My computer setup!

**x1FastGTPx** · 11-22-2008

Well, I dont know how many of you are computer lovers but I for one have gone over the top this year. I know we have a thread for the computers... But I dont want to over take that so I am starting my own. I have been building computers with my dad ever since I was a youngen and now I finally saved enough money to go with a full out water cooled gaming system. So heres a list of what I have followed by pics!

932 Haf CoolerMaster Case
Nvidia 790i SLI FTW Motherboard
3x Geforce gtx 280 Video cards
Intel extreme QX9650 quad core processor
Corsair 4x2g DDR3 Ram = 8g
silverstone 600w power supply that is being upgraded to a Ultra x3 1000w
X-Flow extreme radiator
Thermal tank pump
Thermal tank m3 takes up a slot in the cd drive. (soooo sweet!)
2 ball bearing fans which I will be adding 4 more for the side to replace the 240mm fan.
Alot of custom work and organizing.. Just need to get the ram and CPU put in and finish up with installing the Windows Vista ultimate 64bit.

Heres the pics from start to almost finish!

Let me know what you think, I will be finishing this up hopefully this week.

**GeddyLee** · 11-22-2008

I love the case!!! I have a nice Antec tower, I will take some shots tomorrow of my setup. But I have a 9800 GTX+ video card in it and it I had to remove the upper HD bad to allow it fit. It looks like from the looks of yours, it would be a perfect match to allow more backroom on the end of the video card near the HD Bays.

Very nice!!

Also I dare ask, but what did the whole water cooler run you? I have always been curious about that stuff, but never ventured into that realm as of yet. I was always a big lapper fan of the CPU plate/cover and stuff like that for cooling and performance, but never did the whole external extreme cooling thing.

Are you gonna get a water hook up for your video card as well?

**x1FastGTPx** · 11-22-2008

Thanks, The 9800 GTX was the card I was going to go with.. but i got a steal on this card and My buddy has 2 more I will be snaggen. The watercooling was $280 but I have a friend that works at microcenter and he got it knocked down to half which I couldnt pass up. As for the water blocks for the graphics cards... I dont know If I want to mess with that yet. I am going to get this up and running and see how it does. I tested the pump and all the fans... They are soooo quiet and the radiator is freezing when you touch it.

**SyntheticShield** · 11-22-2008

You make me jealous. I want to build a PC. The last one I built was a long time ago and I miss it.

**04 GTP COMP G** · 11-22-2008

Mother of all gods! dam nice PC Id love to play BF2 on that thing

**Quicklynx** · 11-22-2008

I wish I knew how to build computers....
Yours is pretty sweet, what games you play?

**x1FastGTPx** · 11-22-2008

Thanks all, I play World of Warcraft with a bunch of buddies from work. I also play counter-strike source, Starcraft. I use to play Diablo2 but I got tired of all the hacks. I will start to play Call of Duty 5 and hopefully a few others once this setup is finished!

**Quicklynx** · 11-22-2008

COD5 is pretty sweet, I have Xbox Live so thats what I use. I will never ever try World of Warcraft because I feel once I try it I'll never leave. Took me a very very long time to quit FF11....

**Sabrewings** · 11-22-2008

If you get a waterblock for your video card, get one from EK Waterblocks. Simply the best. With the stock cooler and fan on high my 8800GT ran 50-70C depending on what I was doing. With the waterblock I see 41C load temps and 30C idle temps. Worth it. I even have duals and both are liquid cooled at that temp. Also cooling a heavily oc'd Q6600.

And only a single pass radiator? I'm running two dual pass right now (each with dual 120MM fans on them).

Though, internal reservoirs and radiators are the best. Makes the PC much cleaner looking. Good job overall. You're learning, obviously.

**Freebeer187** · 11-22-2008

Overclock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Sabrewings** · 11-22-2008

Looking at the pics again, it looks like your routing is wrong. The liquid should flow in this order:

Reservoir->Pump->Radiator->CPU->other blocks VGA, chipset, etc->reservoir

Judging by the "out" on the reservoir, which you have going to the pump then to the CPU, your system is not as efficient as it could be. You want the pump to be before the radiator and the radiator to be before the item being cooled. That way any heat the pump dumps to the fluid is removed by the radiator before being passed o to what you're trying to cool.

**GeddyLee** · 11-22-2008

Originally Posted by x1FastGTPx

Thanks, The 9800 GTX was the card I was going to go with.. but i got a steal on this card and My buddy has 2 more I will be snaggen. The watercooling was $280 but I have a friend that works at microcenter and he got it knocked down to half which I couldnt pass up. As for the water blocks for the graphics cards... I dont know If I want to mess with that yet. I am going to get this up and running and see how it does. I tested the pump and all the fans... They are soooo quiet and the radiator is freezing when you touch it.

Sounds like a great deal!!! Does he have more laying around?

I am not up to date with the newer nVidia cards past the 9800's, but are the new ones you have SLI capable? I dont see the bridge slot for them? Also the other problem I have with my current setup, I have an Asus A8N32-SLi Deluxe Mobo with an AMD Athlon 64 4000+ San Diego 2.4GHz 1MB L2 Cache and 4GB of PQI Turbo memory onboard. OC'ed to 220mhz on the FSB so its a bit faster than normal. Nothing major mind you.

The problem I encountered with the 9800 and from the looks of yours, it would be same, I lost two of my SATA ports when I installed that monster video card

But looking at your eVGA board you get away with not losing any!! They were smart to place them behind the video slots and not underneath or stacked behind like a lot of the boards still have. That would make it almost impossible to get a 9800 to sit flat and seat right.

I might have to do some checking on your Mobo and consider a CPU and Memory upgrade in the coming months.

I'll get those pictures soon, my camera is downstairs while I install my new Kenwood KAC-X4R amp in the Prix. Good times...........

**Sabrewings** · 11-22-2008

Should check out the ABIT IN9. There's no way any video card is stripping me of SATA ports.

**Freebeer187** · 11-23-2008

Originally Posted by Sabrewings

Should check out the ABIT IN9. There's no way any video card is stripping me of SATA ports.

Get a SATA pci card. This one has special capabilities if you have an xbox 360

And it gives u an extra IDE slot too.

**Sabrewings** · 11-23-2008

The only down fall is that a SATA port based on a PCI card will not see its full potential due to the limits of the PCI bus. Need a PCIe bus bard. And IDE? What's that?

**x1FastGTPx** · 11-30-2008

Alright an update!! I returned the 790i Motherboard... and picked up the EVGA X58!! with the intel I7 920 chip! I should have everything up and running next weekend, i'm soo stoked. I bought 4 more fans for the side panel to replae the giant one, got a samsung dvd drive, zal fan controller, vista ultimate 64 bit is sitting here, my DDR3 corsair 1600mhz ram, and a whole bunch of other goodies are awaiting the final installation. I already tested the liquid cool for leaks and there is nothing! so thumbs up to that. just waiting for the fitting to come in so i can get rid of the wimpy green lines.. Anywho, pics will be up tommorrow.