Lazylog Nigredo (Obsidian 800D 560+280)

[Church]

Build name: Nigredo (blackness). At first I thought of using Fat Panda or Onigiri because of large-ish components & initially choosen black components/white tubing, but later on decided to go (almost) all black, hence the change in build name.
What's special: (almost) internally mounted 4x140mm rad in Corsair Obsidian 800D
What to (or not) expect: Pics of very bad quality because of NO photography skills and cheap camera. Very slow work progress mostly due to financial circumstances, great lazyness of mine and lack of moding skills and tools. On beautifying front still not decided if to sleeve or not, but coolant will be dye-less distilled, probably no LED/UV lightning/transparent water blocks. Oh! And i have no cute pets as project mascot .
Pics of completed build: N/A for long time
PC HW:
[*] Case: Corsair Obsidian 800D
[*] PSU: Seasonic 1000W Platinum Active PFC
[*] Motherboard: Asrock Z77 Extreme4
[*] CPU: i7 3770K IB
[*] RAM: Corsair Dominator XMS3 DHX+ 2x4GB 1600MHz dual chan. kit 9-9-9-24 CMP8GX3M2A1600C9
[*] GPU: EVGA GTX690
[*] Audio: Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Titanium HD (output via NAD C372 amp + Dali Ikon 7 speakers)
[*] Disks: Corsair Performance Pro 256 GB + cheap SATA 400GB HDD
[*] Miscellaneous devices: Logitech MX Performance mouse, MS Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog joystick & throttle, Saitek Pro Flight Combat Rudder Pedals, Naturalpoint TrackIR 5 head tracker.
LC & moding components:
[*] Rad1: HWLabs Black Ice SR-1 560 4x140mm rad
[*] Rad2: Magicool Slim 280 2x140 rad
[ ] CPU WB: Probably EK Supreme HF
[*] TIM: Indigo Extreme and/or Shin-Etsu X23-7783D
[ ] GPU Full cover, going to choose later on.
[ ] Other waterblocks: Motherboard full cover or block on mosfets (if i'll find one that fits chosen motherboard) and MIPS RAM Cooler 7
[*] Pump(s) 2xMCP35X with stock tops or with new MCP35X2-H dual pump top
[*] Tubing: Black Primochill PRO LRT 1/2”ID 3/4”OD (+Clear 3/8”ID 1/2”ID to connect res to fill port/water level indication)
[*] Coolant: Distilled water with Iandh silver kill coil and Mayhem biocide
[ ] Controller: Aquacomputer Aquaero 5.0 XT + black front plate + waterblock
[*] Monitoring extras: Koolance FM-17 and Bitspower temperature probe/stop fitting
[*] Fans: 15 x Noiseblocker's 140mm PK-3. +1 x Scythe Gentle Typhoon AP15 1850.
[*] Reservoir: Iandh Stealhres 275
[~] Rad grills: Iandh Limited 4x140 Stealthgrill 560 & two 420 Phobya grills
[~] Fittings: Bitspower's mostly compressions & rotaries for 1/2”ID&3/4”OD in Black Mate finish, +few black extenders/snakes/fill ports/caps/angle adapters and maybe even barbs
[ ] Sleeving: (if ever) MDPC
[~] Miscellaneous: Scythe Kama Bay+ (with original fan replaced by GT), DEMCi Flex 2x140 and custom 560 4x140mm dust filters, rubber C-strip/rubber grommet edging to put over dremeled cuts, can of black paint spray can to hide some mis-cuts with dremel and chipped or dremeled off paint in few places , black fan 3-pin connectors and perfboard for custom fan splitter, black wire fan grills, MDPC P-clips for tubing and cable management, miscellaneous screws from several shops.
Tools:
[*] Dremel 300+55pcs set
[*] Masking tape, sandpaper, rusty screw driver set, files, pencil, ruler tape
[ ] soldering iron, MDPC crimping tool
Generic build & airflow scheme:
- Dust filtered with fans blowing inside of case 4x140 rad on top of case with fans in push-pull setup (rad inlets placed out of case - 800D is too small(!) ), 2x140 slim rad on right side of disk enclosures (with fans probably in push for easier fan change).
- Case fans blowing out of case: 1x140 on back, 3x140 on right, 1x140 on top of 280 rad, 1x120 in Scythe Kama Bay in 5.25 bays.
Seeing testing results of dual vs single loop by Gabe decided keep things simple, and go single loop everything. Dual pump top for redundancy.
All rad fans will be on one Aquaero channel, all case fans on another, for simpler case air pressure balancing for dust protection. MCP35X pumps will be regulated by 4th (PWM) aquaero channel via Y-wire-splitter with tachometer wire from one going to another channel for both pumps to be monitored for rpm-s.
Mistakes/afterthoughts:
- Should have initially gone for 3/8”ID 1/2(or 5/8)”OD everywhere. I know that bigger ID enhances flow only little bit, went for big tubing mostly because of looks. 3/8” ID would be way simpler to route and would have smaller fittings better fit for few cramped spaces like top sides of case near rad or behind motherboard tray.
- Yate Loons D14SM should perform about the same while costing 3 times less, I was mistakenly thinking that noiseblocker's NanoSli bearings were hydrodynamic ones instead of sleeve bearings that I found out only after pulling order plug . Obscured tech naming/marketing victim +1. Pity there are no Scythe Gentle Typhoon-s of 140mm size . Also Yates should fit better to all black build scheme instead of brownish blades of PK3.
- Should have bought cheaper/smaller dremel set. Had no need for flexible attachment, almost didn't use anything else but few cutting disks and mini lap.
- It's not exactly mistake, but deliberate build choice – I know with this rad combination is simply too much for cooled hardware, but I wished to make one case+LC combo that will suffice for years no matter what hot hardware future upgrades will bring. +It should get good temps And be very silent. Also good exercise to fit MOAR Rads that maybe can help others considering different rad options in this case.
Hmm, given choice again, I'd probably went for 4x120 on top + 4x120 in bottom compartment with PSU placed vertically mod. Also another alternative was to decide to reimplement power&reset buttons/external ports elsewhere and mount 4x140 rad fully internally (with inlets in front, in space of front wall/5.25 bay covers).
- As I changed my mind few times about rads/airflow planning, there was some redundant job done (eg. I shouldn't have cut out honeycomb mesh from middle floor and bottom of case, as in at final design there will be no fans to blow air in).
Links to few interim build steps/posts with relevant info (to update later on):
Full extended used hardware list (when near finishing i'll be able to count/list exact ammount/types of fittings used ).
Tools.
Top rad mouting alternatives, schemes.
Res, tubing, fill port, drain port setups.
Monitoring/controlling.
Temps.
Sleeving/wire management.
Finished build.
Thanks: To all the users on XS & overclock.ru for source of ideas and inspiration (especially Noeru with his Blood+ build for initial ideas), help with questions, all skinneelab guys, Martin and Jordan for LC hardware tests/reviews.

[Church]

Reserved. Gonna remove redundant posts at build completion.

[Church]

Reserved.

[Church]

Reserved.

[Church]

Got my case delivered. It's BIG o_O. Wa-a-ay bigger then it looked in pics of several reviews. I've worked with bigger cases, but all of those were rack mountable servers/mainframes in data center, not PC .

As you can see from skiing helmet, these pics are from end of winter . As I had stated at the beginning, this will be slooow build. Only excuse that I started worklog only when some moding was already done and some pics had accumulated to show at least something.

For half a week insides of old rig worked in it before i sold my old gaming rig (ouch, PC HW deprecation, ouch). Illustration to why more and more people tend to choose consoles for gaming instead of gaming upgrade game, huh. Had cost so much, sold for so little. So for long time I am left with just my laptop and empty case. Meanwhile kept on reading forums making few more decisions in process.

[Church]

Removed top tool-less 5.25 device mount handles. - As later turned out, I should have remove only top one. And I didn't manage to get them off without breaking them . - So don't touch 2nd handle.

[Church]

Thoughts on how 560 rad can be put into 800D case.
in this:

1st obstacle: Length:

While Obsidian 800D is big .. it's not big enough . HWlabs Black Ice GTX and SR1 4x140 rad length is 605mm (Phobya's 560 even longer then that – 620, and so is by preliminal specs TFC Admiral aswell), but Obsidian 800D's length – 609mm, seemingly enough. BUT(!) - it's including front panel (~20-25mm).
I saw 2 alternatives:
1) removing buttons/external ports panel and move/re-implement it elsewhere, then put 560 rad with inlets in front panel/wall space. Going this route one can probably manage to mount rad fully internal.

2) route I decided to go for – leaving buttons/ports panel in place and stick rad inlets outside back of case. (later on after after lot of dremeling on back of case and thinking out fittings to get tubing ran to rad I thought that 1st route might be easier, especially used fittings/tubing routing wise). Though then again one can use instead of several snake fittings some simpler barbs and bend tubing to simplify/cheapen things. I wanted at least on outside everything to consist from metallic fittings.

2nd obstacle: Width:
5.25 bay enclosure width is 146mm, HWlabs 140mm rads are 153mm wide. In Hardware Canucks site 800D mod they used 3x140mm BI GTX rad and cut into half of enclosure sidewalls. For me it would mean be to cut it all, with possibly compromising case rigidity. First I thought to bend outwards 5.25 enclosure with some threaded rods. But then I though of other way – with some inserts on sides. As shown, rounded edge of sidewall is left half cut for more rigidity of case.


EDIT

Alexander Efa in another forum found third even simpler way to solve rad width issue - by leaving windowed side 5.25 bay enclosure side wall as is, and cutting only sidewall on other side. About the only caveat i see - rad will be not centered this way but slightly to one side, but that might be more then justified by simplicity of mod - just cut one enclosure sidewall (of course +back of case for rad inlets & top for extra bigger fans) and this big monster rad fits.

Full size pics:#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6

[Church]

My first rotary tool arrived, behold


I should probably get some smaller/cheaper Dremel set. All I used from it later on were these (from left to right):
- 456 1½“ separately bought large cut-off wheels (probably could get by with just smaller ones)
- 409 Emery Cut-off Wheels
- 8193 5/8" Aluminum Oxide Grinding Stone

Few other tools used in build, collected from here and there

[Church]

It's gonna take a while to get rad, so decided to go on with dremeling first cuts.

BTW, few things I found out when started dremeling:
- It's good to put case on some cardboard paper to not scratch paint,
- apply masking tape and draw with pencil cut-lines,
- standing bowed near case or sitting on knees is very tiresome, better put some chear for sitting near case you work on,
- despite suggested dremel holding method like pen when writing, I could hold/guide it more stable by using both hands with one placed on case,
- use goggles! Soon after starting dremeling I hopped into car and went to nearby hardware store to get such. Plastic ones I bought are very cheap but still do the job of protecting eyes from hot shards flying off cut. I also got cheap fabric+pointy rubber gloves for hands protection/to lessen slipping from sweaty hands.

Taped to case some printed 140mm fan templates from MNPCtech:



Draw cuts for top of case (with extra reserve width & length wise to be able to adjust for when I will receive actual rad):

[Church]

Off we go . <Bzzzz..>







Should have left honeycomb mesh in case bottom and middle floor as is. No fans there in final airflow scheme:





Had to dremel this edge off:





.. and careful shallow dremeling into 5.25 device support ribs, so that they can be bent in line with 5.25 enclosure sidewalls:

[Church]

First shipment from casekings.de arrived.



Seems that they include candies aswell, just like highflow.nl



Eek, bad fit in many senses. Will have to think/work more on rad inlet fittings.





Some readjusting (here my reserved length/width arround fan screw holes in initial dremeling payed off well, allowing to readjust now, as my custom glued from pieces 560 rad template and measurements were way off fan screw spacing wise):



With measurements from much later on (BTW, rad fan screw holes are somewhat on line where top of case bends downwards to original 3x120 honeycomb grill):



Initial cut draw on back (at the beginning I thought on cutting in corners and bending mesh to all four sides but then gave up, and just dremeled to right rad dimensions, deciding to put C-strip on sharp sides):

[Church]

Solving width issue. I first imagined something like variant (1.):



I have to admit, I asked to do that simplier one assembly from few plates one of my friends.
He made a bit differently, as shown in (2.). He cut 5.25 enclosure side walls, cut needed size plate, bent it and attached with few rivets. Anyway, result is:













Now test fit with old Elvis joke. Ladies and Gentlemen, The rad has entered the building:

[Church]

2nd shipment from performance-pcs.com arrived:



It even includes small-mini-microscopic Xtrac Ripper XXL mouse pad (914mm x 457mm) for both keyboard and mouse

[Church]

As I have no drill, had to somehow deal with help of just dremel mini-cut-off wheels (mini – as leftovers from big dremeling before on top ) and round grinding stone with making holes for fittings to go through:



Every ex-soviet citizen should be able to saw with drill and to drill with saw! .
By putting few times rad with fittings in case I widened tubing holes with grinding stone until they fit in.

Some rough “measurements” of finalised cuts:
- rad hole sides are some 2mm from sidewall opening buttons;
- upper side is with partially grinded down tops of 2nd row cells;
- lower side is somewhere about middle of original LC grommet holes/in level with bottom of 5th from top side squared cell;
- center points for new tubing holes are cut in line with case bend to motherboard port panel top.

Test fit result:





Seems that I'd be better off leaving 4 corners not straight cut but rounded or diagonally cut.
Also looks like i'll have to redo applying of C-strip, as I badly damaged these strips when putting on fitting holes. They bend very badly that sharp :/. Otherwise, i'm happy with result. Maybe will replace c-strip on those holes with rubber grommets if they'll fit (very little space on left one). Also I should cut in half one of original Obsidian LC grommets and put in those half holes under rad.

That's it for now. Next batch of work (on both case sidewalls for new rad and casefans | and 5.25 bay & hard disk enclosure sidewalls for less resistive airpath) will be done when i'll get second (280) rad + radgrills.

[Creekin]

Looking good churchy, very similar to my build, love that fiiting origami above ^

re: dremel..
ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY GOGGLES!!
and the flex head is useless, as is the instruction to hold "like a pencil" thats only good for engraving.
Can you get the new EZ lock dremel wheels? they are MUCH MUCH better than the old style.
In ex-soviet russia, hole drills YOU!

[aka_GK]

I love the selection of hardware and especially that it is planned for the future - thing that I missed in my build
560 rad sticking out of the back looks sick, such a challenging task

EDIT:

In ex-soviet russia, hole drills YOU!

[Church]

Creekin: Only minor dremeling tasks left. I'll probably use remaining >5/6 cutting wheels i still have left instead of buying something better no matter how good those dremel wheels are (yes, sometimes i'm cheapskate as well)

aka_GK: most probably i wouldn't be buying any temporary hardware, if not of my friend to whom i'll sell it later on for reasonable price when that future HW will be released. Aiming for PC built around LGA2011 was simply because I wished for hopefully upgrades-wise long-life platform like LGA1366 for few years was. For such i can justify to myself buying full cover for motherboard and water block for RAM.

As for that fitting origami .. it looks good, and turned out how i wanted to (except, that I initially wanted them to be attached to case by fill-ports, when i just pictured it in my head without real rad and fittings real dimensions available), BUT! - those four mini-snake-rotary adapters + two male-female extenders + one male-male adapter (and on the left side there will be added BP multitransfer female-female adapter not seen in pic) + 2 compression fittings - cost together too much, given that they could be simply replaced by cheap tubing bent in similar shape.

[Creekin]

yeah that is a very expensive "u turn" of fittings,
but in a few months time when it's all done and your are admiring your work, you will not think of the price.

the c channel i have (u channel) http://www.gammods.com.au/store/inde...c3a16838c4d79c
makes it around 90 degree corners no problem.
maybe its a little softer than what you have. i thought i would have to cut the corners like u did, but it wasn't necessary,
i placed it on the 2 "sides" then worked it into the corners slowly.

can't find a pic of it, will post one later.
got some work to do

[Church]

Creekin: my c-strip molding was from performance-pcs, with adhesive one. With minimal cutting in corners mine worked just fine where rad is (don't look at pic, will be redone to look neater ). VERY problematic places were two holes of less then inch in diameter where fittings go through.

[Creekin]

Is that c strip around those fitting holes?

i gave up on really tight bends like that.

[dacosta89]

awesome work! I'll follow this project.

Keep Going!

[matt220]

I vote you get a 560 radguard for the top

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...ducts_id=26440

[Creekin]

Ive got that same grill on order 140/280/560
i believe the mesh grills are removable.
anyone know for sure? looks good but the pic is crap, haven't seen a better one.
anyone? matt?
edit: my google fu served me well
anyone got one? confirm the mesh comes off?

[Church]

I thought about it before. But it was too long (622mm) - compare that to length of 800D (609) .. That long (15?) overhang on back of case imho will look bad. Cutting it will mean damaging powder coated paint (or anodised layer?) - so need to repaint.
One i chosen is this by Phobya. A bit shorter (587), so even if there will be overhang, it won't be as long imho.
Beneath it i'm gonna put later on ordered custom made DEMCIFlex 4x140 dust filter. Gonna attach radgrill with 2 or 4 thumbscrews for easy removal for dust filter cleaning. On each sidewall of case at front for uniform look i'll put similar phobya's 3x140 radgrills. (2 sections of those for 280 rad, other 4 for fans blowing out of case).

[Creekin]

the front of my x2000 is 680mm so no prob there

i got 4x 140 demci flex, but they wont stick to my rad or case, so i made a fan grill out of my old TT tribe mesh side panels
but due to the bolt heads holding the grill on the demci's dont fit.
they are really well made, need to find a way to mount them.
whats the custom one costing?