My projects are my babies, and no parent can say they have a favorite baby... although
let's be honest, they all do.
My favorite project bebeh is the Megalith, my liquid-cooled gaming and video editing
rig that I made an adorable tiny version of in a past episode.
I put my heart and soul into every detail of this rig, and I use it every day to build
my projects, run my channel, really the basis of my entire...
Oh.
Ohhh...
Ohhhhh.
Today on Voidstar Lab... we're building a new PC.
[Sad music]
Ladies, gentlemen, and cyborgs... today is a dark day.
I finished a stream, I took a poop, and while I was logging on, one of the Megalith's liquid
cooling tubes softened up and wiggled loose.
Coolant sprayed, chips boiled, and my ability to make media, build projects, and murder
virtual sausages vanished in one fell squirt.
It was not a total loss - the juicy jet missed my graphics cards, and my awful cable management
shielded the hard drives and PSU from the worst of the
MOIST FOUNTAIN
The motherboard is sketch, the CPU is sus, and I trashed the case while stripping out
all of the dripping parts.
There's no time to sit shiva - I've got live streams every Monday and Friday - like, comment,
and subscribe - so I gotta rebuild my rig, build a cooling loop, and hack in that Voidstar
funk now if not sooner.
But that's nuts.
You can't just get in your car and drive to a one-stop shop that sells PC parts and Maker
materials seven days a week.
Like, if you could, they would have sponsored me by now.
This episode is sponsored by Micro Center, your one-stop shop to get PC parts and Maker
materials seven days a week!
Senpai noticed me and here we are at their Denver store to grab some parts and rebuild
the Megalith.
Senpai did not pay me in advance, so... uh... our budget for this build is whatever is left
in the Patreon parts fund.
Brooke how many people are supporting the channel anyways?
[Upbeat techno funk]
Well, hello!
I didn't see you there!
The Megalith overheated because I couldn't keep it clean - the case was just too small,
it was too cramped, and it was too much work to take care of it.
This [slaps side] is what we should have done in the first place - used a case like this
Lian Li O11-D, which has lots of room and super-easy to open up for maintenance.
Remember: the easier it is to clean, the more likely I'll actually do it, and the higher
chance of averting the next indoor tsunami.
Excuse me!
Does this come in a more obnoxious color?
The Megalith used an Intel i7700, but for Version 2: Electric Boogaloo, we're going
with the AMD Ryzen [Mispronounced 'Risen'] 9 3950X - it's got 16 cores of the horsepower
we need to cut video, run streams, all with 3D slicers, CAD programs, IDEs, and a quadrillion
browser tabs open in the background.
Motherboards can feel a little overwhelming, but really, all you need to do is first pick
the processor you want, then filter by the features you need.
In this case we wanted some m.2 slots, fast Ethernet, built in Bluetooth, and like 12
USB ports because...
because what?
I like stuff!
It's what I do!
I'm in the stuff business!
This guy right here, the X570-E, is basically the same as this Crosshair 8 Dark Hero, except
without the $400 rebel-protagonist premium.
I caught one big break in this whole fiasco - the graphics cards survived.
This was really lucky, because this is Micro Center's entire inventory of graphics cards
- there's a liiiittle bit of a shortage going on right now, and the store is on a first-come
first-serve first-thing-in-the-morning basis.
If I had to wake up at 4:00 AM and stand in line for a CHANCE to buy a $1500 graphics
card, I would burn Voidstar lab to the ground and go cottagecore.
I got my pair of 1080TIs on release day, and honestly, they still kinda slap.
I actually bought them to mine crypto whenever the apartment in New York got cold.
It's an 850-watt space heater that prints money!
My brain is so wrinkly.
It's like a pug.
PC coolant has dielectric additives that resist shorts at low voltage, but the Megalith was
lit with cold-cathode fluorescent lights.
CCFLs run at 600 volts AC, so the moment the juice got loose, our case cosmetics pulled
a Michael Reeves.
Micro Center doesn't even SELL fluorescent tubes anymore, and I think the time has come
to admit defeat and finally sell my soul to the RGB devil.
Addressable RGB LED products, which I'm going to call ergobleds from now on to piss you
off, are baloney.
Baloney I say!
Asus Aura, Corsair Link, Razer Chroma, EKWB Quantum, MSI Mystic Light, and ASrock Polychrome
- these cringetastic brand names aren't just intercompatible.
They're literally identical, because they're baloney.
All of these products are just WS2812B LEDs, which you may already know as NeoPixels, the
easy-to-use LED strips that Burning Man is basically made of.
Instead of dropping 50 bucks for 45 centimeters of Corsair LS100 Smart Lighting Strips, I
just bought the entire five-meter reel of NeoPixels for 40 bucks in this exact same
store, because they're the exact same thing!
You don't even need to buy a motherboard with ergobled headers, either - like, you could
just hook all of your case lighting, your fans, and everything up to a microcontroller...
Although it would have to be rather...
Teensy..?
I don't have time for that.
I wasted all my time 3D-printing the Voidstar logo and filling it with NeoPixels.
Now this project is a business expense!
I built the Megalith for gaming, not media production, and even though I used some rather
expensive and well-reviewed corsair fans, the machine sounded like a flock of geese
getting mulched by a jet engine.
As anyone who has been to a New York Rangers game will tell you, performance doesn't count
for anything if the fans are loud, especially if they're hammered on brown-bagged tallboys.
I had to turn the fans down because they were so loud they were coming through on stream
and annoying the viewers.
That allowed the coolant to warm to 60 degrees Celsius, which was enough to soften the tubes
and let one of them wiggle its way free.
I looked over every RGB fan here to find the right combination of pitch and power, but
I was not impressed, and honestly I wasn't too satisfied with any of the non-RGB fans
either.
I ended up having to use...
[whispered] the internet
I settled on Noctua Redux fans - they're strong, they're quiet, and unlike Noctua's other offerings,
they are not an unnervingly appetizing shade of chocolate brown.
I got a little carried away and decided to upgrade the pump, too; not only was the pump
from the Megalith a bit of an older model and also itself quite loud, but I also kind
of allegedly destroyed a pump and reservoir from the liquid cooled oscilloscope on stream
and I needed a new one.
Once you put a single RGB LED in your build, that's it.
It's over.
I'm addicted.
Gotta get those rainbows, man... gotta taste the rainbow!
Hey, quit looking at this!
Spoiler alert!
If you are planning on building your own PC, or if you're just curious about mine, I recreated
today's project in Micro Center's custom PC builder and I'll link that in the description.
The PC builder knows what's in stock at your local store, it filters for compatible parts,
and it even generates a store map to tell you exactly where to find everything.
The best part is you don't have to wait for shipping!
Micro Center will pull the parts off the shelves for free so you can just grab your order in
20 minutes with a bare minimum of human interaction!
The bestest part is, if you add their Same-Day Pro Assembly service, Micro Center's trained
technicians will build your rig on the spot so you can pick it up and use it that very
day.
If you do find yourself in the store, make sure you check the OTHER link in the description
for a free pair of Bluetooth headphones, no purchase required!
Brooke just bought a pair of headphones...
Sucks to be you, Brooke!
We got everything we need, so let's head back to the lab and make this happen!
I forgot a couple things, but... uh...
I promise this is everything we need.
Let's hit the road!
I don't even remember why we came in here in the first place...
WE NEED WATER-COOLING STUFF!
[Crashing boxes]
[Obnoxious EDM] WHAT IS UP VOIDSTAR FAMILY?!
It's ya boy Zack, back at it again with another unboxing-haul-content-style video experience!
PUNCH that subscribe button in the face!
CRUSH that notification bell between your thighs!
Live streams EVERY Monday, EVERY Friday, and!
Voidling Nation!
Do you throw the bath bomb into the bath BEFORE or AFTER you get in?
Lemme know, in the comment section down below.
This part of the video can get away with being low-effort, because this part of the PROJECT
is low effort.
After we've figured out what parts we need and we've bought them, the easiest part is
to just... build the computer!
Step zero is to test-fit the motherboard, GPUs, fans, and all the other big, bulky components.
This will let us plan out our cable routing, determine what order to install the parts,
and discover what screws and other doodads we're missing.
Remember: every time I install something, it's going to block the area behind it.
Take a look at this fugly pump bracket, too - I had to whack together a temporary model
using TinkerCad on Brooke's PC so I can mount the pump, finish my new computer, design a
better bracket with big-boy CAD on the new computer, and swap it out.
That's why my hair's so curly!
It's because my brain is so wrinkly under it!
So why angle the reservoir?
Well, it was a good use of space, it makes the system easier to fill and drain, and the
angle breaks up vortices, which keeps air bubbles from getting sucked into the pump
and making a loud noise.
I'd like to shout out EKWB, the company that makes these pimptastic radiators, this pump,
these water blocks...
They're my favorite liquid cooling company because I am just a huge sucker for precision
German engineering.
[Brooke] They're not German!
Precision Slovenian engineering.
It's easier to prep the motherboard outside the case, and you don't really need to worry
about static electricity damaging anything unless you're a carpet-sock-shuffling hair-balloon-rubbing
Van de Graaff Nimrod.
I transferred my NVMe drives from the Megalith's mobo to their new forever home, and while
I had that cosmetic panel removed, I popped off the heatsink from the power supply area...
voltage... thing on the motherboard, because I'm going to be covering that up soon with
a water block.
Next, I unbox this giant block of black foam, which comes with a free sticker!
And also a CPU!
I gently mash the single most expensive chip I've ever owned into its socket, s[REDACTED]t
OODLES of bricks as I lock it in, and apply about five milliVerges of thermal paste.
The time has come to peel our first protective film... whooOOF!
[Chef's kiss]
Let's melt that... mwah.
Let's mount the mup...
Let's mount... wait...
Let's mount that water block!
This is called a monoblock cooler.
It chills the CPU as well as the surrounding electronics, and you bet your sweet cheeks
it's studded with ergobleds.
I love you, Patrons.
Let's ram in the RAM and let's slam in that mobo.
Gently!
Gently.
It was it was very expensive.
I installed a bracket that should keep the graphics cards from sagging like your mom's...
hanging plants, and locked those bad boys down, and then I got to work installing the
fans, radiators... this is why you should buy an extra-thicc case - it's really easy
to underestimate how big your parts are and how much space you're going to need to tuck
all those cables in there.
Note the cable combs that neatly spread apart the conductors and accentuate the individually
triple-wrapped wires.
These are really easy to 3D-print in any color to complement your case, and like a bow tie,
make a bold statement about your class and taste.
Also like a bow tie, you can save a lot of money and effort by getting a clip-on that
connects to your ugly cheapo cables as soon as it's out of sight!
You saw nothing!
There is no poor cable management in Ba Sing Se!
The time has come to bend some tubing, and this time we're doing it right.
There's no gizmo that does this, by the way - I am the bender, so it's time to get in
character.
[Glug glug glug glug]
PETG tubing is the same stuff as PETG filament, and the same properties that make the filament
like to sag also make the tubing malleable and forgiving.
To prevent a Megalith-style meltdown, all the fittings are going to point upwards or
sideways so gravity can't yank a tube directly out of its fitting this time.
Gravity can kiss my shiny metal ass!
Let's prime the pump with distilled water, let's jam a paper clip in the ATX cable, and
let's run the loop overnight to highlight any leaks.
We want the leaks to happen BEFORE we power up any of the parts, but the next afternoon
we're as dry as Ben Shapiro's wife, so let's wire it up and fire it up.
Without any RGB fans, there aren't any ergobleds pointed directly at you.
Every color reflects and diffuses off the parts, creating this moody edge-lit aesthetic
that reminds me of a certain wallpaper that only 90's kids will remember.
As my first crush said way back when, who are you and why are you hiding in my refrigerator?
There's just one thing left to do: peel the protective film.
Prepare yourself... for satisfaction.
[Baby-makin' music]
Aww yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh [Brooke laughs]
This big rig is ready to roll.
We're packing a Ryzen [mispronounced] 3950x, twin 1080TIs, 64 gigs of RAM, a crispy new
EKWB hardline loop, and heaping helpings of red, green, and blue.
It's quiet enough for livestreams, it's powerful enough to cut 4k, it's more colorful than
a unicorn with food poisoning, and it is stacked to the gills with enough graphical chutzpah
to run nearly any game and eat it for lunch.
What do you say we pick one, crank up the graphics, and see what this beast can really
do?
[Baba is You noises]
I named my revamped PC the Omegalith, because the Japanese prefix O- signifies that something
is honorable or serious.
Just look how serious this thing is.
The Megalith is survived by its only child, the Coccolith, and I guess that means I now
need to make a mini Omegalith in the future.
I've got a high-powered Latte Panda for the occasion, but for now the Omegalith project
has reached its end, and the finality of its name represents the very reason why I make
these videos - to inspire you to finish your projects.
Big thanks to Micro Center for sponsoring this episode - it finally happened, we finally
got the Micro Center sponsorship, and they made Brooke and I feel like we were big-time
celebrities.
Check the link in the description to see the Omegalith's specs, and maybe even grab some
of the parts in their custom PC builder.
And while you're down there, click that coupon for a free pair of Bluetooth wireless headphones!
But what you saw today couldn't have happened without our stalwart Patrons, whose support
let me turn the channel's roughest emergency to date into a major upgrade.
If you'd like to join their ranks, visit patreon.com/zackfreedman!
Special thanks to our magnificent Co-Lab-Orators, cmd (or command?)
Weckso, ChuckFahdooksSmallDong, I'm noT Betta Core, and introducing, with the straightest
possible face, GermyArnoldsSchwettyVag.
I've tucked their names into this episode... who knows where they may be?
It's the part you've been waiting for, our creatively named Lab Assistant supporters!
In pseudorandom order, these fine folks include: My Yiddishe Mama, chromerunner, C. Harris,
Philip, Azundo, epunman (damn near Rector), Taranach, powerful_cch, Nino Gancitano, Bill
Schuller, The worlds greatest drone pilot botgrinder fpv, Varka, Andrew Patton, [in
Russian accent] My Dog is a Bear...
I don't know why I feel the need to say that with a Russian accent.
ScP, Accalia - I lost my pants, Zach, periodclots... ewwww!
DrEagleTalon aka Talan Saunders, Michael Rauch, bob_dobbington, Trans Rights, BLM & Friends,
Lydia_K, Frantic Fanatic, Michael Dunn, nathan, Mark Whittington, Robert Berriz, Jason Lewallen,
Daniel Cadwell, ClassyBone_the76thMusicMan, Olivier Yiptong, Guygasm, RustyFlute, Victor
Vaughn, brad cox, Roger Pincombe, [Like a knight] Sir Derpington of Derptopia, Protagonist,
theANTIFA, one handful of beans, Silly Patron Name, Zanforian, good succ, Jay, Joe Harp,
and last but not least, Reagan says I hit someone with my electric car and I was charged
with battery.
UGGHHHHH.
Brooke's dying laughing right now.
Special thanks to Brooke, the thin pink line between stream chat and a war zone, and to
our Discord mods, Techniack and My Fair Julie.
Something has been interfering with Billie's ability to moderate - she said it was some
kind of... job?
And she asked that I remove her from this list... but I do what I want.
[SNAP!]
Finally, thank you for watching, and I hope you'll join our streams every Monday and Friday,
which maybe next episode I will flog a liiittle bit less.
May your framerates be high, may your temperatures stay low, and may your seeing me be... in
the future.
[Static]
[That song from Cats] 🎶 Memory, all alone in the moonlight...
I don't know any lyrics past this point...
[Static]