Official Building/Upgrading thread

[!Aznboi128]

Originally Posted by SaviorSelf_666

Started to rack a new router and switch that I ordered from Ubiquiti, some pretty slick hardware. Still waiting for some items to rack my NAS and get some other items to organize it all.

I really want the nanoleaf but it's just so expensive for decorative lighting ... then again I got hue setup :/

[jonwon]

Originally Posted by Razor Ramon HG

What specs is the machine? Custom loops require once a year cleaning.

Closed loops and air cooling are pretty much set it and forget it.

Originally Posted by lilaznviper

post up a picture. it will be easier for us to see if its custom or closed loop. Most people now a day just do a closed loop as no maintenance needs to be done

Ok pretty sure it is custom loop and made by Koolance and not Corsair like I thought initially.

So I guess that means I need to do annual maintenance on this thing... All I can tell from the tubes is that it is connected to this thing in the front, not sure where to begin lol.

Would it be best for me to take it to a shop annually for maintenance?

Also the guy at the shop who installed my GPU mentioned the way the cooling system was installed meant that it is a separate cooling system, so I have to monitor my temps manually? If that makes any sense

[Razor Ramon HG]

That custom loop is the most confusing and ghetto shit ever. Why did he build one just for his 8700K? I was assuming there would be a water block on the GPU.

Just take that whole shit out, resell it or throw it out, and slap in a beefy air cooler or AIO if you want to keep the looks.

[jonwon]

LOL I think it was done by Origin and he opted for this cooling system. I might just opt for the air cooler when the time comes for maintenance.

Do you know any shops that would be able to work on this? A-Power helped me install the GPU, but said they don't touch cooling systems due to the risk.

[Razor Ramon HG]

Check to see if there is a draining tube. If there is one, you can just loosen the other end and all the coolant in the loop will drain out from it.

If not, you can drain it manually by removing a tube from one of the radiators by unscrewing the fittings. You probably want to drain the loop through one of the tubes connected to the large radiator under the GPU.

Just make sure you protect the inside of your case and that you're fast when moving the tube to a bowl to drain.

Once everything is drained, just take off the CPU block and the rest of the radiators.

You can clean the radiators by filling it up partially with some tap or distilled water, plugging up the ports, and then giving it a good shake.

[jonwon]

That sounds like some professor shit that I will most likely fuck up

Better off I hand it to the pros.

Thanks for the tip though

[lilaznviper]

like razor man said, that thing is useless unless it was also going to the video card as well

just pull it out and put in a new cooler for like less than a hundred bucks. save your time with maintenance and leaks.

[underscore]

I imagine you could sell those cooler parts to someone for more than what a decent air cooler costs.

[jonwon]

Thanks for the advice guys.

Sounds like there's a deep buzzing sound coming from the cooling system now too lol.

[PuYang]

^ Deep buzzing sounds could be your pump? If you did drain your loop, make sure not to run it dry / without any liquid.

Below are photos of my recent build!

Started purchasing parts here and there starting February right when covid was going around. Began building it during lockdown. Got everything up and ready for working from home season.

First time building a PC by myself, and first time doing liquid cooling and bending acrylic tubes myself. Turns out it was A LOT easier than expected. (My very first attempt at the bends was perfect, no wasted tubes!) Although my bends are just simple single 90 deg bends.


Specs:
-Lian Li O11 Dynamic case
-Asus ROG Maximus XI Hero mobo
-i9 9900k
-RTX 2080 Super
-32GB (2x 16gb sticks) Gskill Trident Z 3200mhz
-1TB Samsung Evo Pro nvme SSD
-Corsair AX1000 PSU (over kill...)

All liquid cooling components; water blocks, radiator, front Distro Plate, etc are from EKWB.

6x Corsair QL fans for air flow, and non-RGB EK fans for the single radiator.


My proudest part though? The 3D Printed "Anti GPU Sag holder" with my translucent logo on the front, and a 3D printed translucent character sitting on top. Corsair QL fan underneath it + an RGB strip running up his butt from below the platform for lighting effects. The Asus RTX 2080 is very long and sags a ton without my platform.

Included a 3D render of the character (He's holding a PS controller)

And yes, I really love RGB lol

[Jmac]

Nice rig, dude

[Ulic Qel-Droma]

nice rig.

looks like it came outta batman forever

[Razor Ramon HG]

Switched back from an mITX build to an ATX build in the NZXT H510 Elite with RGB lighting.

AMD Ryzen 7 3600X
Fractal Design Celsius+ S28 Prisma
ASUS ROG Strix X470-F
G.Skill Trident Z RGB
ASUS ROG Strix RX 5700XT

Turns out RGB has made huge updates since I last checked a few years ago with the invention of addressible RGB (ARGB).

On my motherboard, there is a single ARGB header. All I had to do was add an ARGB splitter like this one by Cooler Master (https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog...splitter-cable), plug in my fans and the ARGB cable from the radiator pump, and configure the lighting system using ASUS Aura Sync.

No more need for any fan or RGB controllers.



Only caveat is that motherboards are generally only be able to control GPU lighting from the same manufacturer, so I wouldn't be able to control a Gigabyte or MSI card if I had one. That and since the case fans and the radiator pump act as one ARGB device, they cannot be configured as individual devices in the lighting system.

By the way, I highly recommend Fractal Design Celcius coolers if you're looking for an AIO cooler.

They're all powered by one single header, don't require any software control, and there is a built-in fan hub on the radiator for the fans making cable management a breeze. The updated Prisma models now include their Prisma fans, have RGB on the radiator pump, and added ARGB headers to the fan hub (if you wanted to use different fans).

Their support is also great. I busted a pin on one of the ARGB headers on the fan hub. They sent me a replacement hub free of charge.

[underscore]

What's a decent budget 250-500GB SSD? A buddy of mine could really use one, it's only for storing a few games that take ages to load off a spinning disk so it doesn't need to be anything super fast. Is AData pretty good or is it worth getting something like a Kingston for a few bucks more?

https://www.newegg.ca/adata-su635-48...0D9-0017-001D4

https://www.newegg.ca/kingston-a400-...82E16820242401

[roastpuff]

The A-Data is fine.

[TOS'd]

Dabbling with the idea of upgrading my current build and looking for some suggestions and to ballpark the cost.

Also should I be waiting a bit because of covid pricing or new product lines being released soon (ie. 3000 series GPUs being released might lower the price of the 2000 series)? My computer is used for a bit of everything. Some gaming, 3D modeling/rendering, general browsing etc. Running one SUW 1440p, one 4k monitor and a 4k tv (in living room) that is a mirror of the 4k monitor.

I would be looking for the following if you guys have any recommendations.

CPU
MOBO
RAM (probably 32GB min.)
GPU

[Manic!]

Originally Posted by TOS'd

Dabbling with the idea of upgrading my current build and looking for some suggestions and to ballpark the cost.

Also should I be waiting a bit because of covid pricing or new product lines being released soon (ie. 3000 series GPUs being released might lower the price of the 2000 series)? My computer is used for a bit of everything. Some gaming, 3D modeling/rendering, general browsing etc. Running one SUW 1440p, one 4k monitor and a 4k tv (in living room) that is a mirror of the 4k monitor.

I would be looking for the following if you guys have any recommendations.

CPU
MOBO
RAM (probably 32GB min.)
GPU

Go with something like an AMD 3600 cpu and a B550 Motherboard. I would go with 32 gigs of ram and 1 TB NVME ssd.

This would be a good place o start.

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/guide/gW...treaming-build

[ime2006]

Should i sell all my RTX 2080 ti now ???

But also heard, 3080 ti will need to upgrade PSU to have 12 pin connector...
That will be PITA!!!

[TOS'd]

For CPU, whats the general consensus right now for Intel vs AMD?

Also should I even consider an AMD GPU or stick to Nvidia?

I've always had Intel & Nvidia.

[roastpuff]

Originally Posted by TOS'd

For CPU, whats the general consensus right now for Intel vs AMD?

Also should I even consider an AMD GPU or stick to Nvidia?

I've always had Intel & Nvidia.

Gaming or multi-tasking? Budget?

[TOS'd]

Originally Posted by roastpuff

Gaming or multi-tasking? Budget?

A bit of everything. Below is my post that gives a bit more info.

Budget, not sure what's out there, but maybe around $1,200ish before tax?

Originally Posted by TOS'd

Dabbling with the idea of upgrading my current build and looking for some suggestions and to ballpark the cost.

Also should I be waiting a bit because of covid pricing or new product lines being released soon (ie. 3000 series GPUs being released might lower the price of the 2000 series)? My computer is used for a bit of everything. Some gaming, 3D modeling/rendering, general browsing etc. Running one SUW 1440p, one 4k monitor and a 4k tv (in living room) that is a mirror of the 4k monitor.

I would be looking for the following if you guys have any recommendations.

CPU
MOBO
RAM (probably 32GB min.)
GPU

[Razor Ramon HG]

Originally Posted by TOS'd

A bit of everything. Below is my post that gives a bit more info.

Budget, not sure what's out there, but maybe around $1,200ish before tax?

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/V7Jz3t

If you don't need to upgrade right now, the new Ryzen CPUs and NVIDIA GPUs will be out sometime in the fall.

[TOS'd]

Originally Posted by Razor Ramon HG

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/V7Jz3t

If you don't need to upgrade right now, the new Ryzen CPUs and NVIDIA GPUs will be out sometime in the fall.

Is that because you suggest getting one of the new CPUs and new GPUs or because the price of the older generation will go down.

I don't need to chase the latest and greatest products. For reference I'm still using an i5-4690K and GTX 970.

[roastpuff]

Originally Posted by TOS'd

A bit of everything. Below is my post that gives a bit more info.

Budget, not sure what's out there, but maybe around $1,200ish before tax?

Gaming, still Intel (by about 5-10% depending on game and GPU). Multi-tasking, AMD depending on software.

AMD GPUs are good value, but nVidia still more stable.

[Verdasco]

Originally Posted by roastpuff

Gaming, still Intel (by about 5-10% depending on game and GPU). Multi-tasking, AMD depending on software.

AMD GPUs are good value, but nVidia still more stable.

5700 xt here, zero problems for 3 months so far, stable as a rock.

seems like they fixed everything for it