Timmee's gaming tower

[Timmee]

First off, I'd like to say, as a first time modder, I was really nervous about cutting up a computer case, but the worklogs here and at Bit-Tech have inspired me to take a chance. I've decided to mod my silver Lian Li PC-70, so that I can watercool my system. I'm looking primarily for silence, but since I want my case to look good as well, paint is in this case's future.

My current system specs are:

A64 3200+ socket 939
Asus A8V Deluxe mobo
1Gig corsair memory
ATI X700 Pro AGP 256meg
Liteon DVD-Rom/CD burner (currently stealthed in my Lian Li PC-60)
wireless Linksys 802.11G card
200Gig Maxtor SATA drive
Fortron 530W psu
stock cooling for the cpu, video card, and case


What I have to add:

Danger Den TDX waterblock (nozzle 4)
weapon-- heatercore and shroud
Laing DDC pump (may do 90* mod on this)
3/8" Tygon
T line and Danger Den fillport
AquaComputer radiator grill

Also, I hope to add a GPU block to my X700Pro (I'm currently considering the Maze4)


Now, on to the pics:

Masked and ready to cut




Holes drilled for the jigsaw, and cutting started



All cut, just needs some filing



Oops, not so fast! Jigsaw blade got stuck in the work, and bent one of the middle mounting ears (fixed by gently bending it back, but the AC grill covers it anyways)




Paint will probably be some sort of blue, but it's not definite. If you have any feedback or suggestions, they'd be appreciated.

 

[1337m0dd3r]

looking pretty good so far

 

[Timmee]

Small update for today. Still deciding on some things (such as paint, the possibility of a window, etc). Anyways, here's some pics to show some progress.

The AC grill and Panaflo fans mounted to the top.




A piece I made from 26guage steel, to hold the radiator to the shroud.




Color testing on a scrap drive bezel (from a Skyhawk case).




A closeup of the bezel (Dupli-Color Metalcast Blue).




I don't like how the paint turned out, so I'll be looking at other colors the next time I go to Wal-Mart or AutoZone. I also didn't like how the 26guage piece came out, as it's very flimsy. I'm probably going to see if I can get a suitable piece water-jetted out of a thicker guage aluminum, as well as a replacement psu plate (so I can have a 120mm fan there, instead of 2 80mm fans).

As before, if you have any comments, feel free to post them here.

 

[Timmee]

Alright, so I've been slacking on this case. It wasn't completely my fault, as a water line burst in my apartment, necessitating a move that stressed me physically, mentally, and financially.

One of the things I did on my break was I've decided to not put a window in my case. I'm going to try for silence, which means I'll probably add some sort of soundproofing material to the case. I also am looking into the possibility of converting the PC-70 to use 120mm fans front and back. Also, I won the auction for a Danger Den Acetal top Maze 4 gpu block, which should finish up most of the major purchasing on the WC front. Finally (for this update), I'll be attempting to incorporate a PSone LCD into the front of my case. I've got a Matrox video card that I'll be driving the LCD from, and it will be converted to VGA. I don't have many pics right now, but I do have some (the Sony camera I was using before being a casualty of the aformentioned flood, so I'm using my old Olympus).

The Matrox video card auction

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3762&item=8715868932#ebayphotohosting


The card after some "modding"

A closeup of what was done (sorry for the fuzzy image, I miss my Sony)

Paint is still up in the air.

 

[MrGuvernment]

i know the feeling - something comes up and just tosses you way back!

make sure your cam is on Autofocus, or manual focus if you can

i often found using the "sport" setting always gave me crisp pics no matter the lighting.

 

[altec]

Love the video card idea. Now you can take some of the load off the main video card by not having the lcd plugged in. Or plug duel monitors in without unplugging the lcd.

 

[Timmee]

Love the video card idea. Now you can take some of the load off the main video card by not having the lcd plugged in. Or plug duel monitors in without unplugging the lcd.

TBH, I'm borrowing the bulk of this idea from the Bit-Tech article and thread about the PSOne lcd. I just hate the idea of having the cable to the LCD exit the back of my case just to plug back into the video card, so that's why I'll be soldering the wires directly to the video card (after all, the cards are cheap enough for me to experiment with).

Hopefully some more I'll have more modding progress Sunday and/or Monday.

 

[Timmee]

Well, I've done some planning today for how I want to convert my case to 120mm fans. As far as the PSU plate, I'm going to see if SilverPCs can order a PC-7077 PSU plate, as (from the pictures I've seen), it's exactly what I'm looking for. I'd mentioned in an earlier post about the possibility of getting some parts water-jetted, but I don't think I'll be able to do that for this project. Instead, I'll be using my jig-saw and files to get the pieces I need made. Ordered the metal today:

Here's the "washer" I need to make to hold the radiator to the shroud (similar to the one shown in the second post, second pic):

Hopefully, I'll have more progress tommorow. As always, any suggestions or other comments can be posted here.

 

[Timmee]

Well, I finally got some of the parts in I was hoping for. The Maze4 GPU block and PSOne LCD I picked up on eBay, and the 2mm (.08") aluminum came from OnlineMetals.com cut to shape. I'll be using 1 piece in the front to cover the 2 80mm fan holes (afterwards, I'll cut a 120mm fan hole), 1 piece to cover the back of the case (from the bottom of the psu plate down, and cut out for the backplane and another 120mm fan hole), and the final piece will be used to create the radiator "washer" as decribed in the post above this.

Anyways, on to the pics.

Picture of the metal recieved from OnlineMetals.com, already cut to approximate size:

The Danger Den Maze4 block I recieved (soon to have an low profile acetal top and 1/2" barbs):

The PSOne LCD (still factory sealed, but won't remain that way long):

The aluminum piece that will cover the 80mm fan holes in the front:

The aluminum piece that will end up on the back of the case:

Pattern layout and cutting should be this week, hopefully with an update shortly after.

 

[Timmee]

Well, life got in the way, so I haven't accomplished much this week. I did however, work on my PSOne lcd. I seem to have found pretty good timings in powerstrip, however my display has a blue tinge to it. Hopefully scouring the PSOne discussion thread (on Bit-Tech) will reveal an answer for that.

Hopefully, I'll have something pic-worthy tommorow.

 

[Timmee]

I really wished I could find some time to work on this project, and (rather unfortunately) my wish was granted. I slipped and fell on some black ice (injuring my left knee), and as a result I'll be out of work for at least 2 weeks.

Anyway, on to some good news. I sorted out my PSOne LCD issues, and the display looks great. The wiring, on the other hand, is atrocious. I'll be spending some time, shortening the wires, heatshrinking the ends, and adding a connector for easy disconnects.

I know the pic is crappy, but until I get my Sony back, it's all I've got. As always, if you have any suggestions, feel free to add them here.

 

[Timmee]

Well, I (finally) have a text update today. I cut out the retaining plate for my heater core (previously referred to as the "radiator washer"), and filed the cuts as best I could. I also started fitting the fan plate to the front of the case, and will (hopefully) finish tommorow.