I wish I could speak intelligently about air tools... but this job could easily be accomplished with a 4 1/2" hole saw and a drill. They are a bit pricey, but if you don't have access to one then I would tape up the panel, draw your rectangular cutout from a template and use a jig saw with a...
According to 3DGameMan, the HIS 5870 is 11". I just measured my GTX 260 and it's 10.5" with about 3/8" to spare before the HDD cage. So, my guess is no it will not fit without removing the HDD cage. Usually, the 16x PCIe slot is the first one, but if you have another slot below it, and move...
I think at that price they are targeting the elitist market, or extreme enthusiasts who are willing to pay that much money. That being said, what exactly do you get for $800? Are you paying for innovation, or uniqueness, or extreme cooling or ... ? It's kinda like the "I Am Rich" iPhone...
Check out my friend's video on YouTube that walks you through this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OZrn2KDWLY
Make sure you don't snip the ground wire, as I almost did.
That thing looks fantastic! it is stock Lian Li? I thought about taking the scrap that I have left over from the side panel window and somehow making my own cover.
I've never used one but I would think a hacksaw or coping saw would allow you to get a nice straight line. A rotary tool will melt the plastic if you go too fast!
After reading this thread I attempted to take apart my EVGA GTX 260 to paint the red as well but I couldn't remove the heat sink from the plastic. There are some little itty-bitty screws that I couldn't remove. So I got pwned. Was is a PITA for you too?
Dude that sucks... I have the same problem with my XSPC 360 radiator in my ATCS 840 build. Having not seen your setup, have you tried some of the rotary fittings, or splice some fittings together so that you could make room for your optical drive?