Gaming Build of the week: L3pipe

Every Monday, Build of the week highlights a unique rig from the web's most dedicated PC building communities.

Peter Brands, or ‘L3p’ in the case-modding community, is primarily known for hisall-in-one desk builds. But with the L3pipe, Brands wanted to explore new territory. “Ever since I started experimenting with hardline loops back in 2010 I always thought of creating something with as theme the loop itself. Anyone remember the Windows 98 pipes screensaver?” Of course we do, Peter. Of course we do.

For the uninitiated, hardline loops are a method for liquid cooling that use solid pipes instead of the typical rubber hoses. The implementation of hardlines can be very difficult since they require a hefty amount of planning and precise measurement. But Brands isn’t the type to do much planning up front, he just likes to “start and see where it ends.” A quick glance at the build gives the impression of precision and logic, despite the maze twisting pipes and bulging hardware.

Considering the L3pipe has over 200 possible leak points, it’s pretty impressive to hear that Brands didn’t encounter a single one. That, and the machine booted on his first attempt. But I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, family man Brands spent over nine months worth of his weekends to build it. His biggest problem, he says, was that it took him “a while to find a nice solution to support the radiators and GPU's with the nickel-plated thin pipes.” A problem for Peter, but music to a PC enthusiast’s ears. Carry your joy to the parts list below, and let your eyes dance over the specs. Oh, the specs!

Congrats on the build, Peter!
L3pipe parts list

CPU: Intel i7 5930K @ 4.5Ghz
Motherboard: ASUS X99 Deluxe
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 64GB DDR4 2400Mhz + Lightbar Kit
Video Cards: 2x Nvidia GTX980 + Nvidia 2Way SLI Bridge (modded)
Power Supply: Corsair HX1000i + White sleeved Cable Kit
Storage: 2x Corsair Force LX 512GB (modded and RAID0)
Case Fans: 8x Corsair SP120 LED White
Controllers: Corsair Commander Mini + Corsair Link Lighting Node
Monitor: LG 34U95-P 34″ 3440×1440
Case: Parvum Custom lasercut Aluminum/plexi frame (Brand’s own design)

Water Cooling System:
Bitspower Fittings
Bitspower Pump/Res Combis
Bitspower Flowmeters
EKWB Cpu & GPU Blocks + Backplates
EKWB Radiators & Pumps
EKWB Liquid
Nanoxia CoolForce PETG Pipe

More info is available on Brand’s website: http://www.l3p.nl