Case Mod - In Progress Feeding Frenzy: November-11-2009 video card fan installed

Yeah I was just noticing the same thing myself last night.

Hardware:

Lian-Li 2xxx black server case: forgot the name
Asus Crosshair III Formula motherboard
AMD 2.8 Ghz BE tri-core AM-3 CPU (OC to 3.4 Ghz)
GSkill 2 x 2 Gb PC ram chips
Asus HD4870 DK 1 Gb video card (OC to 850 mhz GPU & 1050 mhz ram)
WD Raptor 74 Gb drives x 3
WD 750 GB Black edition drive mounted into E-SATA enclosure
PCP&C 750 Silencer
Bulgin round lit switch (used for HD activity only. Switch does nothing)
Asus DVD SATA burner x 2
Dell S2009W monitor

Water Cooling:

Aquacomputer Cuplex XT silver CPU cooler
Aquacomputer Twinplex XT G 1/8 GPU cooler
Swiftech ram sinks to video card memory
Black Ice radiator 120mm for CPU circuit w/ Papst 1200 rpm fan
Silver Aquatube with black face plate for CPU circuit
Black Aquatube in front mounted Aquabay
Aquaero (GPU circuit) w/ stand-by power & relay used to turn on computer
Koolance 360 aluminum radiator (GPU circuit only) w/ three Scythe 2,000 RPM fans connected to Aquaero (typically runs around 800 rpm)
Aquastream pump (old style) for GPU circuit (mounted to rear of Aquabay)
Aquastream XT pump for CPU circuit
Innovatek flow meter for GPU circuit
Aquacomputer in-line water temp sensors x 2 (CPU and GPU circuits)
Koolance flow meter for CPU circuit inputted to Aquastream XT
Koolance 360 fan shroud
Oodles of plastic/metal Legris 8mm push-fits in straight, 45 & 90 degree
Aquacomputer Tubemeter in CPU circuit Aquatube
8mm black and clear (UV reactive) tubing

Software:

Multiple boot OS: XP Pro, Vista 32, Vista 64, and Windows 7 RC
Waiting for MS to ship Windows 7 upgrades in 32 & 64 bit flavors
Aquacomputer Aquasuite handles all the water cooling electronics

That's the major stuff, but not including the HD water circuitry. Yeah I know the water cooling is definitely over the top, but it has been a barrel of laughs trying to cram it all in this case. Can't wait to put in on the scales after it is all decked out.

Planned additions:

Silver Aquatube w/ black face plate for HD circuit including a Tubemeter
Aquastream XT for HD circuit
Aquadrive X4 copper edition HD cooler (fits four (4) HD's)
Koolance flow meter for HD circuit
Aquacomputer in-line water temp sensor for HD circuit
Independently controlled lighting for each of three (3) water cooling areas. Maybe an Aquacomputer Multiswitch
Cutting the case sides for windows and Feeding Frenzy name

 

damn you got a lot crammed into that case lol.

 

what he said. Still, it's nice to follow the progress and judging by the stuff you're going to add, it's only going to get more crammed

 

I remember when I first bought the case and stuck a motherboard in it. I was amazed how much space there was in it and what I could possibly do to fill it up.

Forgot a couple of things in the planning department:

I intend to remove the fancy ROG heatsink sitting on top of the NB and will replace it with a waterblock. What kind of waterblock is where the indecision comes from. I have an original TwinPlex chipset block with a silver base that would go good with the silver Cuplex XT I already have. Or I may just use a standard copper TwinPlex XT I also have so that it matches the GPU & CPU water blocks. Or perhaps I might want to order up a silver TwinPlex XT.

The Black Ice 120mm radiator with a Papst fan has already been assembled for the HD circuit. Just waiting for some money to come in so I can get the X4 HD cooler on its way from Germany.

So many decisions and so many possibilities.

 

Estimated time when this pc is finished?

Soo many plans

 

Well considering I started this mod in July 27, 2005 any estimates of time might be not worth the paper it is written on. One of the problems is that my choice of water cooling equipment comes from about 1/2 way around the world and there are inevitable production and US Customs delays.

I am hoping to have this done by March 2010 or so, which will include the case side work and having the sides stripped and re-anodized in a matching black. That is of course assuming no more car crashes, trips to the OR or a nursing home.

Also forgot to mention that I am stripping off the ROG lit logo and replacing it with a little Aquacomputer logo.

 

good god
i cant look away

 

I say the same thing myself lately (btw, love your line about anything worth doing is worth over doing). A long time ago I sat down and roughly figured out all the money spent on this project which included oodles of tools, connectors, pins, fittings, etc. I got depressed, but this is a hobby so... more $ and more power!

This G Skill ram OC's pretty decent:

 

Well said about money vs. hobby. You only live once. I mean, come on...really. THINK about it. You live ONCE. I say GO for it and go for it REALLY GOOD.

Anyway, having said that - you've been doing this mod since 2005???? I mean, I thought I was bad off having built my mod since spring 2008, but obviously I'm a quickie compared to you, haha. I guess your next mod (yeah, I said it!) will be better planned and much, much faster executed. Anyway, that's what I imagine in my head as to my next mod - will it ever come to be.

 

2005 with taking time off for a lot of work, another year for surgery, and IIRC there was also a major car crash along the way. I don't think my mods would go much faster than about a year. I first decide on a case and after buying it I just stare at it for a while mulling over the possibilities until I come up with a rough plan. Then it's pony up time and then hurry up and wait time.

I will be off line for a few days while I cook up some integrated hard drive and optical drive cables. Also got to paint up another flow meter and take apart the one that failed just to see what's inside.

 

here! here!

 

Well it took considerably less time (about 6 hours) to get the hard and optical drive cables sleeved and in than the last time I did it. Got the back case side on for the first time in a long time. Pics probably tomorrow as I need to get it in the sunlight so you can see the real beauty of my insanity.

When I turned it back on I thought I had a major MB failure until I figured out I had forgotten to plug all the drives power in.

 

too many things
too much to go wrong

but i love it non-the-less
keep it up

 

What could possibly go wrong?

Actually that was why I used Aquacomputer control electronics and software because if the temps go up, the flow goes down, or the water levels drop then pop goes the weasel and humpty dumpty comes falling into a controlled shutdown.

Going out for a while to scrounge some modding supplies at the local Michael's and the surplus electronics shop. Sure glad I ordered in some DIY SATA power connectors a while back as they are hard to find locally and I think it is dikes time again.

Added: Sorry no pics today as we just had a big fog bank come in. The temps dropped back down to 70 F, but it is terribly humid too boot. No painting today either. So I guess I will rip my Aquaero out and do strange and wonderful things.

 

Well since we had another cloudy day I decided to just shoot some pics inside yesterday. Of course today is a nice sunny day with a few puffy white clouds.

First up here is that I decided to do something different on my hard drive data cables. I found in my junk pile some of my candy apple red cables. They really look nice so I figured why not show them off and do some black sleeving on it as well.

This was the initial mock up to see if it might work.




A side view.




I sleeved the SATA cables all in the same loom as it looks nicer and it is easier to do the routing of cables. The sleeving starts just a smidge back from the front of the hard drives coming out through the hard drive cage before making the trip up. Notice the evil red glint?




Here is the cut out for the HD cables and the USB cables are in the cut out above this. I also wanted the red cables to show through on the entry into the case for some symmetry.




Here are the SATA cables coming back inside the case and attaching to the MB header. I'm not going to take out my albatross flow meter until the other one is painted and sleeved. Please excuse the wire taking a jaunt across my case as I was doing some testing on the Aquaero start up wiring.




Next up is my infamous two for the price of one SATA optical drive sleeving.




Actually this cable is a temporary till I can find some more candy apple red cables that are a tad bit longer as I don't really like the way it traverses across the top of my middle floor.




One opportunity has arisen with the USB cabling as my case side doesn't close easily. More about this later when I decide what to do here. It's either combine the USB and HD case holes or make custom USB cables.

 

Has anyone ever re-wired their drive power looms with nothing but black wires and skipped the sleeving? Just curious as to how it might look.

 

Hm, never seen it done in blue, but have a look at Project Flow (sniipe_dogg) - he's done the last 5-10 centimeters using only blue wires. But, mind you - his solution WILL drive you on the edge of madness!

Here's the link: http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=90726&page=10

Oh, and strive to get just NEAR his perfection, but stop in time before you're lost.

 

Hmm... all red would look cool. Got to think about this a while.

 

Just do it!

I think black could be cool, red a little bit over the top ....

drbo

YGPM

 

Yeah I think the black will be it, but then again there sure is a lot of black in this mod.

Now I need to fool around with the insulation displacing connectors or whether to just go for the crimp style connectors.

Forgot to mention that I put two (2) layers of green cellophane in my Aquaero VFD. I think I will need another layer to match my Aquatube color though.

Anyone had any experience in using green LED's in silver Aquatube's?