Case Mod - In Progress Project: 972 Rebuild

Thanks - today I was only testing that the CPU is not DOA. I Accidentally overclocked it

 

I've been a bit remiss with updates. Many reasons, but mainly:
1. Ill
2. Fitting a kitchen and
3. Working overseas last week

Now that I'm back in good old blighty, I thought it was about time I had a bit of a sesh tonight. Or at least did SOMETHING to get some progress registered...

Tonight was accompanied by the wonderful Sister of Mercy and "A slight case of overbombing". CHOOONS.

First, I have to get that partition that I've irreparably damaged, to fit.


There's a ridge/flap that runs along the read edge of the shelf, and above where the "shelf" mounts to the rear of the case.

so, out comes "Dremel" and the sisters...



and after an hour of trimming with 1.5" rotary disk, both edges are trimmed...



My rooms going to be an absolute tip if I keep having to use this rotary tool to make all the cuts.

Tomorrow - I'll mark the position where to cut the motherboard tray and then remove it ready for cutting. I'm thinking that a jig saw may be a better tool to cut this steel stuff though...

I'm definitely going to have to paint this when I've finished cutting it to fit all my bits, but that'll probably have to wait till the weathers a bit better. Besides, at this rate, that wont be long....

 

Update - New Dremel arrived so I've been chopping up the "shelf" in the case to try to get it to fit...

First was to add the end strip to the recently cut "shelf" to screw into. The pictures explain so much better than my words...

OK, so I want to re-cycle and mount one of the U sections already cut from the shelf, thus:


First we cut to size, then we drill some 2 mm holes


a hole...


then the other end...


Then in goes the tap...

Half turn forward, quarter turn back....

Then after a quick rummage in my "this might come in useful one day" box of mobo screws.... VOILA!


My first tapped hole since 1990 - SUCCESS! I wish I'd had a PC case to build when I was at school. Somehow making a fuse/continuity tester for my GCSE in Technology didn't ignite my imagination...

The screws protrude but nothing that will be visibly. I'll find shorter screws, or cut them back once I've got it all ready for final assembly.


Ooops. Over-exposed the next pic - rushing. Now to mark up where the shelf needs to sit now

About there....

Blast! The screw holes now sit in thin air! Am going to have to make some more holes in the shelf and tap them


This is a mock up of roughly how it will sit. Shelf will have to be screw attached to allow removal of PSU if needed, otherwise the lip on the shelf and the case will prevent removal as the PSU cannot be angled to remove.


And the PSU will also not sit fluch up against the cases "lip" otherwise the side wont go back on...


yeah - about there.


A bit tight for the fans?


Don't be daft! The whole purpose of lifting the shelf up is to allow me to also cut back the lower edge of the motherboard tray to allow the rad to sit beneath.

Loads of room back there - another 20mm for sure!

Zoomed out a bit...


OK - need to get the PSU accessible through the back of the case. No idea why Corsair made their design so rigid, but hey ho. Dremel time...


I do hope that holes in the right place - I can;t go back now...
Marking up the next cut....


then after cutting out, and then drilling 3 more holes...


phew - psu sits in the right place. All this was done by eye as I can;t see through steel!


Next - remove the motherboard tray.
Drill out the rivets...


ends up only 3 were holding the mobo tray in place

and out she pops!


The case, now bereft of a mobo tray is starting to resemble so many of the builds that you boys do all the time. How can I possibly screw this up?


Note to self - Dremels are good for smaller cuts - use the electric jig saw next time and save a few of the expensive cutting disks...


OK - next was to trim down the off cut to make a new lower edge to the motherboard tray. I'd like it to remain rigid and not have a sharp edge.

Black hashed area shows what I chopped...

And that will now sit on the base like so...


That's it for now. I've got a busy week or so, so it'll be a couple more weeks before I can get Dremel out again Next time I shall be prepping then braizing the "new lower edge" onto the motherboard tray, and making the cuts into the last hanging piece.

The next steps as I see them are:

1. Site rad stand to base of case
2. lay out the PC, water loops
3. drill hole in roof for fill port.
4. decide where and how to mount 1.120mm g-changer rad in lower
   compartment.
5. Re-attach mobo tray
6. Re-attach "shelf"

Then I can move to assemble. I'm planning to break it down again in the summer, stripping it back to the bare metal, and then painting it up properly. The paints "OK" but ultimately I'd like a rig up and running sooner rather than later, and I'm fast running out of time. I miss my games, and being able to work from home on my 2560x1600 monitor too much :|

Thanks for reading - see you all back soon hopefully!

 

I managed to get some time on the "build" today.

First thing was to mix up a batch of araldite and attach the ridge to the bottom of the motherboard tray. I decided against welding it as there was too much prep involved, and I've never done it before - at least with Epoxy resin I can sand it back when I come to touch up the case in the summer. Priorities in place - I NEED my rig back up and running. I've got LOADS of work that I need to get done, and I'm stuggling to do it on my works PC - using visual studio on anything less than an 1080p screen gets terribly frustrating - especially when you have OCD regarding tidying windows up

Ridge attached...


My dog is now officially going to be part of my rig forever more now -


that'll teach me not to vacuum my room in ages....

Stick it away under the desk, weighted down and bound so that the tray sets flat


Next - trim off the now excess case that was just above where the partition sat...

lower yellow line represents the bottom of the shelf, and the point beneath which I'm removing.

chop chop chop, and it's gone!


Good old dremel. Now you can see that my rad will fit nicely underneath it...


Rad to be held in place by rad mounts, which in turn are held via nuts and bolts through the grid in the case

and


So now the shelf sits above the rad/psu - all I need to do is drill holes into the "shelf" and then tap those holes so that screws can hold it in place rigidly.


There's one at the back....


...measuring up - how the hell does this not sit absolutely flush vs the front mounting point - ah well close enough...


Blast! While cutting I've gone wonky...
http://forums.bit-tech.net/album.php?albumid=2298&pictureid=32329

At least it all fits. I don't think that my poor cutting skills are going to be too bad - they're going to be perpendicular to the viewing angle...


Ta Dah! Holes drilled (I broke my 2mm bit


Now stand back and admire my handywork


It's starting to look like a case again!

so, out of the outstanding actions:

1. Site rad stand to base of case
2. lay out the PC, water loops
3. drill hole in roof for fill port.
4. decide where and how to mount 1.120mm g-changer rad in lower compartment.
5. Re-attach mobo tray
6. Re-attach "shelf"

I reckon that's the first one crossed off, and 5 and 6 are but a formality!

 

No building progress - been working lots

Holidays are coming though so I've been ordering bits and bobs for the build. It's annoying how £60+ worth of components looks so unimpressive....

Today's purchases arrived...


I picked up some 3mm ali sheet off fleabay, 2 off bitspower 90 deg snake fittings, 2 x Koolance male VL3N barb fittings, 2 x Koolance female barb fittings, 1 x Koolance 1/4 bsp to male vl3n and finally 1 x Koolance 1/4 bsp to female vl3n fittings. All this means I can:

1. Patch the hole at the back by the PSU
2. Disconnect the GPU's without spilling.

I have a set of barb to male/females which I'm going to keep to plum in additional cooling* projects around the GPU's. I'd like to do the same up by the CPU but cost is a factor also.



*I have a TEC unit I'm working on which I'd like to incorporate, as well as a vapochill - the intention is that I can put a "heat exchanger" unit in the loop as and when I want to use it, and then connect up the TEC/vapochill units as my fancy takes me, until I've finished prototyping. That's a project fro later though

The Koolance fittings which I so love. DON'T buy cheap quick release fittings - thry contrict flow SO MUCH. Let's say that when you try to blow through an engaged Koolance fitting, it's like blowing through a normal barb. Try it with the Phobya ones.... well let's just say you'll struggle...

 

Hi Folks. Sorry for the lack of updates - I've been on holiday and actually built the rig so that I could game on it. It took a bit of time, and I've now observed hot it operates so there's going to be a bit of a re-design in the works.

I'll upload what I've done so far in order to get the rig up and running so that you can see where I'm up to.

I've been playing with the overclocking capabilities of the board and my goodness - I'm delighted with the frequencies I'm hitting. The lack of watercooling for the chipset and mosfet is what is driving my quest for coolness - I need to re-route my tubing as it is currently in contact with the heatsink.

All will become clear - promise.

So far 4.4 Ghz on the CPU on all 12 threads and folding like a good 'en on all the bits. Top temp - CPU is up to 60C according to CPUID hardware monitor - I'm happy with that.

Who needs a sandy/Ivy bridge or 2011 socket based rig anyway!

Pictures to follow later this weekend...

 

Ok - Piccys now uploaded, Hopefully this'll give you some ideas of where I'm going with this build.

First I need to select the choons for the work



GTA Vice city soundtrack. If you haven't heard it, it's worth it just for the joke adverts.

So, this is what the case looks like before we start:



First I'm going to fit a phobya rad over the hole I've already cut in the base of the case.

Draw round the rad, and mark the holes...


Tape into position...


Mark where to cut the case...


Black lines indicate where I will be removing more case...


then it's cut cut cut. Apologies - I've lost the image with the cut made. Rest assured it's just like before but slightly bigger...

Next, to cut a hole in the roof for the fill port. First drill a pilot hole, then get out my cutter. Not sure of the EXACT size, it was just big enough to put the thread of the bulkhead fitting into.


et voila!

 

Now, my holidays have been drawing near, so I really need to get the kit in and see if I like it. Besides, I've been waiting weeks to play Far Cry 3, and now's going to be one of the last opportunities I get!

First I fit the rad to the new hole I've just cut...


Then the res. I'm really not sure about putting it in the drive bays anymore you know. I think I'd like it in the internal drive bay area. Tough - here will do for now...


Then in got the radiators at the top. 3.120 Phobya in the roof with Scythe Jyuni 1900's in the roof, and 1.120 phobya rad at the back. It's a tight fit, but they do go....


Then in goes the CPU block...

My Apogee XT has seen some action over it's life. Still works a charm, even if it is quite restrictive...

Then in go the GPU's...


A bit more plumbing later and the loops complete... At least for test purposes..


Stand back and admire my rushed work...


Functionally, this fulfills my brief - the bitspower fittings to the top and bottom of the gpus are actually quite mobile when in situe - as can be seen from the angle they leave. That'll straighten up once I get the shelf back in and cut the holes in that. I'm going to leave that for now though - this is about getting some gaming time in - and some test folding while I'm off

2 days of leak testing, nipping and tightening later, and I was ready to power up. Don;t think I've ever been so nervous - guess that;s what happens when you've been without your rig for 5 months and can;t afford to replace any parts.

The final pic for today is the test setup:


I installed the SSD, BR write and Soundblaster cards plus front bay, without any issue, then I started the install process. I've been using an evaluation copy of Window 8 on my old laptop (Innova Thinkpad with an SSD in) and I'd gotten quite used to it. Windows 7 just felt weird going back to it.
Whilst downloading all the windows updates and drivers, I spotted my first mistake - for SLI you need to use the 16x lanes and that's slot 1 and 3, not 1 & 2 as I had setup. Thankfully I was able to disconnet my gpus without too much fuss - due to the Koolance QDC fittings, without spilling so much as a drop.

I love it when a plan comes together

All went back together nice before it was time to start overclocking... That's very much work in progress, so I'll leave you with my efforts so far:

http://valid.canardpc.com/2771117

tidy
All with the bios settings still on auto and folding stable so far (2 days of folding, plus gaming on FarCry 3 )