Description

Primary Use

PC gaming machine. Tried to stay on a "white" theme for parts and components.

What I'd Change

Ditch the NZXT Kraken. and try to find a CPU fan block that would fit in the build. (Taking recommendations)

Pros

  • Smaller form factor

  • Lights up a clean white

  • Runs everything I throw at it smoothly

Cons

ASRock Z690M-ITX/ax Mini ITX LGA1700 Motherboard

  • Flashing BIOS was a pain

    I knew I'd have to flash the BIOS to support the i5 I was buying. It's not my first time. But I had to go through several of my USB sticks until I found one the mobo would see.

NZXT Kraken X53

  • Cannot recommend.

  • No RGB on the Kraken X53 - there was no RGB cable to connect the fan lights to the NZXT CAM.

  • Runs hot -- the AIO uses the case as a heat sink, and the case can get hot to the touch.

  • Did not come with an LGA1700 mounting bracket

    A support ticket w/ NZXT resulted in them sending me one, but they said it was delayed for about a month. I found one from a PC part seller in state and had it shipped to me. The one from NZXT came a few months later.

Part Reviews

CPU Cooler

NZXT Kraken X53 RGB 52.44 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler

Never buying a Kraken again.

Motherboard

ASRock Z690M-ITX/ax Mini ITX LGA1700 Motherboard

Was not the easiest board to install, but works well.

Memory

G.Skill Trident Z Neo 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory

Their G.Skill RGB software is a little fickle and difficult to find.

Otherwise so fare it'd been a well performing set of DDR4 sticks.

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Comments

mijretrop
  • 1 year 3 months ago

Overall nice build, even with stock cables.

That's a fairly beefy card for just one PSU cable split. I would for sure add another cable to maximize power distribution. Two separate channels from the PSU is better than one split and would most likely improve performance when under load.

sickiggy
  • 11 months ago

Thanks for the suggestion!

With stock cables I was trying to keep it as "clean" as I could, and they were a little stiff to work with. I'll definitely take your advise into consideration.

While I'm in there cabling... have of any cable recommendations? :D

natqcha
  • 11 months ago

Looks like all your fans are set for exhaust and none for intake. Maybe that's why you're having this issue

sickiggy
  • 11 months ago

Good eye!

I did have to swap the front fans a couple weeks after this pic as I realized that same mistake. Also, the fan at the top of the box wasn't initially working either, needed replacing.

The AIO pump finally died out a few months ago and I replaced it with a low-ish profile noctua block. The fan doesn't fit well as it bumps into the RGB on the RAM (oops) - but the block works well. While it still dumps heat it hasn't been as hot as before.

My experience with AIO's has been pretty poor in general.

Coincidentally, I also had another AIO pump die some months prior to that as well, but on a different rig. It was an MSI prebuilt, a little higher end than this, and was provided by my (at the time) employer. It cycled through as a builder for some Unity games, and the i7-11700K would throttle almost immediately as the AIO couldn't keep up.

Obviously AIO's work well enough for most consumers, I've just sorta had crap luck I guess.

Frankerplanknik
  • 6 months ago

You actually did NOT have crap luck here. you mounted the AIO radiator incorrectly. The tubes should be at the bottom to prevent cavetation. Do a little research and check it out, its a super simple mistake!! Ive been running my NZXT kraken for about 4 years now no problem at all. mounted similar to yours, just flipped opposite where the tubes are at the bottom! (you can orient the the logo correctly compared to the tubes on the pump over the CPU to adjust it correctly before you mount it!) The other way to prevent this, if the tubes arent long enough, is to mount it overhead!hopefully this helps improve all of your AIO health in the future!:)

sickiggy
  • 5 months ago

Didn't know about this, thanks for sharing the tip. From what "Gamers Nexus" shared, on what they describe as the definitive answer on the topic, it seems the tubes at the top cause sound issues which didn't occur for me; nonetheless, good to know.