Computex2017 is a special time when component manufacturers have an excellent excuse to really push the boat out and show of just how far you can go with their hardware. If cooling is their thing they might create an intricate and bespoke watercooling setup, storage specialists could push an insane RAID configuration. This year, as one of their showcase systems, GIGABYTE commissioned an advanced watercooled design with some of the premium performance components now part of their motherboard and CPU ranges. And who better a personage to commission in this task than Ian '8Pack' Parry, overclocker extraordinaire and Overclockers UK R&D team member?
The system, which tragically hasn't been given a name, is based around Intel's Z270 platform and 7th generation Core i7-7700K processor. The motherboard used is naturally GIGABYTE's flagship Z270-chipset design - the GA-Z270X-Gaming 9 - which is fully kitted out to push that i7-7700K to the limit. CPU and motherboard are both cooled by a custom watercooling loop design by Overclockers UK with blocks, fixtures and fittings from EK, keeping both processor and power delivery cool under pressure.
Graphics are taken care of through the inclusion of not one, not two, but three AORUS Geforce GTX 1080 Ti Xtreme Edition 11G's configured in SLI. As well as being some of the fastest cards and most efficient pixel-pushing GPUs on the planet today GIGABYTE have injected their own magic, integrating RGB Fusion customisable lighting and Aorus VR Link for easily connecting dual-HDMI front panel outputs. As shipped, these cards are equipped with GIGABYTE's Windforce 3X triple-fan cooling, but for this special showcase are once again cooled by a single dedicated custom loop designed by OCUK and with fittings from EK.
To overclock such systems and maintain stability a high quality PSU is essential, and in their wisdom the 2000W Superflower 8Pack Edition PSU was chosen. Even with three GPUs this beast of a powersupply should provide plenty of headroom.
Memory support is provided by Corsair's DDR4 Dominator Platinum range, while Samsung and Western Digital took care of storage in the form of M.2 and SATA SSDs alongside a capacious physical drive. The chassis is a Lian Li PC-011WXC, a case that offers unobstructed views of components and copious watercooling support.
Pretty nifty, all in all. If you have particularly deep pockets you too can task Overclockers UK with building a custom watercooled system, and of course GIGABYTE components span a huge market from mainstream through to the most cutting edge.
