Frank's 2013 upgrade.......

Yep - first order of business is to get them all built and installed - then its sewing time :D
 
More custom cables being made...........sorry for the sparse updates, now we are at the tedious time consuming phase of cables and clean up. I will have a couple dramatic changes on the way though. Mostly though we are at the cable making clean up phase.

So there really isnt much to explain between images, so I have them listed here for your viewing pleasure:

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Cav, how do you like sleeving the 1600w? Does it have alot of 1:1 pinouts, or is it nothing like the silverstone evolution gold?

Looks amazing.
 
Robertmarcus said:
Cav, how do you like sleeving the 1600w? Does it have alot of 1:1 pinouts, or is it nothing like the silverstone evolution gold?

Looks amazing.
Click to expand...

The LEPA G1600 is an amazingly solid PSU. Its also a normal sized PSU. If you own say a ULTRA or a SILVERSTONE, those are typically long and big PSU's when you start getting into this size. So as PSU goes alone, I love the G1600 because its not as big as the others. The drawback and reason for me saying this is because its small they had to cram a lot of terminations on a back panel that required non-standard connectors. For example the GPU connector is a 12 pin connector, two rows of 6, this feed a 6 and and 8 pin. So to do that, I had to make two "Y" cables per GPU set. All Molex 5v/12v cables are 1:1 pin outs. The 24-pin not so much, it has a 8, 24, and a 4 pin coming out of two connectors and will require some "Y" and possibly some "W" cables to be made because coming out of two connectors at the PSU end, you have to feed three different connectors at the other end. Do I like it? Sure, only because LEPA sent me an extra set of cables to strip their special molex connectors off of, I can build my cables while still using Frank, use the originals to refer to as I build the new cables in the connectors, then simply swap them out once I get them done. Now had I only been limited to the originals, I would not have sleeved this TBH, especially due to that funky way they had to do the 24/8/4 pin solution. That has me concerned and I haven't even started on it yet - :p


OK, finally done with all the GPU power cables. Frank is officially running on all three new 8 & 6 pin cables I made with Lutro0 Customs 16awg wire and tools, then sleeving was the Lutro0 Customs Coreless paracord - I totally love this stuff now............


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My goodies arrived today from Bitspower. I picked up two of the clear 4-DIMM water blocks to finish off the motherboard blocking. I mean basically everything is blocked but the RAM, and this is the most EPIC build I have done to date - so yeah, the blocks had to be acquired and installed. Being a person that loves symetrical visuals, I am so glad this Socket 2011, Z79 board has two sets of 4-DIMMS per side of the CPU. It will just even everythinhg out and make it look so good. I will also drop in the two 3mm and two 5mm LED's per block to give it some glow and add to the already overly done bling up top. Ohh I cannot wait to get these babies in........

Here is what they are: http://www.performance-pcs.com/cata...=32400&zenid=cca4442c487daa058def9fe56fff1770

Yes, I had to hit them with the 3M DiNoc as well. They have to match you know :D

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Just wanted to share a quick update on the progress. Last night I began to remove the frosting from the Bitspower RAM cooler plexi. I think the frosting looks good, but I prefer the shiny chrome to match with the rest of the stuff inside Frank and nothing in there is muted/frosted. So I wanted to spend some time on these and get them clear. Peter Brands helped me out with a link to his video that showed how he polished these up and so I tried his method which seems to be working pretty well atm. I am using different compounds/chemicals but th4e results seem to be heading in the direction I want them to go.

I did order some plastic polishing kit and a ton of polishing tips for the Dremel as well as a Dremel polishing kit. I hope to use those to finish these off. The one I have almost done is ready to have that final polish put to it as there are micro scratches that are bothering me and I know depending on the angle it will make or break a photo, so I want them to be perfectly smooth without a single line in the plastic. So hopefully these additional items I have ordered will allow me to put that final touch on them.

Below are many images I took from multiple angles. I give side by side comparisions and show the differences in the frosted versus the non-frosted.

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I saw the 2011 Frank update and followed it off and on. But you my friend, are taking things to a whole new level. Frank looks awesome, and I am sub'd for every update! Congrats!
 
EspoNation said:
I saw the 2011 Frank update and followed it off and on. But you my friend, are taking things to a whole new level. Frank looks awesome, and I am sub'd for every update! Congrats!
Click to expand...

Much thanks - please stay turned because things are not progressing as fast atm as they were but we are making headway and my goal is to be 100% done by the end of July to submit in the BYOC contest at Quakcon.

You can re-browse the progress thus far or skim the images on FB. Please feel free to "Friend" frank on FB. http://www.facebook.com/frank.n.stein3
 
I saw a thread where someone did the same thing so some EK GPU blocks and removed the frosting. I have to say both those and these bitspower RAM blocks look much better clear. Once they have Franks blood pumping through them all lit up with LEDs they will look amazing. I find it kind of odd they dont have a clear option in the first place but maybe its not that popular.
 
MrWrong said:
I saw a thread where someone did the same thing so some EK GPU blocks and removed the frosting. I have to say both those and these bitspower RAM blocks look much better clear. Once they have Franks blood pumping through them all lit up with LEDs they will look amazing. I find it kind of odd they dont have a clear option in the first place but maybe its not that popular.
Click to expand...

Peter Brands did a video where he did the same to a set of EK blocks here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW-HadrjjIU He gave me that link on FB to check out when I was looking how to do it. So the credit goes to him in figuring out this is possible and what we need to do it with, I just ran with it from there.

I agree, I think the clear looks much better - the Primochill Blood Red liquid will look sweet cruising through there with the 5mm and 3mm Red LED's glowing. The clear should make it shine more too I bet. I am also very surprised that this isn't a factory option to get crystal clear ones. Their clears all have this frosting to them, be it EK or Bitspower.
 
shawnoen said:
Not sure why he used that cheap car polish but there are much better products out there for the application, namely Novus.

http://www.pilotgearonline.com/novus-plastic-polish.html?___store=default

You can even try Meguiars Plast-X but its a bit agressive for clear plastic.
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Its funny you linked that - I have this arriving today: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000J41VDM/ref=pe_385040_30332200_pe_309540_26725410_item

I also picked up these:
Felt Polishing Buffing Points/Polishing pad Pack Of 40 Fit Dremel
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0097PLG0W/ref=pe_385040_30332200_pe_309540_26725410_item
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and this - all arrive today:
Dremel 684-01 20-Piece Clean & Polish Rotary Tool Accessory Kit With Case
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005LEXV/ref=pe_385040_30332200_pe_309540_26725410_item_image
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So tonight the final polishing will take place on that one block, then I will do a video of me cleaning the second one, once I have done the first to get an idea of what I am doing.
 
Don't use those felt tips on any plastic or plexi. Even at low speeds it will simply burn the material.

Do it by hand. If you insist on using power tools get a real bench buffer, set it on the lowest speed possible, and use the loosest sewn cotton or microfiber wheel you can find.

Something on a drill might work too but not very well. Dremel makes similar buffs but they are too small and dremel is too high RPM, even at the lowest setting.

Loose sewn:

http://www.amazon.com/Loose-Cotton-Buffing-Wheel-Mounted/dp/B0009RPP5O

Tight sewn:

http://www.amazon.com/3-Sisal-Mounted-Buffing-Wheel/dp/B001RCKW6M/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_img_z
 
shawnoen said:
Don't use those felt tips on any plastic or plexi. Even at low speeds it will simply burn the material.

Do it by hand. If you insist on using power tools get a real bench buffer, set it on the lowest speed possible, and use the loosest sewn cotton or microfiber wheel you can find.

Something on a drill might work too but not very well. Dremel makes similar buffs but they are too small and dremel is too high RPM, even at the lowest setting.

Loose sewn:

http://www.amazon.com/Loose-Cotton-Buffing-Wheel-Mounted/dp/B0009RPP5O

Tight sewn:

http://www.amazon.com/3-Sisal-Mounted-Buffing-Wheel/dp/B001RCKW6M/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_img_z
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You are absolutely correct TBH. I never needed them anyway. That Novus was all I really needed. It worked absolutely perfect. Editing a video atm and preparing some images to post. It worked very well and did not need any power tools at all - and the results are amazing. All I needed was that Novus polish kit. :D
 
Here is a quick vid I did polishing the Bitspower RAM block, taking it from frosted to very very clear with little effort. This goes through the steps and process of removing the frosting very easily.

YouTube Tutorial on polishing the Bitspower RAM Block from Frosted to Clear:
http://youtu.be/Gu3kT9zuIgQ

Then on to some stills - now I know these are crappy iPhone pics, so please forgive the less than appealing detail that is not present in them like most of my pics, but my camera was used during the process and battery drain etc. So will get some good shots later to show the end results.

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Cant wait too see what it looks like once everything is hooked up and coolant is running through them.
 
i have to say the attention to detail is outstanding, and I like the steam-punk motifs. Very cool. Keep it up!
 
MrWrong said:
Cant wait too see what it looks like once everything is hooked up and coolant is running through them.
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Yeha me either - mking those plans to do just that. It will take a lot more effort than simply adding them to the loop as I need to do some more modding on the case first - actually in the same time and workflow as when I add them in the loop, these plans all go hand in hand and need to be done at that same time.

StatutoryApe said:
White :3
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LMAO Stat - you and that white..............

gigatexal said:
i have to say the attention to detail is outstanding, and I like the steam-punk motifs. Very cool. Keep it up!
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ty ty - heading down the home stretch, its closing in on July and I need this done by August 1. Not a bad 7 month project :p By the time I get this done, it will be a full 7 months on this build.


I made a template for the holes and centerlines so I can drill 3 holes in the floor of the Extended U2-UFO as pass throughs.
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This basically defines the plan. I will use both Bitspower Dual Mod Tops (BPDMT) to push the front and rear rads separately. So Starting from the 400mm res that will be mounted on the floor of the top portion and allow for the pass through to the lower section, the bottom of the 400mm Primochill CTR (http://www.performance-pcs.com/cata...oduct_info&cPath=59_318_785&products_id=36251) will allow for four ports. One port will be used for a "Exit Temp" probe, another will be used for "In" that will come in from under the floor and from the pass through that the MB feed goes to. I will use two of the pass through connections one for each top of each reservoir on top of the BPDMT, which will feed the pumps below - reducing or eliminating the potential for bubbles to be fed into the rads or back up and through the loop. The pumps will feed front and rads independently and then combine back by using a Bitspower "Y" connector. As it exits the "Y" I should be able to pick up my combined flows into a singel flow rate. There I will also pick up the "Enter" temps and feed it back through a pass through. Above the floor there will be a Bitspower QDC and arched tubing to the bottom of the GPU's. Once it makes it round through all the MB blocks, RAM blocks, CPU, and GPU blocks, it should exit out of the SB block and arch with the same curve as the one feeding the GPU's down to another Bitspower QDC that is also attached to a pass through in the floor. Under the floor I will have a short run to then feed the 400mm from underneath. That should be the final loop change. This should allow the dual pumps per BPDMT to have more impact in the flow than being all four in series. Two pumps per front and two per rear rad sets that will then combine before heading to the GPU's - this should increase my flow rates as opposed to the current loop config. That is my plan at least.
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This basically shows the idea of using the Male2Male rotary connection between the reservoir and the pass through connections I will install in the floor of the Extended U2-UFO.
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So I figured I would do a quick inventory to keep the components on track here on what all have gone into this current build.

CASE:
1x Mountain Mods Extended U2-UFO w/3 custom panels - modified with 3m Carbon Fiber DiNoc Vinyl wrap
1x Mountain Mods Water Barrel 24 w/1 custom panel - modified with 3m Carbon Fiber DiNoc Vinyl wrap

PSU:
1x LEPA G1600 1,600W/1,700W Peak - modified with 3m Carbon Fiber DiNoc Vinyl wrap

UPS/BATTERY BACK UP:
1x CyberPower PR3000LCDRT2U 3000VA / 2250W Pure sine wave UPS (Frank)
1x CyberPower BP72V60ART2U (72V) Extended Battery Module (EBM) (Frank)
1x Belkin 1,500VA UPS (Monitors)
1x APC AV Power Conditioners & Battery Backups,865 Watts /1500 VA, Input 120V /Output 120V (Monitors/Peripherals)

COMPONENTS:
Asus RE4 MB Socket 2011
Intel Core i7 3930k @ 4.6Ghz Daily/5.2Ghz Bench
G.Skill RipJaws Z 1866Mhz DDR3 32GB (8x4GB)/2133Mhz Bench
EVGA GTX 680 4G GPU x 3
Asus Xonar Phoebus Sound Card

COOLING:
1x Watercool CPU V3 Water Block & Customized w/3M DiNoc Carbon Fiber Vinyl wrap
3x Watercool Heatkiller GTX 680 Waterblocks w/Custom Backplates & Customized w/3M DiNoc Carbon Fiber Vinyl wrap
1x EK RE4 Water Blocks - Modified w/3M DiNoc Carbon Fiber Vinyl Wrap
2x Bitspower 4-DIMM Universal RAM Water Block - Clear - Removed Frosting/made clear - - modified with 3m Carbon Fiber DiNoc Vinyl wrap on RAM sinks
4x VPP655 Alphacool 12v D5 Pumps
4x Bitspower Mod Bottoms - Black Sparkle
2x Bitspower D5 Dual Mod Top
2x Bitspower 250mm Reservoir
1x Primochill 400mm reservoir
2x Primochill 240mm reservoir (these may be coming out - they do not fit in the new loop I will be doing in the next week)
1x Watercool MORA-3 LT 1080 Radiator Modified w/Push Pull (non-LT performance)
1x HW Labs Black Ice Xtreme HF 360 Radiator
1x Swiftech Performance 360 Radiator
1x Alphacool UT60 360 Radiator
Tons of Primochill Advanced LRT Clear tubing 1/2"ID x 3/4" OD (big pipe)
Tons of Bitspower fittings
4x Bitspower Quick Disconnects
2x Koolance Quick Disconnects
1x Koolance Flow Meter
1x Koolance Dual 24v Pump Controller (2-12v pumps per control knob)
1x Koolance Flow Meter Display
2x Bitspower Black Sparkle temp probe
5x Koolance 1/2"ID pass through connectors
2x Phoyba Temp Sensor Display Red LED
6x Bottles of Primochill Blood Red Coolant

DRIVES:
2x SATA III Hot Swap Front Loading Drive Bays 3.5" HDD
1x Thermaltake 6-bay SSD drive bay
2x Corsair Force GT 120GB SSD/2x Patriot Pyro SE 120GB SSD - all 4 in RAID 0 BOOT/OS/PROG
2x Hitachi 2TB 7,200RPM 16MB Cache/SATA III - Storage

PERIPHERALS:
2x PROBOX 4-Bay External eSATA DRIVE BAYS (12TB)
Razer Naga Molten Edition
Logitech G19 Keyboard
Razer Nostromos Gaming Pad
Buttkicker Gamer II
Razer Tiamiat 7.1 Headphones
Klipsch HD500 5.1 Speaker set
Yamaha RX-V567 Receiver
Nvidia 3D Vision 2

MONITORS
1x Asus 27" VG278HE 144Hz 3D Monitor 1920x1080
3x Asus 24" VW246H 60hz Standard 3ms gtg 1920x1080

CUSTOM CABLES I MADE
Lutro0 Customs Coreless Paracord: Imperial Red, Black, Charcoal
Lutro0 Customs 16awg wire w/thin insulation
MDPC Heatshrink 3:1 Thin Wall
MDPC Charcoal SATA Sleeving
Stainless Steel Sewing Thread

LIGHTING:
Custom LED Strips by IceModz
Custom LED runs for Bitspower Blocks
 
I like the white LED's against all the black and red. Makes for a great look.
 
Robertmarcus said:
How do you like the icemodz lighting? I saw the Linus video about it.
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I will know when it arrives :eek: lol I gave him my specifications for the custom strips I was wanting. Waiting for it to arrive, then you can see it along with me :D I may try to do an interview with Mundi if he wants to, much like I did w/Mike @ Lutro0 Customs. I think it would be cool to talk to him about all his products and see what he has coming out, etc. Like Mike is the sleeving guy, I feel Mundi is the lighting guy @ IceModz. He has some really cool lighting stuff to chose from I think. I bought my own white LED strips from eBay and even built a strip, but then started hearing all kinds of great things about IceModz, so I figured WTH and went for it. :D

Check them out here: http://www.icemodz.com/

EspoNation said:
I like the white LED's against all the black and red. Makes for a great look.
Click to expand...

I have to agree, all I had was some pre-made white LED's knowing I had Red ones waiting to be made. Well using the white ones I started liking tem, so I may end up buying some white 5mm and 3mm LEDs and doing them all in white LED's, I think it contrasts nicely as well.
 
This is an idea I have had rolling around in the back of my head that I decided I am going to try to do and remain consistent at posting on my FB page and other places. I had this thought of becoming the self proclaimed "Motivational Modder" :D so I share with you the first of many to come - I hope you like.

Comments, ideas, and suggestions welcome to make this a little better format. If you notice I have in the bottom right corner a place where I am putting who's pic and what build. I know I will be scraping others builds and build log images along the way, so I wanted to ensure I had a place to give them credit for their image while using it to help with the message/saying.

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1920x1080 image: http://imageshack.us/a/img837/1268/xgcd.png

The sewing I did on this build was unlike anything most anyone had seen. This is why I used it because it was my idea that I acted upon and did, when no one else had done it before. So that is the tie in there. I will try to always have a pic relating somehow to the saying - not just some random "Pretty" pic.

Much like this one I did a few days ago when I was testing ideas...........

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The1stCAV said:
Comments, ideas, and suggestions welcome to make this a little better format. If you notice I have in the bottom right corner a place where I am putting who's pic and what build. I know I will be scraping others builds and build log images along the way, so I wanted to ensure I had a place to give them credit for their image while using it to help with the message/saying.
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it's a good idea! maybe for a few images though and not every one so the meaning isn't lost.
 
myelin1 said:
it's a good idea! maybe for a few images though and not every one so the meaning isn't lost.
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Thanks for the feedback.

I am also just biding time atm waiting on some more coreless paracord to finish the cables as well as this next week where we will have basically a 4 day weekend. I will be doing a TON to Frank those 4 days as I am preparing a final loop change, case modding, and much cable clean up during that time.


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See on the paint picture that works. On some of the others I like the older style. The buffing came out awesome by the way! If you have the drive there is always a way.
 
Frank, is there any way I could talk to you? New builder here, home sick with double pneumonia and an asthmatic to boot! 46 years old young and married with only one chance to make a desktop! Thanks for your consideration. 6/29/2013
 
miller330i said:
Frank, is there any way I could talk to you? New builder here, home sick with double pneumonia and an asthmatic to boot! 46 years old young and married with only one chance to make a desktop! Thanks for your consideration. 6/29/2013
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Feel free to PM me with your questions - here or on FB
 
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