Readers Drives - Positive Education

Posted at: Monday 1st September 2008 by Tom Logan

Tom Logan started building his customised water-cooled computer just a month after buying his first PC, which shows what a combination of skill and helpful advice can do.

I bought my first desktop PC, an off-the-shelf HP computer, from a well-known retailer in February 2007. Although I was initially happy with this machine, it was less than a month before I decided to be more adventurous and build my own customised PC. Thankfully, I had been learning about assembling PC components from various web forums over the previous 18 months, which I consider an excellent way for a newcomer to learn the ropes.

One site in particular, Overclock3D, was full of advice, with many helpful forum members who explained the details of their cooling setups and the different thermal properties of PC components. It wasn't long before my HP system seemed underpowered and overheated compared with some of the PCs people had built.

SIMPLE BEGINNINGS

While looking into a quieter, more efficient cooling setup, I discovered the forums at WaterCooling UK, and my journey towards building my dream PC began. At the time, building and assembling a new computer was a pipe dream. After saving money and receiving helpful advice from forum regulars for a few months, including some personal assistance from James Napier, the owner of Overclock3D, I had both the knowledge and funds to select the hardware that would suit my tastes.

My first purchase was a powder-coated Lian Li V2000, which came directly from James.

I was advised to pick an Asus P5K Premium motherboard and an Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 with G0 stepping, as this combination allows for great overclocking. I decided on an Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT graphics card, which is more than capable of running Race Driver: GRID with all the visual details cranked up.

AN INTRODUCTION TO WATER COOLING

I'd intended to keep the water-cooling components inside the case to retain the PC's white-powdered appearance. As mentioned last issue, the V2000 is a great case if you want to fit an entire water-cooling kit inside it. The tried and tested method is to place a Thermochill PA120.3 radiator in the lower section of the case, and I combined this with a DDC Ultra Pump and full-cover EK motherboard blocks. I decided on an XSPC Edge CPU waterblock. I wasn't a fan of some of the reservoirs on the market, but a helpful soul at WaterCooling UK found me some circular Mountain Mod reservoirs. I picked an Aqua Computers full-cover block for the graphics card, which I bought second-hand from another forum member.

After my components had arrived, my first task was to mount the hard disks. As there was very little airflow at the top of the case, I ordered two Lian Li drive bay adaptor kits - one to hold a 120mm fan and another for three hard drives - along with a pair of spare perforated bezels. These were all sent off to be powder-coated to match the appearance of the case.

DIY CASE MODDING

I had to cut some space in the base of the case to fit the huge Thermochill radiator, but the most time-consuming aspect of building this PC was yet to come. I wanted to cover the inside of the case with a reflective material, which would make the lighting appear more intense and give the interior a clean appearance. I ordered several different-sized sheets of 3mm mirrored acrylic, and set about making floors and ceilings for both levels. This required hours of cutting with a jigsaw and filing until all the pieces fitted snugly. A handy side effect was the division of the case into two sections, which helped with the themed lighting. I used white (for heaven) at the top and red (for hell) in the bottom.