Merc asked that I start a new build log documenting the progress of the water cooled QX6700, EVGA 680i build, so here it is:

Project Nebuchadnezzar is officially underway. I felt that was an apt moniker for this build, given that not all went so smooth with the King's Tower of Babel. There have certainly been a few bumps along the road with this project, most of them involving the Strikeout Extreme.

I've decided to go with the Performance-PCs.com WCE of the Lian Li V2100b case -- with some changes. I'm having two three fan radiators -- German made "LiquoCool 360-Extreme" -- installed instead of one. These will be mounted in the bottom of the case. Midway down this post, you will see photos of a similar build by James ("Levell0rd") at PPC (scroll down past the TJ09): http://tinyurl.com/2dyfrq. The bottom compartment will be modified with a custom PSU bracket to accommodate the length of the PC P&C 1KW PSU.

A third, one fan radiator -- LiquoCool Extreme single rad -- will mount in the upper compartment flush with the exhaust fan.

It will be a dual-loop system, piggybacking one triple and single rad for the GPU's, north and southbridge chipsets; the second triple rad dedicated to cooling the QX6700.

Two DangerDen DD-5 pumps -- the most powerful and reliable out there -- will replace the DD LE pumps pictured.

The case will feature two windows to allow for adequate venting. The right sidepanel window is as pictured on the PPC webite, but slightly modified due to the double, triple rads and larger PSU; a second window is added to the opposite side for additional ventilation. The first window will be clear acrylic. The second window will be opaque and black to match the black case.

I'll use the reservoirs pictured on the PPC website, but replace all fans with 11 Silverstone FN121 fans for better airflow and quieter operation. Fans will be controlled by a BigNG fan controller.

All interior wires will be sleeved, casters added, with the RaptorX view window on top and an additional three fans.

Lastly, our own Captain Kirk has graciously agreed to supervise the entire build to ensure there isn't any monkey business.
[Wasn't Ali G considerate, color coordinating his attire with Vegas Jr's rubber ducky? ]

Thanks JM. I think everyone wants to watch this beast come to life.

Good, I'll need all the good karma I can get on this one! I think with the EVGA arriving tomorrow, things will turn around a bit.

I called EVGA tech support this morning with a few questions. They swear up and down the A1 edition of this board has been thoroughly -*test*-('")ed with Intel's quad core, unlike the Striker Extreme. That should make life MUCH easier. They do not, however, support any overvoltages on RAM above 2.1v, cautioning of risk of damage to RAM. If the RAM is designed to run on voltage between 2.2 and 3.0, like the Corsair PC2-9136, I would assume the motherboard is not going to damage RAM intended to run at higher voltages. Apart from the lifetime warranty on the EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1, they also warranty the board, regardless of changes the end user makes to heatsinks. I asked him point blank if it vitiated the warranty to watercool the board and he said, "We expect our customers to do that sort of thing." Nice.

Two water blocks arrived today -- a southbridge block from DangerDen and the GPU EK-FC8800 8800GTX block. The CPU block from D-Tek should be here tomorrow, along with the EK northbridge block and a second EK GPU block in case I decide to add a second 8800GTX down the road. The XXX 8800GTX XXX edition video card will arrive Friday.

So far so good with Performance-PC's.com on getting this case setup right. They responded promptly to all email inquiries and spent an hour on the phone making sure details and deviations from the standard, custom configuration were correct. They advised me against one addition that would have put money in their pocket, but was redundant. That shows some integrity in customer relations. They will try and have the project complete and shipped next Wednesday. This was faster than expected and another pleasant surprise.

I really do not need a fifth Raptor, but wanted to make use of the design element in the top of the case, where the RaptorX is on display. So . . . another expense.

I won't detail the cost of this thing, but suffice it to say if I had children to feed, like so many forum members, I don't believe this project would see the light of day. The only reason I'm investing this kind of cash in the build is because the inexpensive components like the motherboard and RAM can be replaced down the road as technology changes. I think I'll get three life cycles out of the shell and waterworks, as I baby my equipment. I'll only have to swap out the waterblocks. The DD5 pumps (Swiftech makes the identical pump with their name on it) is supposedly a real workhorse, very reliable and lasts forever.

The blocks, pumps radiator and case will last years JM. Once you have the shell you are set for awhile. Watercooling is expensive to start out but amortizes well.

I'm not trying to rant here, just hoping that others can learn from my stroll down the primrose path with Asus. After 40 minutes on hold, I reached an Asus tech to setup the second RMA for the Striker Extreme motherboard. The tech did not hesitate to authorize the RMA and, to his credit, said that Asus would expedite the process this time, since it was the second defective board. So far so good, save for the interminable hold time.

I'm next transfered to the RMA department to take care of the paperwork. At that time, I asked the customer service agent if there was any truth to reports that there exist two versions of the SE mobo: v1.00g and the (somewhat) debugged v1.003. He said he did not know. Problem number one: it's his job to know.

I responded by requesting that in the work order, he note that I want the board replaced with version 1.003. Second and greater problem -- so great it would be comical if not a reality. The RMA agent told me that if, in fact, there exists a version 1.003, and I am sending in the earlier version 1.00G, Asus will not replace the motherboard with version 1.003, because it is regarded as an "upgrade" and not a revision! Hah! I told him that was very peculiar business practice.

I didn't want to be a smart ass and lecture him on the finer points of the Uniform Commercial Code, but suffice it to say that this borders on consumer fraud. Tomorrow when talking to his supervisor, I will be a little more direct in explaining why this is sharp business practice.

If a manufacturing defect is discovered by a manufacturer and the defect prevents a product from functioning as represented to buyers, the manufacturer cannot take a product under warranty and refuse to replace it with a product free of defects, simply because the appellation "upgrade" (and not revision, which, in fact, it is) is not used in referencing the product.

Unbelievable.

It would be funny if it wasn't so sad. Asus seems to be getting either stupid or more likely is beginning to suffer from what Rahul Sood calls BADD “Blind Arrogance Developmental Disorder" Check out his rant here against tech companies that start believing their own crap. http://www.rahulsood.com/2007/02/blind-arr...al-disease.html

The one cure for BADD is you suddenly find yourself without customers. The fact that Asus is not installed in any high end designer rigs sporting the 680i chipset should be ringing bells all over Taiwan. It probably isn't though. I have been lucky I guess as every board I have had from Asus has been excellent (P5N-E SLI just wasn't good enough but at $130 what do you want).

I think your absolutely right, the colors do match . That just doesn't happen by chance.

This is going to be the pinnacle build of the year here at AI website. What a awesome case. Can't wait to see it up and running.

It's a little intimidating at times -- the thought of putting it all together and not ending up with a sprinkler system -- but I'll just go slow. I couldn't imagine doing this without jobbing out some of the work -- not a build this complex. Once it's built, most of the fun is over for me, because I'm not into the bench -*test*-('")s and other computer, James Dean "chicky runs." I am looking forward to competing as a team here, though, because I know I'll learn something.

I've corresponding with the guy from HardOpForums that has the killer TJ07, dual loop build. At first he was trying to talk me out of going to a customizer. I sent him the link to the PPC Lian Li: he's ordering one for himself! haha. Gotta love it.

Having a week to get familiar with the EVGA board is perfect, since it's new hardware. It can't possibly be more harrowing than the dyspeptic 'Extreme Strikeout.'

I like doing the work myself but those guys have all the right tools and the experience. You couldn't do the job they do nearly as well, regardless of how careful you are. Still, I really enjoy the planning and cutting, and couldn't bring myself to buy one set up as I would feel like I was missing out on all the fun. Of course, this is from a guy who used to get on his Honda ST-1100 and ride from Virginia Beach to Lake Tahoe in 3.5 days because it was fun (Google "Iron Butt Association").

And here I had you pegged as a Harley man, Merc. I've never ridden, but one day want to buy a V-Rod for short, weekend trips. Not really a cruising bike, but I'm betting it rides like a bat out of hell.

I entirely understand the satisfaction in being sole architect, but for me, this is a way to learn from the work of another -- and there will still be a lot to do to finish it off and fine tune her. Then, the next build . . . I'll be ready to take on more of the heavy lifting.

I was going to hold off on SLI, but found a good price on a second XFX 8800GTX. The XXX editions are hard to come by, so felt it best to grab it.

Outstanding!!!! Plus you already have the 2nd waterblock so you're good to go. Much easier to hook everything up at the same time. This is going tp be an outstabnding rig and a welcome addition to the FWs. BTW, I suspect that the quads will be going to A-Team sson. Thngs are heating up over at the Pit more quickly than I thought they would.

So you haven't given us a report on the blocks. How is that 8800GTX EK block? Photos?

Photos are coming, Ace. I'll take a few shots of the DD southbridge and EK GPU blocks after I run a few errands. I've pulled the Striker and will return to sender this afternoon, along with the TEC Monsoon.

The second of two EK-FC8800GTX GPU blocks and the northbridge EK-NF4 wb will arrive today, along with the EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 motherboard.

The D-TEK FuZion CPU block is showing ETD tomorrow afternoon. I'll take photos of the new components as I take delivery.

I like the long distance stuff. My longest non-stop ride was 1215 miles in 24 hours during a rally. My riding partner was on an old BMW he had borrowed (dumped his bike outside Richmond) and he was limited to 82MPH cruising with a top speed of 88MPH. Been through 43 states on that ST1100 but the baby ended all that. Can't do that stuff with a little guy depending on you.

Boulevard cruising never appealed to me. As soon as I get on a bike I begin planning how I would pack it so I can be in Kentucky by morning. LDR is very addictive.