Project: LEXA Revival

[The boy 4rm oz]

Hello one and all. Yes I am back modding again but this is only a short rebuild of my original mod "Project: LEXA" (see link in sig for worklog).

As some of you may know about 3 months after completing LEXA my mobo died on me. I went through a lot of trouble trying to get a new one (DFI majorly screwed me around) and after about another 2 months of waiting I was rewarded a replacement. You can read more about that ordeal here:
http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=167033

However this was not the only problem I faced. I had to remove my water cooling from my case to allow me to get to my mobo so I decided I would clean my blocks so they would be nice and fresh when the time came to rebuild. Lucky I checked my blocks because my Swiftech Apogee GTX CPU block top had already started to corrode, after only 3 months of usage. This really annoyed me but Swiftech were kind enough to offer me either another Alu or Delrin block top as a replacement for free, naturally I took the Delrin top. You can read about this here:
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17770

While my PC was in pieces I got thinking "how can I make LEXA better?". The answer to me was quite simple actually, upgrade some hardware and fix some stuff I wasn't quite happy with in the original mod.

First thing on the agenda was my RAM. I used to have 4x1GB sticks of G.Skill RAM with the OCZ RAM cooler that I had modded cooling them. The issues with this set up was that generally 4x1GB sticks of RAM usually don't OC as well as 2x2GB sticks. The 4x1GB sticks also ran quite hot forcing me to use the RAM cooler which interfered with my WC. So I said stuff it and decided to order some new RAM.

Thanks to nevermind1534 I am now the proud owner of a 4GB (2x2GB) OCZ Reaper RAM kit (thanks for sending it over for me buddy ;). So here is the RAM:
http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/2883/dsc027421785622f.jpg (http://img197.imageshack.us/i/dsc027421785622f.jpg/)
http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/8166/dsc027432030356.jpg (http://img197.imageshack.us/i/dsc027432030356.jpg/)
And here is a comparison between a Reaper and my old RAM:
http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/3567/dsc027442090235p.jpg (http://img188.imageshack.us/i/dsc027442090235p.jpg/)

The next thing on my upgrade list was a new HDD. My WD 320GB drive was very full so I decided to purchase a new drive to store all my media and games on, this would allow me to use the 320GB drive for my OS until I get around to getting a Raptor or an SSD for my OS drive. This is the HDD I got myself:
http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/1067/dsc027782865403.jpg (http://img268.imageshack.us/i/dsc027782865403.jpg/)
Yep that's right, it's a Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB HDD:
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/2930/dsc027792972161.jpg (http://img32.imageshack.us/i/dsc027792972161.jpg/)

Well that's all the upgrades I did for now. I am currently planning on getting rid of my Gen1 Logitech G15 because I can't stand the clacky keys with so much give since I have been using my laptop while LEXA has been down. I am looking at upgrading to the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard, the keys are still backlit which I like but it is missing the quite useless LCD and all those macro keys, it is also much smaller with laptop style keys, perfect for me. I am also intending to eventually upgrade from my 19" LCD to a 24" LCD but cash is a bit tight at the moment, damn recession lol.

Ok so what else is new you say? Well I decided to replace the stock LEXA window with a fresh piece of plexi, one that is unscratched, had no mold marks and has no fan grill.
Here is the original window:
http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/5351/dsc027643443872.jpg (http://img197.imageshack.us/i/dsc027643443872.jpg/)
Here is an example of the mold marks that I mentioned earlier:
http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/2392/dsc027653457024.jpg (http://img37.imageshack.us/i/dsc027653457024.jpg/)
This is the fresh piece of plexi all marked for cutting:
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/8824/dsc027663480570.jpg (http://img196.imageshack.us/i/dsc027663480570.jpg/)
Here is a shot of the window cut out and ready to be drilled:
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/1088/dsc027673610751.jpg (http://img32.imageshack.us/i/dsc027673610751.jpg/)
When screwing the silver plastic window accents back into the side panel I accidentally overtightened one, this lead to a pretty cool piece of detail:
http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/8506/dsc027683623662.jpg (http://img192.imageshack.us/i/dsc027683623662.jpg/)
I did this to all 9 screws used to hold the accent pieces on.
Here is a shot of the now finished window:
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/6828/dsc027693720290.jpg (http://img196.imageshack.us/i/dsc027693720290.jpg/)
And a shot of the installed window accents:
http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/4708/dsc027703732774.jpg (http://img192.imageshack.us/i/dsc027703732774.jpg/)

I also removed the rear fan grill and am currently modding the HDD cover panel for use with 2 HDDs.

Now it's time for the rebuild.

This time around I chose to ditch my Thermaltake Extreme Spirit II cooler for the North Bridge and stick with the stock DFI one. "Your crazy" you must be thinking lol so I will let the pics speak for themselves:
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/3746/dsc027463981078.jpg (http://img32.imageshack.us/i/dsc027463981078.jpg/)
http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/9897/dsc027473991667.jpg (http://img192.imageshack.us/i/dsc027473991667.jpg/)
Yep, the cooler on the left is the Tt Exteme Spirit II and the cooler on the right is the stock DFI cooler with an added 60mm fan, can you guess which one performs better? LOL. The DFI stock cooler can slightly beat the Tt cooler when run passively, with the fan it is much better.

Just thought I'd throw in a shot of the mobo with the new RAM and CPU block installed:
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/5369/dsc027484447214.jpg (http://img196.imageshack.us/i/dsc027484447214.jpg/)
I think it looks bad ass lol :D.

Here is all the tech installed the WC loop completed:
http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/2081/dsc027524578968.jpg (http://img44.imageshack.us/i/dsc027524578968.jpg/)
Yeah I know the hoses are powdery but I didn't have the cash for new hose and it still looks the same under UV light.
Here are some more random shots of the loop:
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/1355/dsc027564989667.jpg (http://img189.imageshack.us/i/dsc027564989667.jpg/)
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/1566/dsc027544963563.jpg
http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/8222/dsc027554976572.jpg
http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/7024/dsc027595019779.jpg
http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/5575/dsc027575006572.jpg

Time for the leak test:
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/6826/dsc027605598077.jpg (http://img19.imageshack.us/i/dsc027605598077.jpg/)
No leaks after testing for 48 hours but I did accidentally over fill my bay res which spilled over the HDDs, they are ok though.

All wired up and ready to go:
http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/863/dsc027715738514.jpg (http://img188.imageshack.us/i/dsc027715738514.jpg/)
http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/1878/dsc027736192061.jpg (http://img268.imageshack.us/i/dsc027736192061.jpg/)
New side panel installed just for a looksie ;):
http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/5781/dsc027766109681.jpg (http://img37.imageshack.us/i/dsc027766109681.jpg/)

The last thing I have to do is modify the HDD cover and LEXA can go back to work, I just need to find a few hours of spare time and we are in business.

Oh and after I have finished I am gonna need your help with OCing my Q6600, it wont go past 2.69GHz on stock volts and when I crank the volts nothing happens :(, oh well I will cross this bridge when I get there. Until then...

Happy Modding.

[DonT-FeaR]

much better window!!!

i knew it would look better like that when u first did it :)
nice accents btw..


everything is better ..!
good work

[The boy 4rm oz]

Thanks buddy,yeah I like the new window much better. I will be glad to wrap this mod up for good, it is way too fiddly to pull apart for repairs lol. Hopefully that is something I can fix in my next LEXA mod ;).

[DonT-FeaR]

make an AXEL mod... like reverse lexa.. :) its obviously to late.. lol

[The boy 4rm oz]

I'll give you a hint. It will be called LEXA V2, that's all I am gonna say at the moment.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Just a small text update. I still can't decide whether or not to keep my G15. I use my laptop for all my typing work and will only bench and game on my desktop so the keyboard wouldn't be used that much. I prefer the wider spacing between keys for gaming but I love the really light keys of the laptop keyboards so I dunno. I am going to go take a look at the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard during the week, hopefully it is my happy medium.

As soon as I get around to it I will also be replacing the fan on my rear exhaust/120mm radiator. It is one of those old Thermaltake Smart Cools and is horrendously loud even under volted to 10 volts, I will be replacing it with an Antec Tri-Cool, I already use them on my 240mm rad and love em. Something I found interesting though is my CPU temp is only 2c hotter with the 120mm rad fan turned off than with it turned on.

I am also contemplating of making LEXA dual boot Vista Home Premium 64bit and XP Pro 32bit. This way I wouldn't have to waste money on making a low end XP box and I wouldn't need a KVM switch lol.

Well that's about it for now. I haven't had a chance to touch the HDD cover yet due to the fact that I have been studying for an exam on Monday. My next exam is on the 23rd of June so I can give up a day to redo the plexi piece and get everything back together for another final shoot. The weather has been horrible were the past week so a final photo shoot may be some time off. Until then...

Happy Modding.

[blueonblack]

Looks very nice! Shame you had to shelve the RAM cooler you spent all that time on, but the overall look is excellent. +rep

[The boy 4rm oz]

I was a little disappointed about not using the RAM cooler at first but it always interfered with the water cooling as it is very wide and I wasn't 100% happy with the result anyway, I think it made the case look very cluttered. One of the fans is broken now also and I can't find any slim line 60mm blue fans in Australia so my mind was basically made up for me, it wouldn't fit over the Reapers anyway lol.

Thanks for the rep mate.

[DonT-FeaR]

if u want a kvm switch i got one..
well ... 3.. lol
i think

1 keyboard and mouse one
1 monitor one,,


and another of one of them lol.

[The boy 4rm oz]

If I get a KVM switch I want to get one with duel USB instead of PS2 and a DVI port instead of VGA, they cost way to much lol. I'm just going to stay with the dual booting, cheaper, space saving and time saving lol.

Today I got Vista installed and updated, once I install 3D mark I will take a test benchmark and then got OCing.

[AntraxLife]

looking better mate. keep this up, but you already gained rep from me with the lan party cooling blok! :D

[The boy 4rm oz]

looking better mate. keep this up, but you already gained rep from me with the lan party cooling blok! :D

Thanks a lot mate. Glad you like it :D.

[Waynio]

Noticed on Acey's Project M2 (Matriarch Rebuild) post you made changes for the lexa and looked it up, better window and a shiny 1tb hdd :), glad you got your rig sorted looks like new again and improved :).

[The boy 4rm oz]

Thanks Waynio. I am actually going to work on the HDD cover today and if all goes well and I finish it, as it's a beautiful day outside, I may clean up the case and do another photo shoot.

[DonT-FeaR]

wooo :)

[The boy 4rm oz]

Sadly I had no luck with getting anything done as I have been flat out the last few days and the new Uni semester starts tomorrow, hopefully I will find some time soon.

[DonT-FeaR]

glare..

[Acey]

Still looks as good as before mate. And better yet with new hardwares 8)

Catch up with the texts later lol, its near end of office hour :D

[The boy 4rm oz]

Thanks a lot mate, glad you still like it ;).

[p0Pe]

fantastic to see this one back up:D glad you ditched the TT cooler lol...

[The boy 4rm oz]

HAHA, thanks p0Pe, yeah so am I lol, the stock DFI one cools much better and looks better lol. I will keep it and perhaps use it in a future HTPC build.

Sorry guys, no update as of yet, had to get new speakers installed in my car today and now it's raining so I don't want to wander down to the shed lol. I have short days of uni for the rest of the week as my practical classes don't run for the first week so perhaps tomorrow or Friday I will be able to get some work done.

[DonT-FeaR]

im looks forward to it jase :P

[nevermind1534]

Don't forget your parts source :rolleyes:

[The boy 4rm oz]

Don't forget your parts source :rolleyes:

Never mate :D.

Just a little heads up guys. I have a free day away from Uni on Wednesday so I am hoping like hell to get the HDD cover done and dusted, then I can finally wrap up Project: LEXA.

[Mark_Hardware]

Looking foward to it man!

[DonT-FeaR]

/\ do i need to say anything?

[The boy 4rm oz]

Well guys, I finally have something to show you. I had my day off uni today so I turned off my phone, unplugged the TV and turned off the modem and set myself the task to finish my HDD cover. This is what I got up to :D.

First of all, for those of you who don't know what my original HDD cover look like, here is a pic:
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/5804/dsc01608xi9.jpg
Ok, so here is the cover all masked up and marked for cutting, yeah I had made some prior mods before I got to this stage:
http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/8574/dsc031868865508.jpg
Next up I started the cutting. I decided to use a hacksaw saw as it made a neater cut than the Dremel and gave me more control. So I clamped my piece of plexi to the vice and off I went:
http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/1576/dsc031889233398.jpg (http://img268.imageshack.us/i/dsc031889233398.jpg/)
http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/1066/dsc031899286624.jpg (http://img200.imageshack.us/i/dsc031899286624.jpg/)
Well soon I ran out of room on the vice and migrated over to the BBQ lol:
http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/4914/dsc031909362821.jpg (http://img195.imageshack.us/i/dsc031909362821.jpg/)
And once again I ran out of room on the BBQ so I moved over to the work bench, got a block of wood and picked up my Dremel:
http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/8896/dsc031919424445.jpg (http://img17.imageshack.us/i/dsc031919424445.jpg/)
The cover all cut out, took all of 2 mins lol:
http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/7179/dsc031939488193.jpg (http://img39.imageshack.us/i/dsc031939488193.jpg/)
Holes drilled:
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/7802/dsc031949560653.jpg (http://img13.imageshack.us/i/dsc031949560653.jpg/)
And countersunk:
http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/6779/dsc031969573947.jpg (http://img269.imageshack.us/i/dsc031969573947.jpg/)
http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/5733/dsc031979584645.jpg (http://img269.imageshack.us/i/dsc031979584645.jpg/)
Next I measured and marked up a piece of mesh:
http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/5568/dsc031989690917.jpg (http://img199.imageshack.us/i/dsc031989690917.jpg/)
Cut it out with tin snips:
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/7776/dsc031999751730.jpg (http://img18.imageshack.us/i/dsc031999751730.jpg/)
Drilled the corresponding holes and gave it a test mount on the plexi:
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/5756/dsc032009810228.jpg (http://img12.imageshack.us/i/dsc032009810228.jpg/)
It all fitted well so I gave it a quick test install:
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/553/dsc032019894818.jpg (http://img23.imageshack.us/i/dsc032019894818.jpg/)
Fits like a glove :D.
Finally I painted the mesh, cleaned up the plexi and attached the two together:
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/1250/dsc032029951951.jpg (http://img21.imageshack.us/i/dsc032029951951.jpg/)
Then I installed the cover:
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/3466/dsc032050009512.jpg (http://img24.imageshack.us/i/dsc032050009512.jpg/)
Turned out pretty well I think :D.

Well that's the last, the final piece of LEXA that needed tweaking or re-doing so now all I am waiting for is a nice clear sunny day for the final photo shoot, then this mod is 100% complete and I can focus my attention of designing my next mod ;).

Well that's it for now, just waiting on the weather ;). Until then...

Happy Modding.

[Mark_Hardware]

Looking good so far... :up:

[The boy 4rm oz]

Thanks mate.

[Waynio]

Nicely done :).

[blueonblack]

Wooo hooo!!! It's done!!! (Again)

Nice work on the last touch, waiting for the final glamor shots.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Nicely done :).

Thanks :D.


Wooo hooo!!! It's done!!! (Again)

Nice work on the last touch, waiting for the final glamor shots.

Thanks mate, I will get those shots up as soon as possible.

[DonT-FeaR]

very cool :P
always liked this one :P

[The boy 4rm oz]

Thanks mate.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Well guys this is my final update. I have finally finished fixing up LEXA and now it's time for the final glory shots...again lol.

Well here we go.
http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/842/dsc032062245107.jpg (http://img37.imageshack.us/i/dsc032062245107.jpg/)
http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/9980/dsc032072292071.jpg (http://img37.imageshack.us/i/dsc032072292071.jpg/)
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/9115/dsc032082372248.jpg (http://img12.imageshack.us/i/dsc032082372248.jpg/)
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/2104/dsc032092384068.jpg (http://img12.imageshack.us/i/dsc032092384068.jpg/)
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/3518/dsc032102470814.jpg (http://img132.imageshack.us/i/dsc032102470814.jpg/)
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/6200/dsc032112484395.jpg (http://img526.imageshack.us/i/dsc032112484395.jpg/)
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/300/dsc032122502444.jpg (http://img526.imageshack.us/i/dsc032122502444.jpg/)
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/6039/dsc032132598033.jpg (http://img32.imageshack.us/i/dsc032132598033.jpg/)
http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/1602/dsc032142613606.jpg
http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/9311/dsc032162627030.jpg (http://img26.imageshack.us/i/dsc032162627030.jpg/)
http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/2425/dsc032172743309.jpg (http://img200.imageshack.us/i/dsc032172743309.jpg/)
http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/2349/dsc032182756856.jpg (http://img269.imageshack.us/i/dsc032182756856.jpg/)
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/1749/dsc032192771325.jpg (http://img526.imageshack.us/i/dsc032192771325.jpg/)
http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/4462/dsc032202858126.jpg (http://img8.imageshack.us/i/dsc032202858126.jpg/)
http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/4730/dsc032212870022.jpg (http://img8.imageshack.us/i/dsc032212870022.jpg/)
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/2434/dsc032222882731.jpg (http://img3.imageshack.us/i/dsc032222882731.jpg/)
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/1741/dsc032232978309.jpg (http://img207.imageshack.us/i/dsc032232978309.jpg/)
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/7172/dsc032242989915.jpg (http://img207.imageshack.us/i/dsc032242989915.jpg/)
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/1063/dsc032253002509.jpg (http://img19.imageshack.us/i/dsc032253002509.jpg/)
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/9021/dsc032263034991.jpg (http://img132.imageshack.us/i/dsc032263034991.jpg/)
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/2903/dsc032283045667.jpg (http://img132.imageshack.us/i/dsc032283045667.jpg/)

Sorry about the less than perfect pics :D. For those who missed the final pics of the original build, they can be found here:
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9478&page=67

Well that's it, all done. I may post an update later on with OC clocks and temps. Until then...

Happy Modding.

[blueonblack]

WOOO HOOO!! B-E-A-UTIFUL. (I especially like the lighting inside the case, *very* well done.) +rep

[The boy 4rm oz]

HAHA, cheers bro, I feel so much better now that I have gotten it all running perfectly again, now I can concentrate on more important things, like designing my next mod....and study HAHA.

[Mark_Hardware]

Damn dude, that is a very sexy case. Classy, I really do like looking at it. Great work, really. I love what you've done here. +rep, from one Lexa modder to another lol

[The boy 4rm oz]

Thanks a lot Mark, I am very happy how she turned out and can't wait to try another LEXA mod ;).

[Mark_Hardware]

you're killing me man

[The boy 4rm oz]

Hahah, all in good time mate ;).

[DonT-FeaR]

looks better than the first time!!

[The boy 4rm oz]

Cheers bro.

[p0Pe]

wiiiihicked:D looks fantastic (again) lol :D

[The boy 4rm oz]

Thanks mate, I am glad you like it :D.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Well I decided that I don't want to go to Uni on Friday so I thought I would get my OC tweaked and post up a screen shot for you guys.
http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/7287/ocbench.jpg (http://img10.imageshack.us/i/ocbench.jpg/)

CPU:
Q6600 from 2.4GHz to 3.2GHz @1.38v
Idle Temp = 24-26c
Load Temp (3DMark06 and general gaming) = 36c
Load Temp Fully Loaded (100% on all 4 cores, Prime95) = 44c

GPU:
8800GTX from 576, 1350, 900 - 638, 1545, 999 (Stable) - 661, 1593, 1026 (Best)(Core, Shader, Memory)
Idle Temp (Core) = 36-37c
Idle Temp (Ambient) = 34c
Load Temp (Core) = 42c
Load Temp (Ambient) = 40c
*NOTE* 3DMark06 run with "Best" clocks *NOTE*

RAM:
From 400MHz (800 effective) 4-4-4-15 2T @2.2v - 498MHz (996 effective) 5-5-5-15 2T @ 2.2v
No temp data, but feel cool to touch.

3DMark06 score from 11,365 stock to 13,928 OC (some runs I can get 14,000+, just depends).

I am pretty happy with these clocks, not bad for a first attempt at overclocking lol. The CPU definitely has some more headroom and the RAM can go a bit further (I have seen it at 1066 speeds with stock CPU clocks) but this is more then enough for me.

Well this will definitely be my last post for Project: LEXA, I have tidied up all lose ends, posted everything I wanted to and said everything I wanted to say. As always comments are welcome. Time to plan my next mod ;). Until then...

Tb4o signing out.

Happy Modding.

[Mark_Hardware]

Nice man, heck yeah

[The boy 4rm oz]

Thanks man, yep, I'm pretty pleased, everything is running pretty smoothly now. The only thing I need to do is play around with the RAM a bit more, works fine usually but after a few hours of Crysis my machine locks up, must be the RAM timings cos it didn't do it with the CPU and GPU OC.

[Waynio]

:banana::up::banana: Looking saaweeeeet :D

[The boy 4rm oz]

Thanks mate :D.

[sunny2010]

Hello there Bro,

Your LEXA V2 !!! Very very Cool..nice job there!

I still have to backread the first worklog where you made a stop...

[The boy 4rm oz]

Thanks a lot sunny. Yeah this worklog was basically just a re-visit of the original after I had to change a few things around, mainly because my motherboard blew and my CPU water block corroded lol. I am glad you like it :D.