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Case Mod - In Progress Project: 972 Rebuild

Discussion in 'Project Logs' started by Tattysnuc, 11 Jan 2013.

  1. Tattysnuc

    Tattysnuc Thinking about which mod to do 1st.

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    A while back I spent some time and built what I consider to be my first DESIGNED water cooled build. It turned out ok, but there were several things I learnt while building, and a few things that my patience didn't allow me to finish satisfactorily.

    My Rig comprised:
    Asus Rampage II Extreme
    Intel i7 970
    12GB Corsair DDR 1600 (6x2Gb)
    2xCrucial CT128M225 SSD's in Raid 0 for Win 7 OS
    2xGTX480's

    Plus water cooling stuff...

    It looked like:

    [​IMG]

    I started off with a single loop. but wasn't entirely happy with the temp ENTERING the top GPU, so I did a quick re-plum and split the rig into 2 loops. 1 for the CPU and Chip set, and one for the GPUs.

    [​IMG]

    ... then the pennies dried up, and over the past 12 months I've been forced to sell off bits of the rig - the CPU, the memory, and then the board. Times have been a little tight, but now I'm finally ready to finish off the build. I received a Gigabyte X58a-OC for Xmas, and am waiting on the CPU, which is currently being processed by customs... an intel i7 980 (not X)

    The mandate is to finish off building this rig, and overclock it as far as it will go for 24/7 operation.

    While the rig is in pieces I've taken the opportunity to flush through/clean out the W/C components, and replace the fluid/hoses with something a little more sympathetic with the motherboard.
     
  2. Tattysnuc

    Tattysnuc Thinking about which mod to do 1st.

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    2.0 Setting the scene...

    I had planned all along for the rig to be drained without the need for a compete take down, but due to my own impatience I rushed the layout and ended up concealing access to the drain point. Doh!

    [​IMG]

    Anyone familiar with the 700D will know that there is a plastic partition that obscures that T-line Drain port. Doh!

    The cables to the rear were a real rats nest:

    [​IMG]

    which made putting the back on the case a bit of a nuisance. Sometimes cables would interfere with the mechanism, sometimes cables would be disconnected from the drives leaving me with an O/S raid 0 array with only one drive. PANIC!

    [​IMG]

    The fans sandwiched between the 2 radiators, I thought was a good idea. I've learnt today that the reason that they don't seem to push as much air is because when I bought them I thought I'd bought Gentle Typhoons - 1850's. Either I screwed up and clicked on the wrong item, or someone picked the wrong fans (Gentle Typhoon 1450's) from the warehouse and I never spotted. Needless to say I'm moving to the fans of my choice - Scythe Jyuni 1900's. Noisy at hight speed, but they seriously shift air. A fan controller being an absolute must!

    My room's becoming a bit of a dumping ground for old computer parts, so I've been unable to get on with the work I so needed to do - just look at my CLEAN desk...

    [​IMG]

    Something has got to change...
     
  3. Tattysnuc

    Tattysnuc Thinking about which mod to do 1st.

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    3.0 My "Domain"

    I'm very lucky to have a room all to myself - I live with my wife and stepkids in Liverpool, and we have a dog and 2 cats. My room is my sanctuary when I can tinker, but it's gotten a bit out of hand over the last 12 months with work commitments, and not having enough free cash to complete my build. This Xmas I've taken 3 weeks off work, and my wife's only managed to fill 2 of those with festive arrangements, leaving me with a week of "play time" as she likes to call it.

    First off is to clear some room, and reclaim my domain!

    [​IMG]

    That's Ruffus. He's my 9.5 stone English Mastiff/German Shepherd Cross. Man do I love that doggy!

    As you can start to see, even floor space is somewhat of a premium...

    [​IMG]

    The desk that I use to build my rigs on has become somewhat overtaken with classic kit...

    [​IMG]

    I'll be honest - I bought that Amiga off a certain online auction site a few years back, along with Sensible World Of Soccer 96 edit, and it's been sat there ever since. I need to find more time...
     
  4. Tattysnuc

    Tattysnuc Thinking about which mod to do 1st.

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    4.0 Tidying completed

    After 2 days of sorting through my stuff, and moving tat from surface A to B, then back again, I finally managed to get my shelves a bit fuller..

    [​IMG]

    ..then below...

    [​IMG]

    and the other shelves..

    [​IMG].

    Its not that I don't have enough storage, it's just that I have too much STUFF!

    I nearly have access to my drawing board and pool table...

    [​IMG]

    But there's finally room to start testing stuff and work...

    [​IMG]

    The Amiga is just lashed for now....

    [​IMG]

    Once I have my main rig back up, I'll get it back out...
     
  5. Tattysnuc

    Tattysnuc Thinking about which mod to do 1st.

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    5.0 The board and components...

    Setting up the test bench...

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    The bits that will form the basis of todays tests.

    Top left round ANTI-CLOCKWISE
    Gigabyte GeForce 8400GS (borrowed from HTPC to remove need to water loop as GPU's already have blocks fitted)
    Some Corsair Thumb drives (Win 8 installed on one, utilities on other 2)
    Corsair Force 3 - 240Gb SSD
    3*4Gb Corsair Vengeance LP DDR3 1600 (3 others not shown)
    Corsair HX1000 PSU - will be reused as it's a quality PSU, and big enough for my needs.
    Asus 1366 cooler (won at a competition last year)

    The Box containing my new board...
    [​IMG]

    Arrrrgggghhhhh! Another box inside!
    [​IMG]

    Not much underneath the motherboard by way of extras are there...
    [​IMG]

    Ahh - there it is. My salvation!
    [​IMG]

    Shiny! and ORANGE!!!
    [​IMG]

    All 1366 pins present and correct - none bent like on my P8P67 bought from sc... a competitor!
    [​IMG]

    Now with my spare lapped i7 920. It's not a very good clocker this.
    [​IMG]

    Ram and CPU now installed...
    [​IMG]

    I'm definitely going to have to paint that RAM Orange to match the board...
     
  6. Tattysnuc

    Tattysnuc Thinking about which mod to do 1st.

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    6.0 First Boot...

    So, first things first - do all the memory, motherboard and SSD all work...

    [​IMG]

    There's LIGHTS!

    [​IMG]

    Windows 8 seems to install...

    [​IMG]

    All present and correct!!!!

    [​IMG]

    Even with a little overclock - well, I did buy an overclocking motherboard. Why not, even though it is only a quick test to see if it all works.

    I'm going to enjoy tweaking this bad boy... :) Enough for now though...
     
  7. Tattysnuc

    Tattysnuc Thinking about which mod to do 1st.

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    7.0 Breaking down the remainder of my 700D

    Back to the task in hand - dismantling the remaining components from the 700D.

    First - drain the loop....
    [​IMG]

    I really did put that drain point in a stupid location. That partition took some real persuading to come out - not without spilling a bit of my blood with it :(
    [​IMG]

    OK - all fluid removed? Lets start taking out the parts...
    [​IMG]

    The GPU's come out fairly easy. These are GTX 480's. I've got a Dell 3008WP screen @ 2560x1600 so these do get pushed quite hard. Mostly when folding though :)
    [​IMG]

    Yuk! Dirty Fan!!!
    [​IMG]

    Double yuk! Obscured dirty radiator!!!
    [​IMG]

    My Apogee XT or something like that. I'll take it apart and clean the insides later...
    [​IMG]

    The Phobya G-Changer with 3x Scythe Jyuni 1900 fans. This seriously kicks out some heat
    [​IMG]

    Oh....my....goodness!!!! Triple yuk! The shame of it all!
    [​IMG]

    One quick rinse through under the shower...
    [​IMG]

    nearly as good as new - paintjob pending.

    Next task - how do we remove that interfering front panel... Answer? 1 screw at a time..
    First the right one...
    [​IMG]

    ARRRRGGGGHHHHH - I've just stripped the blinkin' head off the left one.
    [​IMG]

    Where's that imitation Dremel...
    [​IMG]

    Philips head is now Flat head...
    [​IMG]

    and out she comes!
    [​IMG]
     
  8. Tattysnuc

    Tattysnuc Thinking about which mod to do 1st.

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    8.0 Fill Port

    I'd like to have a fill port...
    [​IMG]

    ...to be able to top up my Koolance Res/pump
    [​IMG]

    The unit actually looks black, but the flash seems to make the colours funny.

    It would appear that the case will simply not grant me access to the top of the Koolance res.
    [​IMG]

    Perhaps Dremel is not such a good idea at this point.

    I wonder if the fan controller could go on top, then the res beneath...
    [​IMG]

    NEARLY! Now - I could lie to you at this point and pretend that the next bit was intentional, but I'm not that kind of guy...
    First Remove the heatsink from the transister...
    [​IMG]

    then the plan was to de-solder the transister, put it some cable and mount the transister on another surface, but NO! Instead just as the solder was melting, I pulled the transister but instead of it coming out cleanly, it pulled the copper track from the pcb. Could my day get any better?

    Quickly, I assembled a test rig to ensure that the other 5 channels still worked...
    [​IMG]

    which they did. Even with 2 fans running off a single controller. Phew! Close shave!

    Does the Fan controller now fit, and allow the drain plug access to the Res fill port?
    [​IMG]

    Hell yeah!
    [​IMG]
     
  9. Tattysnuc

    Tattysnuc Thinking about which mod to do 1st.

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    9.0 The clean-up

    Now the cleanup operation resumes...

    [​IMG]

    It's a bit of a sad sight, but finally all the components are out.

    That's as far as I've got so far. I'll clean up the bits, then start showing where I'm planning to go with this...
     
  10. Tattysnuc

    Tattysnuc Thinking about which mod to do 1st.

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    10. Removing the partition

    It should start to make a bit of sense where I'm going with this build - I'm trying to increase the number of rads available in the rig, while improving the overall look, and adding a black with orange highlights theme, to the overall build.

    In order to get more radiatorage and fannage in, I plan to turn the PSU on it's side and then slide a 3.120 G-Changer in behind so that air is sucked into the case through the side panel (that which sits beneath the mobo). Current thinking is to have a vent in the base of the case, but that may be expanded to include a 140 mm fan assisted exit... The PSU will also act as an exhaust port.

    The partition on the 700D is a bit awkward in as much as I'm unable to place my Corsair PSU in sideways - first thing to do then is to remove the current partition and then replace with something better placed, and also tailored to help with cable management as I no longer have a plate at the back of the rig to hid cables behind.

    Firstly, assessing how to remove that darned partition/plate..

    [​IMG]

    Looks fairly innocuous...

    [​IMG]
    Aha - 2 pop rivets at one end...

    [​IMG]
    ...and 2 at the other. Is that all?

    http://forums.bit-tech.net/pict
    Nope! There are flaps cut into the motherboard tray that are folded into the partition too. Ever wished you'd never started something...

    [IMG]http://forums.bit-tech.net/picture.php?albumid=2279&pictureid=31717
    Looks like the motherboard tray is held in in a similar fashion - thankfully, they chose some M4 screws too.

    [​IMG]
    Too late to turn back now. Front rivets drilled out...

    [​IMG]
    and the back ones...

    [​IMG]
    also, now gone!

    [​IMG]
    The caption says it all...

    [​IMG]
    it wiggles!!!!

    [​IMG]
    Nearly!!!

    [​IMG]
    Freedom!!!!!

    So, now I should be able to mock up how it will all fit together....
    [​IMG]

    The PSU will be rotated so that the fan pulls air that's just been pulled into the case via the 360 rad.

    [​IMG]
    This is what I'm trying to achieve... Shame I have ZERO metalwork skills or tools. Just me in my bedroom with a dremel-type tool. Is it too late for me to change my mind?

    I think so...

    [​IMG]
    The front of the case has a cavity which is vented which I intend to take advantage of as an obscured air in-port.

    [​IMG]
    and I'm just going to switch my existing chunky 120mm rad for a slightly bigger one. Phobya G-Changers all the way!!!

    [​IMG]
    There's something which interferes with the PSU's situation... 2 rails, again riveted to the base of the case...

    [​IMG]
    The other is obstructing the radiator. They'll have to go!

    [​IMG]
    Gone!
     
  11. Tattysnuc

    Tattysnuc Thinking about which mod to do 1st.

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    11. Delivery from Scan...

    All traces of blue, I intend to re-colour orange to match the mobo...

    Additionally, I have received a parcel today...

    [​IMG]

    That's 2 packs of Masterkleer ORANGE hosing, 3 Scythe Jyuni 1900 fans and 2 120mm fan grates/filters covers. 2 "new" rads came courtesy of BDigital :)
     
  12. Tattysnuc

    Tattysnuc Thinking about which mod to do 1st.

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    More goodies have arrived today!

    I picked up some QuikSteel which this looks to be the same sort of thing as JD Weld...
    [​IMG]

    My radiator and a brown box arrived....
    [​IMG]

    I'm not sure how other rads stack up, but I've had stunning results on the one already in the rig, so what could possibly be better than a 360 C-Changer radiator? Yes - 2 G-Changer rads...

    Wonder what's in the boxes...
    [​IMG]
    Oh I remember - radiator mounting brackets.

    And there's my new rad - Phobya have changed their branding since I bought my first one - it's now a stuck on embossed sticker instead of a "pressed" logo - oh well, it wont be seen anyway.
    [​IMG]

    No building tonight - too busy cooking Paella for the masses! Tomorrow night's looking promising though. Think I'll start with filling that hole. Any tips on preparing the surfaces, or how to use QuikSteel?
     
  13. Tattysnuc

    Tattysnuc Thinking about which mod to do 1st.

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    I've a gas and electric soldering Iron, but they wont get any where near hot enough to braze the two surfaces together.

    I wonder If I can get a high power PSU (30a) that I have, connect one terminal to the case, the other to a welding rod and then weld using it. At worse I'll trip the electrics.... Probably.

    I'm thinking about tacking a plate into the gap, at the corners, then fillering the gap round, before sanding back...
     
  14. The_Crapman

    The_Crapman World's worst stuntman. Lover of bit-tech

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    bad bad idea. please don't do that.
     
  15. Tattysnuc

    Tattysnuc Thinking about which mod to do 1st.

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    OK. I've got a Dremel Versaflame (picked one up in Taskers @ £19.99) which purports to be able to weld. I've ordered some Brazing rods off ebay, so when they arrive I'll have a go at brazing a plate into the hole I cut out...

    CPU is en route...
     
  16. flame696

    flame696 Terminating People Since 1980....

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    i like the progress and the madness of trying to electrocuting yourself. Love what you did with the fill port its giving me ideas
     
  17. Tattysnuc

    Tattysnuc Thinking about which mod to do 1st.

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    Cheers bud. I think I've found another way of achieving some of the welds, via tapped/screwed re-appropriated off-cuts so hopefully I'll live to see this one finish.

    Now for an update...

    On Saturday I popped into the local Taskers and happened to spy that they had a dremel Versaflame on sale for £19.99, so I picked one up


    One of these...


    It says it can weld, so for £20 I've either fixed my welding problem, or I've got a hell of a cigarette lighter should I ever fall foul of the dreaded weed again ;)

    1200C is hot enough to melt aluminium, and brazing rods are rated at 880C, so I've ordered a few off ebay to do the basics.

    I'm limited by what I can do of an evening because I'm doing all this in my man cave - and I live in a residential area, meaning that if I want to stay friends with my neighbours, then using rotary tools after 9pm on metal, which is surprisingly noisy, is a bit of a no-no.

    Anyway, on with ruining a perfectly good case.

    This is the shelf that I want to relocate...
    [​IMG]

    In order to move it 20mm up, I'm going to cut off the section to the right, and then cut off the lower section of the motherboard tray and the back part of the partition -ALL becomes clearer with photos... I hope...

    [​IMG]

    Finally I get to use my colouring in crayons!!!
    [​IMG]

    Hmmm. Time to cut....
    [​IMG]
    It took me AGES to cut through these parts of the steel case - I had lost the spanner that is used to secure the dremel cutting wheel in the chuck/collet, and as soon as I got going, the rotary tool would seize. Doh. I did find it eventually and then the fun began...

    [​IMG]
    As straight as a dogs... I'll never criticise another shoddy build detail again. I promise folks. This is more difficult than it looks!

    [​IMG]

    Yay - it fits! The flange at the back of the shelf is next to be removed, but that'll be tomorrow at this rate...

    Next - how to attach the end...
    [​IMG]

    Remember these?
    [​IMG]
    PSU support rails from the bottom of the case. Handy U shaped channel that I can re-purpose...

    ...Dremel takes another victim!
    [​IMG]

    and now the U shaped channel makes a nice end piece for the partition that I can tap and screw into...
    [​IMG]

    That left over off-cut gives me an idea...
    [​IMG]

    I'll see if I can cut out a cover for my botched hole, and filler the cap.

    Nice to be able to re-use bits of the same case to make it fit my needs.

    That's all I had time for last night. I'm off to the Dentists later and chasing up the i7 980. Grrr. Parcel Farce!
     
  18. Tattysnuc

    Tattysnuc Thinking about which mod to do 1st.

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    I've just got off the phone with Parcel Farce - Apparently I paid my customs charges too soon!

    I was told that I can pay the customs charges as soon as the item is showing in the local depot. On the morning of the 19th, the status of the parcel showed as:

    18-01-2013 22:29 - Received at delivery depot

    so, at 9:18 I paid the fees... and waited for a confirmation email. Email arrived shortly afterwards confirming delivery for 22nd.

    Fast forward to 21st the package status changed AGAIN:

    21-01-2013 12:54 - Awaiting payment of charges

    A quick telephone call this morning and all becomes clear - the payment charges have not been associated with the parcel until the status is changed to Awaiting payment of charges. Customer services have said that they will contact the local depot, and get the parcel cleared for delivery on the 23rd... Sheesh!

    Next time I'm going to let the blighters fail to deliver and then go and pick it up - I'd have had it by now!
     
  19. Tattysnuc

    Tattysnuc Thinking about which mod to do 1st.

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    A very small update before I start work today butchering my case beyond all repair. The CPU FINALLY arrived from the states this week.... Let's share my moment...

    On opening the International cardboard envelope, inside I found a big brown envelope...
    [​IMG]

    What's this inside....
    [​IMG]

    Hmmm. When someone writes tested on the case of packaging, it always troubles me....
    [​IMG]

    Well there she is.... No scrub that. There HE is. No woman I know is going to work as hard as this little fella!
    [​IMG]

    Wish I had better lighting in here... Hardly MDPC material....
    [​IMG]

    In you pop....
    [​IMG]

    and after a pro-longed bios boot up....
    [​IMG]

    Yay!

    A sigh of relief is very much breathed.... Hold on.... it's at 4Ghz! Ooops. I didn;t mean to accidentally overclock it. It's not quite a stable overclock as prime95/Windows kept on locking, but at least I know it'll get there. I'm REALLY looking forward to testing with this bad boy. I'm hoping for 4.4Ghz with all 12 threads active, but I don;t want to rush this build and compromise the quality. With amount of cuts I'm making on this case, I could REALLY mess up the visuals, which defeats the purpose of this whole thread - a thread about me learning so I, and any others who might also fancy a foray into modding, can read and learn from my goofs, while garnering tips from you - the good readers ;)
     
  20. dream1

    dream1 What's a Dremel?

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    Use intel burner this shos if your cpu is stabel or not :)
    But looking good :)
     

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