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Frank's 2013 upgrade.......
- Thread starter The1stCAV
- Start date
Great pictures so far... kind of curious... what is this behind the monitor? http://imageshack.us/a/img59/1029/frank2013dec2012current.jpg
Thanks man, now you all have me thinking, I may sell the ERM unit for enough $$$ to buy a fourth GTX 680 + Water block. As you followed my last build, we never know what will be brought into the build as it is ever expanding.I plan on using the MO-RA3 LT anyway, so I may as well sell the ERM for some $$$ I am thinking. Damn waterblocks are expensive as well. Those Bitspower ones I was looking at are like $160 each.The Watercool Heatkillers I was also looking at are like $119 each, but the EK ones that are also around the $115 ea mark, have better performance I hear/read. So right now I am undecided.
That would be a dedicated UPS for the monitors and USB hubs.
Here is a link to it: http://www.apc.com/products/apcav/products/index.cfm?action=detail&base_sku=J25B
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Might want to find out if EK is still having so many issues with there platting process still. I know there QC was horrible for awhile. All blocks should perform with in a few degrees of each other too shouldn't they?
thekinslayer
n00b
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2012
- Messages
- 54
Maybe you've been asked before but I would like to know what camara do you use? Thanks
xpclassified
Limp Gawd
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2012
- Messages
- 258
Drooling!
I use a Canon T2i Rebel with an assortment of lenses and lens filters. I then bring the images into Adobe Lightroom and do some post processing on them before they are brought into Photoshop where they are put into the template I use. Probably more than what you were looking for, but that is all the items I use for my pictures in case you wondered what else aside from a good camera allowed me to take these images as I have. Many times Lightroom saves my butt on some images I forget a setting or two with and the white balance may be off or something that Lightroom allows me to correct easily within the RAW files I save to. I always shoot RAW then after post processing save as a PNG or JPG.
One of the new components in the mix was the Alphacool Repack. Its a 2x 5.25 bay unit that houses two D5 pumps and a common reservoir.
Here is what Aplhacool says about their product here:
http://www.alphacool.com/product_in...g-D5---Dual-5-25-Bay-Station.html?language=en
The Alphacool Repack Dual Laing D5 Dual 5.25 bay station is for designed installation in the front of an enclosure. For mounting two vacant 5.25 drive bays are required. Mounting of the pump(s) can be done individually or in a dual configuration. For both configurations all required material is included. Dual operation can be configured to couple the pumps serially or for parallel operation. The pumps always draw the coolant from one combined reservoir.
Technological innovations featured in the Alphacool Repack:
So far the information about the reservoir sounds like a standard reservoir, but the developers have had many great ideas to solve common problems:
Anti Cyclon:
Different than standard solutions, where the coolant is guided around many edges and corners, still leaving micro-bubbles in the coolant, this reservoir uses a completely new technology. A new kind of filter is placed in front of both pump inlets, marked with in & out, eliminating the problem of micro bubbles at the core.
Filling:
On standard Slot-In reservoirs filling was a hassle: Unscrew, pull out, fill, fixate again. And during filling a third and fourth hand would always come in very handy, as it is always a very difficult operation to fill in the coolant. Enough! The front is equipped with a filling straw which can be released with few turns, and as it is hollow it can be used for filling of the reservoir. For this we recommend the filling bottles or straws from our portfolio.
The looks:
The front, which is mainly what remains visible after mounting, is beautiful to look at: Plexi, Acetal, fill level indicator and filling straw in combination with the typical Alphacool copper look make a great appearance! The next step is the creation of lighting effects for the coolant. From the left and right side of the reservoir LEDs can be inserted, both 3mm and 5mm in site. The highlight: a 10cm long cold light cathode can be inserted from the top for maximum lighting performance! In combination with the LED it is even possible to implement different colors within the reservoir. Creative users will surely create even more effects with the Heatmaster and find new ideas.
Now here is what Frank and I have to say about it.......
Nice box, lets look inside........
OK so we have a well packed item with some screws if we need them. But show me the actual item already.......
AHH here we have what looks like a nice reservoir for Frank that will sit in the front 5.25 device bays. This required me to remove a DVD drives I had there to make room. But here we see what it looks like coming out of the box, initially I thought what a nice well-made reservoir it was. This was before I actually started using it.
They put a nice logo thingy on the front. That meant nothing to me as I am not really excited about the copper touches, because Frank is mainly silve3r, black and red. So these copper portions are not fitting with the color scheme and will have to be modded later on to adjust and conform. We cannot have clashing metal colors now can we?
Something I learned with this unit is that there is actually a front cover. The copper plate and the black printing you see here is actually a front cover that can be removed using those 4 corner screws. Why would you want to do that, well that gets us into the first thing I wasnt so excited about finding out about this thing. When using the filing tube, if you spill some, it could very easily drip between the front piece and the reservoir behind it. This requires you to remove the screws on the faceplate to remove it to clean behind it so you do not have a coolant puddle moving around behind there. Now I know they say that the Germans build quality items, but between the radiator and this thing, I can say one thing this company has an issue with is quality control. The radiator I have one hole per side that was drilled/tapped larger than the others. This one, all three screws simply spin in their holes, only one hole actually screws in/out normally as it should. The rest were stripped out when purchased, and I do not mean stripped like I just twisted the screwdriver more than I should have, it was this way trying to simply remove them. I realized it was easier to put the tip of the screwdriver under the head and pop it out rather than try to unscrew it, they came out much easier, except for the ONE that actually was threaded properly.
The fill tube was rather tough to pull out as well. It required unscrewing it, then using a pair of needle nose pliers to pull it out because the seal was rather tight - something I am not complaining about. I would prefer it to be tough to pull out and the seal tight than it wanting to leak. However this was something I had to remember when it was time to fill it. It also requires the case to be set on its back, where the IO PCI slots are to fill it. I know they show how it can be sitting normal and filled that way, however being the person I am, I want it full, not just full enough to hit the filling tube, I wanted it as 0 air in there as possible. This required me to turn the case so the bay was facing the ceiling, then the tube extending upwards. This allowed me to tilt the case filling it as the fluid closed in the gap, however even using this method I was unable to get it completely full, but I did get it well. There is about 1/16" clearance this way, whereas when I had the case sitting normal, there was about 1/4" or more that I could not fill due to it coming out of the front tube.
The business end of the unit. This is where the D5 pumps go and it has one side you can close off and not use a D% if you do not want to use dual pumps. It is quite simple and has some good solid attachment rings that really do a great job sealing and securing the pumps in the unit. I liked this and felt safe knowing it was going into Frank. Once installed, I never worried it may leak, which I think is a good thing knowing the issues I have faced before with my water cooling.
The crazy thing is that this does not come with instructions - basically you just have to figure it out. What I realized was I could use this as two internal pumps pushing two loops while using the same common reservoir, or I could use the power of both pumps together - which is what I did. Being that MORE POWER is the general theme I live by, I knew that with or without the ERM, I was going to need some pumps to push it through all the blocks (CPU/MB/GPU1/GPU2/GPU3/GPU4).
Conclusion: So there you have it - the Alphacool Repack. Now that its in "Frank" and working, I like it. It did give me places to insert 5mm LED's but the 800D is a tight fit for the 5.25" bay devices and it did not allow for wiring space between the sides of the reservoir and the case. So I had to do without the LED's. It does allow for 6" Cold Cathodes up top, but I could not locate any to insert up top. Most of the ones I have found are too long.
Now on to other parts that got put into Frank............
Continuing on with the Alphacool Repack, showing the D5 pumps I used, as well as drilling the holes in the reservoir to fit the 5mm LED's and what it looked like when I was done. Without knowing what it is, it sure could be mistaken for Bomb Making 101 - honest its a dual pump/reservoir - lol.
The PCB I had received from Corsair had an issue with the last SATA III connection at the bottom, it came off the pins. So I am replacing it with a new one - issue is that the last one again gave me problems. I had to remove the SSD from the last tray and connect it directly in order for Windows/BIOS to see the SSD drive. When it was going through the board it wasn't being seen. I reset and tried everything to get it to work, the second I pulled the SSD out and plyuggedit in directly it was visible and worked. So this PCB actually has issues.
I just had to show a bit of the mess again. This is a small section of piles of cables, sleeved, used, unused, and old cables. I seem to never throw cables out, so I have cables from 12 years old builds still hanging around.
I ordered some cable clamps thinking I could use some inside my case. What I did not realize was how big they were when they arrived. I had no idea what I would use those for, then I realized I had the perfect job for them. I always needed something to hold the towel over the ends of the Quick Disconnects, so what drippage occurs, the towels will catch it before it gets on the floor or other things. Usually I use ruber bands, but these worked out so much easier and I can re-use them for this and other purposes. They are actuallyt pretty cool, they wratchet and they release just as easy. So here are a few pictures showing how I was using them on the QDC's on both the ERM unit and the tubing coming out of Frank.
I just had to show a bit of the mess again. This is a small section of piles of cables, sleeved, used, unused, and old cables. I seem to never throw cables out, so I have cables from 12 years old builds still hanging around.
I ordered some cable clamps thinking I could use some inside my case. What I did not realize was how big they were when they arrived. I had no idea what I would use those for, then I realized I had the perfect job for them. I always needed something to hold the towel over the ends of the Quick Disconnects, so what drippage occurs, the towels will catch it before it gets on the floor or other things. Usually I use ruber bands, but these worked out so much easier and I can re-use them for this and other purposes. They are actuallyt pretty cool, they wratchet and they release just as easy. So here are a few pictures showing how I was using them on the QDC's on both the ERM unit and the tubing coming out of Frank.
Still trying to find the right waterblock that is compatible with these 4G non-reference design cards. Once I go for "more" I seem to corner myself on options I guess. 4G cards do not typically work with reference design 2g blocks I am finding. I have contacted XSPC about their blocks that I liked and theirs is not compatible. I have a query out to Watercool at the moment as well waiting to hear back from them, but so far the only company that has given me any reply with compatibility is EK. So if the Watercool ones are not compatible, looks like EK it will be..........
I also just found out that the GTX 680's do not have the ability to remove the "bottom" DVI port. So even waterblocking these cards will not fee up the slots in between because the GTX 680 cards have top/bottom DVI ports, taking up two PCI slots per card. Even if the motherboard slot is opened where I could insert my sound card, the case PCI slot will be covered by the Dual PCI plate on the GTX 680, rendering it impossible, unless I want to void a warranty, to remove that bottom DVI port and free up a PCI slot.
This means, I have to make a choice, 4x GTX 680's and no sound card (use onboard sound - eww) vs 3x GTX 680's and the Phobeus Sound Card. Right now I am sure I am leaning the same direction most of you would if your as picky as I am about sound - the GTX 680's x 3 will do just fine.
I also just found out that the GTX 680's do not have the ability to remove the "bottom" DVI port. So even waterblocking these cards will not fee up the slots in between because the GTX 680 cards have top/bottom DVI ports, taking up two PCI slots per card. Even if the motherboard slot is opened where I could insert my sound card, the case PCI slot will be covered by the Dual PCI plate on the GTX 680, rendering it impossible, unless I want to void a warranty, to remove that bottom DVI port and free up a PCI slot.
This means, I have to make a choice, 4x GTX 680's and no sound card (use onboard sound - eww) vs 3x GTX 680's and the Phobeus Sound Card. Right now I am sure I am leaning the same direction most of you would if your as picky as I am about sound - the GTX 680's x 3 will do just fine.
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Thanks, as I hope you did as well.
RADRaze2KX
Weaksauce
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2012
- Messages
- 106
I have never used G.Skill so this will be a first for me, though I see many use it without issue and it seems to be popular RAM.
G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 32GB (8 x 4GB) 240-Pin SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory F3-14900CL9Q2-32GBZL
- 8 x 4GB Kit
- PC3-14900
- CL9 (9-9-9-24-2N)
- 1.5V
- Limited Lifetime Manufacturer Warranty
Great build, Cav. I recommend G.Skill... use them in all my builds, they work great for a great price. Currently have 8 x 8GB 1866 in my 3930 air-cooled system.
Sorry to see all the problems you had with your build... I didn't have quite that many with mine, but - I ordered 4 x 120GB Kingston HyperX 3K drives to put in RAID0 on a RocketRAID 2720SGL and one of the drives was defective. I had to wait 8 days for my RMA to get back to me. Then while benchmarking and testing I couldn't get my system stable at stock clocks (1866) because I was running so much RAM (8 x 8GB). I had to up the voltage beyond the G.Skill factory spec of 1.5v to 1.65v before it would stabilize. Then I realized the Coolermaster air cooler I got was running my processor at ~50*C at idle and almost 92*C during torture test in Prime95. I had Noctua overnighted to me and now i'm in the process of overclocking. Definitely looking forward to comparing builds, though your 3 x 680's will run over my single 7870 in a heartbeat
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Robertmarcus
Gawd
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2012
- Messages
- 671
pics or it never happened radraze
Cool - lets do it then. Working towards getting these GTX 680's water blocked, and hopefully in a new case, then its beautification and OC'ing time.
My G.Skill actually suprised me, they worked right out fo the box, the X79 board liked them, and I am running 8x8GB as well, but at 1.5V. We seem to be stable at 4.8Ghz as well, but will keep pushing. As you see, Frank will always be fully watercooled, but right now its just CPU. I have the board block waiting to do that and the GPU's at the same time as I move into the new case with the MORA3LT rad, etc.
Happy New Year to all..............
Allisons Dad
Limp Gawd
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2012
- Messages
- 192
Let's see yours? Oh, that's right you don't have anything that comes close to being as nice.
Run along troll.
Nice build!!!!
What's up, Cav! Long time no hear, brother! Upgrading again!?!?
NAHID!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy New Year to you and yours as well. Glad to have you back checking out the latest upgrade to Frank.
LMAO - nice
Thanks for the comment on the build progress so far. I am currently working on the two remaining major buys which are the new case that I will mod once it arrives (this is in the case modding section lol) and the final - large - order from PPCS for things like GTX 680 waterblocks, a ton of 120mm fans (those add up fast when you are buying 20+), wire, sensors, and a ton of other things. I have a shopping cart there atm that is sitting right at $1k just for those waterblocks and misc items I will use for enhancing/using/beautifying Frank. The case thankfully looks like it's going to be around $500 - so (fingers crossed) I hope this is it that is needed to finish Frank off, except for time.
Because I use a LEPA 1600W PSU, it does not use the standard PSU connectors at the PSU end, I am trying to find a way to get some connectors that will work for the cable mods I need to do. I finally wrote LEPA to see if they can part ways with some. If all else fails, I could always carefully pop these pins out of the stock cables and use those, but I prefer not to as I will always want stock cables to fall back on if I find my custom cables have an issue (remember the fried 24-pin custom cable from last year that had a bad connection?).
Speaking of the previous build thread and the pitfalls along the way there, I can only say that I sugar coat nothing, say what happens, how I do good and how I screw up royally - its the raw plain truth on PC building, especially at the pace I have to and the pitfalls that go along with it. The 6 P's should be the way all builds go, unfortunately its not real world and "$h!t" happens - then you have to deal with it the best you can. My hope is that this brutal honest approach to my builds help others learn from my mistakes I make and the things I do good, as wel as be entertained as you see the build progress. As stated before, this is a Business PC first and foremost and my only main PC. This means when I tear frank down, or do anything to him, it has to be done in time to be back up and running for work. This is the reason for the fast paced builds I do sometimes, and yes those are some of the reasons I make mistakes because of the "gotta get it done ASAP" approach I take. Hey, where is the excitement if you always know what's around the corner? lol, so onward folks...........
6 P's
Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance
I can already say that the power of Frank now compared to his last build is quite impressive. I played Crysis 2 campaign (end to end) in 3D over the holidays, what a difference 3D makes, it was like a whole new game. Frank did it with full eye candy maxed out in 3D and was running some amazing FPS. I just wish his GPU's were watercooled, because I ran these hard for MANY hours. I then went into Far Cry 3 campaign and am at the last run, but decided not to do it yet until I go back and liberate all outposts and do all the side missions. I know I can still go back and do that once I complete the end run, I just don't want to until I am ready to be done with the game. The only thing that sucks is that it renders things wrong right now at incorrect depths, so its still a normal game and cannot be used with Nvidia 3D Vision atm until the depth issues get resolved. So it was back to Black Ops II as well, which Frank simply rips up - its not as intensive on the GPU's as Far Cry 3 or Crysis 2 is.
This build so far has been the smoothest, fastest, and most impressive powerful build to date for me. I can say that I think we are looking at a potential upgrade in 2015, as this hardware should sufice until then and really the GPU's will be the only thing I can see to really update at that time, unless Intel or AMD pull out some massively impressive technological advances that renders this X79 hardware obsolete. The X59 had a damn good run and lasted around 5 years, I expect this X79 to run about 3-4, which is the basis on what I see for 2015.
OK, so what is left for Frank?
First off, we have the preliminary parts list of remaining of items to purchase..............
QTY ITEM
1 EK-Supremacy CPU Water Block - Nickel - CSQ
3 EK-FC680 GTX+ - Acetal + Nickel
1 Koolance Flow Meter Frequency Adapter for INS-FM17N
1 Koolance INS-FM17N Coolant Flow Meter [no nozzles]
250 18AWG Stranded Hook Up Wire UL Approved - Red
1 Connectx™ PCI Express Power Supply Connector Changeover Kit - Black
6 Connectx™ ATX 8-pin Female connector housing, Black
1 MNPCTech Billet Machined Aluminum Case Feet w/ Grooved Edges (Set of 4) - Black
2 A.C. Ryan MeshxPanel™ 500x500mm - Black
1 Drivebays: For 2 x 3.5" HDD (Internal)
1 PPCS 1/8" (3mm) 480mm x 480mm UV Red Acrylic Sheet
3 XSPC H1/H2 5.25” Bay Cover
1 Fluid XP+ ECO EARTH - Liquid Cooling Fluid - Blood Red
15 PrimoFlex Advanced LRT Tubing - 3/8in. ID X 1/2in. OD - Bloodshed Red
20 Bit Fenix Spectre Pro LED Fan Series - 120mm - Red
6 Phobya Y-Cable 3Pin Molex to 3x 3Pin Molex 60cm - UV Red
1 Fluid XP+ Liquid Cooling Pre-Treatment Kit
Total Items: 314 Amount: $1,048.03 (Amazing how this stuff adds up so fast)
Then there is the 3M Carbon Fiber adhesive backed vinyl film. Considering this is 4' x 2' and the case is an 18" cube and 2' high, I should need only 2-3 sheets of this to mod the case with. I have one sheet ordered already to make sure this is what I want. I had ordered some other carbon fiber wrap that was a cheap knock-off of this stuff. It looked and felt cheap too. I may use it for minor pieces where it will not be a main attraction if I need to, but otherwise its not going to beused in Frank.
Here is what I am getting that I think will work better:
[Gloss Black 3M DiNOC Carbon Fiber Vinyl Film 4ft x 2ft
http://www.ebay.com/itm/110971353732?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
Now on to the case that will house Frank for the next couple years.............
This time around I am going with a Mountain Mods case. Now before we get into the things I have planned, please do not look at the image below and go "eww" as a couple of you have that I talk to on Skype and Steam - yeah, you know who you are, lol, you short sighted individuals (said with no malace) - Frank will be beautiful in his new digs, I promise to not dissapoint.
I you recall from the start of the post, one goal I had was to build a custom case that would sit in the equipment rack as opposed to sitting next to it. The other goal was to use the Watercool MO-RA3 LT 120x9 RAD. My final goal was to have a case that the motherboard sat flat and the top was pure eye candy and below that all the essentials all tucked away nicely. I think we have what I need in this case with some modifcations, hey isnt that what this section of [H] is really about? Case Modding? lol.
Now, when you view the image below, keep the following in mind..............
1. The "front" panel you see, is really going to be flipped 180 then move to the "right side" which will become the actual front. This means the I/O will be on the right side as I wanted it to be so I could use my cable management in the equipment rack and it flows eaisly into that red channel.
2. That "front" panel has a 120x9 config, this will serve as the "intake" into the case and the "push" on the MORA3 LT.
3. The clear plexi panel will really be moved to the "left side", which when viewing the image below is the "Front". Currently it resides where I will make the rear of the case in the image below. This means sitting in the rack, I will be able to view the entire insides from the left side and top down. The top remains the clear plexi as well and obviously stays where it is.
4. Now on the far right side which you cannot see is a solid aluminum panel. That will become the "Rear" of this case and what will be modded to hold the MO-RA3 LT on. The non-fan side of the MO-RA3 will be mounted against the panel, the panel will be cut to accomodate the radiator and allow unrestricted air flow to exit the chassis. The other side of the rad houses 9x120mm fans. These will act as the "Pull" side. So we will have the front pushing in with 9x120mm fans and the rear exiting with 9x120mm fans pulling.
5. The remaining aluminum that is exposed will be carbon fiber wrapped, with the exception of some accent red pieces, but the majority inside and out will be carbon fiber wrapped.
6. See the horizontal motherboard tray? Well that also will be modded. I plan on cutting some strategic holes for cooling the backside of the mo0therboard, as well as lighting the red clear plexi I plan on laying under the motherboard so th edges glow red around the motherboard.The tray will be carbon fibered as well just to keep it inline with the rest of the case, but the clear red plexi will be on top of it, then the motherboard. I will have to drill holes in each location the MB riser nuts/spacers are at as well so the plexi sits nice on the tray. I have above in that list a 1/8" sheet of red plexi planned for this.
7. If I didn't have so many 120mm fans planned to pull air out of the case, I probably would not consider the next step, but for now I think it will work. That step is to install one of my 360 radiators along what will be the "bottom" row of 3x120mm fan holes on the front panel with both Push and Pull set of 120mm fans. This means it will be adding heat inside the case, however its not like it will be ther long enough to make a difference I do not think as you see in the image, I also have a 360 rad place I can use under the PSU spots on the right side (to be right side).
8. The "Right side" not only will allow me to use another 360 rad I have, but also allows for dual PSU's - BOUNS! It seems I have the answer to my dual PSU need as well, this will house both the Silverstone SST-1500 and the LEPA 1600W PSU. I will use the LEPA as the main and the Silverstone as the aux to distribute the loads so I am not maxing one while barely using the other. I will also possibly be able to use Frank's old GPU cables again, but that remains to be seen.
9. Below those dual PSU's we see the 360 rad place and a single 120mm hole as well. Here I will use these as exits, the PSU's also will be pulling from inside the case and blowing out the right side too. This means I can place the 360 rad below with a push/pull config as well, the PSU's and the single 120mm will help take the heat out that the one 360 brings in. I will probably only run the motherboard loop through the input so the coolest of the water loops only goes through that one. The CPU and GPU's will run the MO-RA3 and the other 360 that pulls air out of the case.
10. If I find I do not have enough "Intake" air and need more, then I will buy one Bit Fenix 230mm and drop it on the clear plexi top to force air in that way as well. Obviously this will require cutting a hole that works with that fan.
Notice the tubing I have slated - this is some really red/bloodshed red tubing. I think it will contrast nicely agianst that black glossy 3D carbon fiber wrap and red lighting on the fans. Something old is coming back too. If those who followed the old build remember, I had two rows of red fan controllers with toggle switches that runs 5 fans. Well the 120mm fans on the right side will not be controlled. They are basically always going to runn full bore. The 9x120mm intake and the 9x120mm exit fans though will be controlled with these fan controllers I am bringing back. Two fans per toggle so I can regulate flow versus noise polution, even though these are 18dba fans. When you run 20+ 18dba fans, it still has noise potential greater than 18dba - lol, so being able to run them 1/2 speed unless benchmarking or stressing the system will be a help in keeping that noise down.
The Asus Blu Ray CD/DVD will make the transition as will obviously the new Alphacool Repack that takes up two of the 5.25 bays and will drive the cooling loops. I will re-install the multi-card reader and USB front port 5.25 bay device I had to take out of Frank, now there will be room for it.
So here is the image of what will most likely be the final decision on the case.
First off, we have the preliminary parts list of remaining of items to purchase..............
QTY ITEM
1 EK-Supremacy CPU Water Block - Nickel - CSQ
3 EK-FC680 GTX+ - Acetal + Nickel
1 Koolance Flow Meter Frequency Adapter for INS-FM17N
1 Koolance INS-FM17N Coolant Flow Meter [no nozzles]
250 18AWG Stranded Hook Up Wire UL Approved - Red
1 Connectx™ PCI Express Power Supply Connector Changeover Kit - Black
6 Connectx™ ATX 8-pin Female connector housing, Black
1 MNPCTech Billet Machined Aluminum Case Feet w/ Grooved Edges (Set of 4) - Black
2 A.C. Ryan MeshxPanel™ 500x500mm - Black
1 Drivebays: For 2 x 3.5" HDD (Internal)
1 PPCS 1/8" (3mm) 480mm x 480mm UV Red Acrylic Sheet
3 XSPC H1/H2 5.25” Bay Cover
1 Fluid XP+ ECO EARTH - Liquid Cooling Fluid - Blood Red
15 PrimoFlex Advanced LRT Tubing - 3/8in. ID X 1/2in. OD - Bloodshed Red
20 Bit Fenix Spectre Pro LED Fan Series - 120mm - Red
6 Phobya Y-Cable 3Pin Molex to 3x 3Pin Molex 60cm - UV Red
1 Fluid XP+ Liquid Cooling Pre-Treatment Kit
Total Items: 314 Amount: $1,048.03 (Amazing how this stuff adds up so fast)
Then there is the 3M Carbon Fiber adhesive backed vinyl film. Considering this is 4' x 2' and the case is an 18" cube and 2' high, I should need only 2-3 sheets of this to mod the case with. I have one sheet ordered already to make sure this is what I want. I had ordered some other carbon fiber wrap that was a cheap knock-off of this stuff. It looked and felt cheap too. I may use it for minor pieces where it will not be a main attraction if I need to, but otherwise its not going to beused in Frank.
Here is what I am getting that I think will work better:
[Gloss Black 3M DiNOC Carbon Fiber Vinyl Film 4ft x 2ft
http://www.ebay.com/itm/110971353732?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
Now on to the case that will house Frank for the next couple years.............
This time around I am going with a Mountain Mods case. Now before we get into the things I have planned, please do not look at the image below and go "eww" as a couple of you have that I talk to on Skype and Steam - yeah, you know who you are, lol, you short sighted individuals (said with no malace) - Frank will be beautiful in his new digs, I promise to not dissapoint.
I you recall from the start of the post, one goal I had was to build a custom case that would sit in the equipment rack as opposed to sitting next to it. The other goal was to use the Watercool MO-RA3 LT 120x9 RAD. My final goal was to have a case that the motherboard sat flat and the top was pure eye candy and below that all the essentials all tucked away nicely. I think we have what I need in this case with some modifcations, hey isnt that what this section of [H] is really about? Case Modding? lol.
Now, when you view the image below, keep the following in mind..............
1. The "front" panel you see, is really going to be flipped 180 then move to the "right side" which will become the actual front. This means the I/O will be on the right side as I wanted it to be so I could use my cable management in the equipment rack and it flows eaisly into that red channel.
2. That "front" panel has a 120x9 config, this will serve as the "intake" into the case and the "push" on the MORA3 LT.
3. The clear plexi panel will really be moved to the "left side", which when viewing the image below is the "Front". Currently it resides where I will make the rear of the case in the image below. This means sitting in the rack, I will be able to view the entire insides from the left side and top down. The top remains the clear plexi as well and obviously stays where it is.
4. Now on the far right side which you cannot see is a solid aluminum panel. That will become the "Rear" of this case and what will be modded to hold the MO-RA3 LT on. The non-fan side of the MO-RA3 will be mounted against the panel, the panel will be cut to accomodate the radiator and allow unrestricted air flow to exit the chassis. The other side of the rad houses 9x120mm fans. These will act as the "Pull" side. So we will have the front pushing in with 9x120mm fans and the rear exiting with 9x120mm fans pulling.
5. The remaining aluminum that is exposed will be carbon fiber wrapped, with the exception of some accent red pieces, but the majority inside and out will be carbon fiber wrapped.
6. See the horizontal motherboard tray? Well that also will be modded. I plan on cutting some strategic holes for cooling the backside of the mo0therboard, as well as lighting the red clear plexi I plan on laying under the motherboard so th edges glow red around the motherboard.The tray will be carbon fibered as well just to keep it inline with the rest of the case, but the clear red plexi will be on top of it, then the motherboard. I will have to drill holes in each location the MB riser nuts/spacers are at as well so the plexi sits nice on the tray. I have above in that list a 1/8" sheet of red plexi planned for this.
7. If I didn't have so many 120mm fans planned to pull air out of the case, I probably would not consider the next step, but for now I think it will work. That step is to install one of my 360 radiators along what will be the "bottom" row of 3x120mm fan holes on the front panel with both Push and Pull set of 120mm fans. This means it will be adding heat inside the case, however its not like it will be ther long enough to make a difference I do not think as you see in the image, I also have a 360 rad place I can use under the PSU spots on the right side (to be right side).
8. The "Right side" not only will allow me to use another 360 rad I have, but also allows for dual PSU's - BOUNS! It seems I have the answer to my dual PSU need as well, this will house both the Silverstone SST-1500 and the LEPA 1600W PSU. I will use the LEPA as the main and the Silverstone as the aux to distribute the loads so I am not maxing one while barely using the other. I will also possibly be able to use Frank's old GPU cables again, but that remains to be seen.
9. Below those dual PSU's we see the 360 rad place and a single 120mm hole as well. Here I will use these as exits, the PSU's also will be pulling from inside the case and blowing out the right side too. This means I can place the 360 rad below with a push/pull config as well, the PSU's and the single 120mm will help take the heat out that the one 360 brings in. I will probably only run the motherboard loop through the input so the coolest of the water loops only goes through that one. The CPU and GPU's will run the MO-RA3 and the other 360 that pulls air out of the case.
10. If I find I do not have enough "Intake" air and need more, then I will buy one Bit Fenix 230mm and drop it on the clear plexi top to force air in that way as well. Obviously this will require cutting a hole that works with that fan.
Notice the tubing I have slated - this is some really red/bloodshed red tubing. I think it will contrast nicely agianst that black glossy 3D carbon fiber wrap and red lighting on the fans. Something old is coming back too. If those who followed the old build remember, I had two rows of red fan controllers with toggle switches that runs 5 fans. Well the 120mm fans on the right side will not be controlled. They are basically always going to runn full bore. The 9x120mm intake and the 9x120mm exit fans though will be controlled with these fan controllers I am bringing back. Two fans per toggle so I can regulate flow versus noise polution, even though these are 18dba fans. When you run 20+ 18dba fans, it still has noise potential greater than 18dba - lol, so being able to run them 1/2 speed unless benchmarking or stressing the system will be a help in keeping that noise down.
The Asus Blu Ray CD/DVD will make the transition as will obviously the new Alphacool Repack that takes up two of the 5.25 bays and will drive the cooling loops. I will re-install the multi-card reader and USB front port 5.25 bay device I had to take out of Frank, now there will be room for it.
So here is the image of what will most likely be the final decision on the case.
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The blocks being "silver" really isn't a concern. It was more of the fact of not trying to mix copper & nickel in the loops and keeping them all nickel plated copper. I basically have no choice but to go with these blocks. These are the only ones that work with my non-reference design GTX 680's. I actually wanted to go Bitspower, then moved back to Watercool Heatkillers like I always use only tpo find out neither are compatible with my GTX 680 4GB cards according to the MFG's. I contacted both who verified their blocks would not work on this set of cards - the only MFG that does support these are EK and these are the blocks.
I sincerly appreciate the warning and concern, however I am basically limited at this time as you can see now. I seem to roll the dice a lot and sometimes I win, sometimes I don't - this is going to be one of those times I am just going to have to cross my fingers, hope and pray they fixed their manufacturing processes on these and they remain a solid cooling solution for me.
i wouldnt worry about it too much. there was a lot of backlash because EK basically denied that there was anything wrong with their blocks even though they had a pretty high defect rate. just remember that a high defect rate can be like 5%. if they sell 1000 of those blocks then 50 people will be complaining about it on all the forums. it does not mean that its a case of "when not if" at all. it just means that a lot of people have a personal vendetta against the company, and you should keep an eye out to make sure yours arent bad. im pretty sure that after their terrible handling of it in the beginning, theyve sorta admitted to it at some point and do exchange bad blocks. even if you do get a bad one, its not gonna clog all the pathways at once, it would take a while before it would really be a problem.
TLDR: EK handled bad QC poorly, but it doesnt mean 100% of their product is crap. just keep an eye out.
TLDR: EK handled bad QC poorly, but it doesnt mean 100% of their product is crap. just keep an eye out.
I have to agree that 100% of their products are not crap. TBH, I run that EK Supreme HF CPU block right now and have in Frank for over a year - oh wait, its all copper.........umm, well I can say at least the all copper block works nicely - hehe
OK, so this one may be better - see, we are all working together for the best solution for Frank - I really love collaboration amongst like minds
EK-FC680 GTX+
This one being all copper, the cpu block being all copper, the radiators being all copper - I do not know why I was going Nickel - I know better then to mix them in the loops and apparently I wasn't thinking. Again, this is where the 6 P's come in.....................
Yeah, I'm not saying all their products are crap, just the nickle line. I actually kinda like the CSQ blocks, though I admit that they are a very love them or hate them design.
If you're going copper, then you're kosher. I just saw nickle and was like, this guy has had enough problems with his loop.
If you're going copper, then you're kosher. I just saw nickle and was like, this guy has had enough problems with his loop.
i agree that blocks sounds much better cav. and youre sure it fits on your card? personally im not a fan of their new "circles everywhere" design policy but that parts facing down anyway so whatever. the lighted acrylic will definitely look sick.
According to their configurator it does. +1 on the circles comment - lol, whoever thought that was sexy needs to get some design sense. I wasn't all excited about it, but figured if I was going with the GPU blocks as they are, I should also do the same for the GPU to keep it the same. The new case will show these blocks off too - so there is no getting past it. Hopefully the LED lighting I have planned may work on these blocks and the circles will not be much of a distraction. EK normally does not provide for LED's, but I think I have some ideas on how to get them to "Glow" red I think. We shall see how it progresses.
The configurator I have to say is pretty slick if accurate:
then it spits out what all blocks will work for that card
NOTE CORRECTION: I am pointing at the wrong card I just noticed, look further down and you will see it there in the list.............not trying to confuse anyone ;-) Its the EK-FC680 GTX+ not the CSQ one.
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hm that configurator is pretty sweet. even tells you that the block fits but you need new screws for the backplate. yeah i wasnt sure but i guess that block doesnt have LED holes. it looks like theres room on the edge (the bottom of the acrylic in the pic you posted above) to drill a couple shallow holes and insert LEDS if you wanted to. looking at the pics it also seems like you could take a big piece of sand paper on a table and sand the circles off the block pretty quickly. then get it back to a fine grit to make it transparent again. im sure that once you spend many hundreds of dollars on the blocks though, that option begins to sound less appealing.
i thought they moved their entire lineup to circles on the plastic pieces. i really wish theyd go back to their old designs instead of these dumb circles. its just so uninspired and really does look bad.
The full clear/copper image I have above (post @ 10:10am today) is in fact the GTX+ one not the CSQ.
THE ERM IS FOR SALE - Trying to come up with the $$ for the case so I can get this mod on..............after Frank's "Incident" I must resort to selling off items to get $$ to complete this upgrade/mod.
FS Thread on [H]
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1039484610#post1039484610
Also selling the following:
Watercool Heatkiller GPU X3 GTX 580 Waterblocks - Hole Edition and Regular
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1737907
Koolance CPU-360 Waterblock
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1737904
FS Thread on [H]
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1039484610#post1039484610
Also selling the following:
Watercool Heatkiller GPU X3 GTX 580 Waterblocks - Hole Edition and Regular
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1737907
Koolance CPU-360 Waterblock
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1737904
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Love your work man, especially all the attention to detail and color matching; excited to see how the big case turns out--my long term dream involves a rack as well.
You know...most of my dreams involve racks, now that I think about it...
All this balls to the wall stuff reminds me of the systems I've built for my gf's lab (to handle the software for the microscope rigs). When I fist asked her for a budget, she said "well, at 5k I have to fill out a form, so just keep each order under that so I don't have to." Love playing with that high end hardware, too bad I'm a ways from it myself...but that's why you share your porn!
You know...most of my dreams involve racks, now that I think about it...
All this balls to the wall stuff reminds me of the systems I've built for my gf's lab (to handle the software for the microscope rigs). When I fist asked her for a budget, she said "well, at 5k I have to fill out a form, so just keep each order under that so I don't have to." Love playing with that high end hardware, too bad I'm a ways from it myself...but that's why you share your porn!
Love your work man, especially all the attention to detail and color matching; excited to see how the big case turns out--my long term dream involves a rack as well.
You know...most of my dreams involve racks, now that I think about it...
All this balls to the wall stuff reminds me of the systems I've built for my gf's lab (to handle the software for the microscope rigs). When I fist asked her for a budget, she said "well, at 5k I have to fill out a form, so just keep each order under that so I don't have to." Love playing with that high end hardware, too bad I'm a ways from it myself...but that's why you share your porn!
Thanks man, I hope to out do what we did last time. I too love racks of all kinds, though the bigger/more extreme the better IMO (wink)
$5k budget huh, well that could get you some really good stuff going I can see how that would have been fun, I too understand first hand. To quote John Travolta (hearing his voice saying this in my head when I write this) - "Ain't it great?" (Now I am going to go nuts trying to remember the movie this was in, probably Grease).
Yeah, I am pretty excited to see this case come to life though. Frank needs some new digs, he has grown out of the 800D - really he has and I think a guy in Norway is picking up the ERM unit, so the case shouldn't be far behind.
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Ahh that will most certainly be occuring once the case comes. That is what this thread is all about - building, then beautifying Frank lol Patience my friend, all good things come in time
wra18th
[H]F Junkie
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2009
- Messages
- 8,492
Waits patiently (Fidgets)
What happened to your office man? I remember when the desk was all setup pretty badass, not to say it isn't now. It's just not the same though! Can't wait to see this thing completely done though
Yeah lots is in disarray atm.....
The only things about my desk that has changed drastically is
- The UPS is now behind the 27" monitor, as opposed to being the stand the triple 24" monitors used to sit on.
- I mounted a pole to my desk to replace that trip monitor stand, put the 24" triple monitor arm on that pole and put the new 27" in the middle and below the 3x 24" ones above.
- The cable management is something I should totally be embarrassed by, but know it cleans up nicely when we get to that point again.
- The board sitting on the keyboard tray that is to replace the one that used to be there because now I need a wider keyboard/mouse/nostromos area.
WRA18TH - stop fidgeting, its OK man, all in due time -
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Wow you are a long time lurker
- lol, that has not been in that configuration for a year and a half or more, though that does give me a good idea once I can get Frank into the equipment rack - one thing I want to do badly is get this black shag carpet OUT of this room. I hate it shedding on things and I loose so much in it - its worse than a haystack trying to find a needle. At least a haystak you can pitchfork in the air and see what falls, this is tough to find once it hits the black carpet - especially tiny black screws - the worst.I may find a better area rug solution, get rid of this shag POS and when I cover the desk in that Carbon Fiber wrap - it may be time to put the office back together that way.