Project: Part Crysis

[dexaroni]

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/TBCS_Group/imagispire/worklog/bluesteel%20copy.jpg




After working on this case as "The Mirage" for months and not getting the result I wanted, I decided to tear the entire thing down and start from scratch. Here is what I have so far.

My goal with this case is to make a fairly small PC that houses a full ATX board, SLI cards, watercooling, dual hard drives, and basically an all around high performance PC, while still maintaining a small size and looking good.

I started with this. The husk of the original Mirage. Note the bottom mounted radiator holes, which ended up blocking my PCI ports. This just won't do. Today, I will be cutting the holes for mounting a radiator up front.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1054.jpg

I had to get all of my tools together, the paint, acrylic, tools, etc, and of course the Mountain Dew.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1059.jpg

First I cut out the existing holes in the front of the case for intake. I didn't need this to be clean because it would not be shown.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1064.jpg

Next I had to cut out the bottom bay of my drive rails, so that I could fit a full size 240mm radiator up front.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1071.jpg

Finally, I drilled the holes to mount the radiator in the front of the case.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1067.jpg

I will post more pictures tomorrow morning, I will be doing the paint as well as interior prep.

[Luke122]

I guess my Zoolander joke is no longer relevant.

[dexaroni]

So I got down to polishing the turd today.

Here is the whole thing. I got the top panel painted, as well as the chassis.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1081.jpg

Here is a shot from the back. I love those chrome bolts.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1082.jpg

And the front cleaned up nicely, eh?

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1083.jpg

And finally, a shot of things to come...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1084.jpg

[NightrainSrt4]

I don't really see what completely differentiates this from the other "thread" as this is essentially the same project. You probably could have just asked a mod or someone to change the name or something, instead of two threads that are the same case. The only thing differing this case from the other to me right now is color and a whole in the front of the case. Just seems like you could have just put this all in the other thread and had the name changed if it was that desperate.

If everyone made a new thread for everytime their projects took a slightly different turn we'd all have a hundred threads. Im just telling you to stick with it, you can do it. Your work looks good so far. I know sometimes it feels like your project isn't going the way you want it to, but if you stick with it, even through all the changes it will work out.


I like the layout though. Are you making a new panel for the bottom? As i see its cut out. So far so good though. Hope to see this as it goes along. Keep us informed. :)

[dexaroni]

The Mirage was completed, and I never finished the thread here. It won the Amateur Mod Competition at pdxlan. With this mod, I am doing an entirely different theme, layout, colors, its only the same base case, which is why I feel that I should start a new thread.

Anyways, the bottom will be having a mirror put in, I had one that I intended to install today, but it snapped in two when I tried to slide it in, so I will be ordering another one and having it cut smaller. I should have that by tomorrow, so I will update the thread then.

[NightrainSrt4]

Oh well if thats the case then go for it. Just


not getting the result I wanted, I decided to tear the entire thing down and start from scratch.

and the state the other thread was in didn't show what you just said, so you can see why they look remarkably similar. Just looked like "hey my thread is old. Lets just make a new one. Paint it and call it something different" type of thing. But I see it isn't. Sorry. You should get some pics of it from the competition, if you have any. Or of the near completed state. Im sure everyone would have loved to see those.

That sucks about the mirror. With the mirror in it that should be cool. Can't wait to see it.:up:

[dexaroni]

Edit: Found the winning pics.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/12u-01Large.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/12u-02Large.jpg

As for the mirror, I did find a use for it... I'll be posting what I did with it in an hour or two, just waiting for paint to cure.

[Fallen]

cool orange stuffs man

[dexaroni]

I need to redo the front panel to accomodate the radiator, and I also don't like the general way the stock panel looks, too much going on. Lets make this REAL simple, shall we?

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1088.jpg

Going to pick up a piece of acrylic tomorrow and cut out the holes, then paint it black, so the front of the case is a black mirror. Should look good...

[NightrainSrt4]

Mirage looked nice. I knew you had something cool. I like it. I was watching that thread before waiting and didn't get any more pics :( now I am happy.

But I can understand why you want to redo it. I love orange. But I am the type of orange lover that I love it for a month, and then don't want to see it for half a year. It grows old to me. So I can understand you wanting to redo it. It looks pretty cool though. Im glad you finished it, just sad you didn't show us sooner. But what can ya do, no?

The way your doing your front panel seems similar to the way I did mine in Nightrain. The pics aren't up yet. Im changing it though. I had it like black glass look (made out of plexi) but I have sanded and painted the front as well so its more like a full colored acrylic. Can't wait to see the front panel when its cut!

[dexaroni]

I finished up the chassis today, I think it turned out pretty good.

Here is a neat little style shot I took of the bottom.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1091.jpg

And here is a more conventional shot of the whole bottom.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1093.jpg

I stuck a panel in the top as well so that more light will bounce around the case.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1096.jpg

Here is the drive bay cover.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1095.jpg

And this is how I can access my drives still

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1104.jpg

I polished up the paint and finished it, check out the awesome metallic blue on this thing!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1099.jpg

And finally a shot of the entire finished chassis.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1100.jpg

[dexaroni]

I was working on the custom front panel last night, and to my dismay, the company that cut it didn't take it's time, and the edges are all chipped, which just won't do for a front panel.

I decided to just skip USB ports alltogether, it will minimize wires inside, and since the motherboard I am buying has 6 on the back, I don't think I need 2 USB 1.0 up front.

[dexaroni]

WEWT! Picked up some sweet new parts for the rig.

A friend:
DFI LanParty UT NF680I LT SLI-T2

Newegg:
PC Power And Cooling 750 Quad Silencer (Black)

Crazy PC:
Logisys Blue Lazer 5 LEDs Kits
Black Trim Molding (6ft)
UV Blue Slot Protectors
Neon Blue 1/4 Inch Cable Sleeves (5 ft)
Black 9mm (3/8 inch) Heat Shrink (2 feet)
Molex Pin Removal Tool

Frozen CPU:
Blue Illuminated Bulgin Style Vandal Switch - Silver Housing - Ring Illumination

Bye bye 250 dollars, hello SWEET FREAKIN MOD!


I also updated the name of the thread (in true dexaroni fashion).

I realized that I am really just building this system to run Crysis on high settings with good FPS, but I don't want to call it Project: Crysis because it's not a crysis themed build. Instead I used a play on words... I am in a crysis that my computer isn't fast enough to play the newest games, so I am going to call it Part Crysis.

[xRyokenx]

Crysis is the name of the game. A catastrophe is a crisis. lol

Looking good though dude.

[dexaroni]

Crysis is the name of the game. A catastrophe is a crisis. lol

Looking good though dude.

Yeah... thats why it is a play on words...

I am having a catastrophe because my system is not powerful enough to run Crysis at max settings. The play on words is why it's called Part Crysis.

And thanks for the kind words bro!

[xRyokenx]

No prob dude. I'm still planning on modding my case somehow, but that's a ways away. I have too much going on at the moment that limits my time and patience, lol.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Haha I got the same mobo, it's fantastic, especially under UV light.

[Spawn-Inc]

what are the other specs going to be? dual 8800gt's? dual seagate barracuda 410AS's?!?! q6600 G)?!?!?

[The boy 4rm oz]

Here is a pic of my DFI mobo under UV light:
http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/821/dsc01395jo8.jpg

[dexaroni]

Ah, I'm glad you asked Spawn:

Bought Parts:
DFI Lanparty 680iLT motherboard
Black Ice GTXtreme 240 Radiator
DD 680i Chipset Waterblock
Sound Blaster Audigy 2
PC Power and Cooling 750 Quad Silencer
Western Digital Caviar 500GB 16mb Cache
Antec Tri Cool Blue LED Fans

Coming Soon:

2x eVGA (whatever is top of the line in december)
Intel Q6600
Crucial Balistix Tracer DDR2800
Another WD 500 GB HD
2x Antec Drive Coolers
Sceptre 22" 1080p monitor

Watercooling to buy:
Danger Den MC-TDX Waterblock
Hardware Labs Black Ice 120
2x Danger Den Video card waterblock (for whatever cards I get)
Danger Den D5 Pump

And yeah, the UV light is sweet, but I honestly don't know if I will be utilizing it since it doesn't go with my color theme. I picked up some UV blue slot protectors to go with my UV blue sleeving, so that may fix that. We will have to see how it looks when the parts arrive.

I am just waiting for my check to clear, then I am going to start work on the front panel. I will be sure to keep you guys updated!

[The boy 4rm oz]

To be honest you don't really notice the glow to much, that looks much brighter cos the UV CCFL is right next to the UV parts.

[psychowit]

Crysis is very close!!! Hurry up! :)

[dexaroni]

LAWL. This PC is going to cost me about 3000 when I am all finished with it, so it won't be done for Crysis release. I am aiming for February for the PDXLAN 11 mod competition.

My current PC has an e4300 @ 3.4 on water with an 8800GTS 320, so I can still run Crysis on Medium with good FPS... I just want to build a rig that can run it at high settings on a 22 incher.

[Ap1thy]

shouldve gotten a x38 board... the hd3780 (or 3870 whatever the name is lol, cant be bothered to look it up) is shaping up to be a better card than the 8800GT (and possibly the 8800GTS 512) cool looking mod though :)

[Scotty]

Just a 120mm radiator to cool a Q6600 and 2 Video cards? Id suggest a minimum of 360 or a 120 and 240, like me but i ahve a dual-pass 120 so effectively a 240 with 1 fan. And my temps get quiet high on my Q6600 and GTX albeit the Q6600 is at 3.3GHz

If you haven't already bought that TDX block i'd suggest a D-Tek FuZion for the CPU, it's the best waterblock for quads.

[dexaroni]

For ASC, I am an Nvidia fanboy. I have owned 3 ATI cards and 3 Nvidia cards, and all the ATI cards were total crap for me, including the X1900XT that I had. Since then, I have used Nvidia and won't be going back.

And Scotty, I think you misunderstood my post. I already have a Dual Pass Black Ice GTXtreme 240 MM radiator, it's the best 240 that Hardware Labs makes. I am using that to cool off the CPU and chipset, and using ANOTHER 120 MM dual pass to cool off my Video cards.

As for the waterblock, I am friends with the guys from Dangerden, so I have loyalty to them, even if they don't perform as well.

[dexaroni]

Wewt! Got the motherboard today, and some pics!

Here is everything that was in the box. I won't be using the accessories or the heatsink, but they are nice to have.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1114.jpg

All the accessories:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1112.jpg

Now THIS is a motherboard!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1105.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1109.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1111.jpg

And the Intel 975x chipset block. The Danger Den 680i chipset block won't fit because DFI uses an ass backwards mounting system for their chipset, but the 975x block works a treat!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1108.jpg

[The boy 4rm oz]

I'm going to cool a Q6600 and an 8800GTX with a 120mm Black Ice Xtreme and a 80mm Black Ice Micro, should be fine but for 2 GPU's I recommend at least a 240mm or a 360mm radiator.

EDIT: couldn't see the pics at school (damn server), i didn't realize you were water cooling the north bridge. I have a Thermaltake Extreme Spirit II on my northbridge, works great and will also keep some heat out of my water cooling loop.

[Spawn-Inc]

I'm going to cool a Q6600 and an 8800GTX with a 120mm Black Ice Xtreme and a 80mm Black Ice Micro, should be fine but for 2 GPU's I reccomend at least a 240mm or a 360mm radiator.

likewise, i plan on going with a 360 just for the room.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Oh forgot to say earlier. That southbridge fan can get quite annoying. a high pitch whine, quite annoying.

[dexaroni]

But they don't make a waterblock for the southbridge :(.

I'm sure I'll be able to handle it. If not, I'll have to live with it since my cards won't allow anything tall to be put there.

[Fallen]

have you thought of using a nb-block and making a bracket for it out of plexi?

[dexaroni]

Hm... that's not a bad idea. I'll have to boot the board and see how loud it is, and if it kills meh ears, I'll make a custom block for it.

Thanks for the idea man!

[dexaroni]

I used up the last of my paint today, and won't have any money until wednesday, so there will be a temporary halt on the project (if you can call a halt 2 days).

I will still take comments and questions though.

[dexaroni]

Well... okay, I had some money and did some more work tonight... then effed it up. I'm buying lexan next time. Let me show you why.

Cut my front panel... looks great!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1121.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1122.jpg

Oh wait... it broke.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1123.jpg

I'll be buying lexan next time and doing the same thing... at least I know it will look good.

And here is some more paint work.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1124.jpg

Not done yet...

[Fallen]

im serious ive seen it done. just get a piece of plexi and paint it to match. it will look sickj

[The boy 4rm oz]

What GPU are you intending to use? I have an 8800GTX and the fan sits directly over the southbridge fan making it impossible to water cool even with the water cooled GPU, it would still be very hard to mount it. Maybe you could get one of the Vantec options if you don't like the noise, or a Thermalright one designed for SLI without a fan (forgotten the model), I may end up getting the Thermalright one.

With all that said the stock cooler does do a good job, just is slightly noisy (I am using the system outside of the case as I mod it, this may be why).

Great work so far.

[dexaroni]

I don't know what I intend to use, whatever the best that Nvidia makes in mid December is.

I have some more updates, and 17 pictures!

Sweet new piece of Lexan... but wait, they cut it to the wrong dimensions!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1125.jpg

Lets fix this...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1126.jpg

And of course we have to file up the edges...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1127.jpg

And cutting out my drive bay...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1129.jpg

And here it is all finished up.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1130.jpg

Hm... this paint doesn't look too good... sign of things to come?

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1132.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1133.jpg

Lets get that bezel painted up.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1137.jpg

Test fit... looks good!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1146.jpg

And the paint is all fuxed up. I think I left it out in the garage too long and the cold got moisture under the paint. Maybe it will air out by morning, if not, I have to wait two weeks for another paycheck to finish the painting off :(

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1148.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1151.jpg

At least I know the chassis looks good.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1155.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1156.jpg

Wait... a new toy came in the mail today!

My Bulgin Vandal Resistant switch with Blue LED!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1158.jpg

And here it is installed in the unfinished bezel.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1161.jpg

Rest of the stuff should be coming in on thursday and friday, I'll try to fix the paint up tomorrow if it is warm out. Stay tuned.

[D1337]

Get a new can and repaint it. It will definitely make everything look better.

[dexaroni]

Oh yeah, definitely. I won't be leaving this paint on, it looks terrible. I just need to find the money for a can now.

Luckily, all my new toys from crazy pc are coming on friday, and my PSU is coming on thursday, so I still have something to show you guys!

[The boy 4rm oz]

All looks good apart from the paint on the sides.

[dexaroni]

I figured out what I did wrong with the paint.

I forgot about the silver undercoat. The blue paint is a flat blue, and you are supposed to spray it thinly over the silver undercoat. I layed down the silver undercoat, then laid the blue down too heavily, so that the silver undercoat did not show through.

At least I know that it will be easy to fix.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Thats good, just sand back and re-spray.

[dexaroni]

I had the urge to finish this up, so I went ahead and dipped into the savings to order a sheet of carbon fiber vinyl. It should be arriving in a few days, and I will update at that point. I will be getting home from work in about an hour, and I plan to finish painting my panels at that point.

[dexaroni]

And I finished making the front bezels actual form. I still have to clean it up and prepare it for wrapping in carbon fiber vinyl... This is gonna look sick.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1188.jpg

Just finished up the panel for the bezel.

Here is how it is mounted to the faceplate. I will be cleaning this up, possibly with some bondo, or I may just wrap it with the carbon fiber.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1193.jpg

And here is what the whole thing looks like.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1190.jpg

I also fixed up ONE of the side panels today... I don't know WHAT happened, but it came out fine tonight... check it.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1194.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1196.jpg

[The boy 4rm oz]

Paint looks much better now.

[dexaroni]

Thanks man! The case is really coming together, I can't wait to get my power supply tonight! I used up the last of my paint on the window panel so that it would be ready when my trim arrives tomorrow, so I need to get more paint in order to finish the opposite panel.

I will post pictures of my PC Power and Cooling 750 Watt Quad Silencer tonight when I recieve it!

[dexaroni]

MY PSU arrived!!!!

The box is a thing a beauty.. simple and sweet...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1197.jpg

Look at this thing!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1199.jpg

Holy Powerful PSU batman!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1201.jpg

Matches the paint... sweet!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1205-1.jpg

Hiding the wires...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1202.jpg

And finally, here it is installed... its freaking beautiful, can't wait to power it on.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1207-1.jpg

[The boy 4rm oz]

That's a lot of cables lol.

[psychowit]

Holy Powerful PSU batman! I lol'd so hard

Nice job! I can't wait for you to power it on either!

[Spawn-Inc]

Holy Powerful PSU batman!



mines 850!!! haha, still nice though :)

the paint looks a bunch better +rep.

[dexaroni]

Thanks for all the kind words guys!

Yeah, this thing does have a ton of cables. I especially like the abundance of SATA connectors (6), as well as the 4 pci-e plugs, 2 six pins and 2 eight pins for pci-e 2.0 power.

The unit really is very powerfull, the specs show a max load of 825 watts, an 85 percent efficiency (which means it uses most of it's power), and it stays cool and quiet.

As for the paint, yeah, I would have to agree with you there. I am getting my window kit tonight, I have some black gloss trim coming in that I intend to sleeve on there, I need to sleeve one of the floppy power plugs on the PSU itself as well since it will be in plain sight powering the SLI configuration.

[simon275]

Solid work there dude.

+rep

Can't wait to see the SLi setup in action

[dexaroni]

Solid work there dude.

+rep

Can't wait to see the SLi setup in action

Thanks man!! I can't wait to see the SLI in action either, I will probably be putting a pair of the newer revision 8800GTS in there (the 65nm one scheduled to come out soon).

I got my trim last night, and the install went OK, it was a little tougher than I had hoped it would be. I got all of my wires sleeved, and they look great. I will get some more pics tonight once I clean all the excess caulking off of the window.

[Ap1thy]

one thig i noticed is that your side panels are a little warped/bent up, you planning on reinforcing them or straightnening them somehow?

cool other than that and the front looks very cool

[dexaroni]

Eh, that was a problem I was hoping no one would notice :D.

I am going to see if I can salvage this one, if not, I intend to order another from Antec and then cut a new hole in it, because this one is just weak as hell, and kinda bent up. Hopefully I can clean it up, if not, I will be replacing it. Luckily, I can still finish the rest of the PC without a side panel :)

[dexaroni]

I have some updates, a LOT actually. A lot of stuff came in so I got some work done.

First I decided to clean up the window.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1235.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1236.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1248.jpg


I think it looks a lot better now, I bought 5 feet of trim, and it was all wavy and looked like crap, this fixes that problem for sure. It also removed all of the bends and dents. Here is a before and after pic for comparison:

Before:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1207-1.jpg
After:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1249.jpg

Next I sleeved the wires in the system, the switch, the SLI power connectors, and the LED lasers. Here are some pics of that:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1241.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1251.jpg

And of course I had to wire up the switches:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1239.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1244.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1245.jpg

I grabbed a bottle of Fluid XP Phantom Black, my favorite brand of coolant, but I still want to try out Dangerdens PC Chill.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1250.jpg

And finally here is the front panel, I haven't applied the carbon fiber, so this is NOT the final look. But what you do see here is the finished layout and shape.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1247.jpg

I ordered a Sound Blaster Xfi Fatal1ty Pro edition, so I can't wait to get that and take a look at it.

I'll update the thread when the carbon fiber and sound card arrive!

[dexaroni]

Teh Carbon Fiber vinyl came in today. I got it from rally graphics. Really good price and speedy shipping.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1256.jpg

Here is a picture of the vinyl itself, really nice stuff, should look great!
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1259.jpg

[dexaroni]

Does nobody care about Part Crysis anymore? :P

WELL START CARING... because I present to you...

Some carbon fiber crap.

Check it.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1261.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1262.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1266.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1264.jpg

I think it turned out pretty good... what do you think?

[The boy 4rm oz]

Yeah it did turn out pretty good. I was wondering what you were gonna use the carbon for , and what you were going to do to the front due to it being all scratched.

[dexaroni]

Hah, that front was NOT going to be put into the mod looking like that. Those pics were mockups of what was going to come up, then the pics of it all scratched up were me sanding it so the vinyl would stick well. I had intended to put CF on it all along!

[The boy 4rm oz]

Well either way it looks great. Looks like my Logitech G7 lol.

[Spawn-Inc]

sweet job man, looks professional as far as i'm concerned. +rep.

[TEAMIKKE]

I bet it looks even better in real life ;) Photo's arent good voor CF.

[dexaroni]

My Xfi came in today. Here are some pics for your pleasure.

Honestly, I hate this guy (Fatal1ty). I have a friend who met him and said he was a spawn camping jerk at E3, he was rude, and as far as I can tell, he seems like a punk kid who plays too many video games, and people act like if you use his hardware you will be a better gamer. Regardless, I bought "his" card.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1267.jpg

I mean... it IS a nice card. Its a nice black color with gold accents, and the sound quality cannot be beat in this price point. The fact that I only payed 60 bucks for it may have had something to do with it's purchase as well...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1268.jpg

This is Fatal1tys logo... I can't do much about it... However, I am considering changing out the red LED that throws off my case theme for a blue LED, but I am not sure if that is worth voiding my warranty... I am going to make sure it works well before I mess with it.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1271.jpg

The cool thing about this card is that it has 64 megs of onboard RAM, in addition to (correct me if I'm wrong) a 200mhz processor, which is some hardcore tech for a soundcard. What it's for is buffering all the sound files into the card so that it uses up less system ram and less of the PCI bus, which is good in my book. Here is the "XFI Ram Module (X-Ram)"... I think it's just a hunk of plastic and the um... RAM modules to the bottom left of it are the X-RAM, but whatever.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1272.jpg

I also ordered a 22" Samsung monitor today... should be here by friday, can't wait to boot up TF2 in High Def!

[The boy 4rm oz]

Nice, new tech, can't go past that.

[TEAMIKKE]

Nice card and an even better monitor:)

[The boy 4rm oz]

After looking at that PCB again I would say the RAM is the two chips directly above the heatsink. From what I remember from seeing other pics of that board that "plastic chunk" has a cable in put on it allowing you to attach a Fata1ity faceplate/control center for the sound card (volume, treble, bass, headphones, mic etc...)

[dexaroni]

Yeah, like I said you would think the RAM modules would be the RAM, but leave it to creatives er... creative marketing team to mess up definitions.

The cable for the front plate is that big long connector on the right edge of the card. That plastic hunk just houses the LED and the Fatal1ty logo, I realized this as there are only 4 leads going into it, there are no traces on the board itself.

[jdbnsn]

Header attached courtesy of imagispire

[The boy 4rm oz]

Awesome header, looks great.

[dexaroni]

Yes it does, thank you VERY much jdbnsn!

As for the project, it is temporarily on halt due to funds, but on monday, my 22 inch monitor is arriving so I will be sure to get some pics of Crysis running on that.

I am also immediately blowing my paycheck on a new load of parts, let me lay down what I am getting for you guys.

500GB WD Caviar SATA
4GB Crucial Ballistix Tracer DDR2800
ASUS 20X SATA DVD Burner
2x OK Gear UV Blue SATA Cables
Keytronic Classic U2 Keyboard
G5 Mouse
Dangerden MC-TDX 775
Thermochill PA 120.2 Radiator

I am also buying some more paint to finish up the side, as well as some clear coat to make it nice and glossy.

[dexaroni]

Oh noez! I had to weigh my options, and I got a promotion at work to a Case Manager, so I won't be able to get any work done all next week! Sorry if anyone suffers from withdrawls, I promise you the wait will be worth it.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Withdrawals ::twitch:: I don't suffer from withdrawals

Congrats on the promotion.

[Xperiment]

Congrats on the promotion, hope it doesnt keep you away from your mod for too long.

[dexaroni]

Thanks guys!

I intend to order all my new parts on most likely tuesday (as soon as I can cash my check), so they should arrive around that friday or possibly monday. As for painting, I will probably fix the paint on the window tonight and get it ready for a new coat, I need to pick up some more chrome, some more blue, and then I need to hit it all with some clear coat so that it doesn't chip.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Sounds good, keep us posted.

[dexaroni]

Well, I am going to go all out with the paint on this, I figure why spend 2000 on hardware then half ass the paint?

I intend to get an airbrush and get some custom paint mixed up and spray a nice Candy Metallic Blue with a clear coat over that onto it.

Does anyone know of a good online store to order lacquer paint?

[dexaroni]

And the updates have arrived!

I got a new set of toys from the guys at DD:

PA 120.2 Radiator, MC-TDX waterblock, and a free bottle of PC Chill!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1346.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1344.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1341.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1345.jpg

Threw the mounts on the mobo:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1347.jpg

And I got the sexy new radiator mounted up front!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1338.jpg

And here are some new parts I got to increase the pleasure of my current system, as well as my new one:

Keytronics Keyboard:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1348.jpg

Samsung 226BW Monitor:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1350.jpg

Wewt!

[The boy 4rm oz]

Aww, that's the monitor I want so bad lol. I have a Swiftech Apogee GTX on my DFI mobo.

[dexaroni]

I got sumz of the lighting rigged up today as well as got some major components installed...

In the light, you can see what is actually in it...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/001.jpg

But at night... the lights come out to play!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/003.jpg

Check out the button..

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/005.jpg

I am going to try and find a warm day to paint (unlikely), so when I hit the panels up with some color I will post again.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Nice mate, that's basically what my rig looks like, lighting wise, until I get my W/C set up with UV green coolant.

[isunktheship]

I read that you got a 750 watter for the PSU, let me know how well that works will your vid cards when you get them, I just got a 750, same proc, dual 8800gt's, watercooling (exact stuff), and then the only differences are that my memory is ddr 2 1066 ocz, and board is the maximus, watercooled edition. Oh and I have dual 500gb drives.

I'm a little worried my PSU might not be powerful enough...

ALSO I'm going to try to use my C2D block, instead of spending another $50. DD's website says that the cooling is lowered by 5-10 degrees Celcius when switching to the new block.

I might just use a 240 and 120 radiator for the whole system. The only things being cooled atm are my mobo and cpu.. hopefully the gpu's next.

Great worklog so far, I'm looking forward to the rest!

[The boy 4rm oz]

I am running an 8800GTX, Q6600 and same mobo (DFI LANParty) plus water cooling on a 550W PSU and it works fine.

[isunktheship]

Yeah, for SLI I'll need more power. I read somewhere that the GT's are the most "green", everyone seems to care about that nowadays. My cards will use about 275 watts each. So 2x that and we get 550 right away.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Yeah you are right. I utilize around 450W of my 550W PSU, when I got SLI I am getting a 800-1000W PSU.

[isunktheship]

I'm praying that my rosewill 750 watter will do the trick now, I'm afraid!

It's not a super name brand... but I've had a 600watt one for over a year by them and it works like a charm for my setup now!

[dexaroni]

Got some new parts today and thought I would flaunt them.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1361.jpg

There is the finished front of the case... FINALLY! Forgive the fingerprints :P

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1362.jpg

A little pic obscuring a few things... Such AS:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1364.jpg

A brand new MC-TDX and 4GB of Crucial Ballistix Tracer!

And the best part about this DVD rom drive...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1365.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1366.jpg

So all in all, today was a good day for Part Crysis. Now I just need my Video Cards and CPU and I can boot this thing!

[The boy 4rm oz]

Yay I love new tech. Can't wait to see this mod completed.

[dexaroni]

Well, I plan to do the paint when it dries up a little (HUGE storm in the NW US), but after that I won't be able to do much, holidays and rent and all... But when I can afford to finish it, it will be so worth it.

[dexaroni]

Okay, here are some pictures. I got a new D5 pump, I did some wiring changes, I got some HD coolers (thanks for the gear Antec! (dave)).

I also redid the paint on the top panel, and I think that it turned out really nice.

I just need to finish up the side panels, install the Proc and GPU, and the system is ready to go!

Here is the new paint:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1527-1.jpg

Here is the front.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1525-2.jpg

The insides in all their entirety:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1523-1.jpg

The heart of the system:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1524-2.jpg

[isunktheship]

very sexy! I have the core 2 block and I'm going to try to cool a quad core cpu... I hope it's okay, I just didn't want to shill out the extra $50 for what looks almost the same.

[The boy 4rm oz]

New hardware, nice. I wanted a D5 but it was a little out of my price range.

[dexaroni]

LOL, yep, I had to have the D5 because of the flow path. The nozzles go JUST where I need them to.

As for the video card, looking like I will be doing a single 8800GTS 320 in there for now, then in February a 9800GX2. Because of the pump, I cannot fit SLI. Also, the eVGA step up program is out of the question at this point becuase I can't be without a video card for 3 weeks lol.

And oh yes, the block is VERY pretty. It's not about looks though, the columns allow for more heat dissapation.

[dexaroni]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1530.jpg
Got the solid side painted.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1529.jpg
Comin' around the mountain...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1528-1.jpg
Here is a shot of the plumbing.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1531.jpg
Pumped with fluid.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1539.jpg
And lit up!

Now I just need to wait to step up my 8800GTS and borrow my friends EXT hd to transfer DATA, and I am ready to go!

[The boy 4rm oz]

Looking good mate. Great work.

[dexaroni]

Thanks man! I am actually ditching the CF front. I am doing a whole new thing with it, I think it should look pretty good when all is said and done.

I still have to:

Use putty to shape the front panel
Paint the front panel
Clear Coat all Panels

Almost there, I need to finish it up by February 18th, so wish me luck!

[The boy 4rm oz]

Good luck lol.

[dexaroni]

I got some putty and sandpaper to clean up the front panel:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1549.jpg

I am going to try out this really neat looking trim... it was pretty cheap and looked good.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1544.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1545.jpg

And some paint... what is the masking tape for I wonder...
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1548.jpg

The rough edges:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1557.jpg

Filling them in:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1560.jpg

Lights off: Yes I fixed the waterblock!
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1564.jpg

Lights on:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1565.jpg

Motion shot:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1569.jpg

Comments and suggestions welcome!

[The boy 4rm oz]

Looks cool mate, I hope to have mine looking like that, except green coolant.

[|NQ|Squelsh]

Yeah! Looks nice dude. Especially the colors!

[dexaroni]

I installed Vista on the system last night. I will post pics of the system in its "finished" state when I get home.

[dexaroni]

You dont say...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1572.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1584.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1575.jpg

Installing windows with a PS2 keyboard :D
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1578.jpg

And enjoying my new system..
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y224/dexcarm89/DSCF1582.jpg

[Spawn-Inc]

looks good, can't wait for my q6600 and water cooling. what temps are you getting?

[dexaroni]

My cpu is around 25 load, which is good, but not accurate. The waterblock I have is designed for quad cores, and the video card is not in the loop yet.

I will be doing all the benchmarks and final photo shoots when the final hardware is in it. Right now it is a bit of a franken PC.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Nice work. Looks great.

[dfigravity]

wow wow wow!!! Is that the RAM that is making the white glow, or did you put white LED's up in there? I LOVE the colors bro...great work!

[The boy 4rm oz]

I Believe that white ish glow is the UV CCFL lighting up the UV reactive RAM slots, cameras don't pick that stuff up so good, they are meant to be yellow and orange lol.

[slamaa]

The RAM is Crucial Ballistix Tracers, which have White leds under the heat spreader to give it that look, pretty cool ey.

[The boy 4rm oz]

I knew what the RAM was lol, too overpriced for me lol. I know my camera shows UV colours up weird, pretty cool with the white LEDs though.

[dexaroni]

Thanks for the kind words guys.

Just wanted to let you know this project is on Hiatus. I just moved into my first House, so money is going to be tight for a few months. I am actually going to restart the project, I wanted to so it perfect, so I have to restart. I am going to get the chassis powercoated Gloss black, paint the front bezel gloss black as well.

I decided that the Crysis theme wasn't working, so I am going to make the computer match my samsung monitor.

Anyways, I'll be bumping this from time to time to keep it from dropping off the list.

[dexaroni]

Does anyone know a good website where I can buy whole sheets of carbon fiber (stiff), and at a low price?, and a good place in portland where I can get some inexpensive powdercoating done?

The carbon fiber would be best if it was able to be custom cut. The sheet I need would have to be around 30x30 inches, which costs a TON of money, but I would only need about a third of the material itself.

Thanks in advance!

[dexaroni]

Bumping it back up.

I won 5th place at the PDXLAN mod competition, my computer will be featured in CPU magazine as well :)

I'll get pics up as soon as I have them myself, I finished it the night before PDXLAN, so the only pics of it finished are in CPU magazines hands, so I am waiting on them at this point.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Great job man. Can't wait to see your next mod ;).

[dexaroni]

By the way everyone. Just wanted to show you something...

If anyone has the June? issue of CPU Magazine, the one with the TRS80 in it.. you may recognize a familiar name. I dont have a scanner so I can't show you, but I think you should pick it up :)

[The boy 4rm oz]

Congratz buddy.

Too bad we don't get CPU mag in Australia.