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Case Mod - In Progress the blue line - Team Sky Pro Cycling - NZXT Switch 810 - TWO UPDATES (Sept 11th 2013)

Discussion in 'Project Logs' started by slacka, 19 Dec 2012.

  1. slacka

    slacka What's a Dremel?

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    [​IMG]

    Index

    Update #1 - Dec 19th, 2012 - Stripping the case (this one!)
    Update #2 - Dec 20th, 2012 - Cover for the 5.25" bays
    Update #3 - Jan 7th, 2013 - Cover for the PSU and 240 Rad
    Update #4 - Feb 5th, 2013 - Motherboard tray
    Update #5 - Feb 15th, 2013 - Fillport and various bits
    Update #6a - Mar 5th, 2013 - Pump and Reservoir mount
    Update #6b - Mar 5th, 2013 - Pump and Reservoir mount
    Update #7 - May 28th, 2013 - Back panel
    Update #8 - Jun 11th, 2013 - Case feet & reassembly
    Update #9 - Jun 16th, 2013 - Pump test and radiators
    Update #10 - Jun 16th, 2013 - Front cover
    Update #11 - Jun 18th, 2013 - Top cover
    Update #12 - Sep 2nd, 2013 - 5.25" bay covers
    Update #13 - Sep 11th, 2013 - Graphics Cards
    Update #14 - Sep 11th, 2013 - Motherboard, CPU and Memory


    Although I've been working in computers for 25 years and built many, this is my first real mod, project log and attempt at water-cooling.

    The concept for this mod is a Team Sky Pro Cycling themed NZXT Switch 810 case. The idea being that this combines 2 of my interests, computing and cycling. Being a fan of the team and following them through the extraordinary 2012 season, it spurred me on to create something different out of what is otherwise a very plain white PC case.

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    The name of the project - the blue line - comes from two ideas.

    One is the team 'ethic' which riders have painted on their bikes called 'The Line' - the words of which could end up describing this project!

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    The other is the blue line worn on the team kit. I will be using the design and colours of the jersey as the theme for the mod.

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    Anyway, on to the mod....

    First job was to get a few "before" photos of the empty case which gave a few ideas along the way.

    Not sure I really like the slope in the window, especially as it gives an awkward 'half' view of the drive bays.

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    Big vents, yuk!

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    Not keen on the 4 w/c grommets (which won't be used) or the huge exhaust grill which is too big for the provided 140mm fan but too small to fit 2x120mm fans. Might have to change that back panel....

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    This side panel is screaming out for something to be done with it!

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    So, time to strip the case down to the bare bones....

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    This is the 'cable management' as it comes out of the box with nothing installed! Hope to do something better than that...

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    Totally stripped down...

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    And the result of all that was a big box of screws which I decided to label as I wouldn't have a clue where half of them went when it comes to putting it all back together some weeks/months down the line!

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    Ok, enough of the standard photos, better put some actual modding in this first post before I get chucked in the 'Modding' forum! :D

    The first area I want to create is a panel to cover the wires from the back of the 5.25" bays and to mount the SSDs on (as I won't be using the 2 HDD racks that come with the Switch 810).

    The built-in quick release catches have brackets that are riveted in to the 5.25" bay frame and these stick out quite a way, which would mean not much space to mount SSDs before closing the side panel.

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    So I drilled out the rivets to remove the brackets.

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    Next was to work out a way to route the cables from the SSDs when mounted, through to the motherboard. I decided to create 2 cut-outs in the row of thumbscrew holes that don't appear to do anything useful out of the box.

    I marked the gaps to cut based on the width of SATA and power cables.

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    Then with my first ever go with a Dremel I tried my (shaky) hand at cutting them out.

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    A bit of filing to tidy it up and it's done.

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    So, that's it for this first entry, before you get photo overload, never to come back! :D

    Not the most exciting bit of modding but everyone has to start somewhere I guess...

    Next update will be a bit more interesting when I try to make the new panel out of this 1m2 sheet of 1mm aluminium:

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    Thanks for looking. Any comments, thoughts, advice much appreciated.

    Cheers
    Adi
     
    Last edited: 11 Sep 2013
  2. atc95

    atc95 I have the upgrade bug!

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    Subscribed, I can not wait to see how this looks, you also need a yellow stripe for Bradley in the tour :)
     
  3. Psyance

    Psyance What's a Dremel?

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    Subbed and looking forward to the updates.
     
  4. Dmlindley

    Dmlindley What's a Dremel?

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    As a fellow cycling fan and modder, I look forward to seeing the progress of this build!! Sub'd
     
  5. slacka

    slacka What's a Dremel?

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    Update #2 - Dec 20th, 2012 - Cover for the 5.25" bays

    Firstly, thanks for all the subs and views on the log so far!

    atc95 - Yes, I had thought about incorporating yellow somewhere in the theme but it doesn't go too well with the other colours.... but there will be a Bradley reference in there so keeping watching!

    Anyway, on to this update...

    Having modded the case to take a cover round the 5.25" bays, the next job was to make it.

    I started by taking loads of measurements from the case and knocking up a simple cardboard template to test my theory out.

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    Then I used the template to cut out a piece from the aluminium sheet and drew on all cutting lines.

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    I cut out the 2 holes for the SSD wiring by drilling small holes in each corner and then using the Dremel :dremel: to cut them out, followed by a bit of filing to tidy it up.

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    Next, the tricky part, bending the aluminium neatly. I started by scoring lines back and front with a braddle to help mark the actual bend point.

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    Then with the crudest metal brake known to man (!) I managed to bend the panel pretty well by just clamping it in the work bench and using an old piece of shelving to gradually apply pressure evenly across the whole length of the bend...

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    I know this is probably not the best way to go about it but it's all I had available to do it, and it's only 1mm thick aluminium so it doesn't take much force. It's more about making it look uniform.

    For a first go I was quite pleased with how it turned out...

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    After a smaller, easier bend on the other side, I tried a test fit and secured it with some M3x8mm screws. Thankfully the measurements and planning worked out and it all fit ok, with the gaps for the wiring lining up perfectly.

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    Happy that it all worked out, I moved on to wrapping it with 3M Di-Noc white carbon vinyl wrap. I chose white carbon as that's the same look as on my own bike and I also wanted to keep all of the internal panels white.

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    Again, another first for me, but it turned out well enough.

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    Then it was on to final fitting in the case. I used some white plastic screw cover caps to see what they looked like, as the actual screws were black and might stand out too much against the white. Not really sure if I'll keep those yet, but not important right now....

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    Finally, the SSDs themselves needed a bit of work. I've got 2 Samsung 830 256GB drives but in order to get the cabling to align with where I wanted to route it, it meant mounting them upside down on the panel. Obviously the problem then was that the Samsung logo would also be upside down. So I took this as an opportunity to start the theme in the build by designing my own SSD decals to go over the top of the Samsung logo.

    I created them with good old MS Paint and used some of the official team logos. I quite liked the original Samsung orange square showing the SSD drive size, so I incorporated that in my decal design using the Sky blue colour. Having measured up and created the design, I printed it out on A4 glossy decal paper.

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    And applied it to the SSD....

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    Next I cut some strips of Velcro and attached them to the back of the drives, removed the backing tape and mounted them on the panel.

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    I used a spare SATA power cable just to check the routing and make sure my mounting position was ok.

    The end result is better than I could ever have imagined me being able to produce!! :D

    Maybe I have been paying attention after all when reading everyone's mod logs and picked up some good tips! :thumb:

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    Well, that's it for this update. I'd better quit while I'm ahead! :D

    Next stop is to make a PSU and 240 bottom rad cover/box, but with Christmas around the corner, the next update might not be as quick to follow up as this one!

    Cheers
    Adi
     
  6. whyte

    whyte What's a Dremel?

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    wow.. very pretty
     
  7. k.3nny

    k.3nny Minimodder

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    Good start :D
     
  8. Sam__

    Sam__ Minimodder

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    I'm liking how this is looking.
     
  9. Guest-23315

    Guest-23315 Guest

    Im loving the concept :dremel:
     
  10. dream1

    dream1 What's a Dremel?

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    Good start. I like the idea. But you should re-make the SSD covers becuse the low printing dpi.
     
  11. slacka

    slacka What's a Dremel?

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    Thanks for the positive feedback guys!

    @dream1 - I agree the blue box with the drive size in is a little pixelated on the rounded corners but it's not very noticeable with the naked eye. The main shot you see of it in Update #2 is 1.5x actual size so enhances the effect more. Anyway, I will look at it again when I make the next decals for the project and see if I can improve it....

    Cheers
    Adi
     
  12. dream1

    dream1 What's a Dremel?

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    Oh one more thing. Happy holydays :)
     
  13. slacka

    slacka What's a Dremel?

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    Update #3 - Jan 7th, 2013 - Cover for PSU and 240 Rad

    Firstly, thanks again for all the interest in the project log. I can't believe it's had over 3000 hits for just 2 updates - thanks!

    With Christmas over, time for another update. This time I made a cover for the PSU and the 240 radiator that will be in the bottom of the case.

    I started off, like last time, with a cardboard template and a lot of measuring before setting about cutting out the panels with my jigsaw from the 1mm aluminium sheet.

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    I also bought a 1.5m length of 20mm x 20mm aluminium angle and cut that to length.

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    PSU covers tend to be made to rest either on or just slightly above the PSU but I've gone about 10mm off the top of the PSU height as that way the top panel will fit neatly between the cable management grommets on the motherboard tray. However, that meant cutting out a notch in the angle to fit over the bracket sticking out from the tray.

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    I temporarily attached the two angle pieces to the top panel with double-sided sticky tape. With that done I drilled 5 x 3mm holes in the back of the motherboard tray to give somewhere to fix the top panel to. Holding the panel up to the mobo tray I marked the holes on to the angle and drilled 2.5mm holes. Another of my tools for the job...

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    Then in another modding first for me I had a go at tapping 3mm screw threads in to the angle to match up with the holes in the mobo tray.

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    For a first go it wasn't too bad, and with some M3 10mm screws, I was able to test the fixing of the top panel to the case.

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    Repeating the process with the angle on the other side and a side panel and the result looked ok.

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    Happy that it all seemed to fit and hold together, I took it all apart and marked out the drilling holes for rivets, w/c grommets and the radiator grill.

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    With all the holes drilled and the radiator grill space cut out with the jigsaw, I wrapped it in the same 3M white carbon di-noc vinyl (making sure the carbon pattern was the same way as the 5.25" bay piece from the last update!). I added a couple of 25mm w/c grommets which will allow a little space around the 19mm tubing (didn't want it too tight to aid removal when necessary). Then I secured the top panel to the 2 angle pieces with 3.2mm white pop rivets.

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    Next I set about the grill for the radiator space with a 500mm x 500mm sheet of black modders mesh (4.8mm holes). I marked out a section about 10mm bigger around all sides than the size required with masking tape and cut with the jigsaw.

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    To continue with the Team Sky theme, I wanted to replicate the Adidas 3 white stripes effect as seen on the black team jerseys on the radiator grill. Initially I masked up the piece of mesh to leave just one 9mm stripe for spraying with the white primer.

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    I set about spraying the stripe but after a couple of coats had dried I removed the masking tape to look at the effect and was gutted to see the end result! :jawdrop:

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    Maybe I hadn't thought it through enough but rather predictably now looking back on it, the paint had seeped under the masking tape in the gaps made by the holes in the mesh, and it looked a mess! What also became clear was that it wasn't going to produce the effect I wanted anyway, as the "stripe" didn't look much like the stripe on the team kit with so many holes in it.

    So back to the drawing board.... the solution I've come up with now looks more how I'd imagined it, but if anyone has any better ideas please let me know. I went back to the vinyl decal paper I used for the SSDs and cut 3 white stripes out of that and secured them to the mesh with double-sided tape. It certainly looks better, much neater and more like the jerseys, but I'm not sure whether the air from the radiator fans below will make the stripes "flap" around. I'll have to see when the rad is in place, so I might have to revisit that bit, but for now I like it....

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    Before fitting the grill to the top panel, I wrapped the side panel in the same 3M white di-noc with the pattern matching the others and tried another test fit in the case. Sadly, the repeated fitting and removal of the panels was too much for the threads I'd tapped in to the aluminium angle and they started stripping. The angle was only 1.5mm thick and realistically wasn't deep enough to take a thread. So time to re-think for setback number 2! :idea:

    I needed something that was going to be able to hold and secure the panels together with M3 screws. After much Googling of repairing stripped threads, I came across nut rivets which were new to me but seemed perfect for the job. Problem was, this was Christmas Eve and everywhere was shut so the project went on hold for 10 days over the holidays. Annoying when there was plenty of spare time available to mod but I didn't really want to leave this part half-done and start something else! :wallbash:

    Eventually, the new year arrived and after a few arrivals in the post from ebay I was up and running again. Firstly 50 much-needed M3 nut rivets. Then a bag of 100 M3 x 10mm socket cap bolts/screws. I purposely went for these to maintain the theme as most bike components these days are secured with socket cap allen-key style bolts, generally M5 size, but they seemed too overpowering in the case so I went for M3.

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    And the final purchase, a nut rivet gun with mandrels for M3, M4, M5 and M6 supplied.

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    I re-drilled all of the threaded holes in the sides of the angles to 5mm diameter and set to work with the M3 nut rivets and the gun. The results were fantastic and made an even better solution than my original attempt, so I was very happy! :D

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    Now that the fixings were finished, I went back to fitting the mesh grill in to the radiator space in the top panel. I used some small strips of the 3M 'tape of the gods' mounting tape on the underside of the panel, lined up the grill and pushed it in to place.

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    I re-did the 3 screws for the 5.25" bay cover to match the PSU cover as you'll see in the last shots for this update which show the finished assembly in the case. Despite the hiccups and setbacks along the way I'm really pleased with how this has turned out now...

    The 3rd photo looks like the side panel is bowed but that is a weird photographic effect as you can see from the others that it is straight - I couldn't live with it if it was all wobbly! :hehe:

    Cheers

    Adi

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  14. UbiquitousWD

    UbiquitousWD What's a Dremel?

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    Really clean build so far. It's a shame they've ditched Adidas for Rapha now, but as you've said this is a tribute to the 2012 season.
    Out of interest, would plasticine between two lumps of would produced a cleaner line when spraying?
    Will continue to watch this one.
     
  15. slacka

    slacka What's a Dremel?

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    Thanks Ubiquitous. Yeah, I was disappointed when they switched to Rapha as I like Adidas stuff, but like you said it was the fantastic season the team had last year in that kit that is the basis for the theme so 3 stripes it is...

    Hadn't thought of plasticine. I guess that might have stopped the paint run. Thanks for the input!

    Cheers
    Adi
     
  16. damien c

    damien c Mad FPS Gamer

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    Looks good mate keep up the good work!!!
     
  17. slacka

    slacka What's a Dremel?

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    Update #4 - Feb 5th, 2013 - Motherboard tray

    I can't believe it's been almost a month since my last update, so sorry to those who've subscribed! I've been quite busy on the mod but I've also had to wait for a couple of hardware deliveries before I could measure dimensions and plan the design....

    Firstly, just to wrap up on my last post about the PSU & Rad cover. The side panel was prone to getting pushed in at the bottom as it was only fixed at the top, so I made a bracket out of 20mm x 20mm aluminium angle and riveted it to the bottom of the case. I used some velcro on both the bracket and the side panel so that I could fix the two together but still be able to remove it when needed. It's much sturdier now.

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    Right on to this update. Next job was a motherboard tray as I wasn't keen on the one in the NZXT case - too many cable holes and big chunky rubber grommets - so I decided to make my own and fit it on top of the existing tray.

    Started with another piece of the 1mm aluminium sheet I've been using so far. Measured and cut to the right size to fit in the case.

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    Then with it placed against the existing tray I was able to mark out the various holes that needed to be drilled for motherboard standoffs, rivets, etc. and also the cut-outs required for the cable management.

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    Temporarily fixed in to place with a handful of screws....

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    The section of the new mobo tray under the 5.25" bays had no where to secure it, so I used a couple of small lengths of the aluminium angle to act as a brace. These were riveted to the front of the case (although the actual rivets will be hidden by the outer cover) and when the time comes to permanently fix the tray in place I'll secure it to the brackets.

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    With the tray and case marked for cutting, I started on the case with the Dremel extending a few of the cable routing holes.

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    Then it was on to the tray itself, cutting out the holes with a combination of Dremel and jigsaw with a file to tidy up the edges a bit. I didn't go mad with the neatness as the finished cable holes will look different to how they are right now....

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    So the next two shots show how the tray is right now and how it's going to stay while I start on the Pump/Res holder. Eventually I'll wrap it in the white Di-Noc and secure it to the case with white rivets, but while the design for the Pump/Res mounting is still to be confirmed, I don't want to make anything permanent just yet.

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    Now after a few updates of case modifications and little else, I'm sure many are needing their hardware fix by now!! :D

    So the first bit to show I guess should be the motherboard that will go on the tray. It's a Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H.

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    I wanted to go as up-to-date as I could without breaking the bank (and without waiting for the Haswell chips) so went for a Z77 board. The Gigabyte had some good reviews including on Bit-Tech/Custom PC and from a more basic view, I liked the plain black PCB and the blue heatsinks which go well with the Team Sky blue colours I'm trying to match. I plan on doing a little modding to it before installation to keep as much as I can down to just black and blue colours...

    I'll finish this update with a few shots of the new board. The next update should also be during this week as things are moving quicker now. Thanks for looking!

    Cheers
    Adi

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  18. XNine

    XNine What's a Dremel?

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    Excellent concept! The colors are all vibrant and are matching from Case to mobo to accessories.
     
  19. slacka

    slacka What's a Dremel?

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    Thanks XNine. I've been following the 'Official NZXT Switch 810 owners' thread over on overclock.net and all your great efforts as NZXT Community Support Rep on there, so I'm glad you found mine here and like it. Let's hope my build does the case justice.... I'll try not to cut too much more off it!! :D
     
  20. XNine

    XNine What's a Dremel?

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    Ha! Thank you for the compliments :) I think your build is looking great so far, very well planned out. It looks like you're doing quite a bit of metal work, and I always love seeing in-depth and robust modding. It really makes me feel good during the day to see someone being so creative!

    Would you mind if I posted this build to our Reddit and FB pages?
     

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