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Hinokagutsuchi
Limp Gawd
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2003
- Messages
- 371
Well, this is only my second 'real' computer mod, so I decided to log it with pictures.
A little backstory: I purchased my first watercooling setup during my Christmas break. I set it up as quick as I could because I needed my computer for school. As a result, I didn't think things through, and I wound up with this monstrosity:
Yes, it's ugly, which is why I wanted to redo it. Go ahead and laugh. It's ok, because I laugh at it now. Live and learn, eh?
Well, first things first. I wanted to get everything back inside the original case so it appeared as normal as possible. The first thing was finding place to mount the dual 120mm radiator.
That big front section looks nice. After a little cutting with the dremel, I wound up with this:
The rad doesn't sit on the bottom of the case. I wanted to have it sit there, but there wouldn't be a place to mount it properly.
Here's how it's mounted:
Four threaded rods come through the front, the fans, then the radiator itself. I did bend the fins so they would fit, but it's only a small bend, and I was careful not to damage anything. What I found out is that the rods bent slightly under the weight of the radiator alone. This means that with the added weight of the water, they would bend even more. What I did was rivet a strip of pipe wrap to the case, then wrapped it around the radiator, then riveted it to the other side. It's held up fine.
That's the completed inside. What I don't have pictures of are the holes I drilled to hide the IDE cables. I also had the reservoir sitting on the bottom of the case, nor the back of the case where I cut out the mesh fan grills [which would later work to my advantage].
Odd, the coolant looks a little... odd, doesn't it? It should, as it's mostly foam. Now what would cause this to foam up? Air. I suppose anyone with experience, or common sense would know that air is going to go to the highest place in the system. That should have been the reservoir, but instead it was the radiator. I got to thinking, and I arrived at a slightly low-tech solution. It's not beautiful, but it doesn't look half bad:
The reservoir is now ziptied to the back of the case. It's in there nice and firm, and it's supported so it's not going anywhere. And guess what? That foam is gone.
There was a slight leak on the waterblock, but that was quickly fixed and cleaned up, but here it is, almost like normal. The damage done is mostly undone.
Of course, now, I'm left with a bit of a 'holy' top. I'm not exactly sure what to do with it. I'm kicking a few ideas around, and if I decide to do anything, I'll post some pics.
The one idea I'm thinking of is to put a piece of illuminated plexi on the top, with certain areas frosted. It's doable, if I can get the time. I welcome any suggestions.
A little backstory: I purchased my first watercooling setup during my Christmas break. I set it up as quick as I could because I needed my computer for school. As a result, I didn't think things through, and I wound up with this monstrosity:
Yes, it's ugly, which is why I wanted to redo it. Go ahead and laugh. It's ok, because I laugh at it now. Live and learn, eh?
Well, first things first. I wanted to get everything back inside the original case so it appeared as normal as possible. The first thing was finding place to mount the dual 120mm radiator.
That big front section looks nice. After a little cutting with the dremel, I wound up with this:
The rad doesn't sit on the bottom of the case. I wanted to have it sit there, but there wouldn't be a place to mount it properly.
Here's how it's mounted:
Four threaded rods come through the front, the fans, then the radiator itself. I did bend the fins so they would fit, but it's only a small bend, and I was careful not to damage anything. What I found out is that the rods bent slightly under the weight of the radiator alone. This means that with the added weight of the water, they would bend even more. What I did was rivet a strip of pipe wrap to the case, then wrapped it around the radiator, then riveted it to the other side. It's held up fine.
That's the completed inside. What I don't have pictures of are the holes I drilled to hide the IDE cables. I also had the reservoir sitting on the bottom of the case, nor the back of the case where I cut out the mesh fan grills [which would later work to my advantage].
Odd, the coolant looks a little... odd, doesn't it? It should, as it's mostly foam. Now what would cause this to foam up? Air. I suppose anyone with experience, or common sense would know that air is going to go to the highest place in the system. That should have been the reservoir, but instead it was the radiator. I got to thinking, and I arrived at a slightly low-tech solution. It's not beautiful, but it doesn't look half bad:
The reservoir is now ziptied to the back of the case. It's in there nice and firm, and it's supported so it's not going anywhere. And guess what? That foam is gone.
There was a slight leak on the waterblock, but that was quickly fixed and cleaned up, but here it is, almost like normal. The damage done is mostly undone.
Of course, now, I'm left with a bit of a 'holy' top. I'm not exactly sure what to do with it. I'm kicking a few ideas around, and if I decide to do anything, I'll post some pics.
The one idea I'm thinking of is to put a piece of illuminated plexi on the top, with certain areas frosted. It's doable, if I can get the time. I welcome any suggestions.
good luck and good job