Log First SSF build - Meshroom S, ASUS Z790-I, Intel i7-13700K, Kingston DDR5 6000MT/s CL32, ARCTIC LF II 280mm and ZOTAC RTX 4070 Ti AMP AIRO

Arelius

Trash Compacter
Original poster
May 4, 2023
37
13
Hi guys,


Update 2023-05-29 Had to RMA ram sticks, was getting so many bluescreens and every MemTest86 I did give me several errors. So, since I was sick of all that I went ahead and bought even better sticks from Kingstone, Fury series ones instead.
Also change the AIO because I did get (one) CPU throttling (really it happened only once) during some test. With this new one, all and everything is totally more than just fine!

I have spent almost two weeks and gaming. lots of games on this PC, all and every setting on the highest possible and really pushed it, man what a PC this is, sick! Thank you, good people, for all the help both here in the post and with your shares, I have been reading a lots these past weeks in-between gaming sessions! ;)
Also, I decided to ditch ASUS Armory Crate (100+ services and total BS amount of bloatware..) and have been installing only WHQL drivers (a lot of guidance on this matter is to be found over at ASUS community forums) for all and every component.​
Lastly, dived into SignalRGB software (been active around their forum and found some workarounds both for me to get the sticks to work and for those there in the same situation).​


See the complete build over at PPL - Added some pictures below here and can send more for those who want to see the rest.


  • Find best possible components
  • Check if parts are compatible
  • Discuss that with those who actually know what they are doing
  • Place the order
  • Setup a 'build corner'
  • Start with a visual planning of the build meaning, watch every video out there again and take notes
  • Stuck atm and very regretful
  • Plan and execute (build) what were possible with the parts that have arrived
  • Change out AIO because I wasn't pleased with benchmarks/stress tests.
  • Modified the case, found correct adapters so I could have power cord and DP cable going in the orientation I preferred (also avoid adding any feet to the case!)



The build that never was..






If intressted in the original post, click below.






Update 2023-05-22 I've a RMA for the MoBo, can only sit around and see how that plays out, also the case is sent back, I've converted over to a Meshroom S, mainly cause its a bit more spacious then Lian Li - Dan A40-H20.

Update 2023-05-10 within the coming 5-10 days the parts will be deriverad, I'll make sure to update the post here both visually and most likely with even more questions! 😃

(Update 2023-05-08) I need guidance since I have been searching, reading, watching for a couple of weeks and now think that I’ve boiled every part for my build down to two lists one list cause of the inputs which I'm very grateful for! (Update 2023-05-08)



I haven’t seen any of these cases live but I think I have ‘fallen’ for the Lian Li A4-H20 X4 but if I can’t fir the better AIO Fractal Design Celsius+ S24 Prisma then I have to compromise on the case and have a change of heart rather then change of AIO.. (that’s what I think).

And so therefore I’m here, I’m stuck and can’t decide which way to go really.

Usage and end-goal

  • play some games in 4K after the office hours – type of games being solo/mmo FPS, ARPG’s.
  • preferably a pleasant experience so both visually and with a build that I really would want to just watch or sometimes thinker with but no real hardcore overclocking.
Ideally, I would also wish to avoid doing major upgrades to this case and all its parts within at least 2 to 3 years.


I'd like to mention that I did post over at Reddit earlier this week and some of the PM discussions I’ve had pointed me towards AMD GPU’s such as 6950xt. In this regard I haven’t don’t my homework yet.
For RTX cards I’ve done extensive and meticulous research, built my own excel-charts and comparisons with actual value<>performance in mind with a lot of caution around the fact that the card itself must fit and factored in what is available in my country.

(Update 2023-05-08) Regarding the GPU and the fact about me considering a AMD equivalent variant to the RTX 4070 Ti.. The conundrum is that in most arguments AMD has the price going for it, well that is not the case here in Sweden, these cards cost almost as much, it’s like 50$ less than the RTX counterparts which has on paper and in almost all benchmark a bit more performance which adds to its value or at least, perhaps the longevity aspect of the PC.
So, I think I'll not be considering any AMD GPU's for now (the word is there is announcements in the works in the coming weeks and there might be newer models and maybe that will force prices to be more in favor of AMD). In my experience from market in Sweden, the newer stuff doesn’t press down on the older models and their prices, the older ones just become more attractive when one sees the higher prices of the newer versions.


Also, I haven’t set a budget since I’ve lost my touch on PC building and parts since I haven’t done any full builds for a very long time, 20 years or so. Therefore, this is not so much about best and cheapest but more like longevity and value. Of course, there must be compatibility and there is the aesthetics of things, which is obviously subjective.

 
Last edited:

ignsvn

By Toutatis!
SFFn Staff
Apr 4, 2016
1,710
1,649
Hi guys,

I need guidance since I have been searching, reading, watching for a couple of weeks and now think that I’ve boiled every part for my build down to two lists.

Option 1 since I don’t know and can’t find out if the AIO will fit with everything else then there is a Option 2

I haven’t seen any of these cases live but I think I have ‘fallen’ for the Lian Li A4-H20 X4 but if I can’t fir the better AIO Fractal Design Celsius+ S24 Prisma then I have to compromise on the case and have a change of heart rather then change of AIO.. (that’s what I think).

And so therefore I’m here, I’m stuck and can’t decide which way to go really.

Usage and end-goal

  • play some games in 4K after the office hours – type of games being solo/mmo FPS, ARPG’s.
  • preferably a pleasant experience so both visually and with a build that I really would want to just watch or sometimes thinker with but no real hardcore overclocking.
Ideally, I would also wish to avoid doing major upgrades to this case and all its parts within at least 2 to 3 years.


I'd like to mention that I did post over at Reddit earlier this week and some of the PM discussions I’ve had pointed me towards AMD GPU’s such as 6950xt. In this regard I haven’t don’t my homework yet.
For RTX cards I’ve done extensive and meticulous research, built my own excel-charts and comparisons with actual value<>performance in mind with a lot of caution around the fact that the card itself must fit and factored in what is available in my country.


Also, I haven’t set a budget since I’ve lost my touch on PC building and parts since I haven’t done any full builds for a very long time, 20 years or so. Therefore, this is not so much about best and cheapest but more like longevity and value. Of course, there must be compatibility and there is the aesthetics of things, which is obviously subjective.


Your experience and expertise are greatly appreciated.

I don't use AIO (air cooling guy here), but it seems A4-H20 is able to fit the Fractal Design Celcius: A4-H2O compatible AIO list : lianli (reddit.com)

On the other hand, I think the Meshroom -which is bigger- should also able to fit the Fractal Design Celcius.

Do check motherboard compatibility as well though.

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert so please take my words below with a grain of salt + do your own research.

Our fellow forum staff @Kaji uses a 6950XT, feel free to check with him if you have any question.

My understanding is that if you're OK with raster & not really interested in ray tracing, AMD Radeon 6xxx series provide great power & value. Don't get me wrong, ray tracing is nice, but it goes back to the performance (fps) penalty you're willing to take. (I'm only talking about native frame generation here, not taking into account various upscaling tech such as Nvidia's DLSS or AMD's FSR)
 
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Arelius

Trash Compacter
Original poster
May 4, 2023
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I don't use AIO (air cooling guy here), but it seems A4-H20 is able to fit the Fractal Design Celcius: A4-H2O compatible AIO list : lianli (reddit.com)

On the other hand, I think the Meshroom -which is bigger- should also able to fit the Fractal Design Celcius.

Do check motherboard compatibility as well though.

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert so please take my words below with a grain of salt + do your own research.

Our fellow forum staff @Kaji uses a 6950XT, feel free to check with him if you have any question.

My understanding is that if you're OK with raster & not really interested in ray tracing, AMD Radeon 6xxx series provide great power & value. Don't get me wrong, ray tracing is nice, but it goes back to the performance (fps) penalty you're willing to take. (I'm only talking about native frame generation here, not taking into account various upscaling tech such as Nvidia's DLSS or AMD's FSR)
Thank you @ignsvn!

I found that list for a while ago and it seems to be generated from this, or maybe it's or vice versa. :p

I have also pretty extensively studied the SFF PC Master List however the combination of the parts such as the CASE, MB and the AIO within the limitations of Lian Li's own specified measurements and clearance levels seems to be some unknowns around since there is conflicted data. Fractal Design ANY+ S24 variant are actually not within the case's limitations. This is also confirmed on the SFF PC Master List.

The totalt Height of the radiator (31mm according to both the general specifications and the actual product sheet) and fans being 25mm (this is based on information from SFF PC Master List since these dimensions seems to be lacking on Fractal Designs own data/info) adds up to a total of of 56mm for the Fractal Design Celsius+ S24 Prisma.

Since Lian Li own specifications are saying "1x 240mm (55mm. max total thickness with fans)", I think I'll get away with it with a bit of luck, maybe and well actually mostly because my eye caught this peace of info "1.5-2mm Al + 1.5mm SPCC Steel" over in SFF PC Master List so my conclusion here is this, 56mm will fit into the 55mm.. or at lease I have a 50/50 chans of this happening.

So let's say I'm in the clear on that part which is getting the radiator and the fans into the case, screw it into place and put the top on and there is no bulge or so there.

But then comes the motherboard clearance when seated in the case, screwed down and all. Will there be any room between these to components or will the underside of the fans or fans frames get into the monterbords top part?

And there is also some cables that need to be routed between the to components - even if I could turn of my OCD when it comes to cable management and did not even care about how things would look like.

Going this path of now two or five different types of unknowns but there is still hope for the sake of the build/argument road, the third obstacle pops up into mind. Which is the pump head when mounted on the CPU and everything is seated, will the side panel sit flush, will there be any clearance at all, or will there be protrusion. Ideally I don't want the pump touch the side panel.

So I did my homework regarding all the factors within these parameters considering all the variables cause of these components.


Back into SFF PC Master List and according to that info CPU Cooler Height cant be more than 55mm in height. What I don't know and would want to ask anyone who is reading this; dose that include everything else below the pump, such as CPU and the MB..?

Nevertheless the pump header height for the Fractal Design Celsius+ S24 Prisma is 45mm, thus creating yet another question - can I assume that the motherboard with CPU and with case clearances in mind end up being 10mm or preferably a bit less when assembled?




Is this scenario (build) even possible? I'm really hoping to get some actual feedback on the clearances from those of you who have build with in this case and using this motherboard, here on this forum!

Or perhaps for my own sanity step it up to a "bigger" case so I don't have to be so meticulous about all and every mm here and there and that was your (@ignsvn) opinion also as I gatherd.




Having said all of that, is there a place or a way to search for builds that containing specific parts? Shouldn't sites like PCPP have this in beaded?
 
Last edited:

rfarmer

Spatial Philosopher
Jul 7, 2017
2,601
2,717
The motherboard and CPU are not included in the 55mm, you have that from the top of the CPU to the side panel. There are several examples if you search Reddit.

 
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Arelius

Trash Compacter
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May 4, 2023
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The motherboard and CPU are not included in the 55mm, you have that from the top of the CPU to the side panel. There are several examples if you search Reddit.

Thank you! I have reached out to the OP there, when and if I can have a chat with him things will clear up a bit, I'am sure of it.
 
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mikejmcfarlane

Average Stuffer
Apr 19, 2022
71
54
Hi, you said you would have lots of questions! :-)

Apart from the Corsair H100i Pro RGB XT which is listed in the approved list and I used in my build, the Corsair H100i Elite (this one https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categ...uid-CPU-Cooler/p/CW-9060058-WW#tab-tech-specs as opposed to the Elite Capellix on the official list) will also fit. Corsair don't seem to list the pump height on their page, but according to https://basic-tutorials.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/corsair-icue-h100i-rgb-elite/ the pump height is 56mm. I didn't measure the remaining pump top to case side panel distance, but maybe 2-3mm left till they touched.

Re the SSD, the Samsung 990 Pro is well reviewed, but I've just been testing one, and found it slower and more inconsistent in read tests than both the Corsair MP600 Pro XT and the WD Black SN850. Not sure if it's an incompatibility with the Asus z790i board, or I got a bad drive, or the aida64 disk tests is somehow not a good one for this drive (testing drives is beyond my skill level but seems very variable) but I wasn't impressed. Googling around also showed it can be an inconsistent performer.

On the radiator + fans height, check out Optimum Tech on youtube, he manages to get a radiator and phanteks T30 (30mm thick fans) in with some juggling.
 
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ignsvn

By Toutatis!
SFFn Staff
Apr 4, 2016
1,710
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Usually vendors measure CPU cooler height like this. I think the way people measure waterblock height is similar.



Regarding the fans + radiator 55 mm VS 56 mm clearance, I can't comment much on those details, but be careful (unless you know what you're doing). Or you should at least know what your next step will be in case they don't fit.

You probably can switch to slim 15mm fans instead of the usual 25mm fans, with some trade-off in performance, but unfortunately this also won't answer this question of yours > "But then comes the motherboard clearance when seated in the case, screwed down and all. Will there be any room between these to components or will the underside of the fans or fans frames get into the monterbords top part?"
 
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Arelius

Trash Compacter
Original poster
May 4, 2023
37
13
Hi, you said you would have lots of questions! :-)

Apart from the Corsair H100i Pro RGB XT which is listed in the approved list and I used in my build, the Corsair H100i Elite (this one https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categ...uid-CPU-Cooler/p/CW-9060058-WW#tab-tech-specs as opposed to the Elite Capellix on the official list) will also fit. Corsair don't seem to list the pump height on their page, but according to https://basic-tutorials.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/corsair-icue-h100i-rgb-elite/ the pump height is 56mm. I didn't measure the remaining pump top to case side panel distance, but maybe 2-3mm left till they touched.

Re the SSD, the Samsung 990 Pro is well reviewed, but I've just been testing one, and found it slower and more inconsistent in read tests than both the Corsair MP600 Pro XT and the WD Black SN850. Not sure if it's an incompatibility with the Asus z790i board, or I got a bad drive, or the aida64 disk tests is somehow not a good one for this drive (testing drives is beyond my skill level but seems very variable) but I wasn't impressed. Googling around also showed it can be an inconsistent performer.

On the radiator + fans height, check out Optimum Tech on youtube, he manages to get a radiator and phanteks T30 (30mm thick fans) in with some juggling.
Oh man thank you for recommending (reminding me) on Optimum Tech films on YouTube, I've watched this specific movie at least 3 times and rated it around 9,7 over on rotten tomatoes... ;) Frankly I forgot which case he did that build in, his videos are so cinematic!!

I think I'll stick to the Fractal Design Celsius+ S24 Prisma now with good feeling that it will actually pan out, thank you again and as a backup plan for AIO I'll add iCUE H100i RGB PRO XT Liquid CPU Cooler and iCUE H100i RGB ELITE Liquid CPU Cooler to my "will fit" list. :)


You are now the 4th person who points to the irregularitets on the Samsung disk so I'll swap it out for a WD BLACK SN850X.
 

Arelius

Trash Compacter
Original poster
May 4, 2023
37
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Usually vendors measure CPU cooler height like this. I think the way people measure waterblock height is similar.



Regarding the fans + radiator 55 mm VS 56 mm clearance, I can't comment much on those details, but be careful (unless you know what you're doing). Or you should at least know what your next step will be in case they don't fit.

You probably can switch to slim 15mm fans instead of the usual 25mm fans, with some trade-off in performance, but unfortunately this also won't answer this question of yours > "But then comes the motherboard clearance when seated in the case, screwed down and all. Will there be any room between these to components or will the underside of the fans or fans frames get into the monterbords top part?"
Well thank you sir, this was informative! I'll most certainly do that.


I’ve been eyeballing some Noctua NF-A12x25 (maybe there is a version similar in performance but not as thick?) for the future of this PC as in possible improvement-parts for possible fine tuning and getting the most of it. But initially there is no real room in the budget for even those.
 

Arelius

Trash Compacter
Original poster
May 4, 2023
37
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Unfortunately no. Everything else the same, slim fans (usually around 15mm thick) will never beat normal fans (usually around 25mm thick).
Oh I see :(

But the general assumption is still that Noctua is one of the best and most silent fans out there? Or is there actually other brands who are or have been innovative and have some models that can compare?
 

Arelius

Trash Compacter
Original poster
May 4, 2023
37
13
I don't use AIO (air cooling guy here), but it seems A4-H20 is able to fit the Fractal Design Celcius: A4-H2O compatible AIO list : lianli (reddit.com)

On the other hand, I think the Meshroom -which is bigger- should also able to fit the Fractal Design Celcius.

Do check motherboard compatibility as well though.

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert so please take my words below with a grain of salt + do your own research.

Our fellow forum staff @Kaji uses a 6950XT, feel free to check with him if you have any question.

My understanding is that if you're OK with raster & not really interested in ray tracing, AMD Radeon 6xxx series provide great power & value. Don't get me wrong, ray tracing is nice, but it goes back to the performance (fps) penalty you're willing to take. (I'm only talking about native frame generation here, not taking into account various upscaling tech such as Nvidia's DLSS or AMD's FSR)
BTW, I just updated the initial post regarding my thought on AMD Radeon, now that I have been checking sid-by-side AMD vs Nvidia benchmarks and the actual prices for Radeon cards that I actually can get my hands on and not.
 

Arelius

Trash Compacter
Original poster
May 4, 2023
37
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Just found this.. I think there is hope for me! 😃

I'll start putting down order for the parts later this week, but man this inflation, almost 50t SKE (converts to) 4927$ 💰

Fun times! 🙄
 

hrh_ginsterbusch

Master of Cramming
Nov 18, 2021
433
165
wp-devil.com
Just found this.. I think there is hope for me! 😃

I'll start putting down order for the parts later this week, but man this inflation, almost 50t SKE (converts to) 4927$ 💰

Fun times! 🙄
Ouch? When looking at the costs of what I've eventually had to put into the AP201, and the only thing missing being the GPU, that reads .. awful, at best? I'm like at half of that, including parts I couldnt use (plus inflation), and even if I was to get a fitting GPU now, it'd still be nearly half of it.

Are you planning to go for full custom loop or so?

For comparison: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/b/q3mkcf

cu, w0lf.
 
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Arelius

Trash Compacter
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May 4, 2023
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Ouch? When looking at the costs of what I've eventually had to put into the AP201, and the only thing missing being the GPU, that reads .. awful, at best? I'm like at half of that, including parts I couldnt use (plus inflation), and even if I was to get a fitting GPU now, it'd still be nearly half of it.

Are you planning to go for full custom loop or so?

For comparison: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/b/q3mkcf

cu, w0lf.
Yes sir, that is in the works, but it must wait, it makes no sense to sell the apartment to get custom loop at this time, in this economy.. even I had the money, the prices are literally mental atm over here. Actually, PC components is cheaper (less inflated) then real food so at least we have that going for us! 😉


Wait a minute, you have an ARCTIC Liquid Freezer in there! That’s sweet, are you happy with it? I had to pick that one of my lists of AIO almost in the very beginning.
 

hrh_ginsterbusch

Master of Cramming
Nov 18, 2021
433
165
wp-devil.com
Yes sir, that is in the works, but it must wait, it makes no sense to sell the apartment to get custom loop at this time, in this economy.. even I had the money, the prices are literally mental atm over here. Actually, PC components is cheaper (less inflated) then real food so at least we have that going for us! 😉


Wait a minute, you have an ARCTIC Liquid Freezer in there! That’s sweet, are you happy with it? I had to pick that one of my lists of AIO almost in the very beginning.
Yeah, the LF II 240 A-RGB is absolutely sweet - got the 13700k on "unlimited" (AIO) setting, and on full load it only hit 82° C once (I've optimized everything for quiet operations - if not, it'd be about 8 - 10 C cooler, but much louder, at least with the stock fans).

Sadly the LF II doesnt fit in the H2O, else I'd long gone built it with that case. But it DOES fit (albeit snug) within the Meshlicious - both in the side-by-side (ATX / mATX board) as well as in the classic ITX setup. Hence i went this way - or at least still plan to, albeit I'm currently very fond of the AP201. Its such a well-done case :)

cu, w0lf.
 
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Arelius

Trash Compacter
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May 4, 2023
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Yeah, the LF II 240 A-RGB is absolutely sweet - got the 13700k on "unlimited" (AIO) setting, and on full load it only hit 82° C once (I've optimized everything for quiet operations - if not, it'd be about 8 - 10 C cooler, but much louder, at least with the stock fans).

Sadly the LF II doesnt fit in the H2O, else I'd long gone built it with that case. But it DOES fit (albeit snug) within the Meshlicious - both in the side-by-side (ATX / mATX board) as well as in the classic ITX setup. Hence i went this way - or at least still plan to, albeit I'm currently very fond of the AP201. Its such a well-done case :)

cu, w0lf.
I think the case looks rather slick and somewhat 60-70 ish vibe to it, almost like its meant to stand on wooden floor beside a wooden desk and not be cluttered with anything else.

Looks rad and seems very clean! 😊
 
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