(WIP) Portable VR Box - Louqe Ghost S1

[SoadiePops]

Introduction
I am in the planning stages of building a SFF rig capable of handling VR applications and gaming. I have a pre order open for the full Valve Index kit so my goal is to build a PC capable of running VR titles on the highest settings at the highest frame rates, while still being small enough to easily bring to events. After sifting through my case options I picked up a Louqe Ghost S1 and large 'TopHat' for it's sleek design and extremely small form factor. Once I begin the build I will post a full build log with lots of juicy pics.

Part List (WIP)
Up until last week's Computex I was planning to build a rig based around the i9 9900k, but with AMD's Zen 2 (Ryzen 3000) lineup coming out relatively soon I have decided to hold off and see how AMD's new chips preform in real world. If the Ryzen 9 3900X ends up being a flop or the X570 platform is buggy or any other major blockers arise I plan to drop back to the original plan of using the i9 9900k.

Theoretical AMD Build

Case	Louqe Ghost S1 in Ash w/ L TopHat
Motherboard	ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX TB3	Undecided on this or the Gigabyte X570 ITX, waiting for some reviews
CPU	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X	16 cores!
RAM	2 x 16GB G.SKILL Ripjaws V DDR4 3200	Need to verify this will fit but it should be okay
Storage	1TB Samsung 970 Evo Plus
GPU	EVGA RTX 2080 Ti XC2 ULTRA	Hoping Nvidia will release some info on whatever Super is so I can buy a GPU
Case Fan	Noctua NF-A12x25	See Questions
Power Supply	Corsair SF600 Platinum
PSU Wiring	Pslate Customs	Probably going to get an EVGA Powerlink as well

Liquid Cooling

CPU Block / Pump	Swiftech Apogee Drive II	Seems like this is best pump you can get built in to the CPU block
GPU Block	EVGA Hydro Copper XC	See EVGA FAQ for dimensions
Radiator	Bitspower Leviathan SF 240
Fans	2x Noctua NF-A12x25
Tubing	EK-Tube ZMT - Matte Black	3/8in x 5/8in, ordering 12ft so I have plenty of extra
Fittings	4x Koolance LP Elbow 6x Koolance Compression 2x Koolance Right Angle	LP elbow fittings are for connecting the CPU and GPU blocks to compression fittings Straight compression fittings are for connecting to the tubing, 2 extra for filling Right angle fittings are for connecting to the bottom of the radiator
Coolant	Mayhems X1 Clear

Questions
I plan to do some thermal testing to see if having a fan in the bottom of the case actually helps as several reviews have stated does not make much difference. Has anyone tried using a fan down there with a water cooled setup and if so was it worth it?

Update 1:
Decided to go with @pslate cables for the PSU instead of trying to find an alternative.

Update 2:
Ditched my plan to use separate AIO coolers for the CPU and GPU. Instead I'll be building a custom loop to cool both.

Update 3:
After speaking with EVGA, I determined I can use an RTX 2080ti XC2 with the EVGA Hydro Copper water block. I also decided to go for the Ryzen 9 3950X instead of the 3900X because why not. I'll need to verify the VRMs on the motherboard will be able to handle a CPU like that, although I don't plan to do any overclocking so it should be fine.

Update 4:
Finalized plan for water loop.

 

[SoadiePops]

Reserved

 

[rfarmer]

I would wait for @pslate to open up orders again. You can use 30cm for the 8 pin EPS and the PCI but the 24 pin is a custom curve with different lengths.

I have my Ghost fully watercooled, you can see pics of it here. I have a delidded 8700k overclocked to 5.0 GHz and a RTX 2070 and my max temps when benchmarking are 70C, personally I like it much better than an AIO.

Fans on AIOs are usually lower end and loud, so some good replacement fans are a good idea.

 

[SoadiePops]

Good call, I was not aware the 24 pin had custom lengths.

Wow that looks slick, I assume your radiator is also your reservoir? I am tempted to build a custom loop but I haven't done open loop water cooling since way back in the Athlon XP days and it did not go very well. Granted I think everything has improved significantly since then. Is there a good resource for researching components to build a custom loop? I would want to really max out the amount of cooling I'm getting if I am going to go through the effort of buying individual parts and putting it all together.

 

[rfarmer]

Yes the reservoir is built into the radiator. I only suggest custom loop because while I have not seen anyone use dual AIOs in the Ghost I have seen it done in the Ncase, biggest problem is what to do with all that excess tubing.

I used the Swiftech Apogee Drive II which is a block/pump combo, you need to use low profile 90 degree adapters like the ones I got from Koolance. You could also use the Alphacool Eisbaer LT which is much lower profile. If I had to do it again I would just use a radiator with fittings on each side like this Bitspower and not bother with a reservoir.

 

[SoadiePops]

Ahh I had not thought about the excess tubing, that is definitely a downside of AIO cooling. it sounds like a custom loop is the way to go for what I'm after.

Just to make sure I am going at this correctly, in order to cool everything I will need:

• CPU block / pump combo
• GPU block or GPU that comes with a block preinstalled
• 240mm radiator
• 2x 120mm fans
• Tubing (likely G1/4)
• Fittings to connect the blocks and radiator to the tubing
• Cooling liquid of some kind

Is there a good way to determine if a pump will be sufficient for a loop? I know JayzTwoCents had problems using a Fractal Design Kelvin block / pump combo in his water cooled Louqe build. I like the look of that Alphacool block and it looks like it comes with an AM4 bracket which is a plus. I'll read up on putting together a custom loop and see what I can come up with.

 

[rfarmer]

I can't speak for the Alphacool but the Swiftech moves 17.5 l/m and is more than enough for my use. I actually have the pump at 50% for normal usage and only goes higher under load.

 

[SoadiePops]

Reading the specifications, it looks like the pump on the Alphacool is rated at 100l/h which is significantly less than the Swiftech so I guess that's a no go for the Alphacool.

I'm considering getting a GPU with a waterblock preinstalled, such as the EVGA Hydro Copper or the Zotac ArcticStorm. Are these worth the money or are aftermarket blocks going to offer better cooling?

 

[rfarmer]

They usually use blocks from a company like EK so they are good, plus you get full warranty. Problem I see with both of those GPUs is the height, not sure what the limit is in the Ghost but I would guess they surpass it.

You would probably be best off getting one of the reference style cards and a seperate water block.

 

[SoadiePops]

Spoke with an EVGA customer service rep and it looks like the 2080ti XC cards with the Hydro copper water block should fit just fine: https://www.evga.com/support/faq/afmmain.aspx?faqid=59754

 

[SoadiePops]

@rfarmer I finished planning out my water loop (added it to the OP), does this all look correct to you? Also any idea if it's worth it to use something like this to flush a new radiator out prior to use?

 

[rfarmer]

It's a good idea to flush new radiators before use. Some come pretty clean, some are full of all kinds of crap.