Scratch Build – In Progress Royal-Fortune i7 Rig. puttsy

EDIT: I have streamlined this log to avoid a bit of the boring factor some had hinted at, all the original content is pretty much hear, just a bit...less rambling.

Hello all, I'm here to post my first worklog! I've been building rigs for many years but am now building a highly popular, higher budget build. I am also doing several mods throughout the process and plan for future upgrades and continual changes/upgrades as well as more serious mods.

Royal-Fortune:
Intel i7 2600k
Asus P8Z68-V Pro
Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 (8 GB)
Asetek 550LC
MSI GTX 460 Hawk
Kingston 96GB V+100 SSD
Seagate 500GB 7200:12 Program Files
Corsair TX850W
Lian-Li Lancool PC-K58W
Sony BD-ROM BDU-X10S
MDPC-X sleeve
Windows 7 Pro. x64
OCZ Rally 2 4GB
​

Note: There have been several sponsors for this machine.

1) Asetek, Inc. Asetek has sent me a beautiful 550LC (Essentially the Corsair H50. Has nearly exact same temps and all the same components. Just slightly different cosmetics)
http://www.asetek.com

2) Corsair: Corsair sent me 8GB of Vengeance 1600 memory (well, they haven't formally acknowledged the sponsorship but, they were very generous with an RMA for DDR2 thus, I feel they deserve the accolades. Awesome company anyway though!)

Onto the log:

• Week 1: Order components: Mobo/CPU combo (Save $20!!), Move current build (Black-Pearl) to a formerly retired chassis. Sleeve front panel cables in all the cases parts are moving into. Look up the P8Z68 board and see just how amazibng it actually is. Determine my GTS 250 is half-dead (only one DVI out works :S) And mow my 3 acres (JD rider though, so it's fun!). Receive newegg shipment with crushed motherboard in...thanks newegg. and file RMA for poor handeling/packaging. [Blah, blah, long story that ends in me getting a new board.]

Looked into sleeve art (MDPC style) and tried to figure the sleeve colour scheme I want.

• Week 2 Again, more research on Sleeve art and looking into Intel Colour matching. (Looking to get sleeve that matches the accents on the motherboard. Ordered new videocard after last weeks discoveries. (Dead DVI port) Consider watercooling options and determine I want to venture down that path with this build. (Of course, a custom loop, I'm a tad picky) Juggled old components around between my rigs being used. Look into a new chassis because my old Soprano is a bit snug with all this gear in. $70 PC-K58 at newegg so it is very attractive. Looked at more liquid cooling and decided to start this build out with a fully contained CPU cooler. Asetek was generous enough to introduce me to their 500 series line! Asetek picks this build up as a sponsored machine and sends me the 550LC to evaluate!

Assembled basic new rig of board, proc., RAM, SSD, HDD, BD-ROM, PSU and installed Windows 7 Pro x64. Intel graphics (On the proc.) are actually, surprisingly decent. Didn’t have video card but was a bit too antsy to have the parts sitting around. Remember, all this was built inside my small, cramped, crappy Thermaltake Soprano. After the basic build, I decided

A) If I am being sponsored I need a better, bigger case
B) The Soprano is just WAY to cramped for proper Air flow and adequate cooling. Only room for 2 fans… unmodded. (I had 3, one on top, and front/back slots. Side panel fan didn’t help much)
Installed Drivers and got comfortable with the awesomeness of the machine.

Ordered the now $65 PC-K58W and began visualizing how my setup will fit in a bigger, better case.

Rough build in old case:


And, the MSI N460GTX Such a beefy looking card!:


• Week 3Doctors appointment to start the week (Oh Boy!) Stopped at Harbor Freight after the painful appointment (HAVE to stop at HFT any chance you get, right!!?) and picked up some goodies, namely a riveter though. Of course, tested it out on an old case when I got home. Assembled a DIY sandblaster to determine if it would be possible to blast the new case in order to paint the interior black. It appears to be a viable option with promising results!!

• Note: Please, If you are attempting any serious case modding, wear proper safety gear. This includes, but is NOT limited to,
o Safety glasses (or side shields if you have prescription specs!),
o Respirator, if you are dealing with airbourne materiel,
o Proper clothing. This includes NO loose clothing, no hanging jewelry, no open toed shoes
o Gloves. This is especially important if you are welding or working with raw material. There are loads of sharp edges on metal case parts so be careful. (No, I do not weld, I do not know how to weld…It’s on my list though)


Follow me and the rest of the progress with this build:

http://twitter.com/puttsy
http://flickr.com/photos/puttsy
http://puttsy.com

 

• Week 3 con't Received K58W Mid-week!!. MUCH excitment when I se the larger than expected box awaiting me. Tore it open, and...of course, took the case entirely apart to sleeve all the internal cables. Also, determine a method for going about painting this beast. Move into the K58 and wow! Does this build look MUCH smaller now...I can handle it though. I was in need of a case upgrade.

Front of my K58:



My components inside their new home


All tucked in and cozy: (sorry for the glare.)



All that's left is to get my new Asetek cooler. Should be here Tuesday or Wednesday...


• END Week 3: Still no new cooler BUT, I have gotten some sleeve samples. Throughout the last week I've worked with reps from several companies to get samples and received sleeving from Tech-Flex Flexo PET, FTWPC Paracord and standard sleeve, and MDPC-X sleeve. (Actually, had the MDPC already ) Well, the verdict is in, MDPC is STILL the best, tightest weave sleeving available in the custom pc, sleeve art community... I'm still working with some other companies and am going to try and order about a foot of all of Tech-Flex's Flexo PET colours in 1/4". They sent me black 1/8" which is a bit too small to comfortably work with...except on fan wires. PSU/Molex cable is a bit bigger and deserves 1/4" sleeve. Note: MDPC-X "Small" sleeve would correlate to 1/4" flexo PET and Cheesecake PC standard. I DO however have tons of product catalogs.

Also tried out my old 120mm fans in the top of the new rig and after replacing the molex plug with 3-pin (I believe the words...meh, I'll just make it easy and solder it instead) I found out it's a crappy idea. Those fans are cheap pieces of loud crap. (The top of the K58 uses 140mm fans so they wouldn't fit nicely anyway.) Once again, mowed my 3 acres! Waited patiently for the UPS man to bring my Asetek 550LC and after I had given up hope and headed in for the night I returned to my other work duties. Went outside to finish up some trimming and found a great white box left by the UPS man!! System is up and running beautifully! Also, My temps dropped 10C after installing the 550LC and removing the Stock Intel 1155 heatsink. I also took this beauty up to 4GHz and it's in calm seas. (i.e. It's running very stable)

The Asetek 550LC, Direct from Asetek!


Royal-Fortune, All it's splendour and glory...(yeah, that's an Oreo tray. Kept me going through the build!)


And closed up tight:


A newegg note: I noticed a small crack on the bottom of the window of my PC-K58W. Due to the fact I am building this rig for elegance, beauty, and looks, this blemish did not please me. I contacted newegg regarding this (relatively minor) issue and stated I am opk with keeping the chassis, I just wish to bring to note the problem I faced as well as that I would like a small reimbursement due to this damage. The cost to ship it BACK to newegg would be around $20 so I was looking for something less than that. I received a $10 credit to my CC. Thank you Newegg. You made it right in a VERY timely manner. I wished for a greater refund however, a new piece of plexi-glass will cost roughly $12 so this $10 is fair enough for me. This brings the final cost of this chassis to $55 with free shipping. One heck of a deal for such a quality chassis.


This concludes the primary build of Royal-Fortune. Throughout the next months I will be ordering, evaluating, and eventually choosing sleeving for this build. I intend on sleeving the power supply and all the other cables/wires within the computer. I also intend to paint the interior to start the true modding portion of this log.

Off to University. Thanks for the interest some of you gave this build. I had hoped/planned for more but I suppose I seem to be a newbie around these parts. I'll continue checking this thread and answering questions however, it will become much more infrequent. Thank you to Asetek for your sponsorship. If any of you wish to get a similar cooler, look for the Corsair H50. I am still in contact with Asetek so if anyone has questions on that end, please PM me or visit http://www.asetek.com and we can try and get you setup. I am leaving home once again and although I will not be gone entirely, it will be missed, as will you all. Due to a busy academic schedule and business affairs, I will not be around the forums much at all. But, to those supports, it was a great ride and I hope you are around for Part 2 of this build; when I plan to sleeve all the internals.

Parts list if you wish to do the same:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0Avcd8xuP9jnKdE93MF9FTEYtWFNCRnZBNVhVVEhWTWc&w=100&h=600

 

Hello all, I know some comments about this needing some "modding" have been posted and now is the time I NEED to address those. My intent for this build was not to "mod the heck" out of it but to do small, tasteful mods throughout the process. NOT saying some people that to off the wall mods don't do amazing work, they do...quite amazing actually. I...well, simply do not possess the talent to go to THAT extreme (however cool they may be. /jealous) but, As I brifly mentioned, I plan for more intense modding/color accents in part 2 of this log. Hold your breath, it IS coming but, I want to do it right the first time.

To keep you all informed, I intend on sleeving most internal cables (the MDPC/murdermod look) over winter break but, in the mean time, my studies are taking priority. (yay!)

My modding priority at this time is finding the right sleeving though. I am currently working on getting samples and evaluating several companies sleeve (hence, little VISUAL progress on this build) to get the best color and quality possible. For others trying to find a cheaper alternative to MDPC sleeve, simply put, it is HARD. The standard PET that many modding shops sell is not the same as MDPC sleeve. PET is a looser weave and harder sleeve. In simple terms, it is stiffer and easier to see through. This may be fine for some builds however, I made the mistake of ordering "the best" just one time and now, I just can't settle for anything less than MDPC sleeve. Note: PET is MUCH MUCH cheaper so if you haven't ordered MDPC sleeve, try out PET and see if it gives you the look you want. My problem with it is that I've sleeved cables with MDPC so I know what non-mdpc sleeve looks like but, if you haven't seen MDPC cables in-person, you probably won't notice a problem. (Oh how "ignorance is bliss..." )

Be assured, if I find the sleeve I desire, I will share what is is with you all or, possibly begin selling it for those of us in the states who simply cannot afford the overseas shipping/customs fees. (Nils makes it very fair but, for 1 small and 3 SATA sleeve sections, it was still ~$50 USD) Reason I may end up selling it is, a lot of those bulk distributors require MASSIVE orders (1000ft or more) and it becomes cost prohibitive for individuals to but 5000 feet just to sleeve one or 2 power supplies.

In terms of tools though: The molex remover tool pro the 24-pin connector is about $15 from the distributors so the companies selling the original molex ones sure aren't making bank off of those.

If there are any inquires regarding the sleeving or other input, please, PLEASE ask here as I want as much advice as possible AND, I want to share my findings to others in this situation. I LOVE MDPC and REALLY wish I could support them however, for the unknown amount of sleeve and the variety of color I am intending, it would quite easily burst this machines budget CLEAR out of the water. For small orders, they are still they go to, because the color you see is the color you get. They really are just that good.

Also, the MDPC colors I am interested in matching TO this build:
Black (of course)
Titanium Grey (Looks really nice, I have a small chunk)
Purple (possibly, If I want a hint of highlights)
Grand Bleu
B-Magic
Aquamarine Blue (maybe but I'm afraid it is a tad too bright)

One thing to note for others modding with this board, the heatsinks change color with ever slight angle change. Obviously everything takes on a different tint with the direction you view it however, the heatsinks on the board seem to be even more drastic than most. Just a small side note though. This has made choosing the colors to use a difficult task.

Just a small update, I will be coming and going for a while and will probably only get a chance to update this on weekends. Enjoy and thanks for the constructive criticism! That's why I enjoy being part of this community--family.

 

I wouldn't really moan about lack of interest, it takes a while for a modder to reach the high charts, carry on posting and it'll grab someones attention soon enough.

No reason not too.

 

EDITED. Thanks for re-posting

 

Especially when it probably took half that long for the posts just to pass through the moderator filter...

 

Overnight fame is very rare in these forums!

Mod on and keep pushing the envelope!

"If you build it, they shall come"

 

I Agree here...

My first project log is around 5 months old and has like 4 comments other than my updates...
My second project log is 2 weeks old and has 2... I guess I don't do the project log to get comments, I do it to do it... I'm doing the project, I might as well share it for anyone else who might be interested (whether or not anyone is interested doesn't bother me)

 

Pathetic really. So what you haven't had over 9000 comments and people aren't licking your backside. I get the feeling you aren't that serious about it tbh, if you were you'd be wanting people to see your work, make you proud of what you've done.

The mods I've done aren't anything special, but I'm pround, full water cooled PC? I think I was one of the first to do that, proud? Yep.

But w/e.

 

*wiping my comments to give this log a fair chance*

 

monkeyfun <- Well... To be honest, I havn't really felt the urge to paypal him any money for his many MANY good and constructive advice and ideas...

He has 3 posts in Bit-tech.net, and they are all in this thread!

 

Nevermind at least there is still a reserved post for updates!

Alt-F4 --- RageQuit!!

 

Also, i watch just about all the worklogs, just because i dont comment on all of them, doesent mean i dont like to see them.

The more worklogs the better.

I also havent seen this log yet, so even if i did comment, i didnt know about it yet.

I mean im absoluteley brilliant and wonderfull, but i prob dont get millions of views either.

 

EDITED. Thanks for re-posting

 

my skelly mod hasn't had any comments yet, but I'm still keeping it going, it's on five forums and this is the only one it hasn't had any comments on

edit - it's also been up since the 11th, so longer than this one

Any of you guys want to look at my log, feel free to click the link in my sig

 

On my way over now. Take a note here kids. If you want people to participate in your log, share the favor and look/comment in theirs too!

 

thanks

 

BUY MY BOOK! -Jay Sherman
I have to say, I came in here to see a new project log, and it was already deleted! What a puttsy thing to do.

 

*wiping my comments to give this log a fair chance*

 

Checking out the Skelly mod now ^.^