutout. The shape of the cutouts is consistent across the entire line of Dominator Platinum memory....and even some of the accessories. Very nice touch. When you spend top dollar on components, it should come in nice packaging. Corsair understands that.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> He asked what it was, and I told him "memory". He said, "I just take Ginkgo Biloba".
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pink Panther suggested that this RAM is so good looking....that we should really just let him get out the way and shoot some glamour shots with the sticks. I obliged.
> 
> 
> 
> These sleeving colors are not being used in the build....but I thought they looked nice with the RAM.
> 
> 
> 
> I like the nice muted reflection of the sleeving on the light bars in this pic.....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You can see the Corsair Link connections well in this shot. I'll tinker with that for this build probably. Haven't used that monitoring tool before. I'd like to see what it's like.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I used 64GB of Dominator GT's in my last build. This will be my first experience with the Dominator Platinum line. I purposely chose 4X4 GB for 16GB total. I found that with my last build, I had trouble getting 64GB to overclock....or even get up to the XMP profile settings. I could overclock them when I used just 4 sticks (32GB), but not at 8 sticks (64GB). Just too taxing on the IMC I guess. Well.....Jenn should have plenty of Pinterest power with 16GB of memory, and this let me use less dense sticks, ....and just 4 sticks instead of 8. I think this is the optimal setup for this build. It is still utilizing quad channel memory configuration....but hopefully has enough headroom for some overclocking. This is rated at 2133 MHz and a nice tight CL9. I'll see how far I can push it.


Nice!!!! I'd like to have a Sponsor like this one day!!!!!

Very nice stuff you got there!!!!


----------



## PCModderMike

This build is flat out Corsairtastic. They've been very generous with everything. Is this your reward for doing their taxes, or something accounting related?


----------



## Hasty

Hello there,

Very entertaining build-log, cpachris!
Thanks for all the effort you put into making it so fun to follow.









oh and...

That one works pretty well. Makes the fans most important feature really stand out. Should look especially cool when spinning!


----------



## Kinaesthetic

Now all you need is the Dominator Platinum Light Bar Upgrade Kit, and use a pink sharpie on the clear lightbar that is included in the kit !


----------



## mAs81

Nice update!Them Platinums are really great looking!I loved the packaging in my Corsair Vengeance Pro,but the packaging in the Platinum series is really top notch..Good show Corsair








Now let me guess,you're going to paint the heat sinks pink,right?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Corsair have been amazing to you! Lucky guy


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> Nice!!!! I'd like to have a Sponsor like this one day!!!!! Very nice stuff you got there!!!!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> This build is flat out Corsairtastic. They've been very generous with everything. Is this your reward for doing their taxes, or something accounting related?


Corsairtastic indeed. I like that. They have shown great support and are very easy to work with. I haven't done taxes for people in 20 years though. They probably wouldn't want me to offer any help.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Hasty*
> 
> Very entertaining build-log, cpachris!
> Thanks for all the effort you put into making it so fun to follow.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> oh and...
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That one works pretty well. Makes the fans most important feature really stand out. Should look especially cool when spinning!


Thanks Hasty! You'll see that one spinning soon in a video.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kinaesthetic*
> 
> Now all you need is the Dominator Platinum Light Bar Upgrade Kit, and use a pink sharpie on the clear lightbar that is included in the kit
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> !


Take a close look at the first picture in the last post, and you'll note two more boxes behind the memory box. Wonder what those are......

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Nice update!Them Platinums are really great looking!I loved the packaging in my Corsair Vengeance Pro,but the packaging in the Platinum series is really top notch..Good show Corsair
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now let me guess,you're going to paint the heat sinks pink,right?


There are options being considered.....


----------



## seross69

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *maineiacsmoker*
> 
> Ya know, reading 15 pages to catch up is a lot easier than reading 120 pages the first time I found the BBBB build log...lol. Chris, have you ever given any thought to using Paracord? Found this http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_kk_1?rh=i%3Asporting%2Ck%3Aparacord&keywords=paracord&ie=UTF8&qid=1397185412#/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dsporting&field-keywords=paracord+pink&rh=n%3A3375251%2Ck%3Aparacord+pink. Just wondering.....oh, BTW..Subbed!!
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Dave
> 
> PS. I like the new C3 logo on your pics.....lol.


Chris I did not see where you responded to this question and wanted to give a recommendation of http://www.paracordplanet.com/Paracord_c_1.html?gclid=CP-vuczC670CFUQF7AodZAwA3g for Paracord and I have tried it and it is differant from the MDPC-X Sleeveing but same quality to me any way!! I decided not to use it as it is harder to work with but I will use it in the future be sure!!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *seross69*
> 
> Chris I did not see where you responded to this question and wanted to give a recommendation of http://www.paracordplanet.com/Paracord_c_1.html?gclid=CP-vuczC670CFUQF7AodZAwA3g for Paracord and I have tried it and it is differant from the MDPC-X Sleeveing but same quality to me any way!! I decided not to use it as it is harder to work with but I will use it in the future be sure!!


Must have missed a comment somewhere along the way. It happens! Anyway, I sampled a couple of different kinds of paracord when doing the BBBB, and it just wasn't the look I was after. I've seen some pictures of well done paracord.....but I like the look of plastic sleeving much better.


----------



## cpachris

Build log index and hardware list updated in the opening post. Three weeks in and it's still up to date! This is so unlike me....


----------



## cpachris

I did mention picking up another sponsor that I was extremely excited about, right?

A hint....



Spoiler: Probably too obvious, but.....


----------



## barkinos98

Whatcha got from EK man


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I did mention picking up another sponsor that I was extremely excited about, right?
> 
> A hint....
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Probably too obvious, but.....


Woah!!!! Corsair and this one (shhhhttt) That's 2 major sponsors!! I don't know you achieved it but you have my gratz!!!


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I did mention picking up another sponsor that I was extremely excited about, right?
> 
> A hint....
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Probably too obvious, but.....


DHL are sponsoring you?! Awesome


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *barkinos98*
> 
> Whatcha got from EK man


Too easy a hint, right?









The answer to your question though, is "what *didn't* I get from EK". Can't wait to show it off. They are a major sponsor for this build.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> Woah!!!! Corsair and this one (shhhhttt) That's 2 major sponsors!! I don't know you achieved it but you have my gratz!!!


Don't forget CaseLabs! CaseLabs, Corsair and EKWB. They are all really helping make this build something special. I need to put together a sponsor logo plaque.


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Umm...

I was thinking more along the lines of EKWB since it's shippiong from Slovania.

E: Little bit late posting I guess...


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Don't forget CaseLabs! CaseLabs, Corsair and EKWB. They are all really helping make this build something special. I need to put together a sponsor logo plaque.












Facepalm to myself here sorry


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> DHL are sponsoring you?! Awesome


Lol....that would actually save some money. But I was extremely impressed that it could get from Slovenia to Edmond, OK in 5 days. 5 days! And that includes clearing customs. Very nicely done DHL.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> Umm...
> 
> I was thinking more along the lines of EKWB since it's shippiong from Slovania.
> 
> E: Little bit late posting I guess...


We crossed! By the way, Haley told me she approves of the EKWB sponsorship.


----------



## barkinos98

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *barkinos98*
> 
> Whatcha got from EK man
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Too easy a hint, right?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The answer to your question though, is "what *didn't* I get from EK". Can't wait to show it off. They are a major sponsor for this build.
> 
> -snip
Click to expand...


----------



## socketus

did I miss it ... or has there been reference to the movie "Pretty in Pink" ?

cpachris - if you were a small town minstrel, you'd be pulling them in from several counties.


----------



## seross69

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Must have missed a comment somewhere along the way. It happens! Anyway, I sampled a couple of different kinds of paracord when doing the BBBB, and it just wasn't the look I was after. I've seen some pictures of well done paracord.....but I like the look of plastic sleeving much better.


I agree it is a personal choice but if done right the nylon paracord looks as good to me!!


----------



## cpachris

Here are pics of the last of my Corsair sponsored items. The Dominator Platinum Light Bar Upgrade Kits!



These come in the same awesome packaging as the actual RAM modules do. Again....Corsair knows how to package their flagship line of products.



The kit requires you to replace the aluminum cover that comes on the light bar, with the ones in the kit. The ones in the kit have the cut-outs on top of the light bar. So....not only do you get that soft glow going downward that the regular light bars give you...you also get a glow of light showing through the cut-outs on top.



There are two different color inserts that come with the light bar upgrade kit. Blue and White. My goal with these is a little color modification. I think I want to take the black aluminum heat fins and have those powder coated in the same pink as the case. Then, I would take the aluminum light bar covers (the upgrade kit version), and have those powder coated the same black as the inside of the case. For the actual light...I'd like it to glow pink instead of white. I think that would look really boss to have the light bar cover be black, but a soft pink glow coming out of the cut-outs.

I've got a couple of different ideas. First idea, is I've picked up some pink lighting gels in a few different shades, from a local studio lighting store here. I could cut the gels to fit the lightbar. That is one option. The other idea is to use the same dye process I did on the sleeving in my last build....and actually dye the light bar and inserts to be pink. I'd have to do some samples and see how much light is transmitted both ways.

I'll take a lot of pictures of the trial and errors here as I get started on it. But I'm excited about the idea of having the only black and pink set of Corsair Dominator Platinums around. It will be a fun mod. I'm still deciding whether or not I want to replace the stickers on the RAM with some custom ones...., leave them as-is,.....or just remove them altogether.


----------



## Panther Al

Dooo eeet...

Custom Dyed light bars, and Decals? Yes please.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *socketus*
> 
> did I miss it ... or has there been reference to the movie "Pretty in Pink" ?
> 
> cpachris - if you were a small town minstrel, you'd be pulling them in from several counties.


Funny. I always wanted to be a small town minstrel......

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Panther Al*
> 
> Dooo eeet...
> 
> Custom Dyed light bars, and Decals? Yes please.


Don't triple dog dare me.....


----------



## cpachris

Three awesome major league sponsors is worthy of a sponsor plaque. Introducing.....



That is three companies that really know a thing or two about computer components. An incredible trio of power. I still can't believe that they are all sponsoring this build. Quite humbling actually. For those of you that followed my last build....you are probably painfully aware that I'll do a little photo shoot of each component I get...before the real assembly/modding starts to take place. But be patient....that day will come.

Plus...I think I may be on the verge of announcing another sponsor. Or two.



































Stay tuned!


----------



## mAs81

An incredible trio of power,indeed!You are so lucky to have them as sponsors..But I guess these companies also know quality PC building when they see it!
I don't mind looking at the photo shoots,the pics are always awesome!
Though,perhaps your girlfriend will get anxious,as the time passes ;-)
Happy Easter!


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> An incredible trio of power,indeed!You are so lucky to have them as sponsors..But I guess these companies also know quality PC building when they see it!
> I don't mind looking at the photo shoots,the pics are always awesome!
> Though,perhaps your girlfriend *wife* will get anxious,as the time passes ;-)
> Happy Easter!


FTFY


----------



## mAs81

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> FTFY


Thanks!
I'm sorry,brainfreeze







been here at work since yesterday and apparently I get dumber by the hour..
Hope the missus doesn't hold that against me..


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Three awesome major league sponsors is worthy of a sponsor plaque. Introducing.....
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That is three companies that really know a thing or two about computer components. An incredible trio of power. I still can't believe that they are all sponsoring this build. Quite humbling actually. For those of you that followed my last build....you are probably painfully aware that I'll do a little photo shoot of each component I get...before the real assembly/modding starts to take place. But be patient....that day will come.
> 
> Plus...I think I may be on the verge of announcing another sponsor. Or two.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Stay tuned!


It may sound stupid but I would make the plaque with black background instead of white. It will then fit your build color scheme and make the pink stand even more.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Though,perhaps your girlfriend will get anxious,as the time passes ;-)


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> FTFY


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Thanks! I'm sorry,brainfreeze
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> been here at work since yesterday and apparently I get dumber by the hour..
> Hope the missus doesn't hold that against me..


I think the wife would get even more anxious if there _was_ a girlfriend.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> It may sound stupid but I would make the plaque with black background instead of white. It will then fit your build color scheme and make the pink stand even more.


I like the idea. Here is black background with a touch of white that makes the CaseLabs logo pop more......



Need to find a way to work my C3 logo into it on the next version.


----------



## akira749

Very nice with the black background and the white in the CL logo!!!









EDIT : But it could look good too with the inside lettering of LABS in black I think


----------



## Oliver1234

Wow... I can't even begin to imagine being sponsored by those three... I mean.... just wow....


----------



## cpachris

Check out the bounty which springs forth from Slovenia.....



Of course there will be a series of shot for each major item group coming up over the next few days. Some of this stuff is bea-u-ti-ful! Thanks EK!


----------



## wthenshaw




----------



## rRansom

SO. MANY. PARTS.

Keep the photos coming, my Internet provider does not mind.


----------



## cpachris

First up for the photoshoot out of my large and generous EK care package.....the XTX rads!



Like Corsair...EK is another one of the companies who always packages their products well. Attractive, protective, functional....





Comes with a set of long screws (30mm) and short screws, to get you through almost any installation.



Ahhhh....That's a good looking radiator. Nothing new about the XTX series....but it's EK's flagship line of radiators, and is always one of the top performers in testing.



The finish is superb, and the fins were almost perfect. It comes with 2x of the temporary stop fittings shown below, that you won't use. And also 2x of the nicer EK stop fittings. Allen wrench for the stop fittings included.



At 64mm thick, these are thicker than the SR-1's I used on my last build. Look and feel "muscle-y". Tough. I also love this bleed/fill/drain port on the bottom of the radiator. Could definitely come in handy.



Wait. What's that......



Oh yes. Of course. Rascally lil' panther.



My favorite shot....



I'm thinking about getting a small brush and using some Pink acrylic paint to fill in that EK logo on the side of the radiator.



Couldn't resist quickly putting on some fans to see what they look like on the rads. Love them!







The Mercury S8 will hold a 360 radiator in every spot that I'm using a 240. The reason I opted for the 240's was really that I didn't want to make anything feel crowded. By using 240's on the top of the case and in the flex-bays....this will leave me a little pocket of room for accessories in the flex bay that are longer (blu-ray, etc.), or for sleeving runs from shorter accessories. For the one that is side mounted in the bottom of the case, using a 240 leaves me a little pocket of space right behind the switch plate for all the cabling running from the front of the computer to the motherboard and other places. Could you still fit everything if you were using 360's? Probably. But it would be much tighter and cramped. That's not the look I'm going for with this build. Plus...3x 240's is probably more than enough radiator space to cool this Pinterest powerhouse!

Taking pictures of the CPU block now......more later.


----------



## wthenshaw

Showing those rads with fans on reinforces my opinion on fan colour, if you just use a pink ring and paint the indentation on the rads the pink will pop better.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Showing those rads with fans on reinforces my opinion on fan colour, if you just use a pink ring and paint the indentation on the rads the pink will pop better.


Yeah...I've started leaning that way myself. We'll see what the wife-y thinks. Video of that this week.....


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Yeah...I've started leaning that way myself. We'll see what the wife-y thinks. Video of that this week.....


Video of your wife choosing colours?


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Wait. What's that......


I like this one









After "Where's Waldo" we have "Where's Panther"


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Video of your wife choosing colours?


Lol.....only if she's not paying attention to me.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> I like this one
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After "Where's Waldo" we have "Where's Panther"


My Halloween costume last year....



Jenn's Halloween costume this year. Please baby??!!!


----------



## Ragsters

^Love it!


----------



## JennG

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Lol.....only if she's not paying attention to me.
> 
> My Halloween costume last year....
> 
> 
> 
> Jenn's Halloween costume this year. Please baby??!!!


um, let me think....no.


----------



## seross69

ooops


----------



## wthenshaw

Someone's in trouble


----------



## mAs81

Well,you can't blame a man for trying.....


----------



## Pheozero

Uh oh


----------



## rRansom




----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *seross69*
> 
> ooops


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Someone's in trouble


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Well,you can't blame a man for trying.....


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Pheozero*
> 
> Uh oh


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rRansom*


But I already bought it! And it goes with your computer @JennG! And it's my birthday! and, and, and.....uh.....oh well.


----------



## JennG

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> But I already bought it! And it goes with your computer @JennG! And it's my birthday! and, and, and.....uh.....oh well.


Nice Try. but still no.


----------



## maineiacsmoker

Dare to dream, Chris.....Dare to dream.


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JennG*
> 
> Nice Try. but still no.


Out with the whip!


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> My Halloween costume last year....
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Jenn's Halloween costume this year. Please baby??!!!
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JennG*
> 
> um, let me think....no.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> But I already bought it! And it goes with your computer @JennG! And it's my birthday! and, and, and.....uh.....oh well.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JennG*
> 
> Nice Try. but still no.








































@cpachris you know you won't win this battle









@JennG it might be a big no on the halloween costume but as a birthday gift just for him no? I'm working for you here Chris


----------



## rRansom

Should we make a poll for it?


----------



## cpachris

If I keep pushing the issue, I'll be in more trouble than this lil' cat keeps getting into.....



I didn't use much black sleeving in my last build....so this is my left over Black MDPC-X Family Pack, from the Big Budget Boomer Box materials. Perhaps I'll have a chance to use some black sleeving on this build......


----------



## sadeter

Dude, stuff here is looking awesome. Love the GIF.

I totally lol'd at the costume conversation.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sadeter*
> 
> Dude, stuff here is looking awesome. Love the GIF.
> 
> I totally lol'd at the costume conversation.


Thanks sadeter! I love that gif too. And I think I survived the costume debacle.


----------



## cpachris

Picture time! Today we are getting another item out of our wonderful EK care package. The EK Supremacy CPU Waterblock.



Once again, it's a nice looking package. Maybe Aquacomputer should go visit the EK warehouse and learn how to package things up nicely. I like Aquacomputer products....but my goodness. Sometimes their products come in a box that looks like it's been used about 20 times and almost never fits what is inside the box. EK packaging is a whole different world from Aquacomputer.

Lets open up this gorgeous box.....





Underneath the layers of cardboard and protective foam....the stuff is even then packaged in little plastic bags.....



The waterblock itself is packaged in a plastic bag with a sticker that seals it up as the original factory packaging.....



Mr. Panther likes the block. I went with the "Clean CSQ Nickel" version. I like these more than the original CSQ design with the cirlces.



The sticker says "remove" folks. Don't be a Chesty Spankers.











The block comes with 4 different jet plates. The one installed is their generic good performer, but there are specific plates of different thicknesses and width of openings, that are tailored for particular processors. The one on the far right is for LGA2011 processors, so I'll be swapping out for that one.



EK even includes some Gelid Extreme TIM, which is a good TIM. Nice touch.



Who's that good looking kitty? Who's that good looking kitty!



The base is nice and polished. Very well done.....





I really like the brushed aluminum look of the EK badges, and how they have used this design element across all of their product lines. EK even threw in some extra of these little disks for me so that if I have some inspiration on how to use them.....I'll be able to. Ideas anyone?





In the picture above and below you can get a feel for the difference in the sides of the block and the top of the block. The sides of the block retain a more "frosted" appearance, while the top of the block is more "clear". Also, when you get up close on a straight-on shot...you can see the machining marks in the block still. These are on the inside of the block in the water chamber portion. The outside of the block looked nice and smooth.



I'll be using the "lowfat" polishing method on this thing, and will take the frosted look off the sides, and smooth out the water chamber so that this thing looks like glass. Lots more pictures of that as I start the work.....

I took the block all the way apart and this is what the cold plate looks like naked.....





Well....after all those pictures and handling of the block...I had gotten it quite dirty. So I got a little pan of water out and put the block in it so I could clean it. Suddenly, and without warning....the cooling power of the EK-Supremacy manifested itself in a shocking display of frigidness.....





































This block can keep things chilly! More to come!


----------



## mAs81

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Who's that good looking kitty? Who's that good looking kitty!

























Seriously tho,the EK Supremacy CPU Waterblock is very _"cool"_..
..pun intended..


----------



## navynuke499

Wow the surface of that block looks much smoother than the supreme HF i had before. Are they still having issues with their plating? Im debating on giving them another try for my next water cooling adventure.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Seriously tho,the EK Supremacy CPU Waterblock is very _"cool"_..
> ..pun intended..


If you're joking....that's very *"cold"* blooded of you....


----------



## mAs81

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> If you're joking....that's very *"cold"* blooded of you....


I would never joke about such a good looking waterblock..
That would be very _*"cold"*_hearted..


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *navynuke499*
> 
> Wow the surface of that block looks much smoother than the supreme HF i had before. Are they still having issues with their plating? Im debating on giving them another try for my next water cooling adventure.


The surface is pretty good. But if you want it to be smooth and clear as glass....it can be done by sanding/polishing. I will be tackling that.

These are the first EK products I have owned, so I really wasn't tuned into the that last round of nickel plating issues that some had. I know EK says that they have fixed that....but I guess only time will tell. Quality looks good though.....


----------



## wthenshaw

Depending on what fluid you chose, maybe you could get that little brushed disk painted pink. If you are using pink fluid however I think it should go black.


----------



## Barefooter

I'm so glad you went with the "Clean CSQ Nickel" version of the water block. I know EK makes great products, I just really do not like the little circle design on most of their products.

It's really going to look great once it's polished!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Depending on what fluid you chose, maybe you could get that little brushed disk painted pink. If you are using pink fluid however I think it should go black.


Definitely pink fluid. Interesting idea on the pink/black disks. I actually love the look of the brushed aluminum and think it would still fit fine. But I'll paint a sample pink one and a black one, to see what it looks like, since I'll have plenty to play with.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Barefooter*
> 
> I'm so glad you went with the "Clean CSQ Nickel" version of the water block. I know EK makes great products, I just really do not like the little circle design on most of their products.
> 
> It's really going to look great once it's polished!


Yeah, I'm glad they offer both the "Clean" version and the Original version. Some people love the circles....I don't care for them. Choice is good. I don't really like the word "clean" they are using to describe them though. It always makes me think that the ones that are not clean must be.....dirty? Right? The opposite of clean has to be dirty. Need to get me a set of dem dirty blocks.

Oooooooooo.....that gives me an idea for another picture. Going for the camera now.....


----------



## socketus

No ! no no no no ! no dirty ring pics !!! BAR NONE !









the opposite of clean is ... um ... like hate isn't opposite of love, both involve energy, passion ...

not dirty, just ... not ... NEGLECTED ! ... nah, that aint it.

owell, gotta like the lowfat approach, and the idea of black emblem circles contrasted with pink fluid. So far.


----------



## JennG

.


----------



## cpachris

I like my martini's dirty.....but I like my blocks clean!



I told him that the block would help keep things chilly. He didn't really get it.....







I'll try and anticipate the questions before they even come.....

- Yes.....that is really gin.
- Yes.....it is a dirty martini
- No......I wasn't brave enough to drink it afterwards. But I did pour myself a fresh one.


----------



## mAs81

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I like my martini's dirty.....but I like my blocks clean!!!!!!


Both this saying and this picture,should be included in EK's next ad for this waterblock!!


----------



## Oliver1234

This just makes me wonder if you could put gin through a loop, you'd never think technology could get drunk....


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Both this saying and this picture,should be included in EK's next ad for this waterblock!!


I might send it to my EK contact and let him see it.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oliver1234*
> 
> This just makes me wonder if you could put gin through a loop, you'd never think technology could get drunk....


Yep. But it's not even close to the thermal conductivity as water.....

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-liquids-d_1260.html


----------



## seross69

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I might send it to my EK contact and let him see it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yep. But it's not even close to the thermal conductivity as water.....
> 
> http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-liquids-d_1260.html


you beat me to the answer about alcohol in the loop


----------



## PCModderMike

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *navynuke499*
> 
> Wow the surface of that block looks much smoother than the supreme HF i had before. Are they still having issues with their plating? Im debating on giving them another try for my next water cooling adventure.
> 
> 
> 
> The surface is pretty good. But if you want it to be smooth and clear as glass....it can be done by sanding/polishing. I will be tackling that.
> 
> These are the first EK products I have owned, so I really wasn't tuned into the that last round of nickel plating issues that some had. I know EK says that they have fixed that....but I guess only time will tell. Quality looks good though.....
Click to expand...

It's been a solid two years or more since the whole nickel plating debacle. I've always used EK blocks and personally have never had any issues.

Also congrats on EK coming aboard, I'm sure you'll make them proud @cpachris.


----------



## jameyscott

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> It's been a solid two years or more since the whole nickel plating debacle. I've always used EK blocks and personally have never had any issues.
> 
> Also congrats on EK coming aboard, I'm sure you'll make them proud @cpachris.


Definitely, the quality of the EK blocks I have are crazy awesome. Definitely only going to be purchasing their stuff in the future. I'm almost tempted to water cool my second rig and make it full EK as well, besides maybe the rads. I definitely love Alphacool Rads...


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> It's been a solid two years or more since the whole nickel plating debacle. I've always used EK blocks and personally have never had any issues.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> Definitely, the quality of the EK blocks I have are crazy awesome. Definitely only going to be purchasing their stuff in the future. I'm almost tempted to water cool my second rig and make it full EK as well, besides maybe the rads. I definitely love Alphacool Rads...


I'm lovin' the EK stuff I received. It all looks top-notch so far. And the breadth of their product line is just amazing. I received, cpu block, gpu blocks, board blocks, pumps, pump tops, pump dress-up kits, pump mounting kits, reservoir, rads, acrylic tubing and bending kit, and even fittings. I mean...they are now dabbling in every major portion of water cooling equipment that is out there.

I'll be excited to play with their Ascendacy board when released. I love my Aquaero....but the Aquasuite itself is still pretty buggy for me. Will be nice to have some competition in the market place. Good for us.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> Also congrats on EK coming aboard, I'm sure you'll make them proud @cpachris.


Thanks! Their stuff is fun to play with.


----------



## jameyscott

I'm really excited for the ascendancy as well. I really can't wait to control my fans properly.


----------



## Aximous

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> It's been a solid two years or more since the whole nickel plating debacle. I've always used EK blocks and personally have never had any issues.
> 
> Also congrats on EK coming aboard, I'm sure you'll make them proud @cpachris.


I have had some issues even with blocks with the newer plating, but RMA was fast, easy and without a hickup, and I didn't have any issues since then, so I'm not complaning


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aximous*
> 
> I have had some issues even with blocks with the newer plating, but RMA was fast, easy and without a hickup, and I didn't have any issues since then, so I'm not complaning


I wonder if there is something in the warranty fine print about being soaked in Beefeater's gin.......


----------



## JennG

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I wonder if there is something in the warranty fine print about being soaked in Beefeater's gin.......


probably- but it was worth it, yes?


----------



## cpachris

I wanted to get a feel for my options on placing the pumps and reservoir, so I threw all the components I have so far in the case so I could get a better look.....



This is not the motherboard I'll be using.....this is my spare for the BBBB. But it's about the same size as the one I have my eye on. There are not many options for me on this side of the case. The cabling coming out of the PSU will take up most of the space between PSU and radiator, and I'll have some flex bay items (aquaero, card reader, etc.) in the upper flex bays on this side also.



That area at the front of the case on this side is where I have the most space available. I'm going to make the pink coolant the highlight of the inside, so mounting the reservoir behind that front window is definitely an option I'll consider. Putting in two pumps will require some more creativity.



I'll have pictures probably tomorrow of the EK pump tops I received, and they are huge. Beautiful...and huge. Much larger than the Bitspower tops I used in the BBBB. If I want to center the reservoir in the front window (and I think I do), there is no room on the midplate floor to mount both pumps. And the pump tops are so beautiful (really freakin' beautiful) that they should be displayed in a window also. I may need to build some type of vertical mount myself to put the pumps behind the reservoir, but facing the side window. They would have to be lifted off the ground and inch or two...because otherwise they would block access to the SATA ports. It would be sweet to have the bottom of the GPU cards and the two pump tops, all flowing with pink coolant, be what dominates the left side window.



Remember back in one of my early posts about how the dimensions of the case were important to me because of where it would be located? These two pics give a good feel for the size of the space I was dealing with, and how perfect the S8 fits that space.





Must go work on finishing the pump top pictures. I'm in love with the pump tops!


----------



## wthenshaw

Nice fit on that case in the furniture!


----------



## mAs81

Yep!It's like this case was made for that desk..!
It needs a little pink tho


----------



## Oliver1234

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Yep!It's like this case was made for that desk..!
> It needs a little pink tho


More like that desk was made for that case...


----------



## mandrix

Chris, what sort of problems are you having with Aquasuite? I've only found 2 programs that don't play well together with Aquasuite (for me, anyway). But if you found something else I'd definitely like to know......


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Chris, what sort of problems are you having with Aquasuite? I've only found 2 programs that don't play well together with Aquasuite (for me, anyway). But if you found something else I'd definitely like to know......


I have no problems at all....except when making changes to a controller value. When I do that, it loses it's connection about 50% of the time, and I have to restart the computer for it to connect again. It works perfect if all I'm doing is monitoring....but when I make changes....it is quite flaky.


----------



## Jameswalt1

How on earth did I miss this log. I came here for the pink and I'm proudly staying for it.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> How on earth did I miss this log. I came here for the pink and I'm proudly staying for it.


Real men can pull-off pink.


----------



## mandrix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I have no problems at all....except when making changes to a controller value. When I do that, it loses it's connection about 50% of the time, and I have to restart the computer for it to connect again. It works perfect if all I'm doing is monitoring....but when I make changes....it is quite flaky.


Wow, that's too bad. It's been working well for me recently, although a previous version of the software had that same problem for me. Make sure you are using the latest version of Aquasuite, 2014-1.3


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Wow, that's too bad. It's been working well for me recently, although a previous version of the software had that same problem for me. Make sure you are using the latest version of Aquasuite, 2014-1.3


I"m definitely behind a few versions. 2013-2.







But I had "issues" when upgrading one time and it wouldn't reload my exported profiles. I haven't updated it since. It takes a long time to go name every connection and setup the controllers. Sigh.....maybe I should bite the bullet and do it.


----------



## mandrix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I"m definitely behind a few versions. 2103-2.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But I had "issues" when upgrading one time and it wouldn't reload my exported profiles. I haven't updated it since. It takes a long time to go name every connection and setup the controllers. Sigh.....maybe I should bite the bullet and do it.


Yeah there were a few versions that wouldn't load my saved profiles either, so you may indeed have to bite the bullet.
With the latest versions I just save all settings and then import them if they don't survive the upgrade. But you are so far back I'm not sure what will happen....lol.


----------



## cpachris

Excited to announce the newest sponsor for The PPPP.......



Most OCN'ers know Mike of Lutro0 Customs as one our foremost sleeving evangelists. It was actually his videos I watched when doing my first sleeve job.....and I know I'm not alone in that regard. Lutro0 Customs is sponsoring all of the wire, sleeve, terminals, connectors and heatshrink for The PPPP. I'll even try out some of his sleeving tools that he sells from his website and let you know what I think. I used MDPC-X in my last build, so I'm anxious to compare Mike's new Telios line of sleeving with my prior MDPC-X experience. If you haven't checked out his website lately.....you should. He has really done a great job at gathering together all of the things you would need to do your own custom cables....into a one-stop shop.

I guess I have to redo the sponsor plaque.....right?







Introducing......


----------



## meeps

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*


Dot of white in the top of the Lutro0 logo


----------



## mAs81

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Excited to announce the newest sponsor for The PPPP.......


I have a feeling that this sign is going to get bigger and bigger in time..


----------



## Oliver1234

Let me guess who's next: Asus, the Intel...


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> I have a feeling that this sign is going to get bigger and bigger in time..


If I were a betting man.....and I am.....I'd wager it will grow a little bit more.


----------



## jameyscott

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> If I were a betting man.....and I am.....I'd wager it will grow a little bit more.


Well... we haven't seen graphics cards yet.


----------



## socketus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> I wanted to get a feel for my options on placing the pumps and reservoir, so I threw all the components I have so far in the case so I could get a better look.....
> 
> 
> 
> This is not the motherboard I'll be using.....this is my spare for the BBBB. But it's about the same size as the one I have my eye on. There are not many options for me on this side of the case. The cabling coming out of the PSU will take up most of the space between PSU and radiator, and I'll have some flex bay items (aquaero, card reader, etc.) in the upper flex bays on this side also.
> 
> 
> 
> That area at the front of the case on this side is where I have the most space available. I'm going to make the pink coolant the highlight of the inside, so mounting the reservoir behind that front window is definitely an option I'll consider. Putting in two pumps will require some more creativity.
> 
> 
> 
> I'll have pictures probably tomorrow of the EK pump tops I received, and they are huge. Beautiful...and huge. Much larger than the Bitspower tops I used in the BBBB. If I want to center the reservoir in the front window (and I think I do), there is no room on the midplate floor to mount both pumps. And the pump tops are so beautiful (really freakin' beautiful) that they should be displayed in a window also. I may need to build some type of vertical mount myself to put the pumps behind the reservoir, but facing the side window. They would have to be lifted off the ground and inch or two...because otherwise they would block access to the SATA ports. It would be sweet to have the bottom of the GPU cards and the two pump tops, all flowing with pink coolant, be what dominates the left side window.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Remember back in one of my early posts about how the dimensions of the case were important to me because of where it would be located? These two pics give a good feel for the size of the space I was dealing with, and how perfect the S8 fits that space.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Must go work on finishing the pump top pictures. I'm in love with the pump tops!


Just for kicks, can you take a shot of "el rosa" on the desk, in the dark ? I have a hunch that the saturation is going to serve as a nightlight , about S8 size


----------



## PCModderMike

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> I have a feeling that this sign is going to get bigger and bigger in time..
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If I were a betting man.....and I am.....I'd wager it will grow a little bit more.
Click to expand...

I would also make that same bet.


----------



## jameyscott

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> I would also make that same bet.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


----------



## freitz

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> I would also make that same bet.


HAHHAHAHAHA nice Mike.


----------



## luciddreamer124

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> I would also make that same bet.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Priceless


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> I would also make that same bet.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> /


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *freitz*
> 
> HAHHAHAHAHA nice Mike.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *luciddreamer124*
> 
> Priceless


Too funny! Maybe we can get @Jameswalt1 to do the Mercedes sponsorship. But my favorite is taco bell. Contacting them now with the idea.......


----------



## PCModderMike

that's exactly what I had in mind, James throwing in a Benz.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> that's exactly what I had in mind, James throwing in a Benz.


Got to travel to the LAN parties in style, right? While eating my cheesearito.


----------



## Jameswalt1

Well, I will gladly sponsor you with this luxurious Keyless-Go push start button, you can modify it to be a power button. Basically the same as sponsoring an actual car.

I'll paint it pink.


----------



## Panther Al

*LOL*

OK Chris, lets see the pink MB logo on the sponsor graphic!


----------



## cpachris

Good news! Taco Bell immediately jumped on board with a sponsorship! Bad news. I'll be running their Fire Taco Sauce through the system as coolant.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *socketus*
> 
> Just for kicks, can you take a shot of "el rosa" on the desk, in the dark ? I have a hunch that the saturation is going to serve as a nightlight , about S8 size


After I finish the lighting....it will be quite the nightlight.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> Well, I will gladly sponsor you with this luxurious Keyless-Go push start button, you can modify it to be a power button. Basically the same as sponsoring an actual car. I'll paint it pink.


Accepted. I've sent you my address telepathically and expect the power button to be delivered within the week.










Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Panther Al*
> 
> *LOL*
> 
> OK Chris, lets see the pink MB logo on the sponsor graphic!


As soon as James gets me the power button....I'll make it happen.


----------



## mironccr345

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> I would also make that same bet.


----------



## SinatraFan

Chris, what software are you using for your watermark


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SinatraFan*
> 
> Chris, what software are you using for your watermark


I created the graphic in Illustrator, and then I have a custom export from Lightroom that put the mark on it. I've had a fair amount of PM's regarding photo studio setup, camera, lighting, etc....so I'll do a more elaborate post on it.


----------



## cpachris

Let's pull those beautiful EK pump tops out the box, and the EK cover kits......

As with most EK products...the pump tops (including pump) are packaged in a first rate fashion. Not sure why the cover kits don't have the same treatment yet. Maybe too new? Or since it's such a small dollar item maybe they don't worry as much about packaging.



The pump top has a perfectly sized red box that slides out of the cover. Very similar to the orange boxes for the waterblocks that match the orange sleeve. Love how EK does this.....



The red box opens up to reveal components surrounded in foam protection and inside a plastic bag. As typical, the box is the perfect size for the included items. No more....no less. Very nice again. *cough*payattentionaquacomputer*cough*.



These kits are the pumps and pump tops. I chose these because I really wanted a "clean" version of the acrylic pump top, and the only way they are currently offered was as part of the kit that includes the pumps. My guess is that will change eventually....because these pump tops are beautiful. It comes with all the tools you need for installation.





The pump cover kits have the same great foam protection inside a perfectly shaped box. No waste of space in most EK packaging.



Installation of the pump cover kits is pretty straightforward. First you separate the pump top into two pieces by removing the 8 screws....



Then you replace the standard pump top backing (acrylic in my original pump top kit) with the pump top backing from the pump cover kit (black in my kit). The one from the pump cover kit must be used as the diameter of the hole for the pump cutout is too small to let the pump cover through on the original one.



Screw it back together and ....viola!



The back of the cover kit is purposely missing the EK badge....



One of the aluminum EK badges comes in the kit, and you can put it on whichever direction you want.....



So....if you wanted to rotate the back cover so that the wires come out the left...or the right....or bottom....or whatever you want....you can still make the EK badge line up in the correct direction. Whatever direction you want it read. Nice touch.



Let's take a lap around this beautiful pump top. Similar to the "clean" version of the Supremacy block I showed earlier....you'll notice that the top of the pump top is much clearer than the sides....which have a frosted look. My plan will be to polish this bad boy up so that everything is clear as glass......



Couple of LED holes on this right side of the block.....









I find these pump tops beautiful. Imagine them inside the black part of my case, with a soft glow of LED's illuminating the inside of the block and the engraving....and some gorgeous pink coolant circulating. Mmmmmmm. The only thing better looking than one of these pump tops.....



.....are two of these pump tops.











I find them so attractive that I'm going to find some prime real estate in the case, right by a window, for installation. I'm even going to try and stack them vertically so that there is this enormous surface area of beautiful clear illuminated pump tops....with pretty pink coolant pulsing through. Yes.......my precious........



They receive the official Pink Panther seal of approval. He thinks they're purrrrrrrfect. Whatever that's worth.



If you're already familiar with Bitspower pump tops, these next pictures will help you get a good feeling for how BIG these pump tops are. The EK one is an 80mm square, while the Bitspower one is a 60mm square. That means there is about 75% more surface area on the Bitspower pump top. In the pictures below, I've lined up the left edge of the EK pump top, with the left edge of the Bitspower pump top in the BBBB. You can see how much longer the EK version sticks out on the right side.



If you have the space for it, it's beautiful. But it does take up considerably more space.



When comparing these to the Bitspower pump tops and mod kits.....I would say that the Bitspower mod kit definitely has a lot more "bling" to it, while the EK mod kit has more of an simple, elegant and refined look. They both are great looking...so it really just depends on your preference or the aesthetics you are going for in your build.

The installation is also very different. Bitspower relies on threads on the pump top to screw the mod kit on to it. EK secures the mod kit with a series of screws. The Bitspower installation method is quicker and easier....but I think I prefer the EK screws. I feel rock solid about the seal I'm getting with the screws. It seems like sometimes the Bitspower mod kits loosen up a little on me after installation, and need to be tightened again. I also get hesitant about possibly stripping the threads on the Bitspower version if I tighten up toooooo much. Bitspower is definitely available in a much larger variety of finishes though....so it may be easier to match your build colors with a Bitspower top. And as mentioned earlier....the EK pump tops are much larger and take up more space. If you have the space and want to show them off.....cool. If you are short on space....definitely consider whether you have the room.

And since I was in the BBBB taking the pump picture....here is a shot of the inside in the location in my office where she currently resides. She has been humming along perfectly for several months now. I'm starting to give up on getting a GTX790 released...so not sure what the next upgrade here will be. Pretty sure I DON"T want to drop in two Titan Z's at $3,000 a piece.



Why is it you never notice the dust in your system until after you've taken a picture?


----------



## mandrix

Decent looking pump tops. I wonder how they compare with the Bitspower tops in terms of flow....if any difference at all. But pink coolant and led's should bring on the bling.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Decent looking pump tops. I wonder how they compare with the Bitspower tops in terms of flow....if any difference at all. But pink coolant and led's should bring on the bling.


Lol....yes, the pink coolant and LED's will be plenty of bling. The pump top itself for EK has much more bling than the Bitspower one. I was really referring only to the pump cover when I said that Bitspower had more bling. I haven't done much acylic work in the past, but I'm playing with some simple designs right now to build a vertical stand for these things.


----------



## cpachris

Going to dig into my care package from Lutro0 Customs tonight. Thanks Mike! Pictures later.....


----------



## Oliver1234

You just have to tease us, don't you...


----------



## cpachris

The Lutro0 care package was so full that it was actually difficult to get a shot of everything together.







Had to go wide angle lens....



Lutro0 Customs is supporting this build with all of the sleeving, wire, heatshrink, terminals and connectors that will be used. Being extremely grateful for their support, I also decided to pick up a few of Mike's tools from his website to try while doing the sleeving for this build. In the general direction from left to right and top to bottom, the Lutro0 Customs care package contained:

- 16 feet of 1/4 inch heatshrink (his recommended size for heatshrinkless sleeving)
- 12 feet of 1/2 inch heatshrink
- various connectors
- Wire stripper
- Crimper
- Molex Extractor
- Combination drill bit and tap
- Flush cutters
- 250 feet of Custom 16 awg wire
- 175 feet of Custom 22 awg wire
- 10 feet of black SATA sleeve
- Multimeter
- Adjustable heatshrink jig
- various terminals
- 75 feet White Telios Sleeve
- 75 feet Dark Grey Telios Sleeve
- 200 feet Black Telios Sleeve

I'll do some additional pictures of individual items since it's such a large batch of stuff. Very excited about the Telios sleeving. First impression is very positive. Looks smaller diameter than MDPC-X and also looks to be a tighter weave. Very attractive.

FYI....the white sleeve will be for my attempt to dye it pink.










Thanks Lutro0 Customs!!!!!


----------



## akira749

Nice package!!! That's a lot of stuff!!!


----------



## mAs81

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> FYI....the white sleeve will be for my attempt to dye it pink.


You had me worried for a minute


----------



## SinatraFan

That adjustable jig is nice. I made my own jig at home, but the adjustable feature is way cool

And that teleios sleeve is the bomb. I used it with my X cube build and it is great to work with.


----------



## Barefooter

I have one of those jigs. They work great!


----------



## cpachris

Here are some comparison shots between Telios and MDPC-X.

For all of these shots, the Telios is on top, and the MDPC-X is on bottom. First the black sleeve.....



It's pretty easy to see that the Telios is a smaller diameter sleeve. In theory, you would think that this would make it grab the wire better and be easier to stretch tight. I'll let you know if that's true once I start sleeving with it.

Closer up....



The shades of black color are almost idenitical. No real difference there at all. But there is no doubt that the Telios is a tighter weave. Take a look in the picture above at how many specs of light you can see through the Telios sleeve vs the MDPC-X sleeve.

Below is a shot of the white sleeve. Again, Telios on the top, MDPC-X on the bottom....



The shades of white are very different bewteen the two, with Telios being cooler white vs MDPC-X being a warmer white. Easy to see the size difference still....



...and when you get closer it's easy to see that the weave is tighter for Telios.

Now...I would never recommend sleeving red wire with white sleeving without taping up the red to cover it first. But....just to see if the Telios covers better than MDPC-X....lets do it. I put a piece of red 18 awg wire in each of the pieces of sleeve. Still not stretched, so this is just about as bad as it could ever get with regards to coverage.











While neither sleeve can hide the red wire without stretching it tight....it is easy to see that the MDPC-X shows more of the red specs of wire beneath the sleeve than the Telios does. So I think it's fair to say that you are going to get better coverage from the Telios.



They almost look pink! Maybe I don't need to dye the sleeve after all......









What is the difference in cost? Well....that takes a little math. Any CPA's in the house? Oh...wait. Ok...I'll give it a shot. Nil's sells MDPC-X by the meter instead of the foot, and you pay by Euros, not $'s. So we need to do a little conversion. And while we are at it, let's go ahead and set up a scenario where you are getting 200 feet of sleeve. That's enough to do a sleeving job for most computers. Not all. But it gives us a start at estimating total cost for a sleeving job between the two (without the heatshrink, terminals, etc....just the sleeve):

*Telios* -- As of today, the cost is $6.75 for 25 feet of black. You would need 8 packs to get 200 feet. 8 * $6.75 = $54 bucks. Shipping for the 200 feet of sleeve would cost you another $6 bucks, for a total cost of $60.

*MDPC-X* -- As of today, the cost is six euros for 10 meters of black....or about 33 feet. So you would need 6 packs to get about 200 feet. 6 * six euros = 36 euros. As of today, the conversion rate is 1.38, so it would cost you about $50 bucks. So the sleeve is a little bit cheaper than Telios was. Not much....but every dollar counts, right? However, the shipping on this one will cost you another 9.70 euros, which is about another $13. Total cost of $63.

So the cost is pretty similar between the two, and the $3 difference is not even something to consider when you are working on your $5k gaming rig, right? For quite awhile, Nils would only open up the MDPC-X international shop for a few hours at a time, and only a couple of times a week. So....ordering it was a process involving finding out when the next opening would be, setting your alarm for whatever ungodly hour it might have been in Germany, and then quickly filling your order online before the store site went down again. Although this difficult ordering process did create a certain mystique about the product, I always found it to be quite annoying. Not sure if it's been changed permanently or not....but for awhile now the MDPC-X online store has been open every time I've visited. So maybe that policy has changed. It will take you a little bit longer to have MDPC-X shipped to you though. If you are getting Telios through FrozenCPU, ...you know how fast they ship and you have options on the shipping method.

Hope that helps if you are trying to decide between the two. I'll pass on more thoughts as I start using it, but Telios appears to be a very attractive option for sleeving.


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Hmmm, good to know and see the comparison pics between the two types, because I've been looking at Telios as well as MDPC-X. One question I do have - when you order longer amounts, does Lutro0 ship it as a single part (say you order a quantity of two, aka 50', does it ship as two 25' amounts, or a single 50'?)


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> Hmmm, good to know and see the comparison pics between the two types, because I've been looking at Telios as well as MDPC-X. One question I do have - when you order longer amounts, does Lutro0 ship it as a single part (say you order a quantity of two, aka 50', does it ship as two 25' amounts, or a single 50'?)


I'm fairly certain he would just cut one 50' length, but maybe we can get @Lutro0 to pop in and confirm for us.


----------



## Jameswalt1

Nice comparison! +1


----------



## SinatraFan

I
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> One question I do have - when you order longer amounts, does Lutro0 ship it as a single part (say you order a quantity of two, aka 50', does it ship as two 25' amounts, or a single 50'?)


I've ordered LutroO's teleios sleeving 2x... once from FCPU and the other straight from LutroO himself. Both times I ordered multiple quantities of the sleeve and both times they came in one big run or single part as you said.


----------



## cpachris

I had a request to show the white comparison again....after it had been stretched tight. Who am I to say no? Telios on top, MDPC-X on bottom....



...and closer.



Both are better than before I stretched the sleeve taught....but I would still never sleeve a red wire with white sleeve. Just say no folks.

In order to stretch the sleeve, I had to to go ahead and put terminals on each end of the wires, so I could melt the sleeve on the terminals to hold. This gave me a chance to play with some more of the Lutro0 Customs tools. I can tell you that this crimper....



....is amazing and does absolutely perfect crimps. This is a combination of the Custom 16 awg wire, the terminals that Lutro0's carries, and the Lutro0 crimper. So nice.



But my favorite new toy so far is this wire stripper. I've never had one before. Can't tell you how nice it is. Effortless to make a perfect strip every single time. I won't ever go back to the old way.





It's so easy and beautiful that I may need to show it on video. My first attempt with the heatshrink jig wasn't perfect though. My knife isn't always cutting through the shrink all the way on the first pass. A second pass always cuts it....but not always perfectly lined up with the first cut. Need a sharper knife...or maybe a razor blade, and I'll try again. Quick video wouldn't hurt to show off the jig either.


----------



## akira749

If only that wire stripper wasn't sooooooooo damn expensive


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> If only that wire stripper wasn't sooooooooo damn expensive


Yeah, it cost more than it should for the materials used to make it. But....it performs it's function so beautifully that I'm glad I have it.

Anyone with "the google" can find it cheaper......


----------



## seross69

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Yeah, it cost more than it should for the materials used to make it. But....it performs it's function so beautifully that I'm glad I have it.
> 
> Anyone with "the google" can find it cheaper......


yeah I got mine from ebay and about 25% cost from stores!!


----------



## Barefooter

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> My first attempt with the heatshrink jig wasn't perfect though. My knife isn't always cutting through the shrink all the way on the first pass. A second pass always cuts it....but not always perfectly lined up with the first cut. Need a sharper knife...or maybe a razor blade, and I'll try again. Quick video wouldn't hurt to show off the jig either.


When using the jig, I set my Modder Ruler http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=60_143_274&products_id=30278 against the two blocks where you want to make the cut. The edge is beveled, so I angle it away and that gives room to use my trusty x-acto knife with a fresh blade to make the cut. The ruler holds it in place in case I need to make a second cut and helps keeps your cuts perfect.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Barefooter*
> 
> When using the jig, I set my Modder Ruler http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=60_143_274&products_id=30278 against the two blocks where you want to make the cut. The edge is beveled, so I angle it away and that gives room to use my trusty x-acto knife with a fresh blade to make the cut. The ruler holds it in place in case I need to make a second cut and helps keeps your cuts perfect.


Thanks for the tip. I'll give it a shot on my next try. Curious....how often does it not cut all the way through on first try for you?


----------



## Barefooter

With the heat shrink pressed flat for the cut, most of the time when it does not cut all the way through, it is the edges that don't quite go all the way through. I try to press a little harder at the begging of the cut and then again at the end of the cut.

At times when having to make a second cut, I've gotten a little sliver of heat shrink hanging off, almost like a hair. Sometimes I just cut that off, sometimes I'll chuck that piece if it's not straight and clean.

I can get a good cut most of the time now.


----------



## mandrix

Interesting looking at the sleeve comparison between Telios and MDPC....but honestly, any time I use white sleeve I also use white wire so I don't think the weave density makes much difference, to me anyway.
But what stands out to me is the smaller diameter of the Telios. Sometime in the future I will order some and see how it works for me....could be really nice with a bundle of fan wires.


----------



## stren

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Interesting looking at the sleeve comparison between Telios and MDPC....but honestly, any time I use white sleeve I also use white wire so I don't think the weave density makes much difference, to me anyway.
> But what stands out to me is the smaller diameter of the Telios. Sometime in the future I will order some and see how it works for me....could be really nice with a bundle of fan wires.


MDPC unstretched is fatter also because of the looser weave, once you stretch them both the difference is smaller than it looks in the photos (unless Chris did actually hold it stretched for every shot). That at least was what I found with the stiffline.

Also I think Nils prices dropped once there was some real competition. I'm surprised and also not surprised that they are so close now.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Interesting looking at the sleeve comparison between Telios and MDPC....but honestly, any time I use white sleeve I also use white wire so I don't think the weave density makes much difference, to me anyway.
> But what stands out to me is the smaller diameter of the Telios. Sometime in the future I will order some and see how it works for me....could be really nice with a bundle of fan wires.


I'm looking forward to seeing how it sleeves also. The custom 16 awg wire is intriguing to me. It doesn't seem any bigger than the 18 awg I usually get from FrozenCPU. The thinner insulaton really makes a difference. We'll see if it's a good mix of workability and stiffness.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stren*
> 
> MDPC unstretched is fatter also because of the looser weave, once you stretch them both the difference is smaller than it looks in the photos (unless Chris did actually hold it stretched for every shot). That at least was what I found with the stiffline.
> 
> Also I think Nils prices dropped once there was some real competition. I'm surprised and also not surprised that they are so close now.


Both were stretched and melted over pins for that second set of shots. The Telios really is smaller diameter. Not sure if Telios and Stiffline were the same diameter or not. But yes....competition is good! Now Mike just needs his own forum and a website that is only open 2 hours a a week. You know....create some mystique.....


----------



## stren

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I'm looking forward to seeing how it sleeves also. The custom 16 awg wire is intriguing to me. It doesn't seem any bigger than the 18 awg I usually get from FrozenCPU. The thinner insulaton really makes a difference. We'll see if it's a good mix of workability and stiffness.
> Both were stretched and melted over pins for that second set of shots. The Telios really is smaller diameter. Not sure if Telios and Stiffline were the same diameter or not. But yes....competition is good! Now Mike just needs his own forum and a website that is only open 2 hours a a week. You know....create some mystique.....


Ah ok so you removed that factor - here's the stiffline vs mdpc one red of each and one black of each that I shot before - really hard to tell a difference, and really hard to see the white wire even with black sleeve:


----------



## cpachris

There are lots of things I love about the EK-Res X3 150.

Of course it comes in attractive and well protected packaging.....



......Of course it comes with all the accessories that you would ever need......



....and of course the reservoir itself is absolutely beautiful.



But what I really love about the EK-Res X3 150, is how *versatile* it is......











*EK. It's what's for breakfast.*


----------



## JennG

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> There are lots of things I love about the EK-Res X3 150.
> 
> Of course it comes in attractive and well protected packaging.....
> 
> 
> 
> ......Of course it comes with all the accessories that you would ever need......
> 
> 
> 
> ....and of course the reservoir itself is absolutely beautiful.
> 
> 
> 
> But what I really love about the EK-Res X3 150, is how *versatile* it is......
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *EK. It's what's for breakfast.*


Nice, now I am hungry all over again.


----------



## ZephyrBit

I think I need a new res, just for that purpose


----------



## mAs81

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> *EK. It's what's for breakfast.*


You should totally trademark those titles,in case the companies use them for future ads,so that you get paid in the process!!!








Once again,brilliant pics!Kinda feel sorry that you'll use those components in the PPPP in the end


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> You should totally trademark those titles,in case the companies use them for future ads,so that you gait paid in the process!!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Once again,brilliant pics!Kinda fell sorry that you'll use those components in the PPPP in the end


Lol....I'm getting paid enough with all the sponsorship support on the build. They did pick up my martini shot on their Facebook page last time. We'll see about this one.


----------



## mAs81

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Lol....I'm getting paid enough with all the sponsorship support on the build. They did pick up my martini shot on their Facebook page last time. We'll see about this one.


Of course they did!It's good marketing after all..
-"What do you always do in the mornings?
-"I check my EK res to see how much juice it has in it!!"


----------



## cpachris

_Orange_ you glad you got EK?


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> _Orange_ you glad you got EK?


On your marks, get set, terrible!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> On your marks, get set, terrible!


Agreed.


----------



## stren

powerful pretty pink processor plus plentiful puns


----------



## cpachris

Pretend that the puns are pleasant and pleasing....not at all putrid.


----------



## PCModderMike

Plenty of perfectly picked parts possessing powers to be purposed for other pactivities


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> Plenty of perfectly picked parts possessing powers to be purposed for other pactivities


"pactivities" is a little bit of a stretch. come on @wthenshaw. if you boo me earlier....you have to unload on "pactivities".


----------



## stren

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> Plenty of perfectly picked parts possessing powers to be purposed for other pactivities


----------



## PCModderMike




----------



## mAs81

The...puns..are..very...funny..and .......well thought..........ha...ha...ha....ha.......ha


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> "pactivities" is a little bit of a stretch. come on @wthenshaw. if you boo me earlier....you have to unload on "pactivities".


I'll go ahead and hold onto my dignity


----------



## PCModderMike




----------



## cpachris

Was a gorgeous day today here in Oklahoma. Decided to spend a little time in the garage working up a prototype for a pump stand. Because I am in love with the look of the large EK pump tops, my current plan is to put them right in front of a window so they can be seen easily. I think I want the reservoir in the front window....so the only logical place left that doesn't block the view of anything critical is right behind the reservoir on the left side of the case. And I need to stack them vertically. Not just because I don't have enough floor space over there ( I don't ), but because I want them to both be stacked against the window. So....

First I went to Lowe's and grabbed about $6 bucks worth of aluminum strips. I'm doing the prototype in aluminum because it is so darn easy to work with and so cheap. Once I have a design that I think works, I may investigate doing it in other materials. My first attempt here is using 1/16 inch thick strips. These are pretty soft, so I'll have to see if they can support the weight of the pumps.



Sketched out rough dimensions. Nothing to precise here. This is just a prototype.



Got my hacksaw out and went to cutting.....





This stuff is fairly thin....so it didn't take long. Maybe 10 minutes. Now I have these 6 strips....



Did some real quick touchups on the ends with a file. Just a few minutes. Not trying to make them look good....just trying to keep from cutting myself.











Drilled some quick holes.....



When I did a test fit to see if the holes lined up on the pump....I found out that the pump cover was just large enough where it kept the strip from coming in far enough to line up with the holes. Fail. So....I just filed out a little "v" shape right where the cover was touching the strip.



Didn't take much....now it fits.



Got my pieces all cut, filed and drilled. Let's put it together.



First I put the long vertical strips on the back of the pumps. I used the EK vibration dampeners that come with the D5 mounting kits. I attached the dampeners to the pumps, and then attached the aluminum strips to the dampeners. Was able to use screws and washers from the EK D5 mounting kit also.,





Then I attached the vertical strips to the base strips with 8mm M4 bolts and nuts.





It actually feels very solid even without the support strips I cut....but I went ahead and put one on the back anyway.



The idea would be to mount this directly to the midplate in right about this location. I'd have to do something to decouple it from the floor....but you get the idea. There is just enough room in front of it to reservoir. I might even be able to extend a little mounting arm off the side of this and attach the reservoir to it.



If I stick with aluminum, these would be powder coated with the same black powder that CaseLabs uses on the interior....so they would blend right in.



The pumps are about 1 inch higher than I think I want them. So....when I redo this, I'll bring them down a little so they are more centered in the window.





Would love some feedback on improvements for the pump stand...or other ideas for how to mount these big bright beautiful babies. Oh wait....this is the PPPP....not the BBBB. Ok...how about....ideas on how to mount these particularly pretty plexi pumps. Word.


----------



## Ragsters

The pumps needs to be lower so not to block any view of the top pump through the window. It would also look better if the vertical rails were attached at the front of the feet to make a back words "L" instead of a "T". For support you could just make some aluminum strip connecting diagonally. Do you get what I'm saying?


----------



## Oliver1234

I honestly think that mounting system look great!! Have you thought about sort of flipping the mounting mechanism upside down so the pumps are hanging from the roof? With the mount powder coated black, and attached to the roof, that would certainly make the pumps look just like they're floating! It might also give you some cool tube routing opportunities underneath the pumps...


----------



## seross69

I like what you made to mount them just would make it a little shorter like you said. and why black? why not pink?? I think that would look better black pumps, clear tops and pink stands!!


----------



## Xclsyr

ummm.... Stupid question from a non-watercooler: if I'm seeing right the outlet is facing up right now. Is there enough space between the pumps for the fitting you'll need (I'm guessing a tight 90)? Looks to me like only about 3/4" spacing between the pumps.


----------



## jameyscott

What about two separate brackets to make them look like they are both floating?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ragsters*
> 
> It would also look better if the vertical rails were attached at the front of the feet to make a back words "L" instead of a "T". For support you could just make some aluminum strip connecting diagonally. Do you get what I'm saying?


I know exactly what you mean and I think I agree. Sacrifice a little stability....but if it's bolted to the floor I guess it would still be all right.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oliver1234*
> 
> I honestly think that mounting system look great!! Have you thought about sort of flipping the mounting mechanism upside down so the pumps are hanging from the roof? With the mount powder coated black, and attached to the roof, that would certainly make the pumps look just like they're floating! It might also give you some cool tube routing opportunities underneath the pumps...


I played with some ideas of mounting from the top. But there is a window on top on that side...so not much to mount it to....and any mounting mechanism would block the view looking in the top window. Needs to be floor mounted.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *seross69*
> 
> I like what you made to mount them just would make it a little shorter like you said. and why black? why not pink?? I think that would look better black pumps, clear tops and pink stands!!


Pink would definitely stand out....but I was kind of wanting the bracket to melt away and disappear...and leave the block and pink coolant as what grabs your eye.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xclsyr*
> 
> ummm.... Stupid question from a non-watercooler: if I'm seeing right the outlet is facing up right now. Is there enough space between the pumps for the fitting you'll need (I'm guessing a tight 90)? Looks to me like only about 3/4" spacing between the pumps.


There is an "out" outlet on the front of the block as well as the top of the block. I would use the one on the front of the block.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> What about two separate brackets to make them look like they are both floating?


Hmmmm. Not sure I follow. Explain.....


----------



## jameyscott

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Hmmmm. Not sure I follow. Explain.....


Have both bracketed separately, preferably in acrylic to make it look like there isn't anything holding them up, and then have them just above the windows so that they look like they are just hovering there. The top one would be mounted to the top of the case or both mounted on the side and closer to the edge of the window. Just whatever works best with the space available.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> Have both bracketed separately, preferably in acrylic to make it look like there isn't anything holding them up, and then have them just above the windows so that they look like they are just hovering there. The top one would be mounted to the top of the case or both mounted on the side and closer to the edge of the window. Just whatever works best with the space available.


Because I have the drop in window/radiator mount on top....there really isn't anything to mount to up on top. Plus, any mount on top would block the view looking down into the case in the top window.

Mounting the pumps closer to the side is an issue because of how I want the reservoir in the front window. They are just about as close as they can get to the front window in the pictures I took....while still leaving space for the reservoir.


----------



## mandrix

Not that the screws in the mount look bad, but you could take the pieces along with a diagram to a welding shop and get them TIG welded together.....TIG won't leave any trash behind and if done right is really clean looking. (I used to weld for a living years ago).
Just an idea.....


----------



## Ragsters

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I know exactly what you mean and I think I agree. Sacrifice a little stability....but if it's bolted to the floor I guess it would still be all right.


Just in case here is what I mean.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Not that the screws in the mount look bad, but you could take the pieces along with a diagram to a welding shop and get them TIG welded together.....TIG won't leave any trash behind and if done right is really clean looking. (I used to weld for a living years ago).
> Just an idea.....


I don't mind the look of the screws at all. Especially if the frame were black. But I'm curious...what do you think a welding shop would charge for such a small job? I might investigate.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ragsters*
> 
> Just in case here is what I mean.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Yep.....I understood. Without the from part of the base "T" it would topple over on its own. It's very front heavy with the pump tops. So, it would put more stress on the floor mounting method....but would probably work. I might see how a much shorter front part of the "T" looks like, instead of getting rid of all of it.

Loving the ideas! Thanks guys.


----------



## mandrix

Welding shops usually charge by the hour but often have a minimum charge....hard to say, I've been out of the business for years.
But yeah, the screws won't look bad, the welding just adds attention to detail.


----------



## seross69

Another idea is to use a strong epoxy and glue it together??


----------



## SinatraFan

There's always JB Weld. Strong stuff!


----------



## PCModderMike

Welding would give a clean look, but I think you'll find, unless you know somebody, taking it in to a pro shop will cost you a pretty penny even for a small piece.









I think if you get it painted black to match the interior of the case like you said, and then use those same black screws it will look good.


----------



## cpachris

Gave bending acrylic a try today. Still thinking about different ways to make the pump stand.

As a test....first I just cut a little 1 inch strip off one of my squares with my table saw.



Then I grabbed my heat gun and used my workbench edge as an angle to bend the acrylic over....



It didn't take long until it was getting soft on it's own accord. With some pressure, I could mash it down into a 90 degree angle. It would tend to spring back out of shape if I let it go to soon. Really had to hold it in place for about 2 minutes while it cooled in order for it to stick....



It's not pretty....but it worked.



Way too much flex in the bend though. This is pretty thin acrylic....I think it was 1/8 inch. But there is enough flex where something this simple just won't work.



So I decided to try my hand at a longer double bend. Something that would let me make the sides of the pump stand solid ( for no flex ) while bending out the angles that attach to the pumps and the floor.



Cut my basic shape....



Clamped it to the side of my bench, and applied the heat gun liberally.











Massive fail. Making a long bend like this is much much harder to get to 90 degrees. I was able to bend both sides that I wanted....but they didn't come out real straight. Not usable, and I don't think I could get it a whole lot better outside of having some better tools to layout the plastic and clamp it.







Have decided that bending acrylic will not be the route I take.














Going to modify the dimensions of my aluminum strip version, and paint it black to see how it looks. I'm also still contemplating some other options with plastics that don't require me trying to bend it....as well as a sheet metal option that was suggested. More soon....


----------



## Barefooter

Wait... what happened to the really cool purple heat gun you used on the BBBB?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Barefooter*
> 
> Wait... what happened to the really cool purple heat gun you used on the BBBB?


Lol....you're making fun of my wonderful purple heat gun. It may have been pretty feminine....but it could still melt your fingertips off.









But alas....it has gone missing. MISSING. I blame my family.....but they haven't copped to it. Had to buy a new one.


----------



## cpachris

Has anybody ever used any of the online 3d printing services? I played around in Sketchup and modeled what I think would be a pretty nice little pump bracket. But I don't know how rigid stuff comes out when you print in ABS.


----------



## duckweedpb7

Looks nice! Does the base have through bolt/ screw mounting? I don't have any experience with online 3d printing, but the ones that we print where I work can come out fairly sturdy depending on the material used and the print time, curing, etc. Might want to add some sort of isolation feature to the pump mounting? Either way its awesome to see folks continue to innovate! Keep up the great work!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *duckweedpb7*
> 
> Looks nice! Does the base have through bolt/ screw mounting? I don't have any experience with online 3d printing, but the ones that we print where I work can come out fairly sturdy depending on the material used and the print time, curing, etc. Might want to add some sort of isolation feature to the pump mounting? Either way its awesome to see folks continue to innovate! Keep up the great work!


The screw holes on the bottom are trickier just because of the slanted geometry on the top of the base. But you can see them in this different angle. I'm a complete and total noob with 3d modeling. But Sketchup is fair easy to learn....although not real intuitive. But if you sit through the tutorial vidoes (man card revoked!) it starts to make sense. Right now I would use the rubber vibration dampners that comes with the EK D5 mounting kit to decouple the pumps.


----------



## duckweedpb7

Oh I see now! Small word of caution with the nice lettering on the front, just make sure to leave enough material for them to graft off of so the don't crack as soon as you install the screws in the base. A little bit of extra beef behind the lettering wouldn't be noticeable IMO. Awesome work for just learning sketchup. I have yet to use it myself, but it looks pretty cool!


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> The screw holes on the bottom are trickier just because of the slanted geometry on the top of the base. But you can see them in this different angle. I'm a complete and total noob with 3d modeling. But Sketchup is fair easy to learn....although not real intuitive. *But if you sit through the tutorial vidoes (man card revoked!)* it starts to make sense. Right now I would use the rubber vibration dampners that comes with the EK D5 mounting kit to decouple the pumps.


Seriously? It takes a real man to buck the stereotype and seek directions. You da man as far as I'm concerned!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Seriously? It takes a real man to buck the stereotype and seek directions. You da man as far as I'm concerned!


Thanks. Just don't tell any of my buddies.


----------



## fast_fate

Your design looks sweet - I especially like the base.
Personally, I'm not sure about _The PPPP_ lettering, but it definitely would be unique.
Also, I might be a bit concerned about the upright strength, and the mount flexing - too top heavy.
Might need add addition thickness to material - or use small aluminium u-channel up the edges, maybe.

nice updates that keep rolling in - great stuff


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fast_fate*
> 
> Your design looks sweet - I especially like the base.
> Personally, I'm not sure about _The PPPP_ lettering, but it definitely would be unique.
> Also, I might be a bit concerned about the upright strength, and the mount flexing - too top heavy.
> Might need add addition thickness to material - or use small aluminium u-channel up the edges, maybe.
> 
> nice updates that keep rolling in - great stuff


Yeah, I'll have to see how the lettering looks after the prototype print. It's really only there because "I can do it". I think I could just as easily make it recessed into the base also.

Regarding the strength, I have ZERO first hand experience with how rigid the ABS plastic is going to be. Right now, the vertical plate is 1/4" inch thick. The beautiful thing with 3d printing, is that I can change the design and make the vertical plate thicker in about 10 seconds. Printing takes longer, ....but design changes are easy. So, after I get a prototype back, I'll have some reference point for making additional changes to the design. I'm actually really excited about trying this. Makes me think about all the things that you could design in Sketchup for free...and then just find a reasonable print service to print them for you. It's as simple as uploading the file. As the cost of these printers comes down....or as online printing gets cheaper....3d printing is going to be a modder's dream come true. Fan grills, radiator dressing plates, mounting brackets, cable management channels, motherboard shields.....the sky's the limit.


----------



## wthenshaw

@Egami has access to a 3D printing currently IIRC


----------



## cpachris

Fresh off the Thunder win Saturday night....I spent some of today putting together pump prototype #2. I recut some aluminum pieces, and this time I decided to go ahead and put a coat or two of black spray paint on them...just so the bare aluminum wouldn't be so distracting. Here was the highly calibrated and controlled painting environment setup for the evening....



Using this paint tonight....



One coat.....



Two coats.....



...and then rush inside to put it together before it's even dried. You'll notice I painted one of the Corsair fan accent rings black also, so that when I get back to choosing the fan colors I can use that one.



Several people had asked about decoupling the pumps, and this is what I'm using right now. These rubber vibration dampners come with the EK D5 mounting kit. The pump tops screw into these, and the frame I'm building screws into the other side of these. That way the frame is never touching the pump.



Here it is put together. The paint wasn't even close to dry so I really buggered it up doing this....but it still makes it less distracting fhan the bare aluminum when trying to picture what it would look like. I'm still excited about the 3d printing idea for a pump stand and I'm exploring that....but if I end up doing an aluminum version, I would definitely powder coat the final version.

The differences in this version are:

1) I lowered the top pump about 1.25 inches from where it was last time, and decreased the spacing between the two pumps. I knew it needed to be lower, but you really can't tell if you've done it the right amount with building a prototype.
2) Shortened the front side of the "T" brace at the bottom. Before, the base stuck out way in front of the pumps. Now...I only have it extending just a little bit in front of the frame. It still stands on it's own even with the shorter base.
3) Eliminated the horizontal brace I had between the pumps. It just doesn't need that since both of the pumps serve as a brace between the two frame sides.
4) Added a vertical / diagonal brace that extends from the middle of the pumps stand down to the back of the bottom brace.



Here is what the first version looked like:



An improvement. And much sturdier. This one is solid with that back brace.

This one turned out to be just about the right size also. Here are some pictures in the case. Notice how there will be just enough space for the reservoir (mounted and elevated eventually) to the right of the pump tops and in the front window.





And with the window on you can see that the pump tops are fairly well centered in the window now. Just what I was picturing.







More info on the 3d printing tomorrow......


----------



## Ragsters

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Fresh off the Thunder win Saturday night....I spent some of today putting together pump prototype #2. I recut some aluminum pieces, and this time I decided to go ahead and put a coat or two of black spray paint on them...just so the bare aluminum wouldn't be so distracting. Here was the highly calibrated and controlled painting environment setup for the evening....
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Using this paint tonight....
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> One coat.....
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Two coats.....
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...and then rush inside to put it together before it's even dried. You'll notice I painted one of the Corsair fan accent rings black also, so that when I get back to choosing the fan colors I can use that one.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Several people had asked about decoupling the pumps, and this is what I'm using right now. These rubber vibration dampners come with the EK D5 mounting kit. The pump tops screw into these, and the frame I'm building screws into the other side of these. That way the frame is never touching the pump.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here it is put together. The paint wasn't even close to dry so I really buggered it up doing this....but it still makes it less distracting fhan the bare aluminum when trying to picture what it would look like. I'm still excited about the 3d printing idea for a pump stand and I'm exploring that....but if I end up doing an aluminum version, I would definitely powder coat the final version.
> 
> The differences in this version are:
> 
> 1) I lowered the top pump about 1.25 inches from where it was last time, and decreased the spacing between the two pumps. I knew it needed to be lower, but you really can't tell if you've done it the right amount with building a prototype.
> 2) Shortened the front side of the "T" brace at the bottom. Before, the base stuck out way in front of the pumps. Now...I only have it extending just a little bit in front of the frame. It still stands on it's own even with the shorter base.
> 3) Eliminated the horizontal brace I had between the pumps. It just doesn't need that since both of the pumps serve as a brace between the two frame sides.
> 4) Added a vertical / diagonal brace that extends from the middle of the pumps stand down to the back of the bottom brace.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here is what the first version looked like:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> An improvement. And much sturdier. This one is solid with that back brace.
> 
> This one turned out to be just about the right size also. Here are some pictures in the case. Notice how there will be just enough space for the reservoir (mounted and elevated eventually) to the right of the pump tops and in the front window.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And with the window on you can see that the pump tops are fairly well centered in the window now. Just what I was picturing.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> More info on the 3d printing tomorrow......


Pretty much exactly how I had it in my mind! Great job sir.


----------



## nvidiaftw12

I like.


----------



## Jameswalt1

Perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## wthenshaw

Looks much better than the first!


----------



## mAs81

I also agree that it looks better than the first


----------



## akira749

I really really like your second "prototype" and it looks awesome in the case!


----------



## PCModderMike

Version 2 is much better, I like it.


----------



## wthenshaw

The vote is unanimous


----------



## cpachris

The PPPP got featured on the CaseLabs FB page this morning, and the EK Orange Juice shot got featured on the EK FB page this morning. Very cool! I'm duty and honor bound to request that you go "like" their pages immediately.


----------



## X-Nine

It's a fantastic build and I felt it needed some attention from the community. Unfortunately Facebook is a greedy hooker that will only post to so many people without paying an exorbitant fee, but that doesn't mean we couldn't try.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

I like the first prototype of the pump stand much better than the second one even though the second will be much sturdier. The added braces give it a junky look. If it was me, I would try to find aluminum angle that had wider flanges to use for the horizontal base pieces. The flange that goes against the floor of the case could be cut down to make it no more wider than it is in the first prototype, which would give it a lighter look. The wide flange could be tapered from where it would meet the vertical pieces down to the front and back, leaving a short vertical stretch at each end. That taper could be straight although a concave curve would look better and would give a lighter look. all corners should be softened by rounding them with at least a 1/4" radius curve. The upright would stay the same, although I would make the notches in the back curved instead of a pair of straight cuts (I realize that you probably did it the quick and dirty way for the prototype). You can take it into a local shop to get the uprights welded to the base. Since the welds will be on the inside of the base pieces, they will be barely visible. A good welder could leave a smooth fillet that could be easily filed or ground into a smooth concave curve on the short stretch under the pumps that will show from the front.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XNine*
> 
> Unfortunately Facebook is a greedy hooker .....


Lot of experience with greedy hookers Jason?









Thanks for the link!


----------



## adcantu

beautiful!


----------



## rRansom

Looking forward to the final revision. The second revision looks so nice that I can't think of a way to make it look better [my imagination is not my best asset].


----------



## RexTempus

Have you considered something like this:



The angled piece in the back can be flattened down to the base piece and still give it the rigidity of the second design, while maintaining the look of the first, but without the excess angle on the base. The single piece structure would be much more stable since the post is connected to the base in more than one spot.

Edit for clarity:

Before the fold:



After the fold (red dots are where it would bolt into case):


----------



## cpachris

Build log index and Hardware Index updated in the opening post. This is so unlike me! See what having sponsors does for you?


----------



## cpachris

I'm ready to spin some fans up in the case so that Jennifer can select the final color combination. Quick little project before I start that.

I'm sure we've all learned the trick of shorting the green and black on the 24 pin to jump start a PSU that is not connected to the motherboard. I use it all the time when I'm doing leak testing with my pumps. I've always done it with something ugly like this:



The white wire above has male terminals on it and is shorting the PS_On and a ground, on the motherboard side of the 24 pin PSU cable. You could use a paperclip also. It works...but is big bulky and in the way. So, you still have to plug in the entire 24pin connector to your PSU and have the cable stuffed somewhere. If the PSU is in your case, then the bulky 24 pin cable is in the way of everything. If it's outside of your case, I keep knocking the wire out of the terminals when I move or touch it. So....I decided to short the PSU in style this time.









First...I cut a small piece of 16AWG wire....



....used my handy dandy new wire strippers. I really love these. I've grown to really love strippers. Wait....that didn't sound right.....



Perfect strips every time. I love it when strippers work correctly for me. Wait....that didn't sound right either.





The I used my handy dandy new crimper from Lutro0 Customs and put some *female* ATX terminals on the end....





And might as well put some sleeve on it so that we are shorting the PSU in style....



Add a touch of heatshrink....and plug directly into the PSU.





That will be a little nicer to live with while I cable up stuff without powering the motherboard up. I'll simply put the PSU back in the case and leave my jumper on until I'm ready to boot this baby. This way I can still power up and test other components....even without the bulky 24 pin cable stuffed in there.

The only caution would be to make sure you know which pins on your PSU correlate to the PS_ON and a ground. The AX1500i is not a one-to-one relationship for the wires coming from the PSU to the 24 pin connector. So trace your own wires carefully before plugging in something wrong.

Now....back to my love for my strippers.....


----------



## mAs81

I actually did not know that..Very cool thank you for posting this +REP


----------



## dseg

Awesome build, subbed.
Do you have additional info on the pump tops? I was trying to find them.
Is there a reason you went acrylic vs acetal?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> I actually did not know that..Very cool thank you for posting this +REP


Thanks!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *dseg*
> 
> Awesome build, subbed.
> Do you have additional info on the pump tops? I was trying to find them.
> Is there a reason you went acrylic vs acetal?


It might change at some point, but I think the only way you can get this pump top right now is to buy the combination that includes the pump and pump top together. It's here on the EKWB online store. We might get @derickwm to jump in here and give us some more info on whether this pump top will be ever sold without the pump. Have I mentioned that I love the "mention" feature?









The reason I didn't want acetal, or even the acrylic CSQ look, is that I want to show off the pink coolant that will be used. Don't want anything distracting from the look of pink coolant coursing through those beautiful acrylic blocks. All of the water blocks that I'm using....are the "clean nickel" version. So I really wanted the pump top to match.


----------



## derickwm

At the moment we don't plan on offering them separately.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> I like the first prototype of the pump stand much better than the second one even though the second will be much sturdier. The added braces give it a junky look. If it was me, I would try to find aluminum angle that had wider flanges to use for the horizontal base pieces. The flange that goes against the floor of the case could be cut down to make it no more wider than it is in the first prototype, which would give it a lighter look. The wide flange could be tapered from where it would meet the vertical pieces down to the front and back, leaving a short vertical stretch at each end. That taper could be straight although a concave curve would look better and would give a lighter look. all corners should be softened by rounding them with at least a 1/4" radius curve. The upright would stay the same, although I would make the notches in the back curved instead of a pair of straight cuts (I realize that you probably did it the quick and dirty way for the prototype). You can take it into a local shop to get the uprights welded to the base. Since the welds will be on the inside of the base pieces, they will be barely visible. A good welder could leave a smooth fillet that could be easily filed or ground into a smooth concave curve on the short stretch under the pumps that will show from the front.


I think I can visualize what you are describing. But it almost sounds like that would be a better job for some sheet metal....instead of aluminum angles with wider flanges. I may grab a cheap sheet of aluminum and see how well I can bend/cut it.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *adcantu*
> 
> beautiful!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rRansom*
> 
> Looking forward to the final revision. The second revision looks so nice that I can't think of a way to make it look better [my imagination is not my best asset].


Thanks guys!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *RexTempus*
> 
> Have you considered something like this:
> 
> The angled piece in the back can be flattened down to the base piece and still give it the rigidity of the second design, while maintaining the look of the first, but without the excess angle on the base. The single piece structure would be much more stable since the post is connected to the base in more than one spot.
> 
> Edit for clarity:
> 
> Before the fold:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After the fold (red dots are where it would bolt into case):
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Not entirely sure I'm following your idea....but if I'm going to do any bending....it should probably be sheet metal and not these aluminum angle strips.

Appreciate all the continued suggestions eveyrone. It helps......


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I'm sure we've all learned the trick of shorting the green and black on the 24 pin to jump start a PSU that is not connected to the motherboard. I use it all the time when I'm doing leak testing with my pumps. I've always done it with something ugly like this:


That's ugly? Shoot, I've always just used a paper clip.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> That's ugly? Shoot, I've always just used a paper clip.


Haley would not approve....


----------



## nvidiaftw12

So then send me a proper jumper.

xD


----------



## mandrix

I've always used a connector like this to jump my psu's....


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I think I can visualize what you are describing. But it almost sounds like that would be a better job for some sheet metal....instead of aluminum angles with wider flanges. I may grab a cheap sheet of aluminum and see how well I can bend/cut it...


It would depend on the aluminum and how thick it is. A T5050 (aka marine grade) will bend pretty easily but is soft and won't be all that rigid. Anything harder will tend to crack, either at the time of the bend or later on down the road from vibration. To see what I mean, try cutting a strip from a scrap piece of the angle you already have and try to make a sharp bend with it. Even if you mange to make a sharp bend without it cracking (they would be hairline), you won't have the sharp outside corner you get from extruded aluminum angle.

An 1 1/2" to 2" flange would be plenty wide to brace the uprights. It would be much easier to cut away the extra stock than to try to bend your own.


----------



## JennG

You mean you played with the strippers without me? Um, wait..that didn't sound right either.


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JennG*
> 
> You mean you played with the strippers without me? Um, wait..that didn't sound right either.


----------



## cpachris

Video of fans spinning! Jenn wanted to see them spinning before she chose he her combination. Almost looks like still pictures in a lot of it since the fans blur so nicely, but it's actually all video. I can only really swap out one fan at a time for the different combinations, but you should get a good feel for what they look like.

Take a 2 minute break, turn up the volume and enjoy!






....and yes I see my missing space in the opening.


----------



## wthenshaw

Still liking #1 best, with #3 being my second favorite, which is weird since they are complete opposite.

Great video!


----------



## Xclsyr

Of these choices... #4 then #1. Definitely prefer the black frame. Pink blades work better, but they don't really 'pop' out enough for me.

Have you considered keeping the rings white, or is that out? Thinking pink blades/white ring/black frame might showcase better....


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xclsyr*
> 
> Have you considered keeping the rings white, or is that out?


Out.


----------



## cpachris

I keep changing my mind....but right now I think I like #1 and then #4 the best.


----------



## akira749

My favorites are #1 and #3.....and the song of course


----------



## seross69

Someone got bored and wanted to impress the misses!! Actually I like it and your creativity. I like #3 and #4 but you know I am a little insane..


----------



## JennG

The song for the win!

Will need to see them a few times at home, in person before I decide- so sorry- Jury is still out for now.
So feel free to keep voting!!!


----------



## mAs81

#1 & #2 for me..


----------



## Oliver1234

So by majority it looks like people don't like #2 that much, my two choices would be 1 and 3 though.


----------



## Barefooter

Great video! How long did that take you to make? After watching the video several times, I'll vote #3. I like the pink fan blade and I like seeing the pink corners through the side panel grill.


----------



## Jameswalt1

I vote for the black frame, pink blade, pink ring. I'm kinda sick of seeing colored corsair rings on almost every build. But with the ring color matching the blade color they look amazing


----------



## p1en1nja

I vote for #1 and #3


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Still liking #1 best, with #3 being my second favorite


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xclsyr*
> 
> Of these choices... #4 then #1. Definitely prefer the black frame.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I keep changing my mind....but right now I think I like #1 and then #4 the best.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> My favorites are #1 and #3.....and the song of course


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *seross69*
> 
> I like #3 and #4 but you know I am a little insane..


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> #1 & #2 for me..


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oliver1234*
> 
> my two choices would be 1 and 3 though.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Barefooter*
> 
> After watching the video several times, I'll vote #3. I like the pink fan blade and I like seeing the pink corners through the side panel grill.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *p1en1nja*
> 
> I vote for #1 and #3


Should be some decent advice for JennG. #1 is a clear favorite. I like it's simplicity and how it keeps the dark theme inside the box going, while tying in the pink just a little bit. Kind of excited to get started on them after she picks. Paint...then sleeve...then sticker. And then the power harness for each set are always fun also.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> I vote for the black frame, pink blade, pink ring. I'm kinda sick of seeing colored corsair rings on almost every build. But with the ring color matching the blade color they look amazing


Not in the running! We liked the contrast of the ring against the frame. And yeah...there are a lot of people using the Corsair fans right now. Probably because they are reasonably priced, and so easy to mod. The blades pop right off without a retaining clip, and the ring gives another method of customizing it. Modder's dream fans.


----------



## Hasty

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> I vote for the black frame, pink blade, pink ring. I'm kinda sick of seeing colored corsair rings on almost every build. But with the ring color matching the blade color they look amazing


That man is right.


----------



## 8BitPandaz

If it's not to late I prefer fans #4 then #3 I really like the look of the fans "floating" in the case with the black just melting away into the case.

I really am just loving this build I had no idea how much customisation you could put into a build I've always just focused on hardware. Keep it up


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *8BitPandaz*
> 
> If it's not to late I prefer fans #4 then #3 I really like the look of the fans "floating" in the case with the black just melting away into the case.
> 
> I really am just loving this build I had no idea how much customisation you could put into a build I've always just focused on hardware. Keep it up


Not too late! Lol....Jenn wants to look at them live again tonight, and she'll end up settling on one this weekend. Who knows....maybe I can even get started painting this weekend.

Appreciate the kind words.


----------



## cpachris

Update on my 3d printed pump stand prototype.....

Earlier I posted a Sketchup view of a quick and dirty pump mount I had put designed. This one....



I did some research online, using "the google", and found lots of online 3d print companies where you can simply upload a STL file and they will immediately analyze and spit back out a cost for printing it in different materials they have available. There is an extension for Sketchup that will create a STL file from your 3d model. I installed the extension and created my STL file, and played around with uploading it to various websites for a cost estimate. OMG.....the 3d printing companies are absolute pirates! The design above would cost anywhere between $500 and $600 to print in ABS plastic at all the sites I went to. That's right....an 8 inch piece of plastic would cost between $500 and $600 to print. OUTRAGEOUS!

A gaming acquaintance of mine had recently been posting in G+ about a 3d printing club that had been started at his work. They had 10 people each pitch in about $200 and collectively buy a printer for their own use. He had posted some pics of the 3d prints he had done so far, and some comments about how cheap the material was. So....I talked to him about possibly letting a non club member utilize the 3d printer for a fee....and his club agreed. Subject of course to availability in the queue, and only if no member prints are ready to go. They decided to charge me $10 plus cost of materials. I sent him the STL file and their printer administrator loaded it to their software, and estimated the cost of the actual materials used at about $1. Yes.....one dollar. You read that right. So.....right now I have my prototype model in the queue at a cost to me of $11. $11 vs $500. I realize that the larger companies need to cover the depreciation on the machine also....but come on. They wanted to charge me $500 for $1 worth of plastic and some printer time? OUTRAGEOUS!

Not sure when my print will run since I have to wait until no member prints are waiting before my print will run. But I hope to be able to show you my first 3d printed pump mount prototype within the week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I didn't make any significant design errors. First 3d printed model....so this one is a learning experience for me.

But the idea of their 3d printing club intrigues me, and makes me wonder whether there could be some interest here at OCN on members participating in a 3d printer club. I'm thinking seriously about starting one. I'll put the rough outline of how it would work into a new thread to gauge interest. I'll post a link to that thread here, so look for it if you are interested in exploring the idea. Even if you only want to 3d print one item.....it would make financial sense to join the club. But the number of things a computer builder/modder could design and 3d print are limited only by their imagination.


----------



## Jameswalt1

That is awesome! Can't wait to see how it looks. Yeah 3D printing is a very very exciting prospect for this unrelenting obsession hobby


----------



## duckweedpb7

Going to be awesome! If you don't mind and if you do end up starting a thread for 3D printing club, please drop a link in here too!


----------



## Citra

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> That is awesome! Can't wait to see how it looks. Yeah 3D printing is a very very exciting prospect for this unrelenting obsession hobby


Maybe Chris should get one.


----------



## seross69

I
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Citra*
> 
> Maybe Chris should get one.


I 2nd that!!!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Citra*
> 
> Maybe Chris should get one.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *seross69*
> 
> I 2nd that!!!


Probably not by myself.







But I'm serious about the 3d print club. Access to very cool technology for pennies on the dollar. It will be fun.


----------



## Lourad

I vote #3


----------



## Squeeker The Cat

am i the only one who voted ON the youtube page LOL!!

i voted #1


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Squeeker The Cat*
> 
> am i the only one who voted ON the youtube page LOL!!


That just makes you "special".


----------



## cpachris

Still playing around with pump mount possibilities. Built prototype #3 today. Follow the fun below.....

For this version, I thought I would play around with some sheet metal. Never really worked with that before. I picked up a small sheet of 20 gauage steel from my local Lowes....for about $6 bucks.



Drew out a rectangle that was big enough for both sides of the pump mount.....



....dropped the jig saw attachment in my lil' worktable, and of course, donned the appropriate safety glasses.



Rectangle came out nice and smooth. I drew a line through the middle that would separate the two sides of the pump stand...



....and went back outside to the jigsaw to cut it in half. Easy peasy so far.....



Then I drew some lines where I wanted to ultimately bend the sheet metal.



...and used some snips to make a short cut where the bottom base would fold up.





Then I marked the holes I wanted to drill.....



...and commenced to drilling.



So far, everything went smoothly. Now...I don't own a bending brake. So to bend the metal I had to rig up a home bending brake using some wood and a clamp. Not ideal....but worth a shot.



It really didn't come out too bad for my first try on a home rigged bending brake.



Some of the corners came out nice and sharp.....while some were a little looser and sloppier. It was very rigid though. Definitely would hold up well.



For a final version, I could find someone that had a real bending brake and make these bends better. But....I ended up deciding that I don't really like the look of these as much as the aluminum angle version that I've done so far....so I didn't even bother painting or mounting pumps to it. It was a fun try....but I don't think it is the right solution for this build.



I made so much racket banging the sheet metal around with a hammer....that Jenn came out to see what was going on. She agrees that we will not be using these mounts in _*her*_ computer.



I got notice that my 3d print will definitely run this weekend, so I may have news/pictures Monday of the outcome of that endeavor. I guess that one will be pump stand prototype #4. I have high hopes for that one. But I also like the aluminum angle #2 version, so after I get to see/touch the 3d printed version, I'll know which direction I need to go for the final version.


----------



## Hattifnatten

The Powerful Pretty Pink (3d) Printer


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Hattifnatten*
> 
> The Powerful Pretty Pink (3d) Printer


Booooooooooooooooo!


----------



## X-Nine

Posted on our Reddit!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *XNine*
> 
> Posted on our Reddit!


Awesome. Thanks Jason!


----------



## Stunub

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Hattifnatten*
> 
> The Powerful Pretty Pink (3d) Printer


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Booooooooooooooooo!


The Powerful Pretty Pink (3d) Printed Pump Perch of Plentiful Pressure


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Stunub*
> 
> The Powerful Pretty Pink (3d) Printed Pump Perch of Plentiful Pressure


Pardon?









Speaking of the "pump perch", the guy that runs the 3d prints didn't go to work today. So I have no new info on my print from the weekend.

Booooooooooooooooooooo!


----------



## socketus

Trust me, you don't WANT a monday printed item


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *socketus*
> 
> Trust me, you don't WANT a monday printed item


Or a friday afternoon one


----------



## cpachris

My friend just messaged me that my 3d print is ready to pick up. Yay! I'm headed his way during lunch. Phone pic showed it looked pretty darn good. But what I'm really after with this prototype is to see how strong it is. Pictures this afternoon!

Plus....I'm in the middle of a test pink dye bath right now to see how close I can get to the pink case color. I'm testing some sleeving, and some connectors. I'll have pictures of that also tonight. I'm testing at 3 different time lengths for the sleeve. 45 minutes, 1.5 hours and 2.5 hours. I've already taken the 45 minute dye bath sleeve out....and it looks pretty phenomenal. Very good match for the case. I'll definitely be using some of this custom dyed pink Telios in the build as an accent color!


----------



## Simmons572

Hope I'm not too tardy to the party... Subbed! Look forward to seeing your Peculiar Printed Plastic Pump mount ...Yeah.


----------



## cpachris

Pictures of Pump Prototype #4!

If you've been following, you've seen this render of a pump mount that I put together in Sketchup.....



As previously mentioned, the online 3d printers wanted north of $500 bucks to print this. I found an acquaintance that has access to a 3d printer through a club he participates in at work. The actual material cost ended up being $1 and they charge non-members an additional $10 for each print. So, I paid $11 to have my quick sketchup model printed in black PLA. We used a 50% fill rate for this one. The print took about 16 hours.







The material you see in the middle of the holes, and underneath the some of the letters....is just support material. The printer can't print on top of air....so if you have an overhang that is greater than about 45 degrees or so....it prints support material underneath it. This material is then removed after the print is complete.



All the support material came off pretty easy. I could poke out the stuff in the large holes. Used an exacto knife on the stuff in the small holes and the letters. I got a little aggessive on the "T" in the letters. I had thrown that label on the pump stand in the last minute before sending it....just because I wanted to see what it looked like. I only had a smidgen of the T actually touching the base of the pump stand....so it wasn't strong enough to withstand my aggressive removal of the support material.







I glued it back on....at a funny angle....because there simply wasn't room for it to have much contact.

While I was messing with the letters.....why not throw some pink paint on them? Right?



I truly am amazed at the precision of these consumer grade 3d printers. I didn't really know what to expect....but it printed exactly what I designed. It has some heft to it also. Base is very flat and strong. The vertical mount doesn't flex at all on it's own...but you can bend it a little bit if you try.







Let's put the pumps in the stand and see if it holds them.....









I guess I got the measurements right! It actually stands on it's own without being bolted down. There is enough of a base where it is self supporting. However, I would definitely bolt it to the midplate for the final installation.

The pump stand has some rough spots where the finish isn't as smooth as it could be....but even with those spots....this looks so much more professional than any of my other prototypes. This is by far my favorite, and I will definitely go this direction. I will however need a few tweaks for the final design. I'll print another one within a week or so.....

Here it is in the case!









Now...for the next, and final, version....I need to make these changes:

1) Make the vertical plate just a tad thicker. This one was 1/4 inch thick. I think I'll go 3/8 inch thick for the final.
2) Need another millimeter or two space between the pump tops. There is barely enough space for a stop fitting between them right now.
3) Use a different font for the "The PPPP" lettering. This was too thin. Don't like how it looks....but I do like the customizaton.
4) Tweak the base so that there is even more support for vertical plate, and at different levels on the front and back. I can have the supports on the back side of the vertical plate come up higher than I can on the front. I'll take advantage of that for the next version.
5) I'm going to add an extension arm off the top of this that I will use to mount the reservoir.

I LOVE THIS TECHNOLOGY!!!!! I'll definitely be starting that thread about a 3d print club. I'm very serious about that. I've already got a long list of things in my mind that I could 3d print for this build and for others. Modder's dream. Look for that thread soon....I'll post a link to it in this thread.

Let me know if you have any ideas for the final version of the pump stand. I'll be working at designing it this week.


----------



## Jeffinslaw

That's awesome! Really like how it looks! I bet it will look amazing when it has been sanded lightly a given a nice polish









Jeffinslaw


----------



## mandrix

Nice. ...and I agree about changing the font.


----------



## nvidiaftw12

I actually like the angled T.


----------



## akira749

I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!

And the idea of adding the reservoir mount is awesome...but the weight will then be higher on one side so you might want to extend the base to go under the reservoir placement to correct this situation.


----------



## PCModderMike

Wow, all I can simply say is that I find that *very cool.*


----------



## DerComissar

The fact that the prototype turned out so good shows how well 3D printing works for this.
It really looks great showing in the window. It'll be amazing to see the final version, with the pump tops filled with coolant.
Rep+


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jeffinslaw*
> 
> That's awesome! Really like how it looks! I bet it will look amazing when it has been sanded lightly a given a nice polish


Yes, I've read sanding can work wonders....and there are also some chemicals you can use to smooth everything up. I'll play with something....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Nice. ...and I agree about changing the font.


Yeah....that font was a little out there. I'll take some time to do something a little nicer this next time.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> I actually like the angled T.


I think the aluminum angle could be done nicely. If I took the time to file all the ends round, and then powder coated it....it would look nice. But I think this is cleaner....and cooler.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> And the idea of adding the reservoir mount is awesome...but the weight will then be higher on one side so you might want to extend the base to go under the reservoir placement to correct this situation.


Agreed. Must modify a little for the res mount. When filled up...those things are not exactly light....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> Wow, all I can simply say is that I find that *very cool.*


No gif? Sniff sniff.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DerComissar*
> 
> The fact that the prototype turned out so good shows how well 3D printing works for this.
> It really looks great showing in the window. It'll be amazing to see the final version, with the pump tops filled with coolant.
> Rep+


Thanks DerComissar! More 3d printing goodness to come.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Simmons572*
> 
> Hope I'm not too tardy to the party... Subbed! Look forward to seeing your Peculiar Printed Plastic Pump mount ...Yeah.


Boooooooooooooooooooooo!


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Yes, I've read sanding can work wonders....and there are also some chemicals you can use to smooth everything up. I'll play with something....
> Yeah....that font was a little out there. I'll take some time to do something a little nicer this next time.
> I think the aluminum angle could be done nicely. If I took the time to file all the ends round, and then powder coated it....it would look nice. But I think this is cleaner....and cooler.
> Agreed. Must modify a little for the res mount. When filled up...those things are not exactly light....
> No gif? Sniff sniff.
> Thanks DerComissar! More 3d printing goodness to come.....
> Boooooooooooooooooooooo!


I think you misunderstood.  I wasn't talking about the t frame, but more of the broke T glued on at an angle. 3d printing is the way to go.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> I think you misunderstood.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I wasn't talking about the t frame, but more of the broke T glued on at an angle. 3d printing is the way to go.


Got it. Not sure why I jumped that direction. For the record....Haley approves of 3d printing.


----------



## barracks510

I know acetone vapour works very well. However, it is a bit dangerous if not done correctly.

http://hackaday.com/2013/03/23/smoothing-3d-prints-with-acetone-vapor/


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *barracks510*
> 
> I know acetone vapour works very well. However, it is a bit dangerous if not done correctly.
> 
> http://hackaday.com/2013/03/23/smoothing-3d-prints-with-acetone-vapor/


Acetone is for ABS.....but this printer is using PLA. I've read you can't use Acetone with PLA. But there are some other chemicals that do similar things.


----------



## barracks510

Oh. Sorry! Should have read more carefully.


----------



## Citra

Looks great! Do you know what printer they used?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Citra*
> 
> Looks great! Do you know what printer they used?


They are using a MakerGear M2.

http://www.makergear.com/products/m-series-3d-printers


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Yeah I was reading about the other chemicals for PLA nasty stuff. I would just sand it and hit it with some spray lacquer long before that.


----------



## PCModderMike

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> Wow, all I can simply say is that I find that *very cool.*
> 
> 
> 
> No gif? Sniff sniff.
Click to expand...


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Sin atoned for. @nvidiaftw12 thanks you also, I'm sure.


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Please. That's one of my oldest saved.


----------



## Citra

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> Yeah I was reading about the other chemicals for PLA nasty stuff. I would just sand it and hit it with some spray lacquer long before that.


Maybe they could get a spool of ABS just for you? nvidiaftw12 is right, the chemicals for vapor smoothing pla are extremely nasty.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Citra*
> 
> Maybe they could get a spool of ABS just for you? nvidiaftw12 is right, the chemicals for vapor smoothing pla are extremely nasty.


They were printing with some originally, and he said that they had problems with the ABS. Didn't elaborate. But as a club, they have decided to only purchase PLA going forward. I could pick up a roll for less than $30.....and donate it to them....but if there printer really has issues with ABS, I guess that really wouldn't help me. I've read ABS is a little sturdier. But to be honest...the PLA is going to be as sturdy as I need it when I make the vertical plate a little thicker.

I might try this stuff to smooth it.....

http://hackaday.com/2013/06/07/smoothing-pla-printed-parts/


----------



## nvidiaftw12

That's the article I read. Read the comments. This one especially caught my eye, although I don't know the truth. Still, I'd stay away.

Quote:


> From what I know, Acetone is not known to be a mutagen, unlike THF. And with mutagens, there's no safe threshold - they will more or less introduce bugs somewhere in DNA, and each one of these bugs can potentially lead to cancer. (Potentially, even a Darwin Award!)
> To sum up: I totally agree one should stay away from this [expletive], unless there's a good chemical lab. It's just not worth it.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> That's the article I read. Read the comments. This one especially caught my eye, although I don't know the truth. Still, I'd stay away.


Hmmmmmm.............seems like it would be a little more controlled if it was really that dangerous. You can get bottles of it on Amazon.

Perhaps a little more research is in order before I expose myself.

that sounded wrong.....


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Indeed. It also seems to be what pvc cleaner uses.


----------



## Squashie

Hey

Been following both the BBBB and the PPPP, great work. Also excited to see you utilize a 3D-printer, awesome technology. PLA cant be acetoned, havent found a chemical for PLA, sanding works great in my experience, for ABS you can use acetone. I have a China-copy of the Makerbot, used it to make some stuff for my 800D build, wish i had a better camera though









BUILD-LOG


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Squashie*
> 
> Hey
> 
> Been following both the BBBB and the PPPP, great work. Also excited to see you utilize a 3D-printer, awesome technology. PLA cant be acetoned, havent found a chemical for PLA, sanding works great in my experience, for ABS you can use acetone. I have a China-copy of the Makerbot, used it to make some stuff for my 800D build, wish i had a better camera though


Thanks Squashie! Checked out your log....nice work on the cable covers. It's a powerful feeling to be able to design something....and then produce it in a day. Really changes your view of the world.....

How do you like your printer? Biggest gripe?

I'm in the middle of researching a lot of them right now.


----------



## Xclsyr

So what you need to design next is a matching stand that will center the reservoir in the front window with a matching 'PPPP' logo floating beneath it...


----------



## Squashie

I'm really happy with it. I have had it side by side with a MakerBot Replicator and the hardware was the same to my knowledge. You can also upgrade the firmware, witch makes it appear as a MakerBot in software. Since the Chinese just reverse engineered an already developed printer they saved a lot of money on developing. Low costs in China makes it atleast half the price of the original. With open source they haven't done anything "wrong" either.

Its a copy of the previous generation MakerBot, haven't seen the newest, 5th generation MakerBot, so that could be an alternative if its within your budget, its considerably more expensive.

The dual extrusion gives a lot of possibilities. Two color prints, water dissolve-able plastic for support(PVA). However, two color prints requires a lot of tinkering and might not be too easy to do. This printer can do PLA, ABS, PVA, Nylon, flexible and more, i guess anything 1.75mm and melting below 240C witch is highest recommended temperature.

http://wanhaousa.com/

There is always new printers coming out on the market so my suggestion would be to go with one with a good on-line community since you will be tinkering a lot with it to get it perfect. Unless you can afford a printer of higher quality than the "pro-sumer"-level ones ofc, wich would be beyond my knowledge

Really excited to see more people using 3D printers in builds, the future is now!

Cool video of another kind of printer, ingenious solution:


----------



## mandrix

ack nevermind I was lost.


----------



## akira749

Thanks Chris for opening me into the 3D printing universe. I did some research and I have a few 3D printing services in my area!

Their price are good too!!

like 10$ as a startup price job and the 0.75$~1.00$ per centimeter cube of material and a time frame of 3-4 days!

Very interesting!

Now I just need to figure out how to put the idea from my head to something more real


----------



## cpachris

It's been too long since I did a dye bath. Let's change that.....

For those that didn't follow along when I did this for the BBBB....here are the basic steps. I'm using disperse dyes since I found the RIT dyes did not do well with plastic sleeving. At least for the colors I wanted to make. I had great success with the disperse dyes. First...get 3 pots. 1 large and 2 small....



Save your marraige. Don't use your wife's good pots.







The big pot needs to be large enough to hold all the items that you are going to dye. Fill it up about 1/2 full with water (or however much you need to fully cover items plus some extra), and add 1/2 cup of vinegar in it. Start that bad boy boiling.....



In one of the small pots, get some water boiling, and then add 1 tablespoon of your dye carrier.



This dye carrier is cool to watch when you put it in water. It looks like a nuclear reaction under the water and billows out like clouds engulfing all the water in the pot and turning it a milky white Stir the mixture. Save your marraige. Don't use your wife's good flatware to stir.



Take the carrier/water combination from small pot and dump it into your large pot that has the water/vinegar combination....



It's now a milky white also.....



In the other small pot, you need to get some water boiling also. This is the pot you will add the actual dye to. Save your marraige. Dont use.....you get it by now. I'm using red from Pro Chemical disperse dyes. It's more of a pink for some items...and more red for some items. Depends on the material. In my trials and tribulations of learning how to do this last time....the sleeving ended up more pink with this stuff....



How much dye you use has a direct impact on color. For this test, I'm using 3 teaspoons of red dye....



After mixing it well....dump the dye mixture from the small pot into your large pot.



Bring it back up to a simmer. You want a small boil. Needs to be hot.



Now get the items that you are going to dye. For this test, I'm going to throw in one of the Corsair fan accent rings, a 4 pin molex connector, a 3 pin fan connector, two of the rubber corners for the Corsair fans, and 3 short pieces of sleeve.....



Later in the process....I also threw in 3 pieces of white heat shrink. You can't add these while the pot is boiling, or it activates the shrink. Wait until your other stuff is done, and let the dye bath cool just a little bit first...and then add the shrink....



Keep the dye bath simmering. The length of time in the dye bath impacts how dark a shade of color you get. I took one of the pieces of sleeve out at 45 minutes, one at 1.5 hours, and the other at 2.5 hours. All other items came out at 2.5 hours also.

Here is how all the items looked! You'll see some items came out red (fan accent ring, 4 pin molex, rubber fan corners)....but some are a glorious pink!



Close-ups of the sleeve, since that is really what I was the most interested in.



From top to bottom....is the 45 minute, 1.5 hour and 2.5 hour version. Tough to tell in pictures...but there is a small difference in how deep the color is the longer the sleeve was in. Not really a different color....just deeper. The top one ended up being the best match for my case. So for the final batch, I'll probably cook it about an hour.



The fan connector was also almost an exact match for the sleeve. And you'll notice that with dye....every nook and cranny gets colored. There are no spots that are missing color. Everything is uniform. Plus...you can't scratch it off. It's a permanent part of the plastic now. Very durable.



Colors are tough to get right and distinguish in those up-close shots with lighting. But here is a better pic of the sleeve in front of the case. It really is a perfect match. I don't even need another test batch to tinker with the color....because this matches the case exactly.



So.....the accent ring didn't come out pink. I'll still need to paint those. The grey rubber fan corners didn't come out pink. I'll leave those grey. The 4 pin molex didn't come out pink. I'll use black for those. But the sleeving and the 3 pin fan connectors are a perfect match, so I need to figure out what I want to do with those.

I'm still thinking primarily black sleeving inside the case. Maybe all black sleeving for the fan cabling. But I really would like some pink accents in the main power cables (24 pin and the motherboard power connectors). This gives me an option. Early on in this thread I had bought some samples of the pink sleeving available out there....and didn't like any of it. It looked cheap. But this is the Lutro0 Customs Telios sleeving....in a perfect pink match for my case. I simply must add some. I'll try out some color combinations on you guys after I dye all my white Telios pink.

Need to think about whether I want to use the pink fan connectors....or stick with black. Or I guess what I should do is ask the boss....


----------



## 8BitPandaz

That came out so well I think the main power cable black with maybe 3-4 pink sleeved put in would look sweet looking forward to the next update.


----------



## Rbby258

would the ring not be good at the 30 minute mark?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *8BitPandaz*
> 
> That came out so well I think the main power cable black with maybe 3-4 pink sleeved put in would look sweet looking forward to the next update.


yes....or....a couple of pink and a dark grey that matches the rubber corners of the Corsair fans....and possibly some grey on the motherboard.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rbby258*
> 
> would the ring not be good at the 30 minute mark?


I don't think so. The colors don't tend to change....just get darker. So it would be a light red if I took it out earlier....not pink. Should be the same hue....just not saturated as much.


----------



## 8BitPandaz

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> yes....or....a couple of pink and a dark grey that matches the rubber corners of the Corsair fans....and possibly some grey on the motherboard.....


Sounds sweet I really want to make a new build now lol


----------



## luciddreamer124

Looks great man! Thanks for the guide. I loved the 3D printed stand too.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *8BitPandaz*
> 
> Sounds sweet I really want to make a new build now lol


Like Nike says........Just Do It.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *luciddreamer124*
> 
> Looks great man! Thanks for the guide. I loved the 3D printed stand too.


You can find better information and pictures in the "How To Dye...." link in my sig. It took me a TON of tries to get the crimson color right for my last build.


----------



## Oopsypoopsy

What color heat sinks you thinking on your sleeving? White would look good on those cables.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oopsypoopsy*
> 
> What color heat sinks you thinking on your sleeving? White would look good on those cables.


Shrinkless for everything but the fan cables.....

For fan cables....I'll either use black or pink heatshrink. Probably not white. Need to decide color of heatshrink and fan connector....as well as the sleeve.....for all the fan power cords.


----------



## Oopsypoopsy

Sounds good.

Dying some heatsinks might have given me an idea.


----------



## Jameswalt1

Awesome dye guide Chris! +1


----------



## mandrix

Nice. I don't have the patience to do that, but I salute your efforts. Which is funny, because when I was learning how to sleeve I literally spent hours on it....








But now that I have this new board with the gold heatsinks.....maybe, just maybe I'll try it. Any tips on making a dark gold?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> Awesome dye guide Chris! +1


Thanks James! It's fun to do.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Nice. I don't have the patience to do that, but I salute your efforts. Which is funny, because when I was learning how to sleeve I literally spent hours on it....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But now that I have this new board with the gold heatsinks.....maybe, just maybe I'll try it. Any tips on making a dark gold?


Never tried for a gold. If there isn't something close in either Telios or MDPC-X....I'd probably try some combinations of:

Bright Yellow - http://www.prochemicalanddye.com/product.php?productid=16614&cat=401&page=1
Buttercup - http://www.prochemicalanddye.com/product.php?productid=16615&cat=401&page=1
Clear Orange - http://www.prochemicalanddye.com/product.php?productid=16616&cat=401&page=1

Use this dye carrier - http://www.prochemicalanddye.com/product.php?productid=16777&cat=401&page=1

I'd try about 3 teaspoons of the dye in different combinations until it comes out right. I'd start with 2 tsp bright yellow, 1/2 tsp buttercup, and 1/2 tsp Clear Orange. Adjust based on results.

You can get the small version of each dye and should have plenty....so it's about $35 in materials to give it a try. Plus the sleeve. It's fun to try even if it's a fail. Do it!


----------



## iBored

Curious, what would you suggest for a chrome dye?
Just for those wonky enough to wanna match those chrome-plated copper pipes.


----------



## mandrix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Thanks James! It's fun to do.
> Never tried for a gold. If there isn't something close in either Telios or MDPC-X....I'd probably try some combinations of:
> 
> Bright Yellow - http://www.prochemicalanddye.com/product.php?productid=16614&cat=401&page=1
> Buttercup - http://www.prochemicalanddye.com/product.php?productid=16615&cat=401&page=1
> Clear Orange - http://www.prochemicalanddye.com/product.php?productid=16616&cat=401&page=1
> 
> Use this dye carrier - http://www.prochemicalanddye.com/product.php?productid=16777&cat=401&page=1
> 
> I'd try about 3 teaspoons of the dye in different combinations until it comes out right. I'd start with 2 tsp bright yellow, 1/2 tsp buttercup, and 1/2 tsp Clear Orange. Adjust based on results.
> 
> You can get the small version of each dye and should have plenty....so it's about $35 in materials to give it a try. Plus the sleeve. It's fun to try even if it's a fail. Do it!


Awesome. I copied this into a Word Doc to make sure i don't lose track of it. Thanks!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xclsyr*
> 
> So what you need to design next is a matching stand that will center the reservoir in the front window with a matching 'PPPP' logo floating beneath it...


I'll probably make it part of the same stand. One piece. But yes....I'll consider doing something with some pizzazz that shows in the front window.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iBored*
> 
> Curious, what would you suggest for a chrome dye?
> Just for those wonky enough to wanna match those chrome-plated copper pipes.


I don't think the sleeve will ever get shiny like that. I'd stick with one of the light greys from Lutro0 or MDPC-X.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Awesome. I copied this into a Word Doc to make sure i don't lose track of it. Thanks!


I hope you try it. Fun!


----------



## cpachris

I've got most of the tweaks in the pump stand model. Here is a front view and a back view......





The lettering is simpler. I like it better. Trying some recessed on the front....although this may not really show at all. And some on the back.

Next...I'll try and add the reservoir mount structure to the right side of the pump stand.

Would love suggestions/comments/ideas as I tinker with this.....


----------



## Jameswalt1

Looks awesome,

EDIT: I zoomed in more, I like the font

Is eliminating the "The" an option? I think it would look slicker


----------



## wthenshaw

If you made the lettering cut into the stand all the way through so you can see right through it you could painstakingly paint the inner edges pink maybe?


----------



## Thready

I know you posted this a month ago but it must be said...



You spend good money on expensive PC parts but you buy generic ice cream?

And we are supposed to trust your judgment?









EDIT: Just looked up Braums and it seems legit so nevermind. But next time please be specific in your ice cream description because this stuff is important.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> Is eliminating the "The" an option? I think it would look slicker


Potentially......might play with that.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> If you made the lettering cut into the stand all the way through so you can see right through it you could painstakingly paint the inner edges pink maybe?


I kind of like that idea. If I end up with enough space between the pumps where it would show....will give it a try.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Thready*
> 
> I know you posted this a month ago but it must be said...
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You spend good money on expensive PC parts but you buy generic ice cream?
> 
> And we are supposed to trust your judgment?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> EDIT: Just looked up Braums and it seems legit so nevermind. But next time please be specific in your ice cream description because this stuff is important.


Lol....I did chuckle at this one. Braum's Ice Cream is the best! They are a local Oklahoma company....although I think they've expanded regionally......


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Lol....I did chuckle at this one. Braum's Ice Cream is the best! They are a local Oklahoma company....although I think they've expanded regionally......


Acceptable. Now we know that you are trustworthy.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> Acceptable. Now we know that you are trustworthy.


Just think what my street cred would be if I'd been stocked up on some Cherry Garcia when I took that shot.....


----------



## Jameswalt1

I've been thinking heavily about getting a 3D printer and I found one today at the Makers Faire that is $800 and prints 10 inch x 9 x 8. I'm curious though, for example on your pump stand what is your plan for finishing it off - sanding, painting etc...?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> I've been thinking heavily about getting a 3D printer and I found one today at the Makers Faire that is $800 and prints 10 inch x 9 x 8. I'm curious though, for example on your pump stand what is your plan for finishing it off - sanding, painting etc...?


Which model is it? I've been doing quite a bit of research on the different models myself.

As far as finishing it off.....I might try one of the chemical baths....just to see what it does. Can always sand. But I probably won't paint since the plastic itself is black which fits my theme.


----------



## Jameswalt1

http://www.robo3dprinter.com/


----------



## jameyscott

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> http://www.robo3dprinter.com/


That can potentially be a great printer if you do some modifications to it.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> http://www.robo3dprinter.com/


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> That can potentially be a great printer if you do some modifications to it.


The big + on that one is the build dimensions. For the price....hard to beat that build size. The biggest negatives for me on that one is that it doesn't accept g-code, and the REAL slow print speed. So make sure you know what your going to be modeling in. I've also read many reviews with people complaining about real poor performance....until they replaced the print heads. Apparently the one that comes with the kit is pretty bad.....but easily replaceable.

Can't wait to see what you get. There are pros/cons on all of them......it's tough to pick. I'm focusing on these 4 right now....

- Ultimaker 2
- Airwolfe 3d HD
- MakerGear M2
- Flashforge Dreamer

These are all a bit more than the Robo....but you should check them out to.


----------



## Citra

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> The big + on that one is the build dimensions. For the price....hard to beat that build size. The biggest negatives for me on that one is that it doesn't accept g-code, and the REAL slow print speed. So make sure you know what your going to be modeling in. I've also read many reviews with people complaining about real poor performance....until they replaced the print heads. Apparently the one that comes with the kit is pretty bad.....but easily replaceable.
> 
> Can't wait to see what you get. There are pros/cons on all of them......it's tough to pick. I'm focusing on these 4 right now....
> 
> - Ultimaker 2
> - Airwolfe 3d HD
> - MakerGear M2
> - Flashforge Dreamer
> 
> These are all a bit more than the Robo....but you should check them out to.


Mmmm, Ultimaker 2. The Taz 4 from Lulzbot is supposed to be quite good as well.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Citra*
> 
> Mmmm, Ultimaker 2. The Taz 4 from Lulzbot is supposed to be quite good as well.


I'll add that one to my list to learn about.....

First glance looked like it hit all my hot spots.....


----------



## cpachris

Updated sponsor plaque. Is it just me....or does there appear to be space available at the top of the plaque? Bottom right appears to have some available space also.....



major announcement coming soon......


----------



## Jameswalt1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> The big + on that one is the build dimensions. For the price....hard to beat that build size. The biggest negatives for me on that one is that it doesn't accept g-code, and the REAL slow print speed. So make sure you know what your going to be modeling in. I've also read many reviews with people complaining about real poor performance....until they replaced the print heads. Apparently the one that comes with the kit is pretty bad.....but easily replaceable.
> 
> Can't wait to see what you get. There are pros/cons on all of them......it's tough to pick. I'm focusing on these 4 right now....
> 
> - Ultimaker 2
> - Airwolfe 3d HD
> - MakerGear M2
> - Flashforge Dreamer
> 
> These are all a bit more than the Robo....but you should check them out to.


I looked a most, but I'm just sold on the build size/price ratio. I also got to see a ton of different ones in person at the show on Saturday and the results. The Robo3D is just a great value. Before I order I just want to use some cad software, which I never have before. I'll check out sketch up and make sure I can figure it out before I order.

Back on topic, sorry


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Updated sponsor plaque. Is it just me....or does there appear to be space available at the top of the plaque? Bottom right appears to have some available space also.....
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> major announcement coming soon......


Such a tease!!!


----------



## PCModderMike

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> Updated sponsor plaque. Is it just me....or does there appear to be space available at the top of the plaque? Bottom right appears to have some available space also.....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> major announcement coming soon......


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> Such a tease!!!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*


....and it's not Taco Bell or Mercedes.


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> ....and it's not Taco Bell or Mercedes.


DHL.....?


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> ....and it's not Taco Bell or Mercedes.


Seriously I have the feeling of something around motherboard and/or graphics card manufacturer maybe...


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> ....motherboard *and*/or graphics card manufacturer....


yes....yes......my precious........


----------



## Citra

I'm thinking Asus.


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Gigabyte? ASUS? MSI? Only guys I can name who do both. EVGA has a few Intel motherboards I think. Uh... Sapphire? No. XFX? No. HSI? I think they make AMD GPUs only. Biostar? Motherboards only I think. Yeah, one of those first three. Final answer.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Citra*
> 
> I'm thinking Asus.


----------



## Oopsypoopsy

Please be new EVGA Z97


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oopsypoopsy*
> 
> Please be new EVGA Z97


You can't browse Pinterest like my baby deserves to.....without at least 40 lanes of PCIe 3.0 goodness....and quad channel memory.


----------



## jameyscott

My guess is EVGA. If I win, do I get a cookie?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> My guess is EVGA. If I win, do I get a cookie?


----------



## jameyscott

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*


----------



## PCModderMike

*Tell us!!*


----------



## cpachris




----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> ....motherboard and/or graphics card manufacturer....
> 
> 
> 
> yes....yes......my precious........
Click to expand...











Gratz my friend! Whatever the manufacturer who will partner with you it's another great things for you and your build!


----------



## rRansom

Not really shouting but wanted to join in on the GIF fun.


----------



## wthenshaw

It's most likely Asus, his reaction gave it away a little.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> It's most likely Asus, his reaction gave it away a little.


Did I mention that the same company was also sending a 4k monitor?


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Did I mention that the same company was also sending a 4k monitor?


So it's Gigabyte?


----------



## 8BitPandaz

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Did I mention that the same company was also sending a 4k monitor?


Definitely Asus then haha and good work man


----------



## Citra

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Did I mention that the same company was also sending a 4k monitor?


Yup, Asus.







Can't wait.


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Nope. It's gotta be MSI.


----------



## PCModderMike

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> Nope. It's gotta be MSI.


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Did I mention that the same company was also sending a 4k monitor?


So it IS taco bell!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> So it's Gigabyte?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> Nope. It's gotta be MSI.


Yes....both Gigabyte and MSI have started new monitor lines of business just for me. Lol......

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> It's most likely Asus, his reaction gave it away a little.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *8BitPandaz*
> 
> Definitely Asus then haha and good work man


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Citra*
> 
> Yup, Asus.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Can't wait.


Can't even drag out my big reveal for a few hours with you smart guys.







New sponsor plaque reveal tonight!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> So it IS taco bell!


----------



## Oliver1234

Is there anything you DO have to pay for with this build man?? Tubing maybe??? Peripherals????


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Yes....both Gigabyte and MSI have started new monitor lines of business just for me. Lol......


I didn't know you were that influential. Good job! Be sure to review it for us.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oliver1234*
> 
> Is there anything you DO have to pay for with this build man?? Tubing maybe??? Peripherals????


EK supplied all the hard tubing I'll be using.























Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> I didn't know you were that influential. Good job! Be sure to review it for us.


I'll be the first! And only! Ever!


----------



## cpachris

I'm thrilled to formally announce ASUS as the Platinum Level sponsor for the Powerful Pretty Pink Processor build. Took us awhile to get through approvals and agreements, but we're there now. And when a new sponsor is added.....the sponsor plaque must be updated. Behold......



ASUS is showing they are a big believer in the PPPP build by sponsoring not only a motherboard, but also two video cards. You'll even get an early peek at their announced, but not yet released, 4K monitor. I'm pumped. I mean, what better way to put those two video cards through their paces....than doing it with a 4K monitor? It will be fun.

Motherboard and video cards should arrive tomorrow, so expect lots of pictures later this week. I should even be able to do an initial power-up of the system (air cooling of course) within the next week or so to make sure everything is working. Then.....we'll tear it all down, do some cool mods, block everything.....and put it back together. Can't wait!

And the observant among you will notice that there is still an open spot on the sponsor plaque in the bottom right corner. Hmmmmm......


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I mean, what better way to put those two video cards through their paces....than doing it with a 4K monitor?


8k, duh!









Oh, wait. Was that rhetorical?


----------



## Jameswalt1

Nice score!


----------



## PCModderMike

You're working magic over there (or twisting a lot of arms)







Either way nice score and congrats.

Would you happen to know if Asus has plans to make something equivalent to the LG 34UM95? Personally I would prefer a display like that over a 4K monitor.


----------



## Jameswalt1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> Would you happen to know if Asus has plans to make something equivalent to the LG 34UM95? Personally I would prefer a display like that over a 4K monitor.


Indeed, I immediately pre-ordered a 34um95, can't wait. I would say with all of the hype surrounding it and good reviews Asus will surely jump in.


----------



## PCModderMike

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> Would you happen to know if Asus has plans to make something equivalent to the LG 34UM95? Personally I would prefer a display like that over a 4K monitor.
> 
> 
> 
> Indeed, I immediately pre-ordered a 34um95, can't wait. I would say with all of the hype surrounding it and good reviews Asus will surely jump in.
Click to expand...



Well now, wanna sponsor me one?


----------



## jameyscott

I hope they do release one because I plan on getting two of those and putting ROG swift in the middle.







when funds allow....


----------



## rRansom

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And the observant among you will notice that there is still an open spot on the sponsor plaque in the bottom right corner. Hmmmmm......


TACO BELL!! JK

Time for a happy dance!


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I'm thrilled to formally announce ASUS as the Platinum Level sponsor for the Powerful Pretty Pink Processor build. Took us awhile to get through approvals and agreements, but we're there now. And when a new sponsor is added.....the sponsor plaque must be updated. Behold......
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ASUS is showing they are a big believer in the PPPP build by sponsoring not only a motherboard, but also two video cards. You'll even get an early peek at their announced, but not yet released, 4K monitor. I'm pumped. I mean, what better way to put those two video cards through their paces....than doing it with a 4K monitor? It will be fun.
> 
> Motherboard and video cards should arrive tomorrow, so expect lots of pictures later this week. I should even be able to do an initial power-up of the system (air cooling of course) within the next week or so to make sure everything is working. Then.....we'll tear it all down, do some cool mods, block everything.....and put it back together. Can't wait!
> 
> And the observant among you will notice that there is still an open spot on the sponsor plaque in the bottom right corner. Hmmmmm......


My sincere congratulations Chris!!! This is another great news!

I'm still curious of who will be the lucky one on the bottom right corner


----------



## Kinaesthetic

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I'm thrilled to formally announce ASUS as the Platinum Level sponsor for the Powerful Pretty Pink Processor build. Took us awhile to get through approvals and agreements, but we're there now. And when a new sponsor is added.....the sponsor plaque must be updated. Behold......
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ASUS is showing they are a big believer in the PPPP build by sponsoring not only a motherboard, but also two video cards. *You'll even get an early peek at their announced, but not yet released, 4K monitor*. I'm pumped. I mean, what better way to put those two video cards through their paces....than doing it with a 4K monitor? It will be fun.
> 
> Motherboard and video cards should arrive tomorrow, so expect lots of pictures later this week. I should even be able to do an initial power-up of the system (air cooling of course) within the next week or so to make sure everything is working. Then.....we'll tear it all down, do some cool mods, block everything.....and put it back together. Can't wait!
> 
> And the observant among you will notice that there is still an open spot on the sponsor plaque in the bottom right corner. Hmmmmm......


You mean the Asus PB287Q? Because that monitor is already available ! Or is it a ProArt series w/ 4K IZGO IPS?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> Nice score!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> You're working magic over there (or twisting a lot of arms)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Either way nice score and congrats.


It took some work.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> Would you happen to know if Asus has plans to make something equivalent to the LG 34UM95? Personally I would prefer a display like that over a 4K monitor.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> Indeed, I immediately pre-ordered a 34um95, can't wait. I would say with all of the hype surrounding it and good reviews Asus will surely jump in.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> I hope they do release one because I plan on getting two of those and putting ROG swift in the middle.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> when funds allow....


Unsure if there is one in the works at ASUS....but that is a unique size. Would fit my desk well....where I have ample east/west room....but I'm very limited on north/south expansion. I've got my eye on those also. I'll see what I can find out now that I have someone I can shoot questions to.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> My sincere congratulations Chris!!! This is another great news! I'm still curious of who will be the lucky one on the bottom right corner


Thanks akira! I was hoping to announce the last spot today, but having some difficulties here at the last minute. Hopefully soon.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kinaesthetic*
> 
> You mean the Asus PB287Q? Because that monitor is already available
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> !


The ASUS PB287Q is one of the options I have. I sure don't see it at any of the usual suspect outlets. And ASUS tells me it's not ready yet. Do you have a link where you found one available for purchase?


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> The ASUS PB287Q is one of the options I have. I sure don't see it at any of the usual suspect outlets. And ASUS tells me it's not ready yet. Do you have a link where you found one available for purchase?


http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX41640 is an example, and they've had them for quite some time. Did you mean the PG278Q, also known as the ROG Swift?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX41640 is an example, and they've had them for quite some time. Did you mean the PG278Q, also known as the ROG Swift?


The link is to a PB*278*Q 2560x1440 monitor.....not the yet to be released PB*287*Q which will be 3840x2160 monitor. I think the similarity of the model numbers is confusing people.

The PG278Q ROG Swift is the other option I have to choose from.


----------



## Kinaesthetic

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> It took some work.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Unsure if there is one in the works at ASUS....but that is a unique size. Would fit my desk well....where I have ample east/west room....but I'm very limited on north/south expansion. I've got my eye on those also. I'll see what I can find out now that I have someone I can shoot questions to.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks akira! I was hoping to announce the last spot today, but having some difficulties here at the last minute. Hopefully soon.....
> The ASUS PB287Q is one of the options I have. I sure don't see it at any of the usual suspect outlets. And ASUS tells me it's not ready yet. Do you have a link where you found one available for purchase?


Don't have a link, but I could've sworn someone in the Samsung U28D590D thread already had one. But I'm not sure if he was located in the 'ol USA.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kinaesthetic*
> 
> Don't have a link, but I could've sworn someone in the Samsung U28D590D thread already had one. But I'm not sure if he was located in the 'ol USA.


I wouldn't doubt that there are some early demo units floating around. But it's not a monitor that has been released for sale yet. Hopefully soon!


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> The link is to a PB*278*Q 2560x1440 monitor.....not the yet to be released PB*287*Q which will be 3840x2160 monitor. I think the similarity of the model numbers is confusing people.
> 
> The PG278Q ROG Swift is the other option I have to choose from.


Oh, whoops. My very bad on that one!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> Oh, whoops. My very bad on that one!


No harm, no foul. Just a gif opportunity.....


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Well, I have had long hair before, but nowhere near that long!









Seems odd though that Asus would have three models that can readily be confused with one another because only one digit is different (doubly so because it's quite easy to accidentally type 287 instead of 278)


----------



## mandrix

Congrats on the sponsors, Chris. I know you will put it all to good use and make your sponsors proud.


----------



## Oopsypoopsy

I really hope the monitor is turned Pink


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> Well, I have had long hair before, but nowhere near that long!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Seems odd though that Asus would have three models that can readily be confused with one another because only one digit is different (doubly so because it's quite easy to accidentally type 287 instead of 278)


Agreed. Confusing. The first two digits clearly stand for the diagonal screen size. But I don't know what the 3rd digit represents....and I'm a little unclear about the two letter designation also. Maybe it makes sense once you know what you're looking at. If someone else knows....enlighten us all. I'll seek an answer from my ASUS contact also.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Congrats on the sponsors, Chris. I know you will put it all to good use and make your sponsors proud.


Thanks mandrix! Sponsoring builds is one of those things where it is difficult to measure the value. You know it's there...but you can't concretely measure incremental sales because you sponsored a certain build....ya know? You can easily point at the view count and get a feel for how many people are seeing your products. But you can't draw a hard correlation to sales because of it.

But I think that most hardware vendors understand that if they are selling enthusiast level products....that most of their customers are tuned into one or more of the computer forums. I believe there is no better way to create demand for your products....than to have someone use it, show it off, and offer their opinions on it. I would trust your opinion on a particular product you have used....way more than any marketing material that could ever be put together for that product. Most of the hardware vendors have figured that out too.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oopsypoopsy*
> 
> I really hope the monitor is turned Pink


That's probably not going to happen.


----------



## Oopsypoopsy




----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oopsypoopsy*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


+1 for appropriate gif usage!


----------



## cpachris

Decided to take a look at some different coolants today....while I wait on the FedEx dude with my ASUS package.

First up....Primochill UV PInk Premixed



Because we are in the middle of the Western Conference Finals....You are all going to be treated to seeing the coolants in my Thunder pilsner glasses.







Go Thunder! I'll take one pic with the flash off....



....and one pic with the flash on. Because it looks a little different both ways.



You can see that the coolant is very translucent. Not only can you see light pass through, but you can see images and shapes through the coolant.

Next up...Primochill UV Pink Dye. I wanted to see if it was the same hue as the premix....and see if I could alter the hue by changing how much dye I put in.



With about 7 drops....it looks almost identical to the premix. From front to back: 1) Primochill UV Pink Premix; 2) Primochill UV Pink Dye (7 drops)



I decided to add a few more drops of the pink dye....and see what the color did. From front to back: 1) Primochill UV Pink Premix; 2) Primochill UV Pink Dye (10 drops). Tough to tell in this picture....but it seemed to be turning more red. Not really a darker pink...but more red.



To see if it was really turning more red like I though, I added 10 more drops. You'll see that in the next picture.

Next up....Mayhems UV Pink Dye.



I used about 7 drops here also. It is a very close match for the Primochill premix (or the dye with 7 drops). You'll notice in this picture that the Primochill dye with 20 drops is much redder than the others. From front to back: 1) Primochill UV Pink Premix; 2) Primochill UV Pink Dye (20 drops); 3) Mayhems UV Pink Dye 7 drops.

Flash on...



....and flash off.



Next up....Mayhems Pastel Perfect Pink Concentrate.



From front to back: 1) Primochill UV Pink Premix; 2) Primochill UV Pink Dye (20 drops); 3) Mayhems UV Pink Dye 7 drops; 4) Mayhems Pastel Perfect Pink.

Flash off....



Flash on....



Take note of how the pastel pink is almost completely opaque. No light shines through it...and you can't see shapes behind. it. Very different than the other three.

Let's take a look at them in the case....to see how close the pinks are to the case color. These are in the same order...but are now left to right, instead of front to back.



While I like the way they look....none of them are a dead-on match for the pink case. #2 clearly is too red, so I think I've learned that less of the pink dye will create a better match for my case than more of the pink dye. But even the other two translucents (#1 and #3) are a much brighter pink than my case. They make the case look much more mellow than it does by itself....because they are so bright. And #4, I like....but still not the right shade. It's more of a bright gumball/cotton candy pink. So....whichever one I go with, I'm going to need to do some experimentation on adding in other dyes in small amounts to get closer to the color of my case.

When I do that I'll make sure do some pictures along the way. Color matching is always kind of fun.

What I decided to do next is see what they looked like under UV light. If you'll recall from earlier posts...I'm planning on having two different lighting schemes inside this build. A white light scheme, and a UV light scheme. Each will operate independently of the other. So to observe the UV reaction, I rustled up a couple of UV cold cathodes, and just set them inside case behind the pilsner glasses....like so:



Below is what they looked like with all the lights turned out...but the UV lights on. #1, #2 and #3 all had a lot of UV reaction and really popped. But they turned a bit toward the orangy/reddish side under UV lights. Still had some overall pink highlights....but also an orangy glow. At first, I was incredibly disappointed in the UV reaction for the pastel....#4. I had emailed Mayhem's to see if the Pink Pastel had a UV reaction, and was told "that it should". Well, the reaction was there...but very small.

I decided that part of why #4 didn't look like the others....was that since it was completely opaque...none of the UV lights were shining through the coolant so that I could see the reaction. In fact, in the picture below, you can see much more UV reaction for #4 on the backside of the glass, where the UV light is shining. For #1, #2, #3....since they are translucent,....it doesn't matter where the source of the UV light is coming from....it illuminates the entire glass. But since #4 is opaque...you really need UV light shining at it from whatever direction it is going to be viewed....to see the reaction.



So I made two changes for the picture below. First...I added about 10 drops of the Mayhems Pink UV dye to the Pastel Pink coolant. Secondly, I moved the UV lights to be above the glasses, and over right beside the pastel glass (right hand side of the picture...which is the front of the case). Now....I have the UV light illuminating the portion of the glass that shows in the picture below....

Much better....



You'll notice also that the pastel keeps it's pink color, and doesn't take on an orangy glow. For this one....I added about 10 more drops of the Mayhems Pink UV dye to the pastel glass (#4) to see if it increased the UV effect. Didn't really change it that much...so I think the majority of the previous change was due to the placement of the UV light.



I pulled the UV light from the front of the case and laid it down across the floor right in front of the glasses....and you can see that the front of the #4 glass looks dark again. No UV reaction unless you have UV light shining right at from the direction you are viewing....since it is opaque.



Below is a shot from the front of the case...so you can get a feel for what the reservoir might look like when filled with UV pink coolant and the UV lighting scheme turned on...



As an experiment, I decided to try a significantly reduced concentration of the pastel coolant.....to see if I could get some more light shining through it and illuminating it better. The one on the left is the reduced concentration coolant....and the one on the right is the original batch I mixed up. They look a little different in the normal light. But both still look opaque....



With the UV lights on....I think the reduced concentration one on the left clearly is lighting up better and more evenly than the original batch on the right....



Even when I move the UV light back to the front of the case....much closer to the glass on the right.....the reduced concentration pastel on the left is lighting up nicely.



Let me give you a final couple of shots...and then my thoughts on what I think I've learned.

In these shots, I have, from left to right, 1) Mayhems Pink UV Dye; 2) Reduced concentration Mayhem Pastel Perfect Pink; and 3) Mayhme Pastel Perfect Pink. Lights on....



...and UV lights on.



My take aways are:

1) The Mayhems and Primochill dyes are very similar tint. Either would work....but either is going to take some mixing with another color dye to get a better match for the case.
2) Shouldn't use too much pink....or it starts to turn red.
3) If I want to use the Pastel Perfect Pink with UV lights....I need to reduce the concentration of the coolant so that some light is trasmitted. This improves the UV glow effect immensely.
4) To maximize UV reaction for the pastels...I need lighting coming from whatever angle it is being viewed. This is not necessary for the other non-pastel dyes.
4) With the exception of the pastel coolant....the other dyes turn a bit orangy under UV light.

I'd love to get everyone's thoughts on the following things:

1) Ideas on what color(s) to mix in with pink to match my case better?
2) Which do you like better....the translucent look of the dyes in water....or the opaque look of the pastel coolant?


----------



## Oopsypoopsy

Primochill UV Dye looks good


----------



## RexTempus

I really liked the look of the reduced concentration pastel coolant. To me, the softness of it matches the case the best.


----------



## akira749

That's a hard question to answer since I like both translucent and opaque coolant but I will try my best.

First thing first, a "reduced" Mayhems Pastel concentration isn't a good thing since you're diluting the strength of the chemical additives in it. Okay it might look a bit better and UV react better but at a cost. Also I just want to let you know that UV Pink Dye will generally stain your components...you have to keep that in mind.

Will your sleeving going to be UV reactive too? I'm asking this because if it is then it will most likely give the same orangy look too.

While the orangy thing is not "pink" we have to consider that when you're in UV mode you won't really see the pink of the case and the fans so it won't clash and could give something interesting.

The hardest thing to match to your case will be the translucent solution...because, to achieve this you would have to add white which would kill the transparency.

So, in all fairness, if you want to close match your case and fans I would suggest to go with Mayhems Pastel.


----------



## Jameswalt1

The reduced concentration pastel is a no-brainer


----------



## luciddreamer124

Not big on UV personally, plus it stains blocks from what I've heard. I'd like to see pastel with white LED lighting.

That being said I like the look of the reduced concentration one.

What color fittings will you be using?


----------



## Barefooter

I like the pastel the best. UV lights always change at least some of the components colors. So I would make your best matches with natural lighting and/or the white lighting scheme, and then give the UV color matching consideration.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oopsypoopsy*
> 
> Primochill UV Dye looks good


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *RexTempus*
> 
> I really liked the look of the reduced concentration pastel coolant. To me, the softness of it matches the case the best.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> The reduced concentration pastel is a no-brainer


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> So, in all fairness, if you want to close match your case and fans I would suggest to go with Mayhems Pastel.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *luciddreamer124*
> 
> That being said I like the look of the reduced concentration one.


Thanks for the opinions gents!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> First thing first, a "reduced" Mayhems Pastel concentration isn't a good thing since you're diluting the strength of the chemical additives in it. Okay it might look a bit better and UV react better but at a cost. Also I just want to let you know that UV Pink Dye will generally stain your components...you have to keep that in mind.


I know that some people really believe in the additives and biocides....and maybe they really work. But I've never used them....and never had any problems. I've always just used plain ol' distilled water.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> Will your sleeving going to be UV reactive too? I'm asking this because if it is then it will most likely give the same orangy look too.
> While the orangy thing is not "pink" we have to consider that when you're in UV mode you won't really see the pink of the case and the fans so it won't clash and could give something interesting.


Good point. If it's dark enough to see the UV reaction....you really won't see the pink case anyway. The sleeving will not be UV reactive. It will be a combination of black and pink Telios.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *luciddreamer124*
> 
> Not big on UV personally, plus it stains blocks from what I've heard. I'd like to see pastel with white LED lighting.
> 
> What color fittings will you be using?


I've never really been into UV either. But this build is for my baby....and she needs some bling.









You've kind of already seen what it will look like under white LED....just from the non-UV photos above. Won't be too different. But that is the whole reason I want to different lighting schemes in here. UV can be turned off when desired....and still have the coolant look good under normal lighting. That's my goal anyway. Fittings are black.


----------



## WhiteWulfe

I love the reduced concentration pastel pink!


----------



## PCModderMike

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> The reduced concentration pastel is a no-brainer


----------



## MunneY

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!



Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Decided to take a look at some different coolants today....while I wait on the FedEx dude with my ASUS package.
> 
> First up....Primochill UV PInk Premixed
> 
> 
> 
> Because we are in the middle of the Western Conference Finals....You are all going to be treated to seeing the coolants in my Thunder pilsner glasses.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Go Thunder! I'll take one pic with the flash off....
> 
> 
> 
> ....and one pic with the flash on. Because it looks a little different both ways.
> 
> 
> 
> You can see that the coolant is very translucent. Not only can you see light pass through, but you can see images and shapes through the coolant.
> 
> Next up...Primochill UV Pink Dye. I wanted to see if it was the same hue as the premix....and see if I could alter the hue by changing how much dye I put in.
> 
> 
> 
> With about 7 drops....it looks almost identical to the premix. From front to back: 1) Primochill UV Pink Premix; 2) Primochill UV Pink Dye (7 drops)
> 
> 
> 
> I decided to add a few more drops of the pink dye....and see what the color did. From front to back: 1) Primochill UV Pink Premix; 2) Primochill UV Pink Dye (10 drops). Tough to tell in this picture....but it seemed to be turning more red. Not really a darker pink...but more red.
> 
> 
> 
> To see if it was really turning more red like I though, I added 10 more drops. You'll see that in the next picture.
> 
> Next up....Mayhems UV Pink Dye.
> 
> 
> 
> I used about 7 drops here also. It is a very close match for the Primochill premix (or the dye with 7 drops). You'll notice in this picture that the Primochill dye with 20 drops is much redder than the others. From front to back: 1) Primochill UV Pink Premix; 2) Primochill UV Pink Dye (20 drops); 3) Mayhems UV Pink Dye 7 drops.
> 
> Flash on...
> 
> 
> 
> ....and flash off.
> 
> 
> 
> Next up....Mayhems Pastel Perfect Pink Concentrate.
> 
> 
> 
> From front to back: 1) Primochill UV Pink Premix; 2) Primochill UV Pink Dye (20 drops); 3) Mayhems UV Pink Dye 7 drops; 4) Mayhems Pastel Perfect Pink.
> 
> Flash off....
> 
> 
> 
> Flash on....
> 
> 
> 
> Take note of how the pastel pink is almost completely opaque. No light shines through it...and you can't see shapes behind. it. Very different than the other three.
> 
> Let's take a look at them in the case....to see how close the pinks are to the case color. These are in the same order...but are now left to right, instead of front to back.
> 
> 
> 
> While I like the way they look....none of them are a dead-on match for the pink case. #2 clearly is too red, so I think I've learned that less of the pink dye will create a better match for my case than more of the pink dye. But even the other two translucents (#1 and #3) are a much brighter pink than my case. They make the case look much more mellow than it does by itself....because they are so bright. And #4, I like....but still not the right shade. It's more of a bright gumball/cotton candy pink. So....whichever one I go with, I'm going to need to do some experimentation on adding in other dyes in small amounts to get closer to the color of my case.
> 
> When I do that I'll make sure do some pictures along the way. Color matching is always kind of fun.
> 
> What I decided to do next is see what they looked like under UV light. If you'll recall from earlier posts...I'm planning on having two different lighting schemes inside this build. A white light scheme, and a UV light scheme. Each will operate independently of the other. So to observe the UV reaction, I rustled up a couple of UV cold cathodes, and just set them inside case behind the pilsner glasses....like so:
> 
> 
> 
> Below is what they looked like with all the lights turned out...but the UV lights on. #1, #2 and #3 all had a lot of UV reaction and really popped. But they turned a bit toward the orangy/reddish side under UV lights. Still had some overall pink highlights....but also an orangy glow. At first, I was incredibly disappointed in the UV reaction for the pastel....#4. I had emailed Mayhem's to see if the Pink Pastel had a UV reaction, and was told "that it should". Well, the reaction was there...but very small.
> 
> I decided that part of why #4 didn't look like the others....was that since it was completely opaque...none of the UV lights were shining through the coolant so that I could see the reaction. In fact, in the picture below, you can see much more UV reaction for #4 on the backside of the glass, where the UV light is shining. For #1, #2, #3....since they are translucent,....it doesn't matter where the source of the UV light is coming from....it illuminates the entire glass. But since #4 is opaque...you really need UV light shining at it from whatever direction it is going to be viewed....to see the reaction.
> 
> 
> 
> So I made two changes for the picture below. First...I added about 10 drops of the Mayhems Pink UV dye to the Pastel Pink coolant. Secondly, I moved the UV lights to be above the glasses, and over right beside the pastel glass (right hand side of the picture...which is the front of the case). Now....I have the UV light illuminating the portion of the glass that shows in the picture below....
> 
> Much better....
> 
> 
> 
> You'll notice also that the pastel keeps it's pink color, and doesn't take on an orangy glow. For this one....I added about 10 more drops of the Mayhems Pink UV dye to the pastel glass (#4) to see if it increased the UV effect. Didn't really change it that much...so I think the majority of the previous change was due to the placement of the UV light.
> 
> 
> 
> I pulled the UV light from the front of the case and laid it down across the floor right in front of the glasses....and you can see that the front of the #4 glass looks dark again. No UV reaction unless you have UV light shining right at from the direction you are viewing....since it is opaque.
> 
> 
> 
> Below is a shot from the front of the case...so you can get a feel for what the reservoir might look like when filled with UV pink coolant and the UV lighting scheme turned on...
> 
> 
> 
> As an experiment, I decided to try a significantly reduced concentration of the pastel coolant.....to see if I could get some more light shining through it and illuminating it better. The one on the left is the reduced concentration coolant....and the one on the right is the original batch I mixed up. They look a little different in the normal light. But both still look opaque....
> 
> 
> 
> With the UV lights on....I think the reduced concentration one on the left clearly is lighting up better and more evenly than the original batch on the right....
> 
> 
> 
> Even when I move the UV light back to the front of the case....much closer to the glass on the right.....the reduced concentration pastel on the left is lighting up nicely.
> 
> 
> 
> Let me give you a final couple of shots...and then my thoughts on what I think I've learned.
> 
> In these shots, I have, from left to right, 1) Mayhems Pink UV Dye; 2) Reduced concentration Mayhem Pastel Perfect Pink; and 3) Mayhme Pastel Perfect Pink. Lights on....
> 
> 
> 
> ...and UV lights on.
> 
> 
> 
> My take aways are:
> 
> 1) The Mayhems and Primochill dyes are very similar tint. Either would work....but either is going to take some mixing with another color dye to get a better match for the case.
> 2) Shouldn't use too much pink....or it starts to turn red.
> 3) If I want to use the Pastel Perfect Pink with UV lights....I need to reduce the concentration of the coolant so that some light is trasmitted. This improves the UV glow effect immensely.
> 4) To maximize UV reaction for the pastels...I need lighting coming from whatever angle it is being viewed. This is not necessary for the other non-pastel dyes.
> 4) With the exception of the pastel coolant....the other dyes turn a bit orangy under UV light.
> 
> I'd love to get everyone's thoughts on the following things:
> 
> 1) Ideas on what color(s) to mix in with pink to match my case better?
> 2) Which do you like better....the translucent look of the dyes in water....or the opaque look of the pastel coolant?






Mannnnnnnnn.

I had a lot of respect for you before this post. I CANNOT support a thunder fan.

Lol jk.

Im a Grizz fan!

congrats on the new sponsor


----------



## 8BitPandaz

I have to say the reduced pastel pink is my personal favorite (didn't think it would) it is a lot better under UV and there are plenty of places you can hide a UV light strip or two in that case to give the right coverage of light to make it really pop. And the colour is quite close to the case colour, so shouldn't need to much tweaking.

Love the idea of displaying them in pilaster glasses the opaque looks almost like a milkshake haha.


----------



## mandrix

I too like the milkshake...er, I mean reduced pastel.


----------



## cpachris

I didn't have time to open it before church tonight....but I left Taylor and Tebow in charge and told them to guard it with their lives...


----------



## Xclsyr

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I didn't have time to open it before church tonight....but I left Taylor and Tebow in charge and told them to guard it with their lives...


Are you sure that was wise?

Looks like someone thinks there's something tasty inside


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> I love the reduced concentration pastel pink!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *8BitPandaz*
> 
> I have to say the reduced pastel pink is my personal favorite (didn't think it would) it is a lot better under UV and there are plenty of places you can hide a UV light strip or two in that case to give the right coverage of light to make it really pop. And the colour is quite close to the case colour, so shouldn't need to much tweaking. Love the idea of displaying them in pilaster glasses the opaque looks almost like a milkshake haha.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> I too like the milkshake...er, I mean reduced pastel.


Appreciate the opinons! I tend to agree with the majority and like the pastel.....but the boss is leaning toward the translucent coolant. She likes the way it looks in the daytime better....but likes the way the pastel looks under UV better (no orange). Still playing with some combinations......

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xclsyr*
> 
> Are you sure that was wise? Looks like someone thinks there's something tasty inside


They will guard it with their life!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MunneY*
> 
> Mannnnnnnnn. I had a lot of respect for you before this post. I CANNOT support a thunder fan. Lol jk. Im a Grizz fan! congrats on the new sponsor


We almost didn't make it by you guys! Was a great series. Doesn't look like we have much of a shot against the Spurs though. Tonight's loss was embarrassing.


----------



## Kinaesthetic

Why don't you try out Pastel White and make your own shade of pink by adding Mayhems Pink and Deep Red dyes? Since, to be honest, none of the choices you've shown really match the shade of pink of the case. Just my







.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kinaesthetic*
> 
> Why don't you try out Pastel White and make your own shade of pink by adding Mayhems Pink and Deep Red dyes? Since, to be honest, none of the choices you've shown really match the shade of pink of the case. Just my
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .


I agree that the color match needs to be closer. I've got some more samples on the way to keep trying combinations. The pink color in the daylight needs to be more mellow.....and the UV reaction needs to be less orange. More attempts will be shown next week.


----------



## Oopsypoopsy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I didn't have time to open it before church tonight....but I left Taylor and Tebow in charge and told them to guard it with their lives...


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oopsypoopsy*


Lol....probably not too much suspense. Everyone knows that my color theme inside the computer is *black*. There really is only one motherboard that would make perfect sense.....

And no self-respecting sponsor is going to donate reference cards....so you can probably guess what cards I've ended up with also.....

Pictures later today.


----------



## Oopsypoopsy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Lol....probably not too much suspense. Everyone knows that my color theme inside the computer is *black*. There really is only one motherboard that would make perfect sense.....
> 
> And no self-respecting sponsor is going to donate reference cards....so you can probably guess what cards I've ended up with also.....
> 
> Pictures later today.


RIVEBE board with pink running through it is going to be hot.


----------



## rRansom




----------



## TiezZ BE

I came for the build, but stayed for the gifs









Not my choice of color but quality build


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Lol....probably not too much suspense. Everyone knows that my color theme inside the computer is *black*. There really is only one motherboard that would make perfect sense.....
> 
> And no self-respecting sponsor is going to donate reference cards....so you can probably guess what cards I've ended up with also.....
> 
> Pictures later today.


So R4BE on the motherboard and 2 GTX 780 Ti Matrix


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> So R4BE on the motherboard and 2 GTX 780 Ti Matrix


Are you all that will be powerful enough for @JennG to converse with her Facebook friends?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oopsypoopsy*
> 
> RIVEBE board with pink running through it is going to be hot.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> So R4BE on the motherboard and 2 GTX 780 Ti Matrix


The R4BE would make sense. And you're close on the cards...but I would have had to wait awhile longer for the Matrix.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Are you all that will be powerful enough for @JennG to converse with her Facebook friends?


She's gonna be "friending" people left and right. No need to pause. Be careful....I've you've viewed this post you are fair game for a frenzied friending session to break in the cards.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TiezZ BE*
> 
> I came for the build, but stayed for the gifs


Didn't we all? Where's Mike when you need him.......


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> The R4BE would make sense. And you're close on the cards...but I would have had to wait awhile longer for the Matrix.


Then some yummy DirectCU II GTX780TI?.......maybe my next baby


----------



## mandrix

Tebow......


----------



## cpachris

Fairly obvious choices.







Here's a quick peek at the boxes.



That's a lot of ASUS goodness sitting on the table right there. I'll have time to open them up and take some good hardware shots tomorrow and Saturday.


----------



## Ragsters

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Fairly obvious choices.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's a quick peek at the boxes.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That's a lot of ASUS goodness sitting on the table right there. I'll have time to open them up and take some good hardware shots tomorrow and Saturday.


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Fairly obvious choices.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's a quick peek at the boxes.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That's a lot of ASUS goodness sitting on the table right there. I'll have time to open them up and take some good hardware shots tomorrow and Saturday.


----------



## jameyscott

I don't see a Raidr! No longer interested.


----------



## Rbby258

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> I don't see a Raidr! No longer interested.


Raidr's suck, just get a real raid card


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ragsters*


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*


I feel the same!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> I don't see a Raidr! No longer interested.


I'm sending it back now! Lol....


----------



## cpachris

This first group of pictures is just kind of an unboxing series of pictures for the RIVE BE motherboard, and is intended to show off the packaging and all of the accessories that come with the motherboard.

For a primarily black motherboard.....you clearly need a primarily black box. Check.



And like a lot of motherboard packages, there is a flap that opens to reveal a clear view into the box inside to show off the motherboard. Flap also serves as space for additional marketing yada yada to be printed on the inside of the flap...



There are two boxes inside the large box. The solid cover one on the left holds the accessories, and the clear cover one on the right holds the board itself. And that strange little Star Wars-esque thingy. What is that thing? Let's take a closer look....



The Star Wars looking thingy is what ASUS calls the Overclocking Command Center.



You plug this thing directly into the motherboard, and it allows you to monitor AND CHANGE voltages at the hardware-level. You can also adjust overclock settings and fan speeds directly from the device. It sounds like it could be very useful while setting up your overclocks. I'm intrigued, and you will definitely see some more pictures and/or video of thing in action....



it even comes with this 5.25 inch bay adapter.....



...which allows you to swivel the LED head and slide it into this mount, and install it in your case. I probably won't install it in the case just because I want to keep the front of the computer as clean as possible. I'll already have an Aquaero on the front panel.



Here is the marketing gib gab related to the overclocking panel from the box....



Ahhhhhhhhh. The board itself. I've always found the RIVE BE beautiful, and it's one of the main reasons I approached ASUS about partnering with me on this build. I just love how tough, black and powerful this thing looks. And with me going for a primarily black interior theme....and wanting an X79 board again.....it really just made the most sense to go this route.



The heatsinks won't be on there after I block the board....but even the heatsinks are well done. I'm going to try and find a way to leave the I/O cover that is incorporated into the heat pipe. Probably have to cut the heatpipe....but no big deal. The I/O cover itself is a very nice touch. I've spent a fair amount of time on some prior builds trying to cover up the back of what is usually just some shiny metallic boxes on the I/O panel. This is a far more elegant solution. Nice touch ASUS.







Enough of the board for now. I need to take off some of the protective stickers, and take some real glamour shots. These shots are just to show what was in the box really. So lets move on to the accessories included. There are 10 SATA cables included. The ones with the white band on the tip are the SATA3 cables, and the all black ones are the SATA2 cables. 1/2 of the cables are 90 degree angle ends, and the other 1/2 are straight ends. That should keep it easy to plug and unplug when they are stacked on top of each other. Nice touch ASUS.



....and 10 cables matches perfectly with the 10 SATA ports on the board. The grey ones are SATA3 and the black ones are SATA2.



Check out the I/O shield that I have leaned up against the I/O panel. That's the backside of it showing. You'll notice there is a rather thick layer of foam with a metallic type backing that surrounds all of the cut-outs.



Here is the front side of the I/O shield, and if you look at the cut-outs closely, you can see the thick foam extending behind each cut-out. This foam takes up the empty space that normally exists in most motherboards between the I/O shield and the I/O panel itself. A very nice touch ASUS.



Here are some of the other cables that come in the box. From left to right along the bottom of the board....first up is the WIFI antennae. Now...I will always end up running CAT6 cable to the box when it's in it's final location, because almost every room in my house is wired. But....I can't tell you how nice it will be to have WIFI access built into the board so that is can be connected while it's still being moved around a lot and worked on in every room of the house.







It's one of the features that I truly miss on my Asrock Extreme11. I will definitely use the built-in WIFI. The next cable (the white one in the middle) is just a USB cable. The one on the right is the Overclocking Command Center cable that has to plug into the board. Additionally, you must connect a SATA cable between the board and the panel also.



It comes with all the SLI connectors you might possibly need....





This is a pretty neat idea. For all the little dupont style connectors, ASUS has created a single plug that can be removed from the motherboard and all of the little connectors come off with it. This will save a ton of time for those of you with fat little fingers like mine and have trouble with the 2pin dupont style connectors. Nice touch ASUS.



Sticker for a case badge? Not on a $500 motherboard. This is a hefty magnetic case badge. Nice touch ASUS.



I haven't gone through the User Manual yet.....but I gave it the "bulk test" review....and it passed. It's thick. Nice cover too!



Now....I don't know how many people spend $500 on a beautiful motherboard....and then use these atrocious stickers on their HDD cabling.....but maybe some do.







[Seinfeld Voice] Not that there's anything wrong with that! A DVD of drivers and user manual, along with a coupon for a copy of Assassin's Creed Black Flag....round out the accessory package.



Very pleased with the initial run-through. Now I'm going to take off some of the protective film and get out my macro lens. The board has so many features on it that I'll take some close-ups of some of the neat stuff it has on it. More soon.....


----------



## akira749

And the graphic cards....and the graphic cards....and the graphic cards....and the graphic cards??!!


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Now....I don't know how many people spend $500 on a beautiful motherboard....and then use these atrocious stickers on their HDD cabling.....but maybe some do.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [Seinfeld Voice] Not that there's anything wrong with that! A DVD of drivers and user manual, along with a coupon for a copy of Assassin's Creed Black Flag....round out the accessory package.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!










People still use more than zero ODDs?

...Fine, I have one, but it's an old one integrated into a hot-swap bay with a couple USB ports. Also, SATA cables are SATA cables and, unless they're damaged, should not affect which speed is used.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Now....I don't know how many people spend $500 on a beautiful motherboard....and then use these atrocious stickers on their HDD cabling.....but maybe some do.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [Seinfeld Voice] Not that there's anything wrong with that! A DVD of drivers and user manual, along with a coupon for a copy of Assassin's Creed Black Flag....round out the accessory package.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> People still use more than zero ODDs?...
Click to expand...

Yes, some of us flatulent geriatrics still use them.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> And the graphic cards....and the graphic cards....and the graphic cards....and the graphic cards??!!


Coming soon.......

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> People still use more than zero ODDs?


Probably more people use an ODD than use that AMD CPU you have.....









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> Also, SATA cables are SATA cables and, unless they're damaged, should not affect which speed is used.


That's my understanding also.....but if you don't use the correct cable, it won't color match the port on the motherboard. And that's what really counts. Color matching cables and ports. That's just science.


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Probably more people use an ODD than use that AMD CPU you have.....


The Phenom is strong in this one.


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> And the graphic cards....and the graphic cards....and the graphic cards....and the graphic cards??!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Coming soon.......
Click to expand...

I know don't worry. I was just kidding here


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Probably more people use an ODD than use that AMD CPU you have.....


AUDIBLE GASP! An Intel elitist?! Well, I don't have thousands to blow on an X79/SLI GK110/watercooled Facebook machine, so...







Also, it gets moar jiggahertz than Thuban could ever hope for, and as we all know, moar jigghertz = moar faster.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> That's my understanding also.....but if you don't use the correct cable, it won't color match the port on the motherboard. And that's what really counts. Color matching cables and ports. That's just science.


Color coordination is the most important part of a build. It gives a x1.5 multiplier to epeen.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> Well, I don't have thousands to blow on an X79/SLI GK110/watercooled Facebook machine, so...


I can promise you've spent more on your rig than I've spent on this one......


----------



## seross69

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I can promise you've spent more on your rig than I've spent on this one......


Hey you dont have to rub it in even if he was being rude... Deserve all you can get and no jelly here


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *seross69*
> 
> Hey you dont have to rub it in even if he was being rude... Deserve all you can get and no jelly here


There's not a rude bone in my body.

Maybe a little bit of rude fat....but not bones.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *seross69*
> 
> Hey you dont have to rub it in even if he was being rude... Deserve all you can get and no jelly here
> 
> 
> 
> There's not a rude bone in my body.
> 
> Maybe a little bit of rude fat....but not bones.
Click to expand...


----------



## TiezZ BE

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> ...
> 
> This is a pretty neat idea. For all the little dupont style connectors, ASUS has created a single plug that can be removed from the motherboard and all of the little connectors come off with it. This will save a ton of time for those of you with fat little fingers like mine and have trouble with the 2pin dupont style connectors. Nice touch ASUS.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I ditched those connectors after my pc didn't start the very first time due to bad contact on those connectors. The idea is good but it didn't work the first time and it has no real function anymore once connected to the board, so mine are back in the box.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *TiezZ BE*
> 
> I ditched those connectors after my pc didn't start the very first time due to bad contact on those connectors. The idea is good but it didn't work the first time and it has no real function anymore once connected to the board, so mine are back in the box.


Thanks for the heads-up. I'll see what kind of connection I get with them.

But if you remove your motherboard a lot, it seems like they would continue to have great value even after you are connected to the board. You only would have to mess with the small individual connections one time...and after that you are just pulling on/off one connector. It's kind of the same concept I did for my last build, where I wired about 4 of these small two pin connectors into one larger USB style motherboard connector, and made one plug out of it.


----------



## sadeter

I've had a couple of ASUS boards that have those, and I've used them with no problems.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sadeter*
> 
> I've had a couple of ASUS boards that have those, and I've used them with no problems.


Good to hear.


----------



## TiezZ BE

Yeah they probably work great most of the time, I just didn't try them again after attaching the wires individually and succesfully starting my rig. It worked, so I was pleased without the connectors


----------



## CptAsian

Subbing. Better late than never, right?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CptAsian*
> 
> Subbing. Better late than never, right?


Welcome! I've barely started.







This has been a slow ride while I tied down all the sponsorships. Going to start moving faster soon.....


----------



## cpachris

This group of shots is intended to highlight some of the features of the board. I basically got out the user manual and my camera...and snapped a shot of everything as I went through the manual and learned about all the "stuff" on the board. Some really neat features packed in here.

First...I'll show the power connectors. Of course there is a 24 pin. It's situated in the normal spot on the right edge of the board. I think a nice tweak here would be to rotate it so that it faces out from the board instead of straight up. Some companies are starting to do this now...and it really makes sense to me.



On top of the board is a 4 pin and an 8 pin power connectors....



...and on the bottom of the board is a 4 pin molex style connector. The manual says it should be used when running multiple graphics cards. Check. I'll be powering this baby up on all possible fronts.



The board has NUMEROUS fan options. They are all PWM compatible also, which is a nice touch. The first is up on the top of the board above the CPU socket....



There are two more on the top/right corner of the board....



....two more right behind the 24 pin socket....



....and two more on the bottom edge of the board. That's 7 total. That's a lot. Nice touch ASUS.



Another really nice touch is adding thermal sensor connections right on the motherboard itself. There are three of them. The first is up in the top/right corner...



The second is behind the 24 pin connection....



..and the third is at the bottom of the board between the USB and fan connections.



I think that these thermal sensor connections would be extremely useful for someone who is air cooling and driving their fans from the motherboard fan connections I showed previously. For water coolers....you probably will want to control your pumps AND fans based on temperature readings....and I wouldn't recommend trying to power your pump from one of the motherboard fan connections. So I think these will be useful mostly for air coolers....not water coolers. But it's still a real nice touch. I wonder if the thermal sensor readings become available to Aida64....and thus...available to something like an Aquaero. I'll try that once I hook up my Aquaero and get things running.

The "start" and "reset" buttons are in an easy to access location. One of the things I don't really like about my Asrock Extreme11 (but I love the board overall!) is the location of these buttons are on the very bottom edge of the board. It makes them very difficult to access in any circumstance....and almost impossible to access when you have something in the bottom PCIe slot.



Very similar to the "start" button....the debug LED's are in a very easy to see/reach location on this board. Mine has a scratch across the LED....but I'm hoping it is a cosmetic defect only. If so....not that big a deal.. I'll know once I power it up.



These next two features are kind of cool. Both are related to our LN2 brothers out there....that are trying to boot this board cold. The left arrow points to a jumper switch where, when activated, optimizes the board to remedy the cold-boot bug during POST at extremely low temperatures. The right arrow points to a "slow mode" switch. Flipping the switch down clocks the CPU instantaneously, which allows LN2 users to boot at non optimal temperatures. Neat stuff. But since this will be a water cooled build...I won't use these two features.



Here's a neat little switch. This one lets you enable or disable the corresponding PCIe x16 slots. So...if you had a problem with one of your cards...you could use this slide switch to find out the faulty one without removing the card itself. Very nice...if they all happen to be hooked up to a water cooling loop. Nice touch ASUS.



USB 3.0 header. Wish there were two of these....



Here's another nifty little feature. There is a little LED (right arrow) that lights up if memory issues are causing your boot to fail. That alone is nice. But the button to the left (left arrow) is even neater. If you press it, the sytem initiates a memory tuning process where the system loads and tests failsafe memory settings, until it can successfully boot. Very nice touch ASUS.



Down in the lower right corner of the board, you'll find the ROG Extension connection, and the front panel connections for the power, reset, HDD LED, etc. If you don't have the ROG overclocking panel plugged into the ROG extension....the right portion of it becomes a USB 2.0 connection. Nice touch ASUS.



Two very cool features in this picture. On the left, you'll see a "DirectKey" button. When you press this button, it allows your system to go to the BIOS setup program without having to press the DEL key during POST. Hello! I'll definitely use this feature. Not available on my Asrock board. Me likey. To the right of this button is the BIOS Switch button. This board allows you to have two different BIOS loaded. When you press this button, it switches to the other BIOS. Hello! I can definitely find use for this feature also. My Asrock board allows me to save 3 different BIOS settings....but I have to reboot and enter BIOS setup to activate them. Not having to enter BIOS setup will be sweet. Very nice touch ASUS.



Two more USB 2.0 connections at the bottom of the board....



Front panel audio connections....



And in the center you'll find the CMOS battery....as well as what appears to be a little power connection for an LED inside the ROG logo in the middle of the board.



Overall...I find the feature set on this board amazing. This is actually my first ASUS board. I've owned primarily Gigabyte and Asrock in the past. Features are way cool on this board. Can't wait to fire it up and try them all out.

This board has a ton of features that my Asrock Extreme11 doesn't have.....but it's also missing some things I'd love to see on it. If I were in charge of creating the perfect motherboard, here is what I would do. I would start with this board. This board, because it really has most of what any user could ever want. I'd start with this board, the ASUS RIVE BE....and here are the changes I'd make:'

- add 2 PLX chips so that you can have 4x SLI with 16x lanes for each card
- add an LSI 2308 chip for expansion of SATA connections
- add a second USB 3.0 header
- rotate the 24 pin connection so it faces the edge of the board

There you go. The perfect board.

But this one appears to be pretty darn close anyway. Next up are the glamour shots. I've already taken them......they are in post processing now. More soon!


----------



## wthenshaw

Nice touch asus!


----------



## mAs81

That is a seriously cool motherboard!You're definitely going to have fun with it!Good job ASUS


----------



## mandrix

Nice board fo sho.
What boards have the 24 pin turned on it's side? I don't think I've ever seen that but I'm a Gigabyte guy. but I do own one Asrock


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Nice board fo sho.
> What boards have the 24 pin turned on it's side? I don't think I've ever seen that but I'm a Gigabyte guy. but I do own one Asrock


EVGA has started doing it, ......and it just makes sense.


----------



## luciddreamer124

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> EVGA has started doing it, ......and it just makes sense.


Same thing with USB 3 header... I was watching Linus's WAN show, and they asked JJ from ASUS why they don't use them. Case compatibility, really? I feel like almost all the people buying high end boards are using decent cases with cable management grommets that work easily with right angle USB 3. It makes it so much cleaner.


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> EVGA has started doing it, ......and it just makes sense.


That's such an obvious thing to do. Why hasn't anybody done that until now? 24-pin cables are the worst ones to mess with, and I'd take anything to make them easier. Hmm, maybe we could get somebody to make right-angle adapters?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *luciddreamer124*
> 
> Same thing with USB 3 header... I was watching Linus's WAN show, and they asked JJ from ASUS why they don't use them. Case compatibility, really? I feel like almost all the people buying high end boards are using decent cases with cable management grommets that work easily with right angle USB 3. It makes it so much cleaner.


I'm more disappointed with the lack of friction between the header and the plug. USB 2.0 require some effort to remove, but 3.0 feels like it can be dislodged if anything touches the cable. Then again, my sample size is one ASRock motherboard, one ASUS motherboard, and one way-too-expensive 2x Type A to motherboard header adapter from somewhere in Eastern Asia.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I can promise you've spent more on your rig than I've spent on this one......


Lulz. Yeah, sponsorships are pretty great, aren't they?


----------



## wthenshaw

Methinks Intel for next sponsor?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *luciddreamer124*
> 
> Same thing with USB 3 header... I was watching Linus's WAN show, and they asked JJ from ASUS why they don't use them. Case compatibility, really? I feel like almost all the people buying high end boards are using decent cases with cable management grommets that work easily with right angle USB 3. It makes it so much cleaner.


Agreed. That needs to happen also. I'll bet within 2 years the right angle connections for 24 pin and USB will be standard for any mid-range or high-end board.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> I'm more disappointed with the lack of friction between the header and the plug. USB 2.0 require some effort to remove, but 3.0 feels like it can be dislodged if anything touches the cable. Then again, my sample size is one ASRock motherboard, one ASUS motherboard, and one way-too-expensive 2x Type A to motherboard header adapter from somewhere in Eastern Asia.


Which Asrock board? The USB 3.0 headers are secure and snug on my Extreme11.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Methinks Intel for next sponsor?


Couldn't connect with any decision makers over there. Would have liked to though.


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Agreed. That needs to happen also. *I'll bet within 2 years the right angle connections for 24 pin and USB will be standard for any mid-range or high-end board.*
> Couldn't connect with any decision makers over there. Would have liked to though.


*holding you to that wager.*

That sucks, so back to pondering who that little space in the sponsor plaque is for...


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> *holding you to that wager.*
> 
> That sucks, so back to pondering who that little space in the sponsor plaque is for...


I'm making a diary note right now. Follow up with wthenshaw in May 2016.









There is a good chance that the open spot will be filled by someone on your side of the pond....


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I'm making a diary note right now. *Follow up with wthenshaw in May 2016.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> There is a good chance that the open spot will be filled by someone on your side of the pond....


*Likewise!*

Hmm. Give us a clue?

Water cooling paraphernalia? Peripheral?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Hmm. Give us a clue?


I'm dyeing to announce them....but it would wreak havoc on my policy to not announce until the stuff has arrived.


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Which Asrock board? The USB 3.0 headers are secure and snug on my Extreme11.


Extreme4 990FX. I hope it's an isolated thing, but it's nothing zip ties and duct tape can't help.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I'm *dyeing* to announce them....but it would wreak havoc on my policy to not announce until the stuff has arrived.


Is this a hint or a typo?


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Hint. Me thinks mayhems or w/e the their name is.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I'm *dyeing* to announce them....but it would wreak *havoc* on my policy to not announce until the stuff has arrived.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> Is this a hint or a typo?


It was a hint......

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> Hint. Me thinks mayhems or w/e the their name is.










Announcement soon......


----------



## cpachris

Some glamour shots of the RIVE BE.....





































It really is a beautiful board even with the stock heatsinks. I'll leave these on until I know that everything is working....and then I'll be ready to block the board. Can't wait to see this beauty with those acrylic blocks and pink coolant running all over it.


----------



## Ragsters

Are you getting the Mono block?


----------



## wthenshaw




----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ragsters*
> 
> Are you getting the Mono block?


I'm talking with EK about it. I already have the other blocks, and have started playing with polishing them.....so they can't really be returned. What I'd love to do is to block it up with the normal Supremacy and RIVE BE blocks first. Do some temperature and flow rate testing....and then swap them for the monoblock. See what the impact is.


----------



## Ragsters

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I'm talking with EK about it. I already have the other blocks, and have started playing with polishing them.....so they can't really be returned. What I'd love to do is to block it up with the normal Supremacy and RIVE BE blocks first. Do some temperature and flow rate testing....and then swap them for the monoblock. See what the impact is.


Thats a great idea. I have a feeling you might see a 1-2 degree difference with the solo blocks coming out on top over the mono block. I guess we'll see.


----------



## Barefooter

Now I know why Asus sponsored you... they get to use your pictures for their marketing materials!

Wow, love those close up shots









Looking forward to seeing the differences between the mono block vs the separate blocks.


----------



## mAs81

Top notch pics,as always...
Man,that m/b looks good!!!


----------



## Stunub

So I remember your BBBB build with the ASrock board that had the annoying little fan on the heatsink which was eventually replaced to the sexy copper block that Nateman_doo made Seeing that ASUS don't run one on their board do you think it is necessary on the ASrock or was there more hardware under there that needed cooling?


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Stunub*
> 
> So I remember your BBBB build with the ASrock board that had the annoying little fan on the heatsink which was eventually replaced to the sexy copper block that Nateman_doo made Seeing that ASUS don't run one on their board do you think it is necessary on the ASrock or was there more hardware under there that needed cooling?


I don't think it's needed at all. Mine runs silent so I still have it installed, but it was running fine without it.


----------



## Oopsypoopsy

Looking good.

Glad I didnt miss too much over the weekend.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Barefooter*
> 
> Now I know why Asus sponsored you... they get to use your pictures for their marketing materials! Wow, love those close up shots


Lol...thanks! Maybe they will pick one up on their FaceBook page or something. They don't seem to do near as much of that as EK does though.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Top notch pics,as always...
> Man,that m/b looks good!!!


Thanks mAs81!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Stunub*
> 
> So I remember your BBBB build with the ASrock board that had the annoying little fan on the heatsink which was eventually replaced to the sexy copper block that Nateman_doo made Seeing that ASUS don't run one on their board do you think it is necessary on the ASrock or was there more hardware under there that needed cooling?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> I don't think it's needed at all. Mine runs silent so I still have it installed, but it was running fine without it.


I can't speak for the Extreme4 that CynicalUnicorn has, but for the Extreme11 X79 board....it was absolutely necessary. While the ASUS board really just has the X79 chip underneath the heatsink, Asrock has the X79, LSI 2308 and two PLX chips underneath. Even with the stock fan (which was horribly loud!) the temperature on the motherboard sensor that was closest to underneath the heatsink would creep up above 60 Celsius under just normal loads. If you could survive the fan noise, I guess that was acceptable. But I think it would have quickly overheated with no fan in place whatsoever. Especially once you start running some GPU intensive stuff also and warm up the PLX chips in addition to the other two. Both of the waterblocks I've used keep the board nice and cool in the low 30's, with no additional noise.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oopsypoopsy*
> 
> Looking good. Glad I didnt miss too much over the weekend.


Just a few pics.







Got some graphics cards pictures to post today!


----------



## cpachris

A few unboxing photos.....and then I'll post the glamour shots.

ASUS has been gracious enough to provide 2x of their GTX 780 Ti's DirectCU II OC graphic cards. Not a reference card.....this baby has the ASUS custom PCB and power delivery system, as well as their custom cooling solution with dual fans.



Inside the glossy marketing cover is a simple but elegant box with the ASUS logo in the center. In search of incredible. Always liked that slogan....



Inside the box is another slim box that contains the accessories and some foam padding on the right....



Underneath the accessory box is another slim layer of foam padding.....



Underneath the 2nd layer of foam padding, is another ring of foam protection with the card itself in the middle. So it's well protected.



Here is what is in the accessory box. It's not much, but I think one of the accessories is kind of cool. There is a mini-manual (not much in there), DVD of drivers, power connection adapter, and some aluminum bling to put on the card. The power connection adapter could be useful for a lot of people I'm sure. Takes 2x 6pin connections and turns them into one 8pin connection. But...I think my Corsair AX1500i should have plenty of connectors without use of the adapter.











The aluminum bling is what I find interesting. They are colored aluminum pieces with sticky tape on one side. Comes in both red and gold flavors. The idea is you get to pick which one fits your build colors better, and install those yourself. You can see in the picture down here where they go. Think of these kind of like the Corsair accent rings on their fans. It's simply a quick and easy way to customize the component quickly to go with your colors. And kind of like I'm planning on painting the Corsair rings my own custom color....you could easily paint these aluminum pieces also to go with your theme. Nice touch ASUS.

Even though I'll eventually block these cards, I'll probably paint a set of these pink and stick them on to see how they look. Plus, I plan on putting the cards through their paces with the custom ASUS air cooling on first anyway....just to see how it performs.



You can see the side of the card in this picture where the stickers would go....



...and here is the other side of the card.



It really is a mean tough looking graphics card with those pipes showing and massive heatsink underneath the dual fans. Even the backplate has a mean aggressive look. And I love that it comes with a backplate. This should be required on any card in the $700+ range. I really like the aesthetics of the cards.

I took a lot of glamour shots also....and I'm working on processing those right now, so there will be more pictures of the cards soon.....


----------



## Oopsypoopsy

That looks fairly well built, how does it feel holidn git? I never have had an ASUS card before.


----------



## Oliver1234

That looks like a beast of a graphics card...


----------



## Jameswalt1

That stock backplate looks really good. Will you retain it?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oopsypoopsy*
> 
> That looks fairly well built, how does it feel holidn git? I never have had an ASUS card before.


Feels heavy and solid. The cooler shell is either aluminum or some type of alloy. Extremely wide because of the cooling system. The heat pipes are thick and solid and have absolutely no wiggle. The backplate is thinner than I would have guessed when compared to some EK options I've handled. Probably more for aesthetics and cooling....rather than structural rigidity. But overall, I'd give it big thumbs up.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oliver1234*
> 
> That looks like a beast of a graphics card...


It does look rather beastly. And you need a beastly card to pull off pink in a manly sort of way.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> That stock backplate looks really good. Will you retain it?


I guess I need to make sure it's compatible with the EK blocks....but I sure like the way it looks. We'll see......


----------



## Kinaesthetic

Suooo, now that the NDA on the PB287Q is up, maybe you should give Asus a nudge for you to have one to review and play around with on this build !


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kinaesthetic*
> 
> Suooo, now that the NDA on the PB287Q is up, maybe you should give Asus a nudge for you to have one to review and play around with on this build
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> !


They said they would send it as soon as the retail versions are available. Can't wait!


----------



## mandrix

Nice. Are there blocks available for those cards yet? I took a quick look at EK and didn't see it, but I might be semi blind.


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Nice. Are there blocks available for those cards yet? I took a quick look at EK and didn't see it, but I might be semi blind.


Mmhm
http://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-fc780-gtx-ti-dcii-nickel.html


----------



## mandrix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Mmhm
> http://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-fc780-gtx-ti-dcii-nickel.html


Nice.


----------



## cpachris

Glamour shots for the graphics cards!

These really are good looking cards.....





























I keep coming back to the words "mean" and "tough"....but I think that describes them best. These cards look like they came here to kick some butt and chew some bubblegum. And they're all out of bubblegum.

I've got my i7-4930k that will be going in this build....so after my low profile air CPU cooler gets here tomorrow, I should have everything I need to fire this baby up on air and make sure everything is in working order. Then I get to do the fun stuff. Cooling loop, fans, cabling and lighting.


----------



## Oopsypoopsy

I wanna see them naked


----------



## seross69

show them to me, show them to me if you love your country!!!! Show them to me!!!!!!!


----------



## PCModderMike

Glamour shots!


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> That stock backplate looks really good. Will you retain it?


Found this on EK's page.

"- The original ASUS factory provided backplate cannot be re-used with this water block!"

Source near bottom of page: http://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-fc780-gtx-ti-dcii-nickel.html


----------



## jameyscott

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Found this on EK's page.
> 
> "- The original ASUS factory provided backplate cannot be re-used with this water block!"
> 
> Source near bottom of page: http://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-fc780-gtx-ti-dcii-nickel.html


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oopsypoopsy*
> 
> I wanna see them naked


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *seross69*
> 
> show them to me, show them to me if you love your country!!!! Show them to me!!!!!!!


Can't skip straight to naked and skip all the foreplay.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> Glamour shots!
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


I'm gif-less right now. I've got nothing.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Found this on EK's page.
> 
> "- The original ASUS factory provided backplate cannot be re-used with this water block!"
> 
> Source near bottom of page: http://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-fc780-gtx-ti-dcii-nickel.html


I thought I remembered reading that somewhere before.


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Can't skip straight to naked and skip all the foreplay.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm gif-less right now. I've got nothing.
> I thought I remembered reading that somewhere before.


It may be that they want you to buy their backplate, so we all await your testing for future reference.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> It may be that they want you to buy their backplate, so we all await your testing for future reference.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*


I'll give it a go.....


----------



## MadCat1118

I'm enjoying the work you do Chris, looks like this is going to be a good build. Been reading through it a little while. Also going through your BBBB build, and there's plenty of good stuff in there, I appreciate you showing how you do things. You've inspired me to play with making fan harnesses for my current rig to clean up the wiring some. And then if that goes well, custom wiring for the whole thing.

One question though. For getting sponsorships, did you basically have to use your BBBB build as proof of what you can do, and then do a whole lot of schmoozing? Until I started browsing OCN, I wouldn't have thought companies would even do that.


----------



## cpachris

I have answers!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> Seems odd though that Asus would have three models that can readily be confused with one another because only one digit is different (doubly so because it's quite easy to accidentally type 287 instead of 278)


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Agreed. Confusing. The first two digits clearly stand for the diagonal screen size. But I don't know what the 3rd digit represents....and I'm a little unclear about the two letter designation also. Maybe it makes sense once you know what you're looking at. If someone else knows....enlighten us all. I'll seek an answer from my ASUS contact also.


Here is how the naming scheme works. And yes, it makes a little more sense once you know what you are looking at. Still easy to confuse them or mistype them....but at least now you'll have an idea what kind of monitor it is....solely from the name.

a. 1st & 2nd digits - series name. V*G* are *g*aming monitors. *P*A & *P*B are *p*rofessoinal design monitors, although PB is becoming increasingly popular for enthusiast gaming. *V*S/*V*E/*V*N are the *v*alue focused monitors. MX are the Designo series with high-end look and feel with integrated speakers with B&O ICE Power.

b. 3rd & 4th digits - arguably most important, these are the size of the monitor

c. 5th digit -- serial number. not meaningful.

d. 6th digit - I/O - most relevant right now are "Q" (DisplayPort & HDMI) and "H" (HDMI only).

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> Would you happen to know if Asus has plans to make something equivalent to the LG 34UM95? Personally I would prefer a display like that over a 4K monitor.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> Indeed, I immediately pre-ordered a 34um95, can't wait. I would say with all of the hype surrounding it and good reviews Asus will surely jump in.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Unsure if there is one in the works at ASUS....but that is a unique size. Would fit my desk well....where I have ample east/west room....but I'm very limited on north/south expansion. I've got my eye on those also. I'll see what I can find out now that I have someone I can shoot questions to.


ASUS does currently have a couple of 21:9 monitors out there, but they are lower resolution than the LG monitor. The ASUS 21:9 monitors are the MX299Q and the PB298Q. Now quick.....use your new found knowledge on naming conventions and figure out what kind of monitor it is just from the model number. Go.

ASUS mentioned that while they have no current plans to build a higher resolution version of the 21:9 monitor, that they will definitely be watching to see what the market reaction is to this newer aspect ratio.

Hope that helps a little bit, and thank you to the ASUS folks for taking time to answer my questions.


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Man.







I want a 1440p 21:9 monitor. That's such a great compromise between 4k or 3x1080p extended (5760x1080) despite having fewer pixels than either. No bezels to deal with but still is widescreen, less stuff to render than 4k so your GPU doesn't explode too badly, and a much better aspect ratio in my opinion than 48:9. 2560x1080 is just a poor man's 1440p, unless there is somebody crazy with a 3x720p extended display (3840x720).

(Oh, fun fact: 5x1080p monitors in portrait is basically the same as a 2160p monitor with a 21:9 aspect ratio. Various companies, get on it!)


----------



## Pheozero

So the PG278Q is a professional gaming monitor with DP? Speaking of which, ask them when it's coming out


----------



## JambonJovi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> These cards look like they came here to kick some butt and chew some bubblegum. And they're all out of bubblegum.


YES!!!









Love that movie.


----------



## cpachris

Come on Thunder!


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Come on Thunder!


They have been crushed by the Spurs tonight....they will rebound at the next game


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> They have been crushed by the Spurs tonight....they will rebound at the next game


Crushed indeed. That was just ugly last night. We've rallied before.....we will rally again!


----------



## MunneY

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Crushed indeed. That was just ugly last night. We've rallied before.....we will rally again!


the spurs are just too good man.


----------



## Oopsypoopsy

That game was depressing when I was at the game watching the Rangers get to the Cup for the first time in 20 years!!!!

I also expect a Thunder themed build as your next build now.


----------



## GingerJohn

Subbed for more awesome building, however....
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Come on Thunder!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> They have been crushed by the Spurs tonight....they will rebound at the next game


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Crushed indeed. That was just ugly last night. We've rallied before.....we will rally again!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MunneY*
> 
> the spurs are just too good man.


Less football American hand-egg,1 more modding!

1 I'm English, can you tell?


----------



## Simmons572

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Less football American hand-egg,1 more modding!
> 
> 1 I'm English, can you tell?


American hand-egg.... I am going to be using this from now on


----------



## mandrix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Subbed for more awesome building, however....
> 
> Less football American hand-egg,1 more modding!
> 
> 1 I'm English, can you tell?


1Yep, because they were talking about basketball, not football.







But I guess hand egg could go with basketball....lol.


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> 1Yep, because they were talking about basketball, not football.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But I guess hand egg could go with basketball....lol.


Don't mind him. He isn't American, so the only sport he cares/knows about is soccer.


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> Don't mind him. He isn't American, so the only sport he cares/knows about is soccer.


*cough* football *cough*


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> *cough* football *cough*


Your people coined the S-word. Don't blame me!


----------



## MadCat1118

PB287Q Review

Looks like you picked a nice monitor! I had been thinking about going to 1440p but 4k looks so appealing (aside from scaling issues) that I might have to wait until I can afford one (and a GPU that can drive it for games). Can't wait to see your impressions on it when ASUS sends it.


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> 1Yep, because they were talking about basketball, not football.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But I guess hand egg could go with basketball....lol.


Yey, you got it!

I knew it wasn't Football, although I did have to Google the teams to know _which_ sport it was.

Anyway, I mandate more marvellous modding!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Less football American hand-egg,1 more modding!


Agreed. Sleeving test!

Trying out a couple of options on sleeving the fans. I'll be using the same approach as the BBBB....where all fans will have the power cord shortened significantly. I like to run custom power harnesses to each fan. It can be cleaner looking to wire all the individual fans together into one cable that runs to the power source....but this creates a nightmare if you have a fan go out or want to take an individual fan off to lube. The way I do it leaves all fans with the option to be removed individually from the build and/or replaced. The custom power harnesses shouldn't ever have to change.....so less chance of rewiring work this way.

The stock cabling on the Corsair fans isn't bad. It's the flat cable type. But naturally I'll be putting sleeve on this while I shorten it.....

Here is a pic of the black Telios on the fans, with wires cut to 4 inches....



This length lets me bend the connection around the corner of the fan....



...as well as around the top. Plenty of options for where the power harnesses will connect....



And of course I also have the option of the custom dyed pink Telios and pink fan connectors...





It really is an almost perfect match for the powder coat on the case. I'll be doing my full dye job on the white Telios sometime this next week.








I just need to decide if I want to keep the fans all black with the sleeving and connectors....or use the pink for some contrast. All black would be kind of stealth mode....since the inside of the case is black. The fan cabling would disappear into the black rads and black case interior. Or.....should I use the pink sleeving and fan connectors for some pop on the contrast.

I'm definitely going to use some of the pink Telios on the 24pin and 8pin connectors. Just need to decide what to do with the fan cabling. What would you do?


----------



## PCModderMike

Ginger John ventures outside of OMPT?


----------



## Oliver1234

I would say stick to black cables for fans, because if you individually sleeve each one of them like you say, having them be anything BUT stealth would make it look awfully busy...


----------



## luciddreamer124

Man that pink sleeving looks great. But, ya I think it would be best to go black, it really would blend in more and look cleaner I think.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

I would make the fan cables match the rest of the cables but do not individually sleeve each wire in a fan cable; it would be too bulky.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oliver1234*
> 
> I would say stick to black cables for fans, because if you individually sleeve each one of them like you say, having them be anything BUT stealth would make it look awfully busy...


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *luciddreamer124*
> 
> Man that pink sleeving looks great. But, ya I think it would be best to go black, it really would blend in more and look cleaner I think.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> I would make the fan cables match the rest of the cables but do not individually sleeve each wire in a fan cable; it would be too bulky.


Yes....leaning toward the all black. I think it would look best to have the fan power cables just kind of disappear into the black case and black rads. Don't want to overdue the pink inside the case....other than the coolant. Plus....a pop of color in the 24pin and GPU power cables.


----------



## mandrix

Black fan cables.


----------



## Barefooter

Yeah I'm for the black fan cables too, especially since you will have the pink in the 24pin and GPU power cables.


----------



## equinoxe3d

Ditto for the black, as long as that pink sleeving is used elsewhere


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Black fan cables.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Barefooter*
> 
> Yeah I'm for the black fan cables too, especially since you will have the pink in the 24pin and GPU power cables.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *equinoxe3d*
> 
> Ditto for the black, as long as that pink sleeving is used elsewhere


@JennG agreed with the black consensus....so I'm starting on the fans now. I also put the RIVE BE on the motherboard tray and the ASUS video cards in their slots. Just wanting to get a feel for how much it fills up the space. It fills it up nicely. The goal is to fire it up on air cooling here within the next day or so.


----------



## stren

dat asus went big! Congrats chris that's awesome! Most overkill fb rig evah!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stren*
> 
> dat asus went big! Congrats chris that's awesome! Most overkill fb rig evah!
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Blue steel baby.....


----------



## ThornTwist

Wow. Just went through the whole thread for the first time and I am uttery impressed. This is friggen great! I really appreciate what your doing. Now I got to go catch up on the BBBB.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ThornTwist*
> 
> Wow. Just went through the whole thread for the first time and I am uttery impressed. This is friggen great! I really appreciate what your doing. Now I got to go catch up on the BBBB.


Going to catch up on the BBBB, huh? See ya back here in August.























It's going to take you awhile......

Thanks for the kind words!


----------



## cpachris

Got some work done on my fans today. I like to pick one step and perform it for all the fans, and then start on the next step for all the fans, ...etc, instead of working and completing one fan at a time. Here are the steps I got done tonight.

I started with my stack of fans. A manageable stack......17 of them in all that still need some love. I sacrificed a few to paint samples, and have ended up with the exact number I need of the SP120's, and I have 2 extra AF120's. Although....I may find a spot to use these before I'm done.



Anyway, the first thing I need to do is remove all the stickers from the fans. That white serial/lot number sticker is what caught my eye first. They all were very easy to remove and peeled off leaving no residue.....



Rinse. Repeat. And now my stack looks like this.



Next step was was to remove the sticker from the fan blades. I won't end up using any stickers at all on the fan blades. To me, when there is a sticker on a spinning fan blade, it always makes it look off or out of balance. It's almost impossible to get it perfectly centered on all sides...so when it spins it just looks "off". So...my blades will be naked. They like it that way. I used a touch of heat from my heat gun, and then these stickers pulled right off leaving no residue.



Ahhhhh. That's better.



Next step was to remove the sticker from the frame. Again, I had to use a touch of heat....but once I did the sticker pulled right off leaving no reside. Now....I WILL put a sticker on the fan frame. It just doesn't look finished without out. But...just like I did in the BBBB, I'll make some custom vinyl stickers in the build's colors for these spots.



Naked for now.....



Rinse. Repeat. And now my stack looks like this.



Next step was to shorten the cables coming out of the fan. I already knew from my sample fan that 4 inches would leave the fan connector at the perfect spot where I could either wrap it just around the bottom of the fan frame, or just around the side. Short enough where it's out of the way....but long enough to go where it needs to go. So I just got a ruler, measure 4 inches from the wire's origination in the fan frame, and snipped them right off.



Rinse. Repeat. And now my stack looks like this.



I went ahead and removed the black fan connectors from my snipped wires. I won't use them in this build. For this build, I'm using connectors supplied by Lutro0 Customs. But....you can't ever have too many black fan connectors....so I rescued them and through them in my supply drawer.



Next step was to remove the plastic accent rings from the Corsair fans. I'll paint these all pink, so I just need to get them out of the way for now. Oh...and by the way....Jenn chose the all black fans, with the pink accent ring. So....I think that was fan option #1 when we did the color combinations for everyone.



Rinse. Repeat. And now my stack looks like this.



Next step was to cut a piece of sleeve to use on the fans. I knew that if I cut a 3.75 inch piece of Black Telios, that it was going to fit perfect. So, I got out my ruler, and started snipping pieces.



After each cut, I'd go ahead and use a lighter to burn the ends just a little and taper them in. Don't want them start unraveling....



Rinse. Repeat. And now my stack looks like this.



Next step was to cutt a small piece of heatshrink to use on the end that attaches to the fan motor. So I got out my Lutro0 Customs jig, and started playing with it again. But even after trying multiple blades, I still couldn't get nice straight cuts the majority of the time.



But then I switched over to using scissors with the jig....and it worked perfectly for me. The jig still was doing the measuring for me, and I just kept pushing the shrink up so it was flush with the edge....and then cutting with scissors. Very easy. I now love my jig.











I ended up with a pile of perfectly sized and exactly the same size pieces of shrink to use on the motor side of the cable...



....and I went ahead and slipped on the sleeve and the shrink to each fan cable. I didn't use any heat because I didn't want to shrink the heatshrink yet....because I knew I would be wiggling the sleeve around a lot still while I put on terminals.....



Rinse. Repeat. And now my stack looks like this.



Next step was to put the fan terminals on.....so first I took the fan cable and separated the ribbon style cables into three distinct pieces.



To strip the insulation, I first tried my handy dandy Knipex wire strippers I got from Lutro0 Customs. But alas, even though the Knipex strippers work perfectly on the 16 AWG wire I have....they don't work on this thin 26 AWG fan wire. Too thin....wouldn't cut the insulation all the way through. I think the take-away lesson here....is that _strippers work better on chubby things_. Wait....that didn't sound right.

So instead, I used my old fashioned wire strippers. Still worked just fine. But not as fun....



Then I attempted to put on the fan terminals. Before I go any further, I have to point out the issues I had with the female fan terminals I got from Lutro0 Customs. I don't know if you can see it in this picture, but zoom in and you'll see that the terminals are attached to the metal strip up by the tips of the terminals.



So....when you break them off of the strip, it leaves a portion of the strip attached to the fan terminal itself. It is absolutely unusable in this condition. The terminal won't even fit in a fan connector with this much extra stuff hanging off the sides. To get these to fit...I had to use a pair of flush cutters, and snip off the excess material on each and every terminal. Clearly I wasn't going to do that for long. Not sure what's up with these terminals. I'll ask Lutro0 and see if I'm just missing something....or if this was a strange batch that he purchased. But I couldn't get them to work.



So....I opted for some old fan terminals I'd gotten from Frozen during my last build. They worked just fine.



The Lutro0 crimper does work flawlessly and is an excellent tool. Perfect crimps almost every time....



Then I slipped a connector on the terminals....



Rinse. Repeat. And now my stack looked like this.



Time to use the heatgun on that little piece of shrink I had initially put on down by the fan motor end of the cable. After this, I went ahead and tucked the sleeved cable underneath the plastic tabs on the frame....designed to hold the cable in place.



Rinse. Repeat. And now my stack looks like this.



Next, I needed some larger pieces of SATA size shrink for the connector end of the wire. Got out my jig again, adjusted the size, and used my scissors to quickly create just the right number of pieces.



Then I went ahead and slipped the shrink over the connector end of the wire, and applied some heat. The Lutro0 Customs shrink is really nice and shrunk down in a real nice way and looks very attractive.



Rinse. Repeat. And now my stack looks like this.



I'm done for the night.....but don't have much left for the fans. All I need to do is paint the accent rings pink, and then make the custom vinyl stickers. Should get to that this week.....


----------



## wthenshaw

No Cabernet involved in that "rinsing"?

Also that stack looks better than this one


----------



## Jameswalt1

Looks awesome Chris, I dig your OCD process


----------



## DerComissar

Imo that is the best way for wiring and sleeving the fans, allowing them to be easily swapped out if needed. Plus it looks damn good as well.
Thoroughly enjoyed that, and appreciate the well-documented and photographed guide.
Rep+


----------



## Jeffinslaw

Enjoying the progress!

Quick question about how you made your sponsor plaque, did you just whip it up in Illustrator or a similar vector program? Created a vector version of the company's logo from the original?

Jeffinslaw


----------



## mAs81

Awesome job there man!
I'm glad you're going with the all black/pink accent ringsfor the fans,I liked that the best


----------



## mandrix

I know what you mean about those Molex fan pins, I don't like them and won't use them. Instead I use the SPOX pins and I usually get them from Mouser.
If you need numbers for ordering the SPOX pins , male or female, let me know or I have a post in the connector thread.

Do you find that the white female fan connectors work better than the black ones? For some reason the pins seem to stay in place better for me in the white housings than in the black ones, although I do use both.


----------



## CasP3r

One silent lurker reporting here!









I just wanted to say that you are doing absolutely incredible job here, your attention to detail is impressive! I also went through BBBB, it was quite a journey to say the least. It's definitely one of the better if not the best build log I have read so far. I'm hoping this one will become at least as good, so far I haven't been disappointed.







One could say I also have vested interest in this build because I'm going to order myself a S8 for my first watercooling build quite soon. It won't be as interesting color wise as this one







but I'm super excited about it anyway. Hopefully I can pick up a thing or two for my own build in here as well.


----------



## seross69

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> I know what you mean about those Molex fan pins, I don't like them and won't use them. Instead I use the SPOX pins and I usually get them from Mouser.
> If you need numbers for ordering the SPOX pins , male or female, let me know or I have a post in the connector thread.
> 
> Do you find that the white female fan connectors work better than the black ones? For some reason the pins seem to stay in place better for me in the white housings than in the black ones, although I do use both.


@mandrix I would like the number from mouser for the fan pins you use.. both male and female.


----------



## Barefooter

I had the same problem with Lutro's fan pins. The one's from MDPC-x work much better imo.


----------



## nvidiaftw12

One man assembly line. Nice!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> No Cabernet involved in that "rinsing"?
> 
> Also that stack looks better than this one
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Lol....that picture brought back some nightmares nice memories.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> Looks awesome Chris, I dig your OCD process


It takes a little OCD to make it through fan and cabling work. But I'm sure you know that well.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DrComissar*
> 
> Imo that is the best way for wiring and sleeving the fans, allowing them to be easily swapped out if needed. Plus it looks damn good as well.
> Thoroughly enjoyed that, and appreciate the well-documented and photographed guide.
> Rep+


Thanks for the rep+! And by the way...I never ask for rep. I never ask for rep, because it's against the rules. Asking for rep would just be poor taste. So I never ask for rep. You won't catch me asking for rep. Rep should just come if you are helpful. So I won't ask for rep. If someone's asking for rep....it wasn't me. Because I don't ever ask for rep. I don't even mention rep. Some people "hint" that they want some rep. But not me. You won't catch me hinting or asking for rep. rep rep rep rep rep rep rep rep









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jeffinslaw*
> 
> Enjoying the progress!
> 
> Quick question about how you made your sponsor plaque, did you just whip it up in Illustrator or a similar vector program? Created a vector version of the company's logo from the original?


For some companies I was able to find a vector version of their logo available online. For some, I had to find the highest resolution jpeg I could....and then I typically use the "Live Trace" option in Adobe Illustrator to create a vector out of it. Sometimes takes some clean up....but results are usually decent.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Awesome job there man!
> I'm glad you're going with the all black/pink accent ringsfor the fans,I liked that the best


Thanks! Most people liked black/pink the best. I think my wife is highly influenced by forum members opinions....because I was cautiously trying to steer her toward some pink blades. But....the black/pink she picked looks awesome....and in the end....it's her computer.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> I know what you mean about those Molex fan pins, I don't like them and won't use them. Instead I use the SPOX pins and I usually get them from Mouser.
> If you need numbers for ordering the SPOX pins , male or female, let me know or I have a post in the connector thread.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *seross69*
> 
> @mandrix I would like the number from mouser for the fan pins you use.. both male and female.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Barefooter*
> 
> I had the same problem with Lutro's fan pins. The one's from MDPC-x work much better imo.


I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't like those terminals. Not sure why anyone would be willing to cut those sides off individually for each pin.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Do you find that the white female fan connectors work better than the black ones? For some reason the pins seem to stay in place better for me in the white housings than in the black ones, although I do use both.


I haven't had to plug/unplug anything more than a few times....but the pins feel pretty secure in the black connectors. I'll update you if I experience otherwise.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CasP3r*
> 
> One silent lurker reporting here!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I just wanted to say that you are doing absolutely incredible job here, your attention to detail is impressive! I also went through BBBB, it was quite a journey to say the least. It's definitely one of the better if not the best build log I have read so far. I'm hoping this one will become at least as good, so far I haven't been disappointed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> One could say I also have vested interest in this build because I'm going to order myself a S8 for my first watercooling build quite soon. It won't be as interesting color wise as this one
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> but I'm super excited about it anyway. Hopefully I can pick up a thing or two for my own build in here as well.


Thanks CasP3r! Fess up. How long did it take you to get through the BBBB build log? I sometimes feel guilty for letting that thing grow as large as it did. But I must admit that I went back through it once before I started the PPPP build log....and enjoyed doing so. Good luck with the S8! Do a build log for us.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> One man assembly line. Nice!


It's relaxing with some tunes on and a glass of wine!


----------



## CasP3r

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Thanks CasP3r! Fess up. How long did it take you to get through the BBBB build log? I sometimes feel guilty for letting that thing grow as large as it did. But I must admit that I went back through it once before I started the PPPP build log....and enjoyed doing so. Good luck with the S8! Do a build log for us.


Aah, I don't know man. Probably something like two weeks, I think I went through couple dozen pages a day when I had my daily OCN session. But don't feel bad, sometimes good things come in big packages.







It's definitely a great build log and the way the community was part of the process brought it to a whole new level. I could feel the build taking its shape, even though I wasn't there when the decisions were being made. I think it's worth reading for everyone. They should make it a requirement when you join OCN, make it through BBBB or go home!









Thank you! I'll definitely start a build log soon. I'm even getting a dslr in a couple of days time so then I can provide better content for the community.


----------



## Oopsypoopsy

Nice attention to detail.


----------



## mandrix

For seross and anyone else that wants to try SPOX fan pins from Mouser:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1327420/pc-crimping-part-numbers/100_20#post_21853136


----------



## Jeffinslaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Jeffinslaw*
> 
> Enjoying the progress!
> 
> Quick question about how you made your sponsor plaque, did you just whip it up in Illustrator or a similar vector program? Created a vector version of the company's logo from the original?
> 
> 
> 
> For some companies I was able to find a vector version of their logo available online. For some, I had to find the highest resolution jpeg I could....and then I typically use the "Live Trace" option in Adobe Illustrator to create a vector out of it. Sometimes takes some clean up....but results are usually decent.
Click to expand...

Excellent! Thanks for confirming my suspicions


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CasP3r*
> 
> They should make it a requirement when you join OCN, make it through BBBB or go home!


I can feel the membership dwindling already.......










Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oopsypoopsy*
> 
> Nice attention to detail.


Thanks Oopsy!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> For seross and anyone else that wants to try SPOX fan pins from Mouser:
> http://www.overclock.net/t/1327420/pc-crimping-part-numbers/100_20#post_21853136


Without even using them....I can testify that they must be easier to use than the ones I received.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jeffinslaw*
> 
> Excellent! Thanks for confirming my suspicions


You bet. AI is my vector tool of choice....but there are plenty out there.


----------



## MadCat1118

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Then I attempted to put on the fan terminals. Before I go any further, I have to point out the issues I had with the female fan terminals I got from Lutro0 Customs. I don't know if you can see it in this picture, but zoom in and you'll see that the terminals are attached to the metal strip up by the tips of the terminals.
> 
> So....when you break them off of the strip, it leaves a portion of the strip attached to the fan terminal itself. It is absolutely unusable in this condition. The terminal won't even fit in a fan connector with this much extra stuff hanging off the sides. To get these to fit...I had to use a pair of flush cutters, and snip off the excess material on each and every terminal. Clearly I wasn't going to do that for long. Not sure what's up with these terminals. I'll ask Lutro0 and see if I'm just missing something....or if this was a strange batch that he purchased. But I couldn't get them to work.


Fans look great so far! I'm looking to pick up some sleeving materials soon, are you aware of any other terminals that have issues like this? BTW, your builds are why I want to play with sleeving


----------



## blupupher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> ... _strippers work better on chubby things_. ...


This is all I got from that post.










Looks great though.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MadCat1118*
> 
> Fans look great so far! I'm looking to pick up some sleeving materials soon, are you aware of any other terminals that have issues like this? BTW, your builds are why I want to play with sleeving


thanks for the kind words! All the other terminals from Lutro0 Customs were top notch. Worked perfectly with his crimper and connectors. The only ones I would stay away from are the female 3pin fan terminals.

Commence playing!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> This is all I got from that post.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Looks great though.


That's all you really need to know. The rest of the post was rubbish......


----------



## cpachris

Did some work on painting the fan accent rings today.....

Started with two light coats of this plastic primer. About 15 minutes inbetween coats...and then waited about 2 hours before continuing on with the paint.



For the paint, I'm again using the Medium Magenta from Liquitex. If you are trying to match a certain color and need rattle cans....definitely look into Liquitex. Sold at Michael's. Tons of colors and the finish is incredible. I'm going to alternate coats between these two colors. The medium magenta is real close to my case color...but it gets a little dark when multiple coats are applied. To counteract this, I'm going to use a slightly lighter color inbetween my medium magenta coats.



First coat of Medium Magenta....



Second coat of the lighter color (Magenta 6)....



...and a third and final coat of the Medium Magenta.



I'm going to let these dry overnight, and then I'll do a light coat of clear protection on top tomorrow.


----------



## nvidiaftw12

I did some painting today too!









Although it was on some backhoe parts, slightly less interesting.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> I did some painting today too!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Although it was on some backhoe parts, slightly less interesting.


Pictures of you operating the backhoe are.....of course.....required.


----------



## Oopsypoopsy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> I did some painting today too!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Although it was on some backhoe parts, slightly less interesting.


Need photos of hoe, must verify for science


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Pictures of you operating the backhoe are.....of course.....required.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oopsypoopsy*
> 
> Need photos of hoe, must verify for science


I don't really want to thread jack, but if you insist, I've got videos. Hope that's good enough.



Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!











There are some more on my page.


----------



## Oopsypoopsy

Those sexy hoes


----------



## mandrix

Daaamn. Now I want a backhoe......painted magenta!


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Daaamn. Now I want a backhoe......painted magenta!


I'm ... not sure anyone would take you seriously.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

I never got a chance to operate a backhoe. I operated a large variety of forklifts and cranes for a living but never a backhoe (there wasn't much call for one in warehousing).


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Daaamn. Now I want a backhoe......painted magenta!


Ain't gonna lie, I've thought about doing that, but if I started doing professional work, it would be hard to secure a job.

Also, we should get back on topic, I feel bad for thread jacking.


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> Ain't gonna lie, I've thought about doing that, but if I started doing professional work, it would be hard to secure a job.
> 
> Also, we should get back on topic, I feel bad for thread jacking.


Ok a last one before we stop this thread hi-jack (sorry Chris







)

Komatsu sadly already has one....not a real badass backhoe but a mini excavator


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oopsypoopsy*
> 
> Need photos of hoe, must verify for science


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oopsypoopsy*
> 
> Those sexy hoes


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Daaamn. Now I want a backhoe......painted magenta!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> I'm ... not sure anyone would take you seriously.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> I never got a chance to operate a backhoe. I operated a large variety of forklifts and cranes for a living but never a backhoe (there wasn't much call for one in warehousing).


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> Ok a last one before we stop this thread hi-jack (sorry Chris
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> )
> Komatsu sadly already has one....not a real badass backhoe but a mini excavator


No apologies necessary. Pictures of ho's are always welcome here.









@nvidiaftw12 is that you operating the hoe?


----------



## cpachris

This is the sealer I put on this morning. Just one coat.



They looked pretty darn good out in the garage.....



....but I took some pictures of them on the computer so you could see how close the color match came. It's darn near perfect!









I was also quite pleased at how flexible the paint stayed. The rings have to flex a little bit to get them in and out of the fans. Since the Liquitex is acrylic paint in a spray can....it's finish is very flexible. Suffer through this short 7 second video for proof on the flexibility.






I'll finish up the custom vinyl stickers shortly....and then take some better shots of the finished fans. Now....back to talking about ho's and strippers.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> Ain't gonna lie, I've thought about doing that, but if I started doing professional work, it would be hard to secure a job.
> 
> Also, we should get back on topic, I feel bad for thread jacking.
> 
> 
> 
> Ok a last one before we stop this thread hi-jack (sorry Chris
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> )
> 
> Komatsu sadly already has one....not a real badass backhoe but a mini excavator
Click to expand...

I've seen those. They are cute!


----------



## nvidiaftw12

@chris

Yes, it is.


----------



## SinatraFan

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> I never got a chance to operate a backhoe. I operated a large variety of forklifts and cranes for a living but never a backhoe (there wasn't much call for one in warehousing).


I operated one of these before... does this count...


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

[/quote]
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SinatraFan*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> I never got a chance to operate a backhoe. I operated a large variety of forklifts and cranes for a living but never a backhoe (there wasn't much call for one in warehousing).
> 
> 
> 
> I operated one of these before... does this count...
Click to expand...

Ok, that's "interesting".


----------



## Hanoverfist

Killer project Chris!! That color is bold and definitely demands attention.








Excellent presentation sir.


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SinatraFan*
> 
> I operated one of these before... does this count...


I don't think I've ever operated a hoe between my legs before, so yeah, I'd say it does.

Inb4 someone quotes me out of context.


----------



## Oopsypoopsy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> I don't think I've ever operated a hoe between my legs before, so yeah, I'd say it does.
> 
> Inb4 someone quotes me out of context.


I like what you did there.

/high5


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> Inb4 someone quotes me out of context.


Okay, but you asked for it!


----------



## jameyscott

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> Okay, but you asked for it!


So did the hoe...


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> So did the hoe...


Or maybe not.... Controversial!


----------



## Panther Al

I'm sorry, but...



I just had to do it...









And my first gif... woo!


----------



## Stunub

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> Ok a last one before we stop this thread hi-jack (sorry Chris
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> )
> 
> Komatsu sadly already has one....not a real badass backhoe but a mini excavator


Not a backhoe but it's big and pink, painted for Brest Cancer awareness in Australia.



Back on topic, any news on the new pump stand? I see that the "he PPPP" stand is still in there.


----------



## cpachris

Hoe's and the new EK Ascendacy. That's really all you need for a good build log.......











Sample unit that I'm going to play with and push it to it's limits. Should be fun.....


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Good to see they're starting to trick out, just surprised they have an... Well, the green PCB. Weren't they going to be black for production versions?


----------



## SuprUsrStan

How is it better than a Aquaero 6?


----------



## Rbby258

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> Good to see they're starting to trick out, just surprised they have an... Well, the green PCB. Weren't they going to be black for production versions?


Quote:


> *Sample unit that I'm going to play with and push it to it's limits. Should be fun.....*


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Looks cute.


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rbby258*


Samples are usually retail units with or without retail packaging, not prototype pcbs. Months ago ek stated they would be using black pcbs for all runs after the initial prototypes, hence why my comment.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> Good to see they're starting to trick out, just surprised they have an... Well, the green PCB. Weren't they going to be black for production versions?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> Samples are usually retail units with or without retail packaging, not prototype pcbs. Months ago ek stated they would be using black pcbs for all runs after the initial prototypes, hence why my comment.


I would consider this still a prototype. Niko had made a comment that he didn't remember what size resistors were used on this batch....so I don't think these are production units. I'll find out for sure....but think of this as some early testing of prototypes that may change.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Syan48306*
> 
> How is it better than a Aquaero 6?


Well.....I'm gonna find out. Clearly some differences. Not sure if you can call one "better" than another, but I'll try and highlight the differences as I do some testing of the EK unit. I happen to have an Aquaero 6 that I was going to use for this build...so I'll definitely compare the two.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> Looks cute.


It is kind of cute.







Not as cute as a pink hoe, but cute.


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I would consider this still a prototype. Niko had made a comment that he didn't remember what size resistors were used on this batch....so I don't think these are production units. I'll find out for sure....but think of this as some early testing of prototypes that may change.


Ah, good to know ^-^ I won't lie, it would be awesome if they had a nickel version of the block paired with a black pcb and stealthed traces (although gold traces would look rather lovely too).

Definitely interested as well in how it compares to the aquaero 6 ^-^


----------



## socketus

I see they're going for the streamlined, leaving off the 2nd 'n' in Ascendacy ...


----------



## jameyscott

I really want the EK Ascendancy. I decided not to mod my case to fit my Sunbeam Rheostat because the EK is exactly what I want. Now just to know pricing....


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> I really want the EK Ascendancy. I decided not to mod my case to fit my Sunbeam Rheostat because the EK is exactly what I want. Now just to know pricing....


I'm just glad there might be some real competition for the Aquaero. Competition will spur innovation.


----------



## jameyscott

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I'm just glad there might be some real competition for the Aquaero. Competition will spur innovation.


I completely agree. It's a market that really hasn't opened up yet. Aquero costs an arm and a leg because they really don't have competition. Sure, there are a few other software based fan controllers that can do what the Aquero does, but a lot of them are either EOL or the software is just so bad it isn't worth the hassle especially if you ever plan on changing fans... I honestly just want something software based that I can just set up all my stuff and then completely forget it's their. I'm sure that the EK Ascendancy would offer that to me. The only thing that could make it better would be for EK to send me one to beta test. I'd write up a review and do a video...


----------



## fast_fate

What sort of mount was provided - if any.
I can see advantages and disadvantages for not having it fit in a drive bay.

Been a while now, EK too busy making blocks









Should be interesting - look forward to your work opinion after some mucking around.


----------



## MunneY

You and Jameswalt have inspired me to do my own high end, no holds barred build thats just a lil bit crazy :-D


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fast_fate*
> 
> What sort of mount was provided - if any.


No mount provided with these units....but it's pretty clear from the shape that this will be a double bay unit, and since there is a screen input, there will clearly be a screen option. Will be nice.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MunneY*
> 
> You and Jameswalt have inspired me to do my own high end, no holds barred build thats just a lil bit crazy :-D


Go crazy. Can't wait to see it.


----------



## cpachris

Question: What's more uninteresting than a CPU unboxing and installation?

Answer: Not much. So.....I won't take up toooooo much of your time with these. But here's a few shots.









Going with the 4930k for this build.



Here are the sticker stats....



I'm not in marketing....but I think someone at Intel should have to explain themselves for the selection of the interior packaging....



Good news!!!! Inside my Intel box....I got a special offer from McAfee!!!!











Anybody know if this is a good batch for overclocking?



All appears intact. No scratches or other abnormalities......



Pop open the cover.....



...and then put that thing down in its slot. Hard to mess this part up.





While I've got the case sides off....here a few more shots to show how the fans are looking. Don't have the stickers done yet....but I'm real happy with the pink rings and how they look in the case.







I'll be messing with a temporary air cooler for the CPU this afternoon.....so more pictures later. Need to get this thing booted up on air and make sure everything is in working order.


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

You better install McAfee. You don't want any viruses getting in this thing. :nosir:


----------



## JambonJovi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> You better install McAfee. You don't want any viruses getting in this thing. :nosir:


Good idea.
Everyone knows, this is exactly how it works.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JambonJovi*
> 
> Good idea.
> Everyone knows, this is exactly how it works.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Lol....that's hilarious!


----------



## ron1389

Personally I hate McAfee.
But I'm not going to try to stop anyone from using it. Cause there's no point in doing that.

I love how this build is coming along!!!


----------



## cpachris

I've re-asked all of the questions that I've received from forum members, and a few of my own, to the EK folks. Here are some more facts that EK has confirmed about the new EK Ascendacy.

1) It's going to be a *single 5 1/4 bay unit that mounts horizontally*. Interesting.

2) There *will* be a version that *has* an LCD screen and the LCD will attach perpendicular to the PCB. Interesting.

3) There *will* also be a version that *does not have* an LCD. Kind of like the Aquaero LT.

4) The 2pin PCIe port is intended to power a pump. If you need rpm reporting also, you could run the rpm sensing wire over to one of the PWM ports to the right of the waterblock.

5) *Yes*, the production units will have a *black PCB*, and *yes* the waterblock will most likely be *nickel plated*.

6) The blue jumper that someone asked about automatically overrides any profiles and feeds all attached devices with 12 volts. I like this option. I like it alot.

7) Much like the Aquaero, the device runs autonomously. Software is only used to make changes to settings and profiles.

8) Overcurrent protection is actively measuring power draw and voltage on the fly. It is not thermal dependent. You can operate the unit without the waterblock hooked up. Just keep TJ-Max below 120 degrees celcius.

9) This will give you a better idea what the ports do:



The OCP values are subject to change for production units, but right now the Red ports are supposed to be good for about 20W before OCP, the GREEN ports should be good for 40W+. USB connector is right above the 2-pin PCI-e connector.

Hope that helps. Feel free to continue asking questions and I'll accumulate them and forward them on to the kind folks at EK.


----------



## JambonJovi

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!







Hey Chris, just noticed it now... What happened to the "T" in "The PPPP" ?


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JambonJovi*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hey Chris, just noticed it now... What happened to the "T" in "The PPPP" ?


It broke off


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JambonJovi*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hey Chris, just noticed it now... What happened to the "T" in "The PPPP" ?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> It broke off


Sadly....he didn't make it.


----------



## jameyscott

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I've re-asked all of the questions that I've received from forum members, and a few of my own, to the EK folks. Here are some more facts that EK has confirmed about the new EK Ascendacy.
> 
> 1) It's going to be a *single 5 1/4 bay unit that mounts horizontally*. Interesting.
> 
> 2) There *will* be a version that *has* an LCD screen and the LCD will attach perpendicular to the PCB. Interesting.
> 
> 3) There *will* also be a version that *does not have* an LCD. Kind of like the Aquaero LT.
> 
> 4) The 2pin PCIe port is intended to power a pump. If you need rpm reporting also, you could run the rpm sensing wire over to one of the PWM ports to the right of the waterblock.
> 
> 5) *Yes*, the production units will have a *black PCB*, and *yes* the waterblock will most likely be *nickel plated*.
> 
> 6) The blue jumper that someone asked about automatically overrides any profiles and feeds all attached devices with 12 volts. I like this option. I like it alot.
> 
> 7) Much like the Aquaero, the device runs autonomously. Software is only used to make changes to settings and profiles.
> 
> 8) Overcurrent protection is actively measuring power draw and voltage on the fly. It is not thermal dependent. You can operate the unit without the waterblock hooked up. Just keep TJ-Max below 120 degrees celcius.
> 
> 9) This will give you a better idea what the ports do:
> 
> 
> 
> The OCP values are subject to change for production units, but right now the Red ports are supposed to be good for about 20W before OCP, the GREEN ports should be good for 40W+. USB connector is right above the 2-pin PCI-e connector.
> 
> Hope that helps. Feel free to continue asking questions and I'll accumulate them and forward them on to the kind folks at EK.


So.. Those 6 fan ports are only good for PWM fans? Well... looks like I can't get it. All my Fans are 3 pin. :/


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> So.. Those 6 fan ports are only good for PWM fans? Well... looks like I can't get it. All my Fans are 3 pin. :/


I was a little disappointed in that also. But....to be fair....it has as many voltage controlled ports as an Aquaero does.

I think we'll need to see how many watts can truly be handled by the final production ports to know if it is a solution. If they stay at 20/40 watts....then that would power a TON of my Noiseblocker fans. The Noiseblocker fans just sip power. But the Corsair fans I'm using in this build draw either .25 or .33 amps (depending on the flavor) and that means a 20 watt port could probably only handle between 5 and 7 of them.


----------



## jameyscott

Problem is I also have also have other fans that need separate control . :/ You let me down EK... You let me down.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> Problem is I also have also have other fans that need separate control . :/ You let me down EK... You let me down.


If this EK solution doesn't do the trick for you....then there probably isn't an automated controller that will fit the bill for you currently. Right? Unless you go down the Aquacomputer master/slave route....or add a lot of PowerAdjust2's to the mix. That's what I did in my last build. I had 2x Aquaero's and 12x PowerAdjust2's. That gave me enough ports....but wow....it was an expensive fan controller solution.


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Looks nice, and good to know that final versions will have a black PCB as was previously mentioned months ago. I do have one question though about the dedicated PWM pump port - can it handle two D5's or DDC's without issue, or are the ports just one pump each?


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Sadly....he didn't make it.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> Looks nice, and good to know that final versions will have a black PCB as was previously mentioned months ago. I do have one question though about the dedicated PWM pump port - can it handle two D5's or DDC's without issue, or are the ports just one pump each?


Well, right now they have it rated to handle about 40 watts. That would be about 3.3 amps or so. My D5's draw about 1.2 amps each when spinning at 3,300 rpm's (their normal speed). So it should support 2 pumps at this speed. But when I spin mine up to full speed they are drawing about 1.9 amps each. That would be too much. So...unsure....but I plan to hook my two pumps up to this and test it...so we'll see.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


I see what you did there.....


----------



## jameyscott

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> If this EK solution doesn't do the trick for you....then there probably isn't an automated controller that will fit the bill for you currently. Right? Unless you go down the Aquacomputer master/slave route....or add a lot of PowerAdjust2's to the mix. That's what I did in my last build. I had 2x Aquaero's and 12x PowerAdjust2's. That gave me enough ports....but wow....it was an expensive fan controller solution.


I guess there isn't a fan controller for me.







Oh well, the Sunbeam Rheosmart works well and is cheap. I guess it'll have to do for now.


----------



## wthenshaw

This made its way into EK's Instagram


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

They used it! They actually used it!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> This made its way into EK's Instagram
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> They used it! They actually used it!


Must get on Instagram more often. Right now...I just get on to keep tabs on my daughter....


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Must get on Instagram more often. Right now...I just get on to keep tabs on my daughter....












I tagged you in the post on Instagram anyway


----------



## luciddreamer124

That's fantastic


----------



## wthenshaw

EKWB showing the love today!

You're on a roll!


----------



## mAs81

I knew it!!!!It was just too perfect to let it pass by..Once again,good job


----------



## mandrix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> Looks nice, and good to know that final versions will have a black PCB as was previously mentioned months ago. I do have one question though about the dedicated PWM pump port - can it handle two D5's or DDC's without issue, or are the ports just one pump each?


If you use pwm pumps then normally all the pwm header is used for is control + rpm signal pickup, since they are normally powered from the psu. Hence it doesn't matter what amount of current the headers will handle, since they will not actually be powering the pumps.
HTH or did I totally misunderstand?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> I tagged you in the post on Instagram anyway


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *luciddreamer124*
> 
> That's fantastic


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> EKWB showing the love today!
> 
> You're on a roll!
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> I knew it!!!!It was just too perfect to let it pass by..Once again,good job


All that love....and not even a link to the build log. sigh.....

Although....someone had to have posted something that pointed to the build log over on xtremesystems, because that log had about 10 times the normal views today. Has anyone seen something that had a link over to extremesystems?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> If you use pwm pumps then normally all the pwm header is used for is control + rpm signal pickup, since they are normally powered from the psu. Hence it doesn't matter what amount of current the headers will handle, since they will not actually be powering the pumps.
> HTH or did I totally misunderstand?


That port is also voltage controlled, so I'm assuming he was asking about that.


----------



## cpachris

Time for a temporary air CPU cooler so that I can test components and make sure everything is working before moving on to destroying the warranty on everything.









I was worried about space in the S8 for an air cooler since I have that EK radiator right above the motherboard. So I picked up this little bitty CPU cooler from Phanteks....



Hmmmm.....I don't think I knew it was white when I ordered it.





The bottom is not polished all that nicely either....



Even though this is only temporary....it would throw off my mojo everytime I looked in the case if I left this thing white. So.....





There. That's better.



This thing really is small. I don't expect fantastic cooling out of it. But then again, I don't expect to have it in the case for all that long either.....





Uh-oh. It also came with a horribly cheap looking white fan. [Pink Floyd Voice] This will not do.





Luckily for me....one of my extra Corsair AF120 fans that has the full pink treatment on it....fits nicely right between the memory sticks.



Aesthetic tragedy averted....time to get this thing booted up.


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Heh. Nice.


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> ...I was worried about space in the M8....


S8 not M8, shhh quiet nobody noticed it


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> S8 not M8, shhh quiet nobody noticed it


Whoops! Thanks for the catch. Corrected.

......or did it ever happen.......


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Or did what happen?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> Or did what happen?


Exactly.


----------



## wthenshaw

Call the schoolmaster!

Edit: resisting the urge to break into song. I love a good Pink Floyd reference.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> I love a good Pink Floyd reference.


You are receding......


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Whoops! Thanks for the catch. Corrected.
> 
> ......or did it ever happen.......


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> Or did what happen?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> Or did what happen?
> 
> 
> 
> Exactly.
Click to expand...


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> You are receding......


A distant ship smoke on the horizon....


----------



## blupupher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> ...
> 
> Even though this is only temporary....it would throw off my mojo everytime I looked in the case if I left this thing white. So.....


Aww, I was hoping pink...

I know it is temporary, but seeing a little pink in that box would have been nice.


----------



## Hattifnatten

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> A distant ship smoke on the horizon....


You are only coming through in waves.


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Hattifnatten*
> 
> You are only coming through in waves.


Must.... Resist....

Your lips move, but I can't hear what you're saying...


----------



## Simmons572

DON'T YOU CRY NO MORE!!!!

wait. crap. wrong song. PLEASE DON'T KILL ME


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Simmons572*
> 
> DON'T YOU CRY NO MORE!!!!
> 
> wait. crap. wrong song. PLEASE DON'T KILL ME


Sigh... You just killed yourself...


----------



## jameyscott

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Simmons572*
> 
> DON'T YOU CRY NO MORE!!!!
> 
> wait. crap. wrong song. PLEASE DON'T KILL ME


Masquerading as a man with a reason...


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Simmons572*
> 
> DON'T YOU CRY NO MORE!!!!
> 
> wait. crap. wrong song. PLEASE DON'T KILL ME


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> Masquerading as a man with a reason...


How can you possibly throw a Kansas song in the midst of a Pink Floyd love session? What's next? Toto?

ok. i love toto also.


----------



## cpachris

With my quickly rigged temporary CPU air cooler in place, the time has finally come to boot this baby up and make sure everything is in working order. I got out my HUGE bag of cables for my Corsair AX1500i, and started plugging in the required cables. Although the stock cables are clearly not going to be the perfect length for everything I need, the flat black ribbon style cables are actually very nice to work with. I was easily able to fold them over and use zip ties to take up the excess length. Here is what it looked like with the GPU's and motherboard all plugged in......





I don't have my 4k monitor from ASUS yet, so I plugged the computer into the TV sitting beside it to use as a monitor. I nervously re-checked all connections one last time, and hit the power button. Success! Nothing to boot to yet, but I got a successful POST and entered the BIOS to start configuring. I plugged in one of my Corsair Neutron SSD's and an ODD with my Windows 8.1 disk, and got that installed. This will be our first 8.1 box in the house. Thought it would be fun to try.

Anyway....the Windows install went REAL fast and problem free. Picture below for proof I'm up and running now...



Here are a couple more shots of what the cabling looks like with the stock Corsair cables. I would always sleeve mine...but these really do look nice for stock cables.





Now that I can power up and use the box while I continue to work on it....I'll be able to start playing with that EK Ascendacy I showed a few posts back. Kind of excited to see what it's like.

Next projects on the build will be to get ready all of the remaining parts that will be powdercoated into one last batch. I think it's distracting when you have faceplates and/or mounting brackets, etc., that don't match the build colors, so I'll be getting one last batch of black and one last batch of pink parts powdercoated.

After that, I'll work primarily on custom length sleeved cables while I wait on the powdercoat items to be finished.


----------



## Simmons572

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> How can you possibly throw a Kansas song in the midst of a Pink Floyd love session? What's next? Toto?
> 
> ok. i love toto also.


It's gonna take a lot to drag me awaaay from you....


----------



## mandrix

Does the Ascendacy come with any software at this point? Curious to see what it's like, and of course the capabilities of the hardware.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Does the Ascendacy come with any software at this point? Curious to see what it's like, and of course the capabilities of the hardware.


Yes. It's similar to the Aquaero where you use software to adjust settings on the board, but after that the board can operate on its own without the software interacting at all.

I haven't installed it yet, but will shortly. The screenshots didn't look extremely polished yet. More later.....


----------



## Stunub

The more I read over the posts on that EK Ascendacy the more i want to put it in my ITX Parvum which just arrived.


----------



## Oopsypoopsy

This is looking good


----------



## luciddreamer124

Glad to hear everything is working, I'm excited to see all the sleeving work.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Stunub*
> 
> The more I read over the posts on that EK Ascendacy the more i want to put it in my ITX Parvum which just arrived.


I tried to install the software for the EK Ascendacy last night, and I ran into the same error that several of us in the test group are having. Software won't open and errors out each time. EK pushed out an update to the software early this morning. I tried it again and had the same issue. So I can't play with it yet to see what it's like. Hopefully soon.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Oopsypoopsy*
> 
> This is looking good


Thanks Oopsy!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *luciddreamer124*
> 
> Glad to hear everything is working, I'm excited to see all the sleeving work.


I'll probably try out some color combos on you all this weekend. Once the color combo is selected and the cabling path is chosen, that tends to come together fairly quickly. The 24 pin path will be identical to your and most Mercury owners. But I need to decide on the path for the GPU cabling.....


----------



## fast_fate

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I tried to install the software for the EK Ascendacy last night, and I ran into the same error that several of us in the test group are having. Software won't open and errors out each time. EK pushed out an update to the software early this morning. I tried it again and had the same issue. So I can't play with it yet to see what it's like. Hopefully soon.
> *Bugger*
> I'll probably try out some color combos on you all this weekend. Once the color combo is selected and the cabling path is chosen, that tends to come together fairly quickly. The 24 pin path will be identical to your and most Mercury owners. But I need to decide on the path for the GPU cabling.....


Most, Yes - unless the PSU is in the Ped








and interested in your GPU cabling decision


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I'll probably try out some color combos on you all this weekend. Once the color combo is selected and the cabling path is chosen, that tends to come together fairly quickly. The 24 pin path will be identical to your and most Mercury owners. But I need to decide on the path for the GPU cabling.....


Hey, maybe this 24-pin cable will sleeve itself. Not like the BBBB one, that cable was lazy.


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Hey, maybe this 24-pin cable will sleeve itself. Not like the BBBB one, that cable was lazy.


So lazy that it had to be sewn in place to stop it from lounging about.


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> So lazy that it had to be sewn in place to stop it from lounging about.


Yep. And it refused to sleeve itself no matter how long Chris gave it. He was very patient with that cable, but it just didn't step up.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fast_fate*
> 
> Most, Yes - unless the PSU is in the Ped
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and interested in your GPU cabling decision


Yeah....my 24pin decision much simpler than yours. For the GPU's....I just need to decide if I want to show off the sleeving and run it in a more visible location....or hide most of it the way you ran yours.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Hey, maybe this 24-pin cable will sleeve itself. Not like the BBBB one, that cable was lazy.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> So lazy that it had to be sewn in place to stop it from lounging about.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Yep. And it refused to sleeve itself no matter how long Chris gave it. He was very patient with that cable, but it just didn't step up.


Lol....memories. I'd forgotten about the mischievous and sometimes disturbing behavior of the BBBB 24 pin cable. Hopefully this one behaves....


----------



## nvidiaftw12

I think I've got it. The BBBB cable was clearly to warm, and didn't want any clothes on. Crank that AC down to 50F and it bet it will be one perfectly sleeved cable.


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Yeah....my 24pin decision much simpler than yours. For the GPU's....I just need to decide if I want to show off the sleeving and run it in a more visible location....or hide most of it the way you ran yours.
> 
> Lol....memories. I'd forgotten about the mischievous and sometimes disturbing behavior of the BBBB 24 pin cable. Hopefully this one behaves....


I've heard whispers in the winds that the BBBB cable is already in cohorts with the PPPP one...


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> I think I've got it. The BBBB cable was clearly to warm, and didn't want any clothes on. Crank that AC down to 50F and it bet it will be one perfectly sleeved cable.


Lol.....

It's all coming back fairly clearly now.....I was dreading doing the BBBB 24 pin because it needed to flip the PS_On on both PSU's......and I was also thinking about wiring the Aquacomputer shut-off switch into it. I was thinking about how complicated it could be....and kept putting it off and putting it off. Maybe the BBBB 24pin could get together with your ho's.......

This one should be fairly simple. A few double wires are the most complicated thing I have to deal with.


----------



## andrews2547

Put a PowerPC CPU in it. Then you can call it The Powerful Pretty Pink PowerPC Processor AKA "The PPPPPP"


----------



## wthenshaw

You should start charging EK


----------



## mandrix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Lol.....
> 
> It's all coming back fairly clearly now.....I was dreading doing the BBBB 24 pin because it needed to flip the PS_On on both PSU's......and I was also thinking about wiring the Aquacomputer shut-off switch into it. I was thinking about how complicated it could be....and kept putting it off and putting it off. Maybe the BBBB 24pin could get together with your ho's.......
> 
> This one should be fairly simple. A few double wires are the most complicated thing I have to deal with.


So did you ever wire the relay to shut down the pc? I found out there was no need to also wire the +5V Standby as long as it was USB connected (after, of course, I modified my 24 pin wiring).


----------



## fast_fate

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> So did you ever wire the relay to shut down the pc? I found out t*here was no need to also wire the +5V Standby as long as it was USB connected* (after, of course, I modified my 24 pin wiring).


That's true, but the splice is still handy during the build and for testing and commissioning when the motherboard isn't powered up.


----------



## mandrix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fast_fate*
> 
> That's true, but the splice is still handy during the build and for testing and commissioning when the motherboard isn't powered up.


What can you power with only 5v?


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> What can you power with only 5v?


USB, SATA (which also requires 12V), Molex (which also requires 12V), legacy PCI (lulz), and technically the CPU and RAM use less than 5V, but I'd assume that the VRMs are there to take in lower-amperage 12V, not 5V, and output higher-amerpage ~1.5V.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> I've heard whispers in the winds that the BBBB cable is already in cohorts with the PPPP one...


That smells like a picture opportunity.....stay tuned......

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *andrews2547*
> 
> Put a PowerPC CPU in it. Then you can call it The Powerful Pretty Pink PowerPC Processor AKA "The PPPPPP"


Perturbed at the plentiful plethora of P's. Playing with you. Pulling your leg.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> You should start charging EK
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Love it! But still wish they would include a link back to the log......

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> So did you ever wire the relay to shut down the pc? I found out there was no need to also wire the +5V Standby as long as it was USB connected (after, of course, I modified my 24 pin wiring).


Nope. Thought about it long and hard for months....and then just took the easy way out.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fast_fate*
> 
> That's true, but the splice is still handy during the build and for testing and commissioning when the motherboard isn't powered up.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> What can you power with only 5v?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> USB, SATA (which also requires 12V), Molex (which also requires 12V), legacy PCI (lulz), and technically the CPU and RAM use less than 5V, but I'd assume that the VRMs are there to take in lower-amperage 12V, not 5V, and output higher-amerpage ~1.5V.


Hmmmm....maybe we stopped talking about the Aquaero....but clearly it wouldn't be powering the CPU, RAM, HDD's or legacy PCI devices. The only things I used my Aquaero's to power were fans and pumps....all of which required 12V. So the 5V stand-by power didn't offer me much in functionality....


----------



## mandrix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> USB, SATA (which also requires 12V), Molex (which also requires 12V), legacy PCI (lulz), and technically the CPU and RAM use less than 5V, but I'd assume that the VRMs are there to take in lower-amperage 12V, not 5V, and output higher-amerpage ~1.5V.


....with the Aquaero 5VSB. I think you're off on a tangent here, chief.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> What can you power with only 5v?
> 
> 
> 
> USB, SATA (which also requires 12V), Molex (which also requires 12V), legacy PCI (lulz), and technically the CPU and RAM use less than 5V, but I'd assume that the VRMs are there to take in lower-amperage 12V, not 5V, and output higher-amerpage ~1.5V.
Click to expand...

SSDs use only 5v.


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> ....with the Aquaero 5VSB. I think you're off on a tangent here, chief.


What? I skim.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> SSDs use only 5v.


But you wouldn't ever run an SSD from the Aquaero.......

I think the discussion got twisted a little bit.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> What? I skim.


Ok. You're forgiven.

But go do 50 Hail Mary's and a Anima Christi just in case......


----------



## cpachris

Time to help Jenn pick a color combination for the 24 pin cable....

I want to do a 3 color combination for the PPPP sleeving. Black and pink are the no brainer choices for two of those colors. I think we'll use grey for the 3rd color.

These shots are just to show the black and grey Telios sleeving from Lutro0 Customs, and how it fits with the color scheme of the ASUS RIVE BE and The Corsair fans. The RIVE BE has both black and grey ports for several things. One set of the memory slots is black, and one set is grey. They also use black/grey to differentiate their SATA2 and SATA3 ports. For the Corsair fans, they all have the grey rubber vibration dampners on each corner....so there is also plenty of black and grey for the fans. Grey just makes sense for the 3rd color....





So I used some of my test batch of pink dyed Telios, along with some black and grey, and stuck them in a 24 pin connector for some combinations. From left to right we have....

#1 - BBPPGBBBBBBB



#2 - BBPPBGGBPPBB



#3 - BGPGBBBBGPGB



#4 - BBPPGGBBPPGG



#5 - BBPPGBBBBBBB



#6 - BBBPPPGGGBBB



#7 - BBBPPPGBBBBB



#8 - BBBBBPGBBBBB



#9 - BBBBBBGPPGBB



Jenn gets to decide what she wants....but I'll tell you now that she was heavily influenced by forum opinion in selecting the fan combination colors. So....here is your chance to influence her. Let her know what you think would look best in her pretty little pink computer! Or feel free to suggest other options. Like they told me in Louisiana.....vote early, and vote often!


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

#7 - 1 black, 2 pink, 2 gray, 2 black, 2 gray, 2 pink, 1 black? I have a thing for symmetry. I'm not so sure introducing gray into the color pallet is such a great idea, however. It starts getting too busy and I don't recall seeing gray used elsewhere (but, then again, I'm old, senile, and blind). Still, as you said, it's Jenn's machine and herself's choice.


----------



## Pheozero

I'd do #9 myself.


----------



## akira749

One thing for sure is that I would go easy on the gray because it's the lightest color in your combo so i can easily take all the place to the eye and since it's in no way the main color of this build you don't want that.

From the color combinations you pictured my favorites are #1, #5 and #9

Here are some other ideas that could look good. It's basically my 3 choices with a single pink sleeve addition at the other end of the 24-pin

BBPPGBBBB*P*BB

BBPPGGBBB*P*BB

BB*P*BBBGPPGBB

Just my


----------



## Simmons572

Maybe BBGPPGGPPGBB ? I like the idea of a thick black border and gray accents around the pink.


----------



## mAs81

I really like #1,#3,#7 & #9,the combinations are perfect for the build IMHO


----------



## Citra

I'll have to say 9.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> 1 black, 2 pink, 2 gray, 2 black, 2 gray, 2 pink, 1 black? I have a thing for symmetry.


An idea from the Lady......

10 - BPPGGBBGGPPB



Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> Here are some other ideas that could look good. It's basically my 3 choices with a single pink sleeve addition at the other end of the 24-pin
> 
> BBPPGBBBB*P*BB
> 
> BBPPGGBBB*P*BB
> 
> BB*P*BBBGPPGBB


*A*kira's *A*ssortment ......

11 - BBPPGBBBB*P*BB



12 - BBPPGGBBB*P*BB



13 - BB*P*BBBGPPGBB



Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Simmons572*
> 
> Maybe BBGPPGGPPGBB ? I like the idea of a thick black border and gray accents around the pink.


*S*immons *S*uperior *S*elections....

14 - BBGPPGGPPGBB


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

After looking at Simmons Superior Selections... How about BBPPPGGPPPBB? It has symmetry and makes pink, the main theme of this build, the predominant color. Of course, it's still Jenn's choice.


----------



## Simmons572

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> *S*immons *S*uperior *S*elections....
> 
> 14 - BBGPPGGPPGBB
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


That looks great! Even if I say so myself!









I need more reaction gifs


----------



## nvidiaftw12

14 or

BGPPGBBGPPGB


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> *A*kira's *A*ssortment ......
> 
> 12 - BBPPGGBBB*P*BB
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


I'm really liking this one


----------



## wthenshaw

#1 tickles my fancy.


----------



## p1en1nja

I say 10 or 14


----------



## CasP3r

I like #5 and #9 the most. In my opinion they have the correct amount of pink and grey in them so they don't throw the balance of the colors off. I think too much pink and grey would look a little out of the place inside the case where most of the things are black. The patterns are nice and simple, some of the other ones with more stripes look too busy in my opinion, these two look very clean while still following and enhancing the theme of the build. I also prefer non-symmetrical patterns to symmetrical ones for some reason. Maybe they have more artistic feel to them, kind of showing more of the builder's vision and creativity or something? I don't know.


----------



## maineiacsmoker

I personally like 2 or 4....sorta balances it out with the 3 colors.


----------



## fast_fate

#9 for me


----------



## maineiacsmoker

Chris,

I have a question for you: when you made your fan harnesses for the BBBB, where did you get your male pins for the male connector, and do you have the original Molex part Number?
Also, I tried searching the thread, and could not find the original post where you made them. Can you help me?

Thanks.


----------



## Jameswalt1

#3 gets my vote


----------



## jameyscott

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> #3 gets my vote


I second this.


----------



## Stunub

#3, #5 or Jen's pick. I think black would get lost in the dark case.


----------



## Xclsyr

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CasP3r*
> 
> I like #5 and #9 the most. In my opinion they have the correct amount of pink and grey in them so they don't throw the balance of the colors off. I think too much pink and grey would look a little out of the place inside the case where most of the things are black. The patterns are nice and simple, some of the other ones with more stripes look too busy in my opinion, these two look very clean while still following and enhancing the theme of the build.


My thinking exactly. Symmetry is all fine, but gets busy quickly and can't be repeated well on the GPU cables etc. anyways. A dark cable with just a blaze of pink to draw attention? Add a little grey but not neccessarily symetrical either. My choice so far is *#1*.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Simmons572*
> 
> That looks great! Even if I say so myself!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I need more reaction gifs


That may be the most disturbing gif I've seen yet.


----------



## Kinaesthetic

#3 is easily the most interesting pattern of all of them and would go really well with the rest of the build imo. #3 gets my vote.


----------



## Jameswalt1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> That may be the most disturbing gif I've seen yet.


Indeed. I felt violated when I saw it, yet I can't look away...


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Same here. 'Tis amazing what emotions simple facial expressions can evoke.


----------



## ThornTwist

He's one of those guys you never want to meet.


----------



## WhiteWulfe

I like #1, but #12 has a lovely look to it as well!


----------



## blupupher

I am a more symmetrical guy so 2, 3, 4, 6, 10 and 14 are initially what I am drawn to, with 2 and 3 looking best IMO.

Or maybe:

BBBGGPPGGBBB

Or to get a little more pink into the cable and less gray

BBBPPGGPPBBB


----------



## Simmons572

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> That may be the most disturbing gif I've seen yet.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> Indeed. I felt violated when I saw it, yet I can't look away...


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Same here. 'Tis amazing what emotions simple facial expressions can evoke.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ThornTwist*
> 
> He's one of those guys you never want to meet.


Hence proving my point of needing more and less terrifying reaction gifs.


----------



## cpachris

Ok. I've summarized all of the preferences/favorites/votes from all of the forums where this build log is being replicated....and here are the results from forum members.

The top 3 vote getters ended up being #1, #3 and #9:



Spoiler: #1









Spoiler: #3









Spoiler: #9







There was a group of 4 options that all received significant support, but not near as much as the top 3 vote getters. These were #2, #4, #5 and #14.



Spoiler: #2









Spoiler: #4









Spoiler: #5









Spoiler: #14







Before I let Jenn absorb all the forum wisdom, I sat her down in front of Lightroom and had her start picking favorites and explaining to me what she liked and didn't like about each one.

Her 4 favorites were #1, #3, #7 and #9. So three of them were identical to the top vote getters among the forums, with only #7 being the one that didn't receive a lot of forum support.



Spoiler: #7







TBH....I think #7 grabbed her attention because it was a lot like #1....but more centered. She liked the thinner pink stripe (2 pinks in #1) more than the thicker pink strip (3 pinks in #7), so I think she might really like a variation of #1 that was more centered. She seemed to want the overall look to be predominantly black....and veto'ed some of the ones I thought were pretty, just because they had "too much color". She also seemed to really like it when the grey sleeve was a border around the pink. My baby knows what she likes.

So....based on what I think I know now...I'm going to present her (and you all) a final group of pictures to select/vote from. They will all be based on either #1, #3 or #9. For the #1 variations....I'll play with different locations for the PPG stripe to sit. The #3 variations will all be double stripes, and I can have 2 or 3 different places for the double stripes to sit....and they don't necessarily have to be symmetrical. For the #9 variations....I'll play with different locations for the stripe, as well as both single and double pink variations.

I should have those picks posted later today or tomorrow......

Can't wait to get started!


----------



## Barefooter

At first I picked #2, but I like 14 too. I'm a symmetric guy so it has to be even on both sides for me. I also do not like a lot of single colors right next to each other, so at least two wires of the same color next to each other all the way across.

I think BBBPPGGPPBBB or PBBPPGGPPBBP would look great too.

Grey should have the least color, mostly black and pink would look best imo.


----------



## luciddreamer124

Big fan of #4 for some reason


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

#3 and #2


----------



## jameyscott

Definitely 3.


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

DROP EVERYTHING! Tell ASUS to take their crappy 780Tis back! It's a freakin' fish! And yes, it does come in hot pink.

And to make this technically on-topic: Try a centered version of number nine too. That one is nice and symmetrical.


----------



## derickwm

Feesh needs water.


----------



## jameyscott

With EK blocks I assume?


----------



## derickwm

Of course, with a feesh block to match


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Weird Fish GPU!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> DROP EVERYTHING! Tell ASUS to take their crappy 780Tis back! It's a freakin' fish! And yes, it does come in hot pink.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *derickwm*
> 
> Feesh needs water.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> With EK blocks I assume?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *derickwm*
> 
> Of course, with a feesh block to match
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Oh my. A passively cooled fish shaped graphics card in hot pink.

I think I'll pass on this one.......


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Oh my. A passively cooled fish shaped graphics card in hot pink.
> I think I'll pass on this one.......


Just so long as no-one tells @JennG about it....


----------



## seross69

I am sure she has better taste than this!!


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *derickwm*
> 
> Of course, with a feesh block to match
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


----------



## cpachris

Picking up where I left off........

We/I/Jenn had narrowed down the initial list to 3 favorites. For each of these 3 favorites...I can spin it several ways.

First up....are Group #1. Group #1 all has a *P*ink*P*ink*G*rey combination inside the black cable. Different spots to put the PPG. We could do:

1-1


1-2


1-3


1-4


1-5


1-6


1-7


1-8


I know she wants black on the outside edges of the cable...so those are the possible combinations.

For Group #2, there were double stripes. Jenn called them racing stripes.







Each stripe was a GPG combination. We could put these at a few spots in the cable, including:

2-1


2-2


2-3


For Group #3, we had the single stripe, but it was in a double pink GPPG combination. We could put these in the following locations:

3-1


3-2


3-3


3-4


As a next step Jenn is going to pick her favorite from each group, and then narrow it down to the final one. She'll probably be weighing in with her selections tomorrow....so feel free to try and influence her along the way....


----------



## Simmons572

I'm definitely in favor of 2-2, and not just because its the closest thing to the SSS.









I'm a big fan hah puns of symmetry, and it just seems more balanced imo.

Otherwise, I'd pick 3-4.


----------



## akira749

1-3 Combination is my favorite in those combinations followed by 3-3

I really think that having ticker black outside edges helps on focusing to the color accents. If you only leave 1 row of black outside edge then it's like there was no edges.

Again only my opinion


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

2-2, 2-3, & 3-4


----------



## CptAsian

2-2 all the way. And once again, because of symmetry.


----------



## Whatts

PPG too close to the edges or to the centre doesn't do it for me, so 1-3 and 3-2.


----------



## meeps

1-1, 1-8, 3-1, 3-8.


----------



## 8BitPandaz

2-2 for me tbh the pink stands out nice but isn't to much and as previously said there is that symmetry







I also like 3-4 as well


----------



## Barefooter

Oh so many combinations. I like the 3-4 best 2-3 second choice.


----------



## CasP3r

I would definitely go with the 3-2. The 1-7 looks great as well.


----------



## blupupher

2-2 or 3-4


----------



## mandrix

2-2, 2-3.


----------



## Xclsyr

So I'm looking and trying to decide, but then realise something - With your MB being horizontal, if you want to place an offset stripe towards the front of the case you'll need to go with 1-7 or 1-8, which puts the grey to the outside of the pink, and I kinda like it that way better than pink => grey as in 1-2 etc.

And then it occurred to me that there was another combo that you didn't even show: placing 2 grey in between 2 pink, which would look like BBBBBPGGPB (3-1 mirrored and P<>G reversed). Worth trying?









_edit:_ Looked at your pics with the MB in place and wait a moment - the connector's at the front not the side. So I'm backwards as well as lefthanded (not surprising!). But my second thought holds, but would be more like BPGGPBBBBB (1 black at edge) or BBPGGPBBBB (with 2 black)...


----------



## Hattifnatten

1-3 and 3-2 gets my vote


----------



## jinmairangs

Subbed! This time I'm in from the begging! Looking forward to another great log.


----------



## equinoxe3d

I'd go with 2-2 for the symmetry as well. Do you intend to bring down a similar pattern to the other cables as well (PCIe, ATX12v, etc.) ?


----------



## WhiteWulfe

1-1 or 3-1 are my favourites!


----------



## GingerJohn

I'll settle for 2-0 to England, maybe 2-1 to make it interesting.

Oh wait, we are not talking about the world cup in this thread are we? My mistake.

In that case, 3-2.


Spoiler: My reasoning



Separating the pink strands just looks messy to me, having them together looks cleaner. 3-3 is only just off centre, it looks like a mistake rather than deliberate. 3-1 is too close to the edge. I don't like the symmetrical look of 3-4. Of course this is all my subjective opinion, you are free to disagree with it. If you don't mind being wrong that is.


----------



## ron1389

I like 2-1 and 3-2.


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> I'll settle for *2-0 to England*, maybe 2-1 to make it interesting.
> 
> Oh wait, we are not talking about the world cup in this thread are we? My mistake.
> 
> In that case, 3-2.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: My reasoning
> 
> 
> 
> Separating the pink strands just looks messy to me, having them together looks cleaner. 3-3 is only just off centre, it looks like a mistake rather than deliberate. 3-1 is too close to the edge. I don't like the symmetrical look of 3-4. Of course this is all my subjective opinion, you are free to disagree with it. If you don't mind being wrong that is.


That's a little ambitious


----------



## cpachris

@JennG has narrowed it down to 4 options, and is going to sleep on it one more night before making a final selection. Thank you to everyone who has influenced or steered her in the right direction.

Today's project involved getting ready for making that 24 pin cable. The Corsair AX1500i is close to a 1 to 1 pinout for the 24 pin....depending on how your board and PSU are oriented. There is, however, 1 double wire on the motherboard side, and one empty hole on the motherboard side. Close....but no cigar. The other thing I was noticing as I traced the wires from the PSU to the motherboard, is that I was going to need to flip them. If you picture an nicely done extension in the shape of a 1/2 circle....the wires on the inside of the C stay on the inside of the C for the whole extension. Wires on the outside of the C stay on the outside of the C for the whole extension. If I was going to run cable straight from the PSU to the motherboard, I would have to deal with the situation of the inside of my "C" at the PSU connector, would have to become the outside of my "C" at the motherboard connector. This can ruin the look of a nice and neat 24 pin. Combine it with the double wire I have to deal with, and the 24 pin could get messy....

The way I handled this on the BBBB, was to make a short power cord that handled all the non 1 to 1 and double wire connections. It had female connectors on the PSU side using the PSU specific connectors.....and had a male connector on the other end....that could be plugged into a typical extension. This allows the extension to be 1 to 1 and perfect....while the short cable handles all the messy stuff. I'm going to do something similar here for the PPPP.

First step was to cut some lengths of wire for this short power cable. I'm using my Lutro0 special 16 AWG wire. Through a couple of practice runs, I ended up settling on 1.75 inches for the length of the wire for the short cable. Too long....and it looks messy. Too short...and I wouldn't be able to have enough slack in the wire to make the connections. Was using the Lutro0 snips for this step also. They work really well for cutting wire. I don't think they work as well for cutting sleeving.



You already know I like assembly line style work....so I cut all of them I thought I would need...plus a few more. For mistakes....



Next I got out the Knipex wire strippers (also from Lutro0) and took off the perfect amount of insulation on everyone of my lil' pieces of wire.



Look at those brave lil' soldiers....



Next I got out the Lutro0 crimper and the ATX pins and went to work putting a female ATX pin on one end of every piece of wire....



I didn't take the time to go up to the studio and use the tripod and good lighting....but take a look at the crimps that these pins/crimper can do. Top notch quality tools here. I can get better crimps more often with these tools....than I could with my MDPC crimper.



Look at those brave lil' soldiers.....



Next I put a male ATX pin on the other end of the wires. If you count them, you'll notice that we lost a few soldiers on the battlefield. Even with nice tools, you will occassionally get a pin that gets crushed the wrong way in the crimper. I wanted all these to be perfect, so any crimped pins that had imperfections were tossed. I had to make up a few extra wires in the end.....



The time has come to put this thing together. I started with the male pin side of the wires, and inserted these into the proper holes on the male connector. Then I used the slack in the wire to bend the top row down to the bottom, and the bottom row up to the top.









Then I got the PSU connectors and started to insert the female pins from my short wires into the connector. It's this step where you will be glad that you measured carefully and that every wire is the exact same length. If you have one wire longer or shorter than the others....it gets tricky to get everything to lock in place.



After I had secured the 14 pin PSU connector, I added the 10 pin PSU connector also, and snugged all the pins in until I heard that satisfying 'click'.





This I used the little bit of slack in the wire to bend each wire back far enough to insert the other row of wires into the connectors. This step is where you will find out if your wires are long enough. Too long....and it looks messy. But too short...and it's very difficult to bend them back far enough to insert the pins......







All that was left at this point was the double wire. The pins I was using had large enough wings where they were able to hold two of these 16 AWG wires nicely.





When I did this for the BBBB, I also put some sleeve on the wires. I chose not to for this one, because I found that it created a huge bulge in the connector since basically every wire has to wrap around and down before getting to it's connector. It actually looked much cleaner with just the black wire and black connectors. Additionally, you won't see this connector when the build is done. The PSU side of the 24 pin connectors are beneath other connectors and not seen.

So....that's all for this step. Now, I'm off to do a big pink dye batch and turn the rest of my white Telios into a gorgeous pink. Need to be ready when @JennG makes that final selection!


----------



## sadeter

I really like that idea of the mini-cable to deal with the wires. This would also make it easier in the future if you moved the psu to a different build since you could just use a different extension.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sadeter*
> 
> I really like that idea of the mini-cable to deal with the wires. This would also make it easier in the future if you moved the psu to a different build since you could just use a different extension.


Agreed. Extensions are pretty quick and easy to make....and are PSU independent. This little cable took me longer to do than the final pretty extension will.


----------



## mandrix

...so your 24 pin cable ends up being all 1 to 1. Neat! Wish I'd thought of that. My SeaSonic is literally all over the place with double wires.


----------



## cpachris

Text update....

Finished up my big pink dye batch last night. I'll have some pictures to post tonight.

Also, Jenn finalized on her 24-pin selection. It was also one of the crowd favorites from the voting. She chose 3-4 from the last batch, which was this one:


----------



## mAs81

Niice!!!!!!
It's going to be awesome looking,to say the least


----------



## Oopsypoopsy

She has good taste


----------



## cpachris

Pink Dye Bath!!

I kind of walked through the step-by-step awhile back when I did the test batch, so I'll skip the narrative on how to make the dye bath this time, and get straight to the pictures.

Mmmmmmmmm......what's for dinner??



I tied up a loose roll of about 75 feet of white Telios, and put it on a strainer plate, so that it wouldn't sit on the bottom of the pot. Away from the direct heat.



I tied some pipe cleaner around the strainer plate so I could raise and lower it and check on the progress of the sleeve in the dye bath.



Coming along nicely after just 5 minutes.....



...and after about an hour of cookin'.....it looked like this!



I kind of lucked out with how nicely the color matched my case....without having to do a lot of trial and error dye mixing. Anyway....now I've got some pink sleeve.....so I'll get started on that 24 pin right away. Kind of anxious to get rid of all the excess power cabling in the case already.


----------



## blupupher

Looks good. I like the color combo for the power cable.

So weird how the zip ties picked up so much more color that the sleeving.


----------



## mAs81

Wow,that's exactly the perfect shade of pink!!
Niiice!!!


----------



## mandrix

Very nice!
pipe cleaner?


----------



## sadeter

You don't have any of the clear Telious sleeving do you? or the clear/white fusion? I'd really be curious to see how it reacts to the dying.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> Looks good. I like the color combo for the power cable.
> So weird how the zip ties picked up so much more color that the sleeving.


Yeah....they turned bright red. You really have to do a test batch or two to see how your items will react to the dye......

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Wow,that's exactly the perfect shade of pink!!
> Niiice!!!


thanks!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Very nice!
> pipe cleaner?


My kids had some pipe cleaner laying around from a school project.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sadeter*
> 
> You don't have any of the clear Telious sleeving do you? or the clear/white fusion? I'd really be curious to see how it reacts to the dying.


I don't have any of the clear. That would be interesting.


----------



## cpachris

Time to make that 24 pin!

I'm going to make this extension have a pretty extreme and tight bend in it (more than 180 degrees). If you want your 24 pin to have a nice curve and keep it, you have to make the inside row of wires shorter than the outside row of wires. There is a formula you can follow if you want a precise down to the millimeter measurement, based on how many degrees of bend you will have, but my rule of thumb is to use 1/4 inch shorter on the inside row for every 90 degrees of bend you want in the extension. I'm going to have a little more than 180 degrees, so I'm going to make my inside wires about 5/8 inch shorter than my outside.

Let's make the outside row of wires first. Based on a couple of trial and errors, I settled on 8.5 inches for the length of the outside row. This length created a nice snug fit with a tight bend. No excess wire here. It's all work and no play. So I cut myself 12 pieces of my 16 AWG Lutro0 Customs special wire into 8.5 inch lengths....



There they are....all lined up and reporting for duty.



Then I used my Knipex wire strippers to take off the EXACT same amount of insulation on each of these soldiers...



They didn't mind one bit.



Then I used my Lutro0 crimper and pins to make some more of those PERFECT crimps on one end of the wires.



I always do just one end first, because I can run through these all without having to worry about rotating the pin in the right direction before crimping.



For the second pin, I always make sure and lay out the wire on something flat and ensure that I'm crimping the pin with it rotated in the right position on the wire. For this extension, both pins needed to be facing up the same direction. If you forget to make sure they are lined up....it causes grief when you go to insert them into the connectors, because you'll have to be twisting the wire/sleeve around to get it to fit into the connector. No-bueno. So make sure you have them lined up correctly.

Stripped and crimped. Sounds like a bad 80's movie......



Next I cut lengths of my sleeve to use. I've found that if I cut the sleeve a little less than 1/4 inch shorter than the wire, that it comes out just about perfect for the shrinkless method I use. Of course, this 1/4 inch will depend on how much insulation you take off, and how tight you stretch the sleeve. But for me....a smidge less than 1/4 inch shorter works nicely.



I always touch the ends with some flame and taper them at this point also. 2 grey, 2 pink and 8 black. That's what I need for the outside row I'm working on.



Now I need some heatshrink for my shrinkless method. I've always found that kind of funny. Took out my jig and a pair of scissors, and went to work cutting some up.



Perfect. I mentioned this awhile back, but I never could get consistently good results using an exacto knife or box cutter or razor blade. But with a pair of scissors....I can cut up 50 pieces of perfectly sized shrink in about 2 minutes. It's quick. And I love being able to adjust to get the perfect size I need for whatever I'm doing. Nice lil' tool....

Look at them. They don't even know they are about to get burned alive.....



Next steps were to cinch my wires into a piece of sleeve, and melt the sleeve onto the pins at the end of the wire. If you've never tried shrinkless.....give it a shot. Plenty of good videos available, so I won't recreate the wheel for you. But check some out and then give it a go. I find it more forgiving than using heatshrink, and it secures the sleeve MUCH better than when using heatshrink. Since the sleeve is literally melted and formed around the first ridge on the pin....it's on there securely. It's not going anywhere. This lets me pull the sleeve much more tightly than I ever could if it was secured by heatshrink. Tighter sleeve....is nicer sleeve.

Oh Lord. I've now mentioned strippers, shrinking and tighter in the same post. I fear the gate has been opened for off-topic comments.









After completing the outside row, I went back and did all the same steps for the inside row, but I cut the wires 5/8 inch shorter than I did for the outside row.

So....here is what it looked like after I got both rows.



If you try and lay it flat, you'll see that one row (the outside row) has to buckle up since it's longer.



But have no fear. If you measured right, when you bend the extension in the shape you are going to use....all of the wires will magically snug up next to each other and look incredible!







Here is what it looks like inside the build. It came out perfect length. There is not an inch of extra slack in the wire. Perfectly sized, and looking like it's a full one-to-one cable since the ugly doubles and cross-overs are all handled in the mini-cable right by the PSU.









I actually gave away a surprise with some of those pictures....and I'm sure the eagle eyed forum members will catch it. But I'll do a full post on it tomorrow anyway so it's not like I would have kept it a surprise forever!

Now....to test and see if I got everything wired up correctly, the first thing I did was plug it in and see if the computer would boot. Check.



All voltage readings read normal in my Aida64 screens. But....I decided to test out one of my new toys anyway. I got this little multi-meter from Lutro0, and I hadn't used it yet.



One of the very cool features of the ASUS RIVE BE are the places on the board where you can place probes and test the different voltages on the board. VCore, VTT, DRAM, etc. All of mine tested perfectly. I even tested the memory at 1.5v and at the XMP settings of 1.65 volts. The measurements I got from the motherboard were exactly what they should be under each scenario. Very handy tool and I love having that feature on the motherboard. Nice touch ASUS.











I initially tried some of the stealth cable combs from Lutro0, and decided that I liked the look of cable sewing better. So....next up on my project list is to do some sewing on the 24 pin. I'll also start in on the other motherboard power connectors. There are lots of ways to pimp your ride when doing a computer build. But custom sized cables is one of those things where you get a lot of bang for the buck. In my mind, nothing makes a build sharper than custom sized and sleeved cables for every connector.


----------



## ron1389

That 24pin looks really great!!!


----------



## wthenshaw




----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I actually gave away a surprise with some of those pictures....and I'm sure the eagle eyed forum members will catch it. But I'll do a full post on it tomorrow anyway so it's not like I would have kept it a surprise forever!


I would say.....it's pink and it lights-up









Very very nice job and tutorial! I'm keeping the bend-to-length formula in my head for my next PSU


----------



## Barefooter

I see you decided to knock out the 24 pin first this time. Came out great! I am going to have to try the shrinkless method out myself. It really looks clean that way.


----------



## socketus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> S8 not M8, shhh quiet nobody noticed it


I noticed ONE THING that wasn't revealed - CHRIS in a color coded service uniform with his name tag over the left breast pocket









quite the tutorial, per usual


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *socketus*
> 
> I noticed ONE THING that wasn't revealed - CHRIS in a color coded service uniform with his name tag over the left breast pocket
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> quite the tutorial, per usual


??? Color coded service uniform? Don't believe I've ever owned a uniform of any kind.....


----------



## GingerJohn

I miss seeing your little pink helper posing in the photos.

That.... sounded wrong. I miss the little Pink Panther figurine.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> ??? Color coded service uniform? Don't believe I've ever owned a uniform of any kind.....


Yeah, I was a bit









You've posted pictures of your wedding clothes, and a OU jersey, but a uniform?

Edit: Unless he is talking about your CPA uniform - you know, the one made out of $100 bills with gold buttons and diamond cuff-links...


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> I miss seeing your little pink helper posing in the photos.


He's been fondling the 24 pin ever since it was finished, so he'll probably make his way into some pictures soon.









I even saw my 24 pin from the BBBB looking around at the new one here. I'll have to keep those two separated.....


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I even saw my 24 pin from the BBBB looking around at the new one here. I'll have to keep those two separated.....


I don't know, maybe they'll breed. That would save you making the GPU and CPU power cables, although the colours may be a little off.

Glad to hear about the Return of the Pink Panther.


----------



## mandrix

Nice work.


----------



## cpachris

Cell phone pic. Only had time to finish one row of stitching. The rest should go pretty fast though. Took some time to relearn the stitch.


----------



## ron1389

Nice stitch!!! Is it hard to learn?


----------



## JambonJovi

Great sleeving tutorial again Chris.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Glad to hear about the Return of the Pink Panther.


I see what you did there.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ron1389*
> 
> Nice stitch!!! Is it hard to learn?


Not too tough. I learned the most from Pongo's guide, and his build is what made me want to do stitching on my last build. Check it out!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JambonJovi*
> 
> Great sleeving tutorial again Chris.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I see what you did there.


Thanks....and yeah, that Ginger John is a clever guy....


----------



## socketus

With Chris' creativity and attention to detail on show, he COULD create a pink shirt or pink/black/gray combo shirt with piping, and his name tag over the left breast pocket, would, of course, either be in pink lettering with black b/g, or reverse. All the while continuing his tutorials on this particular PPPP project ... just sayin .... it has not been revealed, but it could exist .... the work shirt would be perfect for this build log. Complete with long sleeves .... or not !

Its called imagination ....







About the only thing missing from the fotos .... IMHO, is a pink work shirt with name tag. He's having fun, but that's how professional his efforts appear in this log.

We read about the formulation of ideas, we see the pictured progress, and then we get to choose from pictured options our likes .... its a very involving build log, and enjoyable. And printable for some, eh Tath ? ;-)

THINK of the MR SCIENCE show as being the role model, eh ?


----------



## cpachris

ASUS posted a teaser on their Facebook page yesterday, and it generated more than 8,000 views in just a few hours over here on OCN!

https://www.facebook.com/asus.n.america


----------



## cpachris

All right. I mentioned that my previous pictures gave away a surprise, and I think most people probably spotted it already. But in case you didn't, .....here are the pictures....

The Corsair Dominator Platinums have a removable bridge that goes over the heat sink fin, and serves to cast the light from the light bars downward on the ram. Take out the four small screws, and it comes right off. See the translucent light bar sitting on top of the heatsink fins?



The actual light bar is not attached at all. It was merely held in place by the bridge. The two ends of the light bar sit on top of tiny LED's inside the memory sticks, which light up the entire bar.



Well....you remember that big pot of dye that I used for to create my pink Telios? You can see where this is going, right?



I threw the lightbars into the dye bath and cooked them for about 20 minutes. They took the dye real quick, and came out a gorgeous shade of pink!





I reinstalled the light bars in the memory sticks, and put them back in the build. I turned the lights off and took some flash pictures....but then turned the exposure down far enough so that you can kind of see the neat lil' pink glow that is created.



I have the light bar upgrade kit installed in just one of the memory sticks right now. You can see the pink lights on top of that one stick. The top inserts are actually still clear....but the pink light bar from underneath makes everything appear pink on top also.



In addition to the one stick that has the topside cutouts....you can see on all the sticks the pink glow created at the edge of the memory sticks. In person, it creates more of a glow than I can pick up in the pictures, ....but you get the idea.



I think the pink glow looks amazing, but I'm going to try something else with these sticks also. You know the silver covered bridge that runs across the top of the sticks? I'm going to have that powder coated black to match the inside of the case. So the top of the sticks are going to be black....with those pink lightbar cutouts showing through. Can't wait to see how it looks that way! Will take 2 or 3 weeks to get to that step though. I'm accumulating all the stuff for my second powder coating batch right now, and then I'll ship off the pieces to CaseLabs. I'll have some other pieces also. Faceplates, mounting brackets, etc.

I'm still working on stitching for the 24 pin. Got one more row done tonight. Need 2 or 3 more....and it will be done.

More soon!


----------



## luciddreamer124

Great work Chris. I love the light bar idea!


----------



## mAs81

Looks great man,brilliant idea!!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *luciddreamer124*
> 
> Great work Chris. I love the light bar idea!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Looks great man,brilliant idea!!


Thanks lucid and mAs81!


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Looks great man,brilliant idea!!


Was that a pun?


----------



## mAs81

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Was that a pun?


You got me


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Was that a pun?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You got me
Click to expand...

Bazinga!


----------



## cpachris

I finished the stitching on the 24 pin last night. I find it pretty easy to watch TV while I do this. On the BBBB, I watched most of the Breaking Bad seasons while I stitched that bad boy up. Last night, I started watching Game of Thrones with @JennG while I stitched. Good show. Watched two episodes and finished up the 24 pin......





I started doing the cables for the other motherboard power connectors today. There is an 8 pin and a 4 pin at the top of the board. That puts 6 wires in a row across one side if I bring the two connectors together. Can't really duplicate the pattern used for the 24 pin....but I think I'm going to do a BBPGBB theme, which would be similar. At least that's what I'll start with and I'll let Jenn steer me differently is she chooses....







For the routing, I'm going to stitch both cables together on top of the motherboard side, so that they turn into one seamless cable. After feeding it down through the cable management cutout and below the motherboard, then I think I'll secure it to the underside of the motherboard tray so that you can't see it (above the PSU), and then do a loop down around in front of the PSU to plug it in.



It's a shame, because it will barely show this way.....and the cable itself is gonna be pretty.







But cleanly done power cables that barely show and are just the right length....are the look I'm going for here.

This power cable won't take too long, so I may finish it up tonight......


----------



## wthenshaw

Cables look great!

Breaking Bad was most excellent.


----------



## cpachris

Finished up the motherboard power cables....and 2 more episodes of Game of Thrones.

Here she is.....



The ASUS board has a 8 pin and a 4 pin connector, so what I've done is joined the cables together going across....so I can use a similar pattern to what we did for the 24 pin. I left off the connector on one end, because the cable management cut-out is small enough where I couldn't fit the connector through without scarring it up....



Here she is inside the build.....



I'm using the cable combs on a temporary basis to help train the cables, but I'll eventually do some stitching to keep it nice and tidy.....





It's amazing to me how much custom length cables can clean-up the look of a build.....



Notice how the 8 pin cable starts out separate from the 4 pin cable (they have some space between them on the board), but come together as one cable before disappearing underneath the motherboard....



Need to figure out my GPU power cable path now, and get started on those. May take a break and work on some fan wiring just for a change....


----------



## wthenshaw

Looking good


----------



## akira749

Very nice job on merging the 8pin and 4 pin! Very clean look


----------



## mAs81

It's starting to look very good!!
I bet your wife is getting excited with how it looks


----------



## blupupher

looking good.

So do you have to use both the 8 pin and 4 pin plugs on the board?


----------



## jameyscott

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> looking good.
> 
> So do you have to use both the 8 pin and 4 pin plugs on the board?


Only the 8 pin is required, but for a facebook and pinterest.. the added power usage of that requires the extra 4 pin.


----------



## ron1389

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> Only the 8 pin is required, but for a facebook and pinterest.. the added power usage of that requires the extra 4 pin.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> looking good.
> 
> So do you have to use both the 8 pin and 4 pin plugs on the board?
> 
> 
> 
> Only the 8 pin is required, but for a facebook and pinterest.. the added power usage of that requires the extra 4 pin.
Click to expand...

























All seriousness aside, it varies from board to board. Some can get away with just the 8 pin as long as one doesn't push it too hard, others will just set there and







at you without both. It's much easier to just hook them both up from the get go than to have to redo it later, either because the board has to have the 4 pin hooked up, period, or because the usage pattern later requires it.


----------



## JambonJovi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> Only the 8 pin is required, but for a facebook and pinterest.. the added power usage of that requires the extra 4 pin.


Don't forget that 4-pin molex. This thing will use all the power it can get.


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Back in the good old day people oc'd 125 watt AMD processors on only 4 pin..


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

That looks so classy.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> Back in the good old day people oc'd 125 watt AMD processors on only 4 pin..


This may or may not be giving me a bad idea... Anybody wanna buy me a 9590? And fire insurance?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Looking good


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> Very nice job on merging the 8pin and 4 pin! Very clean look


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> It's starting to look very good!!
> I bet your wife is getting excited with how it looks


Thanks gents!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> looking good. So do you have to use both the 8 pin and 4 pin plugs on the board?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> Only the 8 pin is required, but for a facebook and pinterest.. the added power usage of that requires the extra 4 pin.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ron1389*


Lol....yep. It's that extra Pinterest power that requires the extra 4 pin.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> All seriousness aside, it varies from board to board. Some can get away with just the 8 pin as long as one doesn't push it too hard, others will just set there and
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> at you without both. It's much easier to just hook them both up from the get go than to have to redo it later, either because the board has to have the 4 pin hooked up, period, or because the usage pattern later requires it.


Probably smartest to do it now.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JambonJovi*
> 
> Don't forget that 4-pin molex. This thing will use all the power it can get.


I'd skip the molex.....if it wasn't for the potential need to find Facebook friends fast. You don't want your video cards skimping on you when your friending people left and right.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> Back in the good old day people oc'd 125 watt AMD processors on only 4 pin..


.....while walking uphill to school in the snow....both ways....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> That looks so classy.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This may or may not be giving me a bad idea... Anybody wanna buy me a 9590? And fire insurance?


Can I take credit for the fire?


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> ...while walking uphill to school in the snow....both ways...


----------



## cpachris

I'm back on the 3d printing design of the pump stand. For the next version that I actually send to be printed, I needed to add a mounting spot for the reservoir. I also wanted to make it a tad bit sturdier than the last version, so I'm going thicker, and I'll probably print it at 75% fill instead of 50% fill. See what you think of this design (views from all 4 sides below)....and offer me some ideas or suggestions that I could stick in before I send it to the printer......

You'll easily notice the extension over on the right of this picture. This is where I'll hang the reservoir. I don't have the holes in the design yet, but there will be holes in both of the horizontal bars, and the bars are positioned right where the brackets for the EK reservoir will be...



The reservoir will be positioned right in the middle of the front window of the case. The two legs that extend out from the pump stand are for more stability, but I've also designed the space in between the legs to be the exact width of 2x inverter boxes for the cold cathode lights I'm planning on using. I'm needed to utilize this space on the floor, because there is not a lot of extra space with all the windows my case has....



From this view (the back), you can see how I've built up a little more support at the base. It comes higher up the vertical plate, without interfering with the pump vibration dampners....



On this side, you'll see two legs that are extended much shorter than the ones on the other side. These will wrap around the cable management cutout that is right by the SATA connectors on the motherboard.



I'm finding it pretty easy to add/change/delete in Google Sketchup. Send me some cool ideas that I can incorporate before I print the next (and hopefully final) version of my pump bracket on the 3d printer!


----------



## akira749

I like the design a lot!!!

I have a general question in the world of 3D printing. Do you have to design your model at the exact dimensions of the final product or that doesn't matter and it's when you order the print that you specify the dimensions you want?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> I like the design a lot!!!
> 
> I have a general question in the world of 3D printing. Do you have to design your model at the exact dimensions of the final product or that doesn't matter and it's when you order the print that you specify the dimensions you want?


Thanks akira!

I don't know if all of the online printing sites are the same....but I know that some of them let you scale it up or down when printing. When I uploaded the model to some sites to check pricing....it would ask me if the model was in millimeters or inches. It also then gave the ability to scale it up (i.e., 125%) or down if I wanted it bigger or smaller. So your model has to be proportional....but not absolute. However, I think it's probably easiest to design it using the exact measurements you really want.

I'm not sure if the software that this local 3d printing group is using has that ability or not. I designed it in inches....and it's printing in inches.


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Thanks akira!
> 
> I don't know if all of the online printing sites are the same....but I know that some of them let you scale it up or down when printing. When I uploaded the model to some sites to check pricing....it would ask me if the model was in millimeters or inches. It also then gave the ability to scale it up (i.e., 125%) or down if I wanted it bigger or smaller. So your model has to be proportional....but not absolute. However, I think it's probably easiest to design it using the exact measurements you really want.
> 
> I'm not sure if the software that this local 3d printing group is using has that ability or not. I designed it in inches....and it's printing in inches.


Great! Thanks for the information. I might have to buy a 3D project file online of a special piece for my next build and it might have to be scaled down.


----------



## cpachris

Here's the stuff I'm planning on putting in my Flex Bays. If I rotate the front 240 rad so that the ports are on the bottom, I'll have 3 flex bays to play with....

I've got an Aquaero 6 XT, Aquaero 5 LT and a Lamptron FC8 controller.....



I used an FC8 in the BBBB, and although I don't think anyone would ever accuse Lamptron of top-notch quality, ....there are some features that I really like about the FC8. There is an LED indicator light above each channel to indicate whether it is on or not. The color of the LED light is customizable with just a few clicks of the buttons. And the "purple" LED light option looks pretty darn pink when next to this case. So it's like I have pink LED power indicators for the channels in this FC8. I think my baby will like that....



Here is the back....

It's been about 2 years since I purchased my last FC8....but when I did, none of the extensions were sleeved. This time around, Lamptron made a little effort and put some black sleeve on the extensions. Much nicer. I wouldn't call it great sleeve....and I don't like how long the heatshrink is close to the connector....but if someone wasn't going to take the time to sleeve these on their own...these look much nicer than the black, yellow and red wires that were showing on my last set of these. Now Lamptron....sleeve the power connectors and you'll have a nice looking product!



I'll still re-sleeve all of these in my black Telios sleeving. Plus, I'll get rid of the 3 molex power connectors and make something cleaner. I guess I can understand the need for 3 molex connectors if someone was going to run all 8 channels at 30 watts. That might be too much current for a single molex connection with small gauge wires. Maybe. But the Lamptron FC8 is going to be for controlling/dimming lighting. That's all. It won't ever handle too much wattage, so I should be fine with a sleeker power delivery system than this horrid 3 molex cable it comes with....



On the left is the Aquaero 6 XT and on the right is the Aquaero 5 LT. Plenty of pictures of these out there already....so I won't bore you with too many here. I'll probably treat each set of rad fans as a separate fan channel, so there are 3 channels there. Both pumps are voltage controlled, so there are 2 more channels there. Plus, there are a couple of exhaust fans on the back of the build. So it would have been almost impossible to get away with only the 4 channels available on the XT. I toyed with the idea of some PowerAdjust2's....but since I hadn't ever used an LT in slave mode before....I opted to go that route.



I did get a few accessories for them. The black passive heatsink is a naturally addition for this build. That bright red heatsink would have looked hideous in here, so I'm glad they came out with a black version. I also have waterblocks for both. May need to paint the outside of these black to keep with the theme. A hunk of copper in the middle of this build would ruin my mojo.



I also got an extra faceplate in black. I'll have to decide if a black or pink faceplate would look better. For the BBBB I had the faceplate powerdercoated crimson....and it looks awesome. May have to try an extra one in pink and see what that looks like.

I have high hopes for the new EK Ascendacy that I showed earlier in the thread. Beta testing is ongoing, and EK has knocked out a few software bugs already that were stopping many in our test group from being able to open the software application that goes with it. But I don't know if they will be ready with a retail version of the product in time for this build. I'll still have some screenshots and shots of the software later so you can get a better feel for how it compares with Aquasuite.

More soon!


----------



## sadeter

I'd still love to see the build name on the bracket like your first one. I think it gave it that extra touch of personality.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sadeter*
> 
> I'd still love to see the build name on the bracket like your first one. I think it gave it that extra touch of personality.


Where would you put it?


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Where would you put it?


----------



## sadeter

If possible I'd put it standing on the front like your first design.


----------



## cpachris

Doing some preliminary installation of the flex bay stuff today to see what it looks like. First off, to make everything easy to access, I removed the front 240 radiator mount. Love how this works on the CaseLabs S8. A few thumb screws and I can pop the whole thing off and remove it. Super easy.



I took this opportunity to rotate the fans so that the power connectors would line up on the inside of the case instead of the outside. I also turned the radiator so that the inlet/outlet are at the bottom of the case instead of the top. This way, I don't burn one of my few precious flex bays.....



While I had the radiator mount out...I took a few shots. Easier to see the 24 pin cable with the radiator pulled out. Really need to get on the GPU cables though. They stick out like a sore thumb with the other cables done....





I got the Aquaero 6 XT out and pried the stainless steel face plate off the back of the face plate. It's just held on by some sticky.....



I replaced it with this black one that I picked up.....



....and then I put the Aquaero's and the Lamptron FC8 in the case. I think the black faceplates look pretty good! But I still think I'll get the extra Aquaero faceplate done in pink, and see which I like better....





It's been awhile since I had it all suited up....so here are some shots with all the panels on.







I can't wait to see what it looks like with the dual pumps on the left side and the reservoir in the front window. More soon!


----------



## Jameswalt1

Looking good! Hopefully that AX1500i is getting pinkafied....


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> Looking good! Hopefully that AX1500i is getting pinkafied....


It will get a pink'ish treatment.....









Clearly the orange sticker has to go. But I'm going to replace it with a window mod on the side of the PSU so you can see in the PSU's guts, and light it up from the inside. Fan grill on top will probably be powdercoated pink. It's gonna be sweet.....


----------



## iBored

How are you connecting your fans?
If you're making a custom daisy chain connector, please show!

I tried to make one but it's really ugly. Clumpy at the soldered points and twisted all over. =(


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iBored*
> 
> How are you connecting your fans?
> If you're making a custom daisy chain connector, please show!
> 
> I tried to make one but it's really ugly. Clumpy at the soldered points and twisted all over. =(


Yes, I'll be making some custom power harnesses for the fans, and that's one of the next things on my list to do. I'll make sure and take lots of pictures along the way. I've haven't figured out exactly how I'll handle it for this build. I've done double wires before, and I've done splices. Both ways can get messy if you are not careful. Here's an example of what I ended up with for the top 480's in my last build....


----------



## mandrix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Yes, I'll be making some custom power harnesses for the fans, and that's one of the next things on my list to do. I'll make sure and take lots of pictures along the way. I've haven't figured out exactly how I'll handle it for this build. I've done double wires before, and I've done splices. Both ways can get messy if you are not careful. Here's an example of what I ended up with for the top 480's in my last build....
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Yes your fan harnesses are pretty.









Gonna look good when you get those pumps mounted.


----------



## cpachris

A dramatic reenactment of a conversation from a few days ago......

**************************************************

*Me:* Come check out the stuff I put in the flex bays!

*Jenn:* What are flex bays?

*Me:* ....just come look at the front of the computer.

*Jenn:* Awesome! Looks great! Where will I plug in the card from my camera?

*Me:* We can get an external card reader to plug in when you need it.

*Jenn:* You mean I can't just plug in my card to the computer?

*Me:* You can after you plug in the card reader to the computer.

*Jenn:* Why do I need to keep it separate?

*Me:* Limited space in the front of the computer.....

*Jenn:* So move something to the back of the computer....

*Me:* Like what?

*Jenn:* What is that blank spot there for?

*Me:* There is an Aquaero behind it. It will control your fans for you.

*Jenn:* Do I need to touch it?

*Me:* No. You can't touch it.

*Jenn:* Then move it to the back of the computer, and put a card reader in the front for me.

*Me:* But......but...... Ok.









*****************************************************

My baby may not fully realize what she's getting....but she always knows what she wants. She's usually right about these things anyway.







Soliciting ideas for a revised location for the Aquaero LT!


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Kinda have to agree with Jenn's logic there. Wish I had a card reader too...


----------



## VSG

Lol that's why I am getting a card reader/USB 3 Bay device for each side of my case. Not sure which one to choose just yet but I am with Jenn as well.


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Card readers are soooo worth it. I miss my old one, plugged it in backwards at some point and it kind of did the bad smell thing...


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Soliciting ideas for a revised location for the Aquaero LT!


Maybe you could fix it on the cover plate that covers the 120mm hole between the side chamber and the main chamber?


----------



## fast_fate

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> **************************************************
> 
> 
> Spoiler: A dramatic reenactment of a conversation from a few days ago......
> 
> 
> 
> *Me:* Come check out the stuff I put in the flex bays!
> 
> *Jenn:* What are flex bays?
> 
> *Me:* ....just come look at the front of the computer.
> 
> *Jenn:* Awesome! Looks great! Where will I plug in the card from my camera?
> 
> *Me:* We can get an external card reader to plug in when you need it.
> 
> *Jenn:* You mean I can't just plug in my card to the computer?
> 
> *Me:* You can after you plug in the card reader to the computer.
> 
> *Jenn:* Why do I need to keep it separate?
> 
> *Me:* Limited space in the front of the computer.....
> 
> *Jenn:* So move something to the back of the computer....
> 
> *Me:* Like what?
> 
> *Jenn:* What is that blank spot there for?
> 
> *Me:* There is an Aquaero behind it. It will control your fans for you.
> 
> *Jenn:* Do I need to touch it?
> 
> *Me:* No. You can't touch it.
> 
> *Jenn:* Then move it to the back of the computer, and put a card reader in the front for me.
> 
> *Me:* But......but...... Ok.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *****************************************************
> 
> My baby may not fully realize what she's getting....but she always knows what she wants. She's usually right about these things anyway.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Soliciting ideas for a revised location for the Aquaero LT!


You could consider mounting the card reader externally under the case at the front with a custom bezel, but might need some different feet to raise the case up a bit more
This could offer opportunity to mount something else along side it - maybe a slim ODD.

If you have need to mount the LT inside - I reckon have a look at mounting it vertically next to the power / reset switches.
It's a pretty good fit


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> A dramatic reenactment of a conversation from a few days ago......
> 
> **************************************************
> 
> *Me:* Come check out the stuff I put in the flex bays!
> 
> *Jenn:* What are flex bays?
> 
> *Me:* ....just come look at the front of the computer.
> 
> *Jenn:* Awesome! Looks great! Where will I plug in the card from my camera?
> 
> *Me:* We can get an external card reader to plug in when you need it.
> 
> *Jenn:* You mean I can't just plug in my card to the computer?
> 
> *Me:* You can after you plug in the card reader to the computer.
> 
> *Jenn:* Why do I need to keep it separate?
> 
> *Me:* Limited space in the front of the computer.....
> 
> *Jenn:* So move something to the back of the computer....
> 
> *Me:* Like what?
> 
> *Jenn:* What is that blank spot there for?
> 
> *Me:* There is an Aquaero behind it. It will control your fans for you.
> 
> *Jenn:* Do I need to touch it?
> 
> *Me:* No. You can't touch it.
> 
> *Jenn:* Then move it to the back of the computer, and put a card reader in the front for me.
> 
> *Me:* But......but...... Ok.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *****************************************************
> 
> My baby may not fully realize what she's getting....but she always knows what she wants. She's usually right about these things anyway.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Soliciting ideas for a revised location for the Aquaero LT!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> Kinda have to agree with Jenn's logic there. Wish I had a card reader too...


I also agree with Jenn.

I have a card reader on the front of the computer and will never use a plugin external again. One reason I got it was to give me some front panel USB 3.0 ports, which my present case wouldn't have otherwise. When I move my computer into the new case, however, I will not include the reader. It runs off a PCI-e slot that I want to use for something else. The new case has USB 3.0 ports I can run off the USB 3.0 header on my MOBO; I had been running two additional USB 3.0 ports on a PCI cover on the back of my computer from the MOBO's USB 3.0 header but I never used them.

I also rarely used the USB ports on the front of my computer because the computer is located where I walk right by it when leaving the room (I don't have any choice but to do so) and I'm concerned that I might break off something sticking out as I walk by (I'm rather broad in the beam). Instead, I have a two port hub on the top of my desk that is plugged into one of the two USB 3.0 ports on the rear I/O panel on my MOBO. All I really need is one port but the two porter I got looked much better than any one porter I saw. The hub is far more convenient that using the ports on the computer since those ports are four feet away from me when I sitting at my desk. When I move my computer into the new case (probably sometime this month), I'll replace the hub with a different one that also is a card reader (the internals are the same as the ones in my internal reader). It has a wall wart PSU to ensure it has adequate power for multiple devices but, as long as I don't use more than one high power device (and it's unlikely I will ever use more than one device at a time), it doesn't need the wall wart.


----------



## VSG

Hate to direct the thread but any recommendations on USB 3.0 hubs/card readers? The only ones I have found have either terrible reviews or have a USB 2.0 connection for the card reader.


----------



## Panther Al

Dunno if this will work, but what about this:

If the Card Reader is shallow enough, get one of the long mounting brackets, and mount the LT on the end of it, or, if there is room behind the Master Unit, do the same... but I think the Rad might be in the way.

Or perhaps move the card reader to the top, and then the fan controller below it (Where it is now), and then on the long mounts, the AQ6 as it should, and then on the rear mounting holes, with the block facing the block of the AQ6, the LT. A pair of, not sure and making a guess here, 30 degree fittings to feed the LT right from the AQ6 via short length of hose, and Bob's your Uncle.

Assuming of course, I am looking at things right and it all will fit...


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> Hate to direct the thread but any recommendations on USB 3.0 hubs/card readers? The only ones I have found have either terrible reviews or have a USB 2.0 connection for the card reader.


This one.



This is the USB 3.0 hub/card reader I described earlier. The only reason I'm not using it right now is it conflicts with the internal one I have installed in my computer. Both worked just fine but it caused Disk Management to bog down. It comes with a wall wart power supply to ensure all the ports have adequate power when using high power draw devices, such as chargers and external HDDs but isn't necessary for single or multiple devices that don't require any more power than the USB 3.0 port the hub/reader is connected to can provide. When I move my computer into its new case later this month, I won't move the internal card reader over and will use this external one instead.


----------



## jameyscott

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> This one.
> 
> 
> 
> This is the USB 3.0 hub/card reader I described earlier. The only reason I'm not using it right now is it conflicts with the internal one I have installed in my computer. Both worked just fine but it caused Disk Management to bog down. It comes with a wall wart power supply to ensure all the ports have adequate power when using high power draw devices, such as chargers and external HDDs but isn't necessary for single or multiple devices that don't require any more power than the USB 3.0 port the hub/reader is connected to can provide. When I move my computer into its new case later this month, I won't move the internal card reader over and will use this external one instead.


+Rep to you Ma'am! I've been looking for a unit that is good, and doesn't look half bad either. The only one that I have found so far is the Kingston USB one and I'm not really a fan of Kingston or red... So I've been holding off. I'm going to have to buy two of these relatively soon!


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> This one.
> 
> 
> 
> This is the USB 3.0 hub/card reader I described earlier. The only reason I'm not using it right now is it conflicts with the internal one I have installed in my computer. Both worked just fine but it caused Disk Management to bog down. It comes with a wall wart power supply to ensure all the ports have adequate power when using high power draw devices, such as chargers and external HDDs but isn't necessary for single or multiple devices that don't require any more power than the USB 3.0 port the hub/reader is connected to can provide. When I move my computer into its new case later this month, I won't move the internal card reader over and will use this external one instead.
> 
> 
> 
> +Rep to you Ma'am! I've been looking for a unit that is good, and doesn't look half bad either. The only one that I have found so far is the Kingston USB one and I'm not really a fan of Kingston or red... So I've been holding off. I'm going to have to buy two of these relatively soon!
Click to expand...

Thanks! If you are planning on connecting both of them on the same machine at the same time, I don't recommend it. They will probably interfere with each other in the same way the one interfered with the internal one in my machine (which has the same internal components as the external one).

One thing I failed to mention is the USB ports on top are too close together to allow more than two USB sticks or plugs unless they are pretty narrow. Since I rarely use more than one at a time and never more than two, the solution for me was just use the two outer ones only. I also recommend putting dust covers in them to keep dust out, especially if you in a dusty location like I do.


----------



## jameyscott

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Thanks! If you are planning on connecting both of them on the same machine at the same time, I don't recommend it. They will probably interfere with each other in the same way the one interfered with the internal one in my machine (which has the same internal components as the external one).
> 
> One thing I failed to mention is the USB ports on top are too close together to allow more than two USB sticks or plugs unless they are pretty narrow. Since I rarely use more than one at a time and never more than two, the solution for me was just use the two outer ones only. I also recommend putting dust covers in them to keep dust out, especially if you in a dusty location like I do.


One for each system.







I'm honestly just being lazy getting two of them.. USB ports aren't really what I am interested in. Although they will occasionally be useful. Just mainly looking for a fast SD card reader since I will be purchasing some high speed SD cards very soon as well.


----------



## derickwm

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> Hate to direct the thread but any recommendations on USB 3.0 hubs/card readers? The only ones I have found have either terrible reviews or have a USB 2.0 connection for the card reader.


I have this one. It works


----------



## VSG

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> This one.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is the USB 3.0 hub/card reader I described earlier. The only reason I'm not using it right now is it conflicts with the internal one I have installed in my computer. Both worked just fine but it caused Disk Management to bog down. It comes with a wall wart power supply to ensure all the ports have adequate power when using high power draw devices, such as chargers and external HDDs but isn't necessary for single or multiple devices that don't require any more power than the USB 3.0 port the hub/reader is connected to can provide. When I move my computer into its new case later this month, I won't move the internal card reader over and will use this external one instead.


That looks good, I prefer an internal device if possible but that is definitely one I will keep in mind. That might also help poor Chris out.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *derickwm*
> 
> I have this one. It works


CF cards play ok with it? Reviews say otherwise.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> Kinda have to agree with Jenn's logic there.[/SIZE]


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> Lol that's why I am getting a card reader/USB 3 Bay device for each side of my case. Not sure which one to choose just yet but I am with Jenn as well.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> Card readers are soooo worth it.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> I also agree with Jenn. I have a card reader on the front of the computer and will never use a plugin external again.


Jenn will weep with tears of happiness at this show of support......

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> Maybe you could fix it on the cover plate that covers the 120mm hole between the side chamber and the main chamber?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fast_fate*
> 
> You could consider mounting the card reader externally under the case at the front with a custom bezel, but might need some different feet to raise the case up a bit more
> This could offer opportunity to mount something else along side it - maybe a slim ODD. If you have need to mount the LT inside - I reckon have a look at mounting it vertically next to the power / reset switches. It's a pretty good fit


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Panther Al*
> 
> Dunno if this will work, but what about this:
> 
> If the Card Reader is shallow enough, get one of the long mounting brackets, and mount the LT on the end of it, or, if there is room behind the Master Unit, do the same... but I think the Rad might be in the way.
> 
> Or perhaps move the card reader to the top, and then the fan controller below it (Where it is now), and then on the long mounts, the AQ6 as it should, and then on the rear mounting holes, with the block facing the block of the AQ6, the LT. A pair of, not sure and making a guess here, 30 degree fittings to feed the LT right from the AQ6 via short length of hose, and Bob's your Uncle.


All excellent ideas which I will try out.

Panther Al....this was the first time I have ever been exposed to the "Bob's your Uncle" phrase. Interesting.....especially since I really do have an Uncle Bob.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> Hate to direct the thread but any recommendations on USB 3.0 hubs/card readers?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> This one.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> +Rep to you Ma'am! I've been looking for a unit that is good, and doesn't look half bad either. The only one that I have found so far is the Kingston USB one and I'm not really a fan of Kingston or red... So I've been holding off. I'm going to have to buy two of these relatively soon!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *derickwm*
> 
> I have this one. It works


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> That looks good, I prefer an internal device if possible but that is definitely one I will keep in mind. That might also help poor Chris out.
> CF cards play ok with it? Reviews say otherwise.


I've had some bad luck in the past with card readers. I've decided that their willingness to work depends on a combination of operating system, drivers, type of card being used, and voodoo. Mainly voodoo. In my last build, which was Windows 7.1 64, I bought a Rosewill which gave me nothing but trouble. Replaced it with a Koutech that has worked flawlessly to this day. I'm going to get/try the same Koutech for this build also and hope it works well with Windows 8.1.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> This one.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is the USB 3.0 hub/card reader I described earlier. The only reason I'm not using it right now is it conflicts with the internal one I have installed in my computer. Both worked just fine but it caused Disk Management to bog down. It comes with a wall wart power supply to ensure all the ports have adequate power when using high power draw devices, such as chargers and external HDDs but isn't necessary for single or multiple devices that don't require any more power than the USB 3.0 port the hub/reader is connected to can provide. When I move my computer into its new case later this month, I won't move the internal card reader over and will use this external one instead.
> 
> 
> 
> That looks good, I prefer an internal device if possible but that is definitely one I will keep in mind. That might also help poor Chris out.
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *derickwm*
> 
> I have this one. It works
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> CF cards play ok with it? Reviews say otherwise.
Click to expand...

I have no idea. I only use SD cards and don't plan on ever using any other kind except for possibly microSD.


----------



## GingerJohn

Remember Chris, the customer is always right. This goes doubly so when the customer also happens to be your wife.

Also, congrats on another build log going over 1,000 posts.








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> Card readers are soooo worth it. I miss my old one, plugged it in backwards at some point and it kind of did the bad smell thing...


You let the magic white smoke escape! Electronics don't work without it.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Remember Chris, the customer is always right. This goes doubly so when the customer also happens to be your wife...


Happy wife equals happy life.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> ...I've had some bad luck in the past with card readers. I've decided that their willingness to work depends on a combination of operating system, drivers, type of card being used, and voodoo. Mainly voodoo. In my last build, which was Windows 7.1 64, I bought a Rosewill which gave me nothing but trouble. Replaced it with a Koutech that has worked flawlessly to this day. I'm going to get/try the same Koutech for this build also and hope it works well with Windows 8.1.


That seems to be the general consensus with internal card readers. Ironically, the first internal card reader I tried in my current rig didn't work-the USB 3.0 ports worked but the card reader wouldn't-and I had to send it back. I then tried the HOO TOO internal version of the external one I linked (it's a pity that the internal version has been discontinued) and it worked great (and still is). The only reasons I'm not going to use it in my new case is my case is just far away enough from me when I'm at my desk to be an annoying inconvenience and the reader uses a PCI-e slot that I would like to have available for a TV tuner.


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

And good luck if you need CompactFlash/MicroDrive (rockin' it old school!) support with a slot deep enough for any rails to align the card properly and prevent bent pins. It's surprisingly difficult to find something that can achieve such a simple task. Most of them have 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch of rail before the pins start.


----------



## VSG

Ya, shame no one wants to get it right.


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> You let the magic white smoke escape! Electronics don't work without it.


Eh, it was an old usb1.1 ejectable 3.5" drivebay setup anyways. Not my fault they didn't key the connector (totally my fault for not double checking though!!)


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> Eh, it was an old usb1.1 ejectable 3.5" drivebay setup anyways. Not my fault they didn't key the connector (totally my fault for not double checking though!!)


I once wired my front panel USB ports into the Firewire header on my mobo by mistake. Blew two USB drives before I worked it out.


----------



## Barefooter

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *derickwm*
> 
> I have this one. It works


I have one of these Silverstone card readers too. Nice thing about these is they easily come apart to mod or paint, and they also will hold two SSDs!

I just picked up one of these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DFVZOCA/ref=oh_details_o00_s02_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

With this you can just plug into a USB 3.0 port and save a bay.


----------



## mandrix

Wow. The only thing I have with a card anymore is my camera. I keep a short USB cord sitting on the desk already plugged into a USB port. I just plug into the camera and download the pics, then erase them off the card. Just don't need a card reader anymore, I guess.


----------



## jameyscott

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Wow. The only thing I have with a card anymore is my camera. I keep a short USB cord sitting on the desk already plugged into a USB port. I just plug into the camera and download the pics, then erase them off the card. Just don't need a card anymore, I guess. [\quote]
> 
> A card reader is much, much faster than through a camera. And when I'm downloading 16+GB at a time.... I'd much rather have a fast SD card and a USB3.0 card reader
> 
> Forget it.. I can't edit until I get to my desktop. Third time trying to ninja edit and it just won't work on mobile...


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Wow. The only thing I have with a card anymore is my camera. I keep a short USB cord sitting on the desk already plugged into a USB port. I just plug into the camera and download the pics, then erase them off the card. Just don't need a card anymore, I guess. [\quote]
> 
> A card reader is much, much faster than through a camera. And when I'm downloading 16+GB at a time.... I'd much rather have a fast SD card and a USB3.0 card reader
> 
> Forget it.. I can't edit until I get to my desktop. Third time trying to ninja edit and it just won't work on mobile...
> 
> 
> 
> Not only is downloading from a camera slower, it runs down the camera's batteries. It takes me less time to pull a card from a camera and plug it into a reader than it takes to dig out the cable and hook it up to the camera. Leaving a cable laying around is a wee bit too Mickey Mouse for my tastes.
Click to expand...


----------



## stren

GET ALL THE PORTS!



















Get 9 of these and fill the front bays. Only hook up one feature of each one and do not label which one is which. Make sure to paint the front panels to match


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stren*
> 
> GET ALL THE PORTS!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Get 9 of these and fill the front bays. Only hook up one feature of each one and do not label which one is which. Make sure to paint the front panels to match


That's just cold!


----------



## mandrix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Not only is downloading from a camera slower, it runs down the camera's batteries. It takes me less time to pull a card from a camera and plug it into a reader than it takes to dig out the cable and hook it up to the camera. Leaving a cable laying around is a wee bit too Mickey Mouse for my tastes.


Well, excuse me if I don't meet the good housekeeping seal of approval, lol. Since my desk already has a printer, two speakers, a monitor, DMM, router, a waterblock, pump. etc, etc, a little cable means nothing to me.


----------



## stren

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Well, excuse me if I don't meet the good housekeeping seal of approval, lol. Since my desk already has a printer, two speakers, a monitor, DMM, router, a waterblock, pump. etc, etc, a little cable means nothing to me.


sounds like me:


----------



## mandrix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stren*
> 
> sounds like me:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


lol.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Not only is downloading from a camera slower, it runs down the camera's batteries. It takes me less time to pull a card from a camera and plug it into a reader than it takes to dig out the cable and hook it up to the camera. Leaving a cable laying around is a wee bit too Mickey Mouse for my tastes.
> 
> 
> 
> Well, excuse me if I don't meet the good housekeeping seal of approval, lol. Since my desk already has a printer, two speakers, a monitor, DMM, router, a waterblock, pump. etc, etc, a little cable means nothing to me.
Click to expand...

I wasn't criticizing _your_ cable. My main point was the disadvantages of directly downloading from a camera. Just because I am anal and personally don't care for a loose cable laying around doesn't mean you are wrong in having one.


----------



## mandrix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> I wasn't criticizing _your_ cable. My main point was the disadvantages of directly downloading from a camera. Just because I am anal and personally don't care for a loose cable laying around doesn't mean you are wrong in having one.


No offense taken.


----------



## cpachris

Here's the card reader I hastily ordered from Amazon to address the situation. Same one I used on the BBBB with good results......



My camera uses compact flash, and Jenn's uses SD, so this one covers both of us.



I'll hook up at least 2 of the CaseLabs USB ports on the front panel to the motherboard 20 pin. And probably both of these cables going out the back of the case will give Jenn at least 3 USB ports on the front of the case. May see if I think I can hook up the other two CaseLabs ports in a clean fashion....



I already had one of the 3.5 inch adapters from my initial package of stuff from CaseLabs....



Fits perfect! I think I like the pink around the border. Makes me think I'll like the Aquaero with a pink faceplate....



Here it is with the panels on....





But....that dull grey box is ruining my mojo....



Definitely going to have to paint or powdercoat the housing for the card reader....but I do like how it comes out just about even with the radiator. Doesn't stick out too far....



Still playing with alternate locations for the Aquaero LT that was displaced by the late discovered need for a card reader!


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Be careful when inserting CF cards. Those pins bend very easily. Have you tested the reader yet? That was the one I had to return (that doesn't mean it won't work for you; it just means that it didn't work with my system).

I see our little friend survived his "accident".


----------



## Jeffinslaw

Looks perfect there in the front! And agreed about taking care of that grey box, yuck.


----------



## ad hoc

Can anyone explain how/why companies sponsors members of OCN to build PC's?


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ad hoc*
> 
> Can anyone explain how/why companies sponsors members of OCN to build PC's?


You contact them/it makes them moneys.


----------



## ad hoc

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> You contact them/it makes them moneys.


Wow, that's a sweet deal.


----------



## CeleronS

Sorry but you have to paint that reader black or pink, it is just burning out perfection of whole rig. Anyways really cool and beautiful project


----------



## JennG

I already know (knew instantly) what color that card reader needs to be but I am curious to see if my preference matches everyone else's. What say you?


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JennG*
> 
> I already know (knew instantly) what color that card reader needs to be but I am curious to see if my preference matches everyone else's. What say you?


Black, to match adjacent devices. Either that or paint all devices in the area pink (I'm still leaning toward black).


----------



## wthenshaw

I think the grey should be black, if done pink I think the big box of pink will stand out too much over the radiator, a slightly more stealth approach would suit the interior better.

What say you @JennG


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> I think the grey should be black, if done pink I think the big box of pink will stand out too much over the radiator, a slightly more stealth approach would suit the interior better...


A much better explanation that mine.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> I see our little friend survived his "accident".


He's alive! Or as GingerJohn would say.....The Return of the Pink Panther.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ad hoc*
> 
> Can anyone explain how/why companies sponsors members of OCN to build PC's?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> You contact them/it makes them moneys.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ad hoc*
> 
> Wow, that's a sweet deal.


Yes. Yes it is.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jeffinslaw*
> 
> Looks perfect there in the front! And agreed about taking care of that grey box, yuck.


Yep. No two ways about it.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CeleronS*
> 
> Sorry but you have to paint that reader black or pink, it is just burning out perfection of whole rig.


Great idea!









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JennG*
> 
> I already know (knew instantly) what color that card reader needs to be but I am curious to see if my preference matches everyone else's. What say you?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Black.....


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> .... black.


I'm guessing she'll pick black.


----------



## mandrix

Chris, does that motherboard have 2 USB 3.0 headers?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Chris, does that motherboard have 2 USB 3.0 headers?


It just has one of the 20 pin motherboard headers....but it has a slew of USB ports on the I/O panel. I'll make something work.....


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Chris, does that motherboard have 2 USB 3.0 headers?
> 
> 
> 
> It just has one of the 20 pin motherboard headers....but it has a slew of USB ports on the I/O panel. I'll make something work.....
Click to expand...

If you have an unused PCI-e x1 or bigger slot, you could get a card that will give you the needed USB 3.0 internal ports you need for the reader. One that has only one or two ports or a single header would be all you want to avoid slowdown from trying to run too many devices on just one PCI-e lane, which is what most cards do.


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> It just has one of the 20 pin motherboard headers....but it has a slew of USB ports on the I/O panel. I'll make something work.....


You're welcome!


----------



## fast_fate

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> 
> 
> I'll get rid of the 3 molex power connectors and make something cleaner. I guess I can understand the need for 3 molex connectors if someone was going to run all 8 channels at 30 watts. That might be too much current for a single molex connection with small gauge wires. Maybe. But the Lamptron FC8 is going to be for controlling/dimming lighting. That's all. It won't ever handle too much wattage, so I should be fine with a sleeker power delivery system than this horrid 3 molex cable it comes with....


Hey Chris,

I was thinking of using the FC8 for lighting control too








I think we'll be fine with single 12v & GND power supply.

BUT - have you found any documentation which gives some indication of the watts/amps per channel when the extra plug/s become neccessary.
How about the warning on the documentation


----------



## nvidiaftw12

But you'd need to you 3 separate wires to do any good. If you just use the same 3 that have been daisy chained like they normally do, you're just wasting time.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fast_fate*
> 
> Hey Chris,
> 
> I was thinking of using the FC8 for lighting control too
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think we'll be fine with single 12v & GND power supply.
> 
> BUT - have you found any documentation which gives some indication of the watts/amps per channel when the extra plug/s become neccessary.
> How about the warning on the documentation


I ran a single cable to the FC8 in my last build....and haven't experienced any issues. I'm really not sure why the dire warnings are displayed so prominently....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> But you'd need to you 3 separate wires to do any good. If you just use the same 3 that have been daisy chained like they normally do, you're just wasting time.


Exactly. Agreed.


----------



## VSG

What kind of lighting can something like the FC8 handle?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> What kind of lighting can something like the FC8 handle?


I've got about 10 feet of 5050 LED strip lights.....and a cold cathode inverter running on my FC8 channels for the BBBB. Works well...


----------



## VSG

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I've got about 10 feet of 5050 LED strip lights.....and a cold cathode inverter running on my FC8 channels for the BBBB. Works well...


I have been thinking about getting a second controller for the 3 pin fans and lightning. Thanks!


----------



## cpachris

Finished up what I hope are the final 3d printing design changes for the pump stand, and I have it sent off to the 3d printing club that I have an "in" with. Not huge changes from last iteration I showed off here in the build log....but I made a few.

From the angle below, you can see the holes I positioned for mounting the EK Res X3. They are positioned so that the brackets included with the reservoir should be at the very top and bottom of the reservoir.



From this angle you can see what I'm doing with lettering for this final version. The way I had the lettering positioned before really wasn't very visible from the angles people would be looking at the computer most often. No one would ever be sitting down on that side of the computer....only standing. So the downward viewing angle lends itself to lettering laid out flat on the mounting bracket, instead of standing up. You should be able to see this lettering from a downward angle on the side window....as well as from the top window.



This lettering on the back of the pump stand should be visible from the main sitting position while using the computer. You would see it looking through the right side window....



I hollowed out a larger hole that doesn't go all the way through for the reservoir mounting bracket. It became apparent that the nut would interfere with the pump mounting mechanism if it extended beyond the vertical plane of the bracket....so I needed to recess the nuts into the bracket.



....and one final angle....



Designing a custom part for this computer has been fun. I'm a first timer with 3d printing. But it is just downright cool to be able to come up with a vision of what you need for the build.....and then "print it". Once I've heard when the 3d print will run, I'll keep you updated. Non-members typically only get print time on weekends....and then only when members are not using the printer.

I'm still deadly serious about trying to start a 3d printing club for computer forum members, where we all collectively purchase a 3d printer. More info on that soon.....


----------



## VSG

I am up for a forum 3D printer club


----------



## sadeter

I think a 3D printer club would be cool as well, but it might be better to keep geographically limited. Shipping potentially fragile items all over the country might cause problems.


----------



## wthenshaw

The sketchup looks good!


----------



## Prath

Hoooooly gawd!!!!1000+ posts of catching up.... Eh... I'm new to everything you guys do and incredibly Impressed/envious/excited (could make this list entirely too long) watching these works of genius transform from vision to reality. I'm also stoked I found another "Okie" on OCN. Very much look forward to seeing this through !!!!


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Prath*
> 
> Hoooooly gawd!!!!1000+ posts of catching up.... Eh... I'm new to everything you guys do and incredibly Impressed/envious/excited (could make this list entirely too long) watching these works of genius transform from vision to reality. I'm also stoked I found another "Okie" on OCN. Very much look forward to seeing this through !!!!


If you think this log is overwhelming, you should read Chris' BBBB blog (see the link at the bottom of his posts). The guy is utterly brilliant and both are worthwhile reads if you can find the time ( and I recommend you do).


----------



## Prath

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> If you think this log is overwhelming, you should read Chris' BBBB blog (see the link at the bottom of his posts). The guy is utterly brilliant and both are worthwhile reads if you can find the time ( and I recommend you do).


Thanks for the recommend... I was planning on doing that exact thing now that I'm caught up!!!


----------



## Prath

Oh.... And btw... *BOOMER!!!!*


----------



## mAs81

Man,3D printers must be a very,very nice thing to have when you're building things


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> I am up for a forum 3D printer club


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sadeter*
> 
> I think a 3D printer club would be cool as well, but it might be better to keep geographically limited. Shipping potentially fragile items all over the country might cause problems.


I'm hoping we have enough here in the continental US. Would rather not mess with international shipping. And once we are mailing pieces....it's as easy to send it to either coast as it is to send it across town. About the same chance of breakage also.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> The sketchup looks good!


Thanks my friend!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Prath*
> 
> Hoooooly gawd!!!!1000+ posts of catching up.... Eh... I'm new to everything you guys do and incredibly Impressed/envious/excited (could make this list entirely too long) watching these works of genius transform from vision to reality. I'm also stoked I found another "Okie" on OCN. Very much look forward to seeing this through !!!!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Prath*
> 
> Thanks for the recommend... I was planning on doing that exact thing now that I'm caught up!!!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Prath*
> 
> Oh.... And btw... *BOOMER!!!!*


Sooner! Like pavlov's dog......I just can't resist. Welcome Prath!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> The guy is utterly brilliant and both are worthwhile reads if you can find the time ( and I recommend you do).


This guy sounds awesome! I can't wait to meet him!









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Man,3D printers must be a very,very nice thing to have when you're building things


Yeah, I'm pretty stoked about getting a group together and buying one.....


----------



## cpachris

Finally had a chance to use the latest iteration of the EK Ascendacy software yesterday. EK was on it's 6th iteration of the software trying to solve an issue that most of us in the beta group were having when trying to run the application. They fixed the issue, and I can now use the software (and thus the hardware) for the first time. Don't laugh...but my quick setup is shown below. I hooked up one of my voltage controlled D5's and 9 fans.



You can barely see the Ascendacy tucked in there among all the cables, but it's there....



I'm going to do a little bit of walking through the screen shots on the system to give those that care a look at how it's setup. At the end of the post, I'll summarize my likes/dislikes about the current state of the software/hardware.

One of the best parts of the Ascendacy software is this little status box. It's really the hub of the entire application, and everything can be launched/accessed from here. It's main function is to allow quick switching between profiles, and access to more detailed screens when desired. The long thin grey text box that is kind of in the middle keeps switching between different pieces of information. Such as which profile you are currently running...



...how much power your cooling setup is currently drawing (fans and pumps, assuming you have the ascendacy powering everything)



...water temperature....



...and flow rate....



The information is OK....but it's really the profile buttons that make this little screen so useful. I'll preface my comparison to the Aquasuite controls with the caveat that I'm still running version 2013-2 of Aquasuite, and things may have changed. But for the Aquasuite, if I want to load a different profile, I have to have first 'exported' that profile and saved the file in a location that I can find later. And then to load a new profile, I have to use the file/open dialog box and find that previously saved profile. And....I've had issues with custom fan/sensor names getting truncated and/or lost on profile changes.

These little buttons making switching profiles effortless. One click....and you're done. There are always times when I just want everything to spin as slow as possible, or as fast as possible.....regardless of what my detailed control curves are setup to do. EK really hit a home run with how simple they have made this type of process.

There are 3 predefined profiles. The 'Silent' profile runs everything undervolted. It reported it was giving all my stuff about 7.2 volts when I chose the Silent profile. Balanced was about 10 volts, and Extreme was the full 12 volts for everything. You will also notice the 'Custom' profile button to the far right of the screen. When you click this button you get a fly-out box that shows you all the custom profiles you have created. You can simply click one of these from the fly-out screen to select it. Very elegantly done.



Before I move on to some more screens, I will say that this little widget/control box really takes up far too much screen real estate on an 1080p screen. I'd like for it to be smaller, and I'd like the option to make it vertical instead of horizontal. EK...if you need to give up some of the status window to make it smaller....do so. The beauty of this screen/widget...is the quick switching between profiles. Also, I would give users the ability to pick one piece of information they want shown and leave it static. I don't always want to wait through 5 screens of info I don't care about to get to the one piece that I want to know about.

Moving on. When you double click the grey status text box on the main screen....you get a fly-out window up above it that provides much more detailed information about your cooling system. It's laid out very nicely and intuitively. It's got 3 tabs across the top. The first tab is 'Cooling System Overview'. Each of these 3 main tabs also has subtabs that show up right underneath the tabs. On the 'Cooling System Overview' tab, we have subtabs for 1) Fans, 2) Pumps and Flow, and 3) Temperatures. The first subtab (Fans) looks like this....



It's fairly intuitive and doesn't need much explanation. Fans 1 and 2 are the voltage controlled connections, and 3 through 8 are the six PWM connections. You can use the PWM connections to plug in non-PWM fans...but you will be limited to simply On/Off capability. However, you can use one of the sensor values to trigger the On/Off switch. But...you can't control the speed at all. It's either 100% or nothing. I'll also note there that even though you have the option to customize the name of your fans in the custom profiles....this screen here doesn't update at all with the custom names. It always just shows 'Fan1', etc. Lame.

I also am not sure what the light grey shading is supposed to represent. It would make sense if it were supposed to cover all the 'current' values to help easily identify them....but the 3rd 'current' column (Current Watts) is not included in the light grey shading. Not sure what they were trying to do here. I'll ask.

I like how below the list of the individual fans, they show the total power draw for all the fans. The fans I had hooked up to these 3 channels were drawing 3.8 watts when I did this screen shot. That's pretty cool. Also, the min/max/avg values are shown right below that. Nice. And in the orange box EK is showing the power draw for the entire cooling system (pumps included). I like how simple they are making it to get totals for all cooling system components. Very nice.

The orange 'Delete' button just resets the min/max/avg calculations. It was a little scary to press it the first time. Probably should be re-labeled to something more like 'Reset' or 'Clear'. Not 'Delete'.

The second subtab...for Pumps and Flow looks like this.....



Very similar information to that which was shown for fans.

The third subtab for Temperature looks like this....



You can plug in up to 8 temperature sensors to the EK Ascendacy board. The last two locations are hard labeled as water temps....so make sure and plug in your water sensors to these spots. You can't rename the sensors either....so you'll have to remember that Sensor 3 was the one that you ran back to your memory sticks. Lame.

Also, on this screen the light grey shading is only around the current values. I think this is probably what was intended for the Fans subtab and the Pumps and Flow subtab also.

Moving on to the second main tab....'General System Overview'. This tab has 4 subtabs, including 1) CPU, 2) Motherboard, 3) Graphics Card, and 4) HDD.

The first subtab, CPU, looks like this:



It shows speed, temps and power draw. Well laid out. Easy to understand.

The next subtab is for the motherboard.....



It shows temps, voltages and details for any fans that are powered by the motherboard fan headers. Simple.

Next subtab is for the Graphics Cards.



It shows identical information that was shown for the motherboard. The one comment I'll make here...is that both of my graphics cards were identified with the exact same name and no number identifier. I figured out that the orange arrows on the sides of the screen must be cycling through any graphics cards it finds...because I could see the temps change when I would click the arrow. But without the card being identified with a number.... I had no idea which card was which.

Next subtab is for the HDD's.



Just temps for the HDD's.

You may have noticed that orange button on all the screens that says 'Details'. Clicking this button on any of the 4 subtabs just brings up a larger window that has all the information on these 4 subtabs in one large window. Like this....



Time to move on to the 'Diagram' main tab. I would probably suggest EK relabel this as 'Charts', which I think is more descriptive of what it is than 'diagrams'. The Diagram tab has subtabs for 1) Temperatures, 2) Fan and Pump Speed, and 3) Power Draw. The first subtab for Temperatures looks like this....



The charts are pretty basic. There is a drop down box on the right that lets you choose between the temp sensors plugged into the EK Ascendacy, or the temp readings from other hardware components in your system. You also have the ability to change the duration shown on the chart with a simple +/- box to click. The charts are drop dead simple....but you really can't do much with them.





The second subtab is almost identical to the first, but shows rpm's instead of temps.



And the third subtab works very similar to the first two....but shows power draw in watts.



Again....even though you have ability to create a custom name for a fan in your profiles....these names do not carryforward into the charts or detailed status window. So you'll just have to remember that Fan 2 was the push fans on the 360 rad in the pedestal of your build. Lame.

Almost done. Hang in there. The next screen is what you get when clicking the 'tool' option for a custom profile. It's your dashboard for making custom profiles. It shows you each of the 8 fan channels (2 voltage and 6 PWM) and one pump channel. I didnt' ever plug a second pump in, so I don't know for sure if you get an additional window on this screen....or if the one 'pump' window would control both of your pumps the same.



From the window above, you click which fan or pump you want to customize, and then it opens a screen like the one below....



You don't have a ton of choices for custom control....but it is drop dead simple. For each fan or pump, you can choose a fixed power value (i.e., 50%), or you can choose to have it controlled by a sensor reading. The sensor can be one of the EK temp probes, or one of the system hardware temp values. It was nice that the EK software had all these system hardware temps readily available. For the Aquasuite, you have to have a 3rd party tool, like Aida64, loaded and running to have access to these values.

Once you select a temperature source, you have a control curve with two points you can control. So although it doesn't offer near the precision or control that the Aqausuite controllers do, it is very simple to operate and setup. You may be losing a little bit of control here, but you can pretty much make it do what you want it to. Not near as comprehensive as Aqausuite controllers options, but much simpler to use.

Last, but not least....this screen below is the general settings screen. Not much here to discuss...



*Summary of Praises/Concerns*

Overall....it's an exciting start for EK. Personally, I'm thrilled that there may be some decent competition for AquaComputer in this area. Always better for the consumer to have companies pushing each other to improve.

If you are comparing the Ascendacy to the Aquaero, the Ascendacy is clearly geared more toward PWM controlled fans. There are only 2 voltage controlled channels for fans, and 2 voltage controlled channels for pumps. You could use the pump channels to power a fan it you wanted, but since a lot of the status screens and charts are hard labeled to treat each connection as a fan or pump....you would render the status screens and charts meaningless if you did. Sure, there are also just 4 voltage controlled channels for the Aquaero....but I could use them for either pumps or fans.....or even lighting.....and then use the custom charts and labels to clearly identify what it was. No so with this version of the Ascendacy.

However, if you are using PWM fans instead of voltage controlled fans.....the Ascendacy would actually have a leg-up on the Aquaero, with it's 6 additional PWM channels.

I absolutely love the simple switching between profiles that the Ascendacy software allows. This needs to be copied by AqauComputer. Much slicker. I also like not having to use a 3rd party application to read hardware temps. Ascendacy does that out of the box.

As far as dashboard and charts and other custom reporting....the Aquasuite has a clear advantage over the simple approach of the Ascendacy. If you like to tinker and build your own dashboards....you want the Aquaero. If you don't care about this kind of stuff....the Ascendacy may be for you.

For me, I think the biggest Achilles's heel for this beta version of the Ascendacy software, is it's inability to control fans based on Water/Air delta temperature. The Ascendacy doesn't offer anything like the 'Virtual' sensors that Aquasuite allows. Virtual sensors allow you to use basic addition or subtraction of two different sensor values to create a new sensor value. So...a virtual sensor that subtracts your ambient air sensor from your water temp sensor....would provide a delta value for you that is what most people would use to control their fans/pumps. There is no such concept in the Ascendacy software right now. I believe this must be addressed.

My other primary concern is accessibility. The Ascendacy PCB will be mounted horizontal in a 5 1/4 bay slot. Because the waterblock is on the edge of the card, all of the voltage controlled ports are directly behind it. If you are using a single slot setup, then I think it will be downright impossible to plug in fans while the Ascendacy is installed. You would almost HAVE to have a free slot above the Ascendacy to have any room at all to make/change connections. Even then, it would be difficult to make a connection directly behind the waterblock while the Ascendacy is installed. You would be working blind.

Now....if EK is planning on the LCD screen taking up two 5 1/4 bays, then maybe it is worth it to have precious little room to make connections. But if the LCD screen will take up a single 5 1/4 bay, then I think most people will have to burn an additional bay above the Ascendacy just to have room to plug/unplug fans.

To be fair....we can't really judge the Ascendacy yet. The hardware and software are still subject to change before release. If they are able to price it where it is $50 cheaper than the Aquaero XT....then I think they may get a lot of takers. It doesn't do as much as the Aquaero.....but it is much simpler to understand and setup. That will be appealing to many.


----------



## VSG

I should start a petition to have the missing N back in. AscendaNcy, not Ascendacy.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> I should start a petition to have the missing N back in. AscendaNcy, not Ascendacy.


I figure EK would change the name for you if you promise to buy one.







. Plus, ...no petitions for you until I get my stitching and Caselabs selfie.


----------



## mandrix

Thanks for the rundown on the Ascendacy, Chris. If I were in the market right now for a controller, I would have to pick the Aquaero over this. My biggest complaints would be the lack of individual labeling and inability to set up an air/water delta curve control.
But perhaps in time EK will change this and allow more user customization....right now I'd say they are off to a pretty good start.


----------



## Barefooter

Great info on the EK Ascendacy. Looks like they will be able to correct most issues as the software matures. I really like being able to easily change profiles.


----------



## cpachris

Just got back the 2nd version of my 3d printed pump stand this evening! This print had some warping issues on the bottom. It's not too bad. I'll take some pictures of it as-is....and then I"ll see what I can do about maybe applying a little heat and trying to flatten the bottom some. Also, we learned that the 8 inch build height limit of the printer.....is actually closer to 7.8 inches. It totally garbled the letters I put on top of the pump stand because they ran outside of the build area. I can probably sand those off.

If I can't get this one to sit flat and look presentable....I'll tweak the design one more time and do a final print. Pictures tomorrow!


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Sand it maybe?


----------



## cpachris

Pictures of v2 of the 3d printed pump stand.

Way too nice a day here today to take pictures inside....so outside we go. Overall....it came out pretty nice. You can see in this picture how the letters on top are garbled, since they were out of the top of the print space by just a little bit.



The lettering on the back and bottom came out very nice though.....















This one was printed with 100% fill rate, and it is a solid piece of equipment. Very sturdy. The vertical plate is much thicker than last time also. Very pleased with how sturdy it seems to be. Won't know for sure until I get some pumps mounted and running in it though.....

The pumps and reservoir mounted perfectly. Exactly as I had pictured it.







And the fit inside the case was pretty good also. A few nits....which I'll mention after the pictures....







In the picture below, you can see how the legs on the front of the pump stand leave just enough space to put two of the modSmart cold cathode inverter boxes between the legs. They are fairly hidden because they are below the window level of the front of the case, and since they are black they blend right into the interior....



...and the legs on the back of the pump stand allow the existing cable management cutout on the S8 to still be utilized....



Overall.....I'm pleased.



Now...for the nits. I didn't plan on how much space the fittings on the front of the pumps were going to take up. It makes me slide the whole pump stand further to the right of the case than I was planning on. Not a big deal...but it leaves the reservoir not perfectly centered in the front window. So...I either need to make a tighter bend with acrylic than this 90 degree fitting gives me...or I need to tweak the positioning for the holes for the reservoir mounts a little bit on a future version of the pump stand.

I still don't know for sure how much the slight warping will effect things. I was already planning on lining the bottom of it with some dense foam material. This alone may give it enough padding where the slight warping doesn't impact anything. We'll see...

More soon! Been spending some out of town time for family trips a lot lately...and haven't been around to work on the build as much as I had been. But it should kick back up into gear again now. Got one more trip planned in August....but that is it.


----------



## mAs81

It looks great!That 3D printer did really impressive work!!Enjoy your vacation with your family(it is summer after all)


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Mayhap you could make the letters on top on a separate, thin piece that you could then glue to the top of the stand. Or cut the letters free from the piece and glue them individually to the top of the stand.


----------



## cpachris

Great minds think alike....

Early rendition of next version.....


----------



## blupupher

How about on the top having the letters hollowed out (sunk in instead of popping out).

Or even better, have them hollow and then get pink cut out lettering made (do they do pink 3D printing?) and put them in there. Or fill with pink paint?

Make sense?


----------



## cpachris

Made the EK page again!







Still no link back to the build log.









https://www.facebook.com/EKWaterBlocks/photos/a.369862583067779.92346.182927101761329/702807663106601/?type=1&theater


----------



## blupupher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Made the EK page again!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Still no link back to the build log.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Shame on them.

It took me a second to realize what the pic was. At first I thought it was a pic of the camera, then realized it was the super smooth reflection off the block.


----------



## mandrix

These EK blocks do polish up nice, don't they. I run mine with white led's and blue water.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> How about on the top having the letters hollowed out (sunk in instead of popping out).
> 
> Or even better, have them hollow and then get pink cut out lettering made (do they do pink 3D printing?) and put them in there. Or fill with pink paint?
> 
> Make sense?


Makes sense. The hollowed out part would have to be pretty shallow, or it would interfere with the cutout....but there is probably room. I may tinker that direction.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> These EK blocks do polish up nice, don't they. I run mine with white led's and blue water.


Yes...and that shot was just about straight out of the box. I think I wiped it off on my shirt...but basically all I did was remove the sticker. I haven't polished the acrylic yet...but will definitely be tackling that soon. And I will be trying some lighting also.....


----------



## blupupher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Makes sense. The hollowed out part would have to be pretty shallow, or it would interfere with the cutout....but there is probably room. I may tinker that direction...


Yeah, it would not need to be too deep, especially if you added some pink to it somehow to make it stand out.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Makes sense. The hollowed out part would have to be pretty shallow, or it would interfere with the cutout....but there is probably room. I may tinker that direction...
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, it would not need to be too deep, especially if you added some pink to it somehow to make it stand out.
Click to expand...

Plus the deeper it is, the more dust it can trap and the harder it would be to keep clean.


----------



## Jeffinslaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Makes sense. The hollowed out part would have to be pretty shallow, or it would interfere with the cutout....but there is probably room. I may tinker that direction...
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, it would not need to be too deep, especially if you added some pink to it somehow to make it stand out.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Plus the deeper it is, the more dust it can trap and the harder it would be to keep clean.
Click to expand...

Chris, have you thought about getting the letters cut out sort of like what one of the guys does to the EVGA X79 Dark motherboard block that nateman_doo makes? Here is a picture:



The guy that does this uses a type of epoxy resin that can be made in different colors using different pigments. Here is the link to the post about the epoxy resin: http://forums.evga.com/FindPost/2121065

I think that would look sweet if you were able to do that on the top or base or anywhere on the pump mount!

-Jeffinslaw


----------



## blupupher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jeffinslaw*
> 
> ...
> 
> The guy that does this uses a type of epoxy resin that can be made in different colors using different pigments. Here is the link to the post about the epoxy resin: http://forums.evga.com/FindPost/2121065
> 
> I think that would look sweet if you were able to do that on the top or base or anywhere on the pump mount!
> 
> -Jeffinslaw


Thats what I was trying to describe.








I was trying to think of what to fill it with, and epoxy looks great, and as said, you can make it any color you want.


----------



## cpachris

Picture update! Too much traveling lately...but we are almost done. One more trip next weekend and then we will settle back down into school schedule, and I should have some more time to finish this thing up!

Last week, I was working on some more wiring. Decided to start with a fan power harness for one of the rads. After several starts/stops, changing of mind, etc., I finally settled in on the style of harness that I think will work the best for these rads. I think these take me the longest of all the wiring because of the soldering. I'm really just not that talented with a soldering iron. So it sometimes takes a few re-do's before I'm happy with the finished product. Here is what I ended up with.....



A strange looking cable, indeed. On the bottom of the picture above, you'll see a typical female fan connector....which then branches into 5 separate male fan connectors. Close up of the female end below. This will plug into the Aquaero for control of all 5 fans on one channel....



And below is a closeup of one of the male ends. These connectors and pins I got from Lutro0, and they were of excellent quality. Much nicer than the pins/connectors I got from FrozenCPU for my last build. These pins go in nicely with a satisfying click. The hooded portion of the connector keeps the pins from making contact with the case at any time, and helps prevents shorts.



And below is a close-up of one the branches of the wiring where I had to solder. Some of the Lutro0 heatshink covers any indiscretions nicely....



Since this cable was going up next to the radiator, I really didn't have a way to screw in these cable clips that I had sitting around...



My sweetie Jen suggested I just use a touch of superglue and put the clips directly on the fans....



I'm very happy with the end result. The cable clips keep the wiring close to the black part of the fan frame, and the wires don't hide any of the pink accent rings. The cable clips are securely on the fan, and still allow the cable to slide back and forth inside the ring, so if I ever need to remove the cable or a fan for any reason, it shouldn't be an issue.





The pictures above are from the side of the radiator that will be in the middle of the case...not up against a window. The black cables almost disappear into the black fan frame and black case.

Below are a couple of pictures from the side of the radiator that will be against the window. You can't see any cables at all on this side. Very clean look.....





...and, a few more parting beauty shots. I love the look of these Corsair fans on the thick EK XTX radiators.







I'm working on the wiring for powering up the Aquaero and the Lamptron now. More soon!


----------



## Jameswalt1

Looking amazing!


----------



## Pheozero

So are those rads actually brownish in color or is my monitor getting worse?


----------



## VSG

They are black in person, blacker than the pics here. The background being washed out may have caused a tint to the rad color if I am not mistaken.


----------



## mAs81

That EK radiator is massive


----------



## JambonJovi

Great job on the wiring Chris Jen.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> That EK radiator is massive


Hey, why did the tiger get lost in the jungle ?


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Did you consider items 4-6 here for corralling your cables? They have adhesive pads on their bases to hold them down. I take a black felt pen to the edges to keep the white of the pad from showing.


----------



## JennG

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JambonJovi*
> 
> Great job on the wiring Chris Jen.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hey, why did the tiger get lost in the jungle ?


Hmm, I don't know. Why?


----------



## JambonJovi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JennG*
> 
> Hmm, I don't know. Why?


Cos JUNGLE IS MASSIVE !


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> Looking amazing!


Thanks James!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Pheozero*
> 
> So are those rads actually brownish in color or is my monitor getting worse?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> They are black in person, blacker than the pics here. The background being washed out may have caused a tint to the rad color if I am not mistaken.


The EK rads are actually an excellent match to the black used in the CaseLabs cases. In person, they look practically the same. But the way the finish on the EK rads reflects light ends up looking much different than the CaseLabs matte black in any of the pictures I take. There was a set a few weeks ago where I was looking at the pictures and thought to myself...."maybe I should powder coat the rads to match the case." But then I went and looked at it again live...and they look the same. So no...not your monitor.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> That EK radiator is massive


Bigger than some.....smaller than others....but very good looking.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Did you consider items 4-6 here for corralling your cables? They have adhesive pads on their bases to hold them down. I take a black felt pen to the edges to keep the white of the pad from showing.


Looks like they would work nicely also! But sometimes....you just have to improvise and make do with what you have on hand. Kind of a Macgyver thing.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JambonJovi*
> 
> Great job on the wiring Chris Jen.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hey, why did the tiger get lost in the jungle ?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JennG*
> 
> Hmm, I don't know. Why?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JambonJovi*
> 
> Cos JUNGLE IS MASSIVE !


I'm not even going to pretend I understand that one.....


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I'm not even going to pretend I understand that one.....


If only there were an appropriate gif for this occasion...


----------



## cpachris

*Question*: What do you post online when a package from Slovenia arrives with a NDA and a promise to be shot if you reveal any details?

*Answer*: Nothing. For now.



But stay tuned.......


----------



## Citra

What a tease.


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> *Question*: What do you post online when a package from Slovenia arrives with a NDA and a promise to be shot if you reveal any details?
> *Answer*: Nothing. For now.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But stay tuned.......


So, they have DHL, cardboard boxes and brown packing tape in Slovenia eh?









I would watch out, a highly trained Slovenian hitman is probably on his way to your house as we speak.


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> *Question*: What do you post online when a package from Slovenia arrives with a NDA and a promise to be shot if you reveal any details?
> 
> *Answer*: Nothing. For now.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But stay tuned.......


From Slovenia with an NDA.......you're killing me now


----------



## Hanoverfist

MY MY Chris.. NDA?? This i cant wait to see..


----------



## VSG

What NDA?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Hanoverfist*
> 
> MY MY Chris.. NDA?? This i cant wait to see..


I have a funny feeling you won't be waiting very long. Any Slovenia goodness on your doorstep today?
















Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> What NDA?


Here is a snippet of it....

".....and if you, or Hanoverfist, or that joker geggeg, so much as even mention the name of the product or our company....we will personally see to it that..."


----------



## VSG

I imagine a bunch of Derick clones will show up at my doorstep then. That's a pretty scary image brrrr..


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Hanoverfist*
> 
> MY MY Chris.. NDA?? This i cant wait to see..


There you go another who wants to kill me by envy









That's it Chris and Hanover i'm banning you


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> What NDA?


You too!!!! Another on the ban list


----------



## VSG

Not too long now though.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> There you go another who wants to kill me by envy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That's it Chris and Hanover i'm banning you


Sorry. I'm sure they feel that this kind of new technology has to be kept out of the hands of the Canadians.


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Sorry. I'm sure they feel that this kind of new technology has to be kept out of the hands of the Canadians.


























Maybe they're right too!


----------



## Hanoverfist

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I have a funny feeling you won't be waiting very long. Any Slovenia goodness on your doorstep today?


Sadly No..


----------



## derickwm

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> I imagine a bunch of Derick clones will show up at my doorstep then. That's a pretty *sexy *image brrrr..


FTFY


----------



## VSG

Only one way to find out


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> Only one way to find out


You're possibly exposing us all to some nasty pictures you realized that?


----------



## Jeffinslaw

Hmm...







seems like my package was lost, or never mailed at all


----------



## cpachris

There's been a black van parked outside my house for 2 days now. I'm not saying another word......


----------



## VSG

Check and see if the license plates are Alaskan.


----------



## Hanoverfist

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> There's been a black van parked outside my house for 2 days now. I'm not saying another word......


LOL! Euro MoB.. I'm peeking through the curtains now.


----------



## cpachris

Some progress on the GPU cables.....

You know my love for assembly line production. The following steps were done over a two night period while catching up on all of our DVR'd Big Brother episodes in the living room with my sweetie.

*Step One* -- Cut 32 pieces of wire, long enough to cover any of the routing ideas that are lingering around in your head. Proceed to torture the dogs with the wires for at least 15 minutes....



*Step Two* -- Use your awesome Lutro0 wire strippers and take off the insulation on one end of all 32 wires. Proceed with calling Jen's name over and over while she's watching TV....and then showing her the wires. Try to remember than Jen won't appreciate it if you leave all the little wire bits on the living room carpet.



*Step Three* -- Use your awesome Luto0 crimper to put a female ATX pin on one end of all 32 wires. Proceed to repeat Jen's name until she finally gives up and stares at you.



*Step 4* -- Cut sleeve long enough to cover wire, and then go ahead and melt one end onto the ATX pin you did in the previous step. Proceed to announce loudly and repeatedly...."Look at my colored spaghetti!!!"



*Step 5* -- Insert the end of the wire with the pin into a connector. Proceed to insist that Jen come back into the living room to serve as a background image for my wire shot.



What I'll do next is plug the connector end into the GPU's and do some test routing of the cables using different options....and decide which one I like best. Then I'll cut the cable down to size, and start putting pins on the other end of the cable also. The part that takes the longest is melting the sleeve on the pins. You do anything 32 times and it just takes awhile to do. For each of the 32 wires,

-- I'm cutting the sleeve to the right length,
-- stretching it tight,
-- adjusting the cut if necessary,
-- putting on heatshrink,
-- melting it till it's gooey,
-- risking the flesh on my fingers to press it down onto the pin while it's hot,
-- and then cutting off the heatshrink.

When you combine doing each of these steps 32 times....while trying to watch a TV show....it takes awhile. But I'll keep you posted on progress.

Alas, no progress this weekend because we are leaving on a little family trip tonight and will be gone through Monday. Wonder if the men in the black van will follow us down to Dallas.....


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Some progress on the GPU cables.....
> 
> Alas, no progress this weekend because we are leaving on a little family trip tonight and will be gone through Monday. Wonder if the men in the black van will follow us down to Dallas.....


Nice work! The sleeving step is always a long dreaded process!!

As for the black van and your little trip, I strongly suggest you bring that dhl box with you this weekend


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> *Step 5* -- Insert the end of the wire with the pin into a connector. Proceed to insist that Jen come back into the living room to serve as a background image for my wire shot.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Danger! See that smile? That's not really a smile.


----------



## VSG

Something tells me the guys in the black van won't be the only danger to poor Chris on the roadtrip to Dallas.


----------



## derickwm

:ninja:


----------



## mandrix

Great! I love sleeving! er...except for that part about the fingers getting burned. I tried using those little finger cots but dadgummittheymelt.

Good job keeping Jen in the pics and in sight so she can't slip up behind you and, and ........


----------



## mAs81

Nice and detailed sleeving , kudos !!
If only I wasn't so lazy I'd sleeve my cables too..Oh well , perhaps in the future








Keep it up!


----------



## VSG

Another showcase on the EK Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EKWaterBlocks/photos/a.204208322966540.61821.182927101761329/712351065485594/


----------



## Dan706

Subbed, look forward to seeing the end result.


----------



## wthenshaw

And they *finally* linked back to the build log!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Danger! See that smile? That's not really a smile.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> Something tells me the guys in the black van won't be the only danger to poor Chris on the roadtrip to Dallas.


Lol...back from Dallas. Six Flags, JFK Museum, Rangers game, Medieval Times, Magic Time Machine.......the kids had fun. Jenn's smile was genuine on the trip.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Great! I love sleeving! er...except for that part about the fingers getting burned. I tried using those little finger cots but dadgummittheymelt.
> 
> Good job keeping Jen in the pics and in sight so she can't slip up behind you and, and ........


I always get a fair amount of spit on my fingers....and the sizzle that happens when I taper down the melted sleeve is loud enough to make anybody in the room look.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Nice and detailed sleeving , kudos !!
> If only I wasn't so lazy I'd sleeve my cables too..Oh well , perhaps in the future
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Keep it up!


Not tough. Just time consuming. Try it!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> Another showcase on the EK Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EKWaterBlocks/photos/a.204208322966540.61821.182927101761329/712351065485594/


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> And they *finally* linked back to the build log!


The links always provide a nice little bump. More views = more stuff.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dan706*
> 
> Subbed, look forward to seeing the end result.


Me too! Welcome Dan!


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Lol...back from Dallas. Six Flags, JFK Museum, Rangers game, Medieval Times, Magic Time Machine.......the kids had fun. Jenn's smile was genuine on the trip.


Coincidentally, I was just down in Houston for a work trip - spent most of it standing in various machine shops, dripping with sweat and watching people fixing some equipment. Why anyone would want to live in that heat and humidity is beyond me...


----------



## VSG

Want to know something funny? Houston is too DRY for me. My first months here were a nightmare with constant dry/cracked lips. Even now my skin gets dry a lot despite having been here 5 years.


----------



## wthenshaw

Double post.


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> Want to know something funny? Houston is too DRY for me. My first months here were a nightmare with constant dry/cracked lips. Even now my skin gets dry a lot despite having been here 5 years.


Protip:

Move to England.

Miserable, soggy England.


----------



## VSG

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Protip:
> 
> Move to England.
> 
> Miserable, soggy England.


Where I am from, England seems like a ray of sunshine too. I suppose the boglands in Scot/Ireland would be close enough humidity wise though.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

I live in the AZ desert. I went to college in Abilene, TX. I griped about how humid it was there while other students from further east griped about how dry it was.


----------



## MunneY

I'd rather live somewhere dry than have the humidity like here... Its AWFUL...


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Coincidentally, I was just down in Houston for a work trip - spent most of it standing in various machine shops, dripping with sweat and watching people fixing some equipment. Why anyone would want to live in that heat and humidity is beyond me...


I lived in SW Louisiana for several years, and visited Houston frequently while there because it was the closest big city. Yes...it was an armpit of a town. Humid and smelly. Anyone choosing to live in Houston is an absolute idiot.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> Want to know something funny? I choose to live in Houston!!!!! (artistic license taken with quote)


Um.....whoops. Sorry.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Protip:
> 
> Move to England.
> 
> Miserable, soggy England.


Similar to Seattle? Sister lives there.


----------



## VSG

You need to haul your backside back in here so I can change your mind!


----------



## DerComissar

Wanted to mention that my neighbor lived in Houston for many years, as she worked at NASA.
When I first mentioned the weather there to her, I said it must be very hot and dry.
Her response was that it was very humid, which I was surprised to hear.
But a bit of research I did explains that:
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Houston


----------



## VSG

Where I am from we get metres (yes, plural) of rain each year so that's why Houston is dry relatively. Anyway with everyone air conditioned, the heat isn't really much of an issue.


----------



## DerComissar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> Where I am from we get metres (yes, plural) of rain each year so that's why Houston is dry relatively. Anyway with everyone air conditioned, the heat isn't really much of an issue.


Yes ac is great to have, even in this part of Canada I live, many Americans are surprised that I need it here.We are on the top part of the Sonoran Dessert here:
www.thestar.com/life/travel/2009/06/24/osoyoos_canadas_lone_desert.html
It's both hot and dry here, in the summer, unlike most of Canada. We do sometimes have cold winters though, but not lately, for some reason.


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Similar to Seattle? Sister lives there.


Actually I shouldn't complain, it feels like we really had a summer this year think I only had to wear a coat to work twice so far.

Towards the "end" of "summer" however the weather is really indecisive, raining, then five minutes later the sun bursts out for ten more minutes then back to rain. Rinse and repeat (pardon the pun)


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DerComissar*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> Where I am from we get metres (yes, plural) of rain each year so that's why Houston is dry relatively. Anyway with everyone air conditioned, the heat isn't really much of an issue.
> 
> 
> 
> Yes ac is great to have, even in this part of Canada I live, many Americans are surprised that I need it here.We are on the top part of the Sonoran Dessert here:
> www.thestar.com/life/travel/2009/06/24/osoyoos_canadas_lone_desert.html
> It's both hot and dry here, in the summer, unlike most of Canada. We do sometimes have cold winters though, but not lately, for some reason.
Click to expand...

Horsefeathers! The Sonoran Desert doesn't go any further north than southern to mid AZ. There are some discrepancies as to the actual borders but none go further north than AZ. I don't doubt that you live in a desert but it's NOT the Sonoran Desert!

http://www.desertusa.com/sonoran-desert.html

http://www.desertmuseum.org/desert/sonora.php

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran_Desert


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

duplicate deleted by poster


----------



## DerComissar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *DerComissar*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> Where I am from we get metres (yes, plural) of rain each year so that's why Houston is dry relatively. Anyway with everyone air conditioned, the heat isn't really much of an issue.
> 
> 
> 
> Yes ac is great to have, even in this part of Canada I live, many Americans are surprised that I need it here.We are on the top part of the Sonoran Dessert here:
> www.thestar.com/life/travel/2009/06/24/osoyoos_canadas_lone_desert.html
> It's both hot and dry here, in the summer, unlike most of Canada. We do sometimes have cold winters though, but not lately, for some reason.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Horsefeathers! The Sonoran Desert doesn't go any further north than southern to mid AZ. There are some discrepancies as to the actual borders but none go further north than AZ. I don't doubt that you live in a desert but it's NOT the Sonoran Desert!
> 
> http://www.desertusa.com/sonoran-desert.html
> 
> http://www.desertmuseum.org/desert/sonora.php
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran_Desert
Click to expand...

Ok, I'll not argue with you on that, I just report what I hear, which may very well be bs, lol!
www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=c47a0444-f7ee-4525-aec9-b859e8afc468
Sorry to crap out your thread Chris, back to your regular scheduled programming.


----------



## mandrix

Well the heat in North Florida is kicking my old butt this year. Triple digits + unreal humidity. The Oak trees on the property have shed massive amounts of leaves this summer...which I'm tired of cleaning up! Strapping on the backpack blower is just too much for this sexagenarian.









Chris do I remember right that there was talk of you getting one of the new 144 Hz monitors from Asus? I was reminded as a friend of mine just got a 144 Hz tv that he uses for a monitor, but it's only like 30 Hz. (He uses it mostly for music production so he really doesn't need more.)


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Chris do I remember right that there was talk of you getting one of the new 144 Hz monitors from Asus? I was reminded as a friend of mine just got a 144 Hz tv that he uses for a monitor, but it's only like 30 Hz. (He uses it mostly for music production so he really doesn't need more.)


I had a choice between that one and a 4k 60Hz model....and I chose the 4k model. You need a lot of screen real estate if you want a true Pinterest machine.


----------



## cpachris

Some more TV time with my sweetie while doing some cabling work....

The same way I did the short cable for my 24 pin that handled the double wires and cross overs.....


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!







....I'm doing the same thing for my GPU cables. All of the 8 pin connectors on the Corsair have a double wire in one slot and several cross-overs. I want all that to be handled in a short patch cable down by the GPU, and then have a 1 to 1 extension that is sewn and tight. So......I took some of the connectors that came with the PSU and snipped off the wires with a couple of inches to spare. Then I stripped and crimped.





The above two pictures were actually a goof. I put female pins on the end, and I really needed male pins. So I had to redo those. But in the end, I had male pins on them and put a male to female connector on here.





The extensions that are sleeved and pretty have female connectors on both sides. They will plug into the extensions like this, and then plug into the PSU.



With hindsight, it might make more sense to make the extensions with a female connector on one end and a male on the other. This would make them usable with any PSU standard cable as the patch cable. I'll always make custom sized cables....so it really doesn't impact me. But it is probably wiser.

I've played around with several different cable paths from the GPU to the PSU....and I think I've settled on one. I really like the way my 24 pin and motherboard power connectors have the GPU side of the cable doing a tight and immediate loop up and out of the PSU section. Like this....



So the same way that the motherboard power connector goes up and underneath the motherboard......that's how I'm going to do the GPU cables also. They will track immediately back under the motherboard tray just like the motherboard connector, and then go through a cut-out (probably need to expand one) in the divider plate, and then up through the midplate to the GPU's. I think it will look pretty clean this way. But it will really need a lot of cable stitching to keep it nice and tight.

I started in on that.....and decided I needed to stop and get my next powder coating batch ready to go first. I'm sure it will take a week or two to get the powdercoat batch back....so I can be working on stitching and cabling while the pieces are off to be powdercoated. So....next up is pictures of my PSU window cut-out work......


----------



## DerComissar

The cables look great, and needless to say, so does the rest of the build.
That is an excellent solution to make a clean cable run.
Looking forward to the next round.
Rep+


----------



## jameyscott

Looks great! I'm going to have to do this myself with my ax1500i.

I was surprised at how easy the cables were to work with considering they were flat but it worked well in my air 540. I need custom length cables bad though...


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DerComissar*
> 
> The cables look great, and needless to say, so does the rest of the build.
> That is an excellent solution to make a clean cable run.
> Looking forward to the next round.
> Rep+


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> Looks great! I'm going to have to do this myself with my ax1500i.


Thanks guys! +1 for custom length cables. Spent some time cutting up my AX1500i yesterday. Should be able to post some pictures tonight. Window mod!


----------



## Jameswalt1

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Thanks guys! +1 for custom length cables. Spent some time cutting up my AX1500i yesterday. Should be able to post some pictures tonight. Window mod!


Cables look amazing!

Can't wait to see this "window mod" !!!


----------



## George C

Window mods are always cool, looking forward to pictures


----------



## cpachris

So since this case I selected had a lot to do with all of the windows.....why not make some more in the components themselves? Right? Got some ideas for both the PSU and the SSD's. Here is the start of what I've done to the Corsair AX1500i.



Void the warranty....and take the top off. Hehe.....



Remove that fan from the top of the PSU cover......



Tape up the PSU cover where the cuts will be made....



Rock that Dremel....



7 cutting blades later (gasp), success!!!



Get out the file and start working those rough edges....



Starting to look better....





Test fit. I'm having to pull down the plastic insert that usually protects the circuitry from touching the metal sides of the PSU. Before I"m done, I'll need to cut it down below the window panel....



Different angle view....



That's where I got so far....but I'm pretty pumped about how it's going to look. Next steps.....I'm going to send the PSU cover to be powder coated in CaseLabs black. This will make it match perfectly with the interior of the case....and will help hide some of the nicks and scratches that happened while cutting it out. I'm going to have the top fan grill powder coated pink to match the outside of the case.

While these parts are off to be powder coated, I'll cut some acrylic out for the window, and then have a local shop etch it with a Corsair logo and maybe a PPPP mention. I'm planning on running a LED into the inside of the PSU and lighting up the etched acrylic window. It will be very cool.....

May even find a little bitty pink panther or something to leave inside the PSU....looking out through the window.


----------



## George C

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> May even find a little bitty pink panther or something to leave inside the PSU....looking out through the window.


Haha love it


----------



## wthenshaw

Looks great, I did a window modern my friends el cheapo PSU.

7 cutting disks? I think you may be applying to much pressure with the disk on the metal, I used half a disk when doing his.


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> 7 cutting blades later (gasp), success!!!


Story of my life.







Looks classy though!


----------



## blupupher

which cutting disk did you use, the regular (what it looks like but can't quite tell) or the fiber reinforced one?

If you went through 7 fiber reinforced ones that is some super strong metal.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Looks great, I did a window modern my friends el cheapo PSU.
> 
> 7 cutting disks? I think you may be applying to much pressure with the disk on the metal, I used half a disk when doing his.


I agree; you should have used only half a disk for that small of a cut. As wthenshaw said, if you bear down too hard, you will prematurely wear out the disk. Also, if you penentrate with the disk into the metal too deeply, that will have the edge of the metal hitting the sedge of the disk at too steep of an angle, acting like a knife blade that will literally slice the edge of the disk. You will also have a higher risk of jamming the disk in the kerf. You should make long shallow cuts in the surface so that the cut is a long slope and keep gradually advancing the cut until it penetrates at the back of the slope. The disk shouldn't penetrate the metal by anymore than 1/32"; less is better.

Otherwise, it looks good. I never would have thought of putting a window on a PSU (not to mention I'm too cheap to void a seven year warranty). I really like the idea of a wee pink panther peaking out the window!


----------



## Barefooter

Very cool PSU mod! It's going to look awesome with that window


----------



## cpachris

Hmmm...the black van disappeared from outside my house....


----------



## JambonJovi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Hmmm...the black van disappeared from outside my house....


Does that mean the NDA is close to being lifted ?


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JambonJovi*
> 
> Does that mean the NDA is close to being lifted ?


Either that or Chris should check for snakes / spiders in his bed.

Also be careful about turning on any electrical devices.

Or starting his car.


----------



## stren

cpachris please get a custom block made for that ax1500i lulz, then that window can really show off your fanciness.


----------



## Barefooter

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JambonJovi*
> 
> Does that mean the NDA is close to being lifted ?


It's getting pretty close to August 29th... I wonder if this is coordinated with any other NDAs that expire on the 29th???


----------



## cpachris

Based on all the other WONDERFUL pictures of the new EK Supremacy EVO, you've probably concluded correctly that the black van was there to ensure not a word was breathed of it before it was ready. The waterblock is beautiful, and the new insert really makes the insides even more attractive than before. Not to mention the performance has been improved. I'll be posting my own pictures of it with some beautiful pink coolant after I get it polished up.









In the meantime....I'm still prepping items to go for another batch of powdercoat items. Got the memory ready a few days ago. For those following, you will remember that I've already done a custom dye job of the light bar to make it glow pink instead of white. The one on the left has the normal light bar, and the one on the right has lightbar upgrade kit and the custom dyed pink light bar....



But I want to do even more with the memory to personalize it for this build. So I took off the light bar cover....



...and then removed the heatsink.



The heatsink just took a little bit of wiggle to remove it.



Then I repeated for all 4 sticks of memory....



The plan here is to powercoat the light bar covers matte black to match the inside of the case, and then powdercoat the heatsinks pink to match the outside of the case. I think it's safe to say I'll have the only set of Dominator Platinums like this.











Corsair tells you to personalize it right there on the package.....who am I to say no?



Can't wait to see how these look when they get back from CaseLabs! More powdercoat prepping tomorrow!


----------



## Jameswalt1

Ha, that will look awesome!


----------



## Hanoverfist

Excellent Chris..


----------



## taowulf

Going through this thread and the BBBB build took the entire evening last night...till nearly 4AM.

Time well spent, beautiful work.

I had to cheat on the BBBB thread though...I just looked at your updates, not all the replies. Sort of killed some of the "in-jokes". But I decided i didn't want to still be reading at noon the next day. Epic work.


----------



## DerComissar

Unbelievable. I'd like to see the Corsair reps jaws drop, when they see those finished Doms.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> Ha, that will look awesome!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Hanoverfist*
> 
> Excellent Chris..


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DerComissar*
> 
> Unbelievable. I'd like to see the Corsair reps jaws drop, when they see those finished Doms.


Thanks guys! Let's hope the jaw dropping is out of admiration and astonishment......instead of in horror at what I've done to their already-good-lookin' ram sticks.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *taowulf*
> 
> Going through this thread and the BBBB build took the entire evening last night...till nearly 4AM.
> 
> Time well spent, beautiful work.
> 
> I had to cheat on the BBBB thread though...I just looked at your updates, not all the replies. Sort of killed some of the "in-jokes". But I decided i didn't want to still be reading at noon the next day. Epic work.


Love hearing about BBBB'ers still finding that build log. Thanks for the kind words!


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

RAM isn't liquid cooled? Sorry, I have to unsubscribe to such a pleb-tier build.










Looks very nice! Can't wait to see this all wrap up into a beautiful pink Internet box.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> RAM isn't liquid cooled? Sorry, I have to unsubscribe to such a pleb-tier build.


I know....I'm such a slacker this time.









Watercooled the ram in the last build....but this time I wanted to play with those light bars.....


----------



## cpachris

Still working on getting ready the package of stuff that I'm shipping off to be powdercoated. Today was the card reader and some faceplates. I pointed this out previously....but the card reader's light grey color is really throwing my mojo off when I look in the case. See?



I can't spend all this time on black and pink accents....and just leave the ugly grey box. Jen already previously weighed in....and the color needs to be black for this box. I could just rattle can it....but as long as I'm already sending some stuff for powder coating, why not make it match the inside of the case exactly, right?



The cover came off easily....



...and to my delight the wires inside were simple micro-b connectors, so I could remove them with no effort.



Cute lil' pcb.....



Pop off the face plate. Since it's already surrounded by the CaseLabs 3.5 inch adaptor which is pink....I'm going to leave this faceplate black for a little contrast. Plus...it's plastic, so powdercoat is not an option.



Snip the cable tie holding the cables in place.....



....and remove the cables completely from the PCB and card reader housing. These will be a breeze to sleeve. The pass PCI pass through bracket will also get powder coated black....



Ta-da! Card reader housing ready to go.



Few more nits. The Aquaero 6 mounting brackets are silver, but are hidden behind the black CaseLabs mounts so that they really don't show much. But....as long as I'm getting some stuff powder coated....



....so I removed the Aquaero and took off the mounting brackets. We'll make these black as well.



This black faceplate for the FC8 is aluminum. It won't be black much longer. We'll send this in for pink powdercoating, so that it matches the outside of the case exactly. I did this with my FC8 on the BBBB and it looks pretty sweet and custom when it matches the rest of the case exterior.

I'll also give some props to Lamptron. They've improved the build quality of the FC8 significantly since I bought my last one.



I had some left over flow meters from the last build. I had powdercoated the faceplate white for one....and had the other copper plated. I think I'm going to have the white faceplate on this Aquaero flow meter powdercoated pink. That will be unique.....





I have just a few more items to get ready, including the SSD's and the LED lighting brackets. More on those tomorrow!


----------



## wthenshaw

What are you going to do about the letter on the lamptron faceplate Chris?


----------



## Flamso

Oh wow. I can't wait to see all those parts painted!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> What are you going to do about the letter on the lamptron faceplate Chris?


When it was done for the BBBB, the powder covered up all the lettering, which left it looking very clean. I'm hoping it does the same this time. Although, the engraving on the lettering does appear a little deeper on the FC8 this time around. We'll see how it comes out. Here was the FC8 in the BBBB.....



Spoiler: BBBB Stuff!!!








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Flamso*
> 
> Oh wow. I can't wait to see all those parts painted!


Me either!


----------



## cpachris

Finished up the last of my items for the powdercoat batch, and I've sent the package off. Woo-hoo! Here are the last of the items that went....

These Corsair Neutron SSD's are already pretty darn good lookin'....



But I wanted to do something special with them, and I have a couple of ideas kicking around in my head. So I took the innards out again. The PCB inside is even smaller than the case.



Got out the Dremmel....



...and cut-out a window for the front of the SSD cases. The idea here would be to put a thin piece of plexi on the inside of the cover...



...and then etch it with a logo and light it up with an LED fed through this hole I made.



The SSD cases themselves are being sent for black powdercoating so they will match the inside of the case. I may make the LED glow from the window a pink'ish glow to tie out the theme.

My other idea with the SSD's is to not use the case for them at all...and instead stack the two PCB's together with some standoffs, and use a solid piece of plexi on the front and back to provide some protection. It would become kind of a clear "brick" of SSD's. Might be fun. I'll probably try it both ways and decide.

I asked the kitty what he thought.....



....and he said he liked both ideas for the SSD's....but that we really needed to think about making the lighting for the inside of the case look nice also. Fair enough....



So I showed him the 3 different styles of LED U-channel that I had picked up.



This one is for corners where you want the light to point at a 45 degree angle...



This one is for flat mounting and has some heat fins....



This one is for ultra low profile flat mounting....



I cut them all up into sizes that would fit nicely in the spots in my case where I'm considering lighting....



....and included them in my package of "black" items for powdercoating. These covers should blend right into the inside of the case since they will be finished in the exact same powder as the case. Should be almost invisible. I did a lot of LED strip lighting in my last build also, but was able to hide the strips from view based on how big the case was. With this S8 and 4 windows....almost everything inside is view-able, so there is no place to hide something ugly. Must make everything attractive. So we'll give these u-channel a shot and see what they look like when finished black.

That's it for the powder coat items. Now...I'll get back to some wiring work while I wait on these to be returned.

Getting close to time to start plumbing this baby up!


----------



## luciddreamer124

Great update Chris. Your attention to detail is amazing. I'm really excited to see this SSD idea play out.


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> ...and cut-out a window for the front of the SSD cases. The idea here would be to put a thin piece of plexi on the inside of the cover...
> ...
> ...and then etch it with a logo and light it up with an LED fed through this hole I made.


OMG. This is beautiful.







I'm thinking this could be made totally self-contained if you soldered the LEDs to the 5V or 3.3V SATA power pins and usable in absolutely any system. I might need to try this myself.


----------



## mandrix

Nice, can't wait to see how the modded SSD's work out.


----------



## mAs81

The idea of putting plexi on the SSDs intrigues me..After all,there's no such thing as "too much" eye candy


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *luciddreamer124*
> 
> Great update Chris. Your attention to detail is amazing. I'm really excited to see this SSD idea play out.


Thanks luicid!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> OMG. This is beautiful.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm thinking this could be made totally self-contained if you soldered the LEDs to the 5V or 3.3V SATA power pins and usable in absolutely any system. I might need to try this myself.


That is an intriguing idea, about wiring up the LED totally inside the case. Will have to think about it.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Nice, can't wait to see how the modded SSD's work out.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> The idea of putting plexi on the SSDs intrigues me..After all,there's no such thing as "too much" eye candy


I'm excited about it also. There was an SSD mod that l3p did a few builds ago that inspired me.....


----------



## Hanoverfist

Good stuff Chris..


----------



## cpachris

With all of my "to-be-powdercoated-items" sent off to California....I've resumed working on some of the cabling/sleeving....

I finished up the last two of my little patch cables for the GPU's.....



...and I've started in on the cable sewing again. Got caught up with Big Brother, watched 3 more episodes of Game of Thrones...and had a date with Nucky Thompson. 5 or 6 hours of watching and sewing...and I had most of one of the GPU cables done. I'm sewing the two 8 pins together into one solid cable. This allows me to make a mini version of the same pattern I used for the 24 pin.



My current idea is to have the top GPU cable wrap down and between the GPU's....and when I'm finished with the other GPU cable, it will wrap up and between the GPU's. So they will meet together and become one solid mass going down between the GPU's. May even sew them together like that. You can't see in these pictures....but I'm going to have to make the cable management cutout a little wider to allow the cables to keep their flat shape when they pass through the midplate.

Wait....what's that thing in the lower right corner...?????



It's the kitty! He approves. You can see how well the GPU pattern matches the 24 pin pattern in this picture . Similar pattern....similar shape. Coming together nicely....







Now I need to queue up another couple of Game of Thrones episodes and finish up the other GPU cable!!


----------



## SilkyZ

SUBBED


----------



## sadeter

Those cables are looking good.


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Pink Panther needs to be careful - he could lose the tip of his tail


----------



## mAs81

Since the kitty approves , you have my approval too


----------



## Pheozero

Loving that you made the PCIe cables a smaller version of the 24 pin.

Totally going to steal that for my build.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SilkyZ*
> 
> 
> SUBBED


Welcome!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sadeter*
> 
> Those cables are looking good.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Since the kitty approves , you have my approval too


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Pheozero*
> 
> Loving that you made the PCIe cables a smaller version of the 24 pin.
> 
> Totally going to steal that for my build.


Thanks gents!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Pink Panther needs to be careful - he could lose the tip of his tail


He's pretty carefree. Nine lives, and such.....


----------



## cpachris

You are in for a treat tonight! I was lucky enough to receive, and Kevin was kind enough to send me, some pictures of the pink parts getting the powder applied right there at the secret laboratory CaseLabs keeps in California! Let the action commence....

Looks like they use a nice Encore powder gun system....



Kevin was even kind enough to drill some holes for me in parts that didn't have a place to hang already. Like the memory heatsinks in the picture below. Here they are up on the line...awaiting their glorious pink treatment....





This lucky guy got the honor of seeing the first Corsair pink heatsink.











Spray on, my brother. Spray on....









Yes!



Looks like the powder covered the engraved lettering on the Lamptron faceplate nicely....



Into the oven to bake!



Kevin mentioned that actual curing was done at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes. Must still be heating up here. Man they've got some cool toys!



Just like any tasty treat....needs some time to cool after baking.













And presto! All done. These look even tastier than a fresh hot blueberry muffin. Or, something like that. Er....never mind.



Even some protective film for parts that didn't need powder! I was going to sand off these areas. CaseLabs saved me some time!



They'll shoot the black parts next, and then return my lovelies to me. Kevin also shared some pictures of my PSU cover....which got pretty bent up during transit. He spent some time trying to return it to its original state, and thinks it will survive. USPS. Gotta love em'.

Anyway....thanks a ton to CaseLabs for sponsoring this project and continuing to show it love. Above and beyond the call of duty!


----------



## akira749

The job looks awesome!


----------



## Guest

Haha, your commentary alone was worth the time to take the pics









Glad to help and the build is coming along very nicely!!!







On with the pink!


----------



## sadeter

I think someone was hungry when he made that post.


----------



## mAs81

Very nice!I bet the dominators are going to look awesome in pink


----------



## mandrix

Sweet!


----------



## blupupher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> ...
> 
> This lucky guy got the honor of seeing the first Corsair pink heatsink.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


He does not look all that excited.








Quote:


> ...
> 
> Just like any tasty treat....needs some time to cool after baking.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Question (well, 2 actually). How much do those heatsinks actually help RAM temps and then how does powder coating affect it? Seems powder coating would hold heat in vs anodized.


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

RAM heatsinks are there to look pretty. They generally neither help nor hurt unless you're running at like 3000MT/s, and anything over 1333MT/s is basically useless unless you have an APU or are trying to set a record. I doubt the powder coating does much.


----------



## blupupher

OK, thought so, just wanted to make sure.

Also, every time I read this thread I think of this:


----------



## iBored

So i showed my girlfriend this build log and told her this dude is building it for his wife. The response I got was: and where's mine?

Thanks mate. Thanks big time. Haha.
Still loving your build.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> He does not look all that excited.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Question (well, 2 actually). How much do those heatsinks actually help RAM temps and then how does powder coating affect it? Seems powder coating would hold heat in vs anodized.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> RAM heatsinks are there to look pretty. They generally neither help nor hurt unless you're running at like 3000MT/s, and anything over 1333MT/s is basically useless unless you have an APU or are trying to set a record. I doubt the powder coating does much.


I generally agree. Ram just really doesn't get that hot unless you are doing something crazy. My guess is the powdercoating will slow down some conductivity, but not where it will hurt anything.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> OK, thought so, just wanted to make sure.
> 
> Also, every time I read this thread I think of this:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Ducky!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iBored*
> 
> So i showed my girlfriend this build log and told her this dude is building it for his wife. The response I got was: and where's mine?
> 
> Thanks mate. Thanks big time. Haha.
> Still loving your build.


The PPPP. Getting boyfriends in trouble the world over. Nice.


----------



## PCModderMike

Mmmm powder coat


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iBored*
> 
> So i showed my girlfriend this build log and told her this dude is building it for his wife. The response I got was: and where's mine?
> 
> Thanks mate. Thanks big time. Haha.
> Still loving your build.


I showed to my GF too, and her response was "ewwww, pink". Pretty safe bet on my part as she is not really into pink. She is also not into computers enough to appreciate the level of detail and general awesomeness of this build. Each to their own.

If I showed her the BBBB however...


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iBored*
> 
> So i showed my girlfriend this build log and told her this dude is building it for his wife. The response I got was: and where's mine?
> 
> Thanks mate. Thanks big time. Haha.
> Still loving your build.


What are you complaining about? _You_ are the one that showed it to herself; you only have yourself to blame. Besides, now you have an excuse to spend obscene amounts of money on a hobby project.


----------



## JambonJovi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *iBored*
> 
> So i showed my girlfriend this build log and told her this dude is building it for his wife. The response I got was: and where's mine?
> 
> Thanks mate. Thanks big time. Haha.
> Still loving your build.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> I showed to my GF too, and her response was "ewwww, pink". Pretty safe bet on my part as she is not really into pink. She is also not into computers enough to appreciate the level of detail and general awesomeness of this build. Each to their own.
> 
> If I showed her the BBBB however...


This is all very familiar.

Our conversation after I showed it to my girlfriend:

-Awww, that's so sweet.. What about me, babe ?
-What?! You want me to build YOU a computer ? You barely use your laptop.
-Well, I suppose... You could at least go buy me chocolate... *wink*

And off to the shop I went.


----------



## cpachris

Received confirmation that my newly powder coated parts have shipped and will be here early next week. Hooray!

While I'm waiting, today I'm working on prepping the midplate for some additional cable management spots. To get to the midplate, I needed to take out the motherboard tray. Really appreciate how quick and easy this is to do with the CaseLabs S8. Four quick screws and I can lift the whole thing right out....



There are two changes I'm going to make to the midplate. You see that existing rectangle cable management cutout right on the other side of the PSU? Well, the way I'm going to wrap my GPU cables down and around into the PSU compartment, I need for that cutout to be further back so I can make the cables curl up right out of the PSU and disappear underneath the motherboard tray. I also want it higher up so that the cables are hidden underneath the tray and can't be seen through the windows.

I also need to widen the existing cutout on top of the midplate where the GPU cables will drop down below the midplate. The double 8pin cables are wider than the existing cutout.



A few more screws and I can take the whole midplate right out for easy Dremmel action. See Tebow's tail down in the lower right? He sat and watched what I was doing with great interest.



He even likes the kitty....



Need to tape the midplate where I'm going to make the cuts. I'm fresh out of painters tape, so I had to borrow some of my daughter's Duck Tape. Of course, she had a variety of colors and combinations available, but she picked this fabulous pink and black tape for my use. FAB-U-LOUS!!!



Taped and ready to go.....



Sweet Dremmel action on that FABULOUS tape!



I tried this little brush attachment to clean-up the edges and it worked well.



I'll take some more pictures of the midplate after I get it back in the box. Should all make sense then if it doesn't already.....


----------



## wthenshaw

That tape though...


----------



## cpachris

Midplate back in, and sewing on my GPU cabling all done. Really happy with how this portion of it came out....so time for some glory shots!

There are a total of 4 8pin cables for the GPU's. The two for each GPU are sewn together into what looks like a 16 pin cable, and then both 16 bin cables fold toward each other to meet in the middle and drop down between the two GPU's and through the midplate bottom. I even sewed the two 16 pin cables together so they would become one cable dropping down to the floor. You can just make out the expanded cut-out in the midplate at the bottom of this picture that was necessary to run the cables down this way.



This view from the top (radiator drop-in mount removed) shows the cabling off well.









I still have some cabling work to do for fans and lighting, and a touch more sewing to do on the motherboard power cables, but I'm stoked with the progress. Those dual ASUS DirectCU II 780Ti's look nice already. Can't wait to see them blocked up!

More soon!


----------



## wthenshaw

I really like your approach on the GPU cables!

Great work Chris.


----------



## mAs81

Looking great man,keep it up!!!!!!!!


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

I like how you paired up the GPU cables so you could use the same basic sleeving color pattern you used on the 24 pin cable. Nice job!


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Lovely looking GPU cables!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> I really like your approach on the GPU cables! Great work Chris.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Looking great man,keep it up!!!!!!!!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> I like how you paired up the GPU cables so you could use the same basic sleeving color pattern you used on the 24 pin cable. Nice job!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> Lovely looking GPU cables!


Thanks Gents! ....and Ladies!

FedEx is scheduled to bring me all my freshly powder coated items tomorrow!


----------



## blupupher

Looking really good, but...

The stitching in the GPU cables don't match. When everything else is perfect, things like that stick out IMO.
The top is not too bad, but the middle and bottom one stick out. I know it is not one of those things that you see till it is together.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> Looking really good, but...
> 
> The stitching in the GPU cables don't match. When everything else is perfect, things like that stick out IMO.
> The top is not too bad, but the middle and bottom one stick out. I know it is not one of those things that you see till it is together.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Yeah, I see what you mean. But I am not about to redo that stitching! Lol.....I have probably 15+ hours into that GPU stitching! I actually had a few different cable paths I was playing with when I started the stitching, and the other ones would not have paired the two cables up and highlighted the fact that the spacing is different on each cable. But I'll file that observation away for an additional detail to plan for on the next build...


----------



## SinatraFan

Chris I can totally relate to your comments about restitching. I spent the majority of my build time for my Death Star on sewing those bloody cables. I hate that part of the build. Moreover, I vowed to use the stealth combs from LutroO this time, but he's MIA! So I may have to sew again for my new build ARGH!!!!!!!!!! I agree with you... that's not enough to warrant redoing. perhaps you could use a sharpie marker to dye the thread black to match the sleeving and go stealth on those threads in question.


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SinatraFan*
> 
> I vowed to use the stealth combs from LutroO this time, but he's MIA! So I may have to sew again for my new build ARGH!!!!!!!!!!


Here's an awesome alternative to your problem









http://www.ensourced.net/wire-wraps/


----------



## SinatraFan

+1 akira749

Great find!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## blupupher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Yeah, I see what you mean. But I am not about to redo that stitching! Lol.....I have probably 15+ hours into that GPU stitching! I actually had a few different cable paths I was playing with when I started the stitching, and the other ones would not have paired the two cables up and highlighted the fact that the spacing is different on each cable. But I'll file that observation away for an additional detail to plan for on the next build...


I can understand that. The time doing it originally, the time undoing it and then the time re-doing it really adds up.
In the grand scheme, if you did not know to look at it, you would not see it, and once you get your loops in there, you probably won't see it even if you know it is there; especially since you won't be looking at it from the angle in the pic.

Future reference to be aware of, or use of matching thread so you would not see it.
If you had used black instead of the contrasting grey (which looks good) you would not see it at all.

I really hate criticizing anything on this since it is way above anything I can do.

_edit:_ wait, are you air cooling the GPU's or water cooling?


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SinatraFan*
> 
> +1 akira749
> 
> Great find!!!!!!!!!!!!!












Just to show you how they look on my cables


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SinatraFan*
> 
> Chris I can totally relate to your comments about restitching. I spent the majority of my build time for my Death Star on sewing those bloody cables. I hate that part of the build. Moreover, I vowed to use the stealth combs from LutroO this time, but he's MIA! So I may have to sew again for my new build ARGH!!!!!!!!!! I agree with you... that's not enough to warrant redoing. perhaps you could use a sharpie marker to dye the thread black to match the sleeving and go stealth on those threads in question.


Stitching takes time.....for sure. The thread is black. It reflects light a little different than the sleeve in the pictures, but it is black not grey. I've got lots of the stealth combs from Lutro0 in both black and clear (part of the sponsorship package), but decided in the end that I liked the look of the stitching better.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> Here's an awesome alternative to your problem
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.ensourced.net/wire-wraps/


A time saver for sure! But I just don't like the look of any of the cable combs as much as I do stitching.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> I can understand that. The time doing it originally, the time undoing it and then the time re-doing it really adds up.
> In the grand scheme, if you did not know to look at it, you would not see it, and once you get your loops in there, you probably won't see it even if you know it is there; especially since you won't be looking at it from the angle in the pic.
> 
> Future reference to be aware of, or use of matching thread so you would not see it.
> If you had used black instead of the contrasting grey (which looks good) you would not see it at all.
> 
> I really hate criticizing anything on this since it is way above anything I can do.
> 
> _edit:_ wait, are you air cooling the GPU's or water cooling?


Lol....no worries friend. Build logs are meant to receive feedback. Positive and negative. The thread is black....just a little different black than the sleeving. It's funny how easy it is to draw the eye to certain things in pictures. For some reason the threads stand out in pictures. But they are a fraction the size of any of the cable combs out there...and just look more custom in my opinion.

Definitely going to watercool the GPU's, as well as the CPU and board. EK supplied me well in that area.


----------



## mandrix

To me sleeving is pretty easy, but that sewing-no way, man. I can really appreciate those who sew cables since I apparently have no talent for it.


----------



## blupupher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> ...
> 
> Definitely going to watercool the GPU's, as well as the CPU and board. EK supplied me well in that area.


OK, just took a quick look back in the thread and did not see anything about GPU cooling. I saw the CPU block and remember you saying something about the chipset.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> To me sleeving is pretty easy, but that sewing-no way, man. I can really appreciate those who sew cables since I apparently have no talent for it.


Tedious and time consuming.....yes. But not difficult. Have you checked out Pongo's guide?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> OK, just took a quick look back in the thread and did not see anything about GPU cooling. I saw the CPU block and remember you saying something about the chipset.


Haven't shown them off yet in pictures. Had some last minute sponsor issues that changed the GPU blocks I originally received. But I've already got the revised ones for my cards, and I'll be rocking them soon....

Also...got the new EVO from EK in a care package awhile back, that will replace the supremacy I've shown already!


----------



## cpachris

Always a good day when you come home to a FedEx from CaseLabs.











After removing all of the paper and bubble wrap surrounding the items....they even had packaged all of the items individually into their own little baggies!



Those are spare windows at the top of the stack, for some sponsor logo etching I'm going to have done. I'm going to start putting some of the items back together now, and will take some glamour shots as I go. More later....


----------



## blupupher

Looks nice.

I found my pink computer build that I did.










Yours is better...

_edit:_ seems I already posted this earlier, sorry.


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> Looks nice.
> 
> I found my pink computer build that I did.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yours is better...


You owe me new eyes; mine ran away.


----------



## blupupher

It was worse in person. A florescent pink.
I was wanting to see if a motherboard would still work if painted, and I had that pink paint laying around (yes, it still worked).


----------



## JambonJovi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> I found my pink computer build that I did.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Click!


Close enough


----------



## cpachris

I've been busy playing with all my freshly powder coated parts. Today, I'm showing off the Corsair Domintor Platinum sticks.

I spread out my powdered parts and went to work...



One last parting shot of the RAM in it's as-is form. It's really nice looking RAM already.



But...now it's a lot nicer looking RAM.







Especially if you are building a pink and black computer.



The lightbar cover is now black, and the heatsink fins are now pink. These customizations are in addition to the dyed light bar insert I showed awhile back. Pretty sure these are the only Dominators Platinums like this....





Kitty liked them so much he suggested a photo shoot up in the studio. Kitty always likes pictures....



He started some weird modified Full Metal Jacket chant when we got upstairs for the photoshoot: "This is my RAM. There aren't many like it....but this is mine. My RAM is my friend. My RAM is my life....."



I just ignored him and kept shooting....



It looks pretty sweet in the build also. Since the black and pink powder used on the RAM parts are the exact same as that used on the inside and outside of the case, they are a perfect match.







More done already....so more pictures soon!


----------



## GingerJohn

Looking great! We are going to need pictures of those puppies lit up though.

Random thought - a backlit keyboard with pink LEDs would be great for this build too - you would need to go for RGB LEDs to ensure the correct colour tone of course.


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Can't you get pink Duckies? I have some pink LEDs that take the same voltage as green, blue, white, soft white, and UV, so it shouldn't be difficult to mod - no messing with resistors, just swap the lights.


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> Can't you get pink Duckies?


Yes, yes you can:

Hey @JennG,


Spoiler: Look at this!











Although they call them "Magenta" to make them seem a little less girly. They aren't fooling anyone, they are awesomely girly.


----------



## wthenshaw

That RAM pink perfectly complements the rest of the build.

Nice Chris.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

"This is my RAM. There aren't many like it....but this is mine. My RAM is my friend. My RAM is my life..._My Precioussss_"


----------



## Jameswalt1

Dude the ram looks amazing! Corsair needs to tap into that I think and offer colored options, looks stellar.


----------



## mAs81

Awesomely done








Coloring the dominators was a very nice idea
They really look great!


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Oh man, that RAM looks absolutely delicious!


----------



## sinnedone

That ram came out nice, wasn't to sure about it in the beginning but definitely came out nice. Good job on the entire build.







Cant wait to see it finished.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Random thought - a backlit keyboard with pink LEDs would be great for this build too - you would need to go for RGB LEDs to ensure the correct colour tone of course.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> Can't you get pink Duckies? I have some pink LEDs that take the same voltage as green, blue, white, soft white, and UV, so it shouldn't be difficult to mod - no messing with resistors, just swap the lights.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Yes, yes you can:
> 
> Hey @JennG,
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Look at this!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Although they call them "Magenta" to make them seem a little less girly. They aren't fooling anyone, they are awesomely girly.


A pink Duckie! Must have.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> "This is my RAM. There aren't many like it....but this is mine. My RAM is my friend. My RAM is my life..._My Precioussss_"


Lol....someone with time and Photoshop skills could run with that one....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Looking great! We are going to need pictures of those puppies lit up though.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> That RAM pink perfectly complements the rest of the build. Nice Chris.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> Dude the ram looks amazing! Corsair needs to tap into that I think and offer colored options, looks stellar.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Awesomely done
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Coloring the dominators was a very nice idea
> They really look great!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> Oh man, that RAM looks absolutely delicious!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sinnedone*
> 
> That ram came out nice, wasn't to sure about it in the beginning but definitely came out nice. Good job on the entire build.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cant wait to see it finished.


Thanks gents! I'm stoked about how they came out.


----------



## cpachris

Pictures of the Aquaero and Card Reader reassembly....

The Aquaero face plate was sent for the pink powder treatment, along with the Lamptron face plate. Aquaero face plate on the bottom, ....looking positively pink!



But before I put the Aquaero 6 back together....I might as well go ahead and install the passive heatsink I bought for it. Black version, of course. This thing is solid, heavy, and reeks of quality....



I cut and laid down the required thermal pads for the heatsink installation.....



But then took a pause. I hadn't really decided yet whether or not I was going to water cool the Aquaero. If I'm going to....it would make sense to go ahead and put the block on now...while it's disassembled. Quick executive decision.......yes. Yes, must water cool. But....the waterblock is copper. I love copper. But not in this build. What to do.......what to do.....



So....I grab my roll of FABULOUS tape, and protect the innards. Then a few thin coats of this......



...and a few thin coats of this.....



BOOM! Yes, I like that. Put a couple of my EK fittings on also.



BOOM! Sorry. Had so much fun typing that the first time, I thought I'd throw in another one. I like how the sealer I used created a matte texture to the block. Makes it really match the inside of the CaseLabs case.



BOOM! Really sorry. Couldn't resist one more. I'll stop now.



Here is the heatsink put back on the PCB's...



...and here is the entire thing reassembled with the face plate and display back on also. I'm pretty sure this is the only pink and black Aquaero 6 with a black waterblock. BOOM!



Now....before I go and show you how awesome this thing looks inside the build....I want to show you the card reader. First....you must be subjected to a reviewing of what the card reader looked like before it was sent out for the powder treatment. Sorry to do this to you. It was grey, unfinished, had shiny silver screws, and ugly rubber cables coming out the back. It was really throwing off my mojo. See...?



But now...my freshly powdered card reader case looks black and beautiful. I even went ahead and sleeved the USB cables while I had it disassembled.



Snap the cover back on the top....and I've got one sharp lil' card reader. My mojo is realigned and reinvigorated.



Even had the PCI pass through bracket powdered black also. No need for a shiny silver part back there....



Now. Here is how they look in the build. I'm really happy. It's a clean, sharp and sexy little corner of the build. An improvement of 1000% from it's pre-powdered days.



BOOM! Hehe....had to throw in one more. Also notice the black mounting brackets for the Aquaero. These used to be silver also.



More to come very soon.....since I've stayed busy on the build the last few days! BOOM!


----------



## Flamso

Very nice! This build is just a plethora of awesome little details. I want black brackets for my Aquaero.







Keep up the good work!


----------



## blupupher

So I was going to ask if you really needed a heat sink for the Aquaero, then you throw in that your water cooling it too! I guess it does need to be cooled off.


----------



## VSG

AQ6 doesn't need even the heatsink unless you want to go from ~30w/chanel to 35-36w.channel. He is watercooling it because, well, it is fun.


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Ohhhh my, that's gorgeous!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Flamso*
> 
> Very nice! This build is just a plethora of awesome little details. I want black brackets for my Aquaero.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Keep up the good work!


Thanks Flamso!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> So I was going to ask if you really needed a heat sink for the Aquaero, then you throw in that your water cooling it too! I guess it does need to be cooled off.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *geggeg*
> 
> AQ6 doesn't need even the heatsink unless you want to go from ~30w/chanel to 35-36w.channel. He is watercooling it because, well, it is fun.


I'm going to have my 2 D5's powered from the AQ6. In my BBBB build, I've got 2 D5's powered by an AQ5....and it get's pretty toasty when the pumps are undervolted. Which is pretty much all the time. I've got a water block on it, and the amps for the pumps still run between 58 and 68 degrees, when undervolted. They were up in the mid-70's before I did the waterblock. The AQ6 is supposed to be able to handle the wattage fine, but my guess is it would still generate quite a bit of heat. Will be curious to see if this one runs any cooler than my AQ5.


----------



## blupupher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> ...
> I'm going to have my 2 D5's powered from the AQ6. In my BBBB build, I've got 2 D5's powered by an AQ5....and it get's pretty toasty when the pumps are undervolted. Which is pretty much all the time. I've got a water block on it, and the amps for the pumps still run between 58 and 68 degrees, when undervolted. They were up in the mid-70's before I did the waterblock. The AQ6 is supposed to be able to handle the wattage fine, but my guess is it would still generate quite a bit of heat. Will be curious to see if this one runs any cooler than my AQ5.


I guess that makes sense, all that "extra" unused power will turn into heat, so it has to go somewhere.


----------



## sinnedone

So much BOOM, all I could think of is some old gangster movie. lol

That came out great, Nice work.


----------



## wthenshaw

Looks much better now that the card reader casing has been powder coated


----------



## akira749

Great update Chris!!

I love how everything turns out with the new powdercoated items!

Can we have a look at the front with all the components color matched?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> I guess that makes sense, all that "extra" unused power will turn into heat, so it has to go somewhere.


Yes, kind of like the heat still being generated from my eyes after being subjected to that pink monstrosity you posted earlier. They still burn! Hehe.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sinnedone*
> 
> So much BOOM, all I could think of is some old gangster movie. lol That came out great, Nice work.


Thanks sinnedone!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Looks much better now that the card reader casing has been powder coated


Thanks wthenshaw!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> Great update Chris!!
> 
> I love how everything turns out with the new powdercoated items!
> 
> Can we have a look at the front with all the components color matched?


But of course.....but I need to show the Lamptron resassembly first. Then the front! Hint.....it looks pretty fantastic......


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> But of course.....but I need to show the Lamptron resassembly first. Then the front! Hint.....it looks pretty fantastic......


loll I was about to ask about the Lamptron







you beat me to it









And I know it will look fantastic!


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


2/10 - caps on the back of the Lamptron aren't straight.

...

...

I'm kidding, that looks amazing. The powder coating of the card reader obviously made a huge difference, but so did the little things like the Aquero mounting and the black rather than silver screws.


----------



## JambonJovi

That tiny block looks like WALL-E's head


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> 2/10 - caps on the back of the Lamptron aren't straight.


Harsh!









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JambonJovi*
> 
> That tiny block looks like WALL-E's head


Eeeeee.....vah! Eeeeee.....vah!


----------



## cpachris

More stuff going back together. Tonight, I'm displaying the PSU, the Lamptron and the flow meter.

Now....the PSU isn't done, ....because I still need to cut some acrylic for the window. But...you can get a feel for how gorgeous this thing is going to be even now. I had the top case of the PSU done in a matching black for the interior of my CaseLabs S8, and the fan grill done in a matching pink for the exterior of my S8. Mmmmmmmmm...





Imagine the window in place with some logos etched into it and lit up from the inside. Mmmmmmmm.



I showed this Lamptron face plate picture off yesterday with the Aquaero assembly pics....



....and now here it is on the front of the Lamptron. BOOM!



I also had the face plate for one of my Aquaero flow meters done in pink also.



I'm pretty sure this is a one-of-a-kind flow meter.



I've been busy getting stuff done on the build, so there will be more BOOM tomorrow!


----------



## sinnedone

Hmmmm, maybe if I show my wife some finished pics of your wifes PC she'll let me spend more money on mine.......Hmmmmmmm

Lol Nice work man keep em coming.


----------



## mAs81

The PSU is going to look awesome when lit...
..BOOM away! ! !


----------



## JambonJovi

Nice touch Chris!


----------



## mandrix

Saaaaweeeet!


----------



## timerwin63

I'm in for this, and super excited about the finished product, but if it ends up like "Perfectly Pink," with the fans, cables, case, and liquid are different shades of pink, I can't promise my satisfaction.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sinnedone*
> 
> Hmmmm, maybe if I show my wife some finished pics of your wifes PC she'll let me spend more money on mine.......Hmmmmmmm Lol Nice work man keep em coming.


Doesn't hurt to try!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> The PSU is going to look awesome when lit...
> ..BOOM away! ! !


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JambonJovi*
> 
> Nice touch Chris!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Saaaaweeeet!


Boom! Thanks Gents!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *timerwin63*
> 
> I'm in for this, and super excited about the finished product, but if it ends up like "Perfectly Pink," with the fans, cables, case, and liquid are different shades of pink, I can't promise my satisfaction.


Fans, cables and case are all perfect matches. Perfect. But the coolant was not a great match the first time around. The only way to really "match" would be to use a pastel pink and blend it with some purple, I believe. But Jenn seems to think she doesn't want a pastel. I'll probably show her both in the system and let her choose.....


----------



## blupupher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Yes, kind of like the heat still being generated from my eyes after being subjected to that pink monstrosity you posted earlier. They still burn! Hehe.....
> ......


Your just jealous.









How do you plan on attaching the plexi-glass to the PSU?

Also, have you considered a black coolant since the pink is so hard to match? Guess you would just do black hoses if you did that though.


----------



## cpachris

You'll remember that I took apart the SSD's and sent in the shells to get the powder treatment. How much....is that kitty....in the window.....



Not done....because I'm going to put a piece of acrylic in here also, etch it, and light it up. At least that's one of the two options I'm playing with in my head. This shot really shows off the texture of the matte black that CaseLabs uses. The SSD's will match the case interior purr-fectly.....



Two are twice as much fun!



The tough thing here is finding a place to mount them.....that shows them off. With the window and lighting....these things are going to be beautiful. They are worthy of prime real estate inside the case....but I'm almost out. Would love some ideas on location and mounting methods so that these get shown off! What say ye?!!!


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Why not mount them right on a case window at the bottom so the wiring won't show?


----------



## RexTempus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Why not mount them right on a case window at the bottom so the wiring won't show?


That was my first thought too. If you can float them in the window next to the psu you could have all those sexy innards showing in one spot.


----------



## blupupher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *RexTempus*
> 
> That was my first thought too. If you can float them in the window next to the psu you could have all those sexy innards showing in one spot.


Thats where I was thinking. Seems to be an open spot in front of the PSU in that window, just not sure how to mount it.
But having the PSU and SSD's there with their windows would look cool I think.


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> The tough thing here is finding a place to mount them.....that shows them off. With the window and lighting....these things are going to be beautiful. They are worthy of prime real estate inside the case....but I'm almost out. Would love some ideas on location and mounting methods so that these get shown off! What say ye?!!!


Here's 2 options that could work with a bit of imagination...

1) You could get a Attachment Plate - Small .75" Offset and attach it on the top rail of the right side where the fan controllers are. This way, the attachment plate would point down and you could velcro or double-side tape the SSD's on it. This way they would be visible by the window. Of course the cabling would also be visible but since it's sleeved, there's no shame in showing it.

2) This option was one I had with my S8 in the beginning but I did go with another way. It would be to used the "wasted" portion of the case over the PCI slots. There's the honeycomb vented holes and the 2 pass-through holes in there but that it and actually if you check with one of your SSD, the height between the vented holes and the top of the case are a perfect match for the drive.

With both option you have the issue of being quite far from the motherboard for a standard lenght SATA cable but there's some options for you like for example THIS cable.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Why not mount them right on a case window at the bottom so the wiring won't show?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *RexTempus*
> 
> That was my first thought too. If you can float them in the window next to the psu you could have all those sexy innards showing in one spot.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> Thats where I was thinking. Seems to be an open spot in front of the PSU in that window, just not sure how to mount it.
> But having the PSU and SSD's there with their windows would look cool I think.


Definitely a possibility. I hate to cover up the cables going into the PSU....cuz' I worked so hard on dem....but there simply isn't that much window real estate left. I'll mock this up and take a pic.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> Here's 2 options that could work with a bit of imagination...
> 
> 1) You could get a Attachment Plate - Small .75" Offset and attach it on the top rail of the right side where the fan controllers are. This way, the attachment plate would point down and you could velcro or double-side tape the SSD's on it. This way they would be visible by the window. Of course the cabling would also be visible but since it's sleeved, there's no shame in showing it.
> 
> 2) This option was one I had with my S8 in the beginning but I did go with another way. It would be to used the "wasted" portion of the case over the PCI slots. There's the honeycomb vented holes and the 2 pass-through holes in there but that it and actually if you check with one of your SSD, the height between the vented holes and the top of the case are a perfect match for the drive.
> 
> With both option you have the issue of being quite far from the motherboard for a standard lenght SATA cable but there's some options for you like for example THIS cable.


1) Same issue as above....I hate to cover up anything I've worked so hard on.....but in the end will probably have to. This could work. I'll mock this one up also......

2) That could work too. I had tentatively pegged that space for my Bitspower LED hub....but it's a little smaller and could go more places.......

Did I mention that I figured out where to put the 2nd Aquaero? All it took was a drill. Pictures tomorrow......


----------



## cpachris

I'll definitely show off some mock-up pictures of the SSD's in some different locations. But on to more cabling pictures for today.....

Working on cabling for the fans on this radiator. Way too nice of a morning to stay inside....so......



Similar to the approach I took on the last radiator....I created a branching wire that lets me plug all 5 of these fans into one Aquaero channel....





Female connector on one end.....



...and male connectors on the other 5 ends.



Plug the male connectors into each of these fans, and then run the female end to the Aquaero. Minimal wiring.



Viola! More soon!


----------



## PCModderMike

Mmm all dat pink, pink is good.


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I'll definitely show off some mock-up pictures of the SSD's in some different locations. But on to more cabling pictures for today.....
> 
> Working on cabling for the fans on this radiator. Way too nice of a morning to stay inside....so......
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Similar to the approach I took on the last radiator....I created a branching wire that lets me plug all 5 of these fans into one Aquaero channel....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Female connector on one end.....
> 
> 
> 
> ...and male connectors on the other 5 ends.
> 
> 
> 
> Plug the male connectors into each of these fans, and then run the female end to the Aquaero. Minimal wiring.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Viola! More soon!


Sleeving in a formal shirt. Like a boss.


----------



## JambonJovi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Sleeving in a formal shirt. Like a boss.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> Mmm all dat pink, pink is good.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Ahhhhh......I've missed the gifs.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Sleeving in a formal shirt. Like a boss.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JambonJovi*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Sir Boss. Boom!


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

The shirt makes you an honorary member of the Professionalism Initiative™


----------



## mAs81

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*


Very nice job , minimal wiring ftw









Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!





Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Ahhhhh......I've missed the gifs.


We aim to please


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> The shirt makes you an honorary member of the Professionalism Initiative™


Are there dues?


----------



## sakae48

subbed!

i wonder how good if the PSU painted to white?..

makes me want 1 too


----------



## cpachris

Yesterday I finished up more of the Aquaero cabling.

First up....I present to you....the world's longest Aquabus cable! Measuring in at almost 4 feet....sleeved in beautiful black Lutro0 Telios! I contacted Guiness but apparently they don't keep official records on longest Aquabus cables. But since they didn't threaten to sue me....I'm going to claim the title. World Record baby! Until you provide proof of your own Aquabus cable that is longer.....



Naturally it has black female connectors on both ends, with some heatshrink. It will connect my AQ6 in the flex bays with the AQ5 in the rear of the build. To keep the wire somewhat hidden, it has to take a long path from the front to the back. I"m going to run master/slave mode this time instead of two independent Aquaeros. I'll show some pictures of both Aquaero's, and how they are connected, coming up soon. By the way, that's Tebow in the top picture and Taylor in this one. They're siblings. I love these dogs.



Next, I need to run some power cabling to the second Aquaero. So I measured out my desired cable run, and cut four lengths of wire, and put a female molex pin on one end, and a female ATX pin on the other. Cut some more of the Lutro0 Telios sleeving......



...and then melted the sleeve onto the pin on the ATX end....



....melted the sleeve onto the pin on the molex end....



....slid the pins into the connectors, and....BOOM! Sorry.







I'm still on my BOOM kick, and it's tough to stop once you start. Anyway, I can now check off power cabling for the Aquaero's, since I've done both of them.



But I also need a USB cable for the AQ6. Now, of course they come with USB cables, and AC actually sleeves these for you. But....as you can see in the picture below, their idea of sleeving a cable isn't the same as mine. It's an improvement over bear wire....but come on Aquacomputer! If you're going to do it....do it right! The picture below is the USB cable that came with the units....



I replaced the sleeving with some more Telios, and then used some heatshrink to cover the ends. Much better.



OK. That's all the basic Aquaero cabling. There will be some temp sensors that need sleeving eventually, but I won't know for sure where those are going until after the plumbing is done. The only cabling I have left is one more bank of radiator fans, and a couple of solo fans on the back side. Plus the pumps still need some work on the cables. But that's not much....and then I'm ready to start blocking everything and bending some hard tubing. Can't wait!


----------



## GamerFamalam




----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GamerFamalam*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


The Science Guy!!!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sakae48*
> 
> subbed!
> 
> i wonder how good if the PSU painted to white?..
> 
> makes me want 1 too


White? For this build? or are you building a white themed build yourself right now?


----------



## sakae48

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> White? For this build? or are you building a white themed build yourself right now?


yes..white psu combined w/ pink case might be good


----------



## timerwin63

seconding the white PSU


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sakae48*
> 
> yes..white psu combined w/ pink case might be good


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *timerwin63*
> 
> seconding the white PSU


Maybe but not in this build. All the work Chris is doing to make the components either black or pink is tremendous and having white in this would frankly be wierd.


----------



## RexTempus

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> Maybe but not in this build. All the work Chris is doing to make the components either black or pink is tremendous and having white in this would frankly be wierd.


My thoughts as well.


----------



## GamerFamalam

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> The Science Guy!!!


----------



## GamerFamalam




----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sakae48*
> 
> yes..white psu combined w/ pink case might be good


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *timerwin63*
> 
> seconding the white PSU


Punch.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> Maybe but not in this build. All the work Chris is doing to make the components either black or pink is tremendous and having white in this would frankly be wierd.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *RexTempus*
> 
> My thoughts as well.


Counter punch.....

What we really need here is Bill Nye in here to settle this.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GamerFamalam*


It's settled! Bill Nye thinks Black and Pink is "swaggity-swag".


----------



## GamerFamalam

I have many Nye gifs


----------



## GamerFamalam

I think keep black with the psu, and I request you hide a small stencil on bill nye's face somewhere in the build, like behind a hdd or ssd . It would be cool


----------



## timerwin63

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GamerFamalam*
> 
> I think keep black with the psu, and I request you hide a small stencil on bill nye's face somewhere in the build, like behind a hdd or ssd . It would be cool


This. The last request in particular.


----------



## GamerFamalam

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *timerwin63*
> 
> This. The last request in particular.


But just imagine, looking through your finished masterpiece and peeking out at you for the corner...

One eyebrow raised, like he knows something you don't...


----------



## GamerFamalam

I plan to duel PcModderMike in a gif.off


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GamerFamalam*
> 
> I plan to duel PcModderMike in a gif.off


You gonna lose son.

@PCModderMike Make it happen. (Just not in this thread. I think a new one (The GIF-OFF thread) would be appropriate.


----------



## GamerFamalam

@PCModderMike come at me m8. I got mad bill nye gif game y'all you gonna get shrecked


----------



## Holynacho

Bill Nye gifs, who uses those...............

On topic, white PSU would be to much contrast IMO, black and pink all the way.


----------



## GamerFamalam

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Holynacho*
> 
> Bill Nye gifs, who uses those...............
> 
> On topic, white PSU would be to much contrast IMO, black and pink all the way.


Me, I use bill nye gifs,


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> It's an improvement over *bear wire.*...but come on Aquacomputer!


Bear wire or wire bear?


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
























I'd take beer wire personally:


Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


----------



## PCModderMike

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *GamerFamalam*
> 
> I plan to duel PcModderMike in a gif.off
> 
> 
> 
> You gonna lose son.
> 
> @PCModderMike
> Make it happen. (Just not in this thread. I think a new one (The GIF-OFF thread) would be appropriate.
Click to expand...

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GamerFamalam*
> 
> @PCModderMike come at me m8. I got mad bill nye gif game y'all you gonna get shrecked




Can't be hijacking my main man cpachris's build log son!



Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!







But I'll be happy to meet you elsewhere in an off topic thread.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GamerFamalam*
> 
> @PCModderMike come at me m8. I got mad bill nye gif game y'all you gonna get shrecked


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Holynacho*
> 
> Bill Nye gifs, who uses those...............


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GamerFamalam*
> 
> Me, I use bill nye gifs


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> Can't be hijacking my main man cpachris's build log son! But I'll be happy to meet you elsewhere in an off topic thread.


I'd sub immediately.







But my money is on Mike. He's mastered the subtle art of delivering gifs in context with a touch of sarcasm and a dash of elitism. It's not a skill you can just pick up. It must be honed over many years and many forums. Many try. Few deliver.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Bear wire or wire bear?
> 
> I'd take beer wire personally:


Grammar Nazi! Lol.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Holynacho*
> 
> On topic, white PSU would be to much contrast IMO, black and pink all the way.


Thanks for trying to steer it.....

....and agreed.


----------



## GamerFamalam

Agreed, sorry for going off topic, great build btw, no more nye gifs on this post







No more hijacking from me!


----------



## JambonJovi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PCModderMike*
> 
> Can't be hijacking my main man cpachris's build log son!


Respecting a fellow forum member's thread. Like a brah!


----------



## mandrix

Chris, sorry but I have an Aquabus cable that long...it's called a fan cable.








But since I call mine a fan cable, in the interest of cooperation I'll concede the record to you!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Chris, sorry but I have an Aquabus cable that long...it's called a fan cable.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But since I call mine a fan cable, in the interest of cooperation I'll concede the record to you!


OK. I've checked with the folks at Guiness, and have the following verification questions for you before World Record status can be transferred:

1) Is the cable in question wired with two female connectors, instead of a male on one end and a female on the other? Most, although not all, fan cable extensions would have male/female.

2) Is the cable in question actually being used as an Aquabus cable instead of a fan extension?

3) Is the cable in question longer than 45 inches?

If you answer yes to all 3 questions above, you are now the 'un'official Guiness World Record holder!


----------



## GingerJohn

Guys, please, just drop your pants and measure your cables against each other to see who has the longest.


----------



## mandrix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> OK. I've checked with the folks at Guiness, and have the following verification questions for you before World Record status can be transferred:
> 
> 1) Is the cable in question wired with two female connectors, instead of a male on one end and a female on the other? Most, although not all, fan cable extensions would have male/female.
> 
> 2) Is the cable in question actually being used as an Aquabus cable instead of a fan extension?
> 
> 3) Is the cable in question longer than 45 inches?
> 
> If you answer yes to all 3 questions above, you are now the 'un'official Guiness World Record holder!


1) Yes. All my fan cable extensions from the pedestals to the Aquaero's are female/female.
2) No
3) If not then real close


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Yesterday I finished up more of the Aquaero cabling.
> 
> First up....I present to you....the world's longest Aquabus cable! Measuring in at almost 4 feet....sleeved in beautiful black Lutro0 Telios! I contacted Guiness but apparently they don't keep official records on longest Aquabus cables. But since they didn't threaten to sue me....I'm going to claim the title. World Record baby! Until you provide proof of your own Aquabus cable that is longer.....
> 
> ...


So would this 2 1/4" SATA data cable, including connecters (made with the cable shortening technique you shared in your BBBB thread), qualify as the world's shortest (sorry, no dog)?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Guys, please, just drop your pants and measure your cables against each other to see who has the longest.


Length isn't everything. I'm using thick 16 AWG wire.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> 1) Yes. All my fan cable extensions from the pedestals to the Aquaero's are female/female.
> 2) No
> 3) If not then real close


Request for World Record status denied. I retain the title for now.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> So would this 2 1/4" SATA data cable, including connecters (made with the cable shortening technique you shared in your BBBB thread), qualify as the world's shortest (sorry, no dog)?


Yes. Until proven otherwise, I convey upon you the World Record for the shortest SATA data cable.







Glad the technique worked for you!


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Length isn't everything. I'm using thick 16 AWG wire.


It's what you run with it that counts...? And to be fair, Aquabus > fans. Sorry mandrix.


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> So would this 2 1/4" SATA data cable, including connecters (made with the cable shortening technique you shared in your BBBB thread), qualify as the world's shortest (sorry, no dog)?


SATA DOMs are effectively zero inches. I'm going to say no.


----------



## blupupher

A SATA DOM is not a cable.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> So would this 2 1/4" SATA data cable, including connecters (made with the cable shortening technique you shared in your BBBB thread), qualify as the world's shortest (sorry, no dog)?
> 
> 
> 
> SATA DOMs are effectively zero inches. I'm going to say no.
Click to expand...

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> A SATA DOM is not a cable.


Nope. A DOM's not even close to being a cable.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> ...
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> So would this 2 1/4" SATA data cable, including connecters (made with the cable shortening technique you shared in your BBBB thread), qualify as the world's shortest (sorry, no dog)?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yes. Until proven otherwise, I convey upon you the World Record for the shortest SATA data cable.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Glad the technique worked for you!
Click to expand...

So am I! Thanks again for sharing. I haven't experimented with it yet (still mulling over details) but it appears I just might be able to use the connectors from the AKASA cables to make a couple of custom length mini-SAS to SATA forward breakout cable sets. Now THAT will be a challenge!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Aquabus > fans


QFT.


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Bear wire or wire bear?
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'd take beer wire personally:
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Was wondering when someone was going to comment on that. I would have, but didn't have any appropriate gifs, so I failed the internet... Or something.


----------



## cpachris

Radiator cabling work last night. This finishes up all the fans!

I start with doing a rough layout of how the wires should connect. Then I strip insulation at each "join" point, and open up the middle of the wire and wrap the joining wire around it.....



Then each join gets some solder. I'm notoriously bad with the solder iron....but have improved somewhat from my last build....





Then each solder join needs protection so it won't be touching the other wires underneath the sleeve. I use this tiny little heatshrink from Bitspower that barely goes over the cable. Very tight fit. I forget exactly what size this was....



But here it is compared with some normal heatshrink. You can see it's much smaller.



Here's what it looks like once it's shrunk on the wire....



Couldn't resist a shot of a perfectly crimped Lutro0 male fan pin on the Lutro0 wire with the Lutro0 crimper. His tools really work well together.



Skipped a few picture opportunities along the way....but here is the finished radiator cabling. This is the front flex bay area 240. Minimal wiring. Nice and clean.









Ready to move on to the pumps!


----------



## mAs81

Very clean wiring there, kudos


----------



## sinnedone

Very nice, keep er going.


----------



## blupupher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> ...
> 
> Couldn't resist a shot of a perfectly crimped Lutro0 male fan pin on the Lutro0 wire with the Lutro0 crimper. His tools really work well together.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Looks like you have a glove on your thumb


----------



## cpachris

Time to finish up showing the Aquaero's in the build. I already showed the back of the Aquaero 6 in the build, and the black waterblock, and all the wiring work I've done, but I haven't shown the 2nd Aquaero 5 LT that I'm running....



I'm going to use these in master/slave mode, instead of running them independently like I did in the BBBB. Mounting this second one became more of a challenge, since I'm completely out of flex bay slots already. It was going to require a little creativity. So....I got my drill....



....and some more of my FAB-U-LOUS tape, and stuck this controller right above the PSU on the back panel of the case. It tucks away pretty nicely there....



BOOM!





This is what the front of the case looks like, without the panel, but with all of the faceplates (Lamptron, Aquaero and card reader) powder coated in the same pink as the rest of the case. BOOM!





....and with the panel on. BOOM!



In this shot of the back of the case, you can see the 4 screws above the PSU that are holding the Aquaero to the back panel. Some standoffs on the other side of the back panel create plenty of space between the AQ and the panel.



I'm not usually a fan of pass through cables....but I actually really like the way these came out. The cables are clean and sleeved, and the pass through bracket itself blends right in with the powder coat treatment that CaseLabs gave it for me. This build will not be in a spot where it will be handy to access the back panel, so it was important to me to bring as many USB ports to the front as I could....



Just got another nice size package from ASUS also! Can't wait to get it out and play with it. More soon!


----------



## akira749

Very nice idea for the AQ5 LT!!!









I was hoping to have that front picture with all the components and man that's so hot!!! This is crazy!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Just got another nice size package from ASUS also! Can't wait to get it out and play with it. More soon!


Can't wait to see what goodies they have for you this time!! They are really kind with you my friend!!


----------



## Xclsyr

Nice! I thought that was where you were going to put the 2nd Aquero.









Do you have the stealth tray mounted in there? Can't tell from your pics. Just got a deal on an S5, but the stealth tray doesn't come standard. I haven't seen a good pic of one mounted to get an idea of how much space they use...


----------



## GingerJohn

Looking great!
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> This is what the front of the case looks like, without the panel, but with all of the faceplates (Lamptron, Aquaero and card reader) powder coated in the same pink as the rest of the case. BOOM!
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


When I saw that picture I was like







did you crack the screen of the Aquero? Took me a few seconds to realize it was just a reflection.


----------



## Jameswalt1

Looking amazing Chris


----------



## mAs81

Looks very good Chris , the wife must be getting anxious


----------



## sinnedone

Coming along very nicely.









You might want to get rid of that 5LT though, too much fan control. (send it my way though







)


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> Very nice idea for the AQ5 LT!!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was hoping to have that front picture with all the components and man that's so hot!!! This is crazy!
> Can't wait to see what goodies they have for you this time!! They are really kind with you my friend!!


Thanks akira! No surprises....it was the monitor they promised. Apparently they had some inventory shortages of the new 4k model for awhile, and I was delayed. Can't wait to hook it up this week.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Xclsyr*
> 
> Nice! I thought that was where you were going to put the 2nd Aquero.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Do you have the stealth tray mounted in there? Can't tell from your pics. Just got a deal on an S5, but the stealth tray doesn't come standard. I haven't seen a good pic of one mounted to get an idea of how much space they use...


Stealth tray mounted...but nothing attached. I'll try and remember to take some pictures of it next time I'm set up.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Looking great!
> When I saw that picture I was like
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> did you crack the screen of the Aquero? Took me a few seconds to realize it was just a reflection.


I noticed that in the picture also. It's actually the frame of the light diffuser I use. This thing....



Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jameswalt1*
> 
> Looking amazing Chris


Thanks James! Awesome video, by the way.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Looks very good Chris , the wife must be getting anxious


She is. She was typing on her little iPad keyboard last week and got angry with me that it wasn't finished.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sinnedone*
> 
> Coming along very nicely.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You might want to get rid of that 5LT though, too much fan control. (send it my way though
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> )


Lol....you got it. As soon as I decide to get rid of it....it's coming your way.


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Thanks akira! No surprises....it was the monitor they promised. Apparently they had some inventory shortages of the new 4k model for awhile, and I was delayed. Can't wait to hook it up this week.


Oh yes I remember you told us about the monitor! I had forgot about that!

I'm pretty sure it will be awesome


----------



## equinoxe3d

I thought Asus sent you 980s to replace the 780Tis, as the latter clearly won't cut it for Pinterest anymore


----------



## blupupher

so no cooling block on the Aquaero 5LT?


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *equinoxe3d*
> 
> I thought Asus sent you 980s to replace the 780Tis, as the latter clearly won't cut it for Pinterest anymore


Yeah....good point. I need to remind them how fast my baby can Facebook....and then surely I"ll get the 980's.









I can tell you that the 2x 780Ti's power the 4k monitor nicely in Batman Arkaham City. I haven't done any FPS measurements yet....just played it a little tonight. wow. That's all I'll say for now. wow. You can't "unsee" what games look like in 4k. It may have ruined my console gaming which I've always been more than satisfied with. The detail in that game at 4k is simply stunning. wow. More on that later....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> so no cooling block on the Aquaero 5LT?


Not planning to right now. It won't power any of the pumps. Just fans. So it won't get too hot, and I think the tube routing in its location above the PSU would complicate the loop forming in my head.....


----------



## jameyscott

You mean to tell me you have BBBB and you have been gaming on console? I'm sorely disappointed.


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *equinoxe3d*
> 
> I thought Asus sent you 980s to replace the 780Tis, as the latter clearly won't cut it for Pinterest anymore


Can't forget a Titan Black for PhysX. Facebook needs all the compute power it can get.


----------



## mandrix

Chris, I'm running an AQ5 LT on my Switch 810 rig, and with the heat sink attached with an 80mm fan blowing at the LT from the "rear". This Aquaero is running about 11 fans undervolted, and with the heat sink the Aquaero's amplifiers run around 50*C. Since these fans aren't as efficient as the AP15's on my main rig they draw quite a bit more juice.
Hopefully your temps will be OK, but I think without the heat sink & fan mine would probably be up in the 80*C or > range.
Like you, I didn't want to water cool this particular Aquaero so I settled for the heat sink instead. Might be prudent to monitor the LT's amp temps at first, I guess I'm saying.









PPPP Looking good!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> You mean to tell me you have BBBB and you have been gaming on console? I'm sorely disappointed.


I know. I konw. I've just always enjoyed the armchair large TV version of gaming. Yeah, the detail in the graphics isn't going to be as sharp...and you might not get as many FPS.....but man I'm comfortable with an Xbone controller in my hand and my reclining chair kicked back with my feet out.....staring at a 70 inch TV on the wall, and 9.2 surround speakers all around me. There are benefits to both setups I guess....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> Can't forget a Titan Black for PhysX. Facebook needs all the compute power it can get.


I'm thinking about SLI'ing a pair of 980's for the PhysX.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Chris, I'm running an AQ5 LT on my Switch 810 rig, and with the heat sink attached with an 80mm fan blowing at the LT from the "rear". This Aquaero is running about 11 fans undervolted, and with the heat sink the Aquaero's amplifiers run around 50*C. Since these fans aren't as efficient as the AP15's on my main rig they draw quite a bit more juice.
> Hopefully your temps will be OK, but I think without the heat sink & fan mine would probably be up in the 80*C or > range.
> Like you, I didn't want to water cool this particular Aquaero so I settled for the heat sink instead. Might be prudent to monitor the LT's amp temps at first, I guess I'm saying.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> PPPP Looking good!


Will definitely keep an eye on the temps, and report back. There will only be 5 fans on one channel, 1 fan on another, and 1 fan on another. Not a ton of air flow down there though....


----------



## VSG

Chris- Steam in house game streaming. That's all. I am a lazy ass armchair gamer also these days lol.


----------



## cpachris

Last night I parked myself in front of the TV with Game of Thrones playing, lots of sandpaper close by, all my waterblocks and pump tops, and some water and towels. Just a normal Sunday night, right?

The kind folks at EK have equipped me well. But I'm itching to polish up these blocks before I put them on. So I gathered them all together....



Started with some 320 grit. Wet sanding....



The pump tops are such large and thick pieces of acrylic, that I really wanted to start with them first. Out of the box they were pretty clear and smooth on top.....but were still kind of frosted on the sides, and had lots of machining marks on the underside. I used a heat gun to warm up the glue under the EK badge, and lifted that off.

After the first pass with 320, they looked frosted all over...



Next....600....



Frosted......but smoother.



Then 1200.....



Even smoother....



Then 2000....



Even smoother....



Then comes the plastic polish....



BOOM! After you get to this step....the blocks just gleam. Like a solid chunk of highly polished glass. These pictures don't' even really do them justice, since I have such poor lighting down here. I'll get them up in the studio with some pink coolant next.....but I'm pumped with how they came out.









These are going to look amazing stacked on top of each other in the 3d printed pump stand. More soon!


----------



## mAs81

They really look great and when filled with the pink coolant they'll look even better!!

Makes you think though,
almost in every build I observe here on OCN and the rest of the net, everybody polishes their blocks..

Why doesn't EK make them that way already..?
Would it be so unprofitable in the manufacturing process ??


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> They really look great and when filled with the pink coolant they'll look even better!!
> 
> Makes you think though,
> almost in every build I observe here on OCN and the rest of the net, everybody polishes their blocks..
> 
> Why doesn't EK make them that way already..?
> Would it be so unprofitable in the manufacturing process ??


If they were factory polished to that standard, Chris wouldn't be able to watch GoT!


----------



## sinnedone

Looking good there.









How them arms feeling today after all the polishing lol, and what is this magic 3d printed stand of which you speak of? Any pictures?


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sinnedone*
> 
> Looking good there.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> How them arms feeling today after all the polishing lol, and what is this magic 3d printed stand of which you speak of? Any pictures?


Plenty.


----------



## sinnedone

I must have skipped that page because that's not the 3d printed stand I saw.


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sinnedone*
> 
> I must have skipped that page because that's not the 3d printed stand I saw.


There has been a few prototypes that were printed


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> They really look great and when filled with the pink coolant they'll look even better!!
> 
> Makes you think though,
> almost in every build I observe here on OCN and the rest of the net, everybody polishes their blocks.. Why doesn't EK make them that way already..Would it be so unprofitable in the manufacturing process ??


Thanks! The blocks look great frosted also....so I guess everyone has the option to customize it to look just like they want.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> If they were factory polished to that standard, Chris wouldn't be able to watch GoT!


Agreed! Those Slovenia guys care about me and my TV experience.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sinnedone*
> 
> Looking good there.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> How them arms feeling today after all the polishing lol, and what is this magic 3d printed stand of which you speak of? Any pictures?


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> Plenty.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sinnedone*
> 
> I must have skipped that page because that's not the 3d printed stand I saw.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> There has been a few prototypes that were printed


Yes, several virtual versions and two physical versions of the 3d printed stand now. I actually have figured out a few changes that need to be made to center the reservoir exactly where I want it. So v3 will be going to the printer soon. I'll show virtual model changes later when I get home. Not significant....but necessary.


----------



## Shoultz101

Officially Subbed. Been lurking about this project without an account since you started it and its looking great.

BTW...that guy in the background has an shady look about him....


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Shoultz101*
> 
> Officially Subbed. Been lurking about this project without an account since you started it and its looking great.
> 
> BTW...that guy in the background has an shady look about him....


Glad to have you along. Getting towards the end now, but there is still some fun tube bending coming up.....

Lol...that's our "Bob". The kids and I all took Tae Kwon Do for 3 years, and we used Bob to train at home between classes. All of us got our 1st Degree Black Belts, and then decided to take a break.


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Punching people: a great family-time activity!


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> *The kids* and I all took Taw Kwon Do for 3 years.... All of us got our 1st Degree Black Belts....


I wouldn't mess with your kids...


Spoiler: The eyes! Those crazy, evil eyes!















Chris - I'll take the picture out if you want. It is currently in your Avatars album, so you can take it down from there too.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> I wouldn't mess with your kids...
> 
> 
> Spoiler: The eyes! Those crazy, evil eyes!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Chris - I'll take the picture out if you want. It is currently in your Avatars album, so you can take it down from there too.


Hehe....I miss that age. Here is one of Shelby from last year. She's 12 now.


----------



## Shoultz101

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Hehe....I miss that age. Here is one of Shelby from last year. She's 12 now.


That 12 year old looks like she could take you.







My son is 11, is an avid gamer and a fan of FPS's. He refers to his XBox as his Murderbox.


----------



## falcon2099

Ohmegerd those are nice... Sort of what I have planned for my next upgrade.

Darn it.... this was supposed to quote CPAChris' unveiling of the Rampage and the 780 Ti's... I hate my work PC. Things dont link/quote properly in forums.


----------



## mAs81

You have a wonderful family Chris,you should be very proud..


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Shoultz101*
> 
> That 12 year old looks like she could take you.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My son is 11, is an avid gamer and a fan of FPS's. He refers to his XBox as his Murderbox.


She probably could.







My 10yo boy loves the shooters also. We are in the middle of making a set of the "perks" right now from COD zombies. I'm using some Mayhems to help him get the colors in the bottles right.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *falcon2099*
> 
> Ohmegerd those are nice... Sort of what I have planned for my next upgrade.
> 
> Darn it.... this was supposed to quote CPAChris' unveiling of the Rampage and the 780 Ti's... I hate my work PC. Things dont link/quote properly in forums.


The RIVE BE and 780Ti's are wonderful. Still shocked at how quiet the ASUS DirectCU II's stay under full load. Amazing cards. But I'm still going to put blocks on them.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> You have a wonderful family Chris,you should be very proud..


I agree. I'm biased.....but I agree.


----------



## cpachris

Couple of quick pics on polishing progress before I head to the Pearl Jam concert tonight. Looking forward to it. With Eddie Vedder, ....you're never quite sure exactly what he's saying....but you know it must be important.









Worked on the GPU's and CPU yesterday. And yes....that means more GoT. Not enough of the dragon girl in the last episode. She's my favorite. Anyway....here is what the block looked like to start...



Disassembled it....



This is a before polish picture. The face of the block was already very smooth. But you see all those machining marks in the water channel? Those have to go....



....and.....they're gone.











The CPU block came out like glass. Crystal clear. The Supremacy EVO is an amazing looking block. The design of it is really nice also. I polished up the plastic innards also.





These are going to look AMAZING with the pink coolants. Soon. Very soon.

Now....I'm off to hear Eddie mumble.....


----------



## falcon2099

I didn't say it earlier, but SUB'd of course!







And finally caught up!

With both the BBBB build and this PPPP build, the attention to every tiny detail astounds me. I must add though, that every time I notice you've pulled out the dremel my heart skips a beat wondering what you're planning on doing.







SSD's, PSU??? Of course they need windows!!


----------



## mAs81

Man,with the coolant they'll be so awesome lookin


----------



## wthenshaw

I think the window needs a window....


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *falcon2099*
> 
> With both the BBBB build and this PPPP build, the attention to every tiny detail astounds me. I must add though, that every time I notice you've pulled out the dremel my heart skips a beat wondering what you're planning on doing.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> SSD's, PSU??? Of course they need windows!!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> I think the window needs a window....


Hmmmmm.....more windows.........

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Man,with the coolant they'll be so awesome lookin


I hope so!


----------



## WhiteWulfe

This feels odd... A week without any kind of post on here?


----------



## JambonJovi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> This feels odd... A week without any kind of post on here?


Slacker. tut tut tut


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JambonJovi*
> 
> Slacker. tut tut tut


I was referring to @cpachris with my comment. Log was so busy, then all of a sudden... Nothing for a week.


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

The only logical conclusion? He kicked the bucket.


----------



## Kinaesthetic

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> The only logical conclusion? He kicked the bucket.


*Tornado. Fixed for you Cyn ! (I can make said joke after having lived in OK).


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kinaesthetic*
> 
> *Tornado. Fixed for you Cyn
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ! (I can make said joke after having lived in OK).


Didn't realize women who wanted their Facebook-o-Doom rigs could cause tornadoes.


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kinaesthetic*
> 
> *Tornado. Fixed for you Cyn
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ! (I can make said joke after having lived in OK).


Possible, although maybe he just cranked all the fans on the BBBB and caused it himself...


----------



## JambonJovi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> I was referring to @cpachris with my comment. Log was so busy, then all of a sudden... Nothing for a week.


I know what you meant... I agree


----------



## cpachris

I hate to squash the juicy rumors of my demise........but I'm alive.









Sorry for lack of updates the last week. I've been under the weather....busy at work....and it's fall break so my kids are home from school. And the dog ate my homework.

But I have made a little progress that I'll try and post pictures of soon. I got the clear terminals from EK for the GPU blocks. Polished them up right fine and dandy. I've also just about finished the final 3d model for the print stand. I'll get it sent off to the printer and post some pictures shortly. I've also been playing lots of Batman Arkham City in 4k on the new ASUS monitor! I'll take some pictures of the monitor to show you what it looks like....but there is no way I can post pictures that display the gloriousness of what this game looks like in 4k. It's amazing. I'm getting 60fps in 4k, and I can't even describe what that looks like. It's smooth....it's detailed....it's beautiful. I can't wait till there is more 4k content on Cable/Netflix. It really is an amazing step up.


----------



## sinnedone

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I hate to squash the juicy rumors of my demise........but I'm alive.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry for lack of updates the last week. I've been under the weather....busy at work....and it's fall break so my kids are home from school. And the dog ate my homework.
> 
> But I have made a little progress that I'll try and post pictures of soon. I got the clear terminals from EK for the GPU blocks. Polished them up right fine and dandy. I've also just about finished the final 3d model for the print stand. I'll get it sent off to the printer and post some pictures shortly. I've also been playing lots of Batman Arkham City in 4k on the new ASUS monitor! I'll take some pictures of the monitor to show you what it looks like....but there is no way I can post pictures that display the gloriousness of what this game looks like in 4k. It's amazing. I'm getting 60fps in 4k, and I can't even describe what that looks like. It's smooth....it's detailed....it's beautiful. I can't wait till there is more 4k content on Cable/Netflix. It really is an amazing step up.


Life gets ahold of you sometimes and just cuts out all the fun, lol

What pc are you using and what video settings are you using in batman? Im interested in how much graphical power you need to keep your frame lows in the 60's.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sinnedone*
> 
> What pc are you using and what video settings are you using in batman? Im interested in how much graphical power you need to keep your frame lows in the 60's.


I'm using the PPPP! Everything is up and running on air. I wanted to see if these cards could power it. I'm using the nvidia optimized settings which leaves most settings on high. I have to keep vsync on or the screen tearing gets pretty bad....and with vsync on I'm limited to the 60 Hz refresh rate of the screen.....but it stays right at 60 fps for most of the game. It I turn vsync off, it gets up to 65 FPS in some parts, but the tearing gets pretty bad.

60 fps in 4k is stunning. My 15yo who usually games on his laptop.....was speechless. It's been cool to watch him brings friends over....just to show them this monitor. I need to play some more games on it for a better test....but I can gladly confirm that these 2x ASUS Direct CUII 780Ti's in SLI are more than enough muscle to power Arkham City at 4k.


----------



## seross69

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I'm using the PPPP! Everything is up and running on air. I wanted to see if these cards could power it. I'm using the nvidia optimized settings which leaves most settings on high. I have to keep vsync on or the screen tearing gets pretty bad....and with vsync on I'm limited to the 60 Hz refresh rate of the screen.....but it stays right at 60 fps for most of the game. It I turn vsync off, it gets up to 65 FPS in some parts, but the tearing gets pretty bad.
> 
> 60 fps in 4k is stunning. My 15yo who usually games on his laptop.....was speechless. It's been cool to watch him brings friends over....just to show them this monitor. I need to play some more games on it for a better test....but I can gladly confirm that these 2x ASUS Direct CUII 780Ti's in SLI are more than enough muscle to power Arkham City at 4k.


Sorry but sooner who?????


----------



## mAs81

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I'm using the PPPP! Everything is up and running on air.


Yes,yes,but how is Facebook running?!?


----------



## JambonJovi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Yes,yes,but how is Facebook running?!?


Sure it can run Crysis... but can it PINTEREST ?!


----------



## jameyscott

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JambonJovi*
> 
> Sure it can run Crysis... but can it PINTEREST ?!


We need pinterest benchmarks now.


----------



## blupupher

Pintrest on 4K...


----------



## sinnedone

lol, taken a turn for the worst.

How about candy crush at 4k.... what fps you getting?


----------



## wthenshaw

I'll be more impressed with DayZ running 60fps at 4K


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *wthenshaw*
> 
> I'll be more impressed with DayZ running 60fps at 4K


DayZ is still beta, right? Do you have it and is it worth it to pick up at this point?


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

DayZ is in alpha. I wouldn't get it, not yet. It's a love-it-or-hate-it kind of game.

Also, I'm glad to know that you aren't six feet under. Congratulations on surviving the week!


----------



## cpachris

Got the board blocked up. BOOM!



She's a pretty lil' lthing. Pretty and powerful. And Pink. And it processes. Yeah.



I wanted to keep the I/O cover....cuz it looks boss. So I dremelled off the pipe that led to it from the VRM Heatsink.



Man....EK blocks really dress up a board.....



Love this shot.....



The EK Supremacy EVO. This block is what had the black van outside my house for days while it was still under NDA.











Mmmmmm....the southbridge block for the RIVE BE is sexy.....





Sponsor shot! ASUS, EK and Corsair all well represented in this shot. Thanks for the support guys!





Got some more pictures coming soon......having some fun with the EK Nickel.


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Gawds that board is gorgeous!


----------



## Jeffinslaw

I really dig the ram! Nicely done.


----------



## Bart

GREAT job on that ram!!!


----------



## stren

Can I just say B&W speakers


----------



## Holynacho

Nicely done, you should pink up the lettering on the I/O cover


----------



## blupupher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> ...
> 
> Mmmmmm....the southbridge block for the RIVE BE is sexy.....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Quick question, what holds the southbridge block on? Does it screw on from the backside?


----------



## GingerJohn

Looking great! Can't wait to see it all plumbed up.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I wanted to keep the I/O cover....cuz it looks boss. So I dremelled off the pipe that led to it from the VRM Heatsink.


Nothing says "I love you" like taking a Dremmel to a $500 motherboard.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> Gawds that board is gorgeous!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jeffinslaw*
> 
> I really dig the ram! Nicely done.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Bart*
> 
> GREAT job on that ram!!!


Thanks gents!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stren*
> 
> Can I just say B&W speakers


Love B&W. Hooked up both of my sound rooms with them. The downstairs is 9.2 surround.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Holynacho*
> 
> Nicely done, you should pink up the lettering on the I/O cover


That's a neat idea. I'll check out how recessed the lettering is, and how easy that might be.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> Quick question, what holds the southbridge block on? Does it screw on from the backside?


Yep. 5 screws from the backside. Super easy. For those of you who have struggled with getting o-rings back in.....here is how I finally got this one. I took it apart to polish, and for the life of me....couldn't get that o-ring to sit back down in the groove for reassembly. At one point, I even had two other peoples fingers helping me hold it down in places....but it just wouldn't stay. Ending up reading a tip in an OCN post about freezing the o-ring. I put it in the freezer for about 60 minutes, and when I took it out, it was less flexible....more rigid. Still would bend easily....but stayed in place much better than before. Anyway....I finally got it after it had been in the freezer. If you are struggling....try that.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Looking great! Can't wait to see it all plumbed up.
> Nothing says "I love you" like taking a Dremmel to a $500 motherboard.


Dremmel = Love


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> DayZ is still beta, right? Do you have it and is it worth it to pick up at this point?


I bought it on release after hammering out so many hours in DayZ Mod.

No its not worth buying at this point.

Worse spent £20 ever.

Give it a year though... Then maybe...


----------



## stren

I'm going to pretend I didn't see those comments about a 9.2 B&W setup and a second sound room. I'm going to go and cry my peasant tears in the dark now


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stren*
> 
> I'm going to pretend I didn't see those comments about a 9.2 B&W setup and a second sound room. I'm going to go and cry my peasant tears in the dark now


As long as the peasant tears are already flowing....I'll take this opportunity to tell you how nice the Velodyne Digital Drive Plus 15 inch sub sounds with the B&W 703's.....


----------



## stren

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> As long as the peasant tears are already flowing....I'll take this opportunity to tell you how nice the Velodyne Digital Drive Plus 15 inch sub sounds with the B&W 703's.....












One day...


----------



## cpachris

EK Clean CSQ waterblocks look great in *nickel*......


----------



## mAs81

I see what you did there...


----------



## Bart

LOL! Well played sir, well played.


----------



## derickwm




----------



## sinnedone

I saw a dime in there!


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> EK Clean CSQ waterblocks look great in *nickel*......
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


What a refreshing change from the normal promo shots.


----------



## WhiteWulfe

I'm curious how many rolls worth of nickels is in there....


----------



## nvidiaftw12

About tree fidy.


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Nickel rolls come in $2 amounts though....


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

$350 / ($2/roll) = 175 rolls


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Up here that means $3.50....


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Uh... Obviously, he got 1.75 rolls, and, uh...

*throws smoke bomb*


----------



## VSG

tree fiddy = South Park reference


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> I see what you did there...


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Bart*
> 
> LOL! Well played sir, well played.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sinnedone*
> 
> I saw a dime in there!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> What a refreshing change from the normal promo shots.


Thanks guys!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *derickwm*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Appreciate the FB post!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> I'm curious how many rolls worth of nickels is in there....


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> About tree fidy.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> Nickel rolls come in $2 amounts though....


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> $350 / ($2/roll) = 175 rolls


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *WhiteWulfe*
> 
> Up here that means $3.50....


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> Uh... Obviously, he got 1.75 rolls, and, uh...
> 
> *throws smoke bomb*


4 rolls of nickels. $8 worth. 160 nickels.


----------



## iBored

Oh man you should have played the "guess the amount" game.


----------



## stren




----------



## cpachris

Got the EK blocks on the ASUS DirectCUII 780Ti's!



ASUS + EK = <3





The EK backplates are also sexy as hell....and fit my theme perfectly....



Again I say......ASUS + EK = <3



The board is starting to take shape. It will be processing the latest Pinterest pins before you know it....











I swapped out the black terminals for some of the new'ish clear terminals. They look amazing and I can't wait to see some pink fluid flowing through here....





Still lovin' my custom black and pink Dominator Plats....





With the cards in slots #1 and #5 positions, you can still get a great view of the southbridge block right between the GPU's.







More soon!


----------



## stren

two empty slots there chris


----------



## sadeter

I love this build. It really looks amazing and I love your attention to detail.

That being said, I think the big silver plates on the outside of those blocks stick out like a sore thumb even before you drop them into the case. I think they really need to be blacked out like everything else.









Maybe the silver screws on the cpu cooler too . . . hadn't noticed those until just now though.


----------



## stren

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sadeter*
> 
> I love this build. It really looks amazing and I love your attention to detail.
> 
> That being said, I think the big silver plates on the outside of those blocks stick out like a sore thumb even before you drop them into the case. I think they really need to be blacked *pinked* out like everything else.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe the silver screws on the cpu cooler too . . . hadn't noticed those until just now though.


FIFY


----------



## mAs81

When the pink coolant starts flowing,together with the "pimped" out dominators, it's going to look gorgeous


----------



## Flamso

Oh. Looks real nice. The scratches on the plexi kind of bothers me though. I blame LowFat for setting unreasonably high standards.


----------



## sinnedone

That looks really nice. Seeing everything together just puts everything in perspective. That being said are you going for a pastel or translucent pink?

ALso what plugs are those on your graphics cards? The new EK ones with the logo removed?


----------



## Shoultz101

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I hate to squash the juicy rumors of my demise........but I'm alive.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry for lack of updates the last week. I've been under the weather....busy at work....and it's fall break so my kids are home from school. And the dog ate my homework.
> 
> But I have made a little progress that I'll try and post pictures of soon. I got the clear terminals from EK for the GPU blocks. Polished them up right fine and dandy. I've also just about finished the final 3d model for the print stand. I'll get it sent off to the printer and post some pictures shortly. I've also been playing lots of Batman Arkham City in 4k on the new ASUS monitor! I'll take some pictures of the monitor to show you what it looks like....but there is no way I can post pictures that display the gloriousness of what this game looks like in 4k. It's amazing. I'm getting 60fps in 4k, and I can't even describe what that looks like. It's smooth....it's detailed....it's beautiful. I can't wait till there is more 4k content on Cable/Netflix. It really is an amazing step up.


I've had a chance to see a few applications on 32' 4k ASUS Monitor. It really does look amazing. Now that ive upgraded my rig and went to water cooling, purchasing one of these monitors is next on my list.


----------



## Hasty

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Shoultz101*
> 
> I've had a chance to see a few applications on 32' 4k ASUS Monitor. It really does look amazing. Now that ive upgraded my rig and went to water cooling, purchasing one of these monitors is next on my list.


Be aware though, that currently all 4k monitors are limited to that old outdated standard of 60Hz refresh rate. And therefore are very poor at motion portrayal.


----------



## blupupher

Just curious why you went with a serial GPU loop vs a parallel? Not that i know a lot about liquid cooling, but I thought going parallel was better?
I guess they probably won't get very hot either way with what it will be used for though.


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> Just curious why you went with a serial GPU loop vs a parallel? Not that i know a lot about liquid cooling, but I thought going parallel was better?
> I guess they probably won't get very hot either way with what it will be used for though.


Parallel reduces the total flow restriction by providing more paths for the water to take, which increases overall loop flow rate. However it also splits the flows across each GPU, increasing the GPU temperature. Since GPUs are not hugely temperature dependant (and run cool under water) and CPU blocks can be very flow dependant once you go under ~0.6GPM this can be beneficial in large loops or loops with weak pumps.

If your pumps are powerful enough to maintain a decent flow rate, series is better.


----------



## Shoultz101

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Hasty*
> 
> Be aware though, that currently all 4k monitors are limited to that old outdated standard of 60Hz refresh rate. And therefore are very poor at motion portrayal.


This is true and will be the case until DisplayPort 1.3 is finalized. ASUS has mentioned that it could be another year or two before well see 120Hz or higher. Even then, the GPU power youre going to need to run 3840x2160 at 120fps is going to be through the roof and pricey. Quad SLI Power!! :/


----------



## blupupher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Parallel reduces the total flow restriction by providing more paths for the water to take, which increases overall loop flow rate. However it also splits the flows across each GPU, increasing the GPU temperature. Since GPUs are not hugely temperature dependant (and run cool under water) and CPU blocks can be very flow dependant once you go under ~0.6GPM this can be beneficial in large loops or loops with weak pumps.
> 
> If your pumps are powerful enough to maintain a decent flow rate, series is better.


I thought parallel allowed for lower and more even GPU temps?
I thought that since a series setup puts cooler coolant into the first card and then takes the heat of that card to the 2nd one, making the 2nd card run hotter than the first.
A parallel has the same temp coolant going into each card, so both cards can get cooled off about the same.

I see it as a series loop will have a cooler first card and hotter 2nd card, where a parallel loop both cards will be about the same temperature (hotter than the first card in a series loop, but cooler than the second card in a series).

Or does flow have a lot more to do with it than the temp of the coolant alone? But that still confuses me because faster flow means less time for the heat to transfer, so same result??

sorry for the thread hijack, but to get back on topic, looking good and can't wait to see it filled with coolant.


----------



## George C

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> I thought parallel allowed for lower and more even GPU temps?
> I thought that since a series setup puts cooler coolant into the first card and then takes the heat of that card to the 2nd one, making the 2nd card run hotter than the first.
> A parallel has the same temp coolant going into each card, so both cards can get cooled off about the same.
> 
> I see it as a series loop will have a cooler first card and hotter 2nd card, where a parallel loop both cards will be about the same temperature (hotter than the first card in a series loop, but cooler than the second card in a series).
> 
> Or does flow have a lot more to do with it than the temp of the coolant alone? But that still confuses me because faster flow means less time for the heat to transfer, so same result??
> 
> sorry for the thread hijack, but to get back on topic, looking good and can't wait to see it filled with coolant.


In terms of water temperature I think series or parallel doesn't matter a great deal. The volume of water flowing over the card every second is great enough that a single, duel or more gpu set up will not hugely effect performance in the time it takes for the water to complete a single loop.

However I do think that parallel is better as it reduces the overall resistance of the loop meaning a weaker pump can be used or a more powerful pump more efficiently.


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> I thought parallel allowed for lower and more even GPU temps?
> I thought that since a series setup puts cooler coolant into the first card and then takes the heat of that card to the 2nd one, making the 2nd card run hotter than the first.
> A parallel has the same temp coolant going into each card, so both cards can get cooled off about the same.
> 
> I see it as a series loop will have a cooler first card and hotter 2nd card, where a parallel loop both cards will be about the same temperature (hotter than the first card in a series loop, but cooler than the second card in a series).


Yes, they will be more even, however they will be higher than any card in a series loop. The water does not increase in temperature by much, for reference it takes ~260W to heat water moving at 1GPM by 1°C. The difference will not be huge in either case.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> Or does flow have a lot more to do with it than the temp of the coolant alone? But that still confuses me because faster flow means less time for the heat to transfer, so same result??


Faster flow does not equal less contact time, it is a constant stream not a discrete package of water. Think of it more like dumping sand on a conveyor belt - the faster the belt moves the faster you can move the sand.


----------



## Hasty

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Shoultz101*
> 
> This is true and will be the case until DisplayPort 1.3 is finalized. ASUS has mentioned that it could be another year or two before well see 120Hz or higher. Even then, the GPU power youre going to need to run 3840x2160 at 120fps is going to be through the roof and pricey. Quad SLI Power!! :/


In 2/3 years, 3840x2160 120Hz+ Monitors will probably get on the market, thanks to DP 1.3. These will be totally awesome. But pricey and like you said, requiring x3 or x4 SLI, for most AAA titles.

btw, can't wait to see the tubing work! Always my favorite part in buildlogs along with filling the loop.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stren*
> 
> two empty slots there chris


I'm open to ideas......

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sadeter*
> 
> I love this build. It really looks amazing and I love your attention to detail.
> 
> That being said, I think the big silver plates on the outside of those blocks stick out like a sore thumb even before you drop them into the case. I think they really need to be blacked out like everything else.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe the silver screws on the cpu cooler too . . . hadn't noticed those until just now though.


When I was posting these pictures....I had that same thought. Probably won't delay it at this point though. If they were the only silver items....maybe. But there is actually silver all over the build....and the grey sleeving also. I agree in principal though.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> When the pink coolant starts flowing,together with the "pimped" out dominators, it's going to look gorgeous


Let's hope!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Flamso*
> 
> Oh. Looks real nice. The scratches on the plexi kind of bothers me though. I blame LowFat for setting unreasonably high standards.


Lowfat really ruins everything, doesn't he?







You can't really see them when there is not a bright photo light shining on them. But I noticed that also. I may put a polishing wheel on my dremel during my next GoT session and see what I can do......

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sinnedone*
> 
> That looks really nice. Seeing everything together just puts everything in perspective. That being said are you going for a pastel or translucent pink?
> 
> ALso what plugs are those on your graphics cards? The new EK ones with the logo removed?


I was thinking pastel....but Jenn thinks translucent. Since I have both....I'll probably fill it up with both so she can see and choose.

Good eyes! Yes, those are the new EK stop fittings. The lil' EK badge goes on after you have it tightened up.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Shoultz101*
> 
> I've had a chance to see a few applications on 32' 4k ASUS Monitor. It really does look amazing. Now that ive upgraded my rig and went to water cooling, purchasing one of these monitors is next on my list.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Hasty*
> 
> Be aware though, that currently all 4k monitors are limited to that old outdated standard of 60Hz refresh rate. And therefore are very poor at motion portrayal.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Shoultz101*
> 
> This is true and will be the case until DisplayPort 1.3 is finalized. ASUS has mentioned that it could be another year or two before well see 120Hz or higher. Even then, the GPU power youre going to need to run 3840x2160 at 120fps is going to be through the roof and pricey. Quad SLI Power!! :/


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Hasty*
> 
> In 2/3 years, 3840x2160 120Hz+ Monitors will probably get on the market, thanks to DP 1.3. These will be totally awesome. But pricey and like you said, requiring x3 or x4 SLI, for most AAA titles.
> 
> btw, can't wait to see the tubing work! Always my favorite part in buildlogs along with filling the loop.


I can tell you from first hand experience that 4k at 60fps looks amazing. At 60fps everything looks really smooth. I'd take it over 1080p at 100+ fps any day of the week.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> Just curious why you went with a serial GPU loop vs a parallel? Not that i know a lot about liquid cooling, but I thought going parallel was better?
> I guess they probably won't get very hot either way with what it will be used for though.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Parallel reduces the total flow restriction by providing more paths for the water to take, which increases overall loop flow rate. However it also splits the flows across each GPU, increasing the GPU temperature. Since GPUs are not hugely temperature dependant (and run cool under water) and CPU blocks can be very flow dependant once you go under ~0.6GPM this can be beneficial in large loops or loops with weak pumps. If your pumps are powerful enough to maintain a decent flow rate, series is better.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> I thought parallel allowed for lower and more even GPU temps? I thought that since a series setup puts cooler coolant into the first card and then takes the heat of that card to the 2nd one, making the 2nd card run hotter than the first. A parallel has the same temp coolant going into each card, so both cards can get cooled off about the same. I see it as a series loop will have a cooler first card and hotter 2nd card, where a parallel loop both cards will be about the same temperature (hotter than the first card in a series loop, but cooler than the second card in a series).
> 
> Or does flow have a lot more to do with it than the temp of the coolant alone? But that still confuses me because faster flow means less time for the heat to transfer, so same result??


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *George C*
> 
> In terms of water temperature I think series or parallel doesn't matter a great deal. The volume of water flowing over the card every second is great enough that a single, duel or more gpu set up will not hugely effect performance in the time it takes for the water to complete a single loop. However I do think that parallel is better as it reduces the overall resistance of the loop meaning a weaker pump can be used or a more powerful pump more efficiently.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Yes, they will be more even, however they will be higher than any card in a series loop. The water does not increase in temperature by much, for reference it takes ~260W to heat water moving at 1GPM by 1°C. The difference will not be huge in either case. Faster flow does not equal less contact time, it is a constant stream not a discrete package of water. Think of it more like dumping sand on a conveyor belt - the faster the belt moves the faster you can move the sand.


Yeah.....everyone has their own preference and/or idea about what's better. In my testing on the BBBB....I got a nice improvement in temps on my CPU when flow rate increased. Not as much on my GPU's. But the differences don't really mean much in the grand scheme of things. I'll see what kind of flow rate I'm getting in a serial setup, and if its too low....I'll see what a parallel GPU setup and/or radiator setup does to change that.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Shoultz101*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I hate to squash the juicy rumors of my demise........but I'm alive.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry for lack of updates the last week. I've been under the weather....busy at work....and it's fall break so my kids are home from school. And the dog ate my homework.
> 
> But I have made a little progress that I'll try and post pictures of soon. I got the clear terminals from EK for the GPU blocks. Polished them up right fine and dandy. I've also just about finished the final 3d model for the print stand. I'll get it sent off to the printer and post some pictures shortly. I've also been playing lots of Batman Arkham City in 4k on the new ASUS monitor! I'll take some pictures of the monitor to show you what it looks like....but there is no way I can post pictures that display the gloriousness of what this game looks like in 4k. It's amazing. I'm getting 60fps in 4k, and I can't even describe what that looks like. It's smooth....it's detailed....it's beautiful. I can't wait till there is more 4k content on Cable/Netflix. It really is an amazing step up.
> 
> 
> 
> I've had a chance to see a few applications on 32' 4k ASUS Monitor. It really does look amazing. Now that ive upgraded my rig and went to water cooling, purchasing one of these monitors is next on my list.
Click to expand...

32'?







Where did you put it? In the back yard?


----------



## titankiller

Wow just spent the last 4 day's going through this what an amazing build i need to make sure i dont show this to my wife (she's a gamer) i know i would be out of pocket if she saw it... congradulation's on all the sponsor's it seems you've done a good job securing them and your work is immaculate... i cant wait to try cable sleeving.. ive had the kit for 2 weeks but am too scared to try at the moment...

this build has given me inspiration... thanks for your posts and all your hard work.....

Subscribed


----------



## sinnedone

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I can tell you from first hand experience that 4k at 60fps looks amazing. At 60fps everything looks really smooth. I'd take it over 1080p at 100+ fps any day of the week.


I can agree on the higher resolution, going to 1440p from 1080p is very nice. I imagine 4k is twice as nice.







Waiting for some korean 4k monitors that overclock though. lol After having a qnix 1440p at 120hz 60hz is something I really dont want to go back to either.


----------



## Hasty

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sinnedone*
> 
> I can agree on the higher resolution, going to 1440p from 1080p is very nice. I imagine 4k is twice as nice.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Waiting for some korean 4k monitors that overclock though. lol After having a qnix 1440p at 120hz 60hz is something I really dont want to go back to either.


[email protected] + G-sync here.









I love 4K. But I don't want 60Hz slideshow to ruin my eyes. I avoided the 60Hz LCD dark age, entirely. [email protected] for the win!


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Hasty*
> 
> [email protected] + G-sync here.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I love 4K. But I don't want 60Hz slideshow to ruin my eyes. I avoided the 60Hz LCD dark age, entirely. [email protected] for the win!


Being that I've never had anything more than 60Hz LCDs I've never spoiled the experience


----------



## cpachris

Fitting shots are almost obligatory these days.....so here goes....



Probably a good time to thank EK again for being such a fantastic supporter of this build. Blocks, rads, pumps, pumptops, tubing, fittings, backplates......EK has been a great partner. Thanks!



Crazy kitty.....



I fell in love with these EK fittings back when PCModderMike used these in his last build. I just think they are fantastic looking fittings...and a refreshing change from the usual.....



B-Neg's latest photo set inspired me to see if I could put a little color of my own in the fittings. On my first couple of attempts (the 45 degree fittings) I was using an exacto knife to scrape paint remants off the fitting. You can see the scratches this left. My last attempt was the 90 degree fitting shown below....and it was virtually scratch free. For this one, I just painted a glob of paint into the recessed logo....and then used a straight block of wood to scrape across the top of the fittings....leaving a pool of the paint inside the fittings. I let this dry and then q-tipped the paint that was left on the face of the fitting with some acetone.

I think I could do the remainder of them, if I choose, with this method and no scratches.









What do you guys think? Make the logos pink? Or leave them black? Or randomly do just some of them for a touch of pink....


----------



## jameyscott

Yes all fittings accented!

EDIT: How much would you charge to come take photos of my build log when I get it back up and running?


----------



## George C

All accented, I loving the new build style or accenting everything! Would you keep using the paint or going to try vinyl? both look just as good imo though.


----------



## JennG

Love, love, love the pink accents. And yes, Pinterest is Ah maze ing on the 4k monitor, therefore it will be mandatory.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JennG*
> 
> Love, love, love the pink accents. And yes, Pinterest is Ah maze ing on the 4k monitor, therefore it will be mandatory.


Well, you _do_ have the final word!


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Well, you _do_ have the final word!


And the first word.

And most of the ones in between too.


----------



## Flamso

Not to bring the scratches up again but they look kind of noticable on the angles that are painted compared to the all black ones. I do LOVE the accents though, they need to be painted. This build is like twenty times more strong colours than what should be possible for the naked eye, and it still works. DO EET!


----------



## mAs81

Eye candy??!!??IT'S OVER 9000!!!!

Soo..that's a +1 on the accented fittings


----------



## Wibble360

You've done it neatly so I say go with pink, looks special


----------



## Nass22

This is pretty epic. I started reading th thread a few days ago thinking it will be finished







it's almost like getting to the ending of a good book only to find blank pages. Lol

Chris I'm leaning a lot towards the same case and the pump mod you have pulled off is epic. Will you be making the file public? And is it as easy as giving the file to a 3d print out fit and saying make me the same?


----------



## Barefooter

I like the pink accents on the fitting too. My first thought was vinyl like someone else mentioned. Will the vinyl work or is it too small?

How about some kind of stencil so you could use paint but not have to worry about the scratches. You could do a reverse stencil with vinyl then spray paint the pink on then peel the vinyl off.

Just ideas here. The build is looking up!


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

I would use a brush to flow pink paint into the recess, making sure it went slightly past the edge, then, once the paint was dry enough to not run but still not completely hard, wipe the face of the fitting against a disposable lint free cloth laid flat on a hard surface and moistened (not drenched) with a thinner that won't remove the original paint but will remove the excess pink paint. That should avoid the scratches.


----------



## y01p0w3r3d

with all the pink why not somewhere ....


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jameyscott*
> 
> Yes all fittings accented!
> 
> EDIT: How much would you charge to come take photos of my build log when I get it back up and running?


Let's negotiate over a bottle of wine......

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *George C*
> 
> All accented, I loving the new build style or accenting everything! Would you keep using the paint or going to try vinyl? both look just as good imo though.


I had to sample a lot of different paints to find one that matched my case color. I looked around at some vinyl wraps at the same time, and didn't find anything that really matched. Combine that with the fact that I don't own a vinyl cutter....and paint makes more sense.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JennG*
> 
> Love, love, love the pink accents. And yes, Pinterest is Ah maze ing on the 4k monitor, therefore it will be mandatory.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Well, you _do_ have the final word!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> And the first word.
> 
> And most of the ones in between too.


QFT. Hi baby!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Flamso*
> 
> Not to bring the scratches up again but they look kind of noticable on the angles that are painted compared to the all black ones. I do LOVE the accents though, they need to be painted. This build is like twenty times more strong colours than what should be possible for the naked eye, and it still works. DO EET!


As I mentioned in the previous post, the two 45 degree fittings in the picture were done using an exacto knife to scrape off excess paint. But as I modified my process, I ended up on the 90 degree angle just using a straight block of wood to brush off excess paint, and a q-tip with acetone to remove the remaining paint film. You'll see there are no scratches on the 90 degree fitting. I'll show off the process with some pictures for those wanting to try it....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Eye candy??!!??IT'S OVER 9000!!!!
> 
> Soo..that's a +1 on the accented fittings


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Wibble360*
> 
> You've done it neatly so I say go with pink, looks special


I think I will! Thanks!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Nass22*
> 
> This is pretty epic. I started reading th thread a few days ago thinking it will be finished
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> it's almost like getting to the ending of a good book only to find blank pages. Lol Chris I'm leaning a lot towards the same case and the pump mod you have pulled off is epic. Will you be making the file public? And is it as easy as giving the file to a 3d print out fit and saying make me the same?


I'd be glad to send you the file. I designed it in Sketchup, and Google is still offering a free version of Sketchup. Sketchup will export your design to an STL file, which is one of the industry standards for 3d printing. Most machines should accept an STL file as input. I can send you both the Sketchup file and the STL output. But I'll warn you in advance....the cost of the online 3d printing places was stupidly high. Between $600 and $800 depending on which plastic you choose. I'm about to have the final version of my pump stand printed...and will pay about $20 to do it. You definitely want to find a friend with a 3d printer...or.....JOIN ME IN CREATING A 3D PRINTING CLUB HERE ON OCN!!!! hehe. Another subtle plug for my planned endeavor.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Barefooter*
> 
> I like the pink accents on the fitting too. My first thought was vinyl like someone else mentioned. Will the vinyl work or is it too small? How about some kind of stencil so you could use paint but not have to worry about the scratches. You could do a reverse stencil with vinyl then spray paint the pink on then peel the vinyl off. Just ideas here. The build is looking up!


The reverse stencil idea is nice.







But I think I like the look of the thicker paint filling up the recessed area....instead of just a thin layer of spray paint.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> I would use a brush to flow pink paint into the recess, making sure it went slightly past the edge, then, once the paint was dry enough to not run but still not completely hard, wipe the face of the fitting against a disposable lint free cloth laid flat on a hard surface and moistened (not drenched) with a thinner that won't remove the original paint but will remove the excess pink paint. That should avoid the scratches.


This is kind of what I did with the 90 degree fitting. But I found it worked better to do the wipe while paint was still wet. If I let it dry a little....the wipe would still create impressions in the paint that was left behind. Smoother finish by wiping while wet and letting it settle back in place.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *y01p0w3r3d*
> 
> with all the pink why not somewhere ....
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Pink Panther would eat Hello Kitty for breakfast......


----------



## sinnedone

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> This is kind of what I did with the 90 degree fitting. But I found it worked better to do the wipe while paint was still wet. If I let it dry a little....the wipe would still create impressions in the paint that was left behind. Smoother finish by wiping while wet and letting it settle back in place.


For the fittings with the marks, simply get yourself a microfiber towel and lay it on a table. put a little dab of car polish on it and rub the fitting back and forth vigorously. You should be able to get those marks out no problem.


----------



## Nass22

@cpachris perfection does not come cheap







I would really appreciate it you could upload the file. And I hear you about the costs.


----------



## Flamso

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> As I mentioned in the previous post, the two 45 degree fittings in the picture were done using an exacto knife to scrape off excess paint. But as I modified my process, I ended up on the 90 degree angle just using a straight block of wood to brush off excess paint, and a q-tip with acetone to remove the remaining paint film. You'll see there are no scratches on the 90 degree fitting. I'll show off the process with some pictures for those wanting to try it....


Cool! I'm looking forward to it!


----------



## Oopsypoopsy

colored fittings


----------



## Shoultz101

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> 32'?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Where did you put it? In the back yard?


We had it mounted on the wall in the office. My fellow PC gamers and I are all couch gamers. Wireless peripherals and large monitors are how we roll.









I'm the only one who hasn't fully converted and am still on a 21'' Widescreen monitor. I hope to remedy that soon. Just trying to find something over 24'' that will support G-Sync without spending a whole helluva lot of dough.


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Shoultz101*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> 32'?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Where did you put it? In the back yard?
> 
> 
> 
> We had it mounted on the wall in the office. My fellow PC gamers and I are all couch gamers. Wireless peripherals and large monitors are how we roll.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm the only one who hasn't fully converted and am still on a 21' Widescreen monitor. I hope to remedy that soon. Just trying to find something over 24' that will support G-Sync without spending a whole helluva lot of dough.
Click to expand...

What Lady Fitzgerald was trying to say is that you wrote *32'* which mean "32 feet"









Of course you must have meant to say *32"* which is "32 inch"


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> What Lady Fitzgerald was trying to say is that you wrote *32'* which mean "32 feets"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Of course you must have meant to say *32"* which is "32 inches"


Feet, not feets.


----------



## taowulf

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> What Lady Fitzgerald was trying to say is that you wrote *32'* which mean "32 feets"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Of course you must have meant to say *32"* which is "32 inches"


All I can think of now is the Stonehenge stage prop from This Is Spinal Tap.


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> Feet, not feets.


wow... ok sorry...

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *taowulf*
> 
> All I can think of now is the Stonehenge stage prop from This Is Spinal Tap.


I don't follow...


----------



## taowulf

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> I don't follow...


This should bring you up to speed. The video left out a part with band sitting in a diner spitballing on how to present their song Stonehenge and someone draws up a plan on a napkin...


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Shoultz101*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> 32'?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Where did you put it? In the back yard?
> 
> 
> 
> ..My fellow PC gamers and I are all couch gamers...
Click to expand...

That explains a lot.


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *taowulf*
> 
> This should bring you up to speed. The video left out a part with band sitting in a diner spitballing on how to present their song Stonehenge and someone draws up a plan on a napkin...


I get it now


----------



## Nass22

Hey Chris. Did you consider going two res and two custom loops? Would the case support two loops. I guess as you have gone for a single colour scheme it prehaps did not make any sense?


----------



## Shoultz101

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akira749*
> 
> What Lady Fitzgerald was trying to say is that you wrote *32'* which mean "32 feet"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Of course you must have meant to say *32"* which is "32 inch"


I didnt see my typo until after I responded. Glad you guys caught it.


----------



## JennG

Chris! Where are the updates on my computer??? Why are there computer parts strewn across my house? Get busy mister! I have some pinteresting and facebooking to do! And your fans await!


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JennG*
> 
> Chris! Where are the updates on my computer??? Why are there computer parts strewn across my house? Get busy mister! I have some pinteresting and facebooking to do! And your fans await!


Well spoken!

What are you playing at @cpachris?


----------



## sinnedone

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JennG*
> 
> Chris! Where are the updates on my computer??? Why are there computer parts strewn across my house? Get busy mister! I have some pinteresting and facebooking to do! And your fans await!


lol

Spoken like a true misses.


----------



## akira749

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JennG*
> 
> Chris! Where are the updates on my computer??? Why are there computer parts strewn across my house? Get busy mister! I have some pinteresting and facebooking to do! And your fans await!


The lady has spoken


----------



## Barefooter

It's been awhile... three weeks now since an update...


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Cut the man some slack; he has a job and a family.


----------



## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Cut the man some slack; he has a job and a family.


But we're his family and his job is to entertain us!


----------



## sinnedone

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> But we're his family and his job is to entertain us!


lol


----------



## TheBleedingEdge

@cpachris

This goes a while back into your thread, but i wanted to ask about the jump you made for your ax1500i.
I'm working on sleeving mine, and I want to try your tactic. It looks like most of the cables go from being on the top of the motherboard connector to the bottom of the PSU connector, except for the last clip side one on the ten pin connector. Is it crimped with the last clip or non-clip side of the 24 pin?
Any help would be much appreciated!!

Also, great build! I followed your BBBB project and was psyched to see you had started another!


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Cut the man some slack; he has a job and a family.


Yes, he has _one_ job. And he seems to be neglecting it.







What does it take for a man to get pics of some bare silicon?!

See, it's classy because it's silicon as in the element and not silicon*e* as in the synthetic compounds.


----------



## equinoxe3d

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Cut the man some slack; he has a job and a family.


Well, it's his wife that bumped the thread after all


----------



## blupupher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *equinoxe3d*
> 
> Well, it's his wife that bumped the thread after all


Thats what I was thinking.
If he gets called out by his wife on the forum, well, he needs to answer







.


----------



## Lutfij

Wow, I speed read through all 15 pages of this thread...and just wow! You know you could do a small tutorial on adding accents to those fittings...?









All I can say now is that I'm subbed


----------



## mandrix

Nothing new in over a month....is the build finished Chris?


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

It's been a month and a third. I think he died.







RIP In Piece.

But really, updates nao plz!


----------



## jameyscott

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> It's been a month and a third. I think he died.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> RIP In Piece.
> 
> But really, updates nao plz!


Wife killed him. That's the only explanation.


----------



## Nass22

I wonder if she will get rid of the The PPPP, as looking at it just reminds her of all the poor souls on the Internet who have been waiting for updates to this. People that have not done anything else other then sit at their machines waiting for that update. Will someone think of the children


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

She'll probably do a giveaway in honor of his memory.


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> She'll probably *hopefully* do a giveaway in honor of his memory.


FTFY


----------



## armartins

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> It's been a month and a third. I think he died.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> RIP In Piece.
> 
> But really, updates nao plz!


R(IP)²


----------



## slumbarr

Poor dude...


----------



## Rbby258

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> It's been a month and a third. I think he died.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> RIP In Piece.
> 
> But really, updates nao plz!


Out of curiosity what do you think the IP part in RIP means?


----------



## wthenshaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rbby258*
> 
> Out of curiosity what do you think the IP part in RIP means?


Internet Protocol....?


----------



## Hasty

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rbby258*
> 
> Out of curiosity what do you think the IP part in RIP means?


http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/rip-in-peace


----------



## Rbby258

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Hasty*
> 
> http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/rip-in-peace


Still stupid.


----------



## Pheozero

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Rbby258*
> 
> Still stupid.


it's a meme. That's the point.


----------



## mAs81

Maybe he's getting ready for the final update?


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

This build log hasn't been updated all year!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CynicalUnicorn*
> 
> This build log hasn't been updated all year!


Unfair! Lol....

Sorry for the length of time between last update. Just a busy time at work lately, and then we host a lot of get togethers over the Thanksgiving/Christmas/Holiday season. Not conducive to getting any real work done.









Rest assured....finishing up this build is a top priority for me, due in part to the daily questions I get from my loving wife-y. It will be done!


----------



## mAs81

At last,some signs of life from the PPPP









Happy new year to you and your family !!


----------



## Bart

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Unfair! Lol....
> 
> Sorry for the length of time between last update. Just a busy time at work lately, and then we host a lot of get togethers over the Thanksgiving/Christmas/Holiday season. Not conducive to getting any real work done.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Rest assured....finishing up this build is a top priority for me, due in part to the daily questions I get from my loving wife-y. It will be done!


Thank god you're alive! I was convinced she had killed you due to your slacking on the build.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

He lives! Thanks for letting us know you are alive, well, and raising...well, you know what I mean.


----------



## WhiteWulfe

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Bart*
> 
> Thank god you're alive! I was convinced she had killed you due to your slacking on the build.


But how would it be completed if she killed him halway through?









Either way, glad to see he's around ^-^


----------



## Barefooter

I was getting worried for awhile. Not used to long periods with no updates. Good to hear from you Chris! Happy New Year! Looking forward to seeing this finished up.


----------



## Jameswalt1




----------



## PCModderMike




----------



## Dutch1576

Subbed!!! Went through your entire build log for BBBB and thought that was a tremendous and amazing project! However, I have always been an ASUS guy since I began building my own rigs, and absolutely love their hardware! Great choice! Exactly what I would have chosen for a build of this magnitude.

Looking forward to the completed project. My son is eagerly awaiting the completion as well. He's 8 and already asking me when he can build his own water-cooled system!

BTW - Your build logs are what caused me to join this community!


----------



## Georgey123

Would like to see some more pretty updates







Subbed


----------



## Barefooter

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Georgey123*
> 
> Would like to see some more pretty updates
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Subbed


Many people, myself included would like to see some more updates.

However the last update was October of last year. It appears that this build has been abandoned with no explanation.


----------



## George C

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Barefooter*
> 
> Many people, myself included would like to see some more updates.
> 
> However the last update was October of last year. It appears that this build has been abandoned with no explanation.


The realization of this upsets me, was one of my favourite builds


----------



## Jeffinslaw

Guys, you may not know this but Chris is a CPA and this is tax season, the busiest time of the year for accountants. Chris doesn't seem like the type of guy to just abandon a build log, especially a sponsored one.

-Jeffinslaw


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jeffinslaw*
> 
> Guys, you may not know this but Chris is a CPA and this is tax season, the busiest time of the year for accountants. Chris doesn't seem like the type of guy to just abandon a build log, especially a sponsored one.
> 
> -Jeffinslaw


Tax season started last November?


----------



## Jeffinslaw

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Jeffinslaw*
> 
> Guys, you may not know this but Chris is a CPA and this is tax season, the busiest time of the year for accountants. Chris doesn't seem like the type of guy to just abandon a build log, especially a sponsored one.
> 
> -Jeffinslaw
> 
> 
> 
> Tax season started last November?
Click to expand...

And isn't over with until April.


----------



## Ganf

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jeffinslaw*
> 
> And isn't over with until April.


June, really, depending on his clients. Military personnel with extensions, small businesses finishing up wrangling messy paperwork, audits that may have come back since the first of the year, etc....

You always see the poor pale sods on the beach in July looking like a sweaty glob of mayo because they haven't seen the sun since Thanksgiving. Against their will.


----------



## Georgey123

Fair enough then, it will be a good break for him to come back to his build whenever he can


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Jeffinslaw*
> 
> Chris is a CPA


Wow. Never made the connection there until now. Huh.


----------



## taowulf

CPA = Certified Pink Assembler


----------



## cpachris




----------



## George C

omgomgomgomgomgomg... you're back


----------



## taowulf




----------



## Bart

WOOHOO!! About time!


----------



## adcantu




----------



## bigbite76

YAY!!!!! Can't wait for the next update!


----------



## JennG

Heeee's baaaaack! And wife-y is VERY happy!!


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Happy wife, happy life.









Good to see this build back.


----------



## mAs81

Cool to see this finally back on track


----------



## JambonJovi

Well look who it iiiis !

Right, with that out of the way... UPDATES pls !


----------



## akira749




----------



## wthenshaw

Good to see you back Chris,


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Welcome back, Chris!


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Get back to work, Chris.


----------



## USFORCES

Wow that desk is huge! Just an idea, Instead of sitting on top of the desk and taking up valuable space have you though about building it inside of the desk?
You have a lot more room inside of that monster then the little surface area I see, a lot more then I did you have both upper and lower areas. Google "built in computer desk" give you plenty of ideas not to mention you wouldn't have to buy a case and paint the poor thing pink









Anyhow I didn't like mine sitting on top of the desk taking up space making noise right next to my head and it ended up turning out better than I thought it would. Some guy from India entered the photos I posted here in a contest at NZXT and won first place with it, lol


----------



## Georgey123

It's happening again


----------



## CynicalUnicorn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *USFORCES*
> 
> Wow that desk is huge! *Just an idea, Instead of sitting on top of the desk and taking up valuable space have you though about building it inside of the desk?*
> You have a lot more room inside of that monster then the little surface area I see, a lot more then I did you have both upper and lower areas. Google "built in computer desk" give you plenty of ideas *not to mention you wouldn't have to buy a case and paint the poor thing pink*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Anyhow I didn't like mine sitting on top of the desk taking up space making noise right next to my head and it ended up turning out better than I thought it would. Some guy from India entered the photos I posted here in a contest at NZXT and won first place with it, lol


----------



## USFORCES

Well I didn't go back and read the whole thread and I haven't been on OCN much this year. Let me guess the idea has already been brought up, lol


----------



## Bart

I'm just thankful he didn't get busted for tax fraud.







Bring on the pink!! Err, that sounds dirtier than I intended!


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *USFORCES*
> 
> Well I didn't go back and read the whole thread and I haven't been on OCN much this year. Let me guess the idea has already been brought up, lol


More like you missed the point of this design. Go back to the beginning of the thread; you shouldn't have to read very far before you "get it".


----------



## USFORCES

I did miss the point, All I'm saying is putting it on the desk will be in the way, I use to have mine on top of the desk and I hated it there. I had a before photo of it on the desk but I can't find it now, it's nice being inside and having the extra space.


----------



## blupupher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *USFORCES*
> 
> I did miss the point, All I'm saying is putting it on the desk will be in the way, I use to have mine on top of the desk and I hated it there. I had a before photo of it on the desk but I can't find it now, it's nice being inside and having the extra space.


If it is in the desk, then 90% of the work he does will not be seen, plus he would have to cut holes in the desk for cooling.

A desk computer is a totall different thing than what he is doing. Yours does look nice though.


----------



## cpachris




----------



## Xclsyr

Now THAT'S more like it!!!!


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

He lives!


----------



## Simmons572




----------



## DerComissar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*


Good to see you back, where the hell were you? Lol.








I still wouldn't paint my case pink, but everything else is great with the build.
Rep+


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DerComissar*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Good to see you back, where the hell were you? Lol.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I still wouldn't paint my case pink, but everything else is great with the build.
> Rep+
Click to expand...

It wasn't his case. He built for his boss wife.


----------



## DerComissar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *DerComissar*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Good to see you back, where the hell were you? Lol.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I still wouldn't paint my case pink, but everything else is great with the build.
> Rep+
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> It wasn't his case. He built for his boss wife.
Click to expand...

You're right Lady Fitsgeralld.
I actually asked my wiife what colour (Canadian spelling, for you, dear) would be best, black or white, for my S8, and she said white, which I went with.

Glad I did, as it satisfied my taste. My wife was right.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *DerComissar*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *DerComissar*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Good to see you back, where the hell were you? Lol.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I still wouldn't paint my case pink, but everything else is great with the build.
> Rep+
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> It wasn't his case. He built for his boss wife.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> You're right Lady Fitsgeralld.
> I actually asked my wiife what colour (Canadian spelling, for you, dear) would be best, black or white, for my S8, and she said white, which I went with.
> 
> Glad I did, as it satisfied my taste. My wife was right.
Click to expand...

Happy wife, happy life!


----------



## DerComissar

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!
> 
> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *DerComissar*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *DerComissar*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Good to see you back, where the hell were you? Lol.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I still wouldn't paint my case pink, but everything else is great with the build.
> Rep+
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> It wasn't his case. He built for his boss wife.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> You're right Lady Fitsgeralld.
> I actually asked my wiife what colour (Canadian spelling, for you, dear) would be best, black or white, for my S8, and she said white, which I went with.
> Glad I did, as it satisfied my taste. My wife was right.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Happy wife, happy life!
Click to expand...

Rep+


----------



## cpachris

Hard to know exactly where to jump back in here. I'm out of practice.







I was greatly amused at the rumors of my possible incapacitation. And even more amused as some theorized that I must be busy doing taxes. Truth be told....there have been no accidents or illness that has sidelined me. Yes, work is busy....but no more so than for most of you. I am a CPA, but I don't do public accounting anymore, so it has nothing to do with year-end or tax season. What it really comes down to....is that I took a break. I never intended it to be this long....but it's easy to sink into different routines, habits and hobbies....and hard to change once you are there.

The break started when I had hit a sort of wall. Most of you will remember the supremely cool 3-d printing that I had gotten my hooks into. I have a friend that is in a 3-d print club, which gave me access to this groovy technology. I had quickly learned Google SketchUp and designed a pump stand for my dual pumps, and had even morphed it into a reservoir holder also. It was fun...and I loved the creativity that this new arena allowed. Well during the test fitting of my version 2 of the pump stand, it became clear that I had not allowed for enough space for the fittings that need to come out of the pump tops. The fittings hit the case window on the left side of the case. The pumpstand had to move from the position I had designed it for to allow room for the fittings....and this made it so that the reservoir was no longer centered in the front window of the case. *Unacceptable!* I started with design tweaks and intended to have a 3rd version of the pump stand printed....but encountered issues with getting it printed timely. My print takes between 30 and 45 hours to print...depending on the fill % used. Since I'm not an actual member of this club....I have to wait for periods of time when none of the members have prints running. That delayed me....and then the 3d printer itself was out of commission for awhile while a new extruder head was ordered. Anyway....I let this down time unfocus my efforts on this build.

But I'm back and ready to get this finished up. 3d printer is available once again. I was close to being done before my break......so my hope is this won't take long. I really only have to finish the plumbing, lighting, and window etching. Everything was running already....and the wiring/cabling was 95% done. This will be my first time bending acrylic tubing, but that will just make it more interesting for me.

I've already sent my latest model of the pump stand to the queue for the 3d printer, and it has been started. So I hope to have it back in a day or two. So.....to start this build thread going again....tonight I'll post some of images of version 3 of the pump stand. If you compare it with the pics of version 2...you'll easily see that the pumps themselves have had to shift back (to the right) so that more room is available between the left window and the pump tops.



Those little plates that say "The PPPP" are not attached to the pump stand at all. There was some extra room within the print envelope, so I thought....what the heck. I may use them to label a radiator....or harddrive....or something like that. We'll see.....



The notch in the base in the picture below is to hold and secure the GPU cabling that goes back down through the midplate.



In the picture below you'll see I had to counter sink the holes for the reservoir mount screws, since they reside right to the side of the pump tops now.



I also expanded the legs in front just a bit....to make sure there was room for the cold cathode inverter(s) that will sit right in front of the pump stand.



I should have the finished pump stand back soon....and I'll have pictures of it up quickly after that. While I wait....I'm going to finish painting the EK logo on those beautiful fittings. I had played around with doing that before....but now I need to finish them. Pictures of that tomorrow!


----------



## VSG

Welcome back


----------



## Bart

Not enough P's.


----------



## akira749

I'm glad you're back!


----------



## fast_fate

cool Chris, in same boat myself as far as the build / other life commitments and interests Vs build time goes.
Heck, I even started another build in the mean time








Glad to see you back and look forward to the updates


----------



## Barefooter

Welcome back Chris! Glad to know everything is ok and to see this build be completed.


----------



## mAs81

Welcome back







Excited to see those fittings!


----------



## mandrix




----------



## mandrix

Hope you folks in Oklahoma are surviving the weather! Those half mile wide tornadoes would scare the heck out of me.


----------



## cpachris

Ok. I've got my helper, my paint, and my fittings. It's time to finish these up.



For those of you who haven't played with these EK fittings, they have a recessed EK logo on the circle portion. It's recessed enough so that you can get some paint down in there, and still have it all below the surface so that it doesn't get nicked up easily. It's almost like EK is begging me to put some pink in there! I'll oblige.



In my prevoius attempt, I was successful, but scraped up the face of the fittings way too much using an exacto knife to clean up the paint around the logo. I've experimented with a few approaches, and have one that works pretty well. I'm using a heavy body paint from Liquitex. Liquitex is awesome because they offer their full range of colors in all sorts of paints. I can use this same color in a soft body, medium body, heavy body, ink, spray paint, etc. For what I'm doing here today, the heavy body paint works best.

Get a little brush, and put a nice glob of paint all over the logo. Use the brush to ensure you've pushed paint down into the entire logo.....



Just a nice thick blob of paint over the logo. That's what you're after here....



Then, while it's still wet.....use a straightblade with a napkin or paper towel pulled tight around it....and scrape the blade over the top of the fitting. I'm using a ruler here....with a napkin pulled tight around it.



Since the logo is recessed, the ruler will wipe the paint off the fitting....while leaving a pool of it down inside the logo. It will look messy, but that is fine for now. You'll be tempted to try and wipe the blade back over the fitting again to get even more paint off. Don't. Every single time I tried this it would then start grabbing at some of the paint in the logo. Wipe it once....and set it down.



Let the paint dry completely like this.....



Here is my entire batch.....



Once the paint has dried completely....you'll notice that it has contracted just a little and pulled away from the logo edge and down inside the recessed portion. This is perfect.....



Now....get you some Q-tips and a bowl of Paint Thinner and a bowl of water.



Go to work by rubbing the Q-tips dipped in paint thinner around the face of the fitting. Just takes a little effort and you'll have removed all of the remaining paint of the face of the fitting......



Viola!



And the whole batch is done. Didn't take that long.....



Now....time for some fun up in the faux studio.....



It's an easy and fun mod to do with these EK fittings. Perfect way to add your accent color to your build if you are using these fittings.















I've got the 3d printed pump stand back from the printer! I'll show that off next......


----------



## mAs81

Nice job on those fittings - they look great







Seems easy enough to do , thanks for sharing !!


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Purdy.


----------



## mandrix

I agree, sweet job on the fittings.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mAs81*
> 
> Nice job on those fittings - they look great
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Seems easy enough to do , thanks for sharing !!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Purdy.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> I agree, sweet job on the fittings.


Thanks gents! And mandrix....thank's for thinking about us here in Oklahoma with all the storms. Lots of twisters so far this season. They've gotten within a couple blocks of work.....but nothing too close to my home. May is always an exciting month in Tornado Alley!


----------



## Georgey123

I very nice touch to the fittings







, glad to see your back.


----------



## GingerJohn

Looking good Chris, your attention to detail is impressive. I can't wait to see future updates.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Georgey123*
> 
> glad to see your back.


I'm glad to see his back too.


----------



## taowulf

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Looking good Chris, your attention to detail is impressive. I can't wait to see future updates.
> I'm glad to see his back too.


Grammar zing!

I am also glad to see this project progressing again.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Georgey123*
> 
> I very nice touch to the fittings
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> , glad to see your back.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> Looking good Chris, your attention to detail is impressive. I can't wait to see future updates.
> I'm glad to see his back too.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *taowulf*
> 
> Grammar zing!
> 
> I am also glad to see this project progressing again.


Just wait till you see my front.....


----------



## nvidiaftw12

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Just wait till you see my front.....


Oh baby.


----------



## cpachris

3D printed pump stand pictures!

Printing time was 36 hours for this version. The outside face is rougher than it was in the last two versions....but the bottom is absolutely flat this time with no warping. It was printed at 100% fill.....so this is one solid piece of plastic. It was printed in PLA....not ABS. Quite heavy. Here are some pictures from different angles...









In this closeup, you can see how the face of the pump stand looks. I may spend some time sanding some of the rougher edges....after I see what still shows once the pumps/tops/reservoir are mounted.



Now...to attach everything to the stand, I'll need some screws. The approach I've taken with my last few projects is to cut down my screws to size. It was hard for me to find the black socket head screws that I love so much....in every size that I might need. So instead, I bought about a thousand of these 30mm M4 Black Socket Head screws....and I just cut them down to whatever size is needed when I'm using them....



I just clamp then down in this little vise at the appropriate distance.....



...and then use the edge of the vise as a guide for the Dremmel to run across. Only takes about 10 seconds for a screw. Those little puppies sure do get hot in 10 seconds though....



Here are a couple of the freshly cut screws next to an original size screw, so you can see how much I was trimming to make these the perfect size for my recessed holes for the reservoir attachment. The edges usually are pretty rough....



....but they are smooth after running them along a file a few times. Those little rubber washers are what I'm going to add to help decouple the pumps and reservoir even further....



Here are a couple of shots of how the EK reservoir clamps fit onto the 3d printed pump stand. You can see that I designed recessed holes in the back of the pump stand for the nuts...because the pump tops would interfere if they stuck out at all....



Nice and flush.....



I decided to go ahead and test fit the entire thing.....so I cut some more screws, and mounted the pumps and reservoir to the 3d printed stand. Everything fit great! Here are some pictures from all angles.....



It is shockingly beautiful in person....the pump tops just look like huge chunks of glass. Everything fits together perfectly with no wasted space. There is a cutout that will allow for the cold cathode inverter, as well as a cutout for the GPU cables that was necessary to allow the stand to be snugged up closer to the motherboard.



The EK X3 reservoir is super high quality....



I brushed some pink paint on "The PPPP" raised lettering I designed in the pump stand....











It really came out as good as I was hoping. It's tight, compact, and beautiful. And it situates the pump tops at the perfect viewing angle for the left side window....and positions the reservoir at the perfect spot to be centered in the front window. I couldn't have done this with any pre-made stand. It really needed to be custom designed to pull this off. I love 3d printing.



I also brushed some paint on those badges that I had 3d printed. These could be used anyhwere....but I'm picturing them on the SSD's and/or radiators.



Next step is to drill some holes in the case midplate and bolt this baby in. Pictures soon!


----------



## mAs81

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!


Beautifully done Chris - looks awesome








Man , 3D printing seems fun!!


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

I also have problems finding black oxide screws I like for my computer locally, though, in my case (pardon the pun), it's mostly 6-32 Phillips heads. I bought a box of 100 each of 6-32 x 1/4" and 6-32 x 3/16" pan head screws for mounting HDDs plus a box of each of 6-32 x 1 1/2" screws in pan head and flat head to cut into custom lengths as needed. I got the screws from McMaster.com.

I use the screw cutting part of my wire crimper/stripper to cut the screws to length. My old, arthritic hands don't have the strength to squeeze the handles hard enough to cut the screws so, after threading the screws into the crimper/stripper, I set one handle of the tool on something solid, then hit the other handle with a hammer (old age sucks!). Once cut, backing the screw out of the crimper/stripper cleans up the threads of the cut end although I still like to take a file to cut end to dull the sharp edge. If the raw steel showing on the end will still show after installing the screw, I blacken it with a small Sharpie felt pen.


----------



## Whatts

Another age-old trick is to screw on a few nuts before cutting the bolt to size. Then afterwards you screw off the nuts and the thread will be cleaned up.


----------



## Barefooter

That pump stand came out great! I guess "third time is a charm" applies here


----------



## Bart

That pump stand is a BRILLIANT idea, absolutely BRILLIANT! Siskel and eBart give it THREE THUMBS UP!!


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> I also have problems finding black oxide screws I like for my computer locally, though, in my case (pardon the pun), it's mostly 6-32 Phillips heads. I bought a box of 100 each of 6-32 x 1/4" and 6-32 x 3/16" pan head screws for mounting HDDs plus a box of each of 6-32 x 1 1/2" screws in pan head and flat head to cut into custom lengths as needed. I got the screws from McMaster.com.
> 
> I use the screw cutting part of my wire crimper/stripper to cut the screws to length. My old, arthritic hands don't have the strength to squeeze the handles hard enough to cut the screws so, after threading the screws into the crimper/stripper, I set one handle of the tool on something solid, then hit the other handle with a hammer (old age sucks!). Once cut, backing the screw out of the crimper/stripper cleans up the threads of the cut end although I still like to take a file to cut end to dull the sharp edge. If the raw steel showing on the end will still show after installing the screw, I blacken it with a small Sharpie felt pen.


Always good tips from the lady.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Whatts*
> 
> Another age-old trick is to screw on a few nuts before cutting the bolt to size. Then afterwards you screw off the nuts and the thread will be cleaned up.


Another good tip.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Barefooter*
> 
> That pump stand came out great! I guess "third time is a charm" applies here


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Bart*
> 
> That pump stand is a BRILLIANT idea, absolutely BRILLIANT! Siskel and eBart give it THREE THUMBS UP!!


Thanks gents! It looks pretty darn sharp inside the case too. Can't wait to show that.....


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Lady Fitzgerald*
> 
> I also have problems finding black oxide screws I like for my computer locally, though, in my case (pardon the pun), it's mostly 6-32 Phillips heads. I bought a box of 100 each of 6-32 x 1/4" and 6-32 x 3/16" pan head screws for mounting HDDs plus a box of each of 6-32 x 1 1/2" screws in pan head and flat head to cut into custom lengths as needed. I got the screws from McMaster.com.
> 
> I use the screw cutting part of my wire crimper/stripper to cut the screws to length. My old, arthritic hands don't have the strength to squeeze the handles hard enough to cut the screws so, after threading the screws into the crimper/stripper, I set one handle of the tool on something solid, then hit the other handle with a hammer (old age sucks!). Once cut, backing the screw out of the crimper/stripper cleans up the threads of the cut end although I still like to take a file to cut end to dull the sharp edge. If the raw steel showing on the end will still show after installing the screw, I blacken it with a small Sharpie felt pen.
> 
> 
> 
> Always good tips from the lady.....
Click to expand...

Thank you!


----------



## mandrix

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Whatts*
> 
> Another age-old trick is to screw on a few nuts before cutting the bolt to size. Then afterwards you screw off the nuts and the thread will be cleaned up.


That's exactly what I do.

Lady F I hear you about the old hands, lol, I have the same problem.

Chris, the stand turned out really sweet! Guess it was worth the wait.


----------



## armartins

Great work, been following - silently - this build since the beginning nice to see its progress.


----------



## Lady Fitzgerald

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mandrix*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> 
> Originally Posted by *Whatts*
> 
> Another age-old trick is to screw on a few nuts before cutting the bolt to size. Then afterwards you screw off the nuts and the thread will be cleaned up.
> 
> 
> 
> That's exactly what I do.
> 
> Lady F I hear you about the old hands, lol, I have the same problem.
> 
> Chris, the stand turned out really sweet! Guess it was worth the wait.
Click to expand...

I also use the nut trick when I have to cut down larger diameter screws and bolts than what my crimper/stripper can handle. My Daddy taught me that trick when I was a kid.


----------



## LucifersLoofa

Directions unclear: Nuts Sore

Patiently awaiting further updates


----------



## soulreaper05

This is like reading a 1000 page novel only to find out the last chapter is missing...


----------



## Barefooter

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> *Project Name:* *The Powerful Pretty Pink Processor*
> 
> *Updates:*
> There is nothing worse than a dead and unfinished build thread. We've all felt the abandonment and depression this causes at some point in our forum lives. So first and foremost, I promise to finish. I made that promise with The BBBB and I'll make it again here with The PPPP.


From the first page.


----------



## nvidiaftw12

You guys are like women.







When a man says he is going to do something, he will do it. No need to remind him every 6 months.


----------



## blupupher

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> You guys are like women.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> When a man says he is going to do something, he will do it. No need to remind him every 6 months.


Totally agree.









I find it more annoying when this thread is bumped by people complaining.
When I see this post updated, a hope it is cpachris with an update, instead it is complaining that it is not done yet. We all know life gets in the way of things sometimes, and with the computer probably working and just cosmetic stuff remaining, it is easy to put on the back burner.


----------



## cpachris

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LucifersLoofa*
> 
> Directions unclear: Nuts Sore. Patiently awaiting further updates


If you're truly patient....teach my wife. She wants this thing done.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *soulreaper05*
> 
> This is like reading a 1000 page novel only to find out the last chapter is missing...


Maybe more like the last 2 or 3 chapters....but I'm getting close.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Barefooter*
> 
> From the first page.


Thanks for the reminder of the promise. This will be kept.....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nvidiaftw12*
> 
> You guys are like women.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> When a man says he is going to do something, he will do it. No need to remind him every 6 months.


Thanks for the support! Er....oh wait. That was kind of a slam. Lol...But I'll do it anyway!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *blupupher*
> 
> Totally agree.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I find it more annoying when this thread is bumped by people complaining.
> When I see this post updated, a hope it is cpachris with an update, instead it is complaining that it is not done yet. We all know life gets in the way of things sometimes, and with the computer probably working and just cosmetic stuff remaining, it is easy to put on the back burner.


Yeah....it's actually back not working. After putting on the waterblocks, I didn't want to run it without having the cooling finished. So...it's been sitting in a 80% completed state for awhile. My wonderful wife gives me subtle hints all the time about how nice it would be to have this thing finished. I like all you guys....but she will ultimately be more effective at getting me to move on it. But....I love the interest shown. I promise to get this thing finished soon!


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## GingerJohn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *cpachris*
> 
> I like all you guys....but she will ultimately be more effective at getting me to move on it. But....I love the interest shown. I promise to get this thing finished soon!


In that case.... @JennG, crack that whip! Remember, it's all in the wrist.


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## JennG

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GingerJohn*
> 
> In that case.... @JennG, crack that whip! Remember, it's all in the wrist.


dude, I am trying. He is just soooo s.l.o.w.- ( and I am leaving that door wide open)


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## CynicalUnicorn

Just print a few of those out and scatter them around the house.









EDIT: Wait, what? This actually posted? It said I had insufficient permissions to make an album and then gave up. Um.


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## ruffhi

Chris ... I really enjoyed your BBBB thread and have just finished reading through your PPPP thread. All very nicely received here ... thanks so much for all of the 'blow by blow' posts.

However ... I have some Qs for you ...

_*#1 - clips for fan cables.*_

The picture below (spoiler) shows your work on one of the PPPP res and what you did with some cable clips. Good suggestion from JennG re superglue! Anyway, my Q is what size clips are those? I have some big ones but not anything as small as that. I found mine at HomeDepot - where did you get yours?



Spoiler: Pic showing clips on res







_*#2 - Short Fan cables.*_

Both of your build logs involved cutting all fan cables to 4" (or there abouts). The front grill on the PPPP contains two fans and the bottom one is 'hamstrung' due to the short cable (see picture). Doesn't the short cable fo rthe bottom fan defeat the purpose of the short cables (purpose being easy to detach from power harness for moving, access, etc)? Is this one situation that a longer cable might prove useful?

This would be overcome if the CL grills had a small cut out for getting power to the bottom fan.



Spoiler: bottom fan in front res - short cable


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## PCModderMike




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