Project "Extreme Cool" -Stacker Case Mod - MrBean - (Update 27 Feb 05)

man, that's nice and some equally nice work and hardware. keep up the good work.

 

hmm, thats very slick modding, i like how slick the rad install is looking. i also thing you got a great case to work with, keep it up!

 

looking very good - glad the see the rad going in the sensible place
those LCDs look really smart - how much did they set you back?!

 

Very good so far. I like what you've got going on. Consider me a follower!!

 

looks like your rad will get in the way of the power supply. Am I correct? how will you get round it?

 

Hazchem: You are correct, the rad is taking up most of the top area As I have mentioned before, the psu will be relocated to the bottom.....Coolermaster manufactured this case to double up as a BTX-compatible, so the mounting hardware is mostly in place.....I am considering turning the mobo around, as in btx, then the cabling would look neat, you can see the nice Cool-Matic waterblock on my Gaineard 6800U, and it would be somewhat different from the norm.

Jazzle: The LCD's were purchased locally (South Africa) for around R4800- rands each.....that makes it around US $800- each. Quite expensive, I know...

Thanx for all the other comments, keep em coming...it is appreciated.

Another thing that I am considering is using a 2nd Radiator...what!!.....hehe....the Stacker have some very nice space in the back, where the 120mm fan is located. I am using a very big Eheim1260 pump, and the 2nd Rad would only allow for less restrictive flow from the pump, so they will be connected in parallel.

That way I will have good cooling, and decent flow, to cool the Antarctica cpu block, GFX/NB and 2 harddrive coolers.

Just need to upload some more photos to my host, will post them in a short while.

Brb.

 

I've gotta admire your guts there for modding such an expensive case, and making the mods fit in so naturally as well, so as to avoid making it look like an obvious mod, which does detract from the final product's appeal

<A88>

 

Hello Everyone,
Ok, a few more photos...nothing serious, me eyeing things out, fitting pumps, looking at options how to have the Eheim1260 suction-side connected directly to the Aquacomputer reservoir......

But 1st, a pic of me, MrBean....



and my assitant.....her name is Tootsie



Sure she is a lot cuter than me, so here is another one of her, taking over my work....



Some comparisons between my Eheim1260 and the 1048 model.....quite big, hehe....

Specs on both these pumps....



Full-on frontal....



Top side, showing discharge lines....



Enough of pumps...this is where the psu will go....



and a side view....



Bottom of the Stacker case.....comes pre-cut like this.....suits me fine, PSU can get some fresh air from this area.....



a Nice shot showing how well the rad and Res fits in the top



Let me know what you all think. As I said, the area in the back where the 120mm fan fits, I will mount a 2nd small 120X120 rad, to prevent flow-throttling of my pump....so water will enter the rads in parallel.

Overkill, I know, that is why it is called Extreme Cool.

Alexwilk88: Guts or crazy, I don't know...my wife reckons it is the latter Thanx for your comments though!

 

Looking very good there beany. You make us South africans proud. I just don't have enough patience to make my holes so perfectly round. I like the whole clean look of your system.

How many days did you spend on the top, plz give me the amount of days u took to do it and not hours. I was just wondering because I have alot of time on my hand but not enough energy to do it all in one shot.

Mod on

 

Hi Bullfrog,
Welcome, nice to see your face again

Anyway, it took me more or less 4 hours npn-stop from marking the top, removing, pre-cut and finishing off the cut-outs. Not to long, I guess, but then again, I am quite patient with these kind of things.

Just had my 13th Weeding Anniversary on the 14th of December, so, you see, I have lots and lots of it

Be back in a while, busy in the garage making some cut-outs on plexi for the top bezel, faceplate for my Fan-O-Matic etc.....small odds and ends. Will post pics later tonight, or tomorrow.

Bye for now.

 

Wow you can work for 4 hours non stop!!

I don't have the enrgy after work, i have to stand for the whole day, have got some time now so I think i'm gonna go finish my res.

Good luck with the cut, hope to see some more pics later.

And as always, KEEP IT CLEAN

 

I think you installed the PSU upside down...the fans usually point to the inside of the case and push the air from there over the innards of the PSU and out the back.

Unless you want it that way, in that case, I think you should make the rectangle hole have a circular part that fits the rest of the fan...that way it's not halfway blocked.

 

It looks like his PSU has fans on both sides

 

Just my 2 cents, but I would use stainless steel (that is what AC's radiator grill is made of ). That way the top of the case would be uniform in appearance.. then perhaps polish or chrome both the grill and the custom res. plate..

 

Mmm...exactly what I 1st thought I should use, you can buff stainless to a high lustre.....I spend a few hours this afternoon making the top bezel from plexi, and it looks good. But, I guess I will end up doing a .dwg file and send it to my friend to have it lasercut on the cnc machine.

Shaping 2mm stainless is quite difficult...so of to the cnc laser As you said, Modsquad, that way it will keep the appearance clean.

I am also busy doing a new front for my Innovatek controller, will be finished with it tomorrow. Will post some pics then.

Wrt the PSU.....I will make a new plate to cover the pre-cut in the floor of the case, and then make a proper intake for the psu fot that fan, Pistol. Yip, it is upside down, but for a reason.

I will show why a little later on. What is the use of having a nice 6800U, with a even nicer waterblock on, and you can't see it, as it is hidden....lol...

Keep tight, and happy modding.

Later.

 

Wait, show us what the plexi ended up looking like!

 

PSU is the installed right. If this is going to be a gaming/ overclocking rig i'd suggest you use a PSU with a bit more grunt, a Q-Tec isn't the sort of thing i'd like powering gear like that

 

Yessir, of course I will do that......I will still do the Stainless top, but, I will keep the plexi, and sandwich it between the case and the stainless....so at night-time we will have some eyecandy if I so wish

I actually did 2 things this afternoon...no, make it 3.....We have a diningroom table, with a 1/2" glass top, and with my modding, I managed to break it Boy-oh-boy, the wife was pissed off...ouch....now I need to replace that in the week....hehe...will show some pics of THAT extreme mod a little later...maybe tomorrow....

Ok, back to modding.....the Innovatek controllers are nice units, but they come supplied with only an aluminium front panel. I made a UV plexi one to fit ontop of the alu one, here are a few shots.....note that I still have to polish the sides of the plexi, it is file-finished only....

For you guys that want to know, I used a carbide cutter to make those dimples for the switches.....1st drilled it with normal drill, and then turned the carbide cutter between my fingers to make those dimples.



another shot....here you can see the dimples clearly...



and another....



Ok, I also made the plexi bezel, at least the top part, I will make it the same width as the fangrill, and then make a stainless cover plate to fit over it....ala G-gnome sandwich plate. Thanx for the idea, mate.

1st shot....



another one

 

Ok, here it sits ontop of the case.....



another one...



and a last one, showing a few hours work.....



Both the bezels' edges needs to be polished......will get to it.

Another thought.....now that I decided to sandwich the front bezel between the case, and a stainless top, I will also make a uv-plexi plate for the fangrill. Modsquad mentioned I should keep things uniform.....hehe.....

Leeum:

This is actually a rebranded 530W Fortron unit, the one Aopen sells. It is quite hectic, and still powered my 3.2 Northwood at 4.3+gig, as well as my 6800U at 470/1300 speeds without blinking an eye. Rails still above 11.90V at these speeds, so I reckon it should be ok for a 3500+/6800 combo.

I will check the rails again with my trusty old Fluke once everything is connected.

Later then, off to bed, have to play Squash 07h00 in the morning.

Bye.

 

I think that is a GREAT idea!! Plexi and polished stainless will look kick-***..
Nice work on the Innovatek LCD, I need to do the exact same thing to my Aqua-Computer VFD..Good work, keep it up..