Project Open Core: Hardware - System Status Display, USB 3.1 Card

I have wanted to add some sort of system status display to a build for a while now, and decided it was time to do it. I was initially going to place a small 4in display on the front of the case where you can mount an SSD, but decided to go bigger.  Found a 7in HDMI display on fairly cheap on Amazon. Not very high resolution, and the screen quality is not great, but works well for the intended purpose, which is to run the CAM dashboard on it, looking something like this.



Wasn’t a fan of the glossy finish, so wrapped it in Carbon Fibre vinyl.   It also has a camera shoe mount which made attaching it to the case easy.  I like this option as it allows the screen to swivel a bit, so I can point it towards me.  The buttons are pressure sensitive, and aren't’ affected by the vinyl.  I doubt I will actually use the buttons much, as it simply powers on with the system, and also comes with a remote for settings navigation.



Here is a view from the sides to see the connectors.  Requires a 12V power source and either HDMI or VGA (via a VGA to Mini USB adapter) to run the display.



Here is a picture from earlier in the build log, showing it mounted to the case just below the GPU support. I will get additional pictures of the software running on it once I get the system fully built.



I also decided to add a PCIe USB 3.1 expansion card to the build.  The ASUS ROG Maximus Formula VIII has a ton of USB 3.0 ports, and even 2x 3.1, one of which is the new Type C connector. Problem is, I have a lot of peripherals, and with the addition of the Oculus Rift, needed more ports. I have tried various USB 3.0 hubs, but have had issues when using them with the Rift, so going the direct route.



The card is a PCIe x4, so I had to purchase a riser cable to mount it.  It was already shielded, so I just wrapped it in the same Carbon Fibre vinyl to eliminate the reflection.  In order to utilize the full current potential for USB 3.1, you have to attach a SATA power adapter as well.




Install was pretty simple. It sits directly behind the GPU, and will be pretty much hidden from view.  It is also very stable which was nice to see, as that was one of the concerns I had with the vertical GPU mounting method this case uses.




For High Resolution versions of all photos from this build log, pleas check out the Album on Flickr.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/24705522@N05/yB94Z9
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I LOVE THIS BUILD! I have always dreamed of doing an open concept PC build with an interface showing the systems conditions.

Following this with excitement. Has made me rethink me own little project to include some more aesthetic mods alongside the functional, though it's nowhere near as cool or large scale as this build. Keep it up :)

Project Open Core: Hardware - Radiator & Fans

My previous build I had 2 separate radiators, one for each loop.  A 360 for the CPU, MoBo, and RAM, and a 240 for the GPUs in Push/Pull configuration.  I have a few less waterblocks this go around, and will not be running SLI, so I opted for a single Alphacool NexXxoS 480 Radiator.  Look and feel is very nice, and the reviews I was able to find show that it performs really well.

Also picked up an inexpensive “gasket” to go between the rad and fans.



One thing I really like about this rad is that it has 6 inlets + 1 fill / bleed port at the top.  Tons of configuration options with that layout.  They also put a metal gaurd below the screw mounts so you don’t damage the radiator fins by going in too far.  That is something my last set of radiators did not have, and is a nice addition.  

Comes with everything you need to get started, including port plugs and various lengths of fan and mounting screws.



For the fans on this build, going with the Thermaltake Riing 120mm Blue LED Fans (x4).  These ones are specifically made to work with with radiators (static pressure), and the blue LED accent around the fan is a nice touch.  I saw at computex they just released an RGB version, but for now blue is fine.



I did have to do some cable clean up to make this look nicer. Basically cut to length, sleeved and combined 2 pairs of cables to meet back up at the fan controller.  I didn’t want to have 4 separate cables running through the case so combined  them for a cleaner look.  

Verified with ASUS that the fan headers on the MAXIMUS Formula VIII support 1A per header.  Tested these fans and even at peak, none generated more than 160mA.  Combining 4 fans on one header is still well below the max supported current, and will allow for easier fan control.



Although not really a fan controller, the 4 fans meet back up at a Phobya 4Pin PWM to 4x 4Pin Fan Splitter.  They basically act as 1 fan now, and I will use the  ASUS AI Suite Software to control rotation and noise based on temperature curves.



Picture of all 4 installed and spinning up with a nice blue glow. I kind of wish the blue were a bit more towards the green side of the color scale for a lighter blue, as these look a bit more purple.  Will have to play with the RGB setting on rest of the LEDs on the system, and will find something that works for everything.



For High Resolution versions of all photos from this build log, pleas check out the Album on Flickr.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/24705522@N05/yB94Z9
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EVGATech_DaveB
Looks great.  I am curious, which gasket is that?  I have seen many, and a lot of them are a bit flimsy in the middle and if you are not careful you end up with the middle portions being pulled into the fan.  So I am wondering if you are seeing this and if not, what gasket?

Thanks! Grabbed a 2x pack on Amazon for around $10.  It has adhesive on one side so as long as you lay it down correctly, it shouldn't get pulled into a fan.

Personally I like the color...kind of looks science fiction..like out of a science fiction movie.

Wow, what an impressive build log and amazing work thus far. I've been following your build log as I work on my first WC loop and I feel both, impressed, and a little ashamed at the extent and quality of your work compared to mine . I love what you did with your Dominator light bars. Using Plasti Dip will make it easy should you want to remove the paint at a later date. I was planning to directly paint my light bars, but I will for sure use Plasti Dip for the initial coat. Could I ask what you specifically used for your matte black spray paint? Good luck with the rest of your build.

lvl1k0n
Wow, what an impressive build log and amazing work thus far. I've been following your build log as I work on my first WC loop and I feel both, impressed, and a little ashamed at the extent and quality of your work compared to mine . I love what you did with your Dominator light bars. Using Plasti Dip will make it easy should you want to remove the paint at a later date. I was planning to directly paint my light bars, but I will for sure use Plasti Dip for the initial coat. Could I ask what you specifically used for your matte black spray paint? Good luck with the rest of your build.

Thanks!  I'm pretty sure I will leave the light bars black, but at least with the Plasti Dip there is always a choice if you want to go back.
 
For the matte black look on the top coat, I am using Rust-Oleum Spray Paint & Primer "Flat Black".
 

 

gutcheck
I have to say I like the block the way it came.  We can't see it in real life, but from the pics it just looks super cool.  Man.  Gotta update my rig....

It does look good the way it shipped, but I'm trying to get a uniform look across the entire build, and the full acrylic panel is a bit too distracting when lit up...
 
Decided after getting some good feedback to modify the blackout and add RBG LED strips instead of the 2 x 3mm LEDs to give a more even light across the acrylic, instead of just 2 bright spots.



Even without adding the carbon fiber vinyl, this is looking pretty sweet.



I personally think it looks even better this way, and the glow around the edge matches what I am trying to achieve with my case in this build.  Now that I have RGB LEDs Installed, I can also tweak things to make sure I have a uniform color throughout the entire build (which I have not done yet).


 
 

gutcheck
Looks great.  I notice the SSD is not there anymore, you going to mod it?

The one from the earlier pictures was just a placeholder to make sure my acrylic mounting holes lined up with the case.  I have a Samsung 850 EVO 1TB SSD ready to go in that spot (Game Drive), and the Samsung 950 Pro M.2 SSD (OS & Programs Drive) is already installed inside the motherboard.

Looking great... Where did you get the barrow fittings? I havent been able to find them at any reputable retailer. 

Project Open Core: Hardware - GPU

As stated in the OP, part of the reason I decided to build this sytem was to put together the hardware to provide a good VR experience with the Oculus Rift.  Being that the GPU is the most important factor in this, decided and upgrade from my GTX 970 was in order.

Timing worked out pretty well, as Nvidia recently released their “Pascal” cards, and I was lucky enough to snag an EVGA GTX 1080 SuperClocked Edition card from Newegg’s first available batch.  Didn’t even have to wait in a queue.  Since that particular card although overclocked out of the box still retains the reference PCB design, I picked up an EK Waterblock and Backplate to go with it.



I have to hand it to EVGA, they made a really good looking card with the 1080.  Even though the stock cooler and backplate are coming off, wanted to take a sec to show what the card looks like before it gets “naked”.



Removing the cover was very simple, and I was surprised to see a location where LED lights plug into the PCB.  On this particular version, the LED is white only, and the EK block covers the pins, so I didn't pay it much mind.   EVGA ships some sort of pre-shroud that goes between the cooler and the card.  It actually looks really cool, and it would have been great to be able to incorporate it into the water block, but they aren’t compatible, so it had to go.  

Behold a naked GTX 1080 SC. Important to note, that the stock EVGA backplate will NOT work with the EK Waterblock.  I had to purchase the EK backplate separately.



This particular EK block is the Nickel & Plexi combo. I like the look of the nickel, and wanted to be able to see the fluid as it goes through the block, so this really was my only option.  I wish they made one that was a nickel / acetal / plexi combo that looked all black, but still showed the fluid in the middle. Since they don’t make one, I did a few mods to achieve that look.



Here we have the card installed and a quick fluid test to see how it looks… and it looks great!   The backplate is very nice as well.



I wanted the fluid to glow blue in this card, and was initially planning on using the two pre-drilled 3mm holes for LEDs on the block. Gave them a shot, and found they are too bright of a focal point, and wash out the color of the fluid as seen below.



As a solution, I decided to add more RGB LED strips to both the GPU and CPU Waterblocks. Not oly does this allow me to get the color to match what I have going on around the case, but I can also tone down the brightness levels to a point where it just glows but doesn’t blind you.



As nice as the photo above looks, all the little circles and cutouts glowing was a bit too distracting for my taste, so I went about using Carbon Fibre Vinyl to wrap the face of the block.  It worked really well, and helps focus the attention on just the fluid, and also glows around the exterior of the block similar to how I have the case setup.  They go really well together.



I drained the test fluid and installed the card on my case.  It looks really good sitting where it does, and as can be seen below in both the CPU and GPU blocks, the subtle blue glow really works well.  Can’t wait to finish my tubing so I can get some coolant running through this build!




For High Resolution versions of all photos from this build log, pleas check out the Album on Flickr.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/24705522@N05/yB94Z9
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rjohnson11
Looking forward to the finished tubing pics....

Thanks, I did my final hardline tubing bends today.  Will post pics soon!

Slight problem, need some suggestions from the community...
 
I was planning on testing all of my wiring since I made the majority of the PSU cables myself, and ran into a bit of an issue.  Everything powers on well, lights up, pumps work, etc.  But the ASUS MoBo will not fully boot.  Keep getting an error saying  "USB Device Over Current Status Detected" and an error code on the motherboard of "55".  

A Google search tells me Code 55 is "Memory Not Installed", but as can be seen in the picture below, the RAM and CPU are fully recognized.  Plus, I don't see what that would have to do with the USB Over Current Error.



I have also unplugged everything from the motherboard (including front case USB headers) except the keyboard and mouse.  No Drives, GPU, or fans are plugged into the motherboard.  I have tried various USB ports, and have even tried different keyboards.  Keep getting the same error, and cannot get into the BIOS at all.

Any feedback or suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as I doubt I will hear back from ASUS for a few days. Thanks.

I do, but I think I have found the issue. Testing a few things to verify. Thanks for the suggestion.