Aquilian
Description
Wow, featured!! Didn't expect that, it's a huge compliment. Thanks so much to everyone for your comments and your interest in my build!
I consider myself rather noise sensitive, so I decided to do a full custom loop this time around in order to achieve high performance for gaming at 1440p and decently low noise levels. Good design and high build quality was important, too. And at the same time, the PC had to be as small as possible. After quite a bit of research, I ended up with the Fractal Design Meshify C Mini. I was not disappointed!
I might add that this was my first attempt at a hardline custom loop. I wasted about one or one and a half meter of tubes, just to learn the ropes. Also, I have spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out how to best arrange and connect the components, not to mention the research before that - and I ended up with quite some spare parts for my next build, too ;) I started to build in April and finished on May 27.
Some details about this build and the components:
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The graphics card (ASUS Strix GTX 1080Ti) slightly touches the radiator without exerting pressure. It would not have fit (with front fans and a radiator) if I didn't water cool it.
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Phanteks' Glacier G1080Ti waterblock was fairly easy to install. I chose it instead of an EKWB waterblock simply for its nice design and the fact that you can keep the backplate. You'll add an additional 1.5 kg (3.3lbs) to your already heavy Strix though. I had to support the card with a bit of tube in order to keep it from sagging.
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The RAM Stricks (G.Skill Trident Z) also did fit just barely, there is about half a millimetre space left between the sticks and the top fans.
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The dark tempered glass looks fantastic and gives the case a high-quality feel. However, without a good deal of LEDs illuminating the parts there would not be much to see in it.
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I used Cablemod's PRO ModMesh C-Series Cable Kit (Graphite) instead of the cables that came with the PSU. While they sure look nice, they are rather sturdy and were not that easy to handle. For the size of the case, they also were a bit too long for my taste.
Temperatures while idle are: CPU at 27° C, GPU at 27° C, which is about 2° C above ambient. Under load/gaming, the CPU is around 50° C and the GPU around 44° C.
On a side note: I actually built my last PC just this February (see https://pcpartpicker.com/b/hHq48d). While I was very happy with the design and build quality of the case I used back then (Phanteks Evolv Shift) and with the parts I used, I had to realise that the restrictive air flow and the temperatures/noise it entailed bothered me more than I initially thought. Hence this "minor" upgrade.
Part Reviews
Motherboard
Great motherboard: compact size, solid build quality and very nice ASUS-typical design. Oddly, no RGB header.
Video Card
ASUS produces amazing cards, and this one is no exception. Very nice backplate with an unobtrusive LED-lit logo, too. It's huge and rather heavy though, so sagging will likely be an issue.
Case
Such a fantastic case! Nice compact size, easy to build in, great airflow and a stunningly sleek, understated design. The dark tempered glass emphasizes the high build quality and gives LED-lit components a really classy touch. Many options for cable management, too.
Power Supply
I'm very happy with this PSU. Fully modular and cool under full load, even without the fan kicking in. In fact, I wonder if the fan will ever have to do some cooling ;) Integration with Corsair's Link software is a plus.
Case Fan
Great fans! They run at very reasonable noise levels even under full load, and they are virtually inaudible at low RPMs. Good build quality, too! If only they were a little bit less expensive...
Custom
A very convenient solution to connect a plethora of fans, LEDs and temperature sensors. And there are two additional internal USB headers on top of that. The LINK software works great for me, I did not encounter any bugs so far. Helped a lot with cable management in my last build.
Comments