Scratch Build – Complete ⭐ Deep Blue (formerly G-Frame) - Scratch Build (completed)

Continuing my push to get Deep Blue ready for QuakeCon, I needed to get my veneered panels shined up and ready before I got too far putting everything together. Even though the 3000 grit pads slicked everything up nice, I really wanted a shine. And after a lot of buffing, I got it.







Also, somewhere in here I apparently cut my pass throughs into my panels and brushed them for a finished look. It was hectic trying to get everything done after spending a week polishing up the panels so I missed getting pics. Basically, I figured out where I needed a pass through, bookmarked the ends with a step bit and then connected them up. Switches also went in at this time, a couple of vandals that I had from another project mounted on the back of the tray area. It was about the only spot to put them where I could hide the business end and still access it when the side panels were on. Pics of them are in the final shots.

I've also swapped out the fans and rads for the final combination of In Win Polaris fans on Hardware Labs stealth 360 radiators. I've had good luck with the Hardware Labs slim rads and even had a similar setup in Shinai. And they were virtually identical to the BP Leviathans even down to the m4 thread. I'm in love with the Polaris fans, a nice look, RGB but not annoying RGB, and the clear shrouds really let them light up the inside of a case. And the daisy chaining is the best thing ever.





Next up was the loop. MNPCTECH hardline fittings, EK swivel 90's and Primochill 1/2" PETG.





With the loop ready for fluid, I switch into wiring mode. I wanted to try something different and hopefully a lot easier, so I ditched the sleeve and ordered wire with blue insulation.







I like that it's not as bulky as sleeved cables and is so much quicker to do. And also I could double up wires that were originally doubles so it didn't take any extra soldering. You're never going to end up with a system with 'perfect' wiring, but I like more of a free flow look to my wires so it suits me just fine.

And then leak testing.



And with no leaks I filled it with Mayhems UV blue and set about getting it ready to play on at QuakeCon.





And then after a 10 hour drive, the last of it being in a torrential downpour, we made it to QuakeCon.





Deep Blue made it onto stage and took 3rd in the US Modding Championship against some awesome scratch builds.



Would have liked to have done better, but I knew that there were a few tweaks that it needed to compete better. But still 3rd isn't bad.

Can't tell if it's a giant Dave or a mini Dewayne.



So it was a good run and a fun time at QC, but I've still got some work to do. Thanks for following along and check back to see what's next.

Thanks to my sponsor:

 

A very well deserved 3rd place mate there's not a lotta Modded PC's that i would actually like to have sitting on my desk but this is one i'd kill for

 

It came out great. -It's not obnoxious like I've been pushing you for, though. The tube runs on the back are nicely done.
I was wondering what you would do with the wires. It would have taken forever, but you could have fused the wire pairs together with plexi solvent and made a straight cable out of the motherboard main. You'd probably need a jig for the fusing/positioning stage.
The only downside of the gloss on the wood is WE can't see the grain anymore, Just the reflections. I bet it looks insane in person.

 

Thanks! After seeing what you can do that's one hell of a compliment.

Thanks man, still have a bit of work on the wires left to do. I was told that it came down to not having combs on the wiring in deciding between 2nd and 3rd. I think combs would kill the look, but I do have an idea to clean them up a bit. Might be my weekend project.

It's my curse, finishes that don't stand out in photos or interior lighting. It just looks like a dark blue case sitting on my desk until you get close or get some sunlight on it.

 

After getting back from QuakeCon, I had some changes that I felt would improve the case. Normally I would have adjusted on the fly during the build, but being such a time crunch, I didn't have time to stand back and really look at how it was going. I had an end idea and I was just working towards it. Now with some breathing room, I can really look at it and tweak it.

First thing was to tighten up the tubing. It was taking up a lot of room and even though I had managed to get all the tubing lined up with itself, it was a bit canted in relation to the case. Not bad but enough for me to know and that would drive me crazy. On the motherboard side, this just meant shortening the legs that went into the hardware. But on the GPU side I turned to 90's on the GPU block to pull the tubing in as far as I could.





And while it was all drained down, I threw on the reservoir inlet tube that I had neglected to put on earlier. The sound of running water isn't always soothing, especially if you have to go to the bathroom.



Part of the reason for tightening up the tubing was just that, tightening up the build giving it a cleaner look. But the other reason was that I wanted to lose the aluminum outer panels. This shrunk the case by over 2 inches side to side which made it fit on my desk better, but also really changed the look. I guess to me they were a bit distracting and unnecessary. The interior was already framed nicely by the veneered panels and they contrasted way too much, like running a ring of lights around the case, it just grabbed the eye way too much.





To me this all works together better. Your eye isn't bombarded by a shiny ring and the veneer can really stand out.





And now it's almost done, there are still a few tweaks that need to be done, taming the wiring a bit to clean it up and I'd like to redo a bit of the tubing again cause it's just not perfect yet. So until next update, thanks for following along!



And my sponsor:

 

I love this pic , being able to see thru the case ! To me this is perfect with the board and res looking suspended. So clean

How would you feel if i was to steel your idea for a smaller mini itx build, with full creds to you of course

 

No credit needed, none of it's really 'new'. I picked up this and that and just threw it all together. Can't wait to see what you come up with.

 

MUCH better. You were right about the aluminum ring.
@DÈF¥âÑt¸.·´¯`¤ - Go to the Goodwill store and get an aluminum bat. Gut the bat and mount the board to it.

 

That'd actually be a cool sports themed build. Cut a bat in half and weld an aluminum panel between the halves for the tray. Of course you would try to put the system in the bat without cutting it in half.

 

I just managed to score about 90kg of white plex off cuts

 

This is awesome! I missed you at Quakecon
Maybe I'll see ya there next year

 

Thanks! I'm planning on being there!

 

To continue with the tweaks, I decided that the res had to be lit up. It was pretty simple, Swiftech's Iris controller was all I needed and I happened to have one in a previous build. After yanking it out and cleaning up the wires, all I had to do was plug in the res's LED wire and I was in business.

No LED



And now with the LED set to white. I tried blue but it sort of washed out since there's a ton of blue already and the fluid is blue. White gives it a little umph and the res still glows blue with the fluid.



With that sorted, I wanted to work on the wiring. I guess the difference between 2nd and 3rd at QuakeCon came down to cable management. Obviously I lost that battle, though I like a free flowing wire look. And from experience, I don't think a straight shot with combs from the mb connector to the PSU looks all that good. My first competition build had a laced set that ran like that and I still hate the way it worked out. So combs and lacing were definitely out of the question for me, since I'll be looking at it for a couple of years. I decided to try my hand at making cable guides out of 50/50 solder. It's easy to bend and work with, plus I had a spool, so that worked out well. First attempt was to spiral it around the wires. It was sort of 'meh' and didn't fit with the build at all. Oh yeah, and a pain in the butt to make it look right. Though I must admit, on the right build, it would look pretty cool.





Second attempt was just to corral the wires with a loop of the solder. Basically a solder zip tie, loop it around and cut off the excess. I like that look so much better. It doesn't fight the feel of the build like the spirals did.







I like that it's not really eye grabbing, but does the job, and it was pretty simple to do. It also gives me bundles of wires which I like the look of.



And that pretty much buttons the case up. The tubing is still a bit off, but I'm OK with it and it's only noticeable from the right angles, the rest of the time it looks dead on. So I guess all that's left are the final pics and that will be the next update. Thanks for following along!



Thanks to my sponsor:

 

What about surrounding the solder with wires and cable lacing with blue thread. Then you'd have cables like those poseable rubber toys, and no visible binding.

 

That's a good idea. You might have just started a new trend of people running all bendy wires like they're doing with cooling lines now cause I guess that's a thing??? I get wanting some flair, but the plumber in me just wants to smack someone.

I'd really just like to use zip ties, but everyone has deemed them unacceptable. Even without any management, the wires went the way I wanted, save for one or two that wanted to be a bit loose, and those were the ones I wanted to corral a bit more. I think I should have gotten bonus points for the wiring looking that nice without any cable management.

And lacing. No, just no. I never want to do that again. I like the look, but hate actually doing it.

 

And the final pics. Yeah, they're just in my shop but that's my style, LOL.

































Thanks for following along!

And a huge thanks to:

 

Beautiful.

 

Thanks!

 

this veneered effect is just awesome , it looks like blue coolant is floating inside the chassis, very elegant mod, pure and beautiful really

 

Thanks!