Scratch Build – In Progress Project: Hush!

That is some sexy polishing mate.

 

This build is so slick. I've never seen anything else like it, and have been following this from the start. Don't give up and keep the updates coming.

 

Really nicely made back panel & I'm really into all the flush fitting bits & ooooh a vandal powered eject button, awesome stuff MP keep it up mate .

 

Cheers dude!

I really don't know what you mean. Notes down TWeak's posts as anomalies for the purpose of future statistics.

Yeah.. no idea whether polishing is going to survive intact at all after anodising or whether a matt surface would end up looking the same after anodisng!

Thanks voigts! Not going to give up - contemplating making more work for myself for minimal difference in aesthetics atm!

Are you done cutting that pattern in the wood in your project yet?

Cheers dude! Hmmmm, not sure whether to scrap the motherboard tray and pci/io bracket and make a different solution myself. Damn indecision, going to have a think about it as those bits are a bit fiddly...

 

Bit of an update: upgraded my graphics card to a GTX 480 with full cover block. I was a little concerned it might screw up my temps but only seems to have bumped up idle temps 4 or 5C to 32-33C with the GTX480 set to 900MHz core and 2200 for memory at max volts (1.138Vcore). The i5 750 processor is at 4.2Ghz, 1.42Vcore. With Intel Burn Test and Furmark running together I'm getting temps of 49-50C on the GPU and max of 63C on the CPU.

The eagle-eyed may spot the severe kink in the primochill 1/2" ID, 3/4"OD tubing between the GPU block and the pump. Think I may need to go for some 45 degree rotary fittings to solve that.







Here's the 1.5mm thick aluminium backplate. I've cut a hole for the pci/io bracket and an extra 1mm width to allow for the motherboard tray. There's also a hole for the PSU to vent through, though I still need to cut slightly into one of the supporting legs for the PSU kettle plug to go through

The PCI&IO backplate is attached from the back - it's not attached by screws yet - it'll have some countersunk screws hidden behind the pci bracket thumbscrews.



I don't have a metal break, so I clamped aluminium angle with G clamps and bent the flap of the backplate above the PCI bracket to a right angle with a hammer against the clamped alminium angle. Unfortunately I missed a few times, and theres two small dents. I'll try getting rid of them with by clamping the backplate between two flat plates, but if that doesn't work I might need to use filler and spraypaint the backplate...














Here's a poor photo of the back of the case:



Not that easy to see, but I've filled in the irregular creases in the polyester coat on the ends. Still needs filling with polyester resin on the top and bottom of the bottom plenum, and then I can sand it down. I'll probably end up spraying the plenums black.



I added a ball valve for draining the loop, attached to a bitspower rotary adapter. I had tried a less compact rotary fitting but it leaked. :/

Hidden away...



Swiveled round for draining. A 90 degree turn of the black tap and the system drains.

 

epic case is epic.

im extremely happy to see updates to this project finally. those temps would be good for a normal water cooling rig, let alone passive cooling.

so when will you add the PSU to the loop to get rid of that last fan?

 

The PSU fan doesn't spin unless the system's under load, and even then it's a quiet sanyo denki fan so not really intrusive. Would be a bit wary watercooling the PSU anyhow!

 

It's just so awesome! by far one of my favourites

 

Nice work Monkey Puzzle specially those polished parts

 

Those temps are mighty fine for a passive normal sized pc & the drain point is too so project hush is looking like an awesome success to me MP , the kink you mentioned doesn't look servere like you said but it's visible but from the pictures it doesn't look severe & if it is as bad as you say it's easily fixed eh .

 

I'm with wayne, that's an awesome drain point It's just too bad I can't afford one of those power supplies.

 

Thats funny about the PSU I thought mine was broke with the fan not spinning but after looking into it this is normal behaviour for while it's in low load .

 

That is a WORK of ART great work ! My pc would be very happy to have that for a case. Great Job.


Looks like to late to help with some info but maybe you can use it any way.

We make Copper Coils on Late a work from time to time. and this is how we get a nice Copper Coil.

If you can find 2 nice solid points take vise grips and clamp one end of copper to post to make end solid. Then other end hook to a nice chain hoist something that will let you PULL the other end of copper tube.

Now keep pulling with chain hoist till tube takes a nice set use your micrometer and pull till tube is pulled a few thou undersize. Example if you have like 1/4 tube pull till tube is under a few .247 maybe even .245 so we know that all the kinks in tube are gone . This is KEY to getting an nice looking copper tube.

Now on the Lathe make a nice arbor turn it to size your looking to make lets do like 3 inch od arbor. and use a radius lathe bit cuter and cut a light thread in arbor so that tube will stay in grove.

Hope we still have ya now. LOL

Now we need a way to clamp one end onto the arbor so drill and tap a nice hole next to splindle on arbor this will clamp and hold one end of copper.

Now to hold copper easy way is to make a tool holder that has a tefflon hole in it and run copper in that .

Set the lathe as slow as it will go rpm but still turn nice and stedy.

Turn the lathe on and it should make a nice coil for you may have to hold or put a little pull on copper as it is turning onto the arbor.

Also yours is maybe the only case that will go up in value copper sure not going back down any time soon.

 

looks fantastic mate! Have been following this from the beginning, and am happy to see it perform so well!

I have a few concerns about the watercooling though!
Doesnt your pump create vibration noise when hanging there? It looks like it hits the side panel.
And i would seriously considder replacing it, and putting a reservoir into the system. When pumps have to "pull" to get the water in, they dont live as long, and is a bit more noisy than if you had a reservoir

 

Thanks for the detailed suggestion. I don't like having coils on the pipes though - spoils the looks imo.

 

Yeah, it's close to the wall, just touching atm, and dampened with some makeshift cloth. vobration noise is minimal with the cloth, but still noisier than it could be.

I'm going to try bitspower 45 degree connectors - I'd rather not have to route the tubing over and behind the motherboard to sit on top of the PSU - which is probably what I'd need to do to have a reservoir top. I'll have to see how it goes. Thanks for the input.

 

Yeah, a res wouldn't hurt. You certainly have room for one.
I found a great noise dampener material for your pump too: Foam earplugs.

 

Thanks for the nice comments guys.

Time for an update:

Here's the dents in the backplate from the hammer (x2!). Think I won't be able to sand out easily so I'll probably need to use bodyfiller and then paint after. The backplate is a little scuffed up, but that'll clean up nicely enough.


Here's a PSU bracket I've made. Not secured in to the rest of the case yet.
















It's a little ugly with the screw-heads, but they'll sit hidden under 1cm thick neoprene cushioning. Still undecided on whether to remake the PSU bracket from thick aluminium plate (~1cm thick), and simply cut out the fan hole.



Here's the back of the case from the back



Here's the back of the case - Using countersunk screws inside means I need to have nuts on this side. The I/O bracket is inserted from the back to unclutter the look inside. However, the 1mm aluminium IO&PCI bracket has flaps to attach to the case. One of these extends down at the bottom where the nut is at the bottom of this pic. To get everything sitting flush a 1mm step was cut into the inside of the thick aluminium frame with a dremel milling bit.







I decided to use more countersunk screws for a nice clean finish inside.







IC cooling are kind enough to send out free samples of their Thermal interface material if you agree to test it against your previous paste and send them the results.







So after sorting out the kink in the watercooling loop and testing my previous paste, MX-3, using Intel Burn Test, and using InterBurnTest and MSI Kombustor/Furmark simultaneously (to produce as much heat as possible - around 550W!) I swapped out the TIM and remounted the blocks.

 

Nice work monkey puzzle , and that graphics card is drool worthy

 

It does look very nice the pci/io piece mounted like that, nice solid looking psu stand too, this is still 1 of my favourites & that final shot looks very cool . +rep