Build Log - Corsair Obsidian 900D

[TeaLeaf]

RAM ordered, I went with the sensible option but found some Platinum for less than the price of the Gold from Ebuyer with free delivery.   For some reason Overclockers do not stock the 2400 Platinum, wierd.    let's hope I do not have to RMA anything as Ebuyer has not exactly got a great reputation for that.

http://www.corsair.com/us/memory-by-product-family/dominator-platinum-ddr3-memory/dominator-platinum-with-corsair-link-connector-1-65v-16-gb-dual-channel-ddr3-memory-kit-cmd16gx3m2a2400c10.html

Speed Rating PC3-19200 (2400MHz)
Tested Speed 2400Mhz
Tested Latency 10-12-12-31

[lionheart]

Nice. Gonna be a monster rig...

[TeaLeaf]

Now to select & source the graphics cards, waterblocks and then all the radiators & connectors.

[lionheart]

I notice you can get 1 TB SSDs now.....just saying.

[BrotherTobious]

I notice you can get 1 TB SSDs now.....just saying.

your wicked man Lion

[Sneakytiger]

bet they cost alot tho lion.

[lionheart]

As they say, if you want the best.........

[Sneakytiger]

not as much as i wud of thought actully lion

http://www.scan.co.uk/shop/computer-hardware/all/hard-drives-ssd/ssd-25-sata-iii-(480gb-1tb)

[TeaLeaf]

Leaning towards the XSPC RX radiators, with their low fpi and deep design for slower (lower sp) & quieter fans running at around 1,100rpm.   It's quite a bit deeper than the standard radiator, but the case has the room and I'm not planning to push/pull as you get little benefit from it unless you are using a high fpi radiator.  
http://www.xs-pc.com/radiators-rx-series/rx480-quad-fan-radiator-v2



I'm thinking a 360 and a 480, one in the top and one in the bottom.   I'll need 7x120 fans to go with the radiators and another 4 to replace the stock fans in the 900D case (3x120 & 1x140), so I'll end up with a total of 11 fans in the case . I'm looking at some nice quiet ones, like the Corsair AF Quiet Edition range, listed at 21dB @ 1,100rpm and 40cfm.

The case should arrive on Monday, it got as far as Rushden on Friday and then DPD (the courier) went on lunch break :sad:

The rest of the loop will be based on a D5 pump,  still looking at reservoirs and fittings.   Graphics cards and blocks next up.   Once the case is here I can start planning out the positioning of things and how the loop will run, it's one thing to imagine how it will run, it's quite another to actually see the practicalities of it when the case is in front of you!   The planned loop is hypothetically this:

Reservoir>Pump>CPU>360>Mosfet block>GPU1>GPU2>480>Reservoir

I'm also planning to delid the CPU, a vice and hammer is ready (I didn't fancy a scalpel), so wish me luck when it arrives on Monday!

[TeaLeaf]

More parts ordered:

XSPC RayStorm CPU WaterBlock (Intel) Copper   
XSPC D5 Vario Pump
XSPC Acrylic Tank Reservoir
Mayhems X1 UV Red Premixed Watercooling Fluid
Primochill Primoflex Advanced Tubing

[Chaosphere]

I have one XSPC rad and 2 HWLabs rads. The XSPC one is quieter for sure, but it is nowhere near as good at getting rid of the heat.

If you want a silent rig with good temps, XSPC is great. If you want a quiet, but not silent, rig with icy temps, HWLabs BlackIce rads take some beating...


As for fans, you should just get Gentle Typhoons at whatever RPM suits your noise/rad demands. I have 1850RPM ones hooked up to a fan controller, running at 1k unless I'm OCing an awful lot... For a quieter (and less dense rad like the XSPC) maybe the 1450s or even lower would be better. Regardless, they are the best fans for 120mm rads.


And I am sure you know this already, but just in case... loop order does not really matter in terms of temperatures, just go with what uses the least amount of tubing, and secondly looks the best.

[TeaLeaf]

Thanks for the feedback Chaos, you're right about order of the loop not mattering, but I'm trying to think my way through the design before the case arrives.   When I get some piccies up I'll try to post one up to see if anyone has any other suggestions.

I'll look into the HWLabs radiators and compare them.   My aim is to have a virtually silent system with icy temps!

Re the fans, do Scythe actually do a 140mm Gentle Typhoon?   I'll be ending up with a combo of 120/140 fans in the case and will probably stick with just 9one brand throughout.  They seem very similar, 1,100rpm & 40cfm for the Corsair, 1,450rpm and 45-55cfm for the Scythe.

[Chaosphere]

Ignore CFM and noise ratings companies provide, they're naf. You're better off reading fan roundups that look specifically into 120fans for radiators.

More to the point, CFM is a poor guide for using fans on rads, as it doesn't relate directly to the air pressure pushed out by the fan, which is actually what you need more of when it comes to radiators. High CFM low pressure is fine for thinks like intake and exhaust fans, but you need high pressure fans for radiators and heatsinks, as the fans have to push air against a lot of resistance.

The gentle typhoons are such great fans as they have a wonderful balance between pressure, cfm, and noise. They really are the best 120mm fan I have ever tried on a rad, and I have tried quite a few I would never use anything else. This all said, I've never used the corsair fans, they weren't released the last time I played around with some different 120mms. They may well be very good, but I would put a lot of money that the GTs either beat them or force them to a draw.

As for 140mm fans, its another thing I've looked into a lot. For radiators, don't bother with them. Stick to 120mm fans. The only decent 140mm fans I found in the past, with regards to air pressure, were noiseblockers. They're fantastic fans, but contrary to their name, they're very noisy!!! If, however, you're just looking to use 120mm rads and the 140mm fans are for intake / exhaust ports with no rads on them (which, you should be) then you have lots of choice. My own recommendation would be something by noctua or be quiet, as I have used both and both are great fans. I see corsair do 140mm fans that look like they do the job, and although I can't speak to their quality as I've never used them, Corsair stuff is pretty much always top notch these days.

Hope that helps a bit...
tldr; were it me, I would get GTs for the rads and whatever takes your fancy for other fan slots...

[BrotherTobious]

I am using nocta 12 fans and they are v v quiet.

Sent from my Nexus 4

[TeaLeaf]

Did some more reading around and reviews from users and have decided to switch the case fans out with the Corsair AF Quiet series and the radiators will get the Corsair SP Quiet series.  They seem to be all about the same in terms of performance and price.

Radiators ordered, XSPC RX360 and RX480.

Case arrived this morning, it is huge!
Time to play around with the fitting to see what will fit where and how to run the loop.    

Graphics cards, gfx waterblocks and fittings are still to be ordered.      Probably going to maintain the XSPC theme as I really like the look of the Razor block.