Case Mod - In Progress Losing my Virginity - Update! 17-02-09

Progress:

Update 1: 21-01-09

Update 2: 25-01-09

Update 3: 17-02-09

Update 4 and FINISHED PICS!: 07-03-09


I thought I should finally start my so called "work log"

It's not much, it's my first mod and first watercooling loop and it's all very budget inside a Coolermaster Centurion RC534.

I didn't have a camera when I first started this project so sadly you miss the pictures of it being stripped down and what not

I started off sorting out my fans, they are Yate Loons and come with stupid 3 pin and 4 pin molex, wanted to remove the 4 pin a I wont use it

Before:


After:


1: The case


2: I got a shiny new TFC XChanger 120mm to cool my CPU and decided to mount it in the roof


2: Action Shot! (yes, I mod in a shirt)


3: Looks about right


4: More holes to drill


5: Sorted!


So with that mounted I got bored and riveted the case back together (yeah, so I have more holes to cut ... your point is )

6: Top side


7: Top front (you can see a bit of my rad :roll


8: Innards (yes, my fan cables need sleeving ...)


9: Stop staring at my rad


10: Full frontal rad nudity


I took it apart again and started drilling

11: Marked up for cable tidying holes in the mobo tray


12: Drilled, I need to cut them when I can use my dads ... cutting tool


While I was drilling, I thought I better do pilot holes for the top fan hole for my rad.

13: hmm masking tape goodness! (feet anyone?)


That's pretty much where I am at with the mods so far, I plan on increasing the airflow in the case due to how restrictive it is at the front then I will daisy chain the fans on the rad so I can use a 3 port fan controller.

Just some other pics, my waterblock arrived from Marcus today (pretty damn prompt aswell I might add) cost me £16.50 all together, see, budget!, so I don't expect it to be a screaming performer but should do well enough! The lovely chap also threw in some 1/2" barbs for me too <dance1>

1: What's this I hear you cry! ... it's a box, duh!


2: But it has something inside!? yeah, box, they have stuff in 'em


3: Where'd the box go? Enough about the box, it's what's in the box that counts! there was something in the box?


4: See, CPU block, barbs and mounting shizzle


5: CPU Block


6: Barbs


7: oooh, a hand! looks pretty girly ... hmm, isn't mine, honest ...


8: hey it's that girly hand again


9: and there we have it


That's all I have for you!
So, not much of a mod but like I said, I'm a first timer, I'm sure you all remember your first time ... no, not that memory, when you first modded a PC, you dirty person!

Expect updates over the weekend, should be done by then and will be able to get the loop in next week!

Thanks for reading, and apologies for some weird battles between myself and what appears to be an alter ego ... maybe it was that glass of non-specific cola drink I had earlier

Your Friendly Neighbourhood DaveVader-man

 

So, where is the females? you got my hopes up with the whole virginity-thing..

Modding barefeet in a shirt, creative...
and, does that radiator + fan take up 3 bays?

looking forward for the rest of this

 

Yep, 3 bays, they go wasted anyway, I only have 1 DVD drive so it makes sense really!
It's quite a beefy rad, 75mm in thickness I think so with the 2 fans on it does seem quite bulky, in the 5.25" bays though it's quite out of the way.

The barefeet are so I know whether to vacuum, if there are metal shards about the blood from my feet will point me to them ...

Cheers for the positive feedback but, what are these "females" you speak of?

 

You will defiantly loose your virginity with a rad that fat

Liking it all so far! I need to cut some holes in my mobo tray, you doing to edge the holes with anything?

 

doubt it, file and smooth them down and they should be fine, the rounded edges will reduce any kind of snags aswell.

 

hmmm i think i saw feet in there somewhere.. ..lol
nah seriously great job so far.
i havent ventured into the water cooling land just yet.
something to do with my aversion to adding liquid to electric i think.
should turn out great when done =o)

 

Congratulations on finally getting it wet.
-and thank you for giving me a chance to use that joke.

How freaking thick are those rads? I'm designing a case around a thermochill, but they don't seem to exist anymore. I don't want to use a substitute and find it hits the motherboard.

 

They are real thick, nothing I'm not used to mind ...

I think the TFC Xchangers are the same dimensions as Thermochills but the shop I use have Thermochills on a serious backorder. Apparently TC are getting more and more popular and due to not using big ol' production lines, they get a bit behind. Have a hunt, you will find 'em.

You may not want a substitute but the TFC Rads are probably the best substitute you will get.

 

Nice start so far! that is some size of rad right enough!!! that makes my 240 stealth look like a dwarf!!

 

you mean this one ..... it has 2 inlet and 2 outlet threads and will hold 3x140mm or three 120mm fans on one side and real CF applications attached to the side ...it's called:

TFC Xchanger - Monsta Extreme Radiator 420/360




I'll be watching to see how this mod moves along .....


Alan

 

Congrats on the modding lost cherry, DaveVader!

Cheaps, Thermochill seems to have fallen off the face of the Earth. TBH, if you want the same level of performance without paying extravagant prices (cough...Feser...cough), go for one of the new XSPC RX series rads. Lowest FPI in the industry at this point now, so you can probably just like wave air towards its general direction and it will work!

 

you're right about the prices ........ just checked the price for the above , it's 199EUR which would be $258.954.
The 120mm that DaveVader has is 65EUR about $84.59 .

Looks like XSPC will be selling more than the others just because their ptice is OK........

Alan

 

Oh, believe me Alan, they are going to sell like mad. It's already starting to leak out now with all the great reviews on them so far, but it'll saturate the market to the point where people will go to them for rads simply based on the price-point for that type of rad; i.e. silent low-noise niche for liquid cooling. $90 for a triple rad compared to $140 for the same size from Feser. Do the math!

 

Oh I believe you and you're absolutly right , I'm pretty sure that they'll sell a lot of the triples .....but being how thick they are most people with smaller cases won't be ablle to mount them internaly only externaly and then those rads will end just like the Mo-Ra 2 ...... back in their boxes ....... just like the Mo-Ra 2 I own ..........


Alan

 

i def couldn't fit one in my case! i can barely squezze in the BL GT Stealth 240 never mind a tripple!

 

UPDATE TIME!

Only a small one today, basically just cut the roof for the rad fan hole and the motherboard cable routing holes. I must apologise though, in the heat of the moment, I ended up taking no pictures of the actual modding, there are some shots for after though

Either way, I'm sure you know what cutting a case looks like.

And so we begin...

1: So I got the top fan hole cut


2: So I may not be a human laser cutter


3: But it works well enough


4: See


I then proceeded to cut the holes in the motherboard tray for some lovely cable management

1: HOLES!


2: FEET!


I started to install my rad and fans

1: Rad - 1 fan


2: Interior pretty much done


So I didn't really do much but that's the general idea of the mod
Just got some external stuff to do, get the rest of my watercooling gear (which seems easier said than done right now... stupid RM) and I'll be done

Cheers for tuning in,

Dave

 

That rad is so thick, but its nice The fan hole is kinda not so round Maybe use the next time a template or something.

 

I drew round the fan grill to get the shape, I will probably file it a bit more but with the fan grill on you can't see it so much.
The pictures make it look a lot worse than it is aswell, trust me. I would have done it with a holesaw but didn't have one big enough.

 

Draw a template then cut inside it and file back to the outline, takes ages but you get a near perfect hole and not like some sort of misshaped cookie.

 

A normal music CD is almost perfect for making a 120mm circle hole.