Shuttle SP35P2 Pro: Project Open Air ***PICS***

cornelious0_0

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Apr 6, 2003
Messages
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Here's a summary of the mods that are taking place:

I'm in the process of completely redesigning the way that the SP35P2 is going to look, it's not going to resemble the SP35P2 a lot once I'm done, but I really like the idea and it'll be beneficial in a few ways. What I'm doing is cutting out the majority of every panel in the case, leaving an inch or less of case left around each edge, and installing this mesh in the openings...basically creating very large mesh windows on each panel.

Personally I find the look of the silver aluminum interior very boring and plain, so in addition to installing the (almost) full panel mesh windows I'm also getting the entire chassis painted black. In addition to the mesh panels and the painted chassis I'll be sleeving the PSU black (and possibly painting the PSU casing if I tear it apart) as well to complete the look.

I was originally going to stop there, but I just couldn't stand going with the smaller Thermalright Ultima-90 for the CPU cooling upgrade knowing that the Ultra-120 eXtreme would technically fit in my case with the front internal drive cage removed. In order to feed the Ultra-120 eXtreme fresh air with it installed parallel to the front of the case I'm going to be removing the front plastic bezel entirely and also cutting out 90% of the front of the case, leaving a huge mesh panel in it's place as well.

Aside from shaving an inch or two off the depth of the Shuttle this is going to give it a very unique look, with everything 100% black it'll be extremely eye catching to be able to see into the SFF case from every angle, and it'll be something very unique that I've never seen done in the past.

With the front of the case replaced with a large panel of mesh, the fan on the Ultra-120 between the heatsink and the case will be pulling cool air in from outside the case, and (if I go with a push-pull setup) the second fan will further push it over my HR-05, and also provide a lot of airflow to/through the PSU, cooling it down significantly.

The really nice thing about the P2 Shuttle chassis is the cooler doesn't use a backplate on the mobo, it actually screws into the case under the board. Once I get the mounting plate designed and cut it'll be a simple matter of having screws long enough to thread into the case from above with enough space for me to put a spring and wing nut on top of the mounting plate to tighten things down.

I know that all might be a lot to take in and/or picture, but in my head it looks effing amazing, and I can't wait to get this all completed. All I have left to do is work out the measurements for the Ultra-120's mounting system that I'm designing and figure out where I'm going to put the power button on the case.

Sorry for rambling, but there's so much going on in the next week that I'm bouncing off the walls with excitement.

If the autobody shop can get the case painted as quick as they say they can I should be able to get it all assembled and completely finished by this time next week.

I've got a 100 person LAN party to go to October 24th so if I can get all the mods done in the next week and a half I'll have plenty of time to work on my OC, as my only barrier at the moment is required voltage and related heat from the CPU that the Shuttle I.C.E. system can't deal with.

Should be exciting, stay tuned!!!
 
UPDATE: Here's a few early pics from last night, try and picture the black honeycomb mesh in all the open side panels and you'll get a better idea of what I'm working towards:

The cable ties are in place in the top corners because the bars along the top of the inside of the case used to be riveted to the front panel...which I removed. I'm going to be applying an epoxy to hold it all together, the ties are only temporary. This also shows (if you look hard enough) why the TRUE's mounting needs to be fixed up. I'm adding plates of thick aluminum that will bridge between the screws and help hold down the center of the mount, but even as is I've still dropped my load temps 11c over the stock Shuttle cooling!!!


The PSU hasn't been sleeved yet so the mass of cables leading along the top edge to the HD4870 will be much more visually appealing soon enough, especially after the case comes back from the autobody shop. ;)


A top-down shot showing the available space between heatsinks and the HD4870. I could add a second fan to the TRUE, but I don't wanna block off the cards intake so it might stay as is.


Just another shot of the two towers with the HD4870's intake staring right down the center.


Sorry for the poor image quality, but it's all I could muster for the time being. I'm taking the day off work monday to fix up the TRUE's mounting (to apply more preasure to the center of the base) and sleeve the PSU so I'll post one final round of pics before I take it all apart one last time for the trip to the autobody shop. :cool:
 
Mad props... that is an awesome job!

Thanks a lot...and here's a few "before" pics so you guys can see where the case is coming from:



As you can see, things have changed quite a bit...and it's not over yet! Stay tuned in the next week or so and final shots should start rollin' out, just depends on how quick I get it back from the autobody shop.
 
Ok man... I am coming over and taking better pic's for you :p those are god awful

What do you mean too slow of a scythe? which one do you have on there? http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=17749&vpn=SFF21F&manufacture=Scythe that's all you need on that thing... though I just saw there is a G version now for 75 CFM... NOICE!

With the F version (63cfm) I am keeping my scorcher B3 rev QX6700 under 55°C fully loaded @ 3.0GHz with the Ultra-120 extreme. Usually around 48-49°C on all four cores with prime small FFT. Your Q6600 (G0 right?) should be able to beat that by quite a bit.

0013eh3x


I fixed my ultra's mounting with a 1/8 washer. Worked well and is stupid easy to mod (just put a washer in there when you mount it lol)

And you should have done water... tisk tisk... lol j/k

MY thermal right city ;) http://pics.livejournal.com/bun_bun/gallery/0000xc6x

000wz75c


BTW the IFX-14 SUCKS! I still have those NB/SB coolers and the mosfets coolers if you want to try adding more into that shuttle. Just a thought.There in my closet in there boxes collecting dust...

I will get back to my case mods soon enough... but new hobby stealing all my time...

http://pics.livejournal.com/bun_bun/gallery/000198q8

EDIT:

Don't bother with push pull. Doesn't help much at all (ive tried).
 
Thanks for the input man, nice to see you post again.

The only reason I was talking about a faster fan is because I want to have a noticeable amount of air moving THROUGH the Ultra-120 to pass over the HR-05 and toward the PSU, something that isn't happening at all as is.

Now that I think about it, it might be easier just to add a decent 80mm fan to the HR-05, between the TRUE and HR-05, blowing on the HR-05. That would add a little bit of suction through the TRUE and give me the airflow I want for the HR-05 and PSU.

Unfortunately, my situation with the Ultra-120's mount isn't as simple as throwing in a washer, but I'm confident that I can still remedy the situation and bring my temps down another few degrees.

I'm still undecided if I'm going to replace the HD4870's cooler, I want something that'll give me more OC headroom on the card but I don't have a lot of space to spare. If I do go with a faster 120mm fan an don't put an 80mm on the HR-05 I could easily fit in the Thermaltake DuOrb, which is still my #1 choice, as it will circulate more air inside the case and add the blue LED's back into the system that I lost when I took out my OCZ XTC Memory Cooler.

A few things still up in the air, but it's all stuff that I can add/change once the system is back from being painted, there's still just under 1 month before the LAN so there's a decent amount of time yet.

EDIT: After an hour of Prime small FFT's I've only topped out at 43-47 across all 4 cores, and that should hopefully come down a bit more once I fix up the TRUE's mount. I might pickup another pack of sandpaper and lap the base of the TRUE for the hell of it and touch up the lapping job on my Q6600. Along with the mount being fixed up a bit I'm confident that these temps of 47/47/43/43 across the 4 cores should drop another few degrees.
 
I've got confirmed measurements now and one of the last things I'll be adding is a Thermalright T-Rad2 for the HD4870 with a fairly silent 92mm or 100mm fan to match the (very low) noise level of my Scythe fan on the Ultra-120.

It's gonna be sweet...can't wait to get the case back from it's paintjob next week sometime!!!
 
go with 2 92mm - cools a bit more and looks better :D

Can't fit a pair of them. The only space available for the fan(s) is between the PSU and Ultra-120 because the fan sticks out past the second expansion slot and past the PSU inside the case.

A 92mm is about all I have room for, but it'll still cool better with a single fan and I figure I'll get more props for it because I'll have to mod the T-Rad2 so I can screw in the 92mm fan exactly where I need it. :)
 
Heading out of town for the day, but by mid-day tomorrow I'll have pics with the mount fixed up, PSU sleeved, and the mesh cut and epoxied in place...I can't even wait to see it one step closer to completion!!!
 
http://pics.livejournal.com/bun_bun/pic/000wb1dx

I spy a.... belly? :confused:

Very nice set up btw, thermalright city for sure.

And props cornelious0_0 thats a serious cube there.

Yes... a belly... my big gut hanging out :(

Thanks for the input man, nice to see you post again.

The only reason I was talking about a faster fan is because I want to have a noticeable amount of air moving THROUGH the Ultra-120 to pass over the HR-05 and toward the PSU, something that isn't happening at all as is.

Now that I think about it, it might be easier just to add a decent 80mm fan to the HR-05, between the TRUE and HR-05, blowing on the HR-05. That would add a little bit of suction through the TRUE and give me the airflow I want for the HR-05 and PSU.

Unfortunately, my situation with the Ultra-120's mount isn't as simple as throwing in a washer, but I'm confident that I can still remedy the situation and bring my temps down another few degrees.

I'm still undecided if I'm going to replace the HD4870's cooler, I want something that'll give me more OC headroom on the card but I don't have a lot of space to spare. If I do go with a faster 120mm fan an don't put an 80mm on the HR-05 I could easily fit in the Thermaltake DuOrb, which is still my #1 choice, as it will circulate more air inside the case and add the blue LED's back into the system that I lost when I took out my OCZ XTC Memory Cooler.

A few things still up in the air, but it's all stuff that I can add/change once the system is back from being painted, there's still just under 1 month before the LAN so there's a decent amount of time yet.

EDIT: After an hour of Prime small FFT's I've only topped out at 43-47 across all 4 cores, and that should hopefully come down a bit more once I fix up the TRUE's mount. I might pickup another pack of sandpaper and lap the base of the TRUE for the hell of it and touch up the lapping job on my Q6600. Along with the mount being fixed up a bit I'm confident that these temps of 47/47/43/43 across the 4 cores should drop another few degrees.

Yeah I would just add a quiet fan to the HR-05. I still have the one shown in my pic above if you want it. I also have a 15mm thick 80mm fan that you could put on it as well. heck I have about 6 different high quality 80mm fans you could use if you want... I am collecting far too much computer stuff :(
 
Yeah, I'll be adding an 80mm to the HR-05 between the HR-05 and the PSU, which will still leave me room to put a 92mm or 100mm fan on the T-Rad2 for the HD4870.
 
Got my mount rebuilt, knocked a degree or two off my load temps and got all 4 cores within 2-3 degrees of each other. Running out to grab the metal epoxy to install the mesh then I'll have pics posted before I take it all down again for the paint. Updated pics soon!
 
Well...I was pulled away from the Shuttle today enough that I didn't get everything finished. :( :mad:

I have all but two sections of mesh installed but I still don't have the PSU sleeved and the case (obviously) isn't painted yet.

I did still promise pics though, so here ya go...just a few for now. Sorry for the (even worse) quality of the pics, digicam is dead and I had to use my phone:



I'm really pleased with the way things are starting to turn out. Once the last two sections of mesh are installed (one on the left side panel and one on the back of the case where the two 60mm fans were) there's only a couple odds and ends left before the paint job.

I probably won't be taking the Shuttle in for it's paint job until Monday/Tuesday next week so I can take my time and finish up everything else, but I'm loving the look so far and can't wait to get rid of the ucky looking silver interior. ;) :D
 
Wait... you mean you have no front panel at all?

I need to come take better pics for you when your done...
 
Nope, no front panel. I'm either buying a vandal switch and mounting it on the back of the case, or just mounting the existing power button/LED on the front underside edge of the case.

Seeing as I use an external optical drive this all worked out great in the end, next to no heat stays trapped inside the case anymore.

Just gotta get the Thermaltake DuOrb for the HD4870 to light things up a bit along with the rest of my "to do" list and I'll finally be finished.
 
Looking good man!
About the optical drive is there anyway you could mount a laptop style drive? I think that would be a really nice touch.
I'm interested in hearing your opinions on the DuOrb when you get it, I've really been wanting to get the Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 rev2 for the past few months for my 8800gt because I am tired of having to manually set fan speeds with my Rivatuner launcher. I've just been waiting to find some good heatsinks for the VRM and ram and I can't find any online in a Canadian based store.

(offtopic)
If I remember correctly you used to post on bigfootcomputers forums?
If so and you still are living in Canada I was wondering if you had some links handy for places where I could find some modding and overclocking supplies online in Canada?
I do most of my shopping online at NCIX.com or online/instore at canadacomputers.com
 
Looking good man!
About the optical drive is there anyway you could mount a laptop style drive? I think that would be a really nice touch.
I'm interested in hearing your opinions on the DuOrb when you get it, I've really been wanting to get the Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 rev2 for the past few months for my 8800gt because I am tired of having to manually set fan speeds with my Rivatuner launcher. I've just been waiting to find some good heatsinks for the VRM and ram and I can't find any online in a Canadian based store.

(offtopic)
If I remember correctly you used to post on bigfootcomputers forums?
If so and you still are living in Canada I was wondering if you had some links handy for places where I could find some modding and overclocking supplies online in Canada?
I do most of my shopping online at NCIX.com or online/instore at canadacomputers.com

NCIX is the only good place in canada IMO. But for other misc computer supplies (modding ect) i go to www.performance-pcs.com.
 
I to will typically order anything I can from NCIX and go through Performance PCs for the rest if its modding related, they are in the states, but their selection/service/processing speed are all outstanding and I have no issues recommending them.

I though about a slim 5.25" drive, but I'm trying to avoid as much cable clutter as humanly possible. I plan to leave the design the way it is for the most part, just gotta get the PSU sleeved and the rest of the mesh installed in the next week so I still have time to get it all painted.

Thanks for all the interest and input guys, it really means a lot to me that I'm not the only one who's enjoying the project.

Probably not much going on tonight other then pushing the OC, new pics in the next few days though with the PSU/mesh finished.
 
Got the rest of the mesh installed...looks a lot better even now without the paint job and PSU sleeving.

A friend convinced me to dismantle the PSU to install honeycomb mesh in it as well and to get the PSU casing painted the same high gloss black as the case. I guess that means I'll have another cut to do...but it'll be worth it.

I probably won't be posting more pics until I get the painting done, so the next images you guys see will be the finished product.

I'll be installing the Thermaltake DuOrb on the HD4870 in the next couple weeks so that might be the only thing not in the final pictures, but I'll post more updates...don't worry.
 
I'm bringing the Shuttle in to get painted later this afternoon and from what I was told over the phone the shop isn't overly busy and I'll have it back in a couple days!!!

Can't wait to see it once it's done! Only thing left to do before I take it in is dismantle the PSU as I'm installing the same honeycomb mesh in the PSU as well as having its casing painted the same gloss black as the rest of the case.

Updated pics coming very soon at this rate! :D
 
I'm just about to leave to drop off the case but I couldn't resist posting up a few more pictures of the system as it was before it was torn down the last time before the paintjob.

Pics are from my phone again so I'm sorry about the quality, but I'll get some better shots arranged when the paintjob is done and I've got the DuOrb installed on the HD4870.



Bad news is that I'm not getting the PSU done because I can't access some of the screws to dismantle it. I might work something else out to paint it myself so it doesn't stand out AS much, but even with the PSU as is I know it's gonna look great.
 
Good news to counter the downer news about the PSU...I get the case back from the autobody shop MUCH sooner then I thought...how's Wednesday afternoon for you guys? :D

The DuOrb is being air shipped as we speak so I should have everything ready to go about the same time! :)
 
Cornelious, I didn't think you'd be able to do it, but I see you've done it and quiet nicely at that. It looks a lot better than I'd imagined and I can't wait to see the final effect.

Oh, and I almost got a Blackberry Curve. Glad I didn't just that camera! :) Hopefully, Bun-Bun will get some sexy shots of it.
 
Nice to see interest picking up a bit in the nearing conclusion of my baby.

I had my doubts at first about how it'd all turn out but I am VERY pleased with everything so far...I just can't wait to see it 24 hours from now in all its glory.

Hopefully spomething will work out to get some better pictures taken, as my digicam isn't a whole lot better then the camera on my Curve and I have a feeling that its gonna take a MUCH nicer camera to even come close to doing this thing justice.

I'll probably be able to get some pics posted tonight once I get the stock cooler on my HD4870 cut up and the DuOrb is installed but until then you'll all just have to sit tight. ;)
 
Hopefully spomething will work out to get some better pictures taken, as my digicam isn't a whole lot better then the camera on my Curve and I have a feeling that its gonna take a MUCH nicer camera to even come close to doing this thing justice.

Well just let me know when. I'll come over and see this thing first hand and bring my camera with me.
 
The paint job turned out amazingly well!!!

Here's a few pictures for now, still from my crappy digicam, but better then nothing at this point.



I still need to clean up the wiring a lot and sleeve the PSU, but my ATX pin extractor broke so the sleeving is slightly delayed.

On top of that I took the time to re-lap my Q6600 and lap my Ultra-120 and have my load temps down to 44-48c across all four cores under Prime95 full load!

There will still be another round of pictures at this point once I clean up the wiring, but I couldn't help but give you guys a taste of the paint job, I love it so much!!!

EDIT: I know the pictures aren't any good, but try and spot the power button now that there's no front bezel. ;)
 
Can't wait to see it in person!

Let me know what time works for me to come over tomorrow. I'll bring my camera and PDA's and we can discuss mobile computing because it's got my brain all wracked up...
 
I'm pretty sure what I'm gonna do is rotate the HR-05 and put a faster 80mm on it blowing at the HD4870 to help out the DuOrb.

Not only will this hopefully bring my GPU temps down to acceptable levels, but it'll also give me space to put my OCZ XTC memory cooler back in the Shuttle, adding more airflow over the memory and lighting up the other side of the case.

I'm pretty sure that the stock coolers plate cooling the ram/VREGs will be enough with the HR-05s fan and the DuOrb blowing on it, I just hope that the extra 40cfm from the HR-05's fan is enough to drop my GPU temps and keep it all stable.

Updates tonight hopefully once I get it all moved around.
 
I'm pretty sure what I'm gonna do is rotate the HR-05 and put a faster 80mm on it blowing at the HD4870 to help out the DuOrb.

Not only will this hopefully bring my GPU temps down to acceptable levels, but it'll also give me space to put my OCZ XTC memory cooler back in the Shuttle, adding more airflow over the memory and lighting up the other side of the case.

I'm pretty sure that the stock coolers plate cooling the ram/VREGs will be enough with the HR-05s fan and the DuOrb blowing on it, I just hope that the extra 40cfm from the HR-05's fan is enough to drop my GPU temps and keep it all stable.

Updates tonight hopefully once I get it all moved around.

40cfm from a 80mm fan! what kind of loud fan are you putting on there !?
 
I never had any issues with my ~2500RPM 80mm Panaflo before I put in the Ultra-120.

To each there own I guess, I'll probably pickup an 80mm 2500RPM Scythe for the HR-05 and a faster 120mm for the Ultra-120 loud enough to mask it.

I'm really determined to leave the DuOrb on the 4870 for appearance but if I have to go back to the stock cooler I'll at least leave the HR-05 rotated so I still get the LEDs from the OCZ memory cooler.

Hopefully something will work out, pictures on the way tonight!
 
Well...plans are a little messed up now, one of the screws that goes through the mounting holes to mount the DuOrb decided to break off because I tightened it down too much.

I have contacted Thermaltake for a replacement but until then I've had to resort to the stock cooler. Funny thing is that the stock cooler actually works as good, if not better withOUT the plastic shroud. Idle temps are slightly higher, but I'm still loading at less then 75C on the GPU and VRM's. Another bonus to running the stock cooler without the shroud is that everything is a lot quieter.

I still plan on making the DuOrb work if I get the replacement screw in time and I still wanna see if I can fit the OCZ XTC cooler in the system with the HR-05 rotated, just a slight setback.
 
I actually think I might pickup the Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 Rev2 and slap a 120mm fan on it. Seems to be one of the better performing coolers at the moment for HD4xxx cards and newer shipments (as of July) include VREG heatsinks that are more compatible with the 48xx series cards.
 
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