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Nostromo: X99, Painted Black RVE, 3-Way 980 Ti SLI, Hardline [FINAL PICS!!]

ratzofftoya
Level 7
Hey all!

Well, this is it. Likely the most extravagant computer I'll ever build. I'll be painting the motherboard, installing an illuminated midpate, and generally making no compromises. It's what I've been dreaming of ever since I started building computers.

I have some cool ideas of where to take this thing, and can't wait to share them with you all. I'll also be following along with videos, which I'll post here. Hopefully y'all will find them helpful, even though the vast majority of you are much more skilled than I. Accordingly, I'd love any tips or cautionary tales you can share.

But, first things first! The parts:

Components
CPU: Intel i7 5960X
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Rampage V Extreme
GPU: 3x EVGA SuperClocked GTX 980Ti
RAM: 64 GB G.skill Ripjaws 3000 Mhz
OS Drive: Samsung 950 Pro 256 GB m.2 SSD
Application Drive: Intel 750 400GB PCIe NVMe SSD
Data Drive: Intel 730 1TB SSD
PSU: Corsair AX 1500i

Watercooling
CPU/RAM Loop:
ASUS Rampage V Monoblock
EK Monarch RAM Blocks with Clear Acrylic Tops
Aquacomputer Aqualis 800 Reservoir, Aquacomputer D5 Pump and Pump Top
HWLabs Black Ice GTX 560 Radiator w/ Noiseblocker BlackSilent Pro PL-2 PWM fans
Mayhems Pastel Ice White

GPU Loop Loop:
3x EK-FC Nickel (Original CSQ) GPU Waterblocks & Backplates
EK-FC Triple Serial SLI Block
Aquacomputer Aqualis 800 Reservoir, Aquacomputer D5 Pump and Pump Top
CPU 2x EK XE 480 Radiators w/ EK Vardar PWM fans
Mayhems Pastel Mint Greent

Other Parts
Aquacomputer Aquaero 6XT
Aquacomputer Farbwerk
PrimoFlex Advanced LRT Onyx Black Tubing
PrimoChill 1/2in Rigid PETG Tubing
Tons of fittings, mostly Bitspower

Let's get started!

Table of Contents:
Part 1: Building the Case
Part 2: Painting the Board
Video 1: Assembly and Intro
Part 3: Installing the Blocks
Video 2: Painting and Waterblocks
20,398 Views
24 REPLIES 24

ratzofftoya
Level 7
First off, let's build this case!

So many parts. Could not be happier with the build quality. Not a single screw was missing, and everything is super sturdy.





The indispensable manual:



The skeleton:





I love the brackets for the radiators and fans--makes them super easy to install in the case.



Must climb the summit of Aquacomputer mountain:



The pumps find a home:



Sizing up the pump and res combo to make the holes in the midplate:



And here's the test-fit in order to get the custom cable lengths and other necessary measurements:

What does one do when there's no such thing as an Asus Rampage V Black Edition? Make your own, of course!


Before...



Tools of the trade. X-acto, tons of tape, acrylic paint, and brushes.



I also used a cheapo DDR4 stick of ram (as though there is such a thing!) and an old PCIe card to block each slot as I painted it. There are other techniques out there of course. Spraypaint, Plasti-Dip, etc. But I felt like this would give me the nicest finish, precision, and a bit of texture to boot. The results:





Not too shabby. You can still see a bit of red inside the slots, but none once they're plugged, and I'd rather have that then the chance of the contacts getting messed up.

n this update, I'll cover the waterblock placement.

First, a few shots of the motherboard block (EK's Full Cover Monoblock). I really like it, and it wasn't too hard to put on.







Next, I put on the EK full cover blocks for the GTX 980 Tis:







Finally, I did the RAM blocks. Step one was removing the Ripjaws heatspreader with a heat gun and some old fashioned prying. Be careful! A friend (ahem) once ripped off one of the chips in this process.





Unfortunately, the adhesive leaves some weird residue on the chips:



Normally, I use isopropyl alcohol or the specialized TIM remover for this task, but the TIM remover wasn't working well on the adhesive, and I was all out of alcohol. Nail polish remover, while not recommended, will do the trick:



Now for the thermal pads:



And, then putting on the Monarch heatspreaders. Note that when you're putting the ram sticks into the heatspreaders, make sure they're in roughly the same position. DIMMs on the board don't move, obviously, so you want the Monarch screw holes to all line up when the RAM is in so that you can properly attach the waterblock on top.



Now to see it all on the mobo:







Au revoir!

Very nice build, love the case . I am using the i7 5930k cpu and the same mobo . Someday i hope to watercool it. Excellent build
I7 5930k 6 core ,corsair Hydro series H110i GTX AIO Hydro CPU cooler, Corsair AX860i PSU, ASUS rampage V extreme/U3.1, Corsair
platinum dominator 32gb DDR 4 3200, Nvidia geforce GTX 1080 x2 in SLI, Corsair obsidian 750D

Hardliner
Level 11
Excellent build, Eugene, and it is a lot like mine! I REALLY like that you painted the R5E all black. I wanted to put the I/O heatsink back on after installing the EK Monoblock, too, but I did not want to break it in case I want to resell it.

Are you blocking only four sticks of the eight RAM?
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Hardliner wrote:
Excellent build, Eugene, and it is a lot like mine! I REALLY like that you painted the R5E all black. I wanted to put the I/O heatsink back on after installing the EK Monoblock, too, but I did not want to break it in case I want to resell it.

Are you blocking only four sticks of the eight RAM?


No, I did all eight--just showed the process for four.

As for the i/o shield, I've heard that you can heat it up and remove it that way, then you can reinstall later if necessary. Something to consider!

epic, keep up the good work!