Thank you! Frankly, I was a little worried there and ready to put a cutter/rasp/dremel to work on the fans, because I saw that someone else had to brutalize his fans in a similar build ;) Glad it turned out that they just fitted.

Thanks for your compliment, I'm glad to hear you like it!

Your comment is spot on: the way everything fits is actually one of the things I like most about it. I did quite lot of research before ordering the parts, and I was still nervous when I started building. ;) And I totally agree as regards the LEDs. I also already thought about trying to order a regular version of the tempered glass panel and switching the LEDs off or to just plain white...

Thanks! :)

Thanks, much appreciated!

Indeed, stuff from my dreams too: I had nightmares before it turned out that everything fits just fine ;D - Thanks!

Thanks a lot! I actually never even considered to use soft tubing :D

Thanks!

Thanks!

Not really, actually. The fill port is a bit lower than the top end of the reservoir though, I had to tilt the pc a bit to the back because of this in order to decently fill the reservoir. Also, because of the orientation of the pump and the orientation of the fill port, I was not able fill the reservoir in an upright position, meaning that I had to repeat filling and turning on the pump a bit more than usual :)

Thanks! You certainly got a point there. Ease of access was not a priority when I built this rig. I was aware that for certain components disassembly would be quite an effort and take some time. Since I can use my laptop for work, this should not be a problem, I hope ;)

No, not really. I had to tilt the PC a bit to the back though as the fill port on the side of the reservoir was a bit too low.

Also, do you think there is space in the front for a crossflow 240/280 rad? Thanks!

Thanks!

Thank you! :)

Many thanks! Just checked out your latest build btw... I never thought about Noctua's signature colours this way - you definitely nailed it! :D

Thanks! :)

Hehe, thanks! It was a lot of fun. Somewhat intimidating at first, but the learing curve was quite steep and I think it definitely wasn't my last custom loop :D

Well, you're not wrong there! I'm actually thinking about putting a strip behind the reservoir in order to illuminate it from behind.

However, I think that the pictures do not really do the dark tempered glass justice. Admittedly, it really is dark - but the way it dimms out the LEDs gives the build a very classy touch :)

Hey, thanks! I did not get to tinker with the settings yet, so I will be able to optimise this, of course. Right now, I'm simply using the presets of the Corsair Link software.

When playing more demanding games (such as Rise of the Tomb Raider, Witcher III), I'm using the "Balanced" setting to achieve the temperatures indicated on this page. The fans spin up to around 1100-1200 RPM max, which means about 31-32 decibel, measured at a distance of roughly 0.5m. Fairly quiet in my books.

When playing less demanding games or working (Cuphead; Word, Excel etc.), I use the "Quiet" setting. The fans remain at about 600-700 RPM max, which is virtually inaudible - meaning that I can hear the fan in the toilet down the hallway rather than the fans in the PC right next to me ;)

I guess that I could set the fans to spin lower (900-1000 RPM) at full load and still achieve acceptable temperatures, but I will have to test this in the days/weeks to come.

Thanks! I'm really happy with it :D

Thanks :) Good question. It was simply availability at my preferred retailer, if I recall correctly. I purchased according to G.Skill's manufacturing number to make sure they match.

Thanks! I just had a look at your Noctua-themed build - amazing!

Yes, absolutely :)

Thanks!

Haha, I did not even look at it this way until now - but you're right, there's definitely some Vader vibes in this build :D

Wow, thanks! I just had a look at your ROG-build, awesome stuff!! That's high praise coming from you and definitely an inspiration for pushing it further in my next build. :)

Thanks! :)

There was a pair of reservoir holders and mounting screws enclosed with the reservoir (see https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-res-x3-150). I used these holder and adhesive tape instead of the screws - didn't want to drill into the PSU shroud and I wasn't sure whether there is be enough space between the PSU and the shroud to use the screws. :)

Thanks, appreciated!

Not yet, sorry - I plan on overclocking both some day though :)

Thanks! :)

Thank you!!

Good question regarding the reservoir: In fact it was a conscious decision - but only after realising that the combo unit I orderd in the first place did not fit the way I planned (there wasn't enough clearance directly under the GPU).

The pump I installed in the end was actually part of that original combo unit, which I took apart. I then orderd a separate D5 top, a larger reservoir than the one in the combo unit and an additional top for the reservoir with more fill ports than the original top.

I really like how it turned out, and in particular I think the usage of the space available is more "balanced" and aesthetically pleasing with the separate components. Even more so because the reason why at first I tried to use a combo unit feels rather silly in hindsight: I just tried to shy away from the additonal tubing work because it was my frist water cooling build :D

28mm - I got this one: https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-coolstream-se-240-slim-dual-5009