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Well its been 2+ yrs since I did my original mod. There's been a slew of key component upgrades, and some still yet to come.
To make room and increase capacity for all the changes (past, present, and future), it seems appropriate to refresh the entire setup.
Here's the old configuration:
Tt Armor modified with the a custom plexi top that holds the BIP II, and a custom plexi full face front panel. 2 CD/DVD slots were cutout, but I'm currently only using 1 drive. You can see the open/empty space for the 2nd plexi drive door cover. I originally had 2 drives, but pulled 1 for use in another workstation.
Here's an inside pic for reference.
You can see in the above pic the top mounted BIP II, alphacool plexi topped Laing DDC pump, BI GT 120 rad, Apogee GT CPU block, Maze 4 GPU block on a 8800 GT, and the double 3.5 plexi bay res. (in a 5.25 bay)
I'll be keeping the pump, CPU block, and bay res. The GPU block will be exchange for a FC 4870 block to accompany the new 4870 vid card that's replacing the 8800 GT.
The biggest change is being made to the case itself. Everything is being moved from the Tt Armor, to a BB Rocketfish. (aka re-badged Lian-Li). I'd post a pic of the case pre-mod, but I've been a little over eager in my work, and have already taken the one I have apart. If you need a reminder of what one looks like, take a look over here:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1299962
I do have a quick shot of the internal setup for reference as well.
The BIP II, and BI GT 120 are being replaced by a Swifty MCR320, and MCR 220 respectively. Some of the parts have already arrived, and others are on their way.
I'll still be using Yates on the rads, and PC Ice for fluid. (albeit a different color coming soon. Awaiting the UV Dye bomb delivery.) The UV Yates are going to be used as fan shrouds. ( I know some folks are cringing on that fact, but they're the cheapest 120mm blue LED UV reactive fans I can find, seriously.)
On that topic, I've already hit 1 snag. I originally bought 4 120mm Yate UV quad blue LED fans awhile back. I only need 1 more for what I'm doing, and when the additional arrived today, it appears Yate has made a slight design change. The UV frames are now a different color. (at least from the same prior vendor/the bottom fan is newer)
O'tay.
Well, I still want to use UV reactive, blue LED lit 120mm fan shrouds. I guess picking up 4 more of the new ones for <$20 shipped is nothing to cry about.
I'm still waiting for the replacement modified side panel, and 320 RadGrillz. I'm kinda held hostage by the RadGrillz delivery, as I need it to do the top mod.
Which reminds me. I'm going to be doing something similar to the original mod. I'm mixing textures. Sure, the Rocketfish is nice with its brushed aluminum, but I'll be adding other materials to the mix. While I'll be doing a similar plexi topped rad mount, I'm currently debating on the front. Either the swing door, or inside front bezel panel will be redone in plexi (or both). I'm also trying to figure out how I'd like to incorporate this relic I found in the closet:
It's a Noritake GU128X32-311 VFD
When I bought it awhile back I tried to make my own parallel connection cable. That didn't seem to work out so well. The unit lights up, but my soldering skillz need some work, so I'm not 100% on whether I made the cable correctly.
I've been tossing around the fact that I should even mess with this aspect, but I think adding it (or something similar) would be a +plus. I can buy something pre-fab for apprx $100, but I've already invested in this unit. Might as well give it a shot. I've got the materials needed to make another parallel cable/connector, so we'll see how that goes. The box actually sits under my desk (albeit, it's a all glass desk), so a front display is kinda pointless. I'm actually thinking of replacing the case's top mounted multiport connector with the display. That way I can see it from the top. We'll see. The odd PCB shape makes for a difficult top mount with the MCR320, in the given space.
I'll post as changes/updates become available.
To make room and increase capacity for all the changes (past, present, and future), it seems appropriate to refresh the entire setup.
Here's the old configuration:
Tt Armor modified with the a custom plexi top that holds the BIP II, and a custom plexi full face front panel. 2 CD/DVD slots were cutout, but I'm currently only using 1 drive. You can see the open/empty space for the 2nd plexi drive door cover. I originally had 2 drives, but pulled 1 for use in another workstation.
Here's an inside pic for reference.
You can see in the above pic the top mounted BIP II, alphacool plexi topped Laing DDC pump, BI GT 120 rad, Apogee GT CPU block, Maze 4 GPU block on a 8800 GT, and the double 3.5 plexi bay res. (in a 5.25 bay)
I'll be keeping the pump, CPU block, and bay res. The GPU block will be exchange for a FC 4870 block to accompany the new 4870 vid card that's replacing the 8800 GT.
The biggest change is being made to the case itself. Everything is being moved from the Tt Armor, to a BB Rocketfish. (aka re-badged Lian-Li). I'd post a pic of the case pre-mod, but I've been a little over eager in my work, and have already taken the one I have apart. If you need a reminder of what one looks like, take a look over here:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1299962
I do have a quick shot of the internal setup for reference as well.
The BIP II, and BI GT 120 are being replaced by a Swifty MCR320, and MCR 220 respectively. Some of the parts have already arrived, and others are on their way.
I'll still be using Yates on the rads, and PC Ice for fluid. (albeit a different color coming soon. Awaiting the UV Dye bomb delivery.) The UV Yates are going to be used as fan shrouds. ( I know some folks are cringing on that fact, but they're the cheapest 120mm blue LED UV reactive fans I can find, seriously.)
On that topic, I've already hit 1 snag. I originally bought 4 120mm Yate UV quad blue LED fans awhile back. I only need 1 more for what I'm doing, and when the additional arrived today, it appears Yate has made a slight design change. The UV frames are now a different color. (at least from the same prior vendor/the bottom fan is newer)
O'tay.
Well, I still want to use UV reactive, blue LED lit 120mm fan shrouds. I guess picking up 4 more of the new ones for <$20 shipped is nothing to cry about.
I'm still waiting for the replacement modified side panel, and 320 RadGrillz. I'm kinda held hostage by the RadGrillz delivery, as I need it to do the top mod.
Which reminds me. I'm going to be doing something similar to the original mod. I'm mixing textures. Sure, the Rocketfish is nice with its brushed aluminum, but I'll be adding other materials to the mix. While I'll be doing a similar plexi topped rad mount, I'm currently debating on the front. Either the swing door, or inside front bezel panel will be redone in plexi (or both). I'm also trying to figure out how I'd like to incorporate this relic I found in the closet:
It's a Noritake GU128X32-311 VFD
When I bought it awhile back I tried to make my own parallel connection cable. That didn't seem to work out so well. The unit lights up, but my soldering skillz need some work, so I'm not 100% on whether I made the cable correctly.
I've been tossing around the fact that I should even mess with this aspect, but I think adding it (or something similar) would be a +plus. I can buy something pre-fab for apprx $100, but I've already invested in this unit. Might as well give it a shot. I've got the materials needed to make another parallel cable/connector, so we'll see how that goes. The box actually sits under my desk (albeit, it's a all glass desk), so a front display is kinda pointless. I'm actually thinking of replacing the case's top mounted multiport connector with the display. That way I can see it from the top. We'll see. The odd PCB shape makes for a difficult top mount with the MCR320, in the given space.
I'll post as changes/updates become available.
