Case Mod - Complete Killer Panda - Z370 X Code

LOADING.......

Just kidding, but bare with me - im post processing the pics I just took, just a few more minutes and you will see

 

ALSO POSTED IN 1st POST



24/5-18 12:59 (sorry for the delay) FINISHED PICTURES, LETS REVEL THIS PANDA!



A big thanks for everyone showing an interest in this build, it's been a long journey and it does not stop here, I'm still not done with the closet to put it in or the new desk setup, so will do some little updates as that comes along to.

But the main attraction is done:




It's a really really tight fit to make everything I wanted possible in this case, but I did it!



Bonus beauty shot:



My re-made GPU cooler and active m.2 cooler is both working like a dream


That slim 15mm fan was a really good idea, on top of a AquaComputer Kryo M2



Everything from my extended PSU mount, to my external EPS cables and my tons of fans are blending in pretty neatly IMO.



If I had not made a long build log about it, then you would probably not have a clue about all the work I have gone trough, I have exchanged every screw and pop rivet in the case, painted, put vinyl, drilled and more on all surfaces.



It was already a very rare and unique case to begin with, now even more so.



And now, the killer panda!



The really strong sunlight played monkey tricks on me, it is red and black, not orange, will try and get better pictures indoors another day.




Will finish up with the closet and desk setup in the coming days, stay tuned if interested in that

 

Have put it up on PCPartsPicker, when you calculate it there it ended up costing quite a bit...
Despite that, the prices there are US prices, and I am in Denmark where hardware is even more expensive

https://pcpartpicker.com/b/JN29TW

I was actually getting ready for some real world loads to use when OC the graphics card, but as I was downloading games it just took forever and I could not really see why - until I realized my hard drive was above 35% fragmented!

So in16 hours will OO Defrag be done with that task and I can get on with the plans :cheers:

 

Delays, delays, delays....


I have been working all day to finish up the room setup and finally sat down to use it, was just about to take pictures until I discovered that my displayport cable refuses to display anything else but 1024x768@60 Hz for my new fancy monitor....

It's really odd, as the same cable without hiccups can display 1920x1080@144Hz on my old monitor placed right next to this newer one.

Well I dont see any way around it but have ordered the best 8K capable DisplayPort 1.4 cable I could easily find, plus a high end shielded power cable as I suspect that's maybe the problem (they run right next to each other).
Remember, the PC is placed in the other end of the room, so the DP cable is actually 10 meters long, this new one will be routed a different route and only have to be 5 meter then, all those changes can only mean it's going to work this time around. Else I will have to re-think everything... hope not....

But I tell you, the idea about mirrors in the closet works like a charm, it's really easy plugging this in or out from behind the system and it looks really nice too, will show you when everything is up and running.


By the way, a question - should I make a new thread of the whole finished result or keep it all in this thread?

It's getting a little cluttered in here

 

Let me give you a small update, i'm almost completely done now!



I now have the right cable for full resolution @165hz, 10 meter very expensive DP cable.

Also upgraded my power cable to one as thick as a watering hose, silver plated cobber wires and many layers of shielding, so it should not get affected by the many other wires in the closet plus not affect the rest of the wiring, as power cables usually make the most dirty signal interference with other types of cables.

Fresh air tunnels for the closet is done and doing a really nice job of pushing the warm air the machine generates out and into the atmosphere outside.
I don't want it to suck air in, as that might pose problems when the weather gets colder, but this way around I think i'm safe.

I have tweaked my Windows 10 Pro for maximum performance, and defragmented the games drives (which took forever for a 1TB drive and a 500GB drive), so as of now I am overclocking the GPU.

About the GPU, the cooling does a really really good job with those 2x ML120 fans I put on it, even with the door closed on the closet.
But the OC itself on the GPU, oh boy what a pain, I have really not been lucky with that GPU and it keeps crashing on me.

I have now dialed it completely back and taking baby steps. Just takes forever....


Next update will come when everything is completed and I can actually start using it.

 

Re-post from 1. post, so I'm sure everyone have seen the desk pictures




Desktop update!

This is the front logo seen from indoor light, more like how it looks in real life.
The black aluminum and black vinyl is almost the same tone, so it's only in very specific angles and light conditions that the panda is visible, it's a shy animal.



The closet setup at the spot it was intended to be right from the start.
You can also kind of see the 3x ML140 Pro white light fans there suck air up to the upper compartment, where the other 2x ML140 fans are placed on the inside of the air ducts - with the help of the 2x ML120 inside the ducts to draw the hot air out.
Works better than I could have hoped for actually, at idle the CPU is staying around 40C with a very warm room temp of 27C because of summer.



Tried to take pictures so you can see the helping mirrors, they are mostly for a purpose other than *bling*, but actually they are more useful when the system it not finally installed and the system can be pushed around a little, as I can way better look behind it and inside it, to see if everything is installed the way I intended it.
Remember, it is a closet after all, there is really limited space and I have to stand on something to reach there, so to get all the help I can i.e. to plug in a cable behind, that is a huge bonus.



Speaking of mirrors, I did the same behind my big a$$ monitor.



Here it's slightly easier to show you what the purpose is.
I can see the inputs!



Looks like this from the front, the "bubble" at the end of the table is my brand new Hue Go lamp that I just picked up, am charging it now to play around with tomorrow.



Same setup looks something like this at brighter light.
Sorry for the colors, my camera and indoor light is not the best combo so tried to compensate in post process and ended up at this.



From another angle





If you wonder why I have 2 keyboards, then the wireless Logitech one is connected to 2 machines below the table, where I'm also hiding my music DAC I use for well yea, music, and right now my surround headset is plugged into one of the machines, my "Mini3" i3 based tiny magnetized PC that can carry it's own weight under one of the desk shelves.
The other one is an even lower powered Linux machine only used to browse the web on, if I don't need any power for anything extra, build both of them out of scrap parts I had laying around from other builds that are worth too little to sell but are too good to throw away.



I'm trying to keep it pretty clean with no visible cables under the desk, mainly because my son loves to stay under there when I play games, so he can watch a movie or sleep.


Stay tuned if interested in a last update about the numbers of this PC, all the specs and benchmarks. Cheers m8

 

really awesome, your panda is really a killer

 

re-post from 1st post.


I have not yet put up any benchmarks or other numbers, as I found out it's really hard to compare, if you don't do the benches in the exact same manner.

So for that I need a second system to compare against......


So here is the question - I am slowly stating to build up the 2nd system and have already ordered the parts I want to use, would you like a new thread with teasers about what it's all about?

It's kind of an experiment I'm trying out, so I can compare two unique systems against each other.

or would you prefer to wait, so I don't make the 2nd thread until I have actual work to show?

This thread got very cluttered imo.

 

Re-post from 1st post

Starting to build up the new thread for the system to compare this against, the older brother to the Killer Panda. Go check it out here.

 

Killer Panda is on the loose!

Today it got featured on Battlerigs at Instagram - there is quite the number of people who seems to like this machine.



Am actually now in the works to build up its combatant, and also right now have a Ryzen build in my possession that im building for a friend, so in the end the benchmarks will be pretty relevant!


This story is far from over yet

 

This is what Killer Panda is for!
I recently had surgery and when I was recovering Strange Brigade was released! So I have finally gotten a little time to actually use this killing machine and I must say, its a tremendous success!



Will follow up on all my plans very soon, just wanted to share this with you so you see the machine is actually being put to good use, not just a pretty piece of tech

 

Now on Builds.gg https://builds.gg/builds/killer-panda-pc-z370-x-code-7716

 

Hello you cool cats and.... You know

I'm diving into this old thread as I just did maintenance on the machine and got some new shots of it. No updates, still rocking all the same bits but man it's still a good machine.


Before the clean, actually don't look too bad, but what you can't see is that the liquid had changed a little color, not crystal clear and all fans had a thin layer of dust on them:



A closer look more shows that it's a little dusty:



Oh, had totally forgotten this nice cap I have on one of the valve ends:



I still rock the same hardware, a binned 8600K and my Z370 X Code from Asus with 16GB Dominator RAM and a 1070 graphics card.
At one point I might go for a 2070Super but don't really need to as of yet



Actually you can see on the flow meter how the liquid have changed color a little bit, I think it's some kind of oxidation from the brass tubes, but not harmful as the whole loop is only brass and copper and heavy as S**t



This is the first time I do maintenance on it and found out my loop design is just perfect, it's super easy to pull apart, clean and put back together.
I even took the CPU block off and replaced the TIM now I was there anyway

 

So this is the result, all sparkling clean and fresh liquid

The light is only the build in RGB lights in the machine and nothing else





My Corsair RAM is still the same, 2400 MHz RAM run at a solid 3000 MHz, I've never had this much success in any other RAM OC before than this build have made possible



The build does give me a bit of Terminator vibe in this color - I mainly keep it blue/teal/white as it totally match anything in the build very very well



"Push the limit" sure as H... this case it NOT meant to be water cooled, everything barely fits and EVERYTHING is overclocked as much as possible - this build is a massive success.
I play a lot of Sea of Thieves on it, stream it too, and do more and more video edits and graphic work on the machine because it got the power to handle it all



It really is sparkly. Compression kinda killed it but same pictures are on my Instagram and Twitter and looks pretty sweet there

 

I'm unsure if I've actually shown this, but the Killer Panda lives in its little cave, with access to fresh air, inside a closet:



I got fans, a whole lot of fans XD





They help with exchanging the air in the closet so I can actually use it under reasonable temps even if the closet is closed. Barely hear it that way. and that's also the secret in how it only got so little dust in that long time, because it sits super high up and don't accumulate much dust



This is how it sits on a daily basis. All I need to touch is the on button and then close the closet.
Rest is done from the other end of the room via very long active cables. I'm so pleased with my setup as it is and can only recommend to others - build what you dream of, it's so much worth it even if it will cost a lot and take forever. it pays off because your so much happier with a major success for a long time


That's all from me for now, much more of my daily geekery have moved to the social medias and I'm pretty easy to find, just look for my "eye-con", my "AT0M", Im_AT0MAC or AT0MAC


See you around

 

oh btw, yes the trim frame for the fans in the closet, it's bamboo XD 'cause Panda.....

 

great job

 

Never thought id be talking about closets in a modding forum! but nice closet

 

Fun fact.... I have multiple computers in that closet this is just tip of the iceberg sort of thing /techhoarder