Hi everyone,
I've just completed my first hard-line watercooled build. I'm very pleased with the results and I'm keen to hear everyone's opinions. The build's primary purpose is to play and record Flight Simulator X with many of the most intensive add-ons. I've previously worked for Angle of Attack, producing the official training for the PMDG 737NG and 777, the most complex aircraft ever developed for a desktop flight simulation and so whilst budget was a limiting factor in the selection of core hardware, each component has been chosen carefully. For example, whilst an R9 290 was available for only about £50 more than my GTX 770 DCII at the time of purchase, AMD do not validate their drivers for FSX and so it simply wasn't an option.
The new watercooling loop however, was built with an ample budget, and whilst pragmatically speaking, I could have made some far more significant performance gains for the same cost, I've always wanted a hard-line watercooled build and decided I'd rather spend my money on that.
Core Specifications:
MOBO: Asus Z87 Gryphon
CPU: Intel i5 4670k (1.430v, 4.5GHz) [I got a poop chip]
RAM: Kingston value kit, 1333MHz (OC to 1600MHz), 9-9-9-24 [This is pretty ghetto and really ought to be replaced, but there's no way I'm buying a new set of DDR3 when it's just about to become obsolete]
GPU: Asus GTX 770 Direct CUII (OC to 1280MHz)
PSU: Corsair RM750 (my bad, I just didn't do my homework on this one; I intend to upgrade to an AX760i at some point)
SSD: Intel 730 Series 240GB * 2 in RAID 0
Watercooling Specifications:
CPU block: EK Supremacy EVO Full Nickel
GPU block: EK FC770 DCII Nickel + Acetal
Top radiator: Alphacool Nexxos 240 ST30
Front radiator: XSPC EX240
Bitspower fitting: I can't be bothered to list all of these, if you're curious about a specific one, just ask.
Fans: Noctua PPC NF-F12 (2000RPM, PWM controlled)
Pump/reservoir: XSPC X2O 750 pump/reservoir V4 (I intend to replace this with the bitspower D5 top, housing and upgrade kit)
Coolant: Mayhems Aurora Orillia Orange
Pictures and videos - I didn't necessarily intend to do a build log, so sorry this is a bit limited...
Draining the old loop:
Filling the new loop:
Pretty pictures:
