WIP - Optimus Primo

[pmachado]

So work got in the way this weekend and was not able to work on the build.

Quick question in the meantime. Is it a good idea to clean the tubing before filling up the system? If so what's the best method?

[pmachado]

Update: 09/23/14

Sorry for the lack of recent updates but been so busy. I picked up the remaining 3 fittings (thanks again Daz!) and completed the tubing.







Now to start leaking testing

[DazMode]

That connection from bottom radiator does not look good. Is tube secure?

[pmachado]

That connection from bottom radiator does not look good. Is tube secure?

Connection closest to outside of the case? Been leak testing for last 4+ hours and so far no leaks. Double checked and all connections are secure.

[DazMode]

Yes by white fan.

[gabuuzz]

looking good!

how do you like the case? I'm thinking of getting a phanteks case too.

[pmachado]

Yes by white fan.

Leak test completed and no leaks! Double checked that connection and it is good. Probably bad camera angle.

looking good!

how do you like the case? I'm thinking of getting a phanteks case too.

This case is awesome to work with. So much room and well thought out. Very good build quality too.

[pmachado]

Update: 09/27/14

Since leak test went well ended up draining first to see if there was any crud in the water and to also exchange it with the prepped red dye distilled water and Dazmode protector.







Now to start with the rest of the hardware components and wiring.

[Hooded]

Looking good.

Got to love the Primo case.

Tube from pump to bottom rad does look a little tight.
Keep an eye on it for a few days.

[pmachado]

Looking good.

Got to love the Primo case.

Tube from pump to bottom rad does look a little tight.
Keep an eye on it for a few days.

Thanks Hooded. Ya it is a bit of a tight run and have been keeping a close eye over the last week and everything has been good so far.

[Hero1]

Nice work. I like how you managed to fit that card even though you barely have any space left between it and the res.

[Grinder]

Not sure how much headroom it'll give me but once the rigs up and running I'll find out if any. When I previously had the system running the VRM temps would get up there but feeling that heatsink with my hand didn't feel all that hot. I've read up on some motherboards (especially Asus) there could be poor contact to the VRM/NB heatsink and I wanted to make sure this wasn't the case. Figured I'd replace it with the Fujiploy Extreme since I had extra.

I stumbled upon the answer to this question while tuning my H220 based 8350/UD3 build. As I ramped the volts/frequency, I noticed that it was throttling. Seems that this happens if the VRMs get too hot. I popped a fan on them, and the throttling went away.

BTW, you have a nice chip there. I checked my notes, and my old 8350 would only go to 4.8 prime stable (although 4.9 OCCT stable). In this lower end board, I think I could match that if I really cranked the volts to it, but so far I'm leaving it at 4.7. Note that when I briefly had it in a M5A97 R2.0, I couldn't quite get it to 4.2! So for the relative price of the UD3, I'm happy.

I do have another 8350 that I haven't OC'd yet, which I'll be giving a run soon in my Blood and Guts build (Crosshair V Formula Z like yours).

How did you make out with your fan intake/exhaust configuration experiments?

[pmachado]

I stumbled upon the answer to this question while tuning my H220 based 8350/UD3 build. As I ramped the volts/frequency, I noticed that it was throttling. Seems that this happens if the VRMs get too hot. I popped a fan on them, and the throttling went away.

BTW, you have a nice chip there. I checked my notes, and my old 8350 would only go to 4.8 prime stable (although 4.9 OCCT stable). In this lower end board, I think I could match that if I really cranked the volts to it, but so far I'm leaving it at 4.7. Note that when I briefly had it in a M5A97 R2.0, I couldn't quite get it to 4.2! So for the relative price of the UD3, I'm happy.

I do have another 8350 that I haven't OC'd yet, which I'll be giving a run soon in my Blood and Guts build (Crosshair V Formula Z like yours).

How did you make out with your fan intake/exhaust configuration experiments?

Sorry for the lack of updates but I've had this build completed for almost a month now but just been haven't had much time on my hands. Added 1 of the 2 LED strips as 2 seemed too bright and was giving me a pink/orange look. Even with just the 1 LED it gives the coolant a orange/pink hue especially with pictures.

Here are just a few more pictures of the final look.







You can see I added the fan from my ram to the VRM to keep them around 45-49C under load. Currently overclocked to 4.9GHz completely stable. Can't seem to find anything that will make this chip 5Ghz stable even with 1.6V!

Fan configuration as follows:
- Front = Intake
- Rear = Exhaust
- Top Rad = Intake
- Bottom Rad = Exhaust

[Grinder]

Nice! I planned on the same improvisation with the ram cooler, it seems to fit in there perfectly, and I can't really afford the EK motherboard block. The Gigabyte 990FX UD3 doesn't report the VRM temp (although clearly there is a sensor in there since it throttles), but it was 40 percent or less of the cost of my CVF-Z.

Did you try any other fan configurations? I assume that you are using prime95 for stability testing. What voltage are you using for 4.9?

[pmachado]

I still need to actually screw the fan to the VRMs. Right now yo can probably see it's just resting on the GPU backplate

I've used Prime95, IBT AVX and OCCT. This chip has a serious voltage wall at 4.8GHz and I need 1.55v for 4.9GHz to be fully stable.