Project: Opposition

PROJECT
OPPOSITION

DESCRIPTION
The time has come at last, it's time to retire ANIMUS and build a new PC. The new machine will be for gaming in super widescreen. This is going to be a long term project, but I got my parts list together. Since school's started, I'm going to be busy teaching but I hope to have some movement on this pretty quickly. My goal is to get it all together by my birthday (November).

I've got a few surprises up my sleeves for this one, but you can definitely expect the black and red color scheme to continue (obviously) with my signature Milano red. But the main thing is, I want a PC with some muscle behind it, this is what I've come up with (in my $3000 budget).

The focus of this project, big and bad on a budget. I'll also be adding a side-project PC alongside this one named LAMPREY.

LEVIATHAN
■ Lian Li PC-V1200B Plus II
■ ASUS Crosshair V Formula AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Gaming Motherboard
■ ASUS EAH6950 DCII/2DI4S/2GD5 Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 CrossFireX Video Card
■ Thermaltake Toughpower Grand GOLD 750W ATX 12V V2.3 / EPS 12V 2.92 CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS GOLD
■ AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition Thuban 3.3GHz, 3.7GHz Turbo Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop
■ [4x] CORSAIR Vengeance 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model
■ OCZ Agility 2 OCZSSD2-2AGT100G 2.5" 100GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
■ Seagate Barracuda Green ST2000DL003 2TB 5900 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
■ LITE-ON Black 12X Blu-ray Burner with Blu-ray 3D feature SATA IHBS112-29
■ CORSAIR H100 (CWCH100) Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
■ OPERATING SYSTEM: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit

LAMPREY
■ Rosewill RS-MI-01 BK w/250w PSU
■ Asrock E350M1 Hudson M1 Mini-ITX mobo w/AMD E-350 APU (1.6Ghz, dual-core) and Radeon HD 6310 GPU
■ Patriot 2GB DDR3/1333 DIMM
■ Samsung SH-222AB CD/DVD Burner
■ WD Caviar Blue 320GB
■ OPERATING SYSTEM: Dual Boot – Windows Vista Ultimate & Joli OS

MONITORS
■ [4x] SAMSUNG S23A300B High Glossy Black 23" Full HD LED BackLight LCD Monitor
■ ERGOTRON 33-091-200 DS100 Dual-Monitor Desk Stand, Vertical (black)

PERIPHERALS
■ SENNHEISER PC166 USB 3.5mm/ USB Connector Circumaural Headset
■ Logitech G510 Black USB Wired Gaming Keyboard
■ Logitech G500 10 Buttons Dual-mode Scroll Wheel USB Wired Laser Gaming Mouse
■ Logitech G13 USB Advanced Gameboard

Looks like I'll be nixing the LanBoy case in favor of a Lian Li case from PauL. Should be getting it sometime next week, then I can start working on some serious mock up.

This case is going to be a lot more straight forward than my previous work, essentially it's a study in contrast between new and old. Baroque style floral engraving and carbon fiber!

Basically, I'll be fabricating some blank bolt on covers similar to the ones at MNPTech [ Billet Drive Bay Covers ] however, mine are going to be made using some cheap scraps from the shop. Obviously, a bit heavier than the aluminum offered by MNPTech, but also easier to chrome.

Or more accurately, nickel plate. Below is a rough mock up of the new bay covers. I'm currently on the hunt for someone who does this type of engraving work.

that will look sick :D

I'm glad to be apart of your mod in an unconnected way :D Can't wait to see the final product and fate of my Lian Li

Changing the name of the project to LEVIATHAN. I'm adding a secondary side-project PC to this as well, named LAMPREY.

Since my laptop died I'm lacking in a means to web browse, watch videos, etc while playing games. I will continue using software KVM to control everything with one mouse & keyboard.

The fourth screen will be mounted above the three "landscaped" monitors on my desk.

Case came in today, this week I'm going to get measurements and start some mock ups. I'm going to hold off on paint till I've got all of the holes cut.

My main thing is making sure I've got room for the radiator and the case handles up top. I don't think it's going to be a problem, but I'm going to measure twice just to be sure. Pics coming later this weekend after I give the case a good once over.

I've got the basic color scheme worked out, both side panels are going to be in my signature Milano red, with the face, top, and back done in carbon fiber.

Here's a mock up of the painted side panels.

Very straight forward, but should look very good with a clean paint job and lots of clear.

The front will of course have the engraved pieces, against the black background the nickel plating should really stick out. More coming soon.

I think I've found someone to do the engraving work, Jim over at http://www.thegunengraver.com/index.htm I think should be able to handle my unorthodox request.

To be engraved:
4x Drive Bay Covers
Corsair Dominator Fan Enclosure

These pieces once engraved will be nickel plated.

At the end of the month, I'm going to get paid - then I'll start ordering some more parts.

I've been pretty busy with school having just started, but I decided to sit down and get some measurements. I'll be mounting the Corsair H100 to the top panel, with the PSU at the bottom of the case clearance shouldn't be an issue at all. I also wanted to make sure I'd have room to add a pair of the recessed handles like I used on Animus.

It's a tight fit, but I've got about a quarter of an inch between the rad grill and the handles. As for the rad grill, I decided to go with a Billet Aluminum grill from MNPCTECH. Looks good, and it'll match the other accent pieces I'm adding nicely, especially after the engraving work is done.

■ Medium Aluminum Recessed Handle from Reliable Hardware

■ 240 Billet Aluminum Radiator Grill from MNPCTECH