Project: 343X

[Extigy]

Been reading these forums for a little over a year now and with a new build beginning, i couldn't think of a better time to sign up. My inspiration for the build that follows comes from the likes of Virtualrain, Mekrel and Cascades, all of whom have used the Lian-Li 343b for their build.

Project aims:
-To make an aesthetically pleasing case
-A 'future proof' case which i can use for current and future generations of technology
-Case must be easy to work with.
-Offer enough cooling to allow for for some serious overclocking.

As you can guess, my chosen case is the Lian Li 343b. A note to anyone considering using this case, its EXPENSIVE (And i underestimated this). On first impressions, i was quite underwhelmed with my purchase. The side panels are made of very thin aluminium (i am used to the beefy sheet aluminium used in the v2000b) and as a result makes quite a tinny noise when tapped. The window in the top of the case does not lay flush with the rest of the case and the side window i purchased is not a good fit compared with the standard panels. Saying that, the case is VERY light and the structure is very strong and is ideal for water cooling as there is lots of space, easily disassembled and there are few plastic parts.

Below are some pictures i took with the case stripped down.

Front of case with hard drive cage and rad
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3260/2567164343_1c34f7248f.jpg

Side of case with window
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3262/2567159289_fd207f21a6.jpg

Rear of case
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3083/2567983672_df7d21c21a.jpg

hard drive cage
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3262/2567167313_441412e15f.jpg

The plan is to cut out the rear and mount the motherboard in a horizontal orientation similar to Virtualrain. Below is the back plate i have designed using autodesk inventor. This is currently on its way to the laser cutters!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3128/2570407395_62d3a8712c.jpg


The case will then be powedercoated.

There will be one one pa120.3 mounted in the front drive bays. The other drive bays will house the hard drive cage, Dvd-Rom and some kind of fan/pump controller. A second pa120.3 will be mounted at the rear below the motherboard tray. When the main fabrication is done, i will start to consider the other components.

I will update the build as i go. Things will be slow until the backplate is made.


Thanks to the following for providing my parts so far without any trouble:
www.overclockers.co.uk
www.aqua-pcs.co.uk
http://www.kustompcs.co.uk
www.Chilledpc.co.uk
http://www.aquacooledpc.co.uk/

UPDATES:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=3077726&postcount=7 - Laser cut panel and fitting: 20-JUN-08
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=3106581&postcount=16 - Powder coating: 01-JUL-08
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=3419657&postcount=37 - Rads assembled and mounted: 10-NOV-08
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=3426282&postcount=38 - Pumps plumbed and mounted: 13-NOV-08
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=3523500&postcount=41 - Blocks and overclocking: 24-Dec-08

[disruptfam]

i really like this case subscribed

[Nate P.]

sub'd ...

This could turn out to be real nice ...

Not "MM" NICE, but nice none the less...
Would ya quit it, MM fanboy? it's getting kind of annoying.

yes, MM cases are excellent, but does every one of your posts have to be about MM? Not trying to start a flame war or anything, but...:rolleyes:

[Serpentarius]

these all big casings looks same to me .. why would someone get a mammoth casing like this?

[MomijiTMO]

This is my favourite case of all time for the Lian Li build quality and finish. Too bad I can't get it here and it's not like I would pay for it either ;). MM has nothing on this case :)

More updates please.

Oh yeah and I'm with Nate on this. The necro thread revivals with "Another satisfied MM owner" is the reason I don't enter any MM logs that you posted in last because I just don't know if it is a revival or if it is a rebuild lol :p:

[Extigy]

UPDATE!!!!

Got my laser cut back panel back from the wonderfully efficient company stevenage sheet metal (http://www.stevenagesheetmetal.co.uk/) - 4 hour turn around and the result as you can see below is perfect. One thing i love with laser cutting is 'what you draw you get', no burrs, and perfect 90 degree cuts, mmmmmm perfect.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3230/2595939896_f8de3f8688.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3177/2595108045_959b636799.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3119/2595945180_1e1711b7b4.jpg

I then took my case up to the workshop started butchering my up case with a jigsaw.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3295/2595949566_3ee54edd8f.jpg


Cut outs finished and de burred. My cuts were not perfect - they did not need to be as they would not be seen.

heres a picture of extigy H&S!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3235/2595959140_3e645171f7.jpg

To fasten the backplate to the case, countersunk rivets were used.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/2595126793_70280b861b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3029/2595963692_77efb3fcba.jpg

I then cut the motherboard tray so it would fit and temporarily rivetted it. As you can see - my nifty CAD work paid off as everything went together like a dream. There was one small hole i messed up top right of the motherboard bracket - this will barely be noticeable once powdercoated.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3262/2595133953_b9d2ee200b.jpg

I am now waiting on some angle aluminium and mesh - then it is off to the powdercoaters!

[evil-98]

now that was too easy.. lol looks great man. how much was it to laser cut the panel?

[virtualrain]

It's great to see more horizontal 343 designs taking shape. It's cool to see different approaches as well. I can't wait to see this project unfold.

Cheers,
-Chris.

[HaCKs]

I am impressed so far! I love build logs with a lot of real modifcations instead of just buying a case and bolting things in...

It reminds me of a cooking show where they spend put a turkey in the oven and take it back out in 30 seconds all done, I wish I could see the hours and hours of work that goes in between the pictures.

[Extigy]

Laser cutting of the panel was £50 (this included the material). If i hadn't of supplied a drawing, it would been about £70ish. Thanks for the comments. I chose this case over a mountain mods becasue i wanted to do some modding and be creative. I have one question about fan control i was wondering if someone could answer.

-The Aqua computer Aquaero - 5 Watts per channel output. This is enough to power 1 maybe 2 fans. Anyway to increase this?

-Mcubed Cubed T Balancer - 20Wats per channel output - i could run 3 fans with ease on one channel correct?

[evil-98]

Laser cutting of the panel was £50 (this included the material). If i hadn't of supplied a drawing, it would been about £70ish. Thanks for the comments. I chose this case over a mountain mods becasue i wanted to do some modding and be creative. I have one question about fan control i was wondering if someone could answer. The Aqua computer Aquaero - i see i can only operate 1 fan per channel and there isn't even enough power to runa pump. Anyway to increase this and stil be able to control fan speed/use a pump. ideally i want 3 fans on 1 channel, 3 fans on another and the last 2 channels reserved for pumps. Any ideas ?

wow thats nearly $100 usd.. lol think it would be cheaper to get panels milled or laser cutted? i would assume laser cutting right, since its like printing, very little programing.. right? i wouldnt know. im looking into getting some panels made so im gauging my price range right now lol

i would personally go 343 over MM for similar reasons :up:

[Extigy]

Not sure if you could mill a thin panel - would probably warp the material. Laser cutting is quite easy. you draw what you want, upload the .DWG file to the machine, it converts your drawing to movements and off it goes. Little or no warping, no burrs, pin point accuracy. I am sure you could get laser cutting in the US done cheaper (seeing as most of the machines are made there!). Produce your drawing, mail it to several companies and get quotes.

[Big_Daddy]

Laser cutting of the panel was £50 (this included the material). If i hadn't of supplied a drawing, it would been about £70ish. Thanks for the comments. I chose this case over a mountain mods becasue i wanted to do some modding and be creative. I have one question about fan control i was wondering if someone could answer.

-The Aqua computer Aquaero - 5 Watts per channel output. This is enough to power 1 maybe 2 fans. Anyway to increase this?

-Mcubed Cubed T Balancer - 20Wats per channel output - i could run 3 fans with ease on one channel correct?

If you have the 4.0 version of the Aquaero, it's 10 watts per channel, 30 watts total. As far as 3 fans, it depends on the fan your talking about. The yate loon D12SH-12 is .3 amps, which is 3.6 watts. 3 is 10.8 watts. Which is a little over. Your risking it. Now with T-Balancer, it is 20 watts per channel, but 20 watts total. So actually, the Aquaero can handle more wattage, just not per channel.

[Matias23]

Great project, i have a similar here http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=189668 i will have only 2 loops.
This is great case to mode coz it gives u so many way to do it i have even seen Lian Li 343 with 3x120.3 on top here http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=21901 at some point i was thinking to do that crazy mode but decided not to.
More update pleace.

[Extigy]

UPDATE:

My case/HDD cage is back from the powder coaters (http://www.fullrangefinishing.co.uk/)

Took 4 days, got my case done in gloss black. I am so impressed with the finish and it only cost £25, this has definately been the best value for money thing i have done so far to my case!

The pictures really don't do the shine justice :D

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3091/2627417645_50f69de42a.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3039/2628233840_9d6190e1c3.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3274/2627413719_a3d9f69c41.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3277/2628228966_e466f06348.jpg

I am now waiting for my pump, anti vibration mounts, Aquaero and fans.

[disruptfam]

Wow that looks great!

[Matias23]

Great finish i like it i will do same with mine

[disruptfam]

I'm assuming you have to take the case apart for painting?

[Pellepel]

coming along nicely :up: subbed :)

[Extigy]

The case in the above pictures is how i sent it to the powdercoaters. You can powdercoat quite intricate parts as the coating is applied electro-statically, so the powder is drawn to the parts which do not have powder effectively.

Thanks for the comments!

Quick question: Splicing fan wires together. If i am splicing 3 fans into 1 wire, will i need a slightly thicker wire or can i splice into 1 fan cable ?

[Tile]

I like the metalwork you did to the back of the case - MountainMods style. I think Lian Li should take note and design the back of the case like that.

[evil-98]

wow thats a nice price for the powder coating, i cant even find one around here :(

[MomijiTMO]

Dang that's cheap.

Keep up the good work.

[taowulf]

I should have bought a 343 back in Decemebeer when i was swimming in money. I lust after them terrible. And MM looks like ass to me :) Nice cases, sure, but they look unfinished and tacky. The Lian Li 343B looks slick and refined.

Mmm, Beer.

[skinnee]

Wow...that 343B sure cleans up nice! :up:

sub'd


I should have bought a 343 back in Decemebeer when i was swimming in money. I lust after them terrible. And MM looks like ass to me :) Nice cases, sure, but they look unfinished and tacky. The Lian Li 343B looks slick and refined.

Mmm, Beer.

The extra powder coat or annodizing does wonders for any case, the MM cases are one step further in the mod process on delivery. We (speaking for MM owners) don't have to strip the case down and send it to powder coat/annodizing, thats the real difference IMO.

I really like the 343B, I will be doing a 343B build at some point but I need to hone the modding skills before I attempt a project involving that much skill. My decision to go with an MM now versus a 343B was the modding needed to be done was still an advancement in mod skills for me. I did what NaeKuh called crazy (or something like that...need to find it and quote it.), first real build is a tri-loop. I've done much smaller projects before, but nothing like I am doing on my current project.

[BlackFlag]

Updates?

[HaCKs]

sub'd ...

This could turn out to be real nice ...

Not "MM" NICE, but nice none the less...

Grow up?

[BlackFlag]

Hey Extigy check your PMs...

[Extigy]

quick update as i have been getting a few PM's about my build.

i have brought:
2 x Laing DDC 18w Pump / Swiftech MCP355with XSPC DDC Top With RESERVOIR - These will be mounted in the bottom of the case. I was going to go for virtual rain style mounting out of the case, but decided against it in favor of being able to easily upgrade pumps and tops without having to worry about 2 holes in the top of my case. I will probably utalize 2 of viper jons flow indicators somewhere though!

6 x Scythe S-FLEX 120mm Fan (1600 RPM) for cooling the radiators. I want silent and these fans seem to provide good pressure and air flow at low noise. these will be spliced into 2 lots of three and wired to channel 1 and 2 of an aquereo!

1x Aquatream Aquereo controller. This will allow me to monitor and adjust temperatures, speeds of fans and pumps.

2x mCubed FanAmp which will be connected to the aquatream (channel 3 and 4) to give enough power to run the 2 pumps

The rest of the build is pending the new Intel I7 cpu, and water blocks being made for it. (Should be done by end of year!) The graphic cards will probably 2 x ati in crossfire as i am not aware of any big new performance cards being released between now and xmas?

[twwen2]

Can't wait to see the new parts in action Extigy!

I'm loving what you've done to the case. Virtualrain's, Mattias' and yours are all fantastic. How i love the horizontal mobo...:D

[Extigy]

Quick update. I think my current 'main' pc was getting jealous of my new build and has packed up. From what i can tell my troublesome eVga motherboard has given up the go. It doesn't seem to be able to detect any devices plugged into the sata ports, so i am stuck on an 'bling' apple mac :(

With regards to my current build, the case is almost finished. the radiators, pumps, amps, aquereo, fans, psu, hard drives, blu-ray drive are all in. I am just concocting a method of hiding all the wires. As for hardware... here is a list of components i have so or are looking to buy:

PSU: Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 1000W ATX2.2 Modular SLi Compliant PSU
-This thing is an absolute beast. has every cable i could want and they are long! So far i have only tested it under half load, and it was silent!

Blu ray drive: LG GGW-H20L Blu-Ray Rewriter & HD-DVD ROM Serial ATA Drive
-Very smart looking. Does everything!

CPU: Intel Core i7 965 3.20Ghz (Nehalem) Extreme Edition.
-I typically build a new computer every 3 years, so i am spending that little bit extra to ensure its future

Hard drive: Western Digital VelociRaptor 300GB
-Was going to go SSD, but they are improving so much so quickly i will wait another 6 months / year (likely get one when Windows 7 comes out)

Motherboard i am unsure about, waiting for benchmarks next week, looks like it will be either MSi or Asus however.

Memory will be 3 x 2gb high speed DDR3 modules.

Graphics card: Am keeping my 8800 gtx to see if nvidia release a x2 version of their 280gtx, also waiitng to see how stable the new drivers are with sli + multi displays.

Should hopefully be up and running by november 20th providing there is the stock. It will initially be running on air until i i start seeing some good water blocks.

I have taken lots of photos, they will be uploaded as soon as i am back on a pc (i simply cannot live wthout right click!)

[dualbrain]

Nice Extigy! Keep it up :)

[j.almonte]

Good job m8...

[FrostyPanda]

wow thats a nice price for the powder coating, i cant even find one around here :(

where do you live? just go to google and type in "Powder coating XXXXX, XX" where the first x's are your city and the second are the state. Worked for me :D

[Extigy]

Small update.

Please excuse my poor photography skills and the slightly dusty finger printy appearance of my case - i am a very messy worker!

Front

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/3019279491_fc799cfe3a.jpg?v=0

Back

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3141/3020125244_1bbae029b4.jpg?v=0

Rads (all spliced)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/3019255041_169e8ed9c6.jpg?v=0

Rads again

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3165/3019275047_44ee2dac87.jpg?v=0

Fan amps

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/3019286147_bdb1f5c1e2.jpg?v=0

Aquereo

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3250/3020121318_3c1be450e8.jpg?v=0

When i come to clean the loop, i think i will be replacing the ugly TC foam gasket for high quality 120mm black rubber gaskets. I will also be redoing the wiring, with thinner wire, non-frey cable sleeving.

[Extigy]

Today i connected the tubing from the rads to the two pumps. i used:
-TFC 3/8 fittings (straight and 45degree)
-Feser UV orange 3/8 tubing
-Black Anti kink coils
-XSPC fillport adapter with G1/4 water temp sensor in each of the pumps (res will be filled to the top so temp probe is submerged)

The two pumps are held down with adhesive backed velcro strips. Two reasons for this, firstly, i can easily remove the pump to fill it up and drain the loop. Second is, velcro should absorb some of the vibration. My only question to you guys is, do i really need to worry about the pump overheating? my pumps have the blue impeller.

Another question. Anyone know where i can get 4-6inch purple cathodes?

Here is how it looks:

GPU loop
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/3026845655_3d8485baf5.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3057/3026843799_15b5052879.jpg?v=0

CPU loop
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3172/3027675700_af4e27c686.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3197/3027674100_20f2b3a072.jpg?v=0

Excuse the rats nest of wiring. i am waiting for the computer hardware before i tidy it all up!

[Cutless009]

thats freakin nice man, I think it would really set it off if you lost those clumsy cheap plastic wheels and got some black anodized aluminum feet for it instead, would look tre classy.

[Extigy]

Just ordered my computer hardware.


-Intel Core i7 965 3.20Ghz Extreme Edition
-Asus P6T Deluxe Intel X58
-Corsair 6GB DDR3 Dominator PC3-12800C8 1600MHz (3x2GB) Triple Channel DDR3
-Western Digital VelociRaptor 300GB 10000RPM
-Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 64-Bit - OEM

Graphics card will follow with nvidia or ati's new releases.

I will be purchasing the EK water cooling kit for the asus p6t deluxe when it is released in the next week or so, and i am stil unsure about cpu yet - will probably be mounting solution that swings my vote.

[Extigy]

New update!

Here is my hardware:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3251/3132507849_c770b80512.jpg?v=0

Here is my hardware running with intel stock heatsink. Temps at stock (cpu 55oc, system: 50oc)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3084/3132512971_b50d8f7057.jpg?v=0

Motherboard nekkid, reapplying thermal compound (stock stuff was like rubber!)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3211/3132514677_bbf620564e.jpg?v=0

Water cooling hardware: GTZ with I7 mount+Backplate, EK Nb/Sb 5
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3162/3132511237_f856a470e8.jpg?v=0

Leak Testing
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/3133333170_d76f920e66.jpg?v=0

Mounted and running
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3141/3132516415_1918bd01c0.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3268/3133341726_d4d0153fa7.jpg?v=0

Temps @ 4ghz
CPU idle: 38oc
CPU load: 55oc

System idle: 50oc
System load: 55oc

Notes:
-System was remarkably easy to bleed, took just 5 minutes.
-My mounting of the NB is not ideal - but as the NB does not get that hot, i did not see the point having to remove the stock heatpipe coolers and purchase 2 mosfet blocks, NB + SB. Un-necessary cost as i am not going extreme with l2n ect. The solution does work quite well i think, especially after having replaced the thermal compound.
-Very impressed with the build quality of the GTZ and the mounting.

Coming soon:
-higher overclock (hopefully get to 4.25ghz stable)
-New GFX (285gtx maybe) + watercooling.
-UV lighting
-Cable managerment (being manufactured as we speak!)


PROBLEMS:
-Why does everest not show my clock speed but cpu-z and other programs do ?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3196/3133364328_849c6a6bcd_b.jpg

[shazza]

Happy to see you've received your hardware and are back to this build. I love 343 projects ... especially with the horizontal mb mod. Looking forward to how you wrestle all your wiring and loops together!

[SGwillis]

its looking good keep up the good work :)

[Mark90]

LL 343 is well worth it, nearly no creativity with MM cases for the consumer end. Looks sick with the black coils over orange tubing.

Mark90