Project: Blue Shift

[UnWantedSoldier]

I have been following the forum for some time now and i've just been amazed by the talent I've seen here and it has inspired me to try my hand at my first cosmetic mod.

I just got an antec 1200 as an early xmas gift and quickly moved my system over and began tweaking with things. In the past most of the mods i have done have been internally, i cut a few extra holes into my Antec 900 to allow me to route all the cables behind the mobo and also cut a hole in the bottom to allow me to flip the PSU. But since the 1200 has a much better cable management system i found that there is very little internally that i want to to it. So that leaves the outside to mess with.

I have three bay items (DVD Drive, Temperature displays, and a Drawer) that i am going to camouflage to look like the empty drive bay covers.

First up is the dvd drive.
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/DVD-01.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/DVD-02.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/DVD-03.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/DVD-04.jpg

after many hours of trial and error last night (I've never worked with styrene before lol) this is how far i got. Sorry i don't have any pictures of how i got to this point but since it involved a bunch of fumbling around i figured it best to leave them out lol.

I'm nearly finished with the drive i just have to make a cut out for the drive button and paint the styrene and touch up the mesh. I still need to figure out how i'm gonna mount the mesh piece that attaches to the dvd drive tray. I think i will use some kind of epoxy but I'm not sure at this point. (any suggestions as to how to best do that would be greatly appreciated.)

as soon as this is done I am gonna build a Temperature display using two of these:
http://www.frozencpu.com/images/products/main/tmp-37.jpg

and my remaining drive bay cover. I should have the parts for this coming by the weekend so as long as i finish the dvd today or tomorrow i should have that done some time next week. Unfortunately that is as far as i can go right now as that will use up all my drive bay covers (The dvd drive used up two and the temp will use the third). I have contacted Antec via email to attempt to acquire more but no response yet. But until then i wont be able to finish the project and cover the drawer. Does anyone knows where i can get some more drive bay covers for the 1200?

[SXRguyinMA]

this should be neat to see :up:

[FuzzyPlushroom]

Ooh, 1200 mods. Nice.

Antec has 'em (http://www.antec.com/Detail.bok?no=548) (they're the same for the 1200 as for the 900, right? I've never seen a 900 in person), but they're smoking giant rocks of crack as far as pricing's concerned. On the other hand, if you really need 'em...

[UnWantedSoldier]

Ooh, 1200 mods. Nice.

Antec has 'em (http://www.antec.com/Detail.bok?no=548) (they're the same for the 1200 as for the 900, right? I've never seen a 900 in person), but they're smoking giant rocks of crack as far as pricing's concerned. On the other hand, if you really need 'em...

They changed the drive bay covers for the 1200. They use a hexagon mesh while the 900 is a perforated mesh, i can post pictures of the difference when i get home from work.

[DonT-FeaR]

nice start man... im liking this

[UnWantedSoldier]

just finished the new button

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/DVD-05.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/DVD-06.jpg

this little guy will mount over eject button and move it so that it will pass through the outside mesh. I apologize for the poor quality of the pics, cell phone camera is all i have right now.

i just painted the styrene face plate, bay cover, and eject button and they are drying, so long as they come out alright i should have this thing assembled in the next few hours.

[FuzzyPlushroom]

They changed the drive bay covers for the 1200. They use a hexagon mesh while the 900 is a perforated mesh, i can post pictures of the difference when i get home from work.

Well, the 1200's almost certainly looks better, then...

Any chance of finding some identical mesh at a hardware store, perhaps? Failing that, would the hexagonal Modder's Mesh (http://www.mnpctech.com/moddersmesh.html) be close enough (it looks right, but could be the wrong size holes)? It's got to be close. Those little holes must be about a quarter-inch...

[UnWantedSoldier]

Well, the 1200's almost certainly looks better, then...

Any chance of finding some identical mesh at a hardware store, perhaps? Failing that, would the hexagonal Modder's Mesh (http://www.mnpctech.com/moddersmesh.html) be close enough (it looks right, but could be the wrong size holes)? It's got to be close. Those little holes must be about a quarter-inch...

that sounds about right at that may be what i have to do, i got a reply from antec today and they said "Unfortunately the Twelve Hundred is a fairly new enclosure and we haven't received enough spare parts to offer these items for sale. You should return your enclosure to the dealer for a replacement because it may take some time for us to get these parts in stock"

so i'm gona either have to wait it out or come up with something else, unless some one here has a 1200 and a couple of drive bay covers they would be willing to part with.

[UnWantedSoldier]

woo hoo, finished the drive today. it came out pretty good, though i think i will need to redo the drive tray piece at some point, the paint didnt come out as well on it as the rest but untill i get some more mesh (since i would rather do it that way than try to sand it all down and start over) this will do nicely. And most importantly the drive still works lol.

again the image quality sux, there is no good lighting in my room i would move it to a better location for pics but the rig weighs over 50 pounds so I'll wait till I'm done with the temperature display before i move it for pictures.

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/DVD-07.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/DVD-08.jpg

the second image you can see the switches i added to the top of the case, the first three control the fans (front, middle, exhaust) and the 4th(the one that is turned off) controls the UV CCF

[blueonblack]

Looks good. I don't like those cases at all myself, but you did some very nice work on the mesh. +rep

[The boy 4rm oz]

A very nice start. I like your stealthing idea, looks really good.

[FuzzyPlushroom]

Very well hidden. I suppose if one isn't going to use the "junk tray" (after all, small objects can fall into the fan housing, requiring you to take apart the top panel) it's an excellent blank canvas. +rep

[ShockTheBox]

how did you get them to line up so perfectly? i love it,, good job +rep

[UnWantedSoldier]

Thanks guys for all the comments and support


how did you get them to line up so perfectly? i love it,, good job +rep

I used to drive bay covers. One i cut out the opening for the dvd tray. the other i cut the cover out of. This ensured that the pieces would overlap. and line up correctly.

I got everything in this weekend to build the temp display and i tested my wiring last night and everything is good. tonight i will be building the mount for them out of plastic and cutting a few small windows out of the last drive bay cover i have, and possibly get everything painted.

Once i do that though i will have to put stealthing my storage drawer on hold till i can find a few more drive bay covers. But while that is on hold i have plans for a few more mods. these being more practical than cosmetic.

When i set up this rig i has happy to see that antec put rubber feet in for the power supply that hold it about a half off the bottom of the case, this made me feel comfortable enough to flip the PSU over so that i could better fit the cabling for it though the cable management holes. even though i think there is enough air getting to the PSU (the temp gauges will let me know for sure once they are in) i plan on drilling a series of holes in the bottom and placing two 60mm low profile fans there to provide for additional cooling to the PSU. once i do that i will need to raise the height of the case a bit, Since the thing is so damn heavy i think I'm gona put casters on it to make it a bit easier to move around.

what do you guys think?

[UnWantedSoldier]

I started on the Temp display last night. I took more pictures this time as there was very little trial and error compared to the DVD lol.


http://uploads.uwsaz.com/TEMP-01.jpg
I started with a .08 sheet of styrene and cut it to the shape of the drive bay. and marked the areas for the temp display

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/TEMP-02.jpg
Next i drilled corner holes and then scored the styrene and popped out the holes for the temp displays. then went back and cleaned them up w/ a razor blade.

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/TEMP-03.jpg
I had to trim up the sides of the temp displays to get it to fit into the holes properly.

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/TEMP-04.jpg
i dry fitted the temp displays then drilled the hole and mounted the push button on/off switch

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/TEMP-05.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/TEMP-06.jpg
Before and after i made some cutouts in the mesh for the displays. The mesh obscures the displays to much to properly read so i decided to make these cutouts with my dremel.

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/TEMP-07.jpg
Next glued in the temp displays using both model glue and hot glue to hold it in place. then i wired the temp displays to the switch. (the wires wrapped up in the blue tape are the temp probes)

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/TEMP-08.jpg
the last thing i did was put standoffs on the front of it so that it will fit properly in the mesh.

All thats left is to do is make a new button for the switch and a little sanding around the edges and paint. Unfortunately its been raining the last two days and looks like it will for a few more. So untill it dries up out side this little project will be on hold.

[SXRguyinMA]

this is turning out nicely :up:

[UnWantedSoldier]

since the rest of the project is on hold i'm working on the planning for the next phase of this mod, but i'd like to hear your opinions. on it.

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/PSUCUT-A.jpg

the first thing i plan on doing is drilling a series of holes in the indentation that is highlighted in the picture. it will be three rows of either 1/2" or 3/8" holes (i wont know for sure until i move my case later this week and can get some accurate measurements of the area) Initial i thought that the area would be able to support two 60mm fans however after measuring the area is its approximately 45mmx120mm. So if i decide to mount fans there it will be 3 40mm as opposed to two 60mm. What i'm trying to determine is whether or not it will be worth it to put the fans on or to leave them off. the PSU's 140mm fan will about a half inch above the opening and will be pulling air into itself. i'm thinking that the 40mm fans with their low cfm (around 5-6 on the models that don't sound like a small turbine) may restrict the airflow more than they will help it. if that's the case it would be better to run without the additional fans. But i really don't know much about these small fans. so can anyone tell me if they would help or hinder in this situation?

[FuzzyPlushroom]

I wouldn't bother with 40mm fans. Just drill the bottom out so the 140mm fan can breathe easier.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Yeah don't bother with the 40mm fans, not worth it.

[M!ST!CX]

nice man :)

[MaxOC]

agreed. unless you find 3 40 fans that add up to the cfm of you 140, just open that hole up and let it breathe.

however id suggest simply making it a hole, then letting whatever your psu fan has as a fan grill be the grill for the bottom of the case as well. less restriction.

[UnWantedSoldier]

After doing the math the 40mm fans would combined only move about 15-18 cfm. Which is just a fraction of what the 140mm is capable of, so that said i'll be leaving the 40mm fans out. i may instead put a few leds in the base to give it that ground effects look i was gona get from the fans. Thx for the imput guys, much appreciated


however id suggest simply making it a hole, then letting whatever your psu fan has as a fan grill be the grill for the bottom of the case as well. less restriction.

I had considered that however i don't want to cut a huge hole in the bottom of the case, i did that with my 900 and i wasn't to happy with the look i got. Plus when i did that with my 900 the positioning of the fan was specific to this psu (i have a zalman 850w which is longer than the standard atx) meaning if later i get another psu and its a standard length the holes wont match up anymore. Doing it this way i'm hoping will give the look of factory ventilation that will work regardless of the length of the psu. Also i'm not trying to necessarily get the best performance possible (like i would from a large hole) but for something that is more balanced between looks and functionality. In other applications though that is probably the way to go but i don't think it will work right for this project, but thx for the idea. :)

[p0Pe]

looking good:) what are thoose switches? havent seen them before i think:D

[Kumo]

Love the mesh work. Very nice.

[UnWantedSoldier]

the weather let up just enough today to let me finish up the temp display.

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/TEMP-09.jpg
i painted the unit and mounted it in the drive bay using hot glue. I also added a cap to the switch.

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/TEMP-10.jpg
I finish up the wiring by adding the cable to plug into one of the psu's molex connectors.

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/TEMP-12.jpg
Now you see it.

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/TEMP-11.jpg
Now you don't.

That pretty much wraps this project up for now. In about a week or two i should have access to a drill press so that i can drill the holes for the additional psu ventilation i need. I have one bay left to stealth but I'm out of drive bay covers and the only way to do this project right is to use drive bay covers. So until i can find more i wont be able to continue. Hopefully it wont take too long for me to find atleast one (which is all i need to do the next bay)

Tomorrow i am bringing this behemoth over to a friends house to give us a computer to use while we are building his new computer. So i will be able to get some good quality pics of this case and the mods to show you guys.

[SXRguyinMA]

nice job! looks really good in there :up:

[Vitz¥^]

love the mesh work and stealthing :D +rep

[The boy 4rm oz]

Temp display turned out really well, looks fantastic.

[UnWantedSoldier]

spent last night over at a friends house setting up his new rig, gave me a chance to take the 1200 out of the house and get some pics of it. Unfortunately i forgot to grab my dads camera so i could get some decent quality pics so again all i have are crappy cellphone pics. But here is my system as is there are still mods to do but this will give you guys an idea of what i'm working with. and eventually i will get some good quality pics of this thing lol. (and yes i'm a bit of a trekie lol)

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/CASE-01.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/CASE-02.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/CASE-03.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/CASE-04.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/CASE-05.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/CASE-06.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/CASE-07.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/CASE-08.jpg

System Specs
Mobo: MSI K9A2 Platnum AMD 790FX chipset
CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9950 140w 3.0ghz (OC), cooled by Zalman CNPS9500A LED
Memory: G.Skill DDR2 800 (4x2gb)
GPU: VisionTek HD 3870 512mb (OC), cooled by Zalman VF1000 LED
HDD0: Samsung 500gb sata 3.0gbs
HDD1: Samsung 750gb sata 3.0gbs
HDD2: Samsung 750gb sata 3.0gbs
ODD: Lite-on 20x dvd burner
Other: VisionTek Tv Wonder 650 PCI-e, D-Link 108mbs 802.11g wireless adapter.
PSU: Zalman ZM850-HP 850w

Here is my friends computer, since i didnt have a decent camera i didn't take any pics during the build but there will be opportunity for more of those later. He has a Cooler Master HAF case.

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/CASE-EK01.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/CASE-EK02.jpg

System Specs
Mobo: MSI K9A2 Platnum AMD 790FX chipset
CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9750 125w 2.4ghz
Memory: Patriot DDR2 1066 (2x2gb)
GPU: Sapphire HD 4870 512mb
HDD0: Samsung 500gb sata 3.0gbs
ODD: LG - 20x dvd burner
PSU: Zalman ZM850-HP 850w

We haven't done much with the case yet other than some sleaving, but he has a second 4870 coming and one of the new 9950 125w processors coming in next week. There aren't to many plans for it as far as mods go He wants to add a few fans to it but overall its gona look pretty much like most HAF out there.

[UnWantedSoldier]

On a side note though I was considering both of these cases for my upgrade from my 900 and I had decided on the HAF when my Girlfriend surprised me with the 1200 as an early Xmas gift. And I have to say that after working with both the 1200 is (at least for my purposes) the superior case. Both cases have their pros and cons. (I thought I would include a little review of both cases here for anyone who is interested)

HAF

The HAF has a lot of cool little features, like the tool assembly, locations to mount lots of fans, the option of adding casters (that are included)

The tool-less expansion bay is very nice. When locked it holds the cards very firmly in place with very little effort. And since it seems like no one can design and expansion slot area that is easily accessible by a screwdriver this is a really nice feature. However I wasn’t nearly as impressed by the tool-less drive bays. My last experience with cooler master tool-less drive bays was on a old Centurion (about 4 years ago) which used a slide to lock tool-less system that added a lot of friction to the side of the drive and secured quite well. This never push button systems leave a lot to be desired in my opinion. Will it does prevent the drive from being removed it allows for a bit of play. The only way to eliminate this is to use screws on the opposite side to secure the drive which effectively renders the tool-less system useless. The hard drive system works better, you simply pop the drive into the tray and it’s held relatively secure by 4 vibration isolated pins. My only complaint with this is that the plastic the trays are made out of fells kind of flimsy and the locking mechanism seems like it could be broken pretty easily but only time will tell on that.

There are tons of fan locations on this thing. It comes with 3 230mm fans as cooler master designates them, but really they are the exact same size as Antec's 200mm big boy fans. Since the fans are not completely round I believe cooler master is measuring theirs along the long way while Antec measures the short way. One fan is positioned as an intake in the front, one as an intake on the side and one in the top as an exhaust. There is also a 140mm fan on the back panel for exhaust. On the top you can replace the 230mm with 3 120mm or you can keep the 230 up there and add a 120. You can also add two 120 mm fans externally/internally in the bottom. And the 230 in the side can be replaced with 4 120mm fans. While the options for fan placement is pretty extensive I was disappointed that there is no way to mount an additional intake fan in the empty 5.25 drive bays (I feel a mod coming on here) Also I was disappointed by the performance of the 230mm fans. I must have been spoiled by the Antec 200mm because I expected this thing to levitate when we turned it on but the actual air output from the 120's is about 20 cfm lower than the Antec. Additionally they are at a set speed (I really like the variable controls on the tri-cool series of Antec fans, like I said I think I’ve been spoiled by them). But all that said the rig is very quiet compared to what I’m use to. And while they 230's move not quite as much air as Antec’s they do, do it much quieter (under 20dBA). Lastly there are no fan filters on the intakes in this case.

One of my favorite features of this case is probably the fact that it comes with casters. They look nice and are easy to put on and lift the case about 1 1/2 inches of the ground. Not to high but not to low either and it allows you to easily move the case around.

The Cable management system is pretty good on this case but not the greatest. One good thing is you do have the option for mounting the PSU either at the top or the bottom and in both locations you can position the PSU fan (if it has a top fan) so that it is drawing air from outside the case rather than inside. As both the top and bottom of the case are perforated for ventilation and the adding of fans. I like to flip my psu over so that the cable bundle is closes to the mobo tray this makes it so that the cable can reach better (which can be a real issue in a full tower) and it reduces the amount of cable clutter on the visible side of the mobo tray. This case has a nice big hole for the PSU cabling to go though so there is no issue there but a few things I didn’t like is that the mobo is pretty close to the psu when it’s at the bottom so hooking up connectors at the bottom of the mobo can be difficult (recommend doing those before you install your psu so you can hide them behind the psu). This case does include an 8pin CPU power cord extension which is great except the mobo we are using only needs a 4 pin. So we cut off the excess and I used an extra 4 pin connector to convert it for our needs but it was really nice that this included one (the 1200 does not). There are plenty of holes to route everything behind the mobo but unfortunately there is a sever lack of included tie down points. There are plenty around the openings but none directly behind the mobo. Which is usually where I like to hide my excess cabling. Additionally most of your cabling ends up in a rats nest behind the hard drive racks as since the racks are sideways, when you have the window side panel off you can easily see the mess. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as when the case is all buttoned up its invisible, but it just bugs me when I cant arrange my cables as neatly as I would like (But I'm a bit ocd when it comes to cable management).

1200

Unlike the HAF the 1200 doesn’t have as many cool little features, what it does have is a lot of practical design elements that make this a great case to work with.

Unlike the HAF there is no tool-less features about this case. Everything is held in its place by screws of one kind or another. While this makes the install a bit more tedious as well as any hardware swap outs. It does leave you with a very sturdy system. Everything is locked firmly in its place. This said there is one major drawback to the 1200's non-tool-less approach.

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/FanFilter.jpg

The 1200 included intake filters on all of their intake fans. A great idea to cut down on the dust that collects in the system, However 3 of the 4 filters are located at the front of the hard drive cages. And the only way to get them out is to remove the 8 screws that hold the cage in place and slide it forward about 2 inches. In order to clean all the filters (side and 3 front filters) you have to remove 28 thumb screws, 4 for the two side panels and 8 per drive bay cage. This is a bit excessive and Antec should have spent a little more time on R&D for these things. The picture above is what my filters looked like after about a week of having the computer on constantly (and the fans set to High) This right here can become a pretty laborious task is it has to be completed more than once a month. I know I will be trying to come up with a mod to fix this issue.

The stock cooling on the 1200 is quite nice, 3 120mm intake fans all with rotary style fan controllers built in, 2 120mm exhaust with 3 position fan speed controller and a 200mm exhaust with a 3 position switch controller and a switch that turns the LED on and off. There is room for 2 more fans one to be mounted on the back side of one of the HDD cages and the other in the side window. I used my fan holder out of my 900 to mount another fan to the back of the other available HDD cage, for a total of 9 case fans, in my rig. These fans can move a lot of air but does it at the cost of making your room sound like its next the tarmac of an airport. Truly the sound isn't that bad and with the external fan controls it’s easy to turn the fans down when you’re not gaming or running intensive apps.

The case is a dream for cable management as it has lots of holes and plenty of anchor points behind the mobo tray and there is about and 1 1/2" of room between the PSU and mobo making it easy to attach and remove front panel connectors that are along the bottom of the mobo. However there are a few things lacking from this design. One is the ability to properly flip the PSU there is no ventilation in the bottom of the case however the psu sit on top of 1/2" rubber standoffs that give it some room to breathe when upside down but not as much as it should (Hence the mod I have planned to fix that) and the hole for the PSU cable to go through is the same size as all the rest of the holes, this makes for a very tight fit for all the cables you have to run through this one hole. Also (both cases suffer from this, the 1200 more so) there just isn’t quite enough space behind the mobo tray. They should have given a few more millimeters back there. You can get it to work but you end up with a slight bow in the side panel that's not to noticeable but a little annoying regardless.

Both cases have a lot going for them but in the end I feel that most of the HAF's major features come accost gimmicky. There are way too many plastic parts in it that to don't feel like they will stand the test of time and the stock cooling while seemingly impressive with its misrepresented fan size really doesn't deliver. The 1200 while having its draw backs is a solid case (this is emphasized by its weight my rig is over 50lbs) There are very little plastic parts, just the top and the front bezel along with the fan front fan shrouds. This case has the feel of something that will hold up over time. And what you get out of the box is a very stylish design that is well complemented by the all black interior and the included fans provide a good amount of light so you can see your components without having to go out and buy a lot of extra gear.

(continued in next post)

[UnWantedSoldier]

(LOL last post was to long to fit all this in)

For my needs the 1200 is the right case but that doesn't mean it’s necessarily the right case you for, It is Big (a full tower), heavy (fully loaded over 50lbs), and loud (most fans are around 30 dBA on high). But what it offers is a very solid stable platform that should hold up well over time.

The HAF On the other hand has a lot of nice features which, it’s got a lot of room grow (as far as adding fans) and offers the ease of a tool-free design. A definite plus for anyone who changes their system around a lot.

If anyone has any specific questions about either of these cases feel free to ask, I’d be happy to answer them. Hopefully you find this helpful if you’re looking into buying one of these cases.

[FuzzyPlushroom]

Excellent writeup! I had a similar experience going from my 1200 to building my friend's new system (in the Cosmos S) - the added features of the Cooler Master are nice, but not worth the extra cash, and I'm more impressed with the build quality and basic design of my 1200. (The S was a bit of a nightmare for cable management, with one side panel refusing to close over the excess cables tucked behind the motherboard tray, and the other panel's giant fan needing some tinkering to fit over the rather large CPU coolers he chose.)

I regret nothing, aside from being able to give reputation to only one of these posts until I spread it around.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Nice write up. The Star Trek logo looks surprisingly good on the front of your PC, goes well with the mesh. Both of you (you and your friend) have very nice rigs.

[UnWantedSoldier]

After nearly 4 months of nothing i can finally get back to modding. I just got two drive cage assemblies from Antec complete with fans, filters and most importantly Drive bay covers.

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/PARTS-02.jpg

Tonight when i get home i will crack open the case and swap out the two middle fans and replace them with the new ones i got from antec. i think i'm gona need to order another fan to replace the side fan with that way they will all be matching, that or i might just get some vinyl dye and paint it black to match the other. More importantly i'm gona pull out the storage drawer so i can begin stealthing that.

Right now im going to simply stealthing it but later i plan on mounting a card reader in the front of it, where the finger holes are. (which will be covered up and rendered unusable by the stealthing) but i wont be able to do that for another week or two when i will be able to get the pars to finish the next mod.

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/PARTS-01.jpg

speaking of here are some of the parts for the next part i'm working on. I'm going to mount a usb hub internally and run it directly off my spare mobo usb header and power it from the psu. The hub is going to give me a place to plug in my readyboost thumb drive, blue tooth adapter and the card reader i'm going to mount in the front of the storage drawer. I'm going to also run a second usb cable directly off the header and use that to mount a 802.11n adapter in the case and free up the pci slot im using for my 802.11g adapter.

Once i get all the parts in for this (the main thing holding me back is the Wireless adapter need to wait till next payday) i can get this thing finished.

[DonT-FeaR]

sounds good ... welcome back to modding!

[The boy 4rm oz]

Have you used ready boost before? You have to plug it in each time you start the PC and select the data amount cos it erases the data on shutdown. Personally I didn't see a performance gain by adding a whole 2GB stick to my system.

[UnWantedSoldier]

Have you used ready boost before? You have to plug it in each time you start the PC and select the data amount cos it erases the data on shutdown. Personally I didn't see a performance gain by adding a whole 2GB stick to my system.

Honestly i really cant tell you if i have noticed that much of a performance boost or not. But the issues you are talking about with ready boost i haven't experience. Given i didn't try ready boost till after SP1 so the previous version of it may have been more limited. It supports a 4gb thumb drive now and doesn't require you to plug it back in and redo it every time you reboot or shutdown. I have never had to redo it after i initial set it up, so its not hurting my performance and i don't see any reason not to use it even if the performance gains are marginal.

I should have some update pics later tonight so long as nothing comes up after work today.

[The boy 4rm oz]

It basically just acts as anothe page file but is much slower cos it is running through the USB interface. I want to try it with an e-SATA flash drive and see how that works lol.

[darthperil]

You do some nice work UWS, can't wait to see it finished!!

[UnWantedSoldier]

Thx for the comments guys. I have an update of sorts. No real progress as of yet but i have a new idea for the mod that has me really excited.

Yesterday i was cleaning the filters on the 1200, after about 2 months they were caked badly, and if you read my review on the 1200 earlyer in this thread you will note that that was of my few complaints with the 1200 is how dificult it is to change the filters. in order to change all 4 filters you have to remove both side panels and slide the drive bays out about an inch and a half to get to the filters. This requires you to remove 28 screws (2 for each side panel and 8 for each drive bay.) I believe i have finally figured out how to make this very tedious process into a very quick and easy one, that wont require me to open the side panels (except to remove the filter for the side intake) and will no longer require me to remove so many screws.

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/HOLE-01.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/HOLE-02.jpg

Here is the plan. when i was looking at the drive bays i noticed that the front drive bay screw holes have a second screw hole about an inch in front of them this hole is there to secure empty drive bay covers. i realized that if i cut out the space between the two holes this will allow the drive to slide forward that distance. (the red box highlighted in the pictures above) witch while it is not the inch and a half normally require to get the filters out it will be more than sufficient once i have modified the filter removal tabs to work in the tighter space.

Now each drive bay cover (three of them to each drive cage) has little detents that are designed to hole the cover in place while you screw it in.(red arrows on the pics above) on the drive cages these are bent back out of the way. i am going got bend these out and hopefully that will hold the cages in place and prevent them from sliding out unnecessarily. Additionally i plan on placing Teflon washers (or something similar) under the thumbscrews so that they can still slide while providing tension, that combined with the detents should keep the bays secured while still allowing them to slide in and out as necessary.

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/HANDLE-01.jpg
i picked up one of these guys to play around with from home depot the other day they r the perfect spacing to fit through the existing holes in the mesh. I got this one to use for the drawer that i need to conceal. But then after i realized how to fix the filter problem i am going to go and get more of these to use on the drive cages.

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/HANDLE-02.jpg
The drive cages will get two handles each, one on each side positioned vertically as show in the picture.

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/HANDLE-03.jpg
The draw will get one handle positioned horizontally.

here are some pics of a quick test fit i did of the handle using and empty drive bay cover.

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/HANDLE-TM-01.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/HANDLE-TM-02.jpg

The next step is going to find a temporary home for my system. I am going to move everything back to my old 900 case for the time being as its going to take me a couple of weeks to get this all taken care of. Aside from mod the drive cages i will be able to finally drill the holes for the PSU intake. I need to make sure i get this all finished b4 my birthday as i am getting a Sapphire 4870 1gb Toxic edition to replace my aging 3870. that's less than 3 weeks away now.

I also got my hands on a decent camera and i took alot more pictures of my system in its current state, i will be uploading those later tonight or tomorrow.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Good idea with the handle. My birthday is in 2 weeks ;).

[UnWantedSoldier]

Update

While tearing down the case and transferring everything over to the old 900 case i decided to test a few of my theories for making filters easy to remove i mounted the handles quick and dirty like on the hard drive cage

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/HANDLE-TM-03.jpg

the fit isn't quite right on the handles, its almost unnoticeable but the bay covers are slightly out of the proper position, nothing a quick tap with a grinding wheel on a dremel wont fix (i will get to that when i start mounting the handles on all the drive cages).

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/HOLE-03.jpg

I also bent out the detents and found that they just by themselves they hold the drive cage in very securely, in fact i could probably get away without using screws at all (but where would the fun be in that). The bad news however is that the initially l area i was going to put the slot for the screws to slide is not long enough. I forgot to take in to account that the filter have to clear the handles. So I will have to make the slot from the rear hole instead of the front as the slot now needs to be at least 4cm long to allow the bay to slide out far enough to clear the handles.

now i have to finish up moving the system over and then next week i should be able to start making the cuts and hopefully finish this mod up.

[The boy 4rm oz]

The handles look really good one the front like that.

[UnWantedSoldier]

The handles look really good one the front like that.

I'm quite please with how they turned out. its not exactly stealth but i think they fit well with the 1200's look and feel.

[DonT-FeaR]

yeah they look pretty nice mate

[UnWantedSoldier]

*Teaser Update*

It worked!!! I just finished modding the case a few mins ago and my idea for the drive cages worked perfectly... well not at first (more on this later). All that's left is to mod one more drive cage (the one holding my hard drives in my old 900 case) and move all the hardware back over. I should be able to wrap this all up tomorrow after work. After that the mod should be done for the most part. there are a few things i had to put off due to financial restraints but otherwise I'm very happy with the results.

I apologize for not posting any pics just yet. Its 12:30 am and i need to be up in five hours so no time to upload pics right now. But i promise a proper update tonight or Wednesday at the latest.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Glad to hear you got the idea to work. I can't wait for the pics.

[UnWantedSoldier]

Sorry for the delay in updating but here are the pics. I though i had pulled off all of them from my camera but i think I'm missing a few so if i can find them i'll upload them later tonight.

We will start with one of the parts of this mod that i have been wanting to do for the longest time and that is to drill ventilation holes for the psu since i have it flipped upside down.

Area taped off
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/PSUV-1.jpg

I drew out the lines and used a punch to mark the position of the holes.
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/PSUV-2.jpg

After i started drilling i realized that my initial layout had the holes to close together though i realized this after i had placed a few pilot holes oops.
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/PSUV-3.jpg

I cant find my final pics of the holes but u can see them in some of the other pics when i find it ill add them here.

Next i continued to work on the bottom panel. i got a set of casters for free off an old shredder at work. I first drilled the holes
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/CASTER-1.jpg

Then mounted the casters using sheet metal screws. Here u can see the finished holes for the psu vent.
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/CASTER-2.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/CASTER-3.jpg
(later i grinned down the tips of the screws so they wouldn't interfere with the PSU)

Next i need to come up with a way to mount a filter over the psu vent. I used black cable wall anchors with a bit of modification and i replaced the nail with a machine screw.
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/FILTER-1.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/FILTER-2.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/FILTER-3.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/FILTER-4.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/FILTER-5.jpg

Now with the bottom finished i was able to move on to the most important part modding the drive cages so they would be able to slide in and out without remove the screws

Taped and preped
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/SLOT-1.jpg

I drilled a series of holes first to remove as much material as possible
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/SLOT-2.jpg

Then came back with the dremel and cleaned up the slots
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/SLOT-3.jpg

There are 6 slots total 3 on each side.
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/SLOT-4.jpg

When i did my initial test i cut a single slot and test fitted the drive cage and i ran into a problem. The fan housing is plastic and is held onto the drive cage with plastic clips, when i pulled on the drive cage the first time after mounting it and putting the thumbscrews into the slot to hold the cage securely the fan housing popped off from the cage. I went out and bought some 1.5inch long black sheet metal screws and drilled holes through the housing into the cage to hold them securely. I knew i was gona have to counter sink the screws so the filters could slide past them. My countersink bit was to wide to fit past the lip that hold the filter in so i decided to attempt to countersink them with a normal drill bit... that was a mistake
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/FAIL-1.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/FAIL-2.jpg

The first one went ok but wasn't deep enough, the following three holes were all epic failures resulting in damage to the fan cabling. I re thought my attempt and modified the filter lips to allow the countersink bit to fit in and everything went smoothly this time
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/FAN-1.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/FAN-2.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/FAN-3.jpg

All that was left now was to put everything back together

Mobo Mounted
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/COMPONETS-1.jpg

USB-Header adapter before and after sleeving
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/WIREING-1.jpg

The rats nest behind the back panel
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/WIREING-2.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/WIREING-3.jpg

It works
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/FINAL-2.jpg

Final assembly pics
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/FINAL-1.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/FINAL-3.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/FINAL-4.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/FINAL-5.jpg

I still have more planned for this mod i decided i am going to redo my switches and get rid of the storage drawer more on this later. Hope u enjoyed the pics.

[a.cowen]

You're pretty brave. I don't think I'll be hard modding my 1200, ever.

I think that your 'system' for moving the drive cages, aka cutting the slot for the screws to slide in, is really great. Antec should have included something like that in the original design.

Also: I like your drawer, where'd you get it from? Seems usefull for USB cables/Memory sticks etc.

[UnWantedSoldier]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811997011

that's the drawer i have in there now i just got it, i use to have a thermaltake one. i use them for storing game cds so i don't have to hunt them down every time i want to play a game that requires a cd to play.

[a.cowen]

Hah, my games sit in a wobbly tower atop the 1200. On that useful little shelf.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Nice update, it is all coming together nicely.

[DonT-FeaR]

yeah nice work mate great progress

[UnWantedSoldier]

*blows off the dust that has gathered on the thread and pulls it back up from the depths of the 6th page*

well now that that's taken care of lets get back to work lol. I've been pretty busy the last 4 months with work and moving. (My girlfriend and i moved into an apartment together woot!) But i have been inspired to get back to modding and decided to try something different. So far most of my mods, have all been primarily functional mods and it has left me feeling that something is missing from my case.... Paint.

I introduce you to Project: Blue Shift.

to begin im going to paint all the mesh (the front and side mesh) blue and parts of the top panel as well. I may later paint the mobo tray and other select internal parts.

To start with i stiped off the pain from the temp display and repainted it blue
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/TempDisplay.JPG

While waiting for the paint to dry i started on the top panel, first i had to strip it down and rip off the switch panel i put in on the top. Now i needed to figure out a cleaver way to cover the large hole i put in the panel when i mounted the switches. i decided i would make a series of plates that would both cover the old hole and provide a new location to mount a new switch panel.
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/TopPanel.JPG
The black parts of the panel will be painted blue while the white pieces will be black.

Unfortunately this modding session requires that i keep my computer up and running while im working on the mods, since my computer is our sole source of entertainment in our new apartment lol (no tv yet) so until this is done its being held together with masking tape and zip ties...
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/StrippedCase.JPG
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/StrippedCase2.jpg

P.S. If any moderators are watching can you change the title of this thread to Project: Blue Shift -thx

[billygoat333]

lol loving the ghetto rigging to keep the case together. done that before :P

[DonT-FeaR]

lol i love ghetto pcs :P even if its only while ur making the case.

[UnWantedSoldier]

little more progress finished the dvd drive. This time i used screws to hold the mesh in place, previously i had glued it but that wasn't going to work this time with the blue mesh over black background so i had to come up with something else.

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/DVDNew.JPG

Last night i finished prepping the drive bay covers. Tonight i will start painting them, i also painted the handels black last night (sorry no pic of that)

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/MeshPrep.JPG

i should have more pics up tonight after i get a little more work done.

[UnWantedSoldier]

as promised more pics

Here are the handles

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/Handels.jpg

and now the painted mesh drive bay covers

before
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/MeshPrep2.jpg
after
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/MeshPaint.jpg

im gona give it a day or two for the paint to fully cure and then ill assemble the drive bays. in the meantime i need to sand down the side panel mesh and the top fan mesh in preparation for painting those. once i do that i can prep the top panel and paint it as well.

[DonT-FeaR]

looking good mate! liking the blue

[Mark_Hardware]

ahhh many red boxes of shame

[UnWantedSoldier]

i apologize for the issues w/ images loading i had been hosting them on my free godaddy hosting account, but it has been crapping out alot lately. so i'm putting the new ones up on a different server.

Im nearly finished only a few more steps remain, i've finished painting everything and began assembling the top panel.
http://www.stsedition.com/uploads/NTop1.JPG

The top panel is nearly complete i just need to remount the switches and glue down all the panels. I'm also waiting on a replacement USB/Audio Panel from antec (i think i damaged my audio connectors during the last round of modding.)

Additional i now need to cut a hole out of the top of the case, the switches are now mounted about a half inch lower than they were previously so i need to cut a hole so they will pass through into the top drive bay of the case behind the temp display.

When i initial wired up the fan switches, it being my first time doing so, i neglected to run a ground wire for the led on the swich, so i tore apart the old wiring harnesses and re built all of them from the ground up.

Fan Switch Wires
http://www.stsedition.com/uploads/NWires.JPG

CCFL Switch Wires
http://www.stsedition.com/uploads/CCFLWires.JPG

Last thing i have for this update is some changes i made to the handles to pull out the drive cages. I initially attempted to paint the existing handles but that didnt work out as well as i had hoped, So when stolling through lowes yesterday i found nearly identical handles already painted black. The only issue with these is they are about a half and inch shorter and dont fit as well. in the original layout of them being up and down. So i decided to angle them in. I think the effect will look better once they are mounted in the case.
http://www.stsedition.com/uploads/NHandles.JPG

[UnWantedSoldier]

I would now say i am about 99% Done. I finished Installing the switch panel Monday night

http://www.stsedition.com/uploads/SwitchPanel.jpg

Once i got that installed i needed to cut a hole in the top of the drive cage to allow the new wiring harnesses for the fan switches to pass through.

My measurements where a bit off and the hole was to far back initialy so i used a drill and my dremel to widen it out.
http://www.stsedition.com/uploads/Hole1.jpg

The end result was right on the money and the wires were able to pass through it without a problem
http://www.stsedition.com/uploads/Hole2.jpg

Now that the hole was cut, i could now reassemble the top panel with all the wiring.
http://www.stsedition.com/uploads/Wiring.jpg

All that was left to do now was put everything back together. and here is the end result
http://www.stsedition.com/uploads/FinalS.jpg
http://www.stsedition.com/uploads/FinalT.jpg
the drive bay directly below the temp sensor is now the IR receiver for my media Center Remote, I'll probably change out the factory foam backer for the drive cover with a painted plastic one, but for now I'm happy with it.
http://www.stsedition.com/uploads/FinalF.jpg

The blue is a lot brighter in these pictures thanks to the flash, I'll take a few pics this afternoon outside when i get home from work those will hopefully better capture the color. As for whats next i want to get a new plexi piece from Antec for the side panel, i scratched it up pretty good over the last 10 months I've been playing with this case. Then i want to put a few vinyl decals on it. I have a friend with a vinyl cutter so once i come up with the design i want it should be pretty easy to get.

[Drum Thumper]

UnWantedSoldier PM'd me and asked me to change the name of this project to Project: Blue Shift.

[UnWantedSoldier]

Thx DrumThumper

[p0Pe]

looks good! like the blue:)

[BerticusPryme]

I really like the blue you used on it and you have yourself a very clean looking system there.

[DonT-FeaR]

nice work. nice name :P

[UnWantedSoldier]

Thx for all the replies guys. I figured out exactly what I'm gonna do with the vinyl decals, i need to finish drawing it up, once that's done I'll post it here. should be done with that some time this weekend.

[Oneslowz28]

Congratulations!!! Blue Shift has been featured in this weeks The Weekly Spotlight for outstanding modding.

http://thebestcasescenario.com/oneslowz28/front_page/worklog_notification.jpg (http://thebestcasescenario.com) Click the image to go to your feature.

[slaveofconvention]

Way to go UnWantedSoldier - congrats on the front page :D

[Mark_Hardware]

congrats man!

[UnWantedSoldier]

Woo Hoo Front Page (i know its a bit late lol but hey) Thx guys

Anyway back to the project. Im still up in the air about the way i want to go with the decals for the case so for right now that is on the back burner till i figure out exactly how i want to do it but in the mean time....

It has always been my intention to water cooling this rig. Thermally she is at her max on air i could probably get higher clock speeds on both the gpu and cpu but that would mean pushing it into a temperature zone (and noise zone, the stock ATI cooler is extremely loud above 45%) that I'm not completely comfortable with. So the obvious solution is to water cool it. However this stage is going to be majorly held up by available funs. So until the funs arrive i thought i would break out sketchup and start drawing out the custom parts i was planning for the rig.

This is my first atempt at water cooling so any pointers or suggestions any of you might have as to materials, tubing sizes, connectors, etc, please feel free to offer them up, they will be much appreciated.

My plan is to use a single loop to cool the cpu and gpu with a single 240 radiator externaly mounted off Blue shifts rear exhaust fans. I plan on utilizing the Empty drive cages (now acting as wind tunnels to for extra cooling for cpu and gpu) to house the Reservoir and Pump. The Reservoir will be custom designed out of some sort of acrylic/plexi to fit inside the drive cage. Since a 120mm fan sits at the front of the drive cage i was planning on using copper tubing to create mini wind tunnels through the reservoir turning it into a sort of second radiator.

I started mocking up the drive cage in sketchup and its almost finished, once that is done i will start on the custom reservoir.

sketchup
http://www.stsedition.com/uploads/Reservoir.png

actual
http://www.stsedition.com/uploads/DriveCage.JPG

I'm thinking for the loop it will go Pump > GPU > Radiator > CPU > Reservoir > back to pump. The CPU is what I'm concerned with most so i want it to have the coolest water pumping though it. so i put it directly after the Radiator. Since the Reservoir should, with this design, act in part as a second radiator that should drop the water temp before it hits the gpu. Witch i would think would be better than having the GPU directly after the CPU, please correct me if I'm wrong.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Tip one, the coolest component to cool goes first, so the CPU would be the first thing on the list, and you shouldn't have coolant coming out of a water block and going straight into a res, just ends up pooling heat and will drastically increase temps on your GPU.

My loop is Res, 240mm rad, Pump, CPU, GPU, 120mm rad, Res and I get temps of 33-34c idle and 44c load on my OCd 8800GTX and temps of 30-32c idle and 38c load on my Q6600 at 3.2GHz.

For you I would do Res, Pump, CPU, GPU, Rad, Res. That will maximize your cooling potential. Ideally you would want at least a 360mm rad to maximize cooling and considering you have an Antec 1200 you got a ton of space for rads, even if you can add another 240mm rad or even a 120mm rad you will notice the difference.

Personally I would utilize that extra 12cm fan in the front of your case and mount an extra radiator. If you get a Laing DDC3 pump they fit anywhere so you wont need an entire drive bay anyway and for the res a Swiftech Micro res works perfectly or you could always get one of the bay reservoirs that you mount the pump directly to.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=207_160_299&products_id=12561

Another tip is to never mix metals. Make sure everything is copper, if you have alu in the loop it will corrode, took 2.5 months for my alu block top to corrode, nasty stuff.

Hope that helps ya a bit.

[UnWantedSoldier]

Another tip is to never mix metals. Make sure everything is copper, if you have alu in the loop it will corrode, took 2.5 months for my alu block top to corrode, nasty stuff.

I had heard about some of the horror stories from that. I initial wanted to use a The 200mm radiator antec makes for the top fan until i found out they use an aluminum core.

As for the rest and pump locations i know there are alot of options out there and places where i can easily mount one but the drive bays are a must for this build. Since i just spent so much time modding them so that i can change the filters on them without demolishing the case i want to preserve that set up. So a custom reservoir is gona be necessary to fit with this build.

Thanks for the pointers on the loop layout. I was thinking now that i could put a second 240 radiator in the top below the 200mm fan. the loop would go, Res > Pump > Top 240 > CPU > GPU > Rear 240 > Res.

[The boy 4rm oz]

That would be the loop I would go for, best options really. It is easy to make alu bracket to get the rad to fir up top.

[UnWantedSoldier]

Not much has been hapening in the last 5 months with one exception, I got engaged in january woo hoo! But as far as Blue shift is concerned the only thing that the dvd drive died and replaced it with a Blu-Ray burner. But now my birthday is right around the corner and a little birdie has informed me that i can be expecting these to arive soon :D

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/images/products/11050_01.jpg
Watercool HEATKILLER® CPU Rev3.0 754/939/AM2 LC

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/images/products/13051_01.jpg
Watercool HEATKILLER® GPU-X² 4870/4890 LT

With summer practically upon me here in Phoenix and the fact that Star Trek Online has been pushing my 4890 into the red zone routinely with its factory cooler i have decided to put liquid cooling Blue shift to the top of my to do List. Additional the upcoming Desertbash Intel Lanfest at the end of June is another motivator.

The Plan is pretty much the same as before but with a few changes. First off i decided to ditch the custom reservoir in favor of this one.

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/image/9540/ex-res-153_3.jpg/ex-res-153/Danger_Den_RAD-Reservoir_Internal_External_Liquid_Cooling_Reservo ir_RES-005.html

I plan on mounting this on the external radiator off the back of the system. I decided to go with this res because of its mounting capabilities off the radiator. This position should make the res the highest point in the loop so from what i've read that should make filling and bleeding the system easier.

Next change is that i plan to run the Pump off a separate power source to be controlled by one of the top switches. I'm planing on using an external Power supply (Power brick/ac wall adapter). Since i am planning on taking this to a lan or two I'm probably gona drain the system prior to moving it so i want to be able to run the pumps independent of the system for filling and bleeding. This i could use some help figuring out. I'm planning on using either a single Laing D5 or two Laing DDC pumps (i might run dual loops more on this later) so i need to make sure the power brick i get can reliable power them.

As mentioned earlier i am considering running dual loops. I know its not necessary but i'm thinking about running different colored coolant for the CPU and GPU. but most likely time/money is going to prevent me from doing that seeing as how its probably gona cost an extra $100-200 make this a dual loop.

So here is the plan as it stands I i'll be using (most likely) a D5 Laing pump powered by a external power source, Two Black Ice Stealth 240 (Blue) radiators, Heatkiller water blocks, Danger Den External Reservoir, 3/8" ID tubing with either Primochill black plastic compression fittings or bitspower compression fittings (if i can afford it). If i do a single loop it will be with clear tubing and red uv liquid. If i do dual loops i will do red and blue liquid.

If you guys have any suggestions or see something that might cause a problem let me know. Once i get the blocks in i'll put up some new pics with them

[Trace]

I have that same CPU block. Keeps my i7 quite icey.

[The boy 4rm oz]

If your running duel rads, and 240 ones at that I would go duel loop, one for the CPU and another for the GPU.

Congratz on the engagement as well buddy :D.

[UnWantedSoldier]

If your running duel rads, and 240 ones at that I would go duel loop, one for the CPU and another for the GPU.

Congratz on the engagement as well buddy :D.

Thanks bud.

unfortunately right now in the short term i don't think I'm gona be able to afford a second pump and res for the second loop. So my question to you then would be should i even bother with the second rad now. i can always go back and add it when i put in the second loop later. I don't know enough about water cooling to know if the extra radiator would be a enough of a help in a single loop like this to make it worth it.

Oh and with the above plan the top 240 would be cooled by the 200mm top fan and the rear 240 would be cooled by the two rear 240 fans. Basically I'm planning on using my exhaust fans to cool the rads. not the best situation but for how im planning on mounting them its really the only way.

Edit: also i did calculations and a 12v 48-60w 4-5a power brick by my calculations should provide sufficient amperage and wattage to run the Pump plus all the remaining fans. I decided that if i'm gona run the pump separately i might as well do the entire cooling system.

[UnWantedSoldier]

another question i have for the water cooling gurus out there. as mentioned previously i am debating between a Laing D5 and DCC pump. I was wondering what some of your opinions are on the two. the DCC seams to have the most options available as far as top covers and mounting possibilities. But the D5 seams to be a bit heavier duty. Also i was wondering if there are any position that you shouldn't mount either pump in (directionally speaking)

[The boy 4rm oz]

A single 240mm rad would be sufficient enough for cooling to start with, even if you get both rads and run them as a single loop you will get really good temps.

The one thing I am worried about is the fan configuration. You shouldn't have a problem if the fans have a high enough cfm but by using such large fans you aren't really pushing the air through the rad fins, you are just swamping the radiator with air. Due to the rads not getting a strong direct air flow through the fins you may get worse temps.

As for the pump. The D5 is a very good pump, especially if you get the variable speed version. The DDC is more versatile mainly due to it's size and abundance of aftermarket tops offering various input/output configurations and reservoirs. I do think the D5 has a slightly higher flow rate so for a single loop it will cope slightly better then the DDC but the loop won't be that large anyway so either pump will be fine. As for mounting the pump, it's purely up to you. The pump will function in any orientation, you just need to make sure you do the plumbing right, each pump has a designated input and output, just keep that in mind.

If you did want to save a bit of cash get the DDC and get a res top for it, in most cases it will be a bit cheaper then a dedicated pump and res setup, plus it makes it easier when filling the loop (due to the fluid being added directly to the pump, there will be no dry running). The only downside of the pump/res combo is the capacity of the res but the pump will be able to push the fluid through the rads quickly enough to keep it quite cool.

Personally I would consider getting 120mm fans for the rads or make a shroud for the rads out of alu, that way you will get more direct air flow through the radiators without having to get new fans. As for the pump I would personally get a DDC with a res top, the versatility, size and relatively low noise rating wins every time for me.

Hope that helps :D.

[UnWantedSoldier]

Thanks for the excellent info. you have been alot of help.

For the external 240 i was going to built a shroud for my 2x120 rear exhaust fans and mount the radiator to that. so even though the fans would be mounted inside the case they would be pushing air straight through the rad. the top mounted one however might be a concern as i would be using the 200 mm fan and there could be a chance that the air would just flow around it as oposed to through it. that one i might need to mount two 120s to it to get the air flowing through it properly. but im thinking right now im just gona get 1 rad to get this all up and running. i'll see what the temps are now and then as i start over clocking the system more (I had to reset my 4890 to factory due to the heat issue and my 940 is only at 3.4 ghz. i want to get it to atleast 3.8. and it would be awesome to break 4ghz.) But that kind of OC might be better suited for when i can afford a dual loop.

[SXRguyinMA]

I've got a 240 swiftech rad for sale if you need one :D

[UnWantedSoldier]

I've got a 240 swiftech rad for sale if you need one :D

which model and how much lol?

[SXRguyinMA]

this one:
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=59_457_667_674&products_id=22814

$25 shiped in the US. it is used and has some signs of wear, but doesnt leak and no broken fins

it comes with 2 1/2" barb fittings too (not sure who makes them)

[UnWantedSoldier]

Thx for the offer but i think I'll pass for now, I'm not to fond of the radiators with the built in res.

Ok So i have alot of new ideas on where to take this mod once i start working on the water cooling set up. One thing that needs to be done is i need to readdress the wiring. here is what im planning

http://www.stsedition.com/uploads/wl/BS-WP.jpg

The picture is crap but it gets the message across lol. (phone camera and 5 mins in photoshop lol)

The plan is to relocate as much wiring as possible so its out of sight (Red circles). Anything that cannot be moved will be resleaved in a combination of black and blue sleaving (Blue boxes. Sleaving will be in a roughly 2 to 1 ratio of black to blue). Then anything that cant be sleaved (or doesn't look good sleaved) will be covered (green boxes)

RED: First im going to move the wire bundle from the top panned to a hole i will cut in the side of the drive cages. Next when i water cool the two middle fans and cages will no longer be there so that wiring will disappear. Next I'm gona reroute the sata Data & Power cables so then come up from under the drives as opposed to the hole where everything else is crammed through.

BLUE: ATX, PCIE, 4pin, SATA, and additional mother board PCI-E connection will all be reseaved

GREEN: Depending how the sata cables and that mess going through the first pass through look afterwords i will build a cover to hide them. Additionally i have my reservations about the 4pin and Molex connection on the mobo and i think they may need to be covered up as well. but we wont know until we get there.

The first of my water cooling supplies will be arriving beginning of next week so first thing i need to do is find a temporary home for my system while i start modding process up again.

[SXRguyinMA]

no prob. lovin the ideas!

[The boy 4rm oz]

Just flip the HDDs around 180 degrees, they you don't need to worry about the cables :D.

[UnWantedSoldier]

Just flip the HDDs around 180 degrees, they you don't need to worry about the cables :D.

thanks for the idea but i had already thought about that, there are two problems with it. One i don't know if its possible with how i have my 1200 set up. The drive cages have to be able to slide out with the drives in them so i will have to come up with a creative way to route the cabling in side of it so it wouldn't snag and prevent the cage from sliding out. And regardless I'll have to rebuild the sata power cable and probably get right angle data cables to prevent them from interfering with the fan at the front. Secondly i'll have to come up with something else to do with the DVD drive, my plan now is to add a 4th connector to the sata cable when i rebuild it and run all of them off a single cable.

and on that note does anyone know how to determine witch rails your connectors are running off of on your psu. I have a zalman 850hp with 6 rails. and i want to make sure that when i do rebuild that cable that i'm not overloading the rail its attached to.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Ah ok, I understand, I had similar issues when I was recently screwing around with my brothers PC.

As for the rails on the PSU it should tell you in the Instruction Manuel, it does for my Antec Neo 550w PSU. But that may be because it is a modular PSU and it wants both the PCI 6pin connectors to run off of separate rails.

[UnWantedSoldier]

As for the rails on the PSU it should tell you in the Instruction Manuel, it does for my Antec Neo 550w PSU. But that may be because it is a modular PSU and it wants both the PCI 6pin connectors to run off of separate rails.

I downloaded the manual and it doesn't say specifically all it says its


Six Independent +12VDC Outputs
Six +12VDC rails supply power independently to the CPU, VGA, motherboard, and peripheral components for the highest level of stability and performance.

further down in the electrical chart it says that rails 1&2 are 18a, rails 3&4 and 28a and rails 5&6 are 18a. but it dosen't specify which rails go to which components.

taking that into consideration i would guess that Rails 1&2 are the CPU and mobo, rails 3&4 are for the Graphics (this has two 8pin and two 6pin pcie connectors) and i would think rails 5&6 would then be left for the molex and sata connectors.

I'm gona email zalman today and see if they can tell me. thanks again for the help

[UnWantedSoldier]

oops double post

[UnWantedSoldier]

Went to harbor freight and Home depot the other day. got a bunch of new toys for this mod.

http://www.stsedition.com/uploads/wl/BS-Supplies.jpg

The two important finds of the bunch where the new casters. The ones currently on Blue shift are off pos shredder from work. I'm in constant fear they they will simply snap off under her weight and after i add the extra 10 + pounds from liquid cooling... sufficient to say these new ones should hold up much better. they also ride on ball bearings which means they should swivel alot better than the current ones. also the current casters are secured with sheet metal screws i think I'll use rivets this time to make sure they are on there good.

The other thing i found was a nibbler. The first article i ever read about modding mentioned one of these and i had completely forgot about it. i think its gona be perfect for cutting out the designs in the side panels. (and if not, that's what the jig saw blades are for lol)

On a slightly off topic subject my Sister game me her old computer to clean up so she could give it to her son. Clean being the operative word here...

http://www.stsedition.com/uploads/wl/Sister-1.jpg

i don't thing that think has been opened up in the last 3 years, add to that she has three dogs. it wasn't a pretty sight when i hit it with the air compressor.

Anyway if anyone has any old AGP graphics cards or DDR memory they are looking to offload let me know. This system has a 64mb graphics card and 256mb of memory. it need a little boost in those areas lol.

[SXRguyinMA]

I've got a fairly new Diamond Stealth s120 (http://www.staples.com/Diamond-Stealth-S120-256MB-Graphics-Accelerator-Card/product_608764?storeId=10001&jspStoreDir=Staples&cmSearchKeyword=diamond+stealth+s120&fromUrl=home&langId=-1&catalogId=10051&cmArea=SEARCH&ddkey=StaplesSearch) (radeon 9550) 256MB AGP card. I bought it new for my Rockin Case build, but it won't so widescreen with Win 7....grrr. I got it new @ Staples for like $80. $55 to your door and its yours :up:

[UnWantedSoldier]

Thx SXR I'll keep that in mind I'm still doing some shopping around to see what i can find on eBay. I just ordered a new processor for it today off eBay. P4 3.0ghz for under $20 shipped. I have about a $100 or so total i can spend on it and i need to get ram and a graphx card with that, i have a 400w psu i'm gona drop in it. The goal is to get this to run L4d 2 (not at max res or anything just run it playable lol) Current specs are P4 2.4ghz, 256mb of ram DDR and 64mb graphics card. The goal is a minimum of 2gb of ram and hopefully a 512 card, but I'll take a 256 if that's all i can find in my price range. I Think this is gona turn into a full blown mod project here b4 i know it lol. He is a big spy vs spy fan and i'm thinking i might go all out and mod it for that.

[diluzio91]

this applies to an old post where you install the switch panel... but im suprised you didnt go with this instead... http://www.oznium.com/rocker-switch with the blue LED in it... PS. Looks Awesome! i stole some ideas from here for Blue Storm. thanks! (+rep)

[UnWantedSoldier]

this applies to an old post where you install the switch panel... but im surprised you didn't go with this instead... http://www.oznium.com/rocker-switch with the blue LED in it... PS. Looks Awesome! i stole some ideas from here for Blue Storm. thanks! (+rep)

The switches i found at radio shack. all they had was red. I ended up keeping them cause i think the contrast that having red accents (The temp displays are red as well) does with the color scheme. In fact i think I'm gona run Red liquid when i liquid cool.

Take all the ideas you like. they say imitation is the greatest form of flattery lol

[UnWantedSoldier]

Here are some Shots of Blue Shift v2 Witch i showed off at Intel Lanfest DesertBASH X this weekend. Worklog pics soon to follow but this should give you a taste for how the project has evolved into its final manifestation. So in the meantime enjoy these pics, will have the worklog up this week.

http://uploads.uwsaz.com/wl/BSv2-LF1.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/wl/BSv2-LF2.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/wl/BSv2-LF3.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/wl/BSv2-LF4.jpg
http://uploads.uwsaz.com/wl/BSv2-LF5.jpg

[The boy 4rm oz]

Very nice.