DREAM MACHINE COMPLETE
AS WE’VE ALREADY taken a look at benchmarks in our main Dream Machine feature on page 24, we’ll stick to talking about how it was to build this beauty, and what tips and tricks we can give you if you decide that you want to work on your own dream PC.
In short, In Win’s 909 chassis is an incredibly versatile piece of gear. The removable fan and radiator mounts are a stroke of genius— strong, sturdy, and easy to mess around with. In fact, we changed the orientation of fans and radiators too many times to count in this build—but, fortunately, it didn’t take long to swap it all around. As always, this watercooled build didn’t turn out as planned, but that’s the beauty of it. Unless you’re a dab hand with 3D modeling, and can render the internals, including dimensions, ahead of time to plan your runs, it’s exceptionally difficult to design in detail. It’s all about getting a rough idea of how you want the loop to go.
The biggest problem when it came to initial construction was those GPU runs to the radiator and reservoir. The concept of bending a 45° one way, then one the opposite way, then a third heading up in a 90° angle takes some serious work. It took us six attempts before we reached something that would both fit and look good. Most of the time, this was down to the tubing run being too short, way off angle, or just finding it hard to measure up exactly how we were going to achieve it. Given more time, it would have been possible to get it just right, but the Dream Machine can’t wait forever, and we’d already spent too long waiting on potential hardware solutions to postpone it any further.
The second biggest challenge was the CPU loop. By now, you’re probably thinking it’s pure madness. An Intel Core i7-6950X, overclocked to 4.2GHz, being cooled by a single 240mm radiator. And we agree—honestly, we didn’t think it would be possible, but it worked out well. The hunch stemmed from the idea that the difference you gain in temperature from utilizing different fans to cool an AIO is so minor that, potentially, what’s more important is that air is passing through the case. And if that’s true, we could perhaps get away with it, by utilizing a thicker radiator instead, because EKWB’s PE editions are, in fact, twice as thick as a standard slim AIO. On top of that, it gave us more room to work with when it came to those tubing runs, while simultaneously reducing noise, and helping cable management.
Given more time, we would have perhaps opted for a larger chassis. And a more substantial graphical solution. But don’t worry—ideas are already floating around for next year’s Dream Machine, and as our hardline skill set becomes ever more developed and complex, we’re confident that the only way is up. Ultimately, we hope this inspires you to attempt your own custom modifications, your own water-cooled machines of madness, and that our efforts confirm the most important aspect of custom PC building: As a platform, these systems are the most versatile on the planet.