Case Mod - Complete (COMPLETED) "IKONiK" (1st Official Mod Of The Be Quiet Dark Base 900 Pro)

Update: Alphacool Water-cooling Enroute

I just got word that the watercooling from Alphacool is enroute to my shop and will be here in the next few days. I am very excited as I will be able to push forward with the rest of the IKONiK build. I am going to be trying out a few new things along with some new designs in order to implement the water cooling. Once the new water-cooling arrives I will snag some pictures and get right to work. I can tell you that IKONiK will be getting dual pumps and an oh so beautiful special edition white radiator that will be customized. I can't wait to get moving on it and a lot of really neat updates will be here very soon.

Here's a sneak peek at some of the watercooling goodness heading this way.

 

"Now this build is really going to get good. The Watercooling Arrives!"

Watercooling Arrives From ModMyMods & Alphacool:

I am extremely excited about the arrival of the watercooling and other parts that recently arrived. As mentioned I will be using a custom dual pump setup. I was lucky to get one of the 1st few sets of the new VPP755 V2 (version 2) Alphacool pumps. I've used the V1s and I liked them a lot. More than likely I will paint the pump housing to match the IKONiK build. Another piece I had really wanted to see is the beastly UT60 Special Edition White 420mm radiator. This super thick rad will also get some custom work. I intentionally ordered a few different versions of fittings compared to what I used on the APEX build. This allowed me to try out a variety of parts made by Alphacool and sold by ModMyMods.

Here's a few pictures of the water cooling and other gear using my new photography setup. I will also be using the new photogtaphy setup to take final photos of the IKONiK build. I will be starting right away on modding some of this gear so the updates will more often. Without further delay; Here's some highlights from the watercooling parts sent by ModMyMods for the IKONiK build.

 

Dual Alphacool VPP755 Pump Mount:

I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to mount the pumps until I knew their arrangements. Now that I've determined how they will sit I started on making my dual pump mount. There are a few things to consider when making a mount for a pump and even more when making one for two. Vibration is going to happen one way or another. That's one of the reasons I decided to go with an acrylic mount. Aluminum could have also been used in conjunction with rubber dampers. I will use rubber grommets between the mount and the frame.

The mount will have two 90 degree bends on each side so that it wraps up the sides of the pumps. This gives me more mounting locations as well as gives it an added aesthetic appeal. I used a white/milky cast acrylic because I've been very curious on how it will look. If it's not the look I'm going for it can always paint it white. I used my quick and dirty mini bend table I made for when I'm at my small temporary shop. This allows me to make bends in smaller acrylics and metal without having to drive a mile away to the machine shop. It works really well and only tool about 10 minutes to make. The spacing and bends came out perfectly. All I have left to do is drill a few more holes to give it some added rigidity.






Removing a Lower Fan Grill:

When I build in this case I always remove one of the lower fan grills. Doing so gives me a lot of room to run wiring as well as put extra bits of wiring. This helps organize the PSU area and gives it a much cleaner look. You can either cut it out or use a pair of dikes. I used a pair of dikes and then a metal file to smooth the edges. Now that it's out I will add an edge cover and clean all the metal out of the bottom of the case before putting the PSU back in.

 

Update: Lower Fan Grill

Now that the grill is removed and all the edges are filed smooth; it is time to put the edging on. This helps protect the cables from rubbing against the metal. It works perfectly and can be found online for really cheap. I bought 5 meters of it for about $5 on ebay. Now I can put the 24pin cable under the PSU along with a couple other cables. This leaves more space under the shroud and allows for an organized cable setup.




EVGA GTX980ti Replaced With a EVGA GTX1070 SC:

As many of you know originally we had planned to use an EVGA GTX980TI for the build. Recently we discovered that Alphacool didn't make a waterblock for it. EVGA was kind enough to replace it with a stunning GTX1070 SC. I had seen what these look like online and pictures don't do it justice. It is very well built. I decided to put some of my new photography gear to work so that I could attempt to show you the true beauty of this card.

 

Update: PSU Label Flip

The one downside of inverting your PC is the labels are all typically inverted as well. Having a little OCD only makes it worse. I really like the look of the label on the Be Quiet Dark Power 11 Pro PSU because it's well made. I could probably remove the metal label using heat but I figured why not take this opportunity to make one of my own based off of the original design I already liked. I have some silver chrome thick vinyl that matches the originally perfectly. I had to make my own design and cut file that I showed on an earlier post. Now that I have everything out of the case I measured and cut a new panel out of very thin acrylic to use as a backing for my new decal. The first mockup of the new decal and it is very close to its final position. It just needs a couple more adjustments. I'll update with pics of it mounted soon.




Sneak Peek of The Alphacool Polished Tubing:

I still have a couple more things to do before I can start cutting the tubing and making the passthroughs but, I couldn't help but mock a bit of the tubing up to see what it will look like. I am even more excited now as I can tell it will look amazing. I carefully designed the layout of the hardline to match the bends so that it would carry on the modern designs cues. I also threw in the new EVGA GTX 1070 SC so I could see about where the tubing will go. Soon I'll have the new block for the GPU and I will be ready to start piping all the water cooling.

 

Adding an Extruded Aluminum Housing For The LEDs:

I found this alumnus led strip housing online about 3 months ago. It took me a long time to find. It's what they use for glass jewelry displays at stores. The main piece us aluminum and this type comes with a milky white cover that helps to diffuse the lights. I added one strip on the roof above the motherboard and the other one is going vertically along the side. I really enjoy the look of these and they come in several different styles.




Fitting Radiator & Mockups:

Now that the radiator is in and all mocked up I wanted to run most of the tubing on the front side. Even though I won't be using the frosted hardline; it gives me the exact measurements needed in order to perfectly cut the polished chrome tubing. This also gives me a chance to decide exactly where I want to put the passthroughs and flow meter.




Vinyl Work For The Alphacool UT60 420mm Radiator:

I had previously done the design for the vinyl work on the radiator. I decided it was time to get it cut and mounted on the beautiful special white edition 420mm radiator. Originally I was going to do the OCOOL logo in the same silver as the rest of the decal. I decided to cut it out of mirrored chrome instead and I'm glad I did. It gives it a better contrast and gives it a much more polished look.

 

OCOOL Aurora Ring Logo Change:

The Aurora ring LEDS come with a blue OCOOL logo on them and I wanted the color to match the rest of the build. I decided to make some new logo decals that are the exact same size as the original but, are in the different color. I decided to go with mirrored chrome and they came out great. Taking the OCOOL logo and putting into my design/cut program allowed me to scale it to the correct size. Once I had the proper size it was a matter of cutting and placing the logo so that it matched the stock ones.






EVGA Logo Flip:

The logo on the EVGA Z170 Classified K motherboard was also inverted due to the orientation of the motherboard. I've been playing around with several ideas and this is the latest one. I cut some extremely thin acrylic and covered it in black chrome vinyl. I then cut the EVGA Logo out of the mirrored chrome vinyl and remounted everything. Once I pull everything out again I may repaint the EVGA logo.

 

I absolutely love it, this EVGA hardware is amazingly beautifull, and your design dress it perfectly, furthermore, I was a litle bored to see 90% of mods from the last 2 years were water cooled only by OCOOL, (not because I dislike the brand, OCOOL stuff is great, and it looks like they are the main sponsors for actual modding projects, so I can only congratulate them), but it turns out this new OCOOL gear is really beautifull and suits perfectly your mod as well...so, only bravo sir

 

Custom Painting Eisblock XPX CPU Block:

I had a spare cover for the Alphacool Eisblock XPX CPU block so I decided to try painting it white. This block is extremely simple to dismantle and prep for paint. There's 4 bolts on the bottom of the block. Once these 4 bolts are removed the 1st plate comes out. The other two plates are held in by pressure and I used a flat head to easily remove the rest of the inner pieces. After that it's just a matter of lightly sanding the bracket and top cover. I primed and then painted it white. After mocking up the block I determined that it seemed like a little too much white for the build. Swapping out the brackets for some black ones really did the trick. I may paint the caps that cover the springs as it will help breakup the white.

From Stock to Painted:

 

Thank you very much for the kind words. I really like the EVGA hardware too. It fits together very well and compliments eachother. I can't wait until the waterblock arrives for the new watercooling EVGA GTX1070 SC. My last scratch build Dark Matter that was up for Mod of The Year used all EKWB. I used Alphacool for this build and the one I did for CES.

I really like Alphacools gear as they have a huge selection and they're always progressing their designs. This is a big plus for a modder as there is always something new to play with and mod. Another big factor is the relationship they have with the modding community. They're very involved and I am a big believer in companies being in tune with the Modder and Enthusiast community. It makes for better products that are held to a higher standard.

This gear took a while to select as I wanted it to fit the build perfectly. You'll really start to see the overall vision for the build when the polished hardline tubing goes in. It and a few other watercooling parts do a good job at bringing the concept together. I can't wait to get it up and running so I can play a few games (it's been a while.) Thanks for checking out the build log and posting some wonderful comments.

 

Very good choice of words !!

 

New Alphacool Block & LED Strips Arrive From ModMyMods:

I finally managed to get my hands on some of the Alphacool LED strips that are not yet available on the market. These strips are well built and 100% diffused which is a big thing in my book. It allows for an even glow instead of a beam coming from the strips. Most of the time I have to add Extruded Aluminum mounts with diffused covers to get the glow I'm looking for. I will be testing these out a bit and using them in the build.





I also got the new Alphacool block for the EVGA GTX 1070 SC GPU that recently replaced the GTX 980ti Classified GPU I had originally planned to use. This was swapped out in order to use the components I wanted in the watercooling. It was a much appreciated upgrade and the new EVGA GTX 1070 SC performs like a champ. It offers up more power and used less plugs from the PSU.


Putting an Alphacool NexXxoS Waterblock on AN EVGA GTX1070SC GPU:

Once you've done a few of these swaps it becomes very easy to do. It can also be intimidating to those who don't have much experience with them. I start by using a good antistatic work surface such as a Alphacool modding matt. Any antistatic surface will work good. I also use nutrile gloves as they keep oils off of the components and help with any static discharge issues that may arise.

Usually you will need to start on the side that is opposite from the cooler. If you can remove the little fan/led cables before start it will make it easier. If they are not very accessible, you can remove them once the cooler is loosened. Usually the larger bolts hold the cooler on and there will be 4 of them in a square pattern which are surrounding the GPU chip. I remove the largest ones first which usually removes the backplate. After that's removed I move onto removing the last of the bolts to get the cooler free.

Once I have the backplate and cooler removed I usually clean off the old or stock thermal paste. Grizzly thermal paste comes with the new cooler and it can be applied once the old paste is removed. To apply my new thermal paste I use an old credit card or store card which allows me to spread a very thin layer of paste across the entire surface. You want it to be thin so that it just covers the entire surface. Once you have thermal pads on both sides it's only a matter of bolting everything back together.

Installing The GPU Block:





NexXxoS Block Mounted on The EVGA GTX 1070 SC GPU:

 

Trying Out Different Locations For The Flow Meter:

I've had the general route for the hardline planned for quite sometime now but I wasn't sure where I wanted to mount the flow meter. I liked the idea of putting it near the GPU but after I had everything mocked up I decided to looked to busy. Especially considering the GPU support bracket that will be mounted. I keep thinking back to the original modern concept for the IKONiK build. The main desig cues consists of specific angles combined with layered horizontal and vertical lines. Moving the flow meter to the radiator down tube gives it an unobstructed and clean view. After playing around with it I think this is the best route to take. Below you can find a couple pics of what it looks like both ways. Also you have to consider the fact that this tubing will be swapped for polished chrome hardline.

The 1st layout:


The 2nd layout (best option)








GPU Support Bracket:

I've tried and built several GPU support brackets for the IKONiK build and no matter what I do it doesn't work correctly due to the motherboard being inverted. A buddy of mine came up with and idea to support the GPU from above instead of below it. He also had the ability to machine it which is required to get the kind of precision needed for this particular setup. I just recieved a few pictures of it and it looks absolutely stunning. He also managed to cut the IKONiK design in the side as well as the EM logo. The design was taken a step further by hand polishing the aluminum portion of the bracket so that it matched the IKONIKs theme. Once it arrives (soon) I will take more pics and mount it. Once it's mounted I will be able to cut the passthroughs in the stainless steel shroud. After that the polished chrome hardline tubing goes in and I will do the final paint work on the IKONiK build.

 

Changes To The GPU Support Bracket:

After mocking up the GPU support bracket I realized that I needed to make a few minor changes to make it look right on this particular build. I loved the IKONiK logo on the side but it got blocked by the watercooling tube coming off the GPU block. It looked weird when you couldn't read what it said so I decided to make a new acrylic front by hand. I used the original acrylic to draw a template in smoked black acrylic. I decided to use smoked black as it gave it a really neat look. It took a decent amount of time to cut, file, sand and drill the mount holes so it would easily bolt on to the original aluminum plate. Everything went together really well and it looks great. I made sure to take some pics of the progress.








Polished Chrome Hardline Tubing Goes In:

I've started swapping out the Alphacool Satin Hardtubes for the polished chrome ones. If you remeber earlier I used the Satin Hardtubes to figure out where all my cuts would go. Doing it this way helped insure that I didn't waste any of the polished chrome tubing. I used a rotatable pipe cutter and used painter's tape to help protect the chrome from being scratched. So far I have the tubes on the flow meter to the radiator cut and mounted. I've also cut most of the bent tubing that will go to the passthroughs. I still have to finish tapering the edges so I can mock it all up.

 

Custom ModMyMods Plate:

Since more and more of my builds are going to shows I thought it would be neat to make a cover that goes over the PSU mount on the back side (left) of the case. It will give it a more finished look and also display my love for ModMyMods gear. They're one of those rare companies that's made up by fellow enthusiasts. They really go the extra mile to help customers and this is a way I can show my appreciation. Originally the back side of the IKONiK build was going to be covered and that panel would never be removed. Now I've started to make it a feature of the build by adding the hand built cable tunnel and brushed shrouds. The passthroughs from the watercooling will also be visible from this side so it will be pretty sweet once finished.

I put together a quick video that I posted of the process and below you can see some of the steps taken to build this piece. I've been working on this off and on for the last couple weeks or so. Due to the fact that I made it by hand it took a ton of time to cut, file, sand and polish it. It came out exactly as I imagined and that makes me very happy. I took two seperate mods and melded them together into this piece. I'm also planning on making a couple more different styled ones for the build as well.

 

Modding The HD Bay Mounts:

Now that it's time to pull the entire build apart is can cut on the case a bit. I decided to remove the upper 5 hard drive bay mounts. I left the very top one which helped retain the rigidity of the piece. Once they were removed I made a new acrylic plate. The passthroughs from the front of the build will come through here. This plate will keep it all clean looking while also leaving plenty of clearance for the tubing and fittings. This little inset on the back of the Dark Base Pro is perfect for everything from mounting controllers to running passthroughs.








Battery Mod:

The battery on your motherboard gets little to no notice but I wanted to do something different. I wanted to make it a little detail that you probably wouldn't notice unless you looked at the build real well. I love doing little details like this. The more someone looks at my builds, the more details they become aware of. The battery was a perfect opportunity to do just that.

 

awesome, really, and I love the battery sticker concept....I've always thought about hiding this, not always matching color themes, now you also officially pop the trend...

 

Thank you very much. It's funny because someone else said that this is a genious way of making something cool instead of hiding it. You never know it could catch on. Lol. My favorite mods are like this. Taking something the hinders the design and modding it to make it a feature. Thanks for checking out the build log!

 

is it hard to use chrome hardtubing?

 

Making Passthroughs:

The passthroughs went together fairly easy as I had already marked out where my holes need to go. The only tricky part is working with stainless steel. It's a lot stronger than most metals and I went with a step drill bit to make my 20mm holes. I also decided to run a vertical acrylic strip. I think doing so gives it a much cleaner look and it also looks more polished. The combination of acrylic and brushed stainless steel will look sharp.








Alphacool Eislich Under Case Mount:

I have a white Eislich light and a blue one. The plan is to use the white one inside the case so I thought the blue one would work best under the Dark Base 900 Pro. This works really well considering that the case has feet that keep it off the ground a bit. I didn't want to run wiring up the back as it would be noticeable no matter what so I decided to drill a small hole that was big enough to get the cable through. Once I had the Eislich mounted under the case it was a matter of running the cable through the bottom of the case. Luckily it is long enough that I won't need an extension to power it. After having it all mounted up I got my 1st look at it and I'm very happy. It gives a perfect flow without being overbearing. There's nothing worse than a light that's too bright. These lights also seem to play well with cameras. I didn't have to do any tricks or weird settings in order to directly photograph them which is an added bonus.