First time Custom Cooling, Corsair 500D

[BigRM]

So this system has been my daily driver for a few years now in some form or another. Gaming, video editing, vinyl cutter operation, racing sim (VRC Pro anyone?), pretty much the works. I've been dabbling in PC refurbishment and custom builds for a few years, but had yet to take the leap into custom cooling until now. Saved up my pennies (nickels?) and starting tracking down and purchasing components starting back in November, and with the current situation being what it is, I found myself with enough free time to actually get this build started. Enjoy!

Base Components:
Corsair 500D
Intel 8700K Delid + liquid metal
MSI MEG Z390 ACE
Corsair Vengeance RGB, 4 x 8GB @ 3000MHz
EVGA GTX 1080 FTW2 x 2
Samsung 970 EVO 250GB NVME
Samsung 860 EVO 1TB x 2 (RAID0)
WD 1TB Blue x 2 (RAID0)
Corsair HX1000i PSU

Older components? Sure. But they get the job done. I was of the mindset that I'd rather try and fail on obsolete components then risk ruining a current generation CPU or GPU. Still, now with all the extra cooling potential and time available, seems like a good time to start getting into overclocking.

Watercooling and other Components:
EKWB Z390 MEG ACE Monoblock
EKWB Coolstream SE 360 + SE 280 radiators
EKWB 140 Revo D5 RGB reservoir
EKWB HDC fittings
EKWB 12mm acrylic hard tubing
Watercool Heatkiller IV 1080 FTW/FTW2 GPU blocks
Watercool GPU-X Dual-Link
Mayhems XT1 Nuke and Orange dye
Darkside Orange holder combs
Corsair ML120 White x3, ML140 White x2
Corsair Custom cable kit for HX series

So let me reiterate, this was my first attempt at any type of custom cooling solution, and after spending a few hours plotting my loop run, it quickly became apparent that what I had in my head was not going to work in this case because of clearance issues. First I had to ditch the EKWB 120mm fan bracket for the pump and custom mount it to the end piece of the PSU shroud, thankfully an easy job. Even with the slim radiators, space is at a premium in this case. The second issue meant flipping the top 280 radiator, as the outlet was directly in-line with the CPU power connectors. With those two issues out of the way, I quickly redesigned the loop, keeping in mind that I wanted to maintain easy access to the RAM, I wanted to avoid cover the on-board diagnostic/temperature readout and that I had failed to purchase any sort of extenders to clear the fans with my 45 and 90 degree headers. The cable training needs some work, Corsairs cables are too small to be held properly in the combs, but other than that, I think I pulled it off.

[BigRM]

The build as it started out, before pulling the CPU for lapping, delid and liquid metal. Delid was performed with the Dr. Delid kit that I purchased from Dazmode. It took about 20 minutes from start to finish, and after letting the adhesive cure for an hour, I threw it back into the machine and immediately saw the difference. Idle temps had dropped about 5 degrees, but full load dropped 18 degrees, from 83 to 65 on my 280mm AIO. Sweet.

[BigRM]

Watercool GPU blocks wen to together with ZERO issues. I love how the brushed aluminum finish on the backplates matches the finish on the 500D, really helps tie the interior of the system to the case itself. I went ahead and touche up the back of the backplates with some white Testors enamel, just to give it some contrast and to play off the white on the fans. The stock hardware was replace with Orange anodized screws that sourced from a supplier at work (running a hobby store has it's perks) to add more colour to the build.

The EKWB Monoblock went on easily enough, though I'm baffled by the length of wire they used to for the ARGB control. It's clear that they want you to run it under the shroud on the side of the board, but that leaves about 15cm of excess. Routing it over and behind the motherboard leaves you about 1cm short. Why it wasn't cut down is beyond me. It's not like you can use it on any other board. During testing, the monoblock did develop a slow leak around the seal at the bottom. A quick tightening of the screws on the block solved that issue.

[BigRM]

My first bend, and of course it's the most complex in the entire build. Lack of extensions meant that 45 or 90 connectors wouldn't clear the fans. That was quickly followed with a simple gradual bend in front of the fans, and then with mounting the PSU shroud cover with the radiator attached. I even made sure to add in a proper drainage port in the bottom right corner.

[BigRM]

GPUs and Dual-Link were added last. I was tempted to use acrylic for the parallel runs, but I'd been having such good luck that I didn't want to jinx it, and opted for the safe route. I'd paid for it. Might as well use it. Finished the runs from the pump to the GPUs and from the GPUs to the monoblock, filled it distilled water and crossed my fingers. After 30 minutes and no sign of moisture, I drained the system, refilled the loop with Blitz part 2 and let it run for the night. My job the next morning was turning the rat's nest of cables into something I could stomach to look at.

[BigRM]

Some quick LED setup and my setup is finally complete. Hope you like it.

[Hooded]

Sweet rig.
Nice photo bomb

[BigRM]

Thank you.

[Bartacus]

Very nice job, gotta love those Heatkillers! That's a sexy SLI bridge too. I have a similar setup, but no sexy SLI bridge.

[BigRM]

Thanks. I originally wanted to use an EVGA bridge to go with the cards, but I've never been able to find one in two years of looking. Now that I've got the Heatkiller blocks on, the MSI bridge fits the build quite nicely.

[DazMode]

This is a very cool build. This is the most nearly done cable arrangement I have seen for a while. Also, Orange combs look dope!

Not related, but nice monitors setup!