Assembly Procedure
The 7000D chassis is enormous, so the mainboard, an ASUS Prime Z690-A, looks small. I should note that I had huge problems with this mobo and an i9-13900K processor. The system rarely booted normally, showing that there is a RAM problem. I tried different sets of RAM kits till I decided to make a search on Google and discover that other Z690 owners also have issues with Intel’s 13th CPU generation. The only way I found to make it boot properly is to shut down the PSU from the power switch every time the system is stuck at boot and try again. Well done, Intel! I am not paying for a Z790 mobo since the 14th CPUs are on the corner.
I installed the AIO at the top side. It was an easy task because of the removable top bracket.
The block is in its place!
The stock fans have to go. I will replace them with QX120 RGB ones.
Four 120mm fans at the front case’s front bracket and the straight connector are a no-go!
With the angled connector, four fans fit at the front bracket, but there is no room for the cable to be routed! So, I had to remove one of the fans and arrange the other three.
The exhaust fan is connected to the fans of the AIO, which are connected to the AIO’s hub, which is connected to the system hub. I tried connecting all fans on one bus, but one didn’t work correctly because I exceeded seven devices on the bus.
Having only the tubes going to the block and the pump is excellent. No extra cables are required since power and data pass through cables embedded into the tubes.
The system hub greatly reduces the cable amount since only two go to it, from up to 14 components in total.
A test run, and everything works fine!
Some notes about the hub. Since it can power up to 14 devices, it needs increased power levels, and this is why it is connected to the system’s PSU through a 6-pin PCIe connector. All iCUE Link components have to end at the system hub to receive data and power and also send data to the system. According to your system, you have to select the appropriate iCUE Link cables, which I mentioned already, are not affordable, so you have to carefully check what and how many cables you will need besides the provided ones.
Finished System
The finished system looks gorgeous!
