Case Mod - In Progress Compact Splash - Schwarz Nickel

Hey guys, my name is Jeffinslaw. I am quite active over at overclock.net but I figured it was time to diversify. So here is my build log for my Compact Splash case. Go over to OCN to check out the original Compact Splash by She Loves E. Without further ado, let's get started!

Introduction
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Schwarz Nickel in German means black nickel, two primary colors for the build. I fell in love with the Compact Splash case early on, however, I wasn't able to purchase round 1 of the case. I'm glad I wasn't because the second round is absolutely beautiful! I have big plans for this case, hope it will all work out! My case is #26.

Purpose
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I'll use the computer for some gaming on my TV and at my desk. Titanfall, BF3/BF4, Skyrim, and ESO.

Parts
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Components:
Case: Compact Splash - Black w/ Fillport and Front I/O
CPU:Intel Core i7 4770k
Motherboard: ASUS Maximus VI Impact
RAM: 16GB of Corsair Dominator Platinum 1600MHz (2x8GB)
SSD: 250GB Samsung 840 EVO
HDD: Western Digital Scorpio Black 750GB
PSU: Silverstone ST45SF-G 450W
GPU: AMD 7970

Water cooling stuff:
Pump: Swiftech MCP35X w/ Koolance Pump top/reservoir and Black Bitspower Heatsink
CPU Block: EK Supreme HF Nickel/Plexi
GPU Block: EK 7970 block
Radiators: 1x Black Ice Nemesis GT Stealth 240MM
1x Black Ice Nemesis GT Stealth 120MM
Fans 3x AP-15's
Coolant: Mayhems Supernova or Mayhems pastel white
Tubing: 7/16in ID x 5/8in OD Primochill Advanced LRT - clear
Fittings: 1/2in barbs

 

Table of Contents

Update 1 - 7/14/14
Update 2 - 7/14/14
Update 3 - 2/8/15

 

Final Pictures

Well guys, here they are, the final pictures! Boy was this a fun build to do though. Very pleased with the final product.























































Thanks for following along guys! Hope to see you all for the next project!

-Jeffinslaw

 

Update 1 -Pictures of the Case/Polished Blocks

Here are some pictures of the case.

















Today I took a stab at polish the blocks that will be going in this build. There isn't a huge amount of difference, but enough that I can tell in person. You can't quite tell with the pictures though



All three are unpolished.



One on the left HAS been polished.



It looks much more clear.



Unpolished one. You can easily see the machining marks on the acrylic in this block.



Polished the stainless steel plate. Can't quite tell...



Unpolished looks much more brushed.



The back. Hardly any difference here.



Polished.



Unpolished.



Terrible picture for some reason, not sure why it didn't turn out right...



This is much better than before.



Smile for the camera!



Didn't take any pictures of blocking up the card, we all know what that looks like.



Back of the card. I had planned on changing it to the single slot I/O but I have decided to pass on that.



Thanks for looking! Jeffinslaw

 

Update 2 - Adding Some "Piz-zaz" to the PSU/Dying Some Fans

I really like the shiny pull bar on the back of the EVGA PSUs, makes it easier to hold and move around. So I got to thinking, how could I do that with my Silverstone PSU? Well, a quick trip to Home Depot to buy some metal bull bars did the trick! Check out the pictures and commentary below!







Some pictures of the PSU, it is really small!



Here is a picture of the two different pull bars I bought. One is 3" and other other is 3.5". I didn't know which one would look better so I bought one of each, they were cheap too, $2.50. I also derped on the photoshopping in these next few pictures.



Here is the 3" one laid on the PSU, too small...



The 3.5" one, it looks perfect!



Out of the bag resting on the PSU.



That one will work perfectly!



He he he, my favorite screw to undo.



Opened up!



It was VERY easy to get the PCB out. On my other Silverstone PSU I had, the socket was screwed in and was too large to fit through the hole, you had to clip the wires to remove it. Nice to see that wasn't the case with this PSU.



I made two sets of holes, the first set was too low, second set was perfect.



Quickly enlarged them so the screws could fit.



Original screws were too large because they were designed to go through a cupboard. A few minutes with a hacksaw did the trick.





Attached!



Throw on a little electrical tape, just incase.



Tah-dah! All attached, let me know what you guys think! A simple, $2.50 mod that takes the PSU to the next level!

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Today I decided to go ahead and dye some fans. I would like to callout lowfat for helping me out with this process. We had been conversing over PM. Thanks for the help man! Here are some pictures for you guys to check out, all three of you following lol.



Here I have removed the blades from the hub. About 30-60 seconds on each using a heat gun on low melts the glue and you can slide them off with ease. Careful though, they do get hot!





Then go get a big pot, fill it with water and set it to medium-high heat on the stove. Please don't use your mom's good cookware, the dye is very toxic. I used an old pot that I haven't seen my mom cook in for several years. It was okay to use it.





Here is the stuff I used:

Dye: http://www.prochemicalanddye.com/product.php?productid=16623&cat=401&page=1
Dye Carrier: http://www.prochemicalanddye.com/product.php?productid=16777&cat=249&page=1

This stuff is VERY toxic, PLEASE do this in a well ventilated area with lots of fans.



I used a teaspoon of dye and a teaspoon of dye carrier. Mix it all up!



Wait until the pot is simmering. (My failed attempt at trying to capture the steam lol.)



Drop the stuff in you are dying! I set the timer for 15 minutes as suggested by lowfat.



After 15 minutes, I pulled them out... uh what? Purple? That's not good... so I added another teaspoon of dye and dye carrier and dropped them in for 15 more minutes.



Nice and black. I put them in for another 15 minutes though, 45 minutes total.



This is after the total time. Not much different than from 30 minutes. Oh well



After letting them dry, and then re-heating the hub, I put the blades back on.

Overall, I'm actually not very pleased with the end product. I'm not sure what I did long but the dye comes off on my hands when I touch the blades. I let them dry for a few hours AND hit them with the heat gun for about a minute or two on low to really make sure they were dry. Oh well, if I really want to, I will just paint them. They are okay for now.

Let me know what you guys think! And get all your friends to come check out the thread!

 

Subbed! Love the Compact Splash, too! Looking forward to further updates.

 

So little, so much in love

 

Subbed up as well ^^

 

Thanks for following along!

Thanks! This is by far, one of my most favorite cases I have come across.

Thanks to have you along! Hope you enjoy it!

-Jeffinslaw

 

Awesome start dude!

 

Thanks! Nice to have you along as well!

What do you guys think of the mesh in the front? The hex mesh + the filter mesh.



-Jeffinslaw

 

awesome little case that! i look forward to seeing this finished!

 

Glad you like it!

I have been trying out the soft boxes I made for photography. I like them a lot, however, I don't like the pop up photo cube I bought. That is on its way back to Amazon. Here is a picture I took inside the photo cube with my soft boxes.



-Jeffinslaw

 

Great start.

I like the layered mesh,shame it will be hella restrictive to airflow...

 

I love those cases! The hardware looks great too. Can't wait to see you fitting the watercooling. I also love the white mesh

 

It is just for the time I am at home. Lots of dog hair and dust! Will be moving into my own apartment soon so I will take them off and just have the hex mesh.

It is actually a sheet of aluminum honeycomb mesh. It's some really awesome stuff! Great for making grills out of it.

Thanks for the comments guys!

The build is finished, for now™, just waiting for the weather to get a little nicer for final pictures. It has been raining off and on the past few days.

I did encounter a few problems when assembling the build. First being I made my SATA power cables too short so I had to make an ugly extension for it out of some black wire. It's fine for now though and you can't really see it. Second, the fan blades were hitting the fine black mesh on the 240 radiator. That's because I put the stuff on in the wrong order. Should have gone case > hex mesh > filter mesh > spacers > fans > radiator. For some reason, I did case > spacers > hex mesh > filter mesh > fans > radiator. So when the fans turned one, it pulled the mesh into the fan blades and kept hitting it making an obnoxious noise. So I removed that and will try to get the hex mesh on for final pictures. Will also be removing the mesh when I get to my clean, dog hair and dust free apartment this weekend.

Final pictures may be delayed also because I am moving back to college this weekend. Hopefully I can get a few nice outdoor shots to hold you over until my studio shots.

Thanks guys, Jeffinslaw

 

Soon™...



-Jeffinslaw

 

Tease!

 

Looks sweet, but what's up with that tube routing on the 120mm rad? Couldn't you go from the GPU to the bottom port on the 120 and make a nice almost straight connection to the top rad?

 

I've had it running since August and I just haven't had much time to do some proper final pictures. Still some minor things to do though.

I'm using 1/2in barbs with 7/16in tubing. I could have done what you suggested but it would have required only one more I guess...

-Jeffinslaw