Scratch Build CURV3D | By C4B12 | Updated 13/5 | 1st place at "Pimp my Rig 2013"

[C4B12]

Hello bit-tech!

This build started as a side project when I was building my other scratch build, Cold Winter. But somewhere on the way I stopped, but now Im going to finish it. Some of you may recognize some of the first pictures, thats because I uploaded some of them in my worklog for Cold Winter. But Ill think this one needs its own log.

This is a HTPC/NAS build. The specs of the hardware is:
Asus AT3IonT-I Deluxe
Intel X-25-V G2 40gb
4gb Corsair DDR3
Western Digital Green 2TB & 3TB

Sponsors:

LCDModkit


Aquatuning



I got the idea for this build when I was looking at some of the acrylic I had left from Cold Winter. Saw some nice shape coming. So I started cutting, and got these two acrylic pieces:





The next thing I did was to put some feet on it, havent decided yet if I should get some smaller ones. Then I put the two pieces together with two small hinges.




Glued the motherboard stand off screws into the acrylic.


Next thing: Put some painted plates on the harddrives.


And sleeve the power cables for the drives.


Some overview pictures.



Next up is the front and backplate:


Should I go for a powerswitch on the frontplate or hide it in the back? The cross is where Im thinking of putting it.



Put some paint on those! (Sorry for Instagram picture)



So this is how far Ive come. Dont have that much left to do.

• Install some small fans for the HDD's
• Sleeve everything possible to sleeve
• Drill holes and install a power and reset switch
• Grind down all the edges so everything fits
• Clean everything up and polish the acrylic

Give me your thoughts, advice and everything.
Thanks for today.

/Johan Nyman

[Primum Agmen]

Wouldn't the hinges inside the build have given you a better aesthetic? You'd have had to have worked out how to file it down to get it to work, but then you'd have had an unbroken front panel.

Also, where does air enter the build, except by finding cracks?

Aside from those nitpicks, I quite like the shape and simplicity of the build.

[C4B12]

Originally Posted by Primum Agmen

Wouldn't the hinges inside the build have given you a better aesthetic? You'd have had to have worked out how to file it down to get it to work, but then you'd have had an unbroken front panel.

Also, where does air enter the build, except by finding cracks?

Aside from those nitpicks, I quite like the shape and simplicity of the build.

Yes I maybe shouldve done it that way. But still think this look good to, kinda vintage. Air only enters in cracks etc. But Ive tested the system and the temps doesnt go too high. Not like a normal case but not too high either.

Thank you!

[C4B12]

Hello!
Im happy to announce a sponsor for this little build. LCDModkitsponsored me with a 4x20 LCD, the one in the picture is borrowed from another project. LCDModkit has many different kind of LCDs to plug into usb, sets, modules and everything. Pretty cheap too and the shippings is fast for being from Asia. Chech them out!

[NoobNeb]

Love the simplicity in your work, look forward to seeing this all done

[C4B12]

Originally Posted by NoobNeb

Love the simplicity in your work, look forward to seeing this all done

Thank you. Simple is often the best.

[C4B12]

Im happy to announce the second sponsor, Aquatuning. They will help with some smaller things. Check them out!



Bigger update is coming when I get all the things.

/Johan Nyman

[C4B12]

Hello!

Im happy to say that Im 95% finished with this build. I got the last small details and today Ive been working hard to finish it.

What Ive done today is to change the feets to some smaller ones, installed the LCD, power/reset switches, some small fans for the harddrives and sleeved everything. Ive cleaned everything and put it all together.

So Ill start with some pictures then. This is how the new feet looks like. Looks a little bit cleaner than the other big ones.





I also got a nice powerswitch with a white LED ring.



So I installed the LCD and the powerswitch on the frontpanel and soldered the cables and sleeved everything white.





So this is how the front and backpanel looks like.







Here is some pictures of how I managed all the cables.











I took some small Fractal Design fans and soldered together and put on the side of the harddrives to cool them down a little.



Thats about it. After this I cleaned everything and took some final pictures of the build. Im soon gonna buy a better camera so I can take some better pictures and I will post them here later. But here is the final pictures Ive got right now.



















So thats about it. I know many might wonder why I dont have any intake for air. But Ive tried the computer for a while like this and the temps doesnt get to high, they are higher than an normal computer but not to far. Its a HTPC and doesnt get that much stressed anyways. And air always get in there in some kind of way.

I want to thank everyone here at Bit-Tech for following this little build.

I also want to thank LCDModkit.com for sponsoring me with the LCD. If you want an LCD for your computer they are who you should buy it from. They have LCDs, usb-modules, kits and everything you need. Its cheap and the shippins is fast even from Hongkong.

And ofcourse I want to thank Aquatuning for sponsoring me with the powerswitch and feet. They have almost everything you need for modding, watercooling and stuff like that.

So thats all for me now. Ill probably be back with another project soon.

Thanks everyone!
Johan Nyman

[dragonthc]

about 10 years ago I drew up plans for something strikingly similar. A way to showcase a computer the way high end turntables did. I never had the money to build it, but it's like looking at an evolution of my design. Congratulations, the build is phenomenal. Excellent quality.

My original plans called for an aluminum chassis with a curved lexan hood, but I never envisioned a complete lexan case. My modding days ended with LAN parties. The last mod I ever did was a bubble wall in my Lian-Li PC70.

I am really in awe of your design because it's light years beyond what I though up. Keep up the good work and I'm excited to see your next project.

[Meelobee]

Neat little build Where did you get the 90 degree sata connectors?

[C4B12]

Originally Posted by dragonthc

about 10 years ago I drew up plans for something strikingly similar. A way to showcase a computer the way high end turntables did. I never had the money to build it, but it's like looking at an evolution of my design. Congratulations, the build is phenomenal. Excellent quality.

My original plans called for an aluminum chassis with a curved lexan hood, but I never envisioned a complete lexan case. My modding days ended with LAN parties. The last mod I ever did was a bubble wall in my Lian-Li PC70.

I am really in awe of your design because it's light years beyond what I though up. Keep up the good work and I'm excited to see your next project.

Sorry for stealing your idea mate!
And thank you.

Originally Posted by Meelobee

Neat little build Where did you get the 90 degree sata connectors?

Thank you! Ive got them at Aquatuning.

[Cheapskate]

You really should add a little venting at least. The temps will likely get higher the longer it's used. Heat is sneaky.
Clean up that ugly edge on the plastic, and she's perfect. -Heck, opening up that seam could help the airflow a bit.

[C4B12]

Originally Posted by Cheapskate

You really should add a little venting at least. The temps will likely get higher the longer it's used. Heat is sneaky.
Clean up that ugly edge on the plastic, and she's perfect. -Heck, opening up that seam could help the airflow a bit.

Hmm maybe. Thinking about making a hole under the motherboard. Will fix the edge too. Thanks.

[Booti]

Hi. Could you advise who makes those SATA cables please?
Also are they SATA 2 or 3?

[Lehani]

hmm, where does the air comes into the case? as i see it you got no airflow?

but the idea is nice made

a little thing i would have done if it was me - change the screw on the side from those golden ones into some nice black ones - Nils from www.mpdc-x.com are selling some really nice ones also sells Brainwashers to

[C4B12]

Originally Posted by Booti

Hi. Could you advise who makes those SATA cables please?
Also are they SATA 2 or 3?

I dont know who makes them, but you can find them at Aquatuning. It doesnt say if they are 2 or 3.

Originally Posted by Lehani

hmm, where does the air comes into the case? as i see it you got no airflow?

but the idea is nice made

a little thing i would have done if it was me - change the screw on the side from those golden ones into some nice black ones - Nils from www.mpdc-x.com are selling some really nice ones also sells Brainwashers to

I doesnt have a intake for air, air has some way of always getting in. But everyone says I should make a hole so maybe I will do it. I was actually thinking of going with black screws first, but I think those golden ones gives it a special look. But thats me.

Thanks!

[C4B12]

Originally Posted by Cheapskate

You really should add a little venting at least. The temps will likely get higher the longer it's used. Heat is sneaky.
Clean up that ugly edge on the plastic, and she's perfect. -Heck, opening up that seam could help the airflow a bit.

This update is dedicated to you Cheapskate.

I sanded down the edges and polished it. Looks a little bit better. Also made a 100mm hole under the motherboard, will put a slim 100mm fan there on low rpm too. With a little dustfilter.

The edges







100mm hole





I also did a little "mediabenchtest". Put on 10x 1080p movies in a playlist and the CPU and GPU never got over 65c. So Im satisfied. Now with a intake it will get even better.

I think the last thing Ive got left to do is to install the 100mm fan and the dustfilter. Anything else you think I should do?

/Johan Nyman

[C4B12]

Hello again!

I got the 100mm fan today. A slim version from Scythe. I wasnt going to make an air intake even though everyone wanted me too, I just want to clarify, I didnt really needed it and I had no idea how to install a fan without hiding it. But then I found this fan, its 12mm thick, and the acrylic is 8mm thick, so I made a 100mm hole and installed the fan with help of some glue. So it extends 4mm over the acrylic. Just waiting for a dustfilter to go over the fan.

The only thing Ive got left now is to take the whole system apart, clean everything and fix some edges on the white plates, then put everything together again.





Ive got one question though, I would like to get some better ram, that fits better with this build. 2x2gb DDR3, anyone got some tips? Maybe some white, the Dominator Platinum looks good too. Give me some advice!

/Johan Nyman

[C4B12]

Hello!

Today I took apart this build in all different pieces to clean and polish everything. When I did this I got an idea to make a acrylic shroud over the motherboard, painted white. Im not sure if this will look good or not, but its not a big job to do so Ive started measuring a little bit. Will be done tomorrow I think. I think it will make this build look even more simple. That actually solves the RAM problem to cause now they will be hidden.

Many have asked me on different sites about the sata-cables I have and where to get them. I bought mine at Aquatuning and theyre really good, what I dont know if is they are Sata 2 or 3, it doesnt say on the site. But I really like these round cables, perfect lenght and this different angles is wonderful!



I didnt show these harddrive fans in a closeup so here they are. 2x 50mm Fractal Design fans, glued together side by side. Fits perfect on the harddrives.



This is everything Ive got in this little case, not that much.




Measuring a little bit. Will try to update tomorrow with a comparison with and without the shroud.



Seeya!
Johan Nyman

[C4B12]

Ditched that shroud idea for the motherboard, didnt look good at all. Lesson learned. Dustfilter and some better final pictures then Im done with this.