Another Lian-Li PC-343B Build Log

[~aoe~]

The stand-offs are distributed as official Swiftech parts, when you buy an Apogee GTX now :p

I just started an own thread here: Worklog - Lian Li PC 343b built coming with 2 Loops

Yes - they're standard.

Thx for the link. Now I've got another thread I can steal ideas from

[Waterlogged]

That is exactly my concern . I'm not worried about the o-rings falling into the threads, I'm just not confident they will seal correctly.

There are 2 basic designs around: Swiftech (and others?) provide the recess on their blocks to prevent the o-ring from spreading and use non-recessed o-rings on their fittings; others such as D-Tek and Alphacool provide the o-ring recess on their fittings. Here are the different fittings:



Left to right:
1. Swiftech
2. D-tek
3. Alphacool

The Swiftech fitting has a nice fat o-ring and is not recessed. The recess on the Swiftech blocks will provide the correct mating surface and prevent spreading of the o-ring. The other 2 fittings have recessed o-rings and are ideal for mating with flat surfaces (reservoirs, radiators, etc.). In my opinion, these 2 designs are not compatible.

You may consider me over-cautious, but it's a risk I'm not prepared to take.

Ok, just for future reference, the D-Tek and Alphacool you show, are the proper definition of a "G" fitting. The Swiftech and DD barbs are lazy American versions of the "G" classification specs.

Now, having said that, I know from personal experience the D-Tek will properly seal your MCW's (I'm not sure about the GTX though). I doubt the hex on the Alpha will get past the surface for the O-Ring to seal on any of the blocks BUT, you can double up on O-Rings and that will works just as well (I've done it in the past and it doesn't leak).

The thread diameter is the same for both the Swiftech and D-Tek, both have a flat where the thread starts....So what's the problem? Don't say the recess because I've already said the D-Tek will fit. If you don't believe me, leak test one block you have a concern about with the D-Tek barbs outside the case before you put the loop together.

[~aoe~]

Well, my target was to complete the build before the 25th, and I almost made it.

I received the painted case on Saturday. It was spray painted matt black by a friend. I'm very happy with the results, although for the future I will probably plan more time for the paint job and get it anodised. The matt effect does show up the dust as Jedda mentioned, and is also a PITA to clean. I'd maybe consider a slight satin effect the next time, although I do like the way the matt doesn't reflect the light.

On Sunday and Monday I assembled both loops and left it running overnight to leak test. That all went well so today I'll try and assemble the rest of the components and with any luck should have it up and running later today.

Here's some pics:

Rear view



Side view



The tubing is black Tygon ½" with PrimoChill gloss red coils. Whilst I like the overall colour scheme, I think I may have gone a bit overboard with the coils. I'm considering spacing them out a bit so that more of the black tubing is visible.

You may notice that the tube on the far right is a tad too long. I'm trying to decide whether to cut it shorter, although this would obviously require that I drain the loop again . Maybe on the next upgrade .

All visible screw/bolt heads have been 'painted' black using a permanent marker pen.

You may have noticed a couple of strange things on the GPU loop that go against some of the acknowledged standards of water cooling. Firstly, loop order is pump > GPU > radiator > reservoir. This was done to keep the routing of the tubing cleaner. Also, I do have the fans on the PA120.2 blowing up, which is not ideal considering the fans are Zalman and therefore sleeve bearing. It also means that I have the air from the case blowing through the radiator. This was done deliberately to help balance the air flow through the case. Considering that the GPU has a dedicated PA120.2 radiator, I'm confident there will be more than adequate cooling for my needs.

Pump mounting



I used a couple of rubber grommets to support the pumps.



The rubber is a bit hard and as such does not absorb all of the vibration. The noise isn't that noticeable, but I can probably improve this by finding a softer material. This will be a task for later.

Top view



I couldn't get a decent shot of the top. The flash picks up the unpainted fins of the radiator. In reality this is not noticeable, and only really see the horizontal flow tubes and the vertical grill. The spacing of both appear identical producing a nice cross pattern effect.

Well, it's time I got on with trying to complete this build. I'll post more pics once it's completed.

[Jedda]

I find natural light the only way to photograph a TC rad.
I agree with you. A slight toning down of the amount of red could help. Overall though its looking good.
Your pump sleeving came out great. Now comes the psu leads, eh?

[Mekrel]

I tell you what as well, ChilledPC are going to do anodised aluminium rad grills, they look amazing. I was given one because I drew them up and it's spectacular. The old ones matched my build because the smooth deep black of the powder coat matched my Delrin fill ports either side, now it matches because of the brushed effect with the case.

Looks great so far, try get outside for some pictures. I did but they came out over exposed because I don't fully understand how to use my camera

[SiGfever]

It is looking good but I would like to see more of the Tygon and less of the coils.

The unpainted fins of the rad is testament to the quality of Marci's build where he put performance over looks. But personally I like the contrast between the rad and the fins.

[~aoe~]

Regarding the unpainted fins, this was not meant as a criticism - more a comment on my inability to correctly show the effect due to my poor skills with a camera. The unpainted fins are not noticeable in natural light.

I've tried to take a pic without the flash:



Here's a pic of the case with the side window



I have a single white CCFL at the top of the case.

I've increased the spacing of the coils on one of the tubes whilst doubling up on the coil thickness at each spacing. I'm trying to decide whether this is sufficient to show the correct balance of red and black. Can't decide though, so looking for opinions.

If it's still too much red, then I'll try another tube with similar coil spacing but single thickness.

On a positive note, I made an initial attempt at overclocking the graphics card and managed to achieve around 660 MHz GPU (failed at 670MHz) with temps around 46C under load. Need to further test stability before I flash the card bios with the new settings. Also haven't tried upping the memory clock yet.

[~aoe~]

I tell you what as well, ChilledPC are going to do anodised aluminium rad grills, they look amazing. I was given one because I drew them up and it's spectacular. The old ones matched my build because the smooth deep black of the powder coat matched my Delrin fill ports either side, now it matches because of the brushed effect with the case.

Thx for the info. I'll have a word with Tom and see if he can sort me out

[dnb#]

omg that's nice. a real lust for the eye as they say.
these copper tops look so nice, I just finished my new setup with a copper top too, I like our style m8, btw nice log so far.

[shazza]

I like the double-up of the coils ... the spacing looks good.

Very nice build!

[situman]

Please don't temp me to spend any more money...This LL case is just awesome.

[Patriote]

Wow! Well that looks awesome ~aoe~! Freaking great job m8!

[RockfordFosgate]

Very nice case and watercooling good job

[~aoe~]

Thanks to all for the feedback. I'll work on the coil spacing and post more pics once it's done. I'll also try and clean the case a bit

I skipped over quite a bit towards the end of the log as most of what I've done has already been covered by other logs (eg. Graphics card prep was identical to Mekrel's build). If there's anything I've missed that someone would like more detail on, please let me know and I'll provide what details I can.

For those that like all the copper, I've got some Enzotech heatspreaders for the memory modules on their way from Petra's. Should be here very soon

[~aoe~]

I've now completed the 'final' changes (as if any build like this is ever 'complete') and as promised here are some updated pics.

Firstly, a few pics to show the changing of the Ballistix heatspreaders:

Memory with standard heatspreaders removed



The thermal material between the memory chips and the heatspreader was very sticky and this made it difficult to remove. There were a couple of times I thought I must have damaged the modules, but thankfully they're pretty robust. The bare modules really do have a quality look and feel to them.



Cleaned off the sticky stuff from the chips with a cotton bud (no cleaning fluids required) and then finished them off with some Arcticlean 2 before mounting.

Here's the module waiting to be mounted



And finally mounted



Here's what they look like inside the case



And finally some pics of the finished case. The coil spacing has been changed (and I'm not considering any further modifications to the coils. In fact, I don't ever want to see another coil ).







And a couple with the side open.





I do still have a couple of small changes to make. I still need to change a couple of the SATA cables (the green ones). I ran out of black, but now have them. I also need to mod the 2 hdd modules so that I can install the filter. Will do that once I have the mesh.

Firstly, however, I'm gonna enjoy the PC for a few days. Gotta catch up on those games that have been sitting here waiting for me to complete the build. Currently working through BioShock .

Thanks to all who have taken the time to read this thread, and especially to those who've provided inspiration and/or advice.

[smee]

Looks Excellent!!!
You did a great job!

And I like the coil spacing

P.s. You have very good cable managment!

[FallenCow]

Excellent job mate! I know what you mean about those coils. Seems like a great idea at first... until you actually have to implement it!

[Jedda]

Very nice, mate. One of the best looking 343B builds, so far.
A really good result!

[septim]

a very nice outcome.

[shazza]

Really like the finished product. The red is a nice change, and the window looks great on the 343B. Thanks for sharing the build.

[nullface]

Is the PA120.3 hard to fit in the front?
Or do you just "screw it in" <- that sounds... wired

[LogAn'sRun]

Case looks awesome!! Quick question though on the RAM heatsinks, was there a benefit to replacing the stock ones from Ballistix, or was it just a color scheme preference?

[Nate P.]

Wow, really good job. Love the coil spacing and the Enzotech heatspreaders.

[nullface]

Is the PA120.3 hard to fit in the front?

What mod's are needed?

[IanY]

What mod's are needed?

If you want to use Thermochill PA120.3, then you need to drill out the rivets holding the support brace at the top of the optical bays. This is not necessary if you want to use a Swiftech or Black Ice triple radiator.