PC Building

[lowteck]

Finally bit the bullet and decided to build a 1440p AM5 gaming rig.

My 1st AM5 build had a few Windows installation hiccups but no hardware/bios gotchas.

Ryzen 5 7600

Asrock X670E PG Lightning

32gb DDR5 G.Skill 6000

Crucial P5 plus 1TB Gen4 NVME 

CoolerMaster Gen3 AIO CPU cooler

XFX RX 6950 XT GPU - Couldn't get an RX 7800 XT (so good they are sold out, but I found this for the same price)

Thermaltake Toughpower 750W 80+Gold power supply

LG UltraGear QHD 34" curved 160hz Freesync Premium

Fractal North Black/Glass Case (love this case, zero build issues/great looks)

Already doing stock benchmarking, and will post over-clocking results in the OC forum later this week.

[eebiii]

Very nice! And powerful!

[Sam_AMD]

I'm starting to think I should switch to the "Fractal North Black/Glass Case" you've mentioned. It's just slick and elegant! 

Did you get it directly from Fractal or a retailer? 

[lowteck]

Newegg

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16811352204?Item=N82E16811352204&utm_medium=email&utm_source=transactio...

[reutech]

This is beautiful!  Really clean look.  That videocard is one of the GREAT cards too!

[Awol]

Do like the look of that fractal case. Nice build

X570 Aorus Elite / Ryzen 9 5900X / Sapphire Nitro+ RX6900 XT SE / 64GB Quad Kit Kingston Fury Black 3600MHZ CL16 / RM1000 X PSU

[Wally_AMD]

I'm with @Sam_AMD here... that's a beauty of a Fractal case. The 2nd one I've seen today that is making me want to snag one for a future build.

[reutech]

DO IT.

[BigAl01]

I have the same monitor in my Lian-Li-X3D build that I did in July; it's very nice and works well with my 7900XT video card.

Nice build by the way.  I bet you had to buy an extended length Display Port cable (2.1) to reach that monitor.  I found a good one on Amazon for my build; it cost me about $32 with tax.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C4F9F9KG?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

[soullodolo]

Nice case! Love that look in the dark/low lighting

[hawkmanw]

Nice! If you decide to water cool that GPU I know someone who has block they didn’t use. 😜

[Axxemann]

I'm digging the concept of the Fractal North. But I need one that's WAY bigger. And with a darker wood to go with stainless steel instead of brass accents.

[BigAl01]

Sounds like something a modder could accomplish, except for making it WAY bigger.  Maybe you have some ideas up your sleeves?  

If it purrs as much as Reina (shown here, up for adoption at the PetCo in Burke, VA) does when I approach, then we are talking a very loving cat.

Reina purrs like a kitten too, and probably twice as loud!

[Axxemann]

If I ever do a build in the North, I'll make the mods. 😉

I have a Meshify 2 Dark sitting in my living room. Doing the platform transfer on my next set of days off. Getting the water cooling parts order put together, just trying to decide on a D5 or DDC pump. Gonna try my luck at finding some black silicone tubing locally before I spring for EX ZMT.

But that little kitty there is a cutie. If Inigo wasn't so openly hostile towards other cats, I'd consider adopting a buddy for him to hang out with when I'm not home.

[eebiii]

Reina is still upset that you turned her bed into a PC 😿

[eebiii]

Go with the D5 if you can make room. I know I have been lucky, but I have not had a D5 pump go bad over the last 10 years. I have had two DDC pumps go bad in last 3 years. Just my personal experience. EK or Swiftech 655 D5 have always been good pumps for me.

[Axxemann]

What's more important, though? Head pressure or flow rate? Plan is to run 2x 360mm 17fpi rads, GPU and CPU blocks, barb fittings with either some 3/8" ID silicone or EPDM tubing - the latter depending on what I can source locally before ordering EK (I have a bit of a hatred for EK's lousy plating on their blocks.)

I want lots of both.

[eebiii]

With the case you are looking for and 2 x 360mm rads I would say your loop is going to be big enough that a DDC should not even be considered. As far as head pressure, those days are over. Unless you are sticking a d5 in with a small ITX form factor case and piping, it shouldn't even be an issue. Even then I think it would still hold up. 3/8 ID pipe is perfect. You are designing a simple series loop that will hit each component blocks and rads in between. Start at the RES and end at the RES to refeed it. D5!!! all the way

EK res with D5 pump in itx build with 90's basically comping off every component below

W&P NR200P Water-cooled » builds.gg

[Axxemann]

Okay. That settles it. D5 it is. But I'm looking at the Heatkiller 200mm Res. Just have to make sure it'll fit in my case. If not, I'll do the 150mm. 

[eebiii]

That Heatkiller 200mm Res is sweet! Clean Look

[Axxemann]

I'd rather have a blacked out tube over the Pyrex tube, but the rest of it is exactly what I'm after. Murdered out, clean and NO BS.

[eebiii]

EK blocks are the best period. No one is even close as far as cooling performance and well-made products for water-cooling components, and I have used every manufacturer. 

[Axxemann]

I've seen more EK blocks with the nickel plating worn off inside 6 monthas than any other brand. I'm looking at a Heatkiller IV Pro, or an Alphacool Eisblock. IIRC, Alphacool hard chromes their blocks. Not as pretty, but tougher, and no risk of corrosion.

[eebiii]

My biggest issue with blocks over the years is coolant and dyes. I try to only use clear liquid now. I stick with EK Cryofuel and Corsair Hydro coolant. I have spent a couple days on one block with Crest 3d white toothpaste to make those blocks look brand new 😀 but its not worth it. Pain in the a$$. Mostly all caused from Primochill and Mayhems dyes. They destroyed some of my blocks and Ive had to take pumps completely apart just to get them clean. So I think alot of what your seeing is the type of dye used in the loop thats tearing up that nickel plating. IMO

[Axxemann]

Still, if these coolants are shredding the plating, and EK's own Mystic Fog is one of the WORST offenders, wouldn't it make sense to actually plate your products right the first time so it can stand up to your own darned coolant?

I'm going the Industrial Grade route: Prestone. I know it's mixed metal safe, last forever in automotive applications, and I can buy TWO GALLONS for what a QUART of the other stuff goes for. Heck, I can easily get a quart of concentrate from the maintenance department at work for FREE.

[eebiii]

yes, definitely cheaper way to go with the same results. I personally never used any automotive applications. 

[Axxemann]

Some of the OG Watercoolers on Reddit said this is the way they went for years, especially using home-fabbed copper cold plates and recycled heater cores and/or motorcycle rads and aquarium pumps. For me, it's a tip of the hat to those OGs, plus using stuff that I'm familiar with given that I spent time wrenching on motorcycles and 4x4s. I would have gone the NPT fitting route too, but then I would have been spending a ton of time tapping holes. Didn't seem wise on expensive water blocks.

[eebiii]

A couple guys I used to build with would use the automotive coolant, but the smell was to strong running through the system. Even in a closed loop system it was a strong smell. I compare it to when I was going to buy a mainecoon cat for the kids when they were small, but when I walked into the house that was selling these mainecoons, I had to walk right back out. Awesome cats but the pee smell is 150x worse than a normal cat.

[Axxemann]

I'll be running a 20% concentration. Shouldn't be too bad. And to be honest, I don't mind the smell of coolant. I prefer the smell of diesel fuel though. 😉

[eebiii]

And to follow up that EK comment, IMO, Thermaltake makes the worst blocks for CPU's. Horrible as far as cooling performance. Sorry to you TT Block fans. But I love their cases.

[Axxemann]

TT wasn't even an option. I've used a TT Case and PSU for years. No gripes about those. It's going to be either Heatkiller or Alphacool for the CPU, and since I'm limited for options (unless someone can guarantee me that the RX6800XT Nitro+/Pulse PCB is 100% AMD Reference) for the GPU, I don't have much choice but to go Bykski.

[eebiii]

Bykski makes good blocks. Only thing I do with Bykski is replace the included thermal pads with the equivalent FujiPoly Extreme 17mk pads. ( you should do this no matter what block it is)

Heatkiller blocks are awesome!

Not sure if this one would work. Just as another option. 

EK Water block for Sapphire Nitro RX 6800 and RX 6900 RDNA2 GPUs - Nickel + plexi – EK Webshop (ekwb...

[Axxemann]

What's your take on Gelid pads? I can source those. FujiPoly is a bit tricky.

[eebiii]

I've used the Gelid extreme pads before, and they work great. I'm going off memory and not sure what block you're going with, but you might need multiple heights on your pads. Make sure and check that with you block. Some of those blocks have you use 1.0 in some spots and 1.5 or 2.0 on other areas. But for some reason, I think on that 6800xt you just need 1.0 everywhere maybe 1.5, can't remember.