Shazza, how did you like your stay in Maine? Looks like a beautiful place ;)
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Shazza, how did you like your stay in Maine? Looks like a beautiful place ;)
sorry to quote the pic...but oh my this looks fantastic :up:Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
clear & blue never looked so good :yepp:
you should be back at it after some nice R&R (i'm jealous:shakes: maine is one of my favorite places this time of year)
back to work!
almost forgot this but please back to work !
Yep, I agree with Prada. Stunning Shazza!!!!!!!!
Photos of Maine look great Shazza. Glad you had fun, now back to work :p:
Thanks, all. We don't return to AZ til next Wednesday, so still a few more days to enjoy the rain and COOL temps in Maine. Back to building next week!
Hey,
The build looks brilliant and I'm very jealous of where you're staying!
Have you got the hi-res images of the last two pics?
Max
After reading the 17 pages of posts and looking at them pictures, I was hungry for some parts and recently decided to call my lost aunts, uncles and cousins to give me my bday gifts and I managed to rack up to $4000, Hopefully I get a nice build going and Ill send you a gift or two shazza!
I will try that for my next b-day ;) Only that my lost aunts, uncles and cousins will tell me they are all broke :rofl::ROTF:Quote:
Originally Posted by sinticfury
$4000 for your birthday :shocked: !!!!! i hardly manage $100 :p:Quote:
Originally Posted by sinticfury
Lol its $4000 from my 7 aunts 4 uncles, and 20 some odd cousins. Chinese people have big and generous families xD. Just bought a bunch p' gifts for myself, shall I list???Quote:
Originally Posted by pingpong1455
mine as well :rolleyes: haha :rofl:Quote:
Originally Posted by sinticfury
jeese i must have missed something better milk my cousins this year but i dob ill end p with anything more than a couple bucks:rofl::ROTF:
Rich guys. .. . grrrrrrrrrrr.
Don't worry, I'll fly the poorbie flag forever.
Hi all. Back from vacation and almost jetlag-free. Spent yesterday trying to finish up my sleeving. The results of my efforts on the SATA Power cable:
PSU Connector end ... looks okay
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/6...69_LQNcB-L.jpg
Hard Drive Connector End ... oops, we seem to be missing a wire
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/6...04_pdUGC-L.jpg
I guess I was too vigorous when seating the wires in the connector ... it ripped right out while I was adjusting the cables. The clean cut is prep for my next try:
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/6...76_fAMTQ-L.jpg
Pulled 'em all out, cut off the strangled wire, clipped the sleeving, stripped the ends, and put heatshrink on it - over the bare wire as well:
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/6...42_pmsHL-L.jpg
The sleeving on the bare wire made it a bit messy inside, but doesn't show when capped:
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/6...30_SM8hr-L.jpg
And, what would an update be without blood? Thinking about having an EMT on hand for all my modding (such as they are) attempts...
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/6...10_ce4wb-L.jpg
Should have more later today. Have to redo the SATA data cables and fiddle with wire management a bit. Also going to redo my loops, but will wait for some advice before attempting that.
Golly! hopefully not more blood! :shocked:Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
Shazza... no coffee before sleeving... please!
Especially not when handling x-acto knives...
The cable turned out great but please be more careful! :)
show them with pride!
war scars!!!
Shows u are a true modder!
Charles i know you must of had some pretty nasty cuts in your line of work.
hehe, it was actually quite a small cut, but a clean one on the end of my left index finger - so it did bleed a bit. I'm actually quite safety conscious, just not too coordinated I guess :shrug:
Yesterday I also made sparks fly inside the rack ... but no damage done, apparently. Also, while painting a small piece of plastic, I somehow managed to have the spray can pointed at ME instead of the object (don't ask ... it was a new-fangled tip that was rather confusing). Fortunately, the blue paint ended up mostly on my hand. BUT - I was wearing safety goggles and a respirator:up:
dude.. your husband should just sit on the couch with popcorn and watch you build your computer.
that would be a good show to watch.
i can see you doing something and your hubby cracking up because he saw it coming.
hehe, on murderbox 001, I jammed a box cutter into the meaty part of my hand between the thumb and forefinger... that sucked. It happened because I was working late into the night and was tired. From that time, I NEVER do anything with dangerous tools after 8pm. I don't want to have to learn to do this stuff with less than 10 fingahs. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by NaeKuh
Ok, you know when people say they spit their drink over their monitor...Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
You owe me a monitor! :ROTF: ;)
New-fangled tip... OMG, that's the BEST!
Carry on Shazza! :)
we should make a thread...
"XS Case Modding Battlescars... not for the faint hearted... "
A familiar story for my modding as well -_- intel 775 stock cooler fans have VERY sharp blade tips and spin at 4,000 rpm, I learned this at work last week :rofl:Quote:
Originally Posted by charles_h
I remember you mentioned sore fingers from putting 3/8" primochill over 1/2" barbs - I did this the other night before my wiring pictures and not only are my fingers sore but I also have light burns on my thumb and index finger from running the heatgun on the tube while I was pushing it on the barb.... Not fun
Subscribed and inspired... great build shazza. :)
You're killing me with those towels... :ROTF:
holy crap shazza thats a bit of blood. glad you are ok. As far as the update. beautifully done :up:
Wow shazza this build is looking dam neat! i dont normaly like the rack builds cause most of them are so ugly and un co-ordinated, but you really have done an amazing job on this! :up: good luck with the rest of your sleeving! cant wait to see the finished SATA cables
keep up the good work :)
Thanks guys ... and don't worry, this update has no gore. Preliminary pics here ... almost done. The hard drive setup is temporary, still trying to figure out whether I want to go SSD or move the drive to another location. Also need to tighten up the loop, and I'd like to go parallel loops with the T3, but not quite sure how to do it.
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/6...32_iD3R2-L.jpg
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/6...88_MA275-L.jpg
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/6...20_io8wg-L.jpg
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/6...20_Zro4n-L.jpg
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/6...62_yP4xX-L.jpg
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/6...83_8MvgQ-L.jpg
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/6...64_hQcwD-L.jpg
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/6...75_h9NGm-L.jpg
Dammmnnnnn ... that's a lotta blue. Lookin' like Smurf City here.
cheers shazza, most excellent work :)
damn shazza, that is just sooo beautiful. The nicest build i've seen on a TR hands down!
shazza i'm speachless... this is so beautifull
Thank you, sir. I need to fly you out to drill 24 holes in the edge of my Torture Rack mobo tray ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by SNiiPE_DoGG
Why thanks, CP - very nice of you to say that. It's a bit different than most of them, but I love Brother Esau's and RAID's. (and NaeKuh's, of course :up:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Chicken Patty
Thank you illidan. I've still some work to do, but it's coming out better than I thought it would.Quote:
Originally Posted by illidan
Whew, it feels weird to have this almost finished, knowing I'll probably be ripping it apart in the not so distant future (I mean, it is a test rack after all).
Please do give me any suggestions folks might have. This build is all about practice and trying to get things right for future builds, so anxious to learn.
seen a bit of them, but for some reason I like this one. Maybe just the color selection. I dont know but its a masterpieceQuote:
Originally Posted by shazza
Great job Shazza. I love it.
For the Parallel loop, how bout returning to the T3 from the GPU and the go to CPU and back into the T3 from that rad? It seems you won't have any major criss crossing of tubes and should still look pretty sweet. :shrug:
Gorgeous! It's so.... blue! :p:
Well done Shazza :clap:
I've been following this the whole time and loving every minute of it. This is, like others have said, the best Torture Rack that has been done so far. The different shades of blue play well with each other and it's not overwhelming at all.
Good work, well done, excellent job. :up:
Great Work Shazza :clap: Amazed how organized you got it to look.
I'm finding trying to do an oragnized build on the Torture Rack is not the easiest job.
You mind me asking you if you made that customer box to hold your hard drive and slot feed DVD-Drive? also if you have more pics of it? Very good idea I would say so myself :up:
That might work. I'm still cogitating about it (that's what us old folks do). Problem is, I just start twitching whenever I think I might get tubing criss-crossing :shrug:Quote:
Originally Posted by millertime359
Thanks, twwen2. Yes ... it is BLUE, that's for sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by twwen2
Much appreciated, Gamekiller. It was impossible to keep the same blue for everything, so I just decided to go with the variations available. Glad it seems to work. I think it gives some visual interest, especially since there are no LEDs or UV lights on the rack.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gamekiller
Thanks, jpm. Believe it or not, the "box" is actually a spare acrylic bay (3x) cover that I had from my MM build. I was using it as a prototype, but it fits pretty well. The slot drive just happens to fit perfectly. The HD is my dilemma. My husband is helping me make something a bit more permanent - but he's making me do measurements and CAD drawings (yech...it sucks being married to an ex-professor sometimes).Quote:
Originally Posted by jpm804
Thanks for the info.... have thought if you go SSD putting a hot swap SSD drive which would probably fit that spot you have.Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
Link
The bulky one I put in mine is turning out to come in handy since it allows me to swap in and out hard drives when I'm testing different MB and CPU combos without having to disconnect any power or data cables. Probably going to get a smaller one since the one I have right now is pretty big.
wow shazza, that looks wild, good work :shocked:
Shazza,
I think your sleeving came out beautiful! The pics capture the vibrancy of all the blues. Very pristine. Best TR build I've witness yet. :up:
Looking awesome Shazza, knew you'd make it a keeper
It looks fantastic! Top work Shazza
Plenty understandable there. Spiderweb of tubing doesn't look that great. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
Thanks for the great idea, jpm. That would be a lot better solution ... now I've got to go shopping!Quote:
Originally Posted by jpm804
Thanks also for the nice comments freshy, CptDreadFlint, matsjuw, and dingdong.
@millertime - I'm going to give the parallel loop setup a try in the next day or so. Not looking forward to wrestling with those fatboys again :p:
Shazza u need a NAS now for that HTPC. (oh there goes another worklog :rofl:)
^ is so convenient because network drivers just need a Ethernet cable.
Fantastic work Shaaza, and the photos to match, Bring on the next worklog.
On a side note, shazza, you really need to play with a dual processor sammy.
I think you'll find one very interesting and fun. Also there not too expensive.
Yep ... we have a server setup currently where we store our data/photos/etc. I was planning to use it for video as well ... but maybe it does need to be updated a bit ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by NaeKuh
Thanks, bentleya. I still need to finish this one, but the next one is in the planning stages...Quote:
Originally Posted by bentleya
Also, these components were never meant to stay on the torture rack. Ultimately, they need to go into an HTPC case. I just haven't decided which case I'm going to use. This amount of effort on a Torture Rack is obviously way overkill if it's truly to be used as a test bench, I was just using this build to practice things like sleeving and setup.
DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN! My fiance want to steal it :D
He loves blue, but I'm a red gal... :(
~Bex
Thanks, Bex. I like red too - just happened to be in my smurf phase for this one.
Getting ready to redo my loops - want to do two separate (but not really separate, if ya know what I mean ;)) loops on the T3/D5 combo. But got sidetracked and decided to run a little test to check temps. Compared the T3/D5 to the MCP355/XSPC Res Top. Set both up with the current loop order: res/pump > 240 Rad > GPU Block >CPU Block > 240 Rad > back to res/pump. I wasn't expecting to see much diff for this setup ... and that's pretty much what I found. Here are a couple of screenshots - I did the tests twice on each res/pump combo (yes, I drained / filled / drained / filled / drained / filled ). Pretty easy to do with both these reservoirs and the Torture Rack.
Ambient temp is 24-25 degrees C.
Screenshot with T3 / D5 combo:
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/6..._zozUY-L-1.jpg
MCP355 / XSPC Res Top
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/6..._y4PUF-L-1.jpg
This is the first test ... similar results on the second set, except the T3/D5 was showing 1 degree higher than the MCP355/XSPC, so pretty much same performance as far as I'm concerned. DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT A REVIEW. IT IS NOT A STATISTICALLY VALID TEST. It is just a simple little check I did for myself - that's why it's in my worklog instead of the main T3 threads. Happy to answer questions or take suggestions, just don't wanna :fight: about it:cool: I realize it might be more meaningful if I presented log data over a time interval, but grabbing a quick screenie was for illustration and for later comparisons. I watched the temps for quite a while throughout all the runs.
Should have my parallel loops setup tomorrow on the T3. Again, don't expect much difference in my temps, just want to set it up to check it out. Photos will accompany the new data.
thanks for sharing the info shazza, can't wait to see the loops re done :D
WOW Sharon!!!! - this end result looks fantastic :up:
Where might i inquire will this machine go? - i.e. what will be its intended use (forgive me if you already stated & i missed the text)
i wonder what room in the house is w/o a cpu:D....next project on the list??....:shrug:
the attention to detail paid off - this is truly a superb example of a what can be done w/ a bench NICE JOB!:yepp:
Thanks, CP and PradaG.
The majority of the components in this build will be used in a HTPC ... I just haven't figured out the case I want to use yet.
This one is sitting on the dining room table for now - crunching away.
I had an important match with Tiger Woods today, so didn't quite get around to redoing my loops ;)
The next build is in the planning stages, with a few parts on hand - some new, some recycled. It will be replacing the MM cube for a while, as I'm thinking seriously of redoing that one. I have more than enough computers now. And, btw Jon - I think you have more computers than I do :up:
:clap: :clap: :clap:
Another well executed build shazza, well done! :up:
Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
:ROTF: they are not all mine - i swear!
a redo on the cube already?? :eek:...sounds like someone has a real bad case of the mods :rofl:
Damn Shazza that looks fantastic!! :clap:
Show us more :up:
Congratulations Shazza, that's looking very beautiful. :) If you haven't already I'd suggest a 45 on the GPU inlet and another on the CPU outlet, that will shorten your tubing significantly. Love the blue and acrylic combo!
I've never been 100% satisfied with the cube ... it works well, but I know there is a jumble hiding in there. Want to see if I can sort it out. May also get the case powder coated, as it's taken some abuse with all my practice builds.Quote:
Originally Posted by PradaG
I'm working on it ... keep getting sidetracked. Hope to finish it up tomorrow (famous last words:p:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Dangals
Thanks, Kibbler. Yes, I think you are right about 45s. I'd like to do it with no special fittings, just for the heck of it - but we'll see what happens when I try the parallel loops. I do have a little problem, though, because my fittings keep coming up bananas:Quote:
Originally Posted by Kibbler
http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/1877/bananazlaine.jpg
(Photo compliments of Laine's handiwork ;))
:clap:Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
Your build threads make for a handy thesaurus for superlatives, I can add no more :)
Cool, so you are going to try the dual loops. Well Skinnee did show that head pressure wasn't that great with a single loop. You might see that 1 degree rise fall back down with the dual loops. :shrug:Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
Still nice to see it is holding it's own with the real world temp checks. :up:
I was pretty bummed that I only got to play with mine for like 5 hours before that MB decide to crap out. :( I should have a replacement soon though, so cross fingers :)
You get a chance to swap it to parallel yet?
Fantastic rig Shazza, well done once again. From henceforth you shall be known by your alter ego
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/580/supergrn.jpg
Thank you, RADCOM. Ah - Supergran - closer to the truth than you know :rofl::yepp:Quote:
Originally Posted by RADCOM
I sometimes long for the old days:
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/6...70_sLjay-L.jpg
Yes, finally. As I expected - no difference in temps with parallel loops. Just a heck of a lot of tubing mess. Didn't spend a lot of time on this, so we will go back to a serial setup. Note - I'm not saying this would be the case with all setups - mine is built with relatively low restriction blocks, so even if I have better flow with parallel loops - it's unlikely I'd see better temps, since flow is more than adequate in the serial setup.Quote:
Originally Posted by millertime359
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/6...83_fZKq3-L.jpg
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/6...19_BEsgm-L.jpg
http://shazza53.smugmug.com/photos/6...58_E7wAi-L.jpg
Wow! That is so cool, it looks lika a bad photoshop work using only a blue brush and the sponge, but in a good way becouse it's real.Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
It just so blue and beautiful! :confused2
Surreal is the only word matching this build. :clap:
Edit:
I hope you don't misunderstand me, just read my own post and this sounds grumpy but it's all supposed to be possitive, love the build.
Thanks for sharing it, cheers. :up: (One can't use this smiley enough, lol)
...
(got me speechless)
No worries, Laine. I know what you mean. It IS very blue :p: Looks pretty good in real life. Just trying to figure out which case to put this in. I've got something else I'm dying to put on the Torture Rack.
Thanks again, matsjuw.
Yea, I would go back serial too then. It did look better and I don't see anyway to get the tubes to not cross. :(
Careful, someone might mistake you for Naekuh. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
If you're going to redo the cube, why don't you put this system in it as well?Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
One red side and one blue side.
Still, single-system builds are more mobile and I guess more fun to do, though decision. :shrug:
Or why not a scratch-build that looks like an ice cube?
I've played around with plexi, a dremel and some spraypaint and i came up with what looks like authentic rock surface, so ice shouldn't be impossible.
Heck, that torture rack is perfection, what ever you put it in it'll look awesome!
UH OH ... them's fighting words ;) I do believe I've posted a few pics of FINISHED builds :ROTF:Quote:
Originally Posted by millertime359
You know, I have thought of turning the cube into a true duality build. I'd love to do Intel on one side, and AMD on the other. Just can't come up with good color combos.Quote:
Originally Posted by Laine
And, as far as a scratch build - I've been looking for a nice plexi case, but haven't found one that totally satisfies me. I'm not sure I'm up to doing the whole thing from scratch. Ultimately the AMD setup is to end up as a HTPC build - it may have an interim home first.
Nice Disclaimer :p: I don't blame you for making it though.Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
Your build is making it very difficult to suppress the urge to buy a TR...extremely difficult.
Bravo shazza, bravo! :up:
:ROTF:Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
I kind of like that plexi DD tower like the one DB used for his server build. :shrug:
Love it Shazza, rarely see someone match so many different blues so perfectly.
That just looks fantastic Shaz!! I'm trying to come up with something more positive, but I'm feeling so crap right now, Pegasus is broken :'(
Blue is Cool
;)
Thanks for the comments, everyone.
This latest update is primarily for me (not too exciting). I wanted to see how my temps were with only one rad hooked up. Looks like it runs 2-3 degrees higher at 100% CPU load than with both rads. Might see a bit more when the GPU is under load. But, interesting and gives me some flexibility with the case this build goes into - also, this is just with the Magicool Extreme 240 rad and low speed Yate Loons. I may try a few more rad combos before dismantling, but I think we can all :wave: bye-bye to the BLUE SMURF in this form. It will show up later, I'm sure, once it's in its new house ;)
Just want to thank everyone for the feedback - it's always fun to read the comments, even when we get a little crazy and go OT. (I see no one commented on my smoking blonde. I assume you all knew that obviously wasn't me :rofl: - just an old pic from the days of hanging out in the Alienware forums).
Screenshot of temps with one rad for my records:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...ctXSPC1rad.jpg
We were scared of the Polar Bear. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
Hi, Sharon, I hope you are well. AWESOME build...I love the purity and clarity of the blue and clear. Very classy and attractive! It might be the only clear/open rig I could say that about. How old were you when the pic with the Alienware laptop was taken? :D
This is a truly awesome build Sazza!
Surreal but nice :D
Hey shazza. You've got a PM
Holy Moly ... I thought I'd gone back in time :)
Hi, MedRed - and WELCOME to XS. Just saw your PM (I've been wrestling with cable management and sleeving on my current build).
Let me answer your questions here, that way others can chime in if they have any additions.
What screws did I use to install the radiators?
Dang, that's a hard one. I used either 30mm or 40mm M3 machine screws from McMaster Carr ( these). I can't remember for sure, and the Blue Smurfy Torture Rack has since been torn down.
Note that I had to use M3 because that's what the Magicool Radiators I was using required - check the specs on your radiator before ordering screws. You might also try some of the screws that come with the Torture Rack to see if they are the right size. (Which radiators are you using?)
2) How did I paint the radiators ...
Answer - poorly :p: OK, serious response - I was using the Magicool radiators, and they have a metal shroud over the actual core. So, I did some light sanding, a primer, and sprayed them with a blue Krylon paint (readily available at Lowes / Home Depot - nothing fancy). But, they didn't come out as well as I would have liked - I've learned since that it was too hot outside when I was painting. Also, I'd recommend using a self-etching primer for metals (I use SEM now), then using any paint that is recommended for metals.
Again, it depends on which radiator you are painting - many don't have the metal shrouds, so you'll have to sand and prime the actual radiator (always covering the fins so you don't paint them). There are a few threads on here which show how people have painted their radiator (don't have time to look right now).
I hope this helps some - good luck with your project, and hope you do a worklog!
Thanks Shazza. I waited a long time to get to talk to you. The Black Ice SR-1s look like they use M4 screws. I measured the depth of my fans + my case and it looks like altogether it's 35mm deep. I ordered M4 40 mm screws. Were you able to see properly to keep the screws from threading into the radiators? None of the screws that came with the Torture Rack were long enough. Thanks for the hints on painting. Did you sand by hand?
How can it look so good without a case?! Man I need money and/or the time it takes to make this stuff look so great.
Thanks, Scott. Just took a bit of time to set it up.
MedRed - hopefully those will be the right screws ( I would double check what I used, but the Torture Rack is packed away currently). As for the length being okay, I always double check before screwing any radiators in by pushing the screw into the fan/case/grill and then holding the radiator up to the end of the screw that is sticking out - If you place the radiator so the edge of the shroud is next to the end of the fan, you can see how far the screw goes in - and make sure it doesn't hit the fins. You can also use something very thin (like a dime, or piece of a broken CD) to place on the fins to protect them when you are screwing the fans/radiator in. Hope this makes sense. Getting screws to work with radiators is one of the biggest pains !!!
Re the painting - yes, I sanded by hand. I'd recommend using a sanding block so you get an even motion. I'd use a coarse grit first, then followed by a finer grit. The shrouds on my Magicool Rads were not painted - they were bare metal, so I didn't have to worry about taking off all the paint. If I were doing the SR1, I'd probably try to sand all of the paint off, down to bare metal - not sure that's absolutely necessary.
Question, are you just painting the shroud (like I did), or are you painting the whole thing? I've seen some people completely strip all the paint off the radiator before painting it (Check out Kibbler's Capella work log - he's done some painting). You can also run a search her for "Painting Radiator" and variations.
Thanks shazza. I'm painting the whole thing. I did want to paint the fins too, but that's going to be way too much trouble.
Yep - and painting the fins is not recommended, as it can affect heat transfer.
Since you are painting the whole thing, you might want to try some of the chemical paint strippers to remove the existing paint (just be sure to follow safety recommendations).