Case Mod - In Progress Jadawgis's Money Pit

So I’ve been in the planning stage of a new project for about 2-3 weeks. During that time I’ve looked at literally hundreds of worklogs and purchased a number of products (Thank you college grant money). I wasn’t originally intending to do a worklog but in an effort to give back to a community from whom I’ve taken back, I will keep one.

My current rig is a Silverstone Raven RV02-B housing an ASUS P6X58D-e, i7 930, 2x GTX 470s in SLI, H50, 6Gb DDR3-1600, BFG EX-1200. To quiet the system down, since I’m an incessant tinkerer, enjoy projects, and love tech, and because it looks freaking sick, I’ll be going water on the next rig.
Many people had advised me on upgrading the case. I bought the Raven two months ago and was originally very reluctant to do so. But finally, at Microcenter, who was having a sale on the Corsair 800D for $240, I acquiesced. So to sum up the parts I’ve got over the past few weeks:

Watercooling:
MCR-320QP Radiator
MCR-220QP Radiator
MCP-655-b Pump
EK D5 X-Top Rev. 2
EK Multioption 250ml Advanced Rev. 2 Reservoir
Swiftech MicroRes Rev.2
2x EK FC-GTX-470 GPU Blocks (Nickel/Plexi)
Swiftech Apogee XT CPU Block
XSPC Dual Bay Res/Pump (X2O 750)
2 1000ml Bottles of Feser One UV (Purple)
2 1000ml Bottles of Primochill Ice UV (Steel Blue)
10’ Primochill LRT UV Blue 7/16”ID 5/8” OD
10’ Primochill LRT Black 7/16”ID 5/8” OD
20 Bitspower Shining Silver 1/2” ID Barbs
2 Bitspower Rotary 1/2" ID Barbs
1 Danger Den Blue Anodized Fill Port
2 Gallons Distilled Water
2 Gallons Distilled Vinegar
Danger Den Syringe
D Plug for SLI Connection

MODDING
Dremel 300i
Sunbeam PSU mod tools (My hands are tore up from using other methods and wires I’ve practiced on have often needed new connectors and soldering)
Lian Li Universal Drive Cover C-02B
100’ 1/8” Clean Cut Via Furryletters
50’ 1/4” Clean Cut Via Furryletters
Assortment of Aquamarine/Black Sleeving from MDPC
**One note I would add here: Over the past 4 months I’ve spent an obscene amount of sleeving from all around the net. I really didn’t want to pay the premium for MDPC sleeving. Well, I’ve paid for it. Most of the stuff was unusuable and will never see the light of day. The only stuff I found that was worth a damn (and won’t show a yellow wire underneath) was Furryletters Clean Cut sleeving on eBay.**

OTHER HARDWARE
Corsair 800D
Creative X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty
Lamptron FC6
3x Yate Loon 120mm D12DB (At school now, will check when I get home)
4x Scythe Gentle Typhoon 120mm (1450RPM)

So the plan is to create two loops:
LOOP 1 (CPU Loop)
Danger Den Fillport -> EK Multioption 250ml -> MCP-655-b -> MCR-220QP -> Apogee XT -> EK Multioption 250ml

LOOP 2 (GPU Loop)
XPSC Dual Bay Res/Pump -> MCR-320 -> GPU 0 -> GPU-1 -> GPU-2 -> XPSC Dual Bay Res/Pump

So that’s the plan. Over the coming weeks I’m going to be stocking up on my understanding of photography. I’ve ordered a 53” Tripod and hopefully my Canon 590 IS will be up to the task. If not, well, there are ways around that. One of the great things about the most notable worklogs I’ve gone through (builds from Laine, Charles h) are the pics. I would love to be able to show off my work as well as them, but I’ll settle for takings pics that aren’t blurry.
I’ve also been moving things around in the room that the computers are housed. I’ve taken out a couch and purchased a few more Galant desk parts to add to my collection. New rug, clock, intense cleaning and wire management all figured heavily into the process.
Any advice/change to the loops would be welcomed. I will need to get some experience with the dremel before taking it to my 800D for the bottom 220 radiator placement. Actually I'll need a ton of experience before I'm comfortable taking a power tool to my $250 case.

CURRENT PROGRESS

 

sorry chap, were not too strict on rules around here, but project logs have to start with actually progress, such as build photos.

I know your excited about it all and want to share, but i wish you waited until you had photos.

 

I do! I just had to wait until the post was approved to actually post in the thread. 6-7 updates coming up:
So here's how the room was 3 months ago:



And here's how it is now:



Here's the stuff that's been delivered:


The Beast I'll be working with:


And I'm still waiting on some parts.
Vandal Resistant Bulgin Latching Switch for CCFLs
5mm LEDs
Needle File
More Heatshrink
M4 Tap
A few others I cant think of...

At the time I took this pic, my 320 rad was in the garage after being painted. Well, apparently I didn't move it over far enough, because coming back from home depot this morning, I pulled in the garage, I felt a distinct bump. Sort like when you run a hobo over but to avoid having it come back to bite you in the ass you back up over him a little at low speed. Well my rad is deformed but not severely. I'll try a c clamp but I'm not sure it won't leak now and the fan holes might be useless.

So the res is airtight....the fan holes didn't align but I took care of that. Hammer and c-clamp style. Had to mod the dualbay to fit it in the 800D:



I realize it's upside down. Just a mockup really...

 

Also worked on some cable management today, and cleaned up.


All those wires will be off the floor sometime between now and sunday night.

MDPC sleeving arrived today, did some leak testing overnight.







I think that's a much better size for the pics. What do you guys think?

 

Updates
So first I did some leak testing. Because I didn't want to cut up my Primochill Black any more than was necessary I used a small piece of clear. It was showing a lot of bubbles even after bleeding as best I could. Do you guys know how to get rid of that?



Next I used my Raven RV02 because the 800D hasn't been modified yet for the bottom 240 Rad. But oh wait! I can't find the package from one of the EK GPU Blocks containing the cardboard spacer, the metal bracket which goes around the die, the plastic spacers and screws to hold it on!?! I assume it wasn't in the package. Well I had both cards on the chopping block ready to go, so I just installed one and I'll email EK and PPCS, hopefully one of them can help me out. The system is running fine (knock on wood) and hopefully I won't have any problems. I really like the way the block shows the fluid. Varrr nice.

 

Another update. Found my second EK bracket hiding in my closet, and really wanted my 3rd display back which meant draining (for the first time in a live loop) and refilling. All went smoothly (I think) aside from sustaining a minor injury while using a pliers to pull a 1/2" barb from a 7/16" tube. The pliers slipped, my thumb was in the worst possible place and the skin turned purple in literally seconds. Pics to follow.

First an image of the block that was in use over the past 24 hours. The loop was using Feser One UV Purple. The block looks like it has cracked or the coolant damaged the acrylic. Does anyone know what this is about?



Next I'm leak testing with both cards installed. By the way EK emailed me within a few hours to set up a replacement for the metal bracket and screws which I found. Good customer service.





I have no clamps but no leaks either (yet) but I've read multiple times that 7/16" ID tubing on 1/2" barbs doesn't require clamps. The GPUs are connected with a D-Plug which I think looks very nice. Finally my thumb. It hurts. Bad. This image was taken 2-3 minutes after the mishap, and it's even worse now. So word to the wise: if you really want to use pliers to pull off a stubborn fitting make sure your thumb is not in the way when they slip.



On a side note, I'm very impressed with the temps on only a 240 rad! 53C 51C on the gpus during a vantage run. Don't know how this compares with others' builds but it's a good 40C lower than air. And totally quiet, which is new to me.

 

UPDATE: Sleeving FC6 Leads

So as I said in the first post I've spent a lot on sleeving over the past few months, since I was reluctant to pay the premium for MDPC sleeve. So much so that I've had to get a bin to store all the sleeve in:



The only good sleeve I did find in my frenzy of clicking the submit order button were "Clean Cut Sleeve" on eBay from the seller FURRYLETTERS. That stuff is great. But I did eventually break down and order some MDPC sleeve. I did this for two reasons. The first was to see what sizes "small" sleeve and "sata" sleeve were. The second was because I could never find clean cut sleeve in anything but black. Well now that I have the sleeve in my hands I can show you it next to clean cut sleeve.


Want to take a guess as to which is which? I couldn't notice a difference either. The only way I was able to differentiate is that the MDPC sleeve was secured by a black zip tie and FURRYLETTERS secures her stuff with a white one.

Random Shots:






Here is the fan controller leads I've made using 1/8" clean cut and some SATA cables sleeved in 1/4" clean cut. Since I couldn't notice a difference between MDPC sleeve and the clean cut stuff I went ahead and used clean cut for the fan controller leads, since I got 100' of it for like $16 shipped. I hope Nils won't mind my post here, I won't post it anywhere else, so as not to give it too much exposure. If Nils wants me to take it down I will. I understand that this may be some secret sauce which is kind of like intellectual property in that it is perhaps a trade secret.





Two tips I would have for beginners are first, when you have the cable sleeved and the two pieces of heatshrink on and ready to go, don't jump the gun. Put the connector back on first so that the heatshrink can be slid down accordingly. Second, stretch out the sleeve to it's limit before tightening the heatshrink. Apparently that "closes the weave structure." I only learned both today, so the SATA cables weren't done using the latter method.

Have updates. I got my the sickest 53" tripod EVAR for $7.99 plus like $8 shipping. Thing is, I'd like to be able to take pics like Laine and oliverw28 but I can't afford a dSLR. So I got this amazing tripod instead. Seriously the ingenuity built into this thing. There's a quick release for the mounting plate which the camera screws on to. I didn't know what it did at first. Guess that'll teach me not to press buttons on a machine my $140 (I'm a cheapskate) camera is mounted to. All is well though. There is a level on top of the tripod. Three locking legs. A winch to raise/lower the camera once the legs are locked in. There's seeming more pivots up top than there are dimensions in space time. Seriously this thing is amazing, and the steal of the century. I'll provide a link down bottom.




I also stopped by radio shack on the way back from class to investigate my terminal strip idea. Good idea, because the strip, a perfect project box to mount it in, and several other items were there for cheap. (Did you guys know they have molex male/female pins?!?) Finally does anyone know if the crimper I chose for ATX female pins and the extractor I chose for removing bad ATX female crimps are the right tools for the job? It would save me some time...



Here's the tripod link. Haha I thought the link said "ass product" at first http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F8FNSG/ref=oss_product

Problem: My PSU's PCI-e cables are not just a single connector. They go from 8 Pin (modular PSU connector) to 6 Pin (PCI-e) to 6+2 Pin (PCI-e). Here are a few pics. I am wondering if anyone knows an elegant solution to this, because the kink between the two connectors is ugly. I was thinking maybe reattaching (soldering) the second group of size cables in further down the line to the modular connector. Also crimping in two cables with ATX female pins is close to impossible.

 

Update 9/23/10: Ideas and Arrivals


Between yesterday and today a ton of stuff showed up. I got my cordless drill, riveter & rivets, 3 cooler master R4s (not sure if they’ll be used in the final build), Blue Primochill LRT 7/16” ID 5/8” OD, USB Hub (a proper one), Dremel Straight Edge and Circle Cutter, Primer, Black Satin, both Rustoleum, Corsair Memory Cooler, Lian Li cable clamps, Lian Li DVD bezel, a Lamptron CCFL inverter, and a few other bits and ends.

I started cutting a piece of acrylic to mount over a terminal block. I realize the sides aren’t even yet, I’ll probably sand them to get a closer cut. I was using reinforced metal cutting discs with a dremel, since I don’t really know what the best tool to use is yet. That reminds me, if anyone here is good with power and electricity please help me here:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1549211


Oh, and what’s that? It’s a Steelseries 7G, of course! I couldn’t stand the lights so I pressed some a thin strip of electrical tape on, and poked holes over the LEDs.

 

And there's more. I'm getting a ton of stuff done today. Finally finished painting the 360 rad. The same rad I ran over with my car! You can see the bend that I've tried to coax back into place several times, to no avail. It's still airtight, hopefully it'll be alright in the case. I also tried to snap a pic of my dog since all worklogs have pet pics. Unfortunately my basset hound is terrified of all cameras, especially ones with flashes. I was hoping he'd have gotten over it by now, but nope. He's still as difficult to photograph as the Shroud of Turin.




My Rad Fin Masking Method. That's patent pending, yo.

 

New update, and it’s a doozy. Yeah, I just used the word “doozy” in a sentence. Does that make me gay? Kind of, yeah….

Anyway, I found my solution for a hub.

I dropped by a local electronics store and when I was walking to the register I saw a wall full of these things. Most had 4 inputs and 1/3 outs, but this one was just right. It’s a 24k multifuse block, which ended up costing $15. While it’s perhaps not the most elegant solution, I think it looks cool. And if I don’t end up using it I can always bring it to a pawn shop. I can probably get like $150 for it, easily. It took 2 hours to get it rigged up and sleeved, and the sleeving still isn’t right. Oh well, there’s a solution to that. . . When I was about to switch on the power supply I can’t tell you how nervous I was. This probably has something to do with the fact that each of the last 3 splices to molex wiring jobs I did failed. It turned out to be that I had the 12v+/- pins in the 5v spots. You live you learn….

As I said I switched on the PSU and to my amazement it actually worked the first time! I continued to plug more components in, and they all worked too!


That last pic must have been a really fast exposure because you can see the fans are spinning around 1000RPM and they appear to be still in the pic. I realize nearly half the LEDs in my sunlight stick are done. Oh well, they’re cheap. I might change the name of the build to the money pit…. If you’re wondering why the Lamptron inverter and FC6 are taped it’s because I love how scratches make anodized aluminum look.

Anyway, here is the final product.

And a last shot for giggles.

 

So while I'm waiting for a few other things to come in, I figured I'd cut up my case and install a fillport. I was following Mr. Armageddon's instructions: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24705522@N05/sets/72157622328385917/ when it came time to remove these rivets:
On his instructions he says he uses a "Dremel Tool" but here are my tools and I see nothing that would help. Anyone have any ideas?

Used a 1/8" bit for the front rivets. Removed the hard drive cage braces by removing these two screws:

I also wanted to tell a funny story about me and rivets and our (thus far) tumultuous relationship.So, it’s just taken me 4 hours to get a single pop rivet into the front of my case. Why? Because Stanley was kind enough not to include any kind of documentation with their tool, that’s why. The first rivet did not separate from the tool and I had to use a dremel with a reinforced metal tip to cut it off. I was stupid enough to SEE the sparks flying and still not don any kind of eyewear. After I returned from the emergency room, I started up again, this time making sure to wear protection. But seriously, after the spark landed in my eye, just as I was starting to scream, the dremel slipped and you’ll see the result of that in the pictures. To give you an idea of how big the corsair 800D is you can use the imprint my metal cutting disc left.
So anyway after I got that rivet out, I realized my rivet gun wouldn’t work. Apparently it had eaten the long end of the rivet I had tried to use. So I put the pointy end of a safety pin in the riveter in an attempt to loosen whatever was blocking it. It ate that too. Then I tried using the point on my corn-on-the-cob holder which I also use for stubborn ATX pins, the greedy ******* ate the corn-on-the-cob holder. Then, during a mixture of screaming and rage infused use of a flathead screwdriver being used in a stabbing like motion I managed to get an exploded view of a riveter.
There were about fifteen assorted miniature parts, springs, nuts, bolds, a squashed safety pin and a corn-on-the cob holder strewn across the rug. After crying for a little bit, right as I was making that hyperventilating sound kids make after a good cry, I resolved to fix it and then write a very witty review on Amazon about how much the product sucked. Fast forward two hours, I watched a youtube and figured out that I needed to use the right sized head for the job. To my amazement it actually worked, and I was very proud of myself.
Amazon is not being helpful either. After that episode, I was going to unload all my highbrow criticisms of the Stanley MR33C but the Write a Review page wouldn’t load. So my aggression carried over and I right clicked on the link and opened a new tab. 200 times. Was that a bit excessive? Maybe Will they be hearing from me on it? No, they’ll be hearing from my lawyer along with a bill for my medical costs. I’ve also still not recovered the end of the rivet as you can see in the last picture.
Just to show you all the tools I used, and the victim of riveter-on-corn-on-the cob violence:

The unspeakable, satanic, piece-of-$#!&.


The rivet that took 4 hours and an emergency room visit to install, and the damage to the case:


And the broken off rivet:

 

I just thought you should know that your photobucket bandwidth has been exceeded.

I saw your project before it happened, and it does look good, your doing a whole room rebuild which I like

 

Yeah, this is my first worklog. I'm still learning...

Anyway, I've made progress. Cut up the bottom of the case using a jigsaw. I used a dremel to start cuts along edges and it is about 10x slower than a jigsaw. I also installed a fillport.

I used the back of the Rad Grillz 240 grill box as a template:

And began cutting. Here is the finished result:

I crapped the bed on the installation of the fill port.


But ran out to Home Depot for a washer and a magnetic screw (or metal shard) pickup. I widened the center of the rubber washer with good old fashioned scissors and installed.

But then I noticed something that made me vomit on my new rug (in red above [the catastrophe not the vomit]). I still can't figure out how it happened but I'm guessing when I was sweeping the underside of that piece with the magnetic wand it made a shaving scrape across the surface. More likely a shard landed on the mat or rug that I was using to protect the surface and when I was picking it up to carry it in it scraped on the rug (and shaving).

Two questions I have are is the exposed dremel cutting disc in the picture below done for? And I got two switches for CCFLs, I don't know which I'll use yet. One is a latching vandal proof 22mm bulgin type switch and one is a blue dot LED rocker switch, also 22mm. Which should I use and would mounting it to the right or left of the fillport look awful? The fillport is perfectly centered and I would mount it the same distance back from the front, over maybe 1.5-2 inches.

 

Really?!? That's awful! Where should I post my pictures?

EDIT:
uploading to imageshack now. Should be a little while before I have all images on all 7 threads switched over, but I'll do it soon.

 

It does such, also in three days the month will change and then, I think your bandwidth limit gets reset (but I'm not sure on that)

Anyway, don't take the problems to hard, it's your first time and it gets easier. (shouldn't say much though since I'm only on number two). Good luch

 

So today I got my mounting hardware from EK. I found the parts 24 hours after I had sent the first email. Unfortunately, it was already on its way to the US and there was nothing that could be done. (Sorry guys) but great customer service always endears customer loyalty! Anyway, I was thinking about the link between the reservoir and pump and I thought this might look good. What do you guys think?


It’ll mounted in this fashion:

Also this could be good fodder for a caption contest. She's scrutinizing the camera man quite hard!

 

Nice build!

That full cover block doesn't look healthy - sort of looks like the plexi has been overtightened or even that the edge of the metal is uneven (burr mark/uneven edge from milling?) and put undue pressure on the plexi there. Probably worth taking the plexi off to check what's happening.

 

This, for me just looks like that you have some dirt stuck in between the block and cover. looks like som small strings.

I would reccomend you to buy the V.2 insert and this anti cyclon filter. it works like a charm!


looks good otherwise

 

Did you ever leak test the hobo-err... radiator?

 

@Cheapskate LOL, yeah I did. It works, and is currently mounted at the top of the case. I've done a lot of work lately, so next update will be a big one.


@p0Pe I think you may be right! I don't know if you saw the picture of my dog, but he's a basset hound and naturally he sheds a LOT! I saw the sticker on the side of the EK GPU block indicating I would void the warranty if I open it. Would I be able to put it back together though if I did, in order to remove the dog hair or are there special machines that must be used in order to do so?