Project Vortex

Inquitus

New build from some existing and some new parts.

Case: Mountain Mods U2-UFO Horizon
CPU: QX6700
MOBO: EVGA 680i SLI
RAM: OCZ 4GB (2 x 2GB) PC2-6400C5 Dual Channel Vista Gold Series DDR2
Rad: Thermochill 3.1
Chipset Blocks: EK Mosfet, NB and SB
CPU Block: Swiftech Apogee GTX Extreme Performance CPU Waterblock Rev.2
GPU Block: Danger Den NV 8800GTX GPU
Pump: Laing D5-Vario (1/2")
PSU: Seasonic M12 Modular 700W Silent ATX2.0 Power Supply
HDD's: 4 x 500GB Sata-II 16MB NCQ
GPU: OcUK GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - OEM
Reservoir: EK Multi-Option Res400 Rev2
Fan Controller: Zalman ZM-MFC1 Plus Fan Controller - Black
LCD: Alphacool LCD Display 240x128 Pixel

Pics and build to commence this weekend.

Inqui

L31mr0d

subscribed

Inquitus

reserved 2

Inquitus

I have to say over-clock.co.uk have been brilliant, but the Mountain Mods guys must have been stoned when they packed the case.

1) No case screws - The case needs 16 special flathead #6-32 screws to assemble. These are countersunk so the sides and top can then be affixed over the top. These screws are not common and despite trying a number of hardware stores I will have to wait until some arrive from the UK. So Whilst I can go ahead with the build using some normal #6-32 screws I will have to replace them with the correct ones before I can put on the top and sides.

2) They also sent me an insert for 5 x 5 1/4" bays as per pic 1 below, my case needs two 3 x 5 1/4" inserts as per pic 2 below.

RoyalMarine

subscribed

how much you get the horizon for?

L31mr0d

Hey Inq, I don't think you are going to be able to edit those reserved posts later unless you're a mod of this forum. After a couple of days your ability to edit your own posts expires.

Oh and damn you for all the spam, I was expecting loads of pictures.

Out of curiosity... what camera will you be using for the pictures?

Inquitus

@ Leimrod

I'll be using my wifes Pink Sony DSC-T20.

I'll delete those reserved posts then

@ RMC

About 335 euro, the GBP / EUR exchange rate has made it a damnsight cheaper

PogMoThoin

Inquitus wrote: »

@ Leimrod

I'll be using my wifes Pink Sony DSC-T20.

I'll delete those reserved posts then

@ RMC

About 335 euro, the GBP / EUR exchange rate has made it a damnsight cheaper

:rolleyes: Thank fúck for that, I was afraid u were gonna say Anti was loaning u his camera

Anti

PogMoThoin wrote: »

:rolleyes: Thank fúck for that, I was afraid u were gonna say Anti was loaning u his camera

Lol

Inquitus

OK I have done the basic case assembly and added in the PA 120.3 Rad, the performance shroud and the fans....all mounted to the case.

The wife has absconded with the memory card to her camera, so the pics I have are saved to it's internal memory........ofc she lost the PC Cable long ago, so until I get the mem card back tomorrow and transfer the pics to the card and then the PC there will be no pics

I've ensured I have all the right barbs for all components, all are 1/2" as per the tubing, so bar the mountain mod's case issues the rest should be plain sailing. Having built some watercooled rigs in the past in much tighter confines (A thermaltake shark back in the P4 days and a SFF PC), it really is going to be a pleasure to work with so much space to play with.

Inqui

RoyalMarine

cant wait for these to come up! what was your total costs on the lot?

Inquitus

My wife drinks Coors Light, it is an abomination to beer, but alas crap beer is better than no beer so I gave into the temptation......

Inquitus

Inquitus

OK there's a few things I need to look into. I would rather have the Rad at the bottom and the 2 x 5 1/4" bays at the top. This depends on if there is enough clearance between the DVD Drive and the Mobo.

This just involves flipping that particular panel over. It makes more sense to me to have the bays at the top within easy reach.

The EK Reservior is massive, but it will look sweet inside the case.

I am going to put the 2 Harddrive caddies on the bottom 2 120mm Fan spaces. The PSU goes in the bottom, and I will put the reservior in the opposite corner. The pump will go somewhere down the bottom too.

RoyalMarine

lookin sweet dude! gorgeous kids aswel. i assume their your's and your not 1 of them?

Inquitus

Nursing a hangover so I might leave any more until tomorrow. Next order of the day is open mobo surgery and mounting all the water blocks.

conzy

Is the panel in the first pick just really glossy black or is it chromed?! looks great

L31mr0d

whenever I see kids in pictures I always try to imagine what computers will look like when they are taking photos of them with their kids. Its hard to imagine 10 years from now we'll be looking back going "pff, my mobile phone is more powerful than that pc"

Anyway, Inq, whats the purpose of the shroud? I've seen these rads used without them, is there any special reason to install them?

Inquitus

Theres a dead spot close to the Fans, the shroud improves the performance slightly by getting rid of the deadspot, it also quitens it a bit. It's probably very marginal, as with most things like lapping etc ect

Replacement Performance Shroud for Thermochill PA120 Series Radiators.

Please note, shrouds are not necessary for PA Series rads. They are an optional extra. Our radiators function perfectly fine without the additional performance shroud. The shroud can gain you 2% in performance at extremely low CFM ranges.

# Shroud fabricated from sheet steel and black powder-coated (other finishes coming soon)
# For ALL PA120.x series Radiators
# Elevates fans from PA120.x core surface by an additional 40mm to further reduce noise and provide more even airflow distribution across core surface area.
# Neoprene Fan Gaskets Available to further reduce vibration noise and provide total airseal of fan to shroud and shroud to radiator.

L31mr0d

Inquitus wrote: »

Theres a dead spot close to the Fans, the shroud improves the performance slightly by getting rid of the deadspot, it also quitens it a bit. It's probably very marginal, as with most things like lapping etc ect

I suppose if you have the space for it then why not. btw are you aiming for silence with this build or performance?

Inquitus

L31mr0d wrote: »

I suppose if you have the space for it then why not. btw are you aiming for silence with this build or performance?

I think it will be a happy medium of both. All the fans are silenx 14dba and 72CFM, the cooling will be top notch, so performance will not be hindered, but there will be obvious silence benefits.

I am aiming for 3.6GHZ off the CPU as a minimum and a good percentage more out of the GPU which currently smashes Ultra levels even on air.

Inqui

nibble

Inquitus wrote: »

I think it will be a happy medium of both. All the fans are silenx 14dba and 72CFM, the cooling will be top notch, so performance will not be hindered, but there will be obvious silence benefits.

I am aiming for 3.6GHZ off the CPU as a minimum and a good percentage more out of the GPU which currently smashes Ultra levels even on air.

Inqui

I really hope you don't believe those fan specs, SilenX are known to massively exaggerate CFM and report much lower dbA ratings than reality. Seriously Yate loon, Scythe S-Flex and Zalman ZM-F3 are the only fans I'd consider for a rad. And they're all cheaper than "SilenX" :rolleyes::rolleyes:
Good luck with the build looks great so far.

Inquitus

I've got about 10 Scythe S-Flex from my existing build, they are defo louder than the Silenx from my experience.

Anyways there is a potential showstopper. I cannot remove the rear mount of the Ultra-120 I was using - the glue is just too sticky and I don't see anyway round it without potentially making ****e of the mobo.

PogMoThoin

I had the same problem with the sticky pad on the backing plate of the tuniq tower, got it eventually by sliding an old credit card through the pad. Had the same problem on awhir's mobo and solved it the same way.

Inquitus

PogMoThoin wrote: »

I had the same problem with the sticky pad on the backing plate of the tuniq tower, got it eventually by sliding an old credit card through the pad. Had the same problem on awhir's mobo and solved it the same way.

Just used a knife, but CC would be more intelligent

1/2" Tubing is a bitch to work with, gives the best flow rates and all, though marginal these days on a fully blocked mobo. I am cutting the tubing and applying it to all the blocks before I mount the blocks to the board....it just requires too much force.

2/1 I make **** of this mobo and have to buy another off of ebay

Inqui

L31mr0d

Inquitus wrote: »

1/2" Tubing is a bitch to work with, gives the best flow rates and all, though marginal these days on a fully blocked mobo. I am cutting the tubing and applying it to all the blocks before I mount the blocks to the board....it just requires too much force.

what do you mean "it just requires too much force"??? Do you mean trying to get it to fit around the barbs? From reading around the advice is to soak the tubing in hot water before pushing it down on the barb as it will be flexible.

I'm thinking about getting 3/8" tubing for my build, is it going to be a bitch to fit that onto 1/2" barbs?

Inquitus

There's no way you'd be able to fit the blocks and then fit the tubing and jubilee clips imo. Easier to pipe it all up, tighten it and then mount the lot...

nibble

Why? 1/2" on 1/2" barbs goes on really easy even 7/16" isn't that hard to get on to 1/2" barbs. Heating the tubing up a bit always helps.
Try undervolting the Scythes, 7v or 5v if you want quieter. They really are a hell of a lot better than silenx...

Inquitus

Project Vortex was trumped by project get the loft converted and an extension out the back of the house. This is nearing completion and i should be able to get back on with this in about 6 weeks time.

I borked the original Mobo, got a DFI X48 board to replace it.

BadCharlie

Building computers take time. I just do the simple slap in the parts and away she goes. Still takes me time... and more offten then not i take it apart a few days later to do some changes. This can happen 4 or 5 times before im happy.

Anti

Cant wait to see this MM build !!

Silenceisbliss

I dont mean to alarm you...but in the like 6th and 7th pictures...there seem to be childern trapped in your case! omg!:eek:

Inquitus

Silenceisbliss wrote: »

I dont mean to alarm you...but in the like 6th and 7th pictures...there seem to be childern trapped in your case! omg!:eek:

Its a dual core AI CPU, powered by 100G of Cadbury's Finest.

Inquitus

Finally its completed 8mths later lol, been a hectic last half of 2008, thankfully I've had the time and space to put it together.

Just running at stock now, will take some pics when the replacement screen for my N95 arrives from ebay in the next day or so.

Core Temp is giving me some nice temps around 40 loaded at stock.

Anti

is it tiem foar pix nao ?

KamiKazi

plz let it b pix tiem nao...

Inquitus

Its up and running, but not complete, I needs a new PSU, I am using an old Seasonic I have, but I lost most of the modular cabling so I have had to daisy chain the feck out of it, which looks ug-er-ly. One of my kids put a foot through one of the perspex windies too, so I need to buy a sheet and refit. Pics soon!

Credit crunch to blame, waiting for adverts to cough me up a suitable PSU