Project: Lian Li PC-A77

[fadetoblack]

so a few months ago i started hanging out here in the liquid cooling forum and i'm finally ready to go liquid! i needed a new case to fit everything in and was about to buy the tj07 but then i found out about the lian li pc-a77 which seemed pretty nice so i decided on that (had to wait over a month for it though). anyway, i havent gotten too far yet but i thought i'd start since i have questions. i dont have any previous experience with water cooling and case modding so this won't turn out anywhere near as nice as some of the awesome builds out there (especially knet's pc-a77 build), but ill do my best..



SYSTEM:
intel qx9650
evga 790i ultra
2x2gb gskill ddr3 1600mhz
2x evga gtx280
tagan bz1100w psu
2x wd raptor 150gb (raid 0)
1x wd caviar 500gb
lian li pc-a77
avertv pcie combo tuner
vista ultimate x64




WC PARTS:
Radiator 1: Thermochill PA120.2
Radiator 2: Thermochill PA120.3
Radiator 1 Fans: 2x Yate Loon D12SM 120mm for PA120.2
Radiator 2 Fans: 3x Yate Loon D12SM 120mm for PA120.3

Pump 1: DDC3.2 12V 18w w/ XSPC Reservoir Top
Pump 2: DDC3.2 12V 18w w/ XSPC Reservoir Top
Res Adapter: 2x M20x1.5 to G1/4” Reservoir Fill Cap Adapter
http://www.aqua-pcs.co.uk/m20x15-to-g14-reservoir-fill-cap-adapter-1351-p.asp

CPU Block: XSPC Edge Acrylic
http://www.aqua-pcs.co.uk/new-xspc-edge-acrylic-1344-p.asp
NB Block: ViperJohn 790i NB/SPP Block
SB Block: EK NB/SB 6 - Acetal
GPU Block: 2x D-Tek Fuzion GFX 2 w/ Unisink

Barbs: All DD Fat Boy Fittings 1/2" OD
Barb Adapters: McMaster G3/8 to G1/4 Adapters (for Fat Boys on radiators)
http://www.mcmaster.com/nav/enter.asp?partnum=4860K657&pagenum=29

Coolant: Distilled Water + PT Nuke
Tubing: Feser Tube Active UV Hose 1/2ID 3/4OD
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=292&products_id=23370
Clamps: Breeze Miniature Hose Clamp
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/brmihocl7int1.html
Fill Port: 2x Danger Den Acetal 1"
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/dadendefi.html
- i was hoping to mount these at the top of the case but theres no space so i'll have to keep them inside

Chilled PC - Anodised 120.3 Rad Grill with Mounting Holes (fits thermochill rads only)
http://www.jab-tech.com/Chilled-PC-Anodised-120.3-Rad-Grill-with-Mounting-Holes-pr-4127.html
2x AC Ryan Twin Overboost Dual 12" CCFL Light UV
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=20529




LOOPS:
loop 1: ddc->PA120.2->CPU->NB
loop 2: ddc->GPU1->GPU2->PA120.3


a few questions i had:
1. given the layout below, there is only one 120mm exhaust at the back. should i make the top rad fans pull air out from the case?
2. any other suggestions/problems with the general layout?

[fadetoblack]

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0001.jpg
its time to put this thing in a case..

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0056.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0057.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0058.jpg
i'm prob gonna go with the yate loons on the pa120.2 also.. noise isn't really an issue for me, but i didn't realize just how loud those ultra kaze's are

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0014.jpg
not sure which two colors to go with

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0004.jpg
case stripped down. i still dont understand why lian li didnt make more holes in the motherboard tray for clean wiring.. i guess ill have to cut a couple of holes

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0010.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0011.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0012.jpg
it was a pain getting those two horizontal plates out, since i had to drill holes in the front of the frame to get to the front screws holding them in.

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0016.jpg
seeing how the grill will look against the top panel..

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0018.jpg
as always, measure twice cut once

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0020.jpg
holes are drilled, making sure the grill fits

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0021.jpg
making sure the pa120.3 fits.. it fits :up:

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0022.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0055.jpg
the tubing could have fit through those holes, but i wanted to make it a looser fit so i cut a chunk out and stuck some of that c-strip rubber from petras on there

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0038.jpg
almost done cutting.. yes, i have to do my cutting in the bathroom since i live in a small apt and have no backyard :(. easy to clean up all the dust and mess from the drilling in the bathroom also

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0039.jpg
finally!

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0041.jpg
took one reinforced cutting wheel (dremel #426)

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0042.jpg
not exactly the greatest job in the world, but it'll do

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0043.jpg

i spent some time wondering what the best way to mount my dvd drive and 3 hard drives in the 3 free 5.25" drive bays was. the pa120.3 on top protrudes into the top 2 bays, and the pa120.2 would take up the bottom 7, leaving 3. there was no way the dvd drive would fit in the 2nd bay, but i could mount a hd in the 2nd since its not as long, 3rd, 4th using those scythe 5.25" hd mounts. and then the dvd drive would go in the 5th. problem with that was that i wasnt sure how to mount a fan in front of the hd's. then i realized the hard drive cages that came with the case would fit in the 2nd,3rd, and 4th bays if i cut into it at the top.
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0023.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0027.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0029.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0036.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0034.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0032.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0035.jpg
perfect.. now the 2nd bay wont go to waste and i have air flow to the hds.

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0044-1.jpg
because of the little screw at the bottom of the rad, it obviously wasnt sitting flat on the bottom of the case so i drilled a hole at the bottom which i majorly screwed up

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0046.jpg
as you can see, i drilled too far back so i had to expand the hole towards the front.. oh well, at least its not visible

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0048.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0049.jpg
now i need to secure the rad so it doesnt fall forward (it wont slide around because of the hole that the screw fits into at the bottom and obviously its not gonna fall back), and i came up with the ghetto solution below.

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0050.jpg
remember those horizontal plates in the hard drive cages? i thought i'd try cutting one of those up and mounting it in front of the rad.

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0059.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0052.jpg

alright, thats all ive got for now. any advice, suggestions?

[fadetoblack]

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0062.jpg
cut a hole at the bottom for a 120mm intake fan

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0074.jpg
aluminum dust filter and fan grill for bottom intake fan

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0063.jpg
cut some holes in the motherboard tray so i can clean up the wiring, put some of that handy c-strip rubber around them

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0064.jpg
cut a small hole in the cage above the motherboard tray so i can hopefully bring the 8-pin motherboard power connector around the back, behind the tray..

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0070.jpg
shortened the wires for the fans that will go on the PA120.3. soldered them together and put some heatshrink on

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0068.jpg
did the same for the fans going on the PA120.2

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0071.jpg
with the "spiral wrap" wire covers. i got this stuff from performance pcs. doesn't look too bad and a hell of a lot easier than putting the regular cable sleeving on

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0072.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0080.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0079.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0081.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0082.jpg

[fadetoblack]

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0109.jpg
decided to go with an ac ryan blackfire4 fan for the bottom intake. 29dba, 78cfm

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0113.jpg
dust filter underneath

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0108.jpg
enlarged the hole for the pa120.3 tubes since it was still a little tight

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0103.jpg
drilled holes for the pump screws.. i was initially just gonna stick them on with the sticky pad but then thought it would be a pain if i ever needed to take them out or move them around

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0107.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0094.jpg
i think im gonna go with green and red.. blue isnt as bright

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0095.jpg
even though its very tempting, im not gonna water cool the SB. just wanted to see how it looks with the block on

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0098.jpg
cutting tubes to proper length.. i had some trouble getting the hose between the cpu and nb without any kinks since its a tight bend, so im a little worried about that.

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0099-1.jpg
that horizontal plate to secure the rad was getting in the way of the tube going down to the pump so i just cut a chunk out of it.

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0101.jpg

im still waiting for the new dtek gtx 280 blocks to become available, so i wasnt able to do much for the gpu loop. i hope those will come out soon so i can do leak testing all at once instead of twice for each loop. if not, im just gonna go ahead and finish the cpu loop by the long weekend hopefully.

here's a few unrelated pics of my setup and crysis
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0089.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0086.jpg
all i can say is that crysis with very high settings at 2560x1600 is absolutely stunning

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0087.jpg

[fadetoblack]

well i didn't want to wait around for the gpu blocks any longer so i decided i'd get at least the first loop finished..

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0129.jpg
i wanted to have both male and female molex connectors on the pump and cpu block leds, so i soldered some on that i had laying around. unfortunately i didnt realize the the leds are powered by the +5v pin and not the +12v pin so i had them connected to the wrong one and fried two in the process. well they're not totally fried but they don't seem to be as bright anymore - no big deal. anyway so i switched the pins around on the molex so the leds would be on the 5v

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0126.jpg
wires tucked away to the side of the pump

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0127.jpg
behind pump - also soldered the leds for each pump together so i wouldnt need to plug them in separately

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0114.jpg
leak testing w/o any hardware. i had this running for almost two days. had the pump off for a good period of time in between as well. no leaks at all

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0132.jpg
leak testing w/ hardware, ran for about 10 hours. still no leaks :up:. it was a little tough installing the blocks onto the hardware since the loop was already assembled and filled with water

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0133.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0140.jpg
installed rest of the hardware and turned on for the first time. up and running! :banana::banana::banana:

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0141.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0142.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0148.jpg
pump 1 in action

and finally, now for some temp readings.

settings:
cpu @ 3.8ghz (9.5x400)
vcore: 1.3875v (1.296 - 1.35 actual with vdroop)
fsb: 1.35v
ram: 1.9v
spp: 1.4v
mcp: auto (1.5v)
ram unlinked @1600mhz, 7-7-7-18-2T

i ran prime95 (small fft's) for an hour, you can see the results in pic below. basically, the max temp on any core i saw was 58c while stress testing. this is compared to ~75-77c with air cooling. not bad :up:! also, NB/SPP temps are down to 44c from 55c. SB/MCP temps are down to 50c from 64c (but thats just from the evercool SB fan). do those seem like reasonable temps to you guys or do you think they should be lower?

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/2850/desktopaa1.th.jpg (http://img59.imageshack.us/my.php?image=desktopaa1.jpg)

[fadetoblack]

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0168.jpg
two of the thermal gap pads were missing, they were actually stuck in the packaging

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0169.jpg
1.4 billion transistors...

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0173.jpg
cleaned all the old thermal paste

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0196.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0197.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0199.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0206.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0201.jpg
had to expand the hole for the 120.3 tubes yet again - turns out the tubes were being kinked by the back part

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0203.jpg
put another set of 2x12" uv cathodes at the top of the case

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0204.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0207.jpg
had to use anti kink coils.. it still flattens out a little but not as bad as it did without them. if you look closely at the tube between the cpu and nb, it also flattens out a bit but there is no kink (see pic below). would that affect performance?

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0213.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0212.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0208.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0217.jpg
leak testing.. there was a small leak on the right barb on the upper video card almost immediately. i tightened the clamp but it was already pretty secure so that didn't help. so i ended up taking it apart (man that was a pain) and i swapped out the fitting for another one i had lying around and that seemed to fix it. i guess the o-ring on the first barb wasn't sealing correctly.

[leo_bsb]

just forget the SB block and you are all set.

[Pedalmonkey]

i dont know about the 790i but normally a good heatsink will do enough for the SB and Mosfets. the less restriciton and heat dump on ur CPU block and loop the better.

[fadetoblack]

yeah i might ditch it, since it will no doubt be a pain to get the tubes in there with sli

[fadetoblack]

updated

anyone have any thoughts on the questions in the first post? im mostly concerned about the fact that there is only one exhaust at the back

[xTKxhom3r]

wow nice!

[The[R]eaper]

lookin' real good so far:up:

I was gonna get this case when i first saw it but i got the TJ07 instead, but it'll prolly be my first lian-li for sure.

it looks like you are using some G3/8 to G1/4 converters on your PA's, are they these part # 4860K657 from mcmaster? thanks

[fadetoblack]

thanks. yeah, it was down to the tj07 and this case for me as well. yes, those are the mcmaster reducers - i have a link to them in the first post

[mike8913]

have you considered doing a reverse flow in the case...having both rads blow out into the air would be better than having them suck in and also gives you negative pressure in the case. You might see a negligible rise in temperature of perhaps one degree, but far superior to what the motherboard temperature would probably be if you have all that heat dump going into the case. And plus, the way you have your fans oriented it works better anyway, you just have to reverse their flow and then you have pull through on the rads instead of forced air through like you original plan.

Thats what I would do, take it or leave it.

[Ashraf]

It's coming along great!

It doesn't even look like it is your first time modding. :D

[fadetoblack]

have you considered doing a reverse flow in the case...having both rads blow out into the air would be better than having them suck in and also gives you negative pressure in the case. You might see a negligible rise in temperature of perhaps one degree, but far superior to what the motherboard temperature would probably be if you have all that heat dump going into the case. And plus, the way you have your fans oriented it works better anyway, you just have to reverse their flow and then you have pull through on the rads instead of forced air through like you original plan.

Thats what I would do, take it or leave it.

yeah i wouldnt mind doing that, it would certainly help MB temps like you said. so in that case would i mount the fans on the 120.3 on top? the other thing is if i do that, there wont be any intake to the case other than the one hd cage fan. wouldn't that be a problem? thats why i was thinking of making one rad intake and the other exhaust but if you guys think both as exhaust works then thats great.

[mike8913]

you could mount the fans on top of the 120.3 or leave them as they are but pushing air up instead of down like you have them. pulling air through the rad would be more efficient but it's up to you. I would absolutely NOT run one of the rads as intake and the other as exhaust as you will basically negate any gains you got because you're now running exhausted air through already heated water that wants to be radiated into the air. You're temps will suffer greatly.

As far as flow inside the case is concerned with the way i suggested you shouldn't have anything to worry about. You're going to have a lot fo negative pressure , more exhaust then intake, which is good to remove heat. If it made you feel more secure you would be well served to cut a small intake port at the bottom of the case. You wouldn't even need a fan, just an opening with a filter to supply more airflow in the case.

[fadetoblack]

ok, sounds good. ill change it so the the 120.3 fans are on top of the rad, pulling air up - and the 120.2 fans same place but pulling air out also.

[manyga]

Nice mate!!

SUBSCRIBED!

Regards!

[mike8913]

by the way....you're cuts are flawless and you're attention to detail with installation has been inspiring.

[Ashraf]

Hm, nah.

If I were you, I'd leave them as they are and make one (or two) 120mm hole as exhaust air on the bottom of the case.

[mike8913]

if you do it that way, it will of course work, but not as efficiently because you will have recirculation of radiated air (heat rises or cold air is more dense if you liek physics). more is not always better...however, doing more with less, or efficiency as it were, is the key to any good heat removal system.

[fadetoblack]

by the way....you're cuts are flawless and you're attention to detail with installation has been inspiring.

wow, thanks man! :up:




Hm, nah.

If I were you, I'd leave them as they are and make one (or two) 120mm hole as exhaust air on the bottom of the case.


hmm.. now im confused :confused:

[xTKxhom3r]

how much did the case run you?

[fadetoblack]

how much did the case run you?

$265 + 20 shipping from priceguidenetwork.com

[mike8913]

what ashraf said is that he liked the way you had it before....understandably so. My suggestions are purely for keeping efficiency in mind. You will yield better results with my suggestions, I guarantee it. With regards to airflow in the case, you also have to remember that the PSU will provide circulation from the bottom as well. So i wouldnt worry about dead spots, but a little port hole opening definitely wouldn't hurt. But keep in mind that having more exhaust than intake is a good thing because you want negative pressure inside you case.

On another note, instead of a full cover block for your GPU's i would suggest running die blocks only, you'll get better temps and you're memory will not suffer either as long as you put sinks on them.

[Ashraf]

hmm.. now im confused :confused:

Sorry, but I won't let heat air go through the radiator as exhaust. :shrug:

[mike8913]

Sorry, but I won't let heat air go through the radiator as exhaust. :shrug:

Ashraf, i understand your concern, but realize that the volume of air he'll be pulling through that case every second will not be effected in any noticeable way by the heat emitted from the motherboard and other secondary electronics. Secondly, he would yield negative returns by forcing hundreds of watts of heat back into the case where he just cooled the components. The heat that would be pulled through the rads by running through the case first would be nothing but negligible. I'd be extremely surprised if there was even a 1 degree difference in temps. However, given the choice of running my 1 degree above ambient in my fluid line or possibly running above 40c on my motherboard...i would certainly choose the 1 degree of ambient.

[The[R]eaper]

thanks. yeah, it was down to the tj07 and this case for me as well. yes, those are the mcmaster reducers - i have a link to them in the first post

whoops sorry. did you need any sealant, tape, or o-ring for the reducers? thanks

[fadetoblack]

nope.. the reducers come with a washer and o-ring. its a nice tight fit

[The[R]eaper]

cool thanks a bunch.

[fadetoblack]

ok what do you guys think of this then? i can install an intake fan at the bottom of the case and then have the rad fans all pulling out

[septim]

woe too much negative air pressure, sucking in all the dust through other airways into your pc...

i think its much better having both rad as air intake to give them slightly better temps and that the intake air will also benefit those 2 ddc...

or use the front 120.2 as intake together with the ex33 and the bottom intake, then the 120.3 and the back fan as exhaust for a more balanced air pressure...
of course its really up to you to decide on which way you want it, or try it both ways and see which would prove more temp friendly to your case...

[mike8913]

you'll want that back 120mm as intake though, not exhaust. Again, it is up to you, but slap a couple filters on the intake ports and you're all set. no dust issues and negative pressure is good.

[fadetoblack]

for the bottom intake fan, would i better off going with a 120mm or 140mm? i was looking at the 140mm yate loon medium but it has a lower cfm than the 120mm version. are there any good ones with a high cfm and around the same dba level?

[mike8913]

like i said before, you don't even necessarily need a fan in the new opening at the bottom. a fan would only serve you well there for air cooling, but in this case with the radiators doing a large amount of pulling you will get circulation just by having the opening. It's your call though, 120mm fans are easily obtained and why make a larger cut than you need to?

[fadetoblack]

yeah i figured if i'm making an opening at the bottom i might as well stick a fan there also, can't hurt right. i guess i'll just use a 120mm yate loon

[mike8913]

might as well, build quality is superb and 120mm yate loons last forever and can be used on another case in the future if you were to so choose.

remember to use filters on your intake....it will make a world of difference for dust.

[septim]

no, those yates won't last long if on horizontal position, read up "the sleeve bearing grind" 6 months to 1 year and it'll make some sounds... better get better fans if you're gonna put them horizontal...

[fadetoblack]

no, those yates won't last long if on horizontal position, read up "the sleeve bearing grind" 6 months to 1 year and it'll make some sounds... better get better fans if you're gonna put them horizontal...

any you recommend?

[Hor$eman]

I'd have both rad sets fans pull air out, and add a triple fan (or size thereabouts) opening on the side. You could either run 3 fans, or none, but that would give it the air required to maintain optimum cooling (and this would give you positive pressure if you ran fans).

[septim]

Sflex-f has been nice to me for almost 2 years... and those sanyo denki's san aces 1011 (38mm thick) are also good if you can find some...

[leo_bsb]

no, those yates won't last long if on horizontal position, read up "the sleeve bearing grind" 6 months to 1 year and it'll make some sounds... better get better fans if you're gonna put them horizontal...

In two months I'll have mine running for one year.
Until now no weird sounds.

[mike8913]

I'd have both rad sets fans pull air out, and add a triple fan (or size thereabouts) opening on the side. You could either run 3 fans, or none, but that would give it the air required to maintain optimum cooling (and this would give you positive pressure if you ran fans).

yes, but you want negative pressure in heat removal

[fadetoblack]

added some pics

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=3072168&postcount=3

[mike8913]

very nice, let us know performance results when its all set up. I love this build.

[fadetoblack]

very nice, let us know performance results when its all set up. I love this build.

will do

[Ashraf]

Neat and simple. Nicely done. :up:

[fadetoblack]

a few updates

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=3072172&postcount=4

[disruptfam]

2 x 280gtx nice..


project is looking good

[fadetoblack]

updated

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=3072177&postcount=5

[fadetoblack]

some pics with the uv cathodes

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0158.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0162.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/GEDC0164.jpg


now for the graphics cards...

[amopresunto]

Looking very good. Especially for a first time mod. You have given me hope for when I can afford to build an extreme system of my own.

Can't wait to see when the vid cards are WC'd.

About your ghetto solution retention mechanism for the Thermochill PA120.2... If you ever decide to change it, I have a possible alternate solution. The "Silverstone RadSupport09". Although Silverstone made it for mounting a radiator in the top of their Temjin TJ09 or TJ10 tower chassis, it looks like it could work for your front mounted PA120.2 (with some possible minor case modification). At minimum, it would provide a more solid mounting. FrozenCPU (http://www.frozencpu.com/products/6887/cas-353/Silverstone_RadSupport09_Top_Panel_Dual_Radiator_M ounting_Bracket_TJ09_TJ10.html?tl=c283s732b7) sells it.

Please post pics when you have more work done. So far, this system looks kickass!

[SeanB]

Impressive mod, i love your style.
subd.

[rafwlkp]

Nice, but PSU colours destroy all. This Tagan l00ks like Christmas Tree :D

[Ashraf]

Wow, very colorful. :D You did a great job. :clap:

[fadetoblack]

updated.. almost there guys

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=3072184&postcount=6

@amopresunto
thanks for the link. if i had known about that mounting bracket before i probably would have tried it out.

@rafwlkp
hehe.. yeah i guess the tagan is a little colorful for a psu, but i don't mind it

[fadetoblack]

well i was too impatient to wait a full 24 hours for leak testing on the gpu loop so i turned it on after about 10 hours and checked out the gpu temps. idle temps were 38c on both cards compared to ~65c before.. then i ran a bunch of different progs like several runs of atitool and several loops of the crysis gpu benchmark (first at 1920x1200 then 2560x1600 to stress it even more). then i overclocked the cards and ran them again. max temps i saw on both cards was 49c vs ~85c before :up:. honestly, i was not expecting such a considerable improvement but am obviously very happy with the results.

anyway all thats left now is to clean up the wiring behind the mobo tray. it's such a mess right now i can't even get the back panel on. will post some final pics when i get that done.


Wow, very colorful. :D You did a great job. :clap:

thanks, how's yours coming along?

[AtlasShrugged]

Photos please?

I'd like to know if it's possible to use three of these blocks in a tri-SLI setup like mine.

Thanks

[fadetoblack]

Photos please?

I'd like to know if it's possible to use three of these blocks in a tri-SLI setup like mine.

Thanks

oh, all the pics are on the first page

[fadetoblack]

finished..

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/IMG_8852.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/IMG_8856.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/IMG_8877.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/IMG_8899.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/IMG_8863.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/IMG_8894.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll293/fadetoblack82/IMG_8870.jpg

[HaCKs]

that looks great!

I feel your pain with the whole small apartment thing! I live in hollywood and have a one bedroom. Luckily I have a small back yard area for cutting and painting.

[fadetoblack]

I feel your pain with the whole small apartment thing! I live in hollywood and have a one bedroom. Luckily I have a small back yard area for cutting and painting.

heh yeah a backyard would be nice.. i couldn't do any of the cutting at night either cause i didn't want to disturb the neighbors.

[Ashraf]

Great work! Tell us your good/bad experiences with your first water cooling system.

BTW, I see too many fingerprints all over the interior. :p:

---


thanks, how's yours coming along?

Ah, I haven't worked on my project lately. I am still working on this project for mussafry: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=192512

[fadetoblack]

thanks! hmm.. im not sure there were too many bad things about it. the only negatives that come to my mind were the hassles involved with assembling the loop, messing with tubing, etc. especially when i had to readjust a tube, it was a pain getting it off the fittings because they are a tight fit and when the components are installed you can't just yank them off. i think the hardest time i had was when i discovered the leak in the 2nd loop and had to drain it (luckily it wasn't full at that point) and then take out the card, replace the bad fitting and put everything back. other than those things, i actually had a great time, especially with the dremel and case modding. now im kind of bored as i dont have a project to work on anymore :).

heh, as for the fingerprints yeah i should clean those off. one thing i kinda wish i had done was to paint the interior black..

[Ashraf]

Thanks for sharing. I've never put water cooling system in my rig before, but I did play around with it once. I agree with the part that it was a pain getting tubings off the fittings.

I am glad to hear that you had a great time case modding. Are you planning to get another case to play with? :D Hey, don't worry about the interior. You can always paint it when you plan to upgrade your system. :)

[fadetoblack]

I am glad to hear that you had a great time case modding. Are you planning to get another case to play with? :D Hey, don't worry about the interior. You can always paint it when you plan to upgrade your system. :)


hehe, no i think i'm done for quite a while now. no upgrades for a few years.

[marcus000]

Hiya mate, nice build! :)

Do you reckon you could squeeze another PA120.1 or PA120.2 on top of that PA120.2 in the drive bays?
&
Is the fan controller in the top bay the same size as a normal 5.25" bezel?

Cheers :p:

[fadetoblack]

yes, you could put another pa120.1 on top of the 120.2, or just put another 120.3 up at the front. but then you would have no room left for 5.25" drives or hard drives. as for the fan controller, it actually doesnt take up any space in the top bay and is directly above it - and its mounted directly to the case frame using 2 screws.

[seba84_2005]

Hi All;) this is my cace lian li pc-a77:D

http://images23.fotosik.pl/260/02f5f429a4b73143.jpg (www.fotosik.pl)

http://images34.fotosik.pl/336/81caff51c1632715.jpg (www.fotosik.pl)

http://images23.fotosik.pl/260/498d2c9869815709.jpg (www.fotosik.pl)

http://images33.fotosik.pl/344/016db40356c2e997.jpg (www.fotosik.pl)

http://images33.fotosik.pl/344/f6b49cd8556761f7.jpg (www.fotosik.pl)

http://images33.fotosik.pl/344/07773ed8491b8c52.jpg (www.fotosik.pl)

[Kibbler]

That looks nice but maybe you can start your own thread rather than stealing the thunder from fadetoblack.

[Razor_Blade]

That looks nice but maybe you can start your own thread rather than stealing the thunder from fadetoblack.

Seriously, Holy Thread-Jack Batman!

[MomijiTMO]

Lawls that was hilarious.

Great job fadetoblack. :up:

[fadetoblack]

That looks nice but maybe you can start your own thread rather than stealing the thunder from fadetoblack.


hehe.. no worries..

awesome job seba.. very clean - do you have a build log for yours?

[seba84_2005]

thanks, your project is also great work!:up: I do not have unfortunately build log:shakes: it did not want me to take photo, and regrets now:(

[disruptfam]

Thread jack much!!!

nice rig seba but i think you start you own thread bud

[aoch88]

Nice! I wonder why there isn't any top cover replacements from Lian Li for this casing.