Project BlueZilla by AVAdirect

S

stevo.k

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 16, 2006
Messages
253
Hey all,

I've posted a few pics here and there of my rig that's currently under construction by Misha's craftsmen at AVAdirect. A couple of peeps have requested more pics and 411 so I decided to start this thread to share some of my joy of having this rig built.

I started this project in early December actually, and spent a lot of time here researching the various system integrators and ultimately decided on AVAdirect for many of the same reasons that others have: great value, enormous choices, and a solid reputation for building highly customized solutions.

After deciding on AVA, Misha and I communicated often to narrow down my conceptual ideas and enthusiastically encouraged me to really customize the rig. The design changed several times as new ideas were created and some new products came on the market.

After I had settled on the Silverstone TJ07 case as the starting point (because I wanted a totally watercooled solution) I was inpired by Theorie's rig on these boards. One picture in particular lit the fuse for me. Theorie showed his rig underway with the top vent removed and his watercooled GPU on top. I had just discovered EK's FC8800 block for the 8800GTX and loved the looks of it and thought it had to be highlighted in the rig. So the basic concept of the case is the top window that shows off the EK block on the 8800GTX as well as a Raptor X. Everything else sort of followed that basic premise.

My first home computer was an IBM PCjr, anyone remember that? So I've been at it for a while and have the means to build the ultimate rig.

Here are the main components:
  • Silverstone TJ07 - BTX window on right side with custom window on top
  • ASUS Striker Extreme mobo
  • Intel QX6700
  • 4gb OCZ FlexXLC RAM 9200
  • (2) eVGA 8800GTX ACS3 in SLI
  • (1) Raptor X
  • (2) Raptor 150 gb HD's
  • (2) Seagate 750 gb HD's
  • LiteOn 20X DVD-RW
  • PCP&C 1kw quad PSU
Watercooling components:
2 separate loops for
  1. CPU, GPU, NB
  2. RAM, MOSFETs, SB
  • BIX 360 Rad for 1.
  • Swiftech 80 Rad for 2.
  • Swiftech MCP 655 pump for 1.
  • Alphacool DDC Ultra pump for 2.
  • D-Tek Fuzion for CPU
  • EK FC8800 for GPU
  • EK blocks for Striker NB, SB and MOSFETs
  • OCZ integrated waterblocks on RAM
  • Cape Coolplex 250 res for 1.
  • ALphacool slot res for 2.
  • Tygon tubing throughout, 1/2" 3/8" and 1/4" as req.
  • Swissflow SF800 flow meters and temperature probes
Added bling and functionality:
  • Alphacool LCD display
  • Silverstone drive bay adapter
  • BigNG T-balancer with analog and digital extension sets
  • Carbon reflex sleeving on major cabling
  • Bulgin switches on front panel
  • Some UV lighting and LEDs throughout

Now for the pics:

My original photoshop'd concept and the case exterior as built
136221574-M.jpg
136221594-M.jpg


Here's some action shots from the shop at AVA:
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Here's a detail of the top window:
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Here's the mainboard with the waterblocks installed:
136060875-L.jpg


And finally, a shot of the 8800's in place and the start of the plumbing job:
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That's where we are right now (March 15, 2007). Misha sent the last pic this morning and has kept me informed all along the way.

If you are looking for a totally customized extreme gaming solution and know exactly what you want, but don't want the hassle of building it yourself and want someone to back it up with a strong warranty, I don't know anyone else that can do it.
AVA rox!
More pics as the build progresses.
 
:mad: :mad: :mad:

I like red.

Nice pictures and thanks for sharing. Holy cow that rig looks sweet.

Copy-n-paste from the build sheet so we can see the rest of the parts (trim ur zip and costs or whatever).

PinataUT
 
Man, that is lookin good! I bet that bad boy is gonna set you back a few :) The top of the case looks great and the water cooling system you are having put in will be totally awesome.

Also, I love the time you have displayed on your photoshopped version. :p
 
This is what I'm talkin about baby:
136312537-L.jpg

That's the top window showing the EK block and the Raptor X. A UV CCFL fan will be mounted in the middle.
 
Misha and the crew did the plumbing today and tested things out. It's really starting to take shape. The tubing is filling up the case quick. That's gonna happen when you watercool everything!
136440692-L.jpg


This is a pic of the top window with the blue coolant flowing through the EK block. Will be even cooler with the UV lights on.
136439156-L.jpg


As I said before, that pic tells the story of this rig. That was the vision I had and Misha and the crew at AVA made it come true.
 
Let's get this out of the way. That's a natural question but I prefer to remain discrete about the actual number. I will say that if you added up all the components and add a margin for AVA's profit, you'll get an idea of the ballpark we're talking about. It's a large number, no doubt, but it's a good value; much less than if it were coming from Alien, Voodoo, Falcon, etc. and it's a totally custom rig, not from their standard list of choices.
 
You didnt watercool EVERYTHING ;) youre fans arent watercooled :cool: redundant? yes. but can it be done? maybe... :p

or the powersupply :p
 
Pretty nice so far, I am impressed. I especially like the LCD display, being able to see the watercooling in the videocard, and the consistant shade of blue being used.

Only negative thing I have to say so far is that you got ripped off on that motherboard. The P5N32-E is the exact same board less 3 gray buttons, the LCD on the back panel, the cooling system you removed anyway, and about $140.... Seems kinda worng to pay so much more for so little.
 
arentol said:
Pretty nice so far, I am impressed. I especially like the LCD display, being able to see the watercooling in the videocard, and the consistant shade of blue being used.

Only negative thing I have to say so far is that you got ripped off on that motherboard. The P5N32-E is the exact same board less 3 gray buttons, the LCD on the back panel, the cooling system you removed anyway, and about $140.... Seems kinda worng to pay so much more for so little.
Click to expand...

I agree the P5N32-E is a more cost effective solution, but that could be said about all the other components as well. "Ripped off" is not the right choice of words, it was my choice entirely, in fact Misha originally suggested the eVGA 680i board.
 
0mega said:
You didnt watercool EVERYTHING ;) youre fans arent watercooled :cool: redundant? yes. but can it be done? maybe... :p

or the powersupply :p
Click to expand...

Yup, coulda wc'd the HD's too, so you're right, I didn't watercool everything, just everything on the mobo that could be wc'd.;)
 
GD! This thing is insane bro! Can't wait to get your impressions once burned in and running!

Big grats and w00t!
 
Josh_Norem said:
that is one sick PC, no doubt. I hope it works out of the box :D
Click to expand...

I'm very confident that it'll be right. I'm not rushing them and they're taking their time to get things perfect.
I will let you all know how it turns out, thanks for the comments.
 
Man, thats some big dollar computer. My only concern would be upgradability. If you want to change something, would you do it or would you send it back to the shop???
 
+1 for more pics, very awesome build and wanting to see how it turns out.
 
Here's the latest. Progress has been agonizingly slow lately. They are getting into the nitty gritty of the wiring and pulling their hair out. Here's a pic for ya.
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dude. awesome rig. although i wouldn't have got the striker. eVga is said to be a better overclocker and more reliable. most strikers seem to break after a month or so (myn did) :(
 
Teknokid said:
dude. awesome rig. although i wouldn't have got the striker. eVga is said to be a better overclocker and more reliable. most strikers seem to break after a month or so (myn did) :(
Click to expand...

Actually, I did start out with the eVGA board, but later decided on the Striker mostly for stupid bling. The blue LEDs suckered me in. :eek: The Striker has been OC'ing well with the latest BIOS. It is overpriced for what it is, but ASUS has always been solid for support.
 
doesnt sort the reliability issues though :p
and asus support..... hm..... i heard it takes 30 mins to get through on the phone, the other day it took me 20mins to load there homepage and download for bios go at 1kb and so does everything else.....
really should have gone evga.
the leds, not very bright, barely even notice them with CCFL's.
Believe me you should've gone eVga. i was offered eVga when i got my rig but chose to wait 2 months for my striker, not i wish id gone eVga.
thats all :)
sick rig otherwise.
 
k00lance said:
Hey stevo,

what brand CCFL is that?
It looks awesome. :)
Click to expand...

The light you see mounted vertically on the side of the drive cage is a Sunbeam liquid neon and the other CCFLs are Logisys dual day/night UV/blue tubes. You can get em from Performance PC's
 
any updates? when do you expect to receive it?

damn that's a sick machine! :cool:
 
The latest news from AVA is that while testing the rig, the mobo failed and they have to replace it. :( As you can imagine, that means draining and disconnecting everything and starting all over again. Another delay, but at least it happened on their bench and not on my desk ;)
 
my striker went. ask if they'd just updated the bios? it was the bios that fried myn!
i just saw your sig! jeez do you really need a new pc? feel free to send the old one to me :)
 
Looks good, but man that's a lot of tubing. Are you cooling everything (ram, NB, et al) with water?
 
That loop looks insane. When you receive the rig, please let us know what your load temps are because that looks like a lot of load for one 120.3. I'm very curious.

Also, I'd love to see some detailed pics of the entire loop - especially where they split/recombine the tubes for the XLC blocks.
 
The mainboard has been replaced as well as one of the GPU's that failed during testing this week. They've got it put back together and everything seems to be going well. During overclocking tests, they discovered that the Scythe fans weren't able to move enough heat away from the rads and they replaced them with some higher flow Thermaltakes.
Right now they're running it stable under Vista at 3.66Ghz. All that's left is to tidy up the wiring and get it to me. I'm SO ready to get it home and load it up.
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Are you planning to go pick it up yourself? I wouldn't trust a shipping company with that rig. I can guestimate about how much you're paying for that beast, and you couldn't convince me to put it in the hands of any of the carriers.

If it's unavoidable, I would do overnight shipping just to minimize the chance that some boob is going to drop it from about two or three feet off the ground.

Perhaps something to consider, coming from a guy who sees all sorts of shipping abuse to machines. :)
 
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