Sleek and simple I like it op

 
Looking good.    

OK, I have a plan for my airflow situation:
 
So this spot is empty right now. I can't fit a fan on the inside with the tubes where they are (which is why it is empty). Also, I've been a big fan of the dust filters on this case as they really do help keep it out of there, so I need to solve that problem too. I'm going to get something like this (not sure exactly which kind):

 
 
 
=>And here's the plan, super complicated, but I'm just going to mount the fan...Outside the case. I know...I know, it really is "outside the box" thinking, but it is so crazy it might just work (why I didn't think to do this the other day, I don't know lol).
 
For now, there's a PCI-e slot filler plate at the bottom of the case that is below the PSU-shroud that you can't even see from the side of the case. I'm going to take that off, and run the fan wire in through there to the controller behind the motherboard. I might cut a notch in that piece of metal, file it smooth, and touch up the raw metal black and put it back in, but I'll see how this works first.
 
I have the regular 140mm Be Quiet! Silent Wings 3 fans and the 120mm high-speed fans. the 120mm high-speed move much more air, so I'm going to start with one of those. Also, if the single 120mm doesn't quite cut it (with 3.37mmH2O and 73.33 CFM), I can always buy a Noctua NF-A14 iPPC PWM fan (with 4.18mmH2O and 107CFM) and really start blasting the cool air in. I figure one of those without a heat-soaked radiator in front of it should really push some good air into the box. If that doesn't work...well...I have a 52W 120mm fan...but it isn't plugging into the motherboard or any fan controller I'm aware of (4.4A)...and I don't want to sit near it when it's on...or even in the same room with it lol. Let's hope it doesn't come to that:

I'm also not going to use the little 8W 60mm jet engine next to it lol (both from a scrap bin at work).
 

The level of detail!!!  Great job on the rig...

So I took the advice of some other folks (post#14) on the internet with this case and opened some of the vent holes with a Dremel tool. I didn't go quite as far as that guy, but I took out about half of the "L-shaped air restrictors". Some of it looked a bit structural on the plastic piece, so I didn't take them all. I may revisit this again and go for the rest of them if I can find a better bit for the Dremel tool. It may also be helpful to take the metal mesh off and hit them from the outside. I did as little disassembly as possible while doing the modification.
 
So you can't tell from the outside, but it definitely runs cooler now. 
 
In pursuit of perfection, I will at some point test some alternate CPU paste methods and pastes to see if I can build on this improvement. 

R00thead
Have you considered putting the pc on a shelf to clear up some desk space? Seems a bit cramped from the original photos.

No room for a shelf. Also, I like to look inside regularly and go "I did this"...also, it's my first custom water loop so now I have incentive to look inside and go "yup, still no leaks" lol. When you sit at the desk, it doesn't feel crowded, at least to me.

driam
I was just going to suggest the same idea. You could in the green place a high CFM fan like a Noctua industrial fan, and switch the GPU to pull from the case. If you are feeling very adventurous you could cut a clean hole into the side panel, mount another fan to directly draw in air to the center of the case. Looks good so far! 
 
 
You can not go wrong with Noctua industrial fans. I have 12 of them on my radiators and they are very silent.... not at 100% but most of the time lol.  
https://noctua.at/en/products/fan/industrial
 

I have done the green-box fan. That is working much better. I usually prefer positive pressure over negative (more intake than exhaust), and the only way I can add to what I have is to put a fan here:

About here^ (they have the whole setup flipped, but the panel is the same).
 
They actually have a fan cutout there on the side panel and you could technically fit 2 fans. One of them would just be blowing directly into the cables on the other side of the motherboard tray, which is not helpful, but the forward one would blow in basically right behind my reservoir. I actually played with trying to get a fan there, but I'd have to mount it outside the panel, not inside where it is intended to go. Then I'd have two fans on the outside of my case lol. Also, there's some filter material there, but if I put a fan on the outside, I'll need some of those finger-guards I just suggested you get for yours. I'd also have to get a little creative again with getting the fan wire into the case. I think if I cut a little hole in some of the filter material in that side panel, I could do it pretty easily, I just don't want it to look too bad. I think I can use 4 normal fan-screws from inside the panel to mount it, then 4 more to mount the finger-guard. The only downside is that the filter would be sandwiched between the fan and panel and I'd have to take the screws out any time I want to clean it. Alternatively, I could just get another one of the metal mesh filters like I put on the back (see pictures above somewhere), and maybe figure out how to open up the other filter. The only issue I have with the other fan-spot on the panel is that there are so many cables back there that they current press into that area of the side-panel. That "be quiet" 
 
I have some extra of these fans, which actually compete well with the black ippc-2000 Noctuas. I have considered swapping the green-box fan out with one of these bad Larrys. So, if I add the side-panel intake, I probably could switch around the GPU fans and have all my rads exhaust. I have noticed that the CPU only struggles now when the GPU is putting tons of heat in the box, so this would definitely help with that. I'm just not sure how well these EVGA fans like to be mounted backwards with their LED ring design, but then again, I just realized that I have enough of the 120mm SW3 high-speed fans to use one on the side-panel, two on the GPU rad, and then I'd have to buy one of those monster 3000rpm Noctuas to put as my rear-intake. I can currently crank up the 2200RPM Bequiet fan and barely hear it back there.
 
So I'd just have to *grumble grumble* buy another fan and 140mm filter for the rear, move the 120mm fan and filter from the back to the side and modify that side filter (and rearrange wires inside), then evaluate if the EVGA rad-fans are ok being mounted LED-ring towards the rad for a pull-config or put my be quiet 2200rpm fans on there and crank them up a bit....oh, and those 120mm fans I have are 3-pin, so if I use them for GPU, I need to move the two case fans over to motherboard headers, plug the rad fans into my fan-hub, and plug the fan-hub into the gpu's fan-cable for PWM control (because I can plug in several PWM and 3-pin fans into the same fan hub that came with my case).
 
This is another "simple" project that isn't so simple...but I do like it, and I think it might just be worth it.
 
Edit: I was just thinking...I may even have enough room to put two of the Be Quiet fans on the front of the radiator in "pull" and one of the stock hybrid fans inside the case in "push" right next to my reservoir. I may hold it up there and see if it'll look too crowded before I decide, but I believe that is an option...and then I guess I can take the dust filter off the front of the case, as in exhaust it'd just be slowing down the airflow. Then I can close the front door of my case again (its been a while lol)...and that would also put more blue LEDs inside the case! lol so much for my non-RGB build...look at all the lights in this thing. sheesh.
 
Also, stole this from another thread about his 3090, but it applies and I love it:

mizzer
 The air from the GPU rad is too spicy.

There you go again, giving me more ideas lol (thanks for all the help by the way!).
 
This is Plan A (slight modification from what you first suggested):
 
The rear (picture-left) green box will be filled with the 140mm Noctua NF-14 ippc-3000RPM fan. That thing can make a metric *expletive*-ton of pressure and airflow. I'll give it a fan-curve related to the CPU temps.
 
I will then add the far-side green-box fan that goes into the side-panel and move one of the EVGA fans to the inside of the GPU rad next to the reservoir (if it fits). I'll either put the other EVGA hybrid kit fan on the exhaust-side of the rad (facing the right of the picture) so that the push/pull pair are the same, or just use two of the be quiet! SW3 120mm fans on the "pull" side of the rad. All 4 of these fans (the new intake, and the 3 rad-fans (can't fit a bottom internal fan there)) will then run over to the fan-hub, which I'll plug into the GPU's fan cable. I could use the card's aux-port, but I think it's the same control in PX1, and I can just use that to control all of these fans, even though some are PWM and some are voltage-control because a PWM input to the hub and it just runs all the fans at that % of max. I don't know if mix-matching the rad-fans in push/pull is bad, so that's why I might just put both EVGA fans on the top of the rad in push/pull and then the different fan on the bottom in "pull".
 
After this, I'll have considerably more fresh air going into the case and all the heat exhausting, which should definitely be a huge improvement. I don't hate the baffle idea, other than I don't think I'm capable of making one in any way that won't look...just terrible. So that is issue 1. Issue 2 is that the pink fan you've drawn can only fit (due to how the mounting-slots for the rad are located) about a 92mm-max sized fan. I'd have to rely on maybe one screw and then zip-ties or something to hold it in place and I don't think it would fit at an angle. While I have seen some folks modify the front door of this case and put mesh or something that looks nice in all the holes they cut, I don't think I'd be able to pull it off in a manner that actually looks good. I think what I need to do now is figure out what the most optimal setup is for this case without too many more cuts and modifications and then ride it out for a couple years. I feel like if I cut into this case a bunch on the outside, it won't look "clean" anymore and having the sleek dark "clean" exterior was part of the theme I wanted. I have certainly learned a lot from this case and this project about what I want in a future case. Be Quiet has some really good quality parts, but this thing was definitely designed for quiet and not air-flow. I knew that to some extent and was hoping for a nice balance between the two...not exactly the balance I was hoping for, but until I put a 3080 ti in the system it was pretty manageable.
 
Next time, I'll probably be looking at something more similar to the Corsair 7000 Airflow version. Be Quiet!'s new Silent Base 802 has panels that opt for a lot more airflow and I hope they someday come out with a new "biggn" like the 900 pro v2 that is geared more towards airflow, or at least has that option. I am definitely at a love-hate situation with this case as every part of it is rugged and well thought-out, but it was also thought-out for a slightly different purpose lol. So it's mostly my fault for wanting to use it differently than they intended, but I think some slight changes could make it pretty epic. For example, if they put a bunch more ventilation in the attic, it would solve many problems.
 

NEWS:
#1, this is the only thread that I really "own" per-se, so Hear ye Hear ye, from thence forth, I shall be known as B0baganoosh (or "Boba" or "Bob" for short if you prefer). I have wanted to change my name forever, but didn't know it was an option until I happened across a thread that said "just email the webmaster" lol. Nike_7688 is attached to an old email I had in high school back when I was playing sports more and thought Nike soccer cleats were just the coolest. As an adult (I'm in my mid-30's now lol), I'm not fond of that business's practices or beliefs and all that, so I really have no desire to associate myself with them. My gamer tag has been Bobaganoosh, B0baganoosh, or something similar for over 17 years so it seemed like the best option here.
 
#2: cooling improvements to this build.
Monster Noctua fan installed. It is the NF-A14 ippc-3000RPM. It is...intense. And loud. I have it turned down most of the time, but when the CPU actually wants lots of air through the rad, it gives all the air it could want. This is in the rear, pulling in fresh air through a filter:

 
Peaking in behind the reservoir is a new side-panel intake:

It is a Silent Wings 3 120mm high-speed (2200RPM) fan. Moves plenty of air. It is linked with the GPU rad fans for speed.
 
Speaking of GPU Radiator:


She's now in exhaust mode! Also, she's push-pulling on top and pulling on the bottom (another 120mm SW3 fan). So it basically has it's own intake air feeding it and exhausts all the heat out the front. Most of the time, I can keep the door closed if I want some peace and quiet, but I opened it up to show you folks what's going on there. While the reservoir is right in front of the top intake fan, the curvature of the reservoir means that most of the fan is unrestricted and putting your hand in front of the exhaust shows there's a ton of airflow there.
 
In general, the GPU is running about 1° hotter in Time Spy with this configuration than before because it's now pulling air from inside the case instead of from outside. However, that heat is no longer feeding the CPU, so that is now running much cooler under full load. I think I have some more voltage tweaking to do to see if I can get it to run a pinch cooler. I don't really know how to set the v-droop properly, so perhaps if I can get a lower vcore setting with the proper vdroop setting, I'll be able to turn down the core a bit and have better temps.
 
The only bummer I have run into currently is that Precision X1 doesn't get a tachometer feedback from the fan hub that now has all the GPU rad fans plugged into it. Because of that, it just outputs 100% PWM signal (even though it says something lower on the fan curve) and the fans go to 100%. So I've currently removed the fan hub's control cable from the GPU fan cable and have it plugged into the motherboard running at 65% constant. It isn't too obnoxious and keeps the GPU plenty cool (56-58° OC'd during a time spy stress test). I am assuming the issue is because PX1 doesn't see the tach speed. Before Windows boots, the fans are running much slower, so it does seem to be a PX1 related issue. I will see if I can come up with a way to run the fans off the hub, but pass one of the EVGA fan's tach lines over to the GPU's fan-1 cable while also running the hub's input connector to the cable. The cable is a splitter, one of the connectors not having a tach line at all, so I can probably plug the hub cable into that, but then I need a splitter cable that has two male-ends, one of which only having a tach line. so that the fan can be ran off the hub, but give it's tach signal back to the GPU so that it doesn't just crank it up to 11 (which is loud and unnecessary lol). I'm no stranger to soldering and heat-shrinking cables, so I might just buy some pre-crimped cables and cut/splice to get what I need. Of course, if there's some sort of software setting or override that doesn't require all that rigmarole, I'd appreciate the heads up!
 
Edit: I have started a post in the PX1 section to try and get some help with the fan header thing (if there are other things to be done) with some sketches of the issue and a solution I've come up with so far (needs testing though).

Captain's log: the 3rd of September, year of Jimbob.
 
Houston, we have a problem. I was just getting happy with the performance of everything and then my POST indicators started failing.
 
So, I had to remove the CPU and take a picture of the socket to prove there's no damage (there's no damage) and that gave me a good excuse to check my mount and re-paste.
Yikes:

 
I mean...I've seen worse, but the whole left side is not making good contact. This was done with the "vertical line" method, which honestly looks like it made for adequate paste distribution, but it appears the right side was much tighter than the left, creating uneven pressure and maybe part of the temperature problems I was having. Most of the heat in this thing is a vertical line right in the center, but the better contact you have with the whole IHS the better.
 
Went back to a blob:

My desire to document it may have been problematic as the KPx is pretty soft and started drooping a bit (no, I didn't lay the case down). In any case, this is temporary as now I'll wait for the cross-ship z590 motherboard to get here and I can do a bigger teardown.
 
So far, the re-paste and mount has resulted in some pretty good temperatures. So I think I've settled on the big blob method for this CPU, but I'm still not sold on the KPx. I think I'll try the kryonaut on the re-install, as I have some of that too.

I will only use KPx, still the best paste I have ever used. Always consistent, but then again I also always spread it out myself that way I know its pretty much even every time. But that also stems from doing LN2. I see your using the optimus block, I have the nickel/plexi, And my god I love it. The only thing is the mounting isn't fool proof. So I just set the block down on the cpu, then press down on the block in the middle between the two fittings. Spin the thumb screws down until they stop spinning on their own. Once all four have down that, start to snug them 1/4 turn at a time in a cross pattern. Do that till your block can no longer move/spin on top of the cpu. I have almost perfect mounts every time doing it that way, just a suggestion for you :)
 
Your build is looking good! I did a complete rebuild of my 9900k and 2080 Ti water loop and added a 3rd 360 rad due to a slime type growth in everything. But of course I failed in completely cleaning out and killing the growth in the radiators so it all came back. But instead of trying to clean the rads, I'm going to just have to buy 3 new ones, sigh.

Looks Good!

Update!
 
I'm going to have to update my signature again. Due to the EVGA Bucks program ending and having to spend my points on something, I picked up the z690 Classified and DDR5-6000 32GB kit bundle they had (only reason it made sense to upgrade my CPU and motherboard right now with new gens coming in just a few months).
 
Excuse the mess, but I was just trying to get it up and running lol. I still have some more tuning to do on the CPU overclock (separate thread in z690 section for that), but it's alive.
 

External light on just to see what's going on inside easier:

If you're curious, yes, the board sticks down below the power supply shroud. yes I plugged in the front panel audio and a USB 2.0 header completely blind and by feel. The Front panel power/reset switch/leds connection was...complicated:

An annoying one^, the case mounts the power supply about an inch and a half inside the case with a mesh back panel with its own power inlet and switch and there's a little ~6" jumper cable from their power inlet to the power supply. The inlet on the EVGA 1000W G3 is upside down from what bequiet! had in mind with their right-angle power cable. It has to do a little loop, as seen here, to connect correctly. I could king the thing and jam it in a slightly different spot so it isn't visible, but that would risk the cable and internal wires to damage and that just doesn't feel responsible. I suppose I could buy the other-angle jumper cable, but if you look at the top two pictures, you'll notice that you can't even see it in there under the GPU, so it's only noticeable when you're working on things.
 
As I said, I haven't done a lot of tuning on the CPU OC and I'm still waiting on an LGA1700 contact frame to get here to fix my mount pressure, so I'll do more tuning after that comes in, but here are some initial scores from a quick overclock:
CPU Profile
Time Spy
Port Royal
 
I think this is 5.4GHz 1-4 cores, 5.3GHz 5-6 cores, 5.2GHz 7-8 cores. I'm not posting this from that computer right at the moment so I'll have to verify later. It doesn't really matter as I'm planning to get to about 5.5 1-2 cores, 5.4 3-6 cores, 5.3 7 cores, 5.2 8 cores. I know that isn't a lot higher, but I think it'll definitely be manageable with proper tuning.
 
Edit: Time spy updated with 5.5GHz 1-2 cores, 5.4GHz 3-4 cores, 5.3GHz 5-6 cores, 5.2GHz 7 cores, 5.1GHz 8 cores.

seth89
What allen keys are you using there?
 
Also, I like that tubing you're using.

The ball-end hex keys are from Wiha. I like the color coded ones, they're pretty handy for keeping track of which key goes to which screws when you have multiple going. I've also used these kits from them (I have a set at work), which are very nice with the swivel holder thing that is surprisingly helpful when taking one out of the holder or putting it back in.
 
The only Wiha ball-end hex tools I don't like are the ones with the "screw holding" hex tools with the little tension clip at the end that's supposed to lock the screw in. They work for a little while, but the tension clips seem to fail over time, then you don't get as good purchase on the screw as the normal ball-end hex does.
 
Overall, I'm a huge Wiha fan. All my screwdrivers are from them too. They have the best Phillips bits I've found, in that they are considerably better at not stripping out a Phillips screw, even when you sometimes forget to apply copious amounts of pressure lol.
 
Also, while looking at the picture to see what tools I was using, I also saw my fancy Kai scissors. Those things are phenomenal. I have the cheaper set at home and use one of the "pro" line ones at work for cutting some insulation material and other things and their quality is outstanding. I...well...I like nice things. A good quality tool just makes you want to build stuff.

rjohnson11
Did anyone notice the floppy disc in post 87?

lol. it is a rubber cup holder. gift from the wife from thinkgeek.com I'm pretty sure. Edit: which I just found out was bought by gamestop and destroyed.