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Build

Dark Clarity

by Jesso2k

17
21 Comments

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Part List View full price breakdown

Details

Date Published

March 11, 2018

CPU Clock Rate

4.6GHz

CPU Temperature Under Load

60.0° C

GPU Core Clock Rate

2.09GHz

GPU Effective Memory Clock Rate

11GHz

GPU Temperature While Idle

16.0° C

GPU Temperature Under Load

45.0° C

Description

Decided to give my build a new look without having to spring for a new cpu/ mobo or ram.

I walked away from the red/ black theme I used for years with the following parts:

570x Mirrored Black- The case is terrific. I took to the 570x right away when it was first launched but held off it's purchase because it's open shroud made it seem incomplete. This update puts a cap on the end (you can buy the cap separately now for the older model) as well as vertical gpu mount that I'm fond of. Yes if your gpu is air cooled it's not recommended but I'm on water and in fact getting my best temps yet. The included fans have a soft uniform color but are a bit loud. It's volume's ok after I checked my temps, as an intake in push/pull, I'm getting not hotter than 45C with a core clock locked in at 2088 MHz at load.

The case is extremely reflective which really catches the eye but is hard to capture by photo. As the lights come down it becomes quite transparent which you'll see in the photos and it's how I came up with the name, Dark Clarity.

NH-D15S- Legendary air cooler, CPU temps weren't a problem before but I love it's look with the Chromax kit and decided I wanted to hedge my bets from AIO failures. Got the 'S' that comes with 1 fan for $$ considerations, since I was just replacing the fan with their black model anyways. Wanting to move away from red/black look but not ready to replace the motherboard, this was the solution I went with. A cooler so big it blots the view of the mobo away. I went pull/ pull for the configuration so my high profile ram didn't get into the way, also spares me having to get an exhaust fan as it works double duty.

The CPU sits at about 60C at load which is more than fine, the fans can't be heard over the included case fans.

Misc- Finally rounding out the blackout are the cable extensions and ram. I went with a Phanteks pack for the cables, they come with the essentials, 24 pin power, CPU, GPU power cables and include the cable combs for $40 Cdn. I understand their RGB led strips are a great deal too, I may move onto them if my next mobo has an rgb strip header. As it stands I continue to prefer just white light inside the case anyways, I find flooding the inside with different colors a little overpowering.

I kept my ram as replacing it would be way too wasteful with todays prices. The fact I could just pop off the color insert on the heatsink was an unexpected benefit of the ram.

**Prices are all CDN, the build isn't new, components are installed/ replaced as desired over the years.

Comments Sorted by:

dougdlux 1 Build 2 points 1 month ago

I don't know what made me come here. I just had this feeling to go look at my build page and clicked your link I had in my description lol. Good timing. Glad I did, too. Love the change. Very clean. Great job again!

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Jesso2k submitter 8 Builds 1 point 1 month ago

Thanks again! Yeah I was itching to build again so I went with a case swap, the cycle continues.

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arou1990 2 points 1 month ago

Awesome build man! I just ordered this case (also to upgrade the look without buying new parts) and I was thinking about vertically mounting my GPU. What did you use to do it?

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Jesso2k submitter 8 Builds 1 point 1 month ago

Thanks!

If you go with the newer Mirror Black model then the back panel will have the appropriate slots to mount the gpu.

You'll have see the back panel is perforated, push out the two slots then you're good to go. As for the pci riser, I'm using a 200mm one from ThermalTake now.

I've done some more work to the build since the post including switching out the riser cable. What's pictured is a cable I used from Cooler Master but it was only long enough to reach the middle pci slot. The 200mm cable I'm using now just reaches the top 16x slot, which is good, you don't want to have to bunch the cable behind the gpu if it's too long or anything.

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KevinM9 1 point 1 month ago

"Wanted to hedge my bets from AIO failures" If that is the case, I'm curious why you got a Hybrid Graphics card...? I think this build would seriously benefit from an AIO, perhaps an NZXT Kraken of your choice. Other than that, fantastic build, I plan on using this case as well.

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Jesso2k submitter 8 Builds 1 point 1 month ago

I love my hybrid, brings me low temps without the volume no problem. I've had to rma it before though and if I start hearing something out of the norm I don't want to have to guess between two aio's which is the offender. Switching to air will clear up troubleshooting on that side and I really don't care about its temps, I'm already 40C from crashing on the CPU and its OC is locked in. Whereas with a gpu and its boost clock, going over the 50C mark drops it 13Mhz and again at 60C.

That and I love the Chromax coolers look, so long as I don't physically damage it myself it can carry on and on, from build to build.... Until I want a bling aio again ofcourse

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KevinM9 1 point 1 month ago

Guess it boils down to personal preference. Personally prefer an AIO so I can see the mobo and ram better. Stellar build.

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Jesso2k submitter 8 Builds 1 point 1 month ago

Thank you

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Fragvergnugen -1 points 1 month ago

Actually, Noctua's NH-D15S beats at least 95% of ALL AIO coolers for thermal performance. It is the king of all air coolers, although the new be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 now comes in a close second place. Both of these air coolers cool better than a Kraken X52 and most other AIOs, including matching or beating all Corsair AIOs, even Corsair's new H150i 360 AIO. Only a very few AIO coolers like Thermaltake's newest 360 AIO, EK's Predator 360, and the Kraken X62 running in performance mode beat the D15S by a mere 2 to 4 degrees under heavy load. But then a twin-fanned D15S or Dark Rock Pro 4 beats those three AIOs on noise level, longevity, and long-term reliability. Sure, it would be a waste to use RGB RAM with the D15S because those big twin towers will cover up much of the RGB lighting. But you just propagate a common myth that all AIOs are better than a great twin-tower air cooler like the NH-D15/D15S and the Dark Rock Pro 4, and that is just plain false.

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KevinM9 1 point 1 month ago

I never said that AIOs were better than all Air coolers, especially any Noctua one... my gripe/suggestion was merely from a cosmetic standpoint. I would take a few Celsius loss on my cpu cooling to have what I thought was a more eye appealing build, that’s all I was saying...

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Fragvergnugen 1 point 1 month ago

As I previously mentioned, we both agree that an AIO would offer better aesthetics if Jesso2k was using RGB-lit RAM (but he isn't). But you originally mentioned "this build would seriously benefit from an AIO", which can imply performance benefits. Many of us actually LIKE the architectural beauty of a silvery finned heatsink, or the dark demure of the Dark Rock Pro 4. And ALL air coolers made by Noctua and Be Quiet! will outlast AIOs for far more years of troublefree performance. As many people have complained about before, the one ugly aspect of Noctua's products is their turd-colored brown-beige fans, unless you separately buy their black fans. And for a combination of airflow, static pressure, noise level, and reliability, Noctua's fans also beat all other fan brands, including some of the crap fans included with AIOs.

Many people like the simple installation of an AIO that also does not block out their pretty RGB RAM. I totally understand that. But I prefer Noctua's NH-D15S for four of my quad-core and hex-core daily driver builds. And I go with full custom loops with monoblocks for three 10-core i9-7900X and three 14-core i9-7940X (5 ASUS X299 Rampage VI Extreme, 1 MSI X299 Pro Carbon) builds that each have eight sticks of G.Skill TridentZ RGB RAM on display. The only two AIOs that I own were received free as an Amazon Vine reviewer, and the second Vine-sponsored AIO that I received last month was Corsair's new H150i RGB 360mm AIO, which I was not impressed with - the H150i's thermal performance is not good for a 360mm rad and I don't like its RGB logo display design. So if you want performance, aesthetics, and far better long-term reliability, go with a full cooling loop, not these AIOs which mostly have mediocre build quality.

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KevinM9 1 point 1 month ago

The H150i is a TERRIBLE example of what an AIO can be. The CFM on that model, and its 240/280mm counterpart (can't remember what it is) is utter crap. I suggest looking into better AIO options if you're truly that opposed to them. I'm not denying the advantages of an air cooler as far as reliability goes, and in some cases, performance, but an AIO is just a better option aesthetically and in most cases performance wise.

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Fragvergnugen 0 points 1 month ago

I complained to Corsair about both their H150i and their newer ML fan models, including their new ML Pro RGB fans. Corsair has decreased the RPM speed and performance of all their newer ML fan models for the sake of quieter operation, and the same quieter less-performant ML fans are used on their H150i. So Corsair's HD120/HD140 RGB fans are actually better radiator fans than their ML Pro RGB, and I think the HD's RGB looks better than the 4-LED ML Pro RGB, although both HD and ML are better on rads than their LL fans, which should never be used on rads even though some people do. I have previously exclusively used both Corsair's regular ML Pro LED and Noctua's beige/brown and black industrial fans on all rads, and those are the best rad fans.

I am familiar with just about every AIO make and model out there. Yes, a medium to high-performance AIO has better thermal performance than a small to medium air cooler. But the best twin-towered air coolers beat more than 95% of ALL AIOs, including most 280 and 360 AIOs. This is a fact that has been proven in countless reviews. Of all the AIOs out there, only a very few have slightly (2-4 degrees-C) better thermal performance than the NH-D15/D15S and Dark Rock Pro 4 - Kraken X62, Thermaltake's newest 360 Riing, EK Predator 360, Eisbaer 360, and that maybe it...

My opposition to AIOs has nothing to do with liquid cooling. As mentioned, I have six 10-core and 14-core builds on custom loops. My main opposition is that most AIOs have average to shoddy build quality and the little Asetek and IDCooling pumps inside all AIOs do not have great (or even good) long-term reliability. Corsair's H150i uses the latest 6th-gen Asetek pump, but it is really no better than their 4th and 5th-gen pumps.

I built my first PCs during the mid-1980s, building thousands of PC-XT and PC-AT PCs parttime for IBM in north Austin while attending UT-Austin fulltime. I tell my friends: "If you want to do liquid cooling, totally skip the AIO and start off with a basic custom loop, use a good D5 pump, and use soft tubing if you don't want to bend rigid tubing on your first loop. A custom loop costs more and requires more work than an AIO, and there is a slight risk of leaks just like an AIO can leak, but even a basic more-affordable single-radiator single-reservoir D5-pumped custom loop's thermal performance and long-term reliability are far better than what any AIO can offer.

And even if you use soft tubing in a custom loop, you can make it look better than how many AIOs' pair of tubes curve around inside a case, sometimes partially blocking the view of the RGB RAM.

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customgtp 18 Builds 1 point 1 month ago

Very cool, clean and interesting build. I love hybrid gpu's and even tho I too would of chose an aio cooler for the cpu..... that is one bad azz cooler!! +1

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