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Scratch Build – In Progress Simple i7 24x7 Folder

Discussion in 'Project Logs' started by TaRkA DaHl, 24 Aug 2011.

  1. TaRkA DaHl

    TaRkA DaHl Modder

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    Hey all.

    Saved a little cash this month and decide to build myself a 24x7 folding rig, also decided at long last to try and scratch build a case.

    Before we get going, I warn you I am not a craftsman in anyway, I am reasonable at DIY and quite enjoy trying out things I have never done before, so decided to give this a go. There are no real plans other than the following few guidelines:

    • Must fit into existing TV unit
    • Must be quiet whilst also running a high O/C
    • Must be able to accomodate a W/C loop once funds are available
    • Must be cheap
    • Give off enough heat to help heat the livingroom through winter

    So firstly, here are the specs:

    • Asrock Pro3 Z68 Motherboard
    • Intel Core i7 2600k Sandy Bridge Processor
    • 2x4Gb Kingston HyperX Genesis Memory
    • Corsair H70 (for the moment)
    • BeQuiet Pure Power L7 530W (86% efficient at 50% load which is perfect)

    I will be using the onboard IGP to try and keep power draw to a minimum.

    So I started by removing the 2600k from my existing PC:

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    Then got a nice delivery of parts which I began to put together into and old case I had lying around:

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    And quickly got them folding and began to O/C.

    I ended up getting this all stable at 4.4Ghz with just 1.28V, keeping temps down to 63 degrees with a single 38mm fan in the case, this should improve seriously when I get a set of 4 case fans and eventually a 240mm radiator setup.

    Today I dug through the shed to see what I had available to work from, had a large amount of 12mm thick MDF spare so began with a wee drawing and immediately started cutting up to see what happened:

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    And then my little helper showed up and asked to come in and see what I was doing:

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    I started working towards a chamber setup, with the PSU seperated and just enough space to fit in 2x120mm fans in each end so I get the maximum airflow through the case:

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    Well, thats it for today.

    Hopefully over the next few days I will be able to give everything a good sand and even it all out, then I can glue it together and start thinking of what I am going to paint this with.

    Total cost for case so far: £0
     
    Last edited: 24 Aug 2011
  2. TaRkA DaHl

    TaRkA DaHl Modder

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    Well, work has been a nightmare and I would have wanted to haver this finished by now, oh well.

    Managed to get a couple of hours outside today, decided the look of the fan openings was just stupid so started to re-make them:

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    And they now look much better:

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    I even had two helpers today :)

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    So next I need to map out where the openings need to be for the cables to come through the floow and get them cut, meaning I need to break down the folding machine one day to get it done right.

    I also need to decide where to fit the 2.5" hard drive I got.

    But I am also considering cutting up my H70 and fitting a resevoir horizontally along the inside front, would help to drop the temps a bit more and will look quite good I think.

    The long term goal will be to get either a 240mm rad or two 120mm rads and fit them in with a full water cooling setup. I just think two 120mm rads connected together can look quite cool, and also due to space limitations a 240mm might not fit in because of where the inlets are.

    Total cost for case so far: £0
     
  3. TaRkA DaHl

    TaRkA DaHl Modder

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    Managed to get a bit of time to work on this yesterday and today, so I started by slicing up my H70 and fitting in a Swiftech Micro Res I picked up here:

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    And whilst it was apart I decided to lap it, before and after to show how much of a mess the underneath of this thing was:

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    I also managed to start putting an undercoat on of automotive primer, helped to show up all the bumps etc that I had to work out and areas that I had screwed up with the jigsaw and had to fix:

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    After a few hours of tidying I started painting everything black, photos are just after one coat, I am planning on doing several and sanding in-between each to try and get a decent finish:

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    At the end I will likely spray with clear laquer.

    Still have to cut up a roof panel and fit a window into it, attach it with hinges and fit the power button.

    There has finally been some cash spent on the case itself now, I had to buy some brass stand offs and a vandal proof switch which came to a total of £2!

    Total cost for case so far: £2
     
  4. jeckulz

    jeckulz What's a Dremel?

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    That's how we get suckered in! :D
     
  5. TaRkA DaHl

    TaRkA DaHl Modder

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    Well, I have managed to get a few bits done to this recently.

    So without any real talking here is some photos.

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    There is some light scratching etc from when putting in cables and test fitting, but I am not bothered as I will be removing everything, sanding and re-painting before putting on clear laquer anyway.

    I did manage to test for the modded H70 and get it running, but I was continually getting a clicking noise from the pump when it lay flat, an air bubble got trapped inside it after about an hours use.

    So I have cleared out the system and re-filled several times, as well as running with the pump at the lowest point and I cannot get it out, it always re-appears when I lay it flat.

    So currently I am running with my Gelid Tranquillo inside the case, temps are a little higher than the H70 but are still acceptable.
     
  6. coolamasta

    coolamasta Folding@Home CC Captain 2010/11/12

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    Nice work mate, coming along nice and neat :)

    Weird how the H70 is trapping bubbles, try giving it a violent shake in all directions while its running to work the air out of it, leave it running for an hour or 2 then give it another good shake...
     
  7. TaRkA DaHl

    TaRkA DaHl Modder

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    That's one of the things I was trying, but it continually happens when I lay it flat.

    It is currently running in my 2500k rig (upright) and is quite happy keeping it under 60 degrees at 4.8Ghz whilst folding... very strange.

    Plan may just change to getting a proper pump and water block :p
     
  8. bguilleminot

    bguilleminot What's a Dremel?

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    You're not going to use any PCI/PCIeX cards in your PC? :O That got me captivated. I will follow your work, cheers.
     
  9. TaRkA DaHl

    TaRkA DaHl Modder

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    @bguilleminot Not required in this rig, its just for doing folding@home with the CPU. If I decide to go into GPU folding (points system needs refreshed before I will consider that) then I will worry about that then.

    At the moment I am having a little re-think, I am considering going back to water cooling if I can get parts cheap enough and raising the motherboard right up to the perspex screen at the top, literally leaving no gap from the water block/heatsinks whatsoever.

    I would then put the PSU directly underneath, remove the back section where the PSU is and fit a 240mm rad on the right hand side just using exhaust fans, but have the fans pulling 10~20% of there air from over the top of the mobo.

    As I am also using this PC as a media PC quite a lot I may also buy a decent PCI-E sound card and fit it in place with a flexible right angle riser. Either that or I will need a USB external sound card as I am planning on getting some SP2500's and onboard just won't cut it.

    There is a low profile waterblock for sale in the forums right now, just waiting for a reply regarding price. And if its ok I will be disassembling the entire case and modifying it heavily....

    Custom builds are fun :p
     
  10. TaRkA DaHl

    TaRkA DaHl Modder

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    Well, I decided to post up a few pics of the system folding away with my Gelid Tranquillo fitted.

    I am really impressed by this cooler, it is keeping a 2600k that is running at 4.5Ghz with 1.32V at 60 degrees. Of course have 4x1450rpm Gentle Typhoons running push pull through the case helps a lot. With the cfm they are moving the entire volume of air in the case is being replenished every second!

    So far, the system is drawing 150W at the wall, and is with a UPS fitted too, but when folding away in windows 7 is kicking out 38,000 PPD. I did have it kicking out 44,000 PPD in Linux but the missus wasn't happy with Linux (she uses it as a media PC too!)

    Now, firstly if you ignore the badly cut piece of perspex, its just there to keep the case sealed for the minute.

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    Now, if I can get some spare cash imagine having a water block fitted, and the motherboard raised up until there is just a centimetre gap above it, would make quite a nice feature of the board in my opinion :)
     

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