Need help Ricing out my rig.

McCartney

McCartney

Gawd
Joined
Mar 6, 2006
Messages
866
Hi guys,

The big LAN party in my city is going down on July, so I'm trying to win best rig this year with best looks.

I have a TJ07, black with a window.

Here are some bad quality pictures
003sz4.jpg


004lv6.jpg



My main question is.. How can I do the following:

1. My upper fan grille, I want to get a perfectly drilled intel logo, and beside it a perfect nVidia eye logo. I then want each half (each logo will take up it's own "Square" half of the rectangle if we use imaginary boundaries) to be colored with green and blue, obviously, and I want the fan grille to be neon green as well, limiting my nvidia colours so the eye can really be seen.

2. I'm looking to add a UV ink on the inner part of my window. I'm shooting for a big nVidia eye here too, green if possible, and ultra bright. I'd like it to be smack dab in the middle of the window where people can really see it.

3. Lighting, I bought some Mutand Mods EL Lighting and it really sucks. Not bright enough, I don't like cold cathodes since they're too big and inflexible. Any suggestions as to what kind of lighting I should get to help light my fan outlets and window?

4. Water Cooling. now that I have a big enough case, it's time I watercool. I am wanting to know what the best stuff to buy for the dollar is right now. I am not interested in anything that can't disappate 1000 watts of cooling without staying around 30-40 degrees (i'd say 50 max) while cooling my cards in SLI and my CPU. I would also like the "ricer" pipe that's nice and thick so people know I'm watercooling. Preferrably that slinky-esque kind where it's tapered in and out with a zigzag like a straw top thats compressible.

Thanks guys
 
we need better pictures of the interior with the side panel off..

you should probably get a dremel or hole saw and consider cleaning up the wires big time.. like.. no visible wires at all big time.

then move onto water cooling.. though be warned, your rig will be very heavy and very fragile. I personally wouldn't really want to be moving around a large water cooled rig all that often.

so yea, just some things to think about before you begin..
 
Well.. if you really want to "rice out" your rig.. thgen just stick a fart can, a whole bunch of stickers, a cheap wide body kit, and paint all the switches and buttons and fan blades a really ugly red.
 
Oh back to the sreious side... take a look through the Case Modding section and your bound to get some ideas. Some pretty slick stuff in there... though I recommend you start from the last page and work your way backwards, because of some old stuff in the front wont really help all that much.
 
Man, I sure hope OP is Asian . . . otherwise this thread would be in pretty questionable taste.

Being Asian myself, I'd guess though that he isn't Asian . . . because no Asian brotha could be that bad with a camera . . . come on now, man - you're letting down the whole race with your photo skills!

;)
 
Not only is he letting us all down, but it looks like he's using a camera instead of a proper DCam.

Ricing: You won't be winning anything there, mate.
Modding: You might want to drive at 30km/h the entire way there, or you might blow something up.

Suggestions:
-Lighting: If you're going for a light glow, I guess EL wire is the way to go. But with the proper size cathode (12" mounted vertical, white would look good, or a green one), it does wonders on windows.
-Window: What about an etch with embedded LEDs... somebody did that around here before.
-Colours: Forget blue. With a black case, you'll probably want to try red. But if you want the "NVIDIA"-ness, then green (obviously). Maybe a white cathode in the bottom with the power supply.
-Cabling: See previous posts. No TJ07 is complete without a murderbox-quality wirejob.
-Watercooling: That could get interesting.
 
Im' East Indian.
I own a Honda, it's a glorified honda called an Acura.

Ricing out my rig is "looking fast". Whether a car "looks fast" and is fast are the key components of ricing. I believe saying I want to "mod my rig" is kind of lame.

Anyways,

Ya the wires suck, I don't know really where to start with cleaning it up :(
 
Gaudy is what you want to aim for. Look through some kindergarden color wheels, then make the biggest shitfest of color distastefulness that you can, and get at least 32 cathodes. Cathode fans, cathode tubes, cathode everything.

Then, sticker the shit out of it. Thermaltake, Coolermaster, Zalman, whatever. You don't have to own the product to use their sticker.

Then, make it as loud as possible. This is an essential part of ricing it out. 65dba deltas, vibrating parts, noisemakers, fireworks, everything.

Once you think it's gaudy enough, then then primer grey is your best friend.
 
Ok maybe I should have said "modding" it.

Nonetheless. any good WC setup suggestions at all?

What about for dremelling, any good approaches to it?
 
LOL - this thread is going exactly where is should . . .

Funny azz sh*t . . .
 
aahahah this thread is killing me, i think the op got exactly what he asked for.

i better get my 2 cents in

i suggest you put a huge spoiler on the back and some instead of fans, get chrome spinners.

btw, AWESOME camera
 
Guys be nice. Seriously, this isn't the gaming or GPU sub forum. :p.

To the OP: How to win a best case at a LAN.

Cable management is #1!
Be prepared to spend DAYS cutting, soldering and hiding your wires. The less visible they are, the better.

Colour is #2!
I mean, paint! Paint the inside at least. The outside should be painted as well if you want to really stand out. Colours should mix, but not clash. Orange/Gray, Red/Black, Red/Gray, Gray/Black etc. Try to get colours that compliment a "tech" theme. Sure, silver and blue might look nice, but not in a computer /personalOpinion.

Unique lighting accents!
Don't just throw a couple of cathodes in, and call it a day. Use unique ways of lighting your case. LED in LED holders can be bought on eBay for 10$ per 50, and give a good unique way of lighting. If you must use Cathodes, use 4" ones, as they're brighter and throw more light, and let you mix light colours without "bleeding" together. Classy lighting requires lit "hotspots" not overwhelming light.

UV is a nono!
Yeah, some UV is nice. In-Fact, done tastefully, UV lighting can be the best, but it's often never done tastefully. UV should be used only to light fluorescent plexiglass, watercooling, possibly a logo painted out of invisible paint. If every fan is lit up UV blue/green/orange, and you have tonnes of different colours in your case, you're not going to win.

Well thought out cooling system!
Be it water (recommended) or air, your cooling system should be well planned, with as little clutter as possible. If you're going water, avoid using tonnes of tubing, huge reservoirs, etc. Use a water colour that suits your paint/theme, and don't rely on UV to keep it it... Once again, use well planned LED's.

Use cool bay devices!
And use them well. Can't give too much advice here, but LCD's go a long way, followed by stealthed drives, fan controllers (get a classy one...) or fan bays.

If you want to watercool, get!
- Dtek Fuzion CPU block
- 8800GTX? (can't see your actual GPU...) fullcover block by EK
- Masterkleer Tubing
- Triple radiator of your choice (MCR series by swiftech is a good choice)
- Medium/Low speed Yate Loon fans
- MCP655 Pump (most reliable DC pump to date IMO)

To do a UV painting on the window!
Get some invisible green spray-on paint from a site like jab-tech.com, make a mask out of cardboard (cut with an Exacto knife), tape it on, and spray. Make sure your mask is "negative" so when you look through the window, the logo is the correct way.

1. My upper fan grille, I want to get a perfectly drilled intel logo, and beside it a perfect nVidia eye logo. I then want each half (each logo will take up it's own "Square" half of the rectangle if we use imaginary boundaries) to be colored with green and blue, obviously, and I want the fan grille to be neon green as well, limiting my nvidia colours so the eye can really be seen.
Click to expand...

I have trouble visualizing this. Can you do a paint mockup?

Can you do the cutting of the logos yourself? If not, check out a laser cutting shop.

And as always, I'll do any of the above for you, if you make it worth my while ;)
 
Make a spoiler out of paper, get some Deltas, a coke can on every fan, and make it bright green with felt tips.

Sleek is the look, not rice. Have it painted a nice colour, something simple, some white cathodes, and a clean cable job.
 
my Camera was a TyTn2>Too lazy to use my Powershot s510. I edited thread to get better pics
 
The less straight your cuts with your dremel are, the cooler you'll look in the case mod gallery. Also, the advice above is good - the more multicolored and discombobulated your lighting scheme is, the more Rep you get. Also make sure to scratch the hell out of the finish of the case, and cover up real bloodbaths with Type R stickers.
 
McCartney said:
I am willing to ship out the parts that require alot of drilling.

I am gonan take a pic of my upper fan grille to show you what I'm after.

Gimme a few.
Click to expand...

Sure, PLEASE take a good picture though... And while you do that, I'm going to go grocery shopping.
 
Definitely clean up those wires.

Sleeve that Xfi cable, and it's power cable, and make them go bye bye.

Hide the cathodes...

Get your logos laser cut...

Paint the inside of the case.
 
who can laser cut?
Isn't sleeving hard since I'd need to remove the molex heads and put the sleeves on and then resecure the pins in the plastic fastener?

I think I"m gonna return the cathode I just bought it yesterday
 
McCartney said:
....... OKAY GUYS IM" SORRY FOR SAYIGN RICING CAN I GET OSME LEGIT HELP NOW PLZ
Click to expand...
And mine.

The first one.
Isn't sleeving hard since I'd need to remove the molex heads and put the sleeves on and then resecure the pins in the plastic fastener?
Click to expand...
1) It'd be worth it.
2) How hard can it be? -Clarksonius

Also, plan your wiring. If you can't hide it, at least make sure it doesn't look whacked out.
 
I'd suggest buying a modular psu to get rid of most of that clutter easily. then, cut down your wires to exact length and remount them. Right angles work wonders on cable management.

Watercooling is obvious but should be carefully planned so it's not unnecessarily cluttered. Tygon is great tubing but most of it is black so you'd have to wrap it in something UV reactive to make it stand out. You've got a ton of work ahead of you because as your case is now I'd say it looks worse than an average unmodded case. Take a look at the mod gallery and rate my wires thread,
 
My PSU is modular :p IT's the Galaxy.

Problem is that I need to hide all my fan wires and whatnot. Plus I have to hide 4 PCI-E 6 pin plugs.

Dunno how exactly but I like this idea anyone know of a good guide to do it?
 
Check out the rate my wires thread for ideas. Once you plan where to route your cables, cut them to exact lengths if you're up to it and you'll have a decent looking wire job. 4xPCI-E would be tough for sure. If you don't want to cut, figure out how to hide all excess cabling from your window. zip-ties and anchors work wonders
 
Also, it hasn't been mentioned, but I consider myself a pretty big modder.. I have had custom enclosures fabricated from sheet aluminum, chromed or powder coated computer parts / computer cases, dabbled in plastic epoxies, etc... If it is "bling bling" that you want, you can tastefully chrome or even powder coat your case. Consider your "UV" options.. It was mentioned earlier in this thread but i'll mention it again. UV lighting can be done tastefully if it is accenting something. Throwing UV tubes in a case for color is almost always a no no. My current project is micro atx HTPC case. It used to be a mATX Dell case but it has been completely chomped, cut, drilled, filed on, expoxied, reshaped and re-designed to my liking. The metal portions of the case are being powder coated neon green and the exterior is being done in black (pretty much like the Nvidia colors). My "accent lighting" is being provided by two air duct style ports that have been custom done to hold (2) 120mm AC Ryan UV reactive green LED case fans. I even went as far as to buy the Zalman 9500 AM2 CPU heatsink even though I have an intel chipset.. the nickel plated heatsink and built in green LED fan match my setup and compliment the interior of my case nicely. I will buy the mounting kit seperately to fit the 9500 AM2 to my Intel based motherboard.

Prior to taking my case to the powder coater, I cut out certain holes to help route my internal wires / cables, out of sight. I also cut my 120mm holes for case fans, free of obstructions.. it helps a little with air flow but it just adds a little to the overall "bling" of the case. Also, on a few previous installs, I added a cut floor to the bottom of the computer case.. It's a great way to hide wires and adds to the overall "clean look". Some people (not me yet) add some custom computer feet (aluminum or LED feet). Modding a case makes little sense to those who are not into computers but if you are, you should be proud and happy with its final result. I even purchased diamond plated aluminum which I incorporated into my last Vapochill / Lian Li build. After everything came back from the powder coater, I was EXTREMELY pleased with the end results.

Since you have a window, consider purchasing a UV reactive window. AC Ryan markets / sells decent replacement windows. These are only a few ideas but don't forget about functionality.. Improved cooling is ALWAYS my first priority. I just find different ways to incorporate the looks into the equation. I will post a few examples of some of my builds for ya..


(BEFORE MODDING) FACTORY THERMALTAKE SHARK CASE:

StockShark-sidepanel.jpg


StockShark-side.jpg



(AFTER I MADE A FEW MODS ON THIS CASE):

pic01.jpg


DSCN8537.jpg


DSCN8530.jpg


DSCN8519.jpg



Notice the before and after pics.. There are a few subtle things that I did that helped tremendously with the overall look and cooling of this case.. First thing I am sure you probably saw was the silver on silver scheme was done away with as I took my parts to a local powder coater. Blue and dark grey was added to the exterior colors. The factory side of the case was cut out as I added a windowless window (not for everyone). A simple plexiglass window can EASILY be installed (cut to fit and viola, instant window). Since heat rises, I cut the top and added a radiator grill. Just a little way to help the hotter air escape from the case. I got rid of my front mounted 120mm fan and bought a high CFM Aerocool 120mm fan. I used stand off's and basically 90cfm of air now moves across my 8800gts video card. I IMMEDIATELY noticed the lower temps on the video card. In order to mount that fan, I cut the hard drive rack(s) out. I never planned on running multiple hard drives so for me, it was a no brainer. For you, it might be different. You might want to run a raid setup.. Again, to each his own. Take a look at the floor of the case. Notice any factory rivets or cuts in the floorboard? You won't find any. I bought a piece of scrap Lian Li aluminum from performance-pcs.com and cut it to fit the floor of my case. So, you see, there are several subtle ways to discretely add flavor to any case you might own. I will add another post with my Lian Li case mods to help with more ideas..
 
Arcy and martinez seem to have you covered. If you haven't figured it out yet, this is going to be a really expensive and time consuming project, and you can't half-ass anything if you actually intend to win.
 
....
I can afford it.

Anyways. Powdercoating sounds pretty bad ass. What if I go for the Black White theme with a white outside and black inside to be real wild?

I can see that. It'd be fun!


Cabling/fabrication I don't mind getting done. Gotta keep thinking of more ideas and find some people.
 
There ya go... That's the idea.. Something fresh. Don't know if you can tell or not, but I don't like being exactly like the next guy with the "same ole setup". The place I personally use is a place in Kennedale, Texas.. The business is called Top Koat powdercoating ( http://topkoat.net/ ). Kennedale is about 1/2 mile south of Fort Worth, Texas (off of Interstate 20). Joe owns the place. Good guy. Most of his work can be found on complete car or motorcycle restorations.
 
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