Another Lian-Li PC-343B Build Log

[~aoe~]

I've been following a number of other build logs based on this case, and have been in the process of trying to build my own for the past few weeks. I should mention that this is my 1st attempt at building a water-cooling.

I'm currently at the stage where the CPU loop is up and running, and am awaiting a couple of components needed to complete the build.

The system is based on the following components:

Lian-Li PC-343B case
Q6600 G0 CPU
Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6 motherboard
4 x 1GB Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500 memory
8800GTX graphics card

The cooling will be provided by:

Swiftech Apogee GTX CPU block with copper top
Swiftwch MCW60 GPU block
Swiftech MCW30 NB block
Enzotech CNB-S1L SB heatsink (modded)
2 x Swiftech MCP355 pumps with Petra's top
1 x Thermochill PA120.3 radiator (CPU & NB loop)
1 x Thermochill PA120.2 radiator (GPU loop)
2 x Swiftech MCRES reservoirs
Tygon 7/16" tubing
15 x Zalman ZM-F3 fans (red LED)

Here's my 1st attempt at building the CPU/NB loop:



You'll have to excuse the blue SmartCoils - I ran out of clear, and that was all I had at the time - I did intend to change them later.

I had a few problems with this layout. Firstly, I didn't plan the location of the pump very well (it's attached to the back of the motherboard tray) as I didn't leave enough room to install the hdd's in the drive bays. Next, I didn't apply enough TIM (1st time using Shin-Etsu x23-7783D). I also put a lot of dye in the water to try and achieve a darker colouring - in fact, I used half a bottle of Petra's 'red' (pink) dye, which was probably too much. I may also not have cleaned the radiators well enough. The result was cloudy tubing after a few hours of use, and an oily slick on the surface of the water in the reservoir.

So, I decided to strip it all down and have another go. This was not an easy task, and it got me thinking on how I could improve the layout to make draining easier.

I removed the PA120.1 radiator as I decided it wasn't really necessary and could do with the additional space and improved airflow. I also decided to put the pumps in the front of the case, and reverse the PA120.3 so that the barbs are at the bottom.

It took a while to clean the radiator again (lots of pink dye), but finally managed it and here is the new layout:



The filter is temporary and will be removed after I'm sure the loop is clean (maybe a week or so).

I'm happier with the layout, although I was unable to fit hose clamps to the radiator connections - not too bothered about this as I'm using 7/16" tubing on 1/2" fittings.

This is currently running 400x9 @ 1.5v (1.472v in WinXp drooping to 1.440v under load) 24hr prime stable with temps of 33 idle and 52 load. I think having it so close to the radiator is not a good idea and is affecting the temps, but it will be moved once complete. I'm sure there's more OC in there and will be able to spend more time on it once the build is complete.

I'll post some more pics and details on the build process shortly. I just wanted to make this post to commit myself to maintaining this build log

Finally, a quick thanks to the following threads for the inspiration:

Cascades' Lian-Li 343B Case 3-loop Project
Mjassbong's Project X-343B-WC
Mekrel's Project: Back To Black