Mozart tx massive water cooling mod. small update 3-10-07

as the title suggest i am modding a mozart tx home theatre case with some pretty heft water cooling components. this isnt going to be a new system but rather migrating my current gaming system to a water cooled setup.

specs are as follows

amd fx-53
dfi nf4 sli dr-expert
2gb corsair xms 3500 LL pro
antec 550 neo
2 x evga 7800gtx in sli
seagate 15k rpm cheetah 36gb
sb xfi gamer

everythign is in stock right now but once i migrate to the water cooling ill be overclocking like mad .... hopefully ^^;;. im planning to water cool pretty much everything cept for maybe the mosfets on the mb and as such i require a rediculous case. ive already been through several mod attempts 1 on a yy cube and 1 on a custom built alu chasis. neither turned out so well but hopefully this time around it will be different.

the heart of my wc setup is an iwaki md20rz, which is the most rediculous thing i have ever purchased. this pump coupled with the storm g4 and mcw60 blocks it should be an impressive setup.


anyways on to the pics.. first up the case its self.













this is the first thermaltake case ive ever owned and so far im very impressed. no attention to detail was missed and the only complaint i have is that the aluminimum is kinda thin and that they power coated the base, top pannel and side pannel. but perhaps i can fix that with some paint stripper. all in all the case is incredibly light for the size. and all the weight is in the front bezel which is all alu as well.

and here are my wonderfull toys. an affore mentioned ikaki md20rz, 2x thermochill pa 120.2, 2x swifttech mcw-60, an original storm g4, and the 4 main fans which are delta efb1212she's. the fans put out 141cfm at 12v and they use not quite 10amps per fan. i will have them on a fan controller and likely will be running them at 5v 90% of the time.








test fitting some of the components





and for the first bit of actually modding taping up the rear and making a template for the radiator mountings.




at this point my dremel started to overheat midway through the 3rd 120mm hole. the panel is 18 guage stainless steel and it chews through the cutting wheels like you wouldnt believe.

funny thing is this case still isnt big enough for everything i had in mind. as it stands i am not going to be able to use a res. as i need prettly much all the 5in bays and there is not enough clearence form the top of the case to the top of the rads. looks like im gona have to go with a fill port only this time around. also with the size of the pump i am going to have to be creative with the placement of the mini itx board that fits on the back side of the main atx one. i would like to be able to leave enough room on the psu mounting for a extended size psu such as the pc power and cooling 1kw.

 

Use a hole saw!

 

You could easily stick two Zalman Reserators into one of those cases... Just crazy.

 

dude that case looks huge lol your water cooling setup looks pretty darn good as well!
although we probably dont need to see that many pictures of the case before modding this log has potential
+ your dremaling skills are great!
good luck

 

that case is around 1/2m in height. Have been considering one for my new rig which will be modded and watercooled aswel, and on the mini-ITX bit there will be a media PC. The only downside of this case is that it weighs 19kgs without anything in (windowed version) and has no wheels, which id need to fit to it.

Be interesting to see how the mod goes though

 

ive tried to use the hole saw on the stainless steel before .. it wasnt pretty. it only goes about half way through then just makes alot of noise and heat.

 

try an angle grider. or an Uber 1337 jigsaw (maybe)

 

the 19kgs is for the steel version. the all alu version weighs around 7-9kgs. believe me for the size of the case it is suprisingly light.

 

Are you telling me that this beast is supposed to be a HTPC case? That can't be true, lol.

Anyways, the project sounds and looks interesting, at least I haven't seen one of these cases modded before.

One thing though, dremeling stainless steel, damn bro, you have some patience

A suggestion, go to the nearest scrap yard and pick up some scrap alu sheets for the job. Or if you really want the stainless, pay someone to do it since it makes no sense to buy the tools needed for cutting and generally working with stainless, alu is sooooo much easier on your wallet

I'll be keeping my eye on this one, keep it up.

Janne

 

yes that is its main intention for the case. Have read up very much on this case, before i decide on if ill use it for the basis of my gaming rig and now it has the ability for a mini-ITX in the other side ill use that for a media pc.

see this for moere info on it.

 

Been waiting for a PL on this case.

 

Damn! It is intended to be a HTPC, didn't see that coming

Okay, let's see if I got this right, it has two motherboard "trays" so you can put your gaming rig on the other side and some mini-ITX board on the other, that's actually pretty cool.

The only downside would be the refridgerator look-a-like computer in your livingroom

A question to khitsicker (great nick btw ), are you going to use the dual motherboard option here?

Janne

 

Thats the biggest darn (modern) case I've seen!!
So subscribed!!

 

have to back dark on the alu. Do you really need the stainless? You could buy heavy gauge alu for less and have it cut easer. Just as shiney too .

 

i had the stainless sitting around. 2 x 22" by 26" pannels. trust me if i had and alu pannel sitting around that i could of used i would of ^^.

yes i will be using dual motherboard in the system however the mini itx board will not be mounted in its proper place. ive already test fitted a full size atx board and the mini itx board in the main mb chamber and they both fit. ther might be some clearance issuses with the scsi controller and the pci slot on the itx board but i think i can work around it.

also i am planning to use the 7in touch screen thermaltake sells for this case but i have been unable to find exact dimentions for it and whether it has a small or large vga connector for the screen. wiring up a 90% connector wouldnt be too much of a hassle but im trying to save the warranty on as many components as possible here lol.

lol and yes thermal take pushes this case as a htpc. though i have a feeling no one who buys it uses it as such. for me this case is about 99% what i was looking for my water cooling setup. i can fit the parts needed for my main system in with minimal effort. its putting all the extra crap in like the second system and the touch screen thats really driving me batty right now.

*edit. there will be an update later today with modding progress. just warming up the jigsaw now

 

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/EmbeddedLCD

check that page out with regards to the screen. it has all the details you require

 

Huge case! Can't wait to see more.
Lot's of space for watercooling

 

mid afternoon update.

well finished cutting holes in the rad support plate and removed the burs. i still need to do some finishing on it. sanding and such. also cut out the back part of the case where the rads mount and fitted the whole rad/plate to the case. i goofed though with the jig saw and cut out a little too much on the right hand side >.< ... ah well ill see what i can do with that later.

also drilled out hte rivets holding the top pannel on.

gona take a lunch break (mmmm tacos) and mod some more.








enjoy.. bbl

 

That is one major case from Thermaltake! Great water cooling mod. Good luck. On the internet it says this case is already set for water cooling. Was that an option or standard equipment. For $250 it should have come with the case.

 

man i'd love to get one of those cases huge lots of room to play around in.
nice work ..