Introduction
 
It's time for another custom Liquid Cooled build, and this time we are utilizing the MASSIVE Thermaltake Tower 900 case! This is a commissioned build, using some extreme hardware, and I am really excited to get started.
 
Will feature dual liquid loops, one for the i9-7980 Extreme CPU, and the other cooling 2x Nvidia Titan X Pascals in SLI. We will incorporate a little bit of acrylic work to clean things up, along with some painting, and RGB lighting. Take a look at all the components below to see just how impressive (and powerful) this build will be when completed. I present Project Ecthelion!
 
 
 
Component List
 
Component Type (PC Hardware)

• Case Thermaltake Tower 900 White x1
• Motherboard ASUS Prime x299 Deluxe x1
• CPU Intel i9-7980XE Extreme 18 Core Processor x1
• RAM G.SKILL 64GB (4 x 16GB) TridentZ Series DDR4 PC4-27200 3400MHZ x1
• Video Cards Nvidia Titan X Pascal x2 SLI x2
• GPU Backplate Titan X Design x2 Color Backplates x2
• SSD NVMe Samsung 960 Pro M.2 2TB x2 (RAID) x2
• SSD 2.5in Samsung 860 EVO 1TB x1
• Power Supply EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 P2 80+ PLATINUM, 1000W x1
• Custom Cables Blue and Black sleeved x1
• OS (Dual Boot) Windows 10 x64 / OSX (HackinTosh)
• Fans / Lighting NZXT RF-AR140-C1 HUE+ & Aer RGB140 Fans Bundle Pack x1
• Lighting NZXT HUE+ Extension Kit LED Strips x2

Component Type (Liquid Cooling)

• Reservoir / Pump Thermaltake Pacific PR22-D5 Adjustable D5 Pump/Reservoir Combo x2
• Fans (Radiator) Corsair ML120, 120mm Magnetic Levitation SP Fan (2-Pack) x3
• Radiator XSPC EX360 High Performance Radiator x2
• Tubing (Hard) Monsoon Hardline PETG Tubing 1/2" ID, 5/8" OD (16mm) 36inx3 x1
• Tubing (Soft) PrimoFlex Advanced LRT 3/8in.ID x 5/8in.OD Tubing Bundle (10ft pack) x1
• Fittings Monsoon to 1/2" ID, 5/8" OD Hardline Eco V2 Compression Fittings x6 x3
• Fittings Barrow G1/4" Fittings (Various) x46
• Fittings XSPC G1/4" Ball Valve, Black Chrome x2
• Waterblock CPU EK X299 Monoblock x1
• GPU Waterblock Watercool HEATKILLER for Titan X Pascal - ACRYL Ni x2
• Coolant Additive Mayhems Pastel Concentrate White - 250ml x1
• Coolant Additive Mayhems Pastel Concentrate Blue - 250ml x1
• Misc Barrow Replacement G1/4" O Ring - 10pcs - Blue x2

Component Type (Mini Case Display)

• Display Toguard 7 inch Ultra-Thin High-Res 1024x600 HDMI Monitor x1
• Misc Flat Slim High Speed HDMI Extension Cable x1
• Misc USB 2.0 Male to Micro USB 90 degree Angled Cable x1
• Misc DC Barrel Power Plug Pigtail Cable 12v x1

 
Build Log Project Index

• Intro / Component List

 
 

Looks like a very nice project.  At first I thought your photos abover were the "new" build

Looks like you'll be busy for a while, can't wait for the finished build.

Hoggle
Looks like it will be a very sweet build when it's finished.

Cool GTX
Looks like a very nice project.  At first I thought your photos abover were the "new" build

fergusonll
Looks like you'll be busy for a while, can't wait for the finished build.

 

XrayMan
Alot of work for sure, but worth it.

Thanks!


 
Before jumping into the next part of the build, wanted to quickly explain the name of the project for those that don’t consider themselves “Tolkien Nerds”.  The Tower of Ecthelion, also known as the White Tower, was a tall white tower atop Minas Tirith which contained the throne of the King of Gondor.  That is where the name comes from, and I thought it very fitting for the particular case we are using in this build.
 

GPU Acrylic Backplates / SLI Bridge
 
Now that we have some really nice looking white GPU Waterblocks, we needed some backplates to match. Originally we were going to purchase metal backplates, and just paint them as we did the waterblock shrouds.  Luckily we came across another option that allowed for further customization and required no additional painting!  A company called V1 Tech offers a lot of different design options for both the “logo” and colors.
 
Install of these backplates is pretty easy, and there are 2 options you can choose. You can use small rare earth magnets to secure the backplate to the GPU mounting screws, or double sided adhesive tape.  We had to use the tape, as the screws in the Heatkiller block are not magnetic. Here you can see the double sided tape on top of the screws.
 

 
We removed the tabs on the other side of the tape, and lowered the backplate in to place. It lined up perfectly with our GPU, and although can be taken off if needed, it is secured very well.
 

 
Here you can see why we went with this particular backplate. Not only does it have the white the primary theme of the case will feature, but also has a great “Titan X” graphic featuring the secondary color of our theme.
 

 
Here is a side view of one of these plates installed. Obviously these will provide no cooling benefits, but even metal backplates are said to not really provide any benefits in that regard.
 

 
In addition to the GPU backplates, we also found a plate to cover the generic HB SLI Bridge for this setup. Also installed with double sided tape.
 

 
Here we have the plates installed along with the waterblock, sitting next to the motherboard.  Really liking how the colors are coming together, and the Titan X graphic looks great.  Excited to see these installed, and with some custom RGB LEDs backing them up.
 

 
Next up, painting our RAM heatsinks to match the color theme we have going with the GPUs and Motherboard.

Cool GTX
Great update to your build.  The water blocks look nice
Great photos

Thanks!  Also making some custom RGB LED strips for the blocks.  Should look pretty neat once completed.

Coming along real nice...

 
Very nice.        

Acrylic Divider MOD
 
Although I really like the Thermaltake Tower 900, there are a few things that visually I want to change. It has some large cavities towards that back that are made to route cables and tubing.  In function is is fine, but I don't like the way its looks, along with the extra row of holes and grommets. So I decided to use a section of white acrylic to cover up the areas that I find unsightly. Here is a rough sketch of what I planned to do.
 

 
In addition to wrapping the acrylic around the central storage area, I will also drill out holes for the hardline tubing to pass through.  Those holes will be cut down the road once I get the tubing bends situated and measured.
 
Here we have the prep tape and measurements to begin cutting the acrylic.
 

 
I opted to cut in the garage as acrylic is messy to deal with. Using some claps and a T-Square I secured everything down, and made my cuts using a jigsaw with a blade made to cut Plexiglas / acrylic.
 

 
Here we have it installed in the case. I kind of wish I would have used a matte white finish instead of glossy, but the end result will still work out.
 

 
As mentioned before, this will have to come out to drill a few more holes later in the project. Should be an easy modification.
 
Up next, custom RGB LED strips to go behind the GPUs.
 

Custom RGB LEDs Strips
 
With all the waterblocks assembled, its time to get our block lighting squared away.  The case lights will be RBG, but will most likely stay a soft white glow to allow the case components to we lit well. The waterblocks on the other-hand will take full advantage of the RGB elements of their own LED strips.  The EK Monoblock has its own RGB strip, so we are going to make 2x additional ones for the waterblocks.
 

 
Heatkiller apparently has a RGB strip  for these blocks, but I didn't know that when I started making these, and its not really that difficult to make your own. I measured the length we wanted to cut the strip, and did some basic sleeving to cover up the color wires. There was a bit of soldering involved to attach the 4pin adapter to the wires, then applied some heat shrink to keep things secure. Here I am testing my strips to make sure they light up and change colors before installing them on the GPUs.
 

 
To attach the LED strips to the Acrylic part of the GPUs, I am using transparent electronics tape. This stuff is commonly found in phones and tablets, holding the back of the device to the body. Its pretty adhesive, and holds up well to heat.  Given that its transparent, it doesn't hurt the light transmission as the LEDs shine through the acrylic. Prepped the surface with an alcohol swap, then applied the tape.
 

 
Here we have the LED strips attached to the GPU Waterblocks.  I have the cables set to route directly through the gromet holes beneath the GPUs and Motherboard.
 

 
Now its time to see how the look with the lights turned on...
Lights ON
 

 
Lights OFF
 

 
GPUs installed on the MoBo again, and full RGB action is in effect!
 

 
Below is most likely the color that we will end up going with on the blocks, kid of a blueish white, but we will finalize the decision once we have color liquid flowing through the loops.
 

 
Another side shot of the GPU block, with the cool blue glow in action.
 

 

Good work on the RGB strips.

Radiators & Fans


This will be a fairly quick update at there isn't much to this part of the build, but there are some important steps that I didn't want to skip over. As seen in the earlier loop diagram, this build will have 2 loops, and dual Radiators.  We will be using XSPC EX360 Radiators that have been painted white. For the fans, Corsair ML120 Magnetic Levitation Static Pressure x6.





Before we started installing the actual radiators, we flushed them with white vinegar to remove any particulates. These particular radiators weren't that bad, but still had some floaties to deal with (zoom in to see).





With that done, we flushed again with distilled water, and set out to install them on the case. The Tower 900 has 2 dedicated areas for the Radiators, situated so the fans are on one side of the mounting bracket, the radiators on the other.





We decided to not go with any LED fans for the radiators, as they are not visible when the case is fully assembled. Going with a push configuration with the fans, and the hot air going into the case after passing through the radiators will be vented out via the top 140mm exhaust fan.





I have been waiting for a few random parts to get in, but should be able to make some good progress towards finishing up in the coming days.

Pumps & Tubing
 
Now that all the waterblocks and radiators have been installed, its time to get the tubing runs completed. This build will have a combination of hard and soft tubing. We are using 2x Thermaltake Pacific PR22-D5 Res/Pump Combos for power our loops. These are supposed to be fairly silent, so hoping for good results here.
 

 
For the Hardline parts, we are using standard PETG Tubing 1/2" ID, 5/8" OD (16mm). To connect to these tube, we will be utilizing Monsoon Hardline Economy fittings v2.  I have used Monsoon fittings before with good success, but this was my first time using the v2 fittings.
 

 
There was very little in the way of documentation with these fittings, and I didn't notice that there were 2 "channels" where O-rings needed to be inserted (the v1 fittings only had 1 O-ring).  Luckily I was able to find a YouTube video that showed a cut-away of the fitting and where the o-rings needed to be installed.
 

 
With that, just a quick note on cutting the tubing for these particular fittings.  There is exactly 10mm of distance between the top rim of the fitting and the base of where the tubing will sit.  It is important to have the tubing pass both o-rings inside the fitting for a secure fit, so make sure to cut long enough for that to happen.
 

 
As is standard, here is a quick shot of all the tools involved in making hardline bends. The Barrow Bending Jig is a new addition, and makes multi-angle bends a bit easier.  Also shown is my pipe cutter, heat gun, and various bending mandrels.
 

 
We also had to cut holes in the acrylic backing for the tubing to pass through.  Measured, taped, and drilled them out.
 

 
The hardline runs for this particular system are pretty simple, a few 90 degree bends is all, so the process didn't take long at all. Being that we have a few lines that are parallel to each other, I wanted to make sure everything was level.  Used a small level to ensure we are lined up where needed.
 

 
Here is a shot of the tubing passing through the acrylic backing and transitioning to the soft tubing with compression fittings. I toyed with the idea of wrapping the tubing behind the acrylic with LED strips so they would glow, but decided against it as the opaque fluid we will be using doesn't transmit light well.
 

 
I used some weather stripping and zip-ties to secure the tubing so it won't move around, and ruin my nice level tubing runs in the front.  Should also prevent any possible leaks from occuring since they are nice and snug.
 

 
Now we connect the soft tubing for the remainder of the loops, going to the radiators and drain ports. Here you can see a T-Block that will allow us to have a temperature sensor and drain port coming out of the radiators.
 

 
And here is the completed soft tubing portion of the loops.  I did kind of a"X" design with the loops, and it should look pretty neat once the different color fluids are crossing each other back there. Using a basic Ball Valve and stop plug to seal the drain port when not needed.
 

 
Here is the drain hose for the system.  It will thread into the ball valve, and allow for easy fluid maintenance when needed.
 

 
And here is a quick shot showing the drain hose installed to give you an idea of what it will look like during that particular operation.
 

 
My Custom PSU cables from CableMod have finally arrived... and although they look great, we have some major issues. More on that soon.
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Always feels good to watch the evolution of this mod.

the attention to all the small details will make your RIG really standout