►►►Silent Ice Mk.III◄◄◄

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...III_Banner.png

A quick overview on this project,
SilentIce Mark I/Mark II was originally developed as a workstation towards the end of 2007/2008, but due to its age and capability, its time for an overhaul. This upgrade aims to improve it in several ways,
-Increased performing prowess
-Home server upgrade
-Reduced noise output
-Reduced dust buildup
-Reduced Power consumption
-Multi display upgrade

This is purely a practical and functional upgrade without excessive spending, my apologies to those who were expecting overkill equipment. However, practically every component is going to be replaced with the exception of the soundcard and DVD writer.

For those curious what the old *ancient* hardware is like in this rig:
Xeon 3040 (C2D E6300)
Gigabyte P965 DQ6
2x2gb Kingston 667
Asus 8800gt
2x74gb Raptor
250gb Seagate
Verudium 430w

Some pics of SilentIce mkII. The internals of the rig have not been cleaned for almost a year and a half with the exception of the fan filters which seem to be doing a very good job. One thing that i found intriguing is that the wc loop still looked like new after two and a half years of use. (one year with pc ice, and the remaining year and a half with feser. It was not dismantled or cleaned out the entire time. Even during the transition from pc ice to feser) But i have yet to see if any galvanic corrosion had taken place considering the entire reservoir is made from aluminum.

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0849.JPG

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http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0860.JPG



Ripped out everything and mounted it in a temporary housing.
http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0870.JPG

You would have to disassembly waterblocks to see if there is no corrosion. Tubing looks pretty clean indeed.

Some pictures while stripping down the loop. Really glad that the entire loop was pre-planned for complete extraction from the rig, completely intact. Makes it a hell lot easier to service.
http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0879.JPG

The coolant level dropped quite abit over the years. It was initially filled to the brim.
http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0880.JPG

After ripping all the blocks out, the moment of truth... Did galvanic corrosion occur?
http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0881.JPG

Looks alright from this angle...
http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0882.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0883.JPG

Looking good... The midplate however, was another story.

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0884.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0885.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0886.JPG

Seems like the inlet o-ring seal disintegrated from the heat over time. Not really a major issue though.

The custom base close up. Not the best finish for a cnc job though.

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0887.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0888.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0901.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0899.JPG

The tubes are a little stained though. Not sure if i wanna reuse them.

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0889.JPG

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http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0894.JPG

New package arrived :D...

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0871.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0872.JPG

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nashaz

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o...nonEOS0893.jpg

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o...nonEOS0894.jpg

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What are you looking through in these pictures? Fittings?

It looks like this alu reservoir.
As for other pics, not bad condition of parts, for such long time without maintenance.

Yup, it held up pretty well for a mixed metal setup :). I hope you've decided to get rid of the alu res though?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ScottALot

What are you looking through in these pictures? Fittings?

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The top and bottom portions of the res can be removed. Thats through the "barrel" of the res.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alexandr0s

Yup, it held up pretty well for a mixed metal setup :). I hope you've decided to get rid of the alu res though?

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Yes i have. *hinting at Ek package* :D

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0873.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0874.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0876.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0875.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0877.JPG

Got these from a buddy...

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0912.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0911.JPG


But i think i will be using these instead. Decided to skip the bling this time.
http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0908.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0910.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0909.JPG

Yum... 140mm goodness.

Have those yates been painted at all? They look shiney thats all and i like them :)

Looking forwards to this build

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zigzag

Have those yates been painted at all? They look shiney thats all and i like them :)

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Oh no, they aren't. But now they are! :D

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0919.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0920.JPG

Ok, now to get started on mounting these puppies onto the case. First up, a set of "new" case wheels. It was a kind donation from a rack of 1u servers that have reached the end of their life. So Im pretty sure these will hold up whatever i throw into the rig just fine even though they are really puny as compared to the stock wheels. I kind of prefer it that way actually, they are rather inconspicuous.

These are gonna replace...
http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0922.JPG

These...
http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0921.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0928.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0927.JPG

Now, for the front intake. The stock configuration consists of 2 puny 80mm fans. They gotta go.

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0949.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0862.JPG

Don't mine the half past six work, I was lazy to apply protective tape. Nothing much to protect really.
http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0929.JPG

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http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0948.JPG

My flexi attachment gave out on my halfway through the job, so i had to finish it up with the clunky body instead.
http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0937.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0935.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0936.JPG

Very nice, keep it coming. Custom paint on fans looks fantastic!

Now for the 140mm fan mount. Handy 140mm template courtesy of MNPC.
http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0940.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0938.JPG

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by WrigleyVillain

Very nice, keep it coming. Custom paint on fans looks fantastic!

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Appreciate the kind words mate! :)

I like ur style mate, very clean and organized any way you look at it :up:
Nice to see an old Lian Li getting some makeover done, great big cases and quite rare these days.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hewi

I like ur style mate, very clean and organized any way you look at it :up:
Nice to see an old Lian Li getting some makeover done, great big cases and quite rare these days.

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Haha yeah, its really rare to find such cases nowadays. I could have just sold this and gotten a newer one that fits my needs better, but wheres the fun in that? :D

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0976.JPG

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http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0952.JPG

As you can see this particular model does not come with a mosfet heatsink sadly. So i tried fitting my thermalright hr-09 mosfet heatsink on it but it wouldn't fit because it was just a tad too thick. It was in the way of the capacitors, 8pin power and the chokes. So i ground down the sides just enough to make it fit. However, now the stock mounting brackets would not fit either so i came up with a make shift mounting mechanism with some screws, washers and nuts.

http://www.gigabyte.com/fileupload/p.../3423/2969.jpg

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0975.JPG

A quick coat of paint
http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0953.JPG

And assembled onto the board
http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0960.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0959.JPG

A quick test to see if the chip unlocks...
http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0955.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0956.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0957.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0954.JPG

Success!
http://www.rage3d.com/reviews/mobo/a...lockx3cpuz.jpg

Small update,
Cooling for the NB/SB

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0968.JPG

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http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0970.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0969.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0971.JPG

nice rig :)

i love the case, name of the model?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nashaz

A quick coat of paint
http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0953.JPG

And assembled onto the board
http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0960.JPG

http://forums.vr-zone.com/photopost/...on_EOS0959.JPG

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Why Painted? I Thinck Painting Must Be Decrease Performance On A Sink

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ViViD

Why Painted? I Thinck Painting Must Be Decrease Performance On A Sink

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It will. Might as well put another pretty waterblock in its place.

OCM :up:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by muki | sk.4um

nice rig :)

i love the case, name of the model?

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Thanks! Its a Lian-Li PC-73SL Silent Series.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ViViD

Why Painted? I Thinck Painting Must Be Decrease Performance On A Sink

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Yes i agree, But the heatsink doesnt get too hot to begin with so i felt that painting it with a thin coat would not affect the performance too much. Also prevents further oxidation.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OC Maximus

It will. Might as well put another pretty waterblock in its place.

OCM :up:

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I would if i could. :D