MegaMini v2 - LAN PC build

[WangChung]

Revision coming soon!!!!

[WangChung]

Reserved 2

[killerxp100]

I'm attempting an matx build myself with similar parts. Best of luck to yours.

[grasskicker509]

thats a whole lot of hardware in a little case...i like it!

[Lu(ky]

yeah hardware looks great.... I hope the 6950 cards is not to long for your case, I think I tried that case a while back. Subscribed :up:

[WangChung]

First test fitments:

RAM installed and looking good.
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/736/img1144bn.jpg

Installed the processor and fitted the heatsink on top. But...
http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/3341/img1146f.jpg

Going to need to modify the RAM sink in order to fit, under the HSF. Just the end two "teeth" on either end of the RAM stick up higher, so I've already got permission from a G.SKILL rep on the forum to change/modify the ramsink as necessary.

Problems so far:
*RAMsink interference
*CPU cooler issue - when I put v1 of this build together, I used an 1156 (Asus Maximus III Gene) motherboard, and subsequently bought a bracket to fit said socket. I bought another bracket in preparation for my own build, but I then moved to a Asus Rampage III Gene. This being a 1366... well it doesn't fit! (too small) Zalman doesn't make a 1366 bracket for this cooler, so I'm trying a mount for a Sunbeam Core I spotted on Newegg:
http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/3390/sunbeamcore1366.jpg
It's the same kind of middle-peg mount so I should be able to modify it how I need. If not... well, I'll deal with that. :)

Oh, I ordered my Blu-Ray combo drive (LG CT21N), and I found my old USB card reader so I'm good to go on that too!

[WangChung]

Sexy case:
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/2839/img1151wh.jpg

Sissy stock 500w PSU vs. the new hotness. Some fitment issues were to be expected and the case will be modded:
http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/856/img1147ir.jpg
http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/3908/img1150y.jpg

Stock case exhaust fan vs. Scythe. With the case layout, the power of the Vantec, and airflow considerations, this may actually turn into the "intake" and I'll create a duct for the PSU to vent off to the side.
http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/7479/img1152jo.jpg

More to come, I gotta get off to work!

[DexNfX]

All those Ripjaws all together look really nice.

[WangChung]

Here is the v1 MegaMini "build thread." This is the one I built for my friend.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=251399

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/7411/image123p.jpg

[DexNfX]

Wow, is that 2 GPUs in the small case?

[WangChung]

Wow, is that 2 GPUs in the small case?

Sho nuff! Check the link if you haven't. ;)

[WangChung]

Update -

So, back at the table working on things. Decided to mount the HDDs in their brackets, and I also got my DVD drive in so thought I'd start on that too:
http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/3841/img1154uy.jpg

Here's the bracket for the slimdrive and the 3.5" external bay. It's pretty cool, but a bit more than I was looking to spend. It's good solid 1.0mm steel construction, and come to find out it also included this adapter. A nice surprise, but just doesn't work with my drive:
http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/4958/img1155.jpg

Optical drive - LG CT21N. A nice Blu-Ray combo drive, SATA connection. $119 shipped :doh: but it's what I wanted:
http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/4273/img1157w.jpg

Even this tiny adapter was more than expected, but again, gotta pay to play:
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/5289/img1159w.jpg

The only problem I ran into is the optical drive didn't come with mounting screws. I had to dig through the ol' bin and find ones that fit. They are tiny, quite tiny. That's a T6 Torx for comparison:
http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/5343/img1161.jpg

Finally got everything mounted after the Great Screw Hunt:
http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/1660/img1163nv.jpg

Started on the HDDs next. The brackets are simple yet effective, and will also act as a heatsink:
http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/8454/img1167vy.jpg

Maximus powah!!! Mounted in the caddy, I also used neoprene washers to help with vibration. The sound of crazy air pressure moving through the case I can handle, vibration is another story!!
http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/2918/img1169be.jpg

The lone C300, maybe someday I'll stick another in there or put in some other random drive. I do have a 160GB laying around here somewhere...
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/4272/img1165d.jpg

Front shot, I reused the vent face from the slimdrive adapter. Some minor modification and a wire attached to the case ground:
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/4277/img1171ps.jpg

Rear shot of the fitment:
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/2464/img1172at.jpg

I still have to modify the case for the PSU and some other items, so this was just a dry fitment. Hope to do that this weekend, maybe tomorrow morning before work. Trying to work on the CPU heatsink tonight. The fan just sticks up too darn high. I think I might be able to fix it... I'll find out i guess!

[WangChung]

Bracket for the CPU cooler came in, and my friend's computer (MegaMini v1) is now up to 8GB RAM :) The Sunbeam bracket fits the retainer for the Zalman just fine, so it's a step in the right direction! I have to still mod the fan to drop the height down and I need some micro sized screws that I should be able to pick up from a RC shop. I'm flying to Dallas for a few days so I won't be able to do any work until Wednesday evening. Updates to come after that!

[CoSm0s]

now thats what i call a megamini!!! would love to see the clock and some scores on that mini. overall case and hardware is awesome choices. the motherboard my favorite!! keep up great work Wang. keep them pictures rolling. :clap:

[WangChung]

Thank you for the comment! Before I took off from D.C. I picked up an order I put in through MicroCenter (really wish they had one in VA Beach) for some fan filters and other cables, the 120mm in back is definitely going to be an intake. When I cracked open my friend's computer to install the new RAM, it was dusty as all hell and is going to take some significant cleaning. After I do that (after mine is built that is!) then I'll run some benches on both computers.

[WangChung]

Cutting of the case has commenced, but the project has slowed a bit. Massive life issues, which has me traveling on the weekend right now. This week though I cut out the back 120mm area (still need to clean it up though), and I picked up some screws from a local R.C. hobby shop to fix the Zalman fan issue. I'll update with new pics as soon as I can.

[pet168]

very very nice setup! :) keep it up!

[WangChung]

Thank you :) Finished the case cutting today, also drilled the hole so I can attach the rheobus. Was a little late to work because of it, but once you start w/ the Dremel it's hard to put down! I'll take pics tonight of the carnage (not really that bad, pretty damn clean really). Now that the case modding is done and I have my fan filters and whatnot, I can start the full test fit of everything. I still am probably going to need some C-strip to protect a few edges, also some more SATA cables (don't think I have enough of the right kind).

Oh, and there's a second 6950 on the way... :bounce:

[WangChung]

Finally some pics!

Surgery on the CPU fan again, got the bracket exactly how I need but one of the wires for the power fatigue failed at the control board :( so I had to fish out my soldering iron. I'll be tackling that next week after mid terms. Here you can see the very tiny C-clip in the center of the bracket. This is the only thing that holds the 80,000HP fan in place on the spindle. :D I had to use the needles like forceps to get it out of the bottom of the spindle. The xacto knife was for taking care of the little bit of super glue I had put in the corners adjacent to the screw holes.
http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/3690/img1173fp.jpg

Hack job on the case complete. Here you can see the 120mm rear grille removed and the hole drilled for the fan controller (by my thumb):
http://img857.imageshack.us/img857/331/img1176.jpg

Front 80mm slot cut out as well, just in case I want to reverse the case flow later on:
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/4735/img1178um.jpg

Cutouts to fit the power supply and GPU connectors. I had started very slow, concise, and controlled while I was doing the 120mm cutout, but then I realized every cut I made was going to end up completely hidden. Either a fan is going to be covering or C-channel is going to be covering, so I just knocked it all out as quickly as I could. Still not TOO bad...:
http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/5654/img1177m.jpg
Another angle:
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/3302/img1179u.jpg

Apologies for the bathroom pics, this is right before I washed the case in the tub. :P

[WangChung]

Update:
Two new (refurbished) Linksys WRT610Ns to compliment the new computer and the rest of the house. Flashed them with DD-WRT right out of the box :D
http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/9061/img1180f.jpg

I'll be setting up a wireless bridge on 5GHz for my PS2, PS3, and movie server in the living room to the modem in my bro's room. Verizon hooked things up weird, so I can't just use ethernet straight out of the ONT. I'm going to turn off the DHCP, WiFi, and routing on the Actiontec and the 610n will take over.

[fatherTime27]

looks good so far

[WangChung]

http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/327/img1181t.jpg

Bwahahahaha!! :D

[WangChung]

Moar!

Semi-Final test fitting begins:
http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/2958/img1186q.jpg

Sunbeam bracket attached to board, still need to assemble the 8700 though (got everything soldered last week!). Heatsink slides in under the back case opening as it sits:
http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/85/img1184f.jpg

Memory heatsink modified and reattached, perfect fit!
http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/3097/img1185m.jpg

Plenty of room to spare for cable routing ;)
http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/7994/img1188q.jpg

Mmmm.... tasty:
http://img858.imageshack.us/img858/1796/img1189p.jpg

I finally found the cable sleeving kit that I had boxed up from when I made my laptop coolers (if you're curious, LAPTOP COOLER (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=217337)), saved myself another $20. I think I have all the SATA cables I need, 2nd phase of test fitting tonight. Other than that, I still need to get the neoprene edge trim for the semi-sharp edges. There's a Grainger store about 6 miles away from me, but I don't know if they'll sell me only 10ft of what I need. Thanks for stopping in!

[Thanh55]

wow, what a build, so small for those performance, can't wait to see the finish. Just a little wonder, the heat could be build up in that scram case.

[WangChung]

Woo! CPU cooler mods complete! What I ended up having to do is cut the center bracket that supports the fan in the middle and sliding the supporting spindle into the middle of it. Here's the initial test to make sure it doesn't burst into flames after having to re-solder everything:
http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/2655/img1197f.jpg

I used a neoprene washer to protect the electrical components, and a piece of corrugated plastic from a bandit sign (graciously donated from a local telephone pole by an anonymous visual real estate spammer :p:) to fill up the rest of the gap.
http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/1220/img1199k.jpg

Two #2 machine screws, washers and nuts from a local hobby shop and it's as secure as if it was supposed to come like that.
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/2130/img1200t.jpg

It fits!! I would say about 3/8" of space but that's plenty. There's virtually no shaft play and I'm not going to be moving it around while it's on anyway:
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/2976/img1194iq.jpg

And all fan modifications aside, I can now say unequivocally: **IF YOU WANT TO USE A ZALMAN CNPS8700 WITH SOCKET LGA1366/CORE i7 IT WILL FIT. IN ORDER TO WORK YOU MUST USE SUNBEAM PART #CR-LGA1366 - LGA 1366 Core I7 Socket Retention Bracket Set** Unless Zalman starts making a bracket that fits, then go with theirs. :D

[nickbaldwin86]

Very nice build, would love to build something similar for a LAN rig

[WangChung]

VIDEOOOOOO!!!! :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlAdNW0gvt4

[WangChung]

IT LIVES!!!
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/5484/img1205sh.jpg

Temp sensors aren't taped up yet, ignore that :P
http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/8863/img1202iy.jpg

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/7979/img1203o.jpg

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/6831/img1204l.jpg

Construction wise, things left to do:
*Edge trim the sharp edges
*Sleeve the SATA cables
*Complete final assembly

Software wise:
*Flash the 6950s to 6970s
*Update firmware for HDDs (as available)
*Update BIOS
*Load Windows (hurr)

[WangChung]

Long but informative Update:

All the construction has finished, I still need to stuff everything together and close the case. I've updated the firmware on the Seagate Momentus XTs to SD25, looks like everything's smooth right now. Still haven't loaded windows though, I'll get to that in a second. Tonight I should be able to get to the C300 firmware and load Windows, then finally flash the 6950s to the 6970 BIOS.

THE BAD NEWS:
First of all, getting Hitachi's Feature Tool to work on a USB drive appears either impossible or just beyond my experience. I tried every option I could think of using HP's USB Format Tool and using the files from the various Feature Tool ISOs out there. Additionally, I tried using the Feature Tool .exe programs after using HP's tool to flash the drive that way, no go. My only solution is, and the one I highly recommend, is unless you're familiar with writing software for DOS don't bother doing this ->:brick: and just download the CD ISO. Go to Wal-Mart (or Tesco for you people across the pond :p:) and pick up some CD-RWs to try the various distros.

The key versions you want to try are v2.09 and v2.11. After 2.09 Hitachi took out APM (Advanced Power Management) support and after 2.11 they took out AAM (Automatic Acoustic Management). There are some tricks to getting the Feature Tool to run or boot on a more modern machine:

1) The drives MUST NOT be in any sort of RAID configuration.
2) You MUST have the BIOS set to have the SATA mode as "IDE." You CANNOT have the option set to ACHI or RAID or you will get a boot loop trying to load into the Feature Tool.
3) You MUST have the BIOS set additionally to "Compatibility" mode for IDE, NOT "Enhanced."
4) You MUST have the CD drive be the first boot device before everything else.

That being said, once I was able to finally boot into any of the various releases, I could see the hard drives just fine. I could also see the various attributes, firmware versions, SMART information, etc. However, regardless of what version I tried (I've downloaded 2.00 through 2.12) I could NOT change the APM or AAM options on ANY of the Momentus XTs. When I tried to change the Acoustic option, which showed disabled on the status screen, Feature Tool said that this option is not available for this drive type. When I tried to change the more important (for my needs) APM option, the tool said something to the effect of "Changing the APM is not supported with this program." :(

As some background, before I had even bought the drives I did a month's worth of research into the drives themselves, the Feature Tool, flashing a USB drive for floppy use, and using the Momentus XT in a RAID. While some hardware review sites had great experience with the benchmark testing, from what I could tell they were ONLY running benchmarks and weren't performing daily tasks for weeks on end. I discovered that people were having issues with initial slow RAID response or freezing after idle time, and this was due to the APM feature in the drives stopping the spindles. The RAID had to wait for the platters to spin back up before responding to any requests.

There were many options to turn off AAM or APM within the Windows or Linux (hdparm) environment, but these changes were LOST on power down because it was only set within the OS itself. This meant that you could never shut down the machine (not even a conceivable option) or that each time you powered down you had to tear down the RAID, load into Windows, disable APM, restart the computer, rebuild the RAID, format/partition, and copy your data back. :shakes: The only permanent solution of changing drive attributes available was the Hitachi Feature Tool. Unfortunately, documentation of the Feature Tool, users' methods, and successes/failures was limited at best. The only option I saw was a 50/50 "Try it and find out."

All in all, this endeavor was going out on a lark to begin with. I was well aware that I was using basically a 4th party software on a more than likely unsupported drive. The original program was written by IBM, then Hitachi took it over, and I was trying to use it on a Seagate drive. Seagate's SeaTools does not support changing anything with any of their drives, it is purely a diagnostic program. From what I've read from various sources, some people have had luck with using the Feature Tool on non-Hitachi drives, but not this time. So once again, unequivocally, THE HITACHI FEATURE TOOL _CANNOT_ CHANGE ANY ATTRIBUTES ON SEAGATE MOMENTUS XT DRIVES.

My next option is to see if I can get a hold of a Seagate engineer and with hat in hand ask for a tool that I'm sure they have to disable AAM/APM. I'm going to proceed with the rest of the build and put the drives in RAID, but I already know I'll have response issues which I'll have to live with. I gotta get moving though because I have another build I have to address. :)

[WangChung]

Wasted literally the entire weekend trying to just install Win7 on the computer. Come to find out, I got bit by the Marvell 9128/C300 issue. Needless to say, I'm pissed. Going to close up the case, take some pics, and it'll just sit there for a while. Great.


:banana: it.

[WangChung]

OK, didn't completely give up on it. Ran Memtest overnight from a thumb drive, all 24GB of RAM checks out :) So once I can actually load an OS on this I should be able to start crushing some memory benches.

[WangChung]

Woohoo! Back in action!

Thanks to a beta BIOS and some help from a forum member, I'm back underway. Windows installed and updated, and doing preliminary testing. 6950's are now 6970s!

Before:
http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/4258/gpuzdev01.jpg

After:
http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/4574/gpuzdev01after.jpg

Got Calculus final coming up soon so this weekend is blown. I should be able to finish this just as school lets out. Stay tuned!

[WangChung]

Winner winner chicken dinner! Ordered a UPS for the new computer, normally this model costs $200 but I got it online for $144 shipped. Open the box and find out they sent me TWO by accident!

What's this????
http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/5219/img1209ii.jpg

Oh ship son!
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/9803/img1210sk.jpg

Thought it still had to be fake, but opened the package...
http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/4483/img1214j.jpg

Still have Calc final pending, but should be able to wrap this up this weekend!

[WangChung]

It's finished!!!!!!!!
http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/7034/img1227lu.jpg

6950s and the PSU:
http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/4407/img1228bv.jpg

HDDs, RAM, and main HSF. You can see here the intake comes right on over the CPU:
http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/2678/img1238d.jpg

Top view:
http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/857/img1235ht.jpg

Back view; intake has a decent removable/washable filter and the vent is a little invention. It exhausts the majority of the hot air out and away from the intake:
http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/4071/img1229qh.jpg

It's "portable" but definitely not light!
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/5421/img1236u.jpg

My corner of the universe. 22" NEC Professional CRT and temp keyboard. MX518 mouse:
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/8646/img1239cb.jpg

[nickbaldwin86]

time for a LCD... not much point to have a small LAN PC but a huge heavy CRT

[WangChung]

Yeah I was thinking about getting a decent 19" for spare when I do go somewhere. But I'm not replacing the CRT anytime soon, nothing I can find except for professional $2k LCDs give me the same color reproduction and clarity this does, and those aren't built for any video/gaming. Right now I run at 2048x1536 @ 85Hz for everything and it looks glorious!

There was some concern about the UPS that I got, as it's rated for 810W and I have a 850W PSU alone. I ran a bunch of games, Furmark @ +20% and Prime95 and it never got up to full capacity. The only way I could max it out was by running 8 threads of Prime95 AND Furmark at the same time. Sufficient to say I won't be doing that on a regular basis :ROTF: so I'll be plenty safe.

HDD benchmarks to come!

[WangChung]

Finally, some tests!

All these tests were run with a 128KB RAID strip size, RAID 0 of course. I also ran 64KB tests, and ended up staying with the 64KB as I found it handled files ~4MB in size a little faster. I found this out after an unfortunate incident which caused me to reformat both my OS and Data drive. Before I did however, I just happened to check the average file size of the Data drive with all my programs installed and it was right around 4MB, so...

Oh, write back cache was disabled for these drives as I wanted a raw testing of just the drive performance.

Test Setup:
Motherboard - Asus Rampage III Gene
CPU - Intel i7-950 3.06GHz
Memory - G.SKILL Ripjaws 4GB DDR3 1600 x6 (24GB total)
Storage -
-Crucial C300 64GB (OS)
-Seagate Momentus XT 500GB x4 (Data)
*Drives are connected to the on-board Intel RAID controller*
GPU - Asus EAH6950 x2 (unlocked shaders)
PSU - Thermaltake Black Widow 850W, Modular



HD Tach 8MB
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/7376/8mbtest128kbstrip.jpg

HD Tach 32MB
http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/9243/32mbtest128kbstrip.jpg

AS-SSD
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/5766/asssd128kbstrip.jpg

ATTO
http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/8413/atto128kbstrip.jpg

CrystalDisk
http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/2486/crystaldisk128kbstrip.jpg

I found something interesting with HD Tune per some other tests that had been run from other review sites. The more often the test has been run, the more the HDD adapts to seeing what kind of data you're requesting. This is the first run of HD Tune
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/9010/hdtune128kbstrip.jpg

... and here's the 2nd. Notice the access time drops dramatically as the HDDs have adapted to usage pattern, and are now pulling straight out of the Solid State portion of the drive
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/5651/hdtune128kbstripa.jpg

Overall, I'm quite impressed with the performance. I have much quicker than standard hard drive performance with RAID 0, enhanced even further with the hybrid SSD storage. And you really can't beat the price either; for ~$400 I got nearly 2 Terabytes of storage, compared to the same price for a slower 1.2 TB VelociRaptor setup or only 256GB worth of a single SSD. While the speed isn't nearly as fast as a true solid state drive for random writes or QD, the overall package of speed and storage makes this an attractive package.

*Note: After running the tests I enabled write-back cache and just from user perception the system did become even more snappy, but I don't feel it's a fully accurate gauge of the performance of just the hardware itself and instead tested cache performance. I am thinking of purchasing another set for my home server, in which case I could fully test connected to a Areca ARC-1220, but I fear there may be a CPU bottleneck since the server is just a s754 Sempron on a pretty dated Abit board.

[WangChung]

Some more pictures. Made a change with the CPU cooler.

First, this is how I managed to keep the inside Crossfire card from bursting into flames :p: Double sided tape and a mechanical pencil eraser; there is one at the top and bottom corners of the card:
http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/1146/img1244xj.jpg

Second, the CPU cooler. Admittedly, the idle temperatures with the case closed were not all that great. I was seeing 45-47* and even up to 50* just idling. I knew from the get-go that the 92mm fan is (duh) smaller than the 100mm that the cooler originally comes with, but additionally the fan blade profile is completely different. The Tornado's blade profile is meant as that of a server fan which is to blow very powerfully in a single direction. The column of air even un-shrouded covered only a narrow portion of the 'flower' of the Zalman heatsink.
http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/4431/img1245cj.jpg
What I was able to do is to remove the spindle and magnet from the Vantec's fan and shoe-horn it into the Zalman fan. The Zalman fan's magnet is just pressed into the plastic with the surrounding metal, so it was relatively easy to pry out. The middle spindle is moulded into the plastic itself, so it had to be dremeled out. With the Vantec fan, the spindle and magnet and housing are all one piece, so as soon as you dremel out the 3 tabs of melted plastic holding it to its fan it slides right out.

Test before for Prime95 on 8 cores was pusuing 74* with full fan power. New fan gives 67* with only 40% fan power! Additionally, the Zalman fan blade profile is noticeably quieter than the Vantec. So essentially this arrangement is:

- Sunbeam socket bracket
- Zalman CNPS8700 Fan and heatsink
- Vantec Tornado motor, magnet/spindle
- (optional) Ceramic rheostat

Decidedly highly modified beyond its original specifications, but that's what we're about here right? :D Not a cheap option either, about $20 for the Tornado, $8 for the bracket, and another $35-40 for the Zalman, plus another $10 in miscellaneous parts, but it was fun to build.

:up:

[\/icious]

Lol i think the one thing i most envy is your monitor. Im mad that i was dumb enough to get rid of my crt. Thats back when i didnt know what i was doing. Stupid me. Nice build btw. My next one will definitely be a tiny one with the smallest led lcd i can get that will do 1080p.

[Dux Ducis]

Brilliant build, congrats. Although I used to have two 6950 sandwiched next to each other like that, AMD chose a really retarded stock cooler for crossfire setups. I was spiking to 105c in some gaming rounds on hot nights, it was a joke.

[WangChung]

Thanks for the comments! Small update: I had my case left open for a bit after the latest fan modification and I found that ants were crawling into the system. Bugs in the system, har har. I was pissed that my new equipment had crawlies all in it, and that my apartment apparently can't manage the insects around here (I keep a very clean apartment actually, but we're on the ground floor). So I decided to stop procrastinating and tidy up the last bits that were waiting. Hence, the final exhaust vent.

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/8508/img1253a.jpg

You can see the fit is different (better) and there is the divider to the right of the plug socket keeping the hot air from recirculating out the wrong side of the vent and back into the case. Definitely helped.

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/4307/img1254dd.jpg

Next project, to test and catalog all the RAM disk programs I downloaded and write the review!

[hallaor]

amazing, your mini design is beautiful, congratulations

[WangChung]

Almost 10 months running for ~24/7, still going strong! Everything is working famously, and the system fan is just fine. The fan assembly itself is slightly off balance, but the bearings seem to be holding just fine. If I had to do it over again, I definitely would've sourced some LN2 to cool the magnet bracket enough to properly fit the fan hub. I used my stove and my freezer, but only goes so far.

I'll add some new pics later, got a lot of new hardware!

[95blackz26]

nice build
i like the shroud on the psu exhaust

if you don't mind me asking where did you get the UPS from

[WangChung]

Got it/them from Buy.com. Great company, love them as much as Newegg. Forgot about the pictures, do that in the morning :P

[WangChung]

Pics!
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/6607/imag0273ef.jpg

New keyboard (Adesso), new mouse (Logitech G400), new joystick (Logitech Extreme 3D), new monitor (HP ZR30w), new SPEAKERS (CyberAcoustics) and a new giant mousepad(HERE (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SR120M/ref=oh_o06_s00_i00_details))! Old MX900 bluetooth mouse hooked up using MX5500 drivers for Win7. It's all a great setup, and I'm really happy with the monitor; it did make a worthy upgrade to my old NEC!

[WangChung]

IT'S BAAAACK!!!

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af198/kab2/New%20Computer/2014-01-11115947_zps22d1d89e.jpg