Scratch Build – In Progress Project Facit, almost finished! 6th July 2013

I bought a PSU to match my generous sponsors hardware today. A Seasonic x-750.
I could have chosen a 650 but they were out of stock and I have to finish this before the Madrid exhibition. I also ordered a slim(12mm) Scythe 120mm fan to my Noctua cooler.
Two packages from Singapore arrived with the mail. IDE to SATA adaptors and PS2 to USB dito.

After several days of postal limbo I picked up the package from Intel today. It have been sorted and resorted for almost a week in my city but holidays and incompetence have hindered it from being delivered.
But now I'm a proud holder of a Intel® Core™ i7-870 processor with a matching Intel DP55SB Extreme mobo.

In the next post I'll try to post some new pics and present my sponsors in depth.

 

Yesterday a delivery man rang my door bell and handed over a NH-C12P cooler along with some casebadges and stickers.
I began assembling my rig right away. The fastening system was the best I've ever encountered. Rock solid and easy to work with.
Space between the top of the cooler and the case ceiling was scarcer than I imagined so I trimmed down a 12mm slim Scythe 800rpm 120mm fan. It doesen't push much air but I expect it to be sufficient due to the proximity of the psu fan.
My first attempt to boot up the computer was a failure, neither the HDD or DVD were recognized. After several tries I partitioned the HDD and installed Win7 on it on a different computer. When back in the Facit the machine booted up without any problem.
The DVD is still lost though, I think I'll try a different IDE to SATA adapter.
Here are some pics of the interior:



There are still some work that have to be done with the cable management but I'll leave it until the DVD works.
Another problem that remains to be solved is the power and HDD activity leds. For some reason they don't light up. I'll have to check the cables and make sure the leds themselves are not damaged in any way. But I expect the cables to be the problem.

 

That's definitely a beefy cooler.

 

Looks wicked mate

 

It sure looks huge! The biggest I could get with my height restrictions.

Thanks!

I found the problems with the power and HDD leds, the connection was broken just between the wires and the leds. That problem is now fixed.

Just the DVD issue to fix...

Another thing, do you think I should add a external headphone jack?
It would have to be the 6,3mm variant. I prefer them and I think a 3,5mm looks to "modern".

 

If it's 6.3mm, then most definitely. Love how those jacks look

 

A 6.3mm jack will be implemented, placing is complicated though, not much space left.

Im back from the Madrid exhibition and the mod is almost complete. Some final thoughts: The computer is really silent, I do not need noisy fans to cool the Intel® Core™ i7-870 processor. It can handle all at throws at it but it does not require extreme cooling in order to not overheat. Suits my case perfectly.
I have installed my OS on a 30GB partition on my HDD so I easily can move it to a new SSD when I can afford it. The GeForce 8400gs GPU is also tempory, as soon anything better is at hand it will be installed.

Whats left to do?
Building a custom vesa mount to install on the case roof (and buy a nice 1900x1200 tft monitor instead of my 17" crt) and get some new hardware.

 

I have bought a nice NeXT keyboard wich nice double-shot keycaps really looks nice on the Facit.
I have also bought a double-shot red esc keycap. I'll post pics soon.

 

Partly done, one special order esc-key and some others from a pillaged NeXT keyboard.

 

This computer has been a true servant on daily basis but the final touches have been unfinished. In a couple of days I'll recive 16GB of RAM, a new Intel 520 SSD HD (120GB) and a decent Asus geforce GT 430 GPU. If everything works out I'll also change cpu cooler to a Noctua variant better suited for my restrained height inside the 'typewriter' i.e. NH-L12.

When this is done I'll start designing a good monitor arm. As it is today it's too close to my eyes. I'm thinking about something L-shaped.
Good ideas are welcome.
This is how the 'Facit' looks today

 

All new hardware installed. The computer works like a charm. I had to saw of a piece of the GPU's heatsink with a hacksaw to make it fit. Warranty void, but who cares? The new Noctua cooler have raelly lowerd temps in the case without more noise. Really apreciate those austrian coolers. I'll post pics when I can.
Manufacuring of a new monitor mount is in progress and when thats done all I need is a suitable monitor. NEC is my primary choice but for the moment I can't afford it. Any used monitors out for sale?

 

Bad pics but anyhow:

 

It's almost four years since i started this worklog but now completion is near.
The machine have served me well over the years but how to mount the monitor have been a pesky problem that have lingered in the background.

That problem is finally solved and while installing that I'm giving the Facit a major overhaul and fixing some minor flaws.













Last pic is a model and drawing of the vesa-mount plate that will house usb and audio connectors.
All cables will be routed inside the steel tube and out through the small hole in the middle.
If I can solve the interference problem I'll even route the monitors power cord there.