Log [COMPLETE] X300-M(AX): A watercooled sandwich style X300M build! [5.6-5.9L, 12V!]

[Curiosity]

Regardless, I did have a good trip to DreamHack Dallas at the beginning of the month. And I got my new riser in while I was there, so once I have the PSU fixed this will genuinely be build complete!
(Just need to fix the PSU and print a riser block for the riser, then it's completely honestly done.)

 

[Curiosity]

I'm calling it finished!
Very exciting!
Rebuilt the wiring on the psu, wiring in MR30 power connectors directly to the PCB, and soldered in some lights to light up the PSU, and soldered the barrel jack into the same spot as the lighting.

The only tweaks left are non-critical-
Adjust the placement of the GPU side lighting so it's not blinding
And!
Design and print a space for the riser so I can hard-moint it, even though it's pretty solidly mounted as-is.

Super stoked to be able to mark this as build complete, and if anyone wants some specific pics let me know.
It was an incredibly satisfying moment to place the GPU side panel on and have it sit flat and bolt on with no issues.

If anyone is curious I labeled the vilolume as 5.7-5.9L because that difference depends entirely on the panels you choose for the sides.
It's 310x180x103 with .8mm side panels, and 310x180x106 with 3mm (like this acrylic) panels.

Also for fun, it weighs 11.5Lbs! (5.2Kg!)

 

[msystems]

Distressed steel finish turned out well, don't think I've seen that before. Nice to see all that stuff fit completely inside the case finally! Thats one heroic radiator there

 

[aromachi]

Looks awesome!! Just an fyi, I've found ponoko is about 30% cheaper than sendcutsend, at least for acrylics.

 

[Curiosity]

Looks awesome!! Just an fyi, I've found ponoko is about 30% cheaper than sendcutsend, at least for acrylics.

Good to know for the future. I those these two panels were ~$15 shipped so it wasn't too bad, but I'll keep my eye on ponoko for the future.

 

[Curiosity]

Some better pics of both sides + the rear

 

[SFFMunkee]

Some better pics of both sides + the rear

What's the noise level like on this bad boy when absolutely hammering CPU/GPU? I want to know how that rad handles the heat as I'm considering what modifications & customisation to do with my DeskMini

Currently running with a (gigantic) Chicony 19V 200W adapter, but that won't be enough (or the right voltage!) to power a dedicated GPU in addition to the X300/5600G with PBO2 enabled.

 

[Curiosity]

What's the noise level like on this bad boy when absolutely hammering CPU/GPU? I want to know how that rad handles the heat as I'm considering what modifications & customisation to do with my DeskMini

Currently running with a (gigantic) Chicony 19V 200W adapter, but that won't be enough (or the right voltage!) to power a dedicated GPU in addition to the X300/5600G with PBO2 enabled.

for now since dreamhack/ my house is louder than I'd like I just run the p12 redux 1700pm at full speed, so it's a smooth whoosh at supposedly 25dba.
whatever the actual noise level is it's a little higher than I'd like, but totally acceptable due to the tone. Don't notice any pump noise, though that might be partially due to using vibration dampening standoffs for the mobo.

here's the temps with a demciflex filter over the fan in star citizen after 20min (edit: stable at those temps after 1h) at 4k high settings. forgot to turn on utilization, but the cpu hit ~70% max and the gpu has been pegged at 100%. also included m.2 temps since it's in the loop.

I feel like an a12x25 might do a little better, but I'm generally happy with the perfomance. for me, so long as I don't break 85C I'm happy, staying around 75-80 is just fine.
Really I just need to set up the fan curve and/ or put in an aquareo quadro to run fan speed off coolant temps.

 

[SFFMunkee]

Don't notice any pump noise, though that might be partially due to using vibration dampening standoffs for the mobo.

The DC-LT2 pumps in the Eisbaer range are very quiet when running at reasonable speeds. While they might not have the head height or throughput of a DDC or D5, they're fantastic performers for the low noise and low power!

They can start to give a bit of a whiney noise at some speeds but I think that's more about vibrations and harmonics, so (as with any w/c build) the quietest speed isn't necessarily the slowest. E.g. In my last build with the EisbaerLT, the pump was quietest at (IIRC) ~80% PWM and 30%/80%/100% were all quieter than at 65% which hummed annoyingly for some reason.

 

[Curiosity]

The DC-LT2 pumps in the Eisbaer range are very quiet when running at reasonable speeds. While they might not have the head height or throughput of a DDC or D5, they're fantastic performers for the low noise and low power!

They can start to give a bit of a whiney noise at some speeds but I think that's more about vibrations and harmonics, so (as with any w/c build) the quietest speed isn't necessarily the slowest. E.g. In my last build with the EisbaerLT, the pump was quietest at (IIRC) ~80% PWM and 30%/80%/100% were all quieter than at 65% which hummed annoyingly for some reason.

Interesting, I've just got mine running at full speed haha
I haven't noticed any noise over the noise floor of my house so it's all been peachy for me.
The fan is definitely over the noise floor but not in a way that matters like I said.

 

[robbee]

Hey @Curiosity , I love this build and am looking to build a similar STX + GPU build but it's not very clear to me how you solved the 12v input connector on the motherboard and prevent it from melting. I'm seeing some male connectors that are 'reported' to work at 10 amps but nothing officially rated this high. Also I'm worrying about the female part of the connector, how does that hold up?

 

[Curiosity]

Hey @Curiosity , I love this build and am looking to build a similar STX + GPU build but it's not very clear to me how you solved the 12v input connector on the motherboard and prevent it from melting. I'm seeing some male connectors that are 'reported' to work at 10 amps but nothing officially rated this high. Also I'm worrying about the female part of the connector, how does that hold up?

Ah!
My bad, I thought I included a pic of the modified PSU in my album!

I ended up removing the original header that mated with this connector (the one that melted a bit) and soldering in MR30 pigtails for ease of use on my end.
I genuinely believe that if I used standard PVC jacked wire and crimped them better/ generally built the connector better it wouldn't have been an issue.

in the pic you can see 6 unterminated wires, a sleeved pair, a terminated pair under the sleeved wire at the bottom center of the pic and two tiny wires.

The 6 unterminated wires are used for GPU power 6+2pin
2 sleeved are the barrel jack wires
2 tiny wires are for lighting inside the psu
And the 2 wires you can barely see beneath the sleeved wires go to everything else. (lighting, Riser aux power, XT60 rear 12V out)

 

[Curiosity]

Let me know if that doesn't help of if you need more info, I'll be happy to do my best to explain.

again, I do believe the stock connector on the WLP350 is up to the task, I just built it poorly I think. probably the thick silicone jacket causing fitment issues resulting in hotspots on the pins, melting the connector.

 

[robbee]

Oh right, thanks! I must have misunderstood because I thought it was the barrel jack that melted because of the higher current running it at 12v. But there's no issue there?

 

[Valantar]

I have to ask: where did you get such excellently colour-matched wires, heat shrink and sleeving, and in such an awesome colour?

 

[Curiosity]

Oh right, thanks! I must have misunderstood because I thought it was the barrel jack that melted because of the higher current running it at 12v. But there's no issue there?

Ah, yeah no issues with the barrel jack, I'm using a diy right angle style I found on ebay, plastic welded it together instead of using the o ring supplied.
I just made sure to make heavy use of heatshrink to thouroghly insulate the wires/contacts from each other

I have to ask: where did you get such excellently colour-matched wires, heat shrink and sleeving, and in such an awesome colour?

Honestly, luck.
The heatshrink is from PPCS- ModSmart purple, Sleeving is telios purple from mainframe customs, and the wire is 18/20/26ga misc wiring from eBay/Amazon. 18/20 is silicone jacketed and the 26ga is PVC, originally bought it for my keyboard build.
I just kept looking for purple wiring stuff and it worked out