NanoTek

[ShadowHunter]

Hello all! this is my first foray into case modding, watercooling, and overclocking.

Hardware:
DFI P55-T36 itx mobo
G.Skill Ripjaws (2x2GB) ddr3 1333 Ram
Intel Xeon X3440 (to mix things up)
Gigabyte SuperOverclock GTX 275

Thte project will be built in 3 stages:
Initial build and air cooling
watercooling and mild overclocking
case modding and serious overclocking

The plan is to accomplish all this in an Apex Mi-100, but the project may switch cases.

Without further ado, I present:

NanoTek

Day 1 (December 17, 2009)
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek008.jpg
"Jackson! Come open us!"
Well if you insist...

First up, GPU
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek009.jpg
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek010.jpg
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek011.jpg
How ya like them apples?

Next, we have the PSU
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek012.jpg
Ironically, it isn't modular, despite what the box says. I'm too lazy to RMA it, so I get to mod that too! :D

RAM
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek013.jpg
They'll rip your jaw off! Ok. I'll stop.

The cornerstone of the whole project:
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek014.jpg
I'll have benches up soon ;)

The baby that made it all happen:
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek015.jpg
and special guest, feet!

mmmm Xeon...
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek016.jpg

So I knew this awesome stuff wasn't going to fit in the case (which i seem to be lacking pics of...). I improvised! Had to load 7 ASAP!
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek017.jpg

mobo in the case. ain't it cute?
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek018.jpg

too bad I can't use that sfx psu. it would fit over the cooler like a glove!
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek019.jpg

test of if the gpu would fit
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek020.jpg
yes, there's a case behind it... somewhere...
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek021.jpg
found it! man thats a tight fit. praying that I didnt have to mod the drive cages.

Yo what up, Dremel!
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek022.jpg
as you can see, the small side part won't let me mount that 275.

close up so you can see what I mean
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek023.jpg
aww shucks! they even left the bottom corner open for me! makes life much easier!

after dremeling. there's some sort of gromet-type thing holding this piece on.
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek024.jpg
yo what up, hand drill!

gotta love the macro!
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek025.jpg

after drilling, testing with my 4670
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek026.jpg
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek027.jpg
success!

even with the 4670, it looks empty...
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek028.jpg

somebody wishes to change that!
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek030.jpg
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek031.jpg
like a glove, baby!

my psu compared to the sfx
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/kornonkob/mod/NanoTek032.jpg
well that certainly wont fit in the case!

[Trace]

Nice, good start. I will be following this one. Interesting idea for sure

[ShadowHunter]

thanks trace.

micro update. i gotta move it into my Thermaltake lanbox. my psu is sitting on the desk behind the rig right now, and since its not modular, there's wires everywhere. messy messy messy.

agenda for today:
1. move system to lanbox
2. mod psu
3. more benching
4. maybe some overclocking

not much else i can do until i get this system under water.

[Soul_train]

looking forward too see more about this ShadowHunter! aka Carlos Ferreira from Losias

[ShadowHunter]

and more you shall have!

...tomorrow. IF i have time. anyway,

made some changes to the theoretical final design.
final case: Silverstone SG05
final watercooling: definite custom setup. thought about going with a corsair H50. somebody slap me for that.
maybe steal craig's idea of incorporating a umpc?

christmas shopping drained my moneys. i literally only have singles left. so until i get some christmas money, nothing is happening on this build.

however, i just did a read-through of the ROGUE log. now THAT is some inspiration!

side note: went to best buy today. i never noticed how they sell gpu's hard drives, and gaming peripherals! unfortunately, nothing i want/need/have funds for.

[ShadowHunter]

well guys, its time for that two-day-old update. hey, its better than a three-day-old update!
*cracks fingers* here we go.

very nifty hdd placement:
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac232/ShadowHunter_photos/NanoTek033.jpg

after all was said and done, i had a working rig:
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac232/ShadowHunter_photos/NanoTek035.jpg

and oh my, it even has a Blu-Ray drive!
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac232/ShadowHunter_photos/NanoTek036.jpg

well, i decided that the psu sticking out the back like that was a real pain. so disassembly starts! man, this poorly-placed 8pin connector made the cable a tricky thing to remove!
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac232/ShadowHunter_photos/NanoTek037.jpg
ever see that pull-thumb-apart magic trick? apparently it works with index fingers too. now where did i put the tip...?

shots of the psu:
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac232/ShadowHunter_photos/NanoTek038.jpg
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac232/ShadowHunter_photos/NanoTek039.jpg

now, all those extra cables make my desk look like it was attacked by some type of squid-monster. so, i solved it! (read: cut off extra pci-e and sata power cables)
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac232/ShadowHunter_photos/NanoTek040.jpg
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac232/ShadowHunter_photos/NanoTek041.jpg
will de-solder when i get a working soldering iron. mine decided to die on me.

here's the rig nicely tucked away in the lanbox:
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac232/ShadowHunter_photos/NanoTek042.jpg
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac232/ShadowHunter_photos/NanoTek043.jpg
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac232/ShadowHunter_photos/NanoTek044.jpg
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac232/ShadowHunter_photos/NanoTek045.jpg
STILL fills up the case. grr. can nobody make an acceptable (to me) sff case design?!

well one of the main reasons i strayed from the apex is temps. so as it sat there on my table, i remembered seeing a review where someone put a 120mm fan in the side. (queue light bulb) maybe that would provide the much needed ventilation!

after roughly an hour of hole drilling and modifying (what i would've given for a flex shaft or 90 degree attachment) i have this!
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac232/ShadowHunter_photos/NanoTek046.jpg
man, thats snug as a bug in a rug!

once i realized that the space between the two supports was just wide enough for my psu, i started to mod the case in order to shoehorn it in.

dremeled off a horizontal bend:
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac232/ShadowHunter_photos/NanoTek047.jpg

then i realized i forgot about the side mounted hard drive!
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac232/ShadowHunter_photos/NanoTek048.jpg
oh my bajeebus! not even my right angle sata connectors would fit!

so after fan modding, and more frame modding (the right angle sata caused clearance issues. and the psu caused even more clearance issues. and the psu plug connector caused EVEN MORE clearance issues) it finally all fit. (sans blu-ray drive)
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac232/ShadowHunter_photos/NanoTek049.jpg
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac232/ShadowHunter_photos/NanoTek050.jpg
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac232/ShadowHunter_photos/NanoTek051.jpg
http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac232/ShadowHunter_photos/NanoTek052.jpg

however, this setup was short lived. the psu intake and cpu cooler were fighting over what little air there was in the case. plus, that 120mm fan is WAY too noisy. i really havent had time to go and flip that psu around (and i wouldnt be comfortable with the lack of ventilation) so there's nothing left to post. just when im convinced i must go the SG05 route, a flood of ideas hits me like a freight train on steroids. truth is, this case is just so purty. gloss black finish, mirror drive covers, and its the perfect size to make other people laugh at it before i unleash the quad-core, octo-thread, xeon power. so, whats your verdict? can/should i fit a custom loop in here? or go for the sg05? (i know rad placement in either case will be an issue. currently thinking of getting a 2x2.5" to 3.5" adapter so i can have the hdd side free on the apex)

[x88x]

Another one you might want to check out is the Lian-Li PC-Q07 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112227). Though, really, no matter which way you go you're gonna be really strapped for space. Speaking from experience, you are not gonna have an inch to spare, but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how you work it out! When you watercool it, again, speaking from experience, definitely do not go with anything less than 2 120mm worth of double-flow rads. I'm cooling fairly similar hardware, though a little less powerful (ie, less hot), and I cannot overclock at all on my two Black Ice GTX120 (http://www.dangerden.com/store/black-ice-gtx120.html) rads. Without overclocking, my temps are ok, though on the high end, but I would not want to push them any higher. With the smaller MBB you might have a little more breathing room than I did though, and craigbru's had a lot of success squeezing rads into small boxes (though none quite as small as what you're looking at, I don't think).

[d_stilgar]

I would have a look at this worklog (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17346&highlight=rogue) to get really good inspiration. It's a fantastic build.

[ShadowHunter]

thanks for the interest guys.

i've had constant inspiration from Rogue. in fact, this build started on craig's forums on Losias.net (http://losias.net/). he and paul are my modding idols.