Case Mod - In Progress [Build Log] Project Mini Me - M-ATX Phantom, 3820, RIVG, 7970, watercooled

Oh yes, everything will be custom painted .

 

So I do have a good update on this build!

I decided to use an Apogee Drive II after all, purely for aesthetics (for the lit logo to match my Komodo blocks and g1/4" ports insteasd of barbs), but since I already sold my previous, I sold the H220 and ordered a new APD2 and an MCR220-QP. I am also trading my RIVG for an MSI 7970 reference, and will be buying another RIVG at a later date. I'm doing this because my 3820 is dead. I'll likely replace it with another 3820, though, if funds show up, I may pick up a 4820K or 4930K .

I'm also debating about adding an MCR120-QP on the rear fan mount, though I'm not 100% sold on it yet. I do plan on getting the XSPC RIVG chipset blocks as well, since they won't get much airflow and mobo block are Boss.

I believe I'm going to ditch the P820 HDD cage and put something else in that space as well, though I'm still contemplating what.

 

If your board supports Xeon CPU's, look for ES version on ebay-they are pretty cheap.

 

Thanks for the heads up, but the LGA 2011 Xeons are OC locked and low-clocked, and I can get a new 3820 at MC for about $200.

 

Sold the H220, got an Apogee Drive 2...



and an MCR220-QP....



rad needs to be white



Helixes need some loving too



BOOM!!!





With comps and tubing



In case



That's all for today

 

Little more paint work (360 rad and Komodo backplates)

 

Forgot to post my updates here, so here's my latest and greatest updates

11/04/13
Alright guys, I know I haven't been on and updated this in a while, but I've been really busy, and came to a few crossroads. I got a new job (Geek Squad), did a lot of mods for my brother, and got a killer deal on a new Visiontek 7990 ($600 on Newegg, a week before the prices jacked back up).

All in all, here's the deal.
I will be DRASTICALLY changing plans with this build and its layout. After getting the 7990, and also not having a working mobo/cpu (either my RIVG and/or my 3820 is dead), I decided that M-ATX is too big/not cool enough.

I will be getting a 4770K, delid it, and put it in a Maximus VI Impact, along with 16 GB Gskill Trident X 2400 or 2666 MHz (trading my 4x4 Trident X for it), my 2 120 GB Mushkin Chronos SSDs in RAID0, Seagate 2 TB HDD, XFX 850w gold PSU, and of course my Visiontek 7990 . I will be re-sizing the Phantom again to similar size and layout of a Silverstone SG08. As a matter of fact, I actually ordered 2 Sugo SG05s to cut up and use as the frame structure and should get them tomorrow. It will still have the Phantom 820 HUE and USB ports, as well as the custom aluminum front door, and be watercooled. I will re-size my Phantom top and front panel to accomodate the new height/length, and make my own doors. The SG05 frames were a shoe-in because they are the same height I want and same width as the Phantom, so it'll save me from having to redo a ton more fabrication. I already have a rough mockup I did the other day before my client picked up his custom SG05 rig I built, called Pandora's Box, but I'll have to post it later.

11/09/13
So, i wasted no time in the couple hours I had available the other day. I got the cases last night. Today I stripped them down and hacked away until I had a couple pieces I can glue together . I welded the case last time- bad idea. Even at the lowest setting and infrequent tacks, the welding warped the metal. This time I'll glue them with the same "plastic welder" 3500 psi epoxy I used on the pvc panels. It'll have plenty of strength to hold them together.

The new cases


All stripped down


The new pile o' parts I likely won't use


The first couple of cuts


Ready for gluing!



Then, yesterday I cut out the front and taped the two ends together so I can glue them. Here's the mockup I did afterward.



11/20/13
There is progress to be made. I sold my old RAM and some other random stuff. Then I ordered the Black Ice Stealth rad, Micro Res, and some sleeving, pins, and connectors to make new custom cables. And I will likely order the Akasa Viper fans in the morning .

Oh yeah, and I glued the case halves together! Worked out MUCH better than welding. No warpage whatsoever amd still a solid, strong hold.

11/20/13
I got my Stealth 280 in yesterday . Freaking BEAUTIFUL. I love the rounded sides and the finish. Super high FPI also (30), and 33mm thick. Paired with the Viper fans should be some epic cooling performance.





And here's the following mock up. The SSDs and HDD are stacked underneath the PSU. I still need to lift the PSU about an inch, so i'll likely put the slim slot-loading blu ray burner under it as well and eject out the side, if it's shallow enough to miss the GPU when plugged in. If you didn't notice in my earlier posts, I ordered 3 140mm Akasas and 1 120mm. That's because the rad is stacked on top of the PSU, which has a 120mm fan and not enough room for a 140 inside. So I'm going to mount the 120 inside the PSU and wire it out to the PWM splitter, and also swiss cheese the top plate of the PSU to allow the top 140 to better push air into the PSU.




I should get the Akasas tomorrow, so I'll get to play around some more then .

Oh and on other thing came in the mail...



11/21/13
Look what I got today!







And this stuff came in as well from my friend Ben Ruwe!


11/21/13
More mockups and progress!

Here I have the rad mocked up with fans on it. I double stacked some 3.5 HDDs to approximate the correct height.



Here you see my 7990 is bolted in as well for fitting.


Here I threw in my APD2 on top of the PWM splitter to approximate its installed height a see how much space I have to work with.



And here I actually did some work and cut out the stock mesh and a bunch of crap on the underside for fitting. I'm going to redo the top mesh, most likely out of acrylic.



12/25/13
Hey guys, merry Christmas! Just thought I'd let you know that I'm still alive and kicking with this thing. Newegg had a nice sale on the Mushkin Chronos 240 GB SSDs ($135 with promo code) so I obliged by ordering a couple of those and selling off my 120s for MOAR SSD .

On the topic of the RAM, I think I want to try a new set in the Team Xtreem 2x8 GB 2400 MHz kit in White, so keep an eye out for those.

12/26/13
Thought I'd share some of the other wiring magic I'm doing on this build.

You've already seen the shorty 24 pin that I made, which will likely be redone. One of the hardest things to make look clean in a build with no backplate to hide wires is double wires, hence my plan to make everything possible run on it's own cable, to avoid double wires.

One area that this was only partially possible is the PWM splitter and mini SATA power connector for the Blu-Ray drive. I cut off the combo SATA cable off the mini SATA power connector for the Blu-Ray so I could use matching Asus SATA cables on all the SATA drives. I then wired mSATA power and the PWM splitter on the same PSU PCIE connector because there were enough wires available to run them together without double wires. I also opened the splitter to trim the plastic shell and reroute the PWM fan header out the front of the splitter to make cable routing neater. The splitter is going to sit on the floor of the case between the mono and the HDD.



The APD2 above it has only partially been rewired as of yet. Originally, the fan header powered the white LED with red acrylic that I have since replaced with a HUE LED and clear acrylic. It's wires will be extended and powered by the HUE, which will be on its own cable. The 12v and ground from the APD2 will therefor be moved into the PWM fan header, since it will be powered by the splitter and not the mobo directly, so power draw will not be an issue. This will also help with cleaning up the cables and my desire to have absolutely NO molex plugs in the build. The 4 fans will also be powered by the splitter.

What's not pictured is that each storage drive will also have its own cable, with the SATA plug at one end the the 6 pin PCIE plug at the other to plug into the PSU.