Phantom Reborn
Hey guys, since my latest build ain't too shabby I thought I might do a build log of it. So here goes!
This is kind of a hybrid between an upgrade and a new build so I'll just call it a Rebuild 
To start off, I listed up all the things that I hated in my previous build, which were
- overheating (GPU ~102°C -> case ~86°C)
- noise
- too small to fit all the hardware and still have room to hide cables
- looks/design
Taking apart previous build (http://pcpartpicker.com/b/Ox1)
The first 2 points got me straight to watercooling and a "fanless" PSU, but since I didn't have the extra 1000€ for a custom loop (yes - custom loops are expensive in germany) I went for AiOs.
The point of looks and design mostly focused on lighting and cables so I decided to get an LED-strip, RAM with LEDs and sleeved cables. Since I couldn't decide on a color-scheme I went for RGB and white sleeved cable extensions.
To resolve the issue of room in the case without going back on the looks I decided to go with NZXT, a Phantom 530 to be precise.
That leads to the final partslist:
- NZXT Phantom 530 White
- Corsair RM850
- Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3
- 2x Crucial Ballisitx Tactical Tracer 1866MHz 8GB (OB/RG)
- AMD FX-8350
- XFX R9 290 Black Edition Reference 980MHz
- NZXT Kraken G10
- NZXT Kraken X60
- NZXT Kraken X40
- Kingston HyperX 3k 240GB
- WD Blue & Caviar 2x 500GB
- Bitfenix Alchemy Sleeved Cable Extensions 24pin/6pin/4pin
- NZXT HUE
- AeroCool Touch 2100
- NZXT FZ-140
- Noctua NT-H1 Thermal Compound used for both CPU and GPU
Since 8pin PCIe and 8pin 12V-CPU cables were out of stock I went with 6+2pin and 2x 12v-4pin cables.
The 4pins turned out to not fit together into an 8pin and the pins on the 2nd one also didn't fit the board so I had to rasp some of the plastic off.
Rasping the pins
Another issue was the mount for the top fans in the Phantom 530. To fit both 120 and 140mm fans there are metal brackets that restrain the airflow if you mount 2 140mm fans. Since I mounted my X60 there it makes quite some noise but I didn't want to take it all apart again to cut those brackets off so it will have to stay that way for a while.
Kraken X60 top mount
A similar design "fail" of NZXT (in my opinion ofc) is the front panel which has some kind of plastic claws that grab behind your 5.25" hardware to provide additional stability and close gaps that might let lighting shine through.
These claws require you to mount your 5.25" stuff AFTER you put the panel back on, but what if you need to route cables while mounting them? Correct, you have to do it without the panel.
It of course did not fit on afterwards and again I rasped some of the plastic off.
Front panel
Speaking of the front panel and 5.25" hardware - my fan controller:
Whenever you install a fan controller NEVER do it without the temperature sensors even if you don't want to use them - just install them with it.
I removed them and all my fans were constantly at 100% and I couldn't get them lower. Let me say this - getting those installed after everything else is done is a pain.
Plugging in temperature sensors
The last major work was mounting the G10 on my R9 290.
Sadly I only noticed the warranty void while taking it apart - so my GPU is voided now.
My advice for anybody planning to install a G10: Don't tightend the screws too hard! In my final pictures you will see that there now is a small flex in the card - I already loosened them but the flex remains.
You know it's clean when it's like a mirror
Putting the cooler back together
GTX560Ti & R9 290
Alright so far from my textside, now let the pictures speak for themselves - enjoy!
At last I get to the technical settings:
- CPU is overclocked to 4.3GHz (~ permanent Turbo-boost)
- GPU is overclocked to 1.01GHz
- RAM is underclocked to 1333MHz since AMDs FX-chips can't handle more than 1600MHz when running 4 DIMMs and for some reason 1600MHz crashes in games after 20 minutes
- fans are at lowest speeds
- whole system (including monitors) draws ~500 watts from the wall
Overclocking weekend- aiming at 5GHz (crashed after 24 minutes)
A triple 1080p screen setup and a second R9 290 on an AiO are planned for this years summer~autumn/fall.
I hope you enjoyed!
Best regards,
Trek