JR404's Cube project

lo all , I was posting on another log of an extremer who also build his rig from scratch. Instead of hijacking his log I will start my own. Never mind my bad typing (it's normal I'm from belgium).

I wanted to build a cube, with great cooling inside for some stable rocksolid 24/7 overclocks. First idea was to create a cube with loads of 120mm fans but I wanted more. So I opted for a watercooling setup comprising of the following :

thermochill PA120.3 radiator with 3 Scythe 12cm Flex fans
Swiftech Apogee CPU block
Swiftech MC30 Northbridge Chipset Block (maybe installed at a later date)
EK 8800GTX waterbock with Delrin top
Swiftech Micro reservoir
Swiftech MCP655 Pump

Plan is to put one rear fan to exhaust any hot air near the PWM of the mobo (already done) , 2 front fans ( 120mm to suck in fresh air) one on the left one on the right and 2 x 80mm fans above the mobo to cool the northbridge and ram. I opterd first for a commando board but this wasn't in stock and my P5W was dying I wanted a replacement asap so I went for the overexpensive Striker Extreme. Cooling the northbridge will be difficult due to al those heatpipes, I'll leave them on and cool them then via the 2 fans

At the time all my hardware is still in my thermaltake armor case and needs to get stuffed in the cube soon. The armor is a nice case but the black version is so bulletproof you can drop it from the top floor and crack the road open and the case wouldn't budge. If only it wasn't so heavy ... and killing my back

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...ube2%20011.jpg

The UFO case and the Scan Black Rhino pc inspired me but since it's my first H2O build I wanted to seperate as much as possible the watercooling equipment from the hardware. I go to several lans a year and I transport my rig all the time and want to exclude leaks as much as possible. Hence the Cube idea with on one side mobo gfx card, Hd's and on the other the rad, PSU and optical drives.

Here are some piccies that tell more than a 1000 words :

Case structure is build up from L profile Alu 2mm in thickness with several widths bolted together by countersunk 4mm 12mm screws , providing me with a lightweight (case fully covered with panels but no hardware at around 5.650kg's) that's easy to work in ( plenty of space )
I opted to stay with the size of the AC Ryan Acryl panels of 47cm at 47cm so I didn't need to cut a lot, but after some minor disagreements with my jigsaw I reduced some panels.

Initial frame :

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...cube%20001.jpg

I took all the same size ALU profiles but after putting on some weights (stress test it for the radiator ) it seemd some profiles had the tendancy to bend, so I replaced them with slightly thicker and wider profiles. Plus the wider allowed me to reinforce the structure with some extra screws. It's fully rigid now my cats sleep on top of it sometimes :)

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...ube2%20007.jpg

Added the panels, 2 small ones for the front (thx freaking jigsaw) , one solid for the top and rear. Panels are screwed in via Ac Ryan 3mm golden plated screws into the Alu which I threaded ofcourse. Note that the top also holds the optical and floppy drive, so I can dismantle those quickly if I ever need to replace one. And those screws look fab with the black acryl. Also note that all the alu has to be painted black 2

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...cube%20005.jpg

The harddrives are mounted on a piece of plexi which can be quickly removed via unscrewing 3 tiny selftapping 3mm screws. The vibrations are took away by some rubber grommets from my old Antec P160 case. Plus leaving the harddrives on the bottom enables me to tidy up the wiring as much as possible on the mobo side. Bottom plate is off 5mm thick Nylon which is light but firm. I will place a damping mat on it to reduce vibrations

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/Cube2.jpg

Next I placed the mobo tray, which is also quickly removable due to being held in place by 4 screws in the 2 L profiles. I 'm still thinking of placing one 8cm fan behind it to blow cold air onto the mobo itself from the back to help the Asus Stack cool, these N680I chipsets get extremely hot and any help is favourable to ensure longer life...

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...ube2%20003.jpg

Due to my fright of water and electricity I opted to place a midpanel too to help and hide the wires and allow for the tubing to remain put plus keeping it tidy and clean. Extra holes will be required in case I opt for the rear blowing mobo fan and I have to see how the tubing will have to be placed once I get all my watercooling gear.

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...ube2%20010.jpg

Cube from the rear, note the error of cutting lol near the mobo tray, Acryl is very fragile ..., PSU is foreseen to be placed on the bottom to reduce load on the structure, and to favour cable management., the Radiator will come on topleft and a piece of acryl between them

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...ube2%20012.jpg

that's it for now, I have to wait till my stuff arrives pls let it be this week I still have vacation !!!

looks really cool project. keep the pics comming.
btw are you going to paint the frame of the case, you really should, whould look even nicer.

Indeed all black is the theme but first gonna install everything , measure things out, then rip it all apart , and off to the painter (my mate's an airbrusher)...

fingers crossed for the H2O stuff

Quote:

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fingers crossed for the H2O stuff

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nah you'll do fine, just take your time when installing your WC gear.

that looks so well :)

If it was a mistake or not I really like the split front panels. I have thought about building a cube and I like the idea of having split panels so you could open one side without taking the whole thing apart. You could open the whole motherboard side while benching to get some air while keeping the other side closed off. I think this thing would look awesome powder coated black, or painted in your case, with the smoke plexi. I can't wait to see it when it is finished. I have slowly started to warm up to UFO's, and cubes in general.

Give us more updates !

Why dont you paint the mobo tray black?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Vullf

Why dont you paint the mobo tray black?

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or with some other colour, why keep such a nice case all black, dont make this a just a nother black boring case :(
make it really stand out.

Got a new present wednesday morning which will delay my project for some time lol.

Name is Tibo, 3kg400 and 49cm tall

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Tibo%20007xs.JPG

The ugly bearded dad is yours truly.

Maybe indeed give it some dark blue/black concept. Ordered some Blue acryl panels for the interior. EK waterblock arrived on same day , watercooling kit is on the way, radiator sadly is still not in stock ...

Keep you posted !!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Solarfall

or with some other colour, why keep such a nice case all black, dont make this a just a nother black boring case :(
make it really stand out.

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Yeah just dont the standard.

Gratz with the lil baby :)

Pieces are slowing arriving on my doorstep, first up the EK waterblock with black delrin top 1/2 fittings

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/EK%20001.jpg

This is one heavy waterblock , copper is a good conductor but damn heavy. maybe will try to make a support for it to help the card from bending...

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/EK%20002.jpg

Hopefully the Swiftech kit arrives tomorrow, sadly the thermochill pa120/3 is delayed no estimate on delivery yet.

Did some mild overclocking on the E6600 with the 8800GTX at stock

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/3dmark2006.JPG

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/3dmark2005.JPG

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/aquamark3.JPG

Swiftech kit just arrived woohoo i'm a happy dad today :)

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...wift%20001.jpg

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...wift%20002.jpg

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...wift%20003.jpg

EK waterblock mounted, put my 7900GTX back into the rig.
took more time to dissamble the original card then to fit this beauty.

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/EK%20006.jpg

Only thing is to not overtighten the screws, keep a ruler by hand , being to quick can seriously bend and damage the pcb if you tighten some screws too hard. Nice work Eddy let's hope the temps are as amasing now ( some say even 40°C off the stock heatsink under load )

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/EK%20007.jpg

I take it you got a little older kit, that is an Apogee and not the GT right?

Sometimes I envy those who have the money to do this stuff. But then I remember I'm in college and hopefully afterwards I'll have money :)

Can't wait to see the final product!

Well I ordered from a Dutch online shop and the agreement there is once it has been ordered and reserved for the customer you cannot alter the command. :slapass:
After 10 years in the hardwarescene it's pretty normal with pc's you buy top stuff a week later there's something new or improved.
Hey man I just planned this make-over half a year ago, put some cash aside ( as much as possible ) and then went for it overall this build will be around 2200 euros so for a top end rig that ain't so much ( and I got a good deal when selling my AMD x2 4400 rig). Plus I wanted a final upgrade before the kiddo arrived and a system that would last me a few years ( lol yeah right hehhee ) :slapass:

Got some work done today, installed my old P5W mobo just to get a feel for the tubing and stuff. I didn't think the pump would be this big, I'll need to relocate the HD platter more towards the rear of the case. Pump placement will be done like on the picture. Got some cool ides for the micro reservoir but more on that later this week

http://users.pandora.be/OAP2/Afbeelding%20001.jpg

Also installed the PSU (meantime my spare 500 watt Liberty ) placed it on a damping mat and an UB blue reactive seal helps to reduce vibrations.

http://users.pandora.be/OAP2/Afbeelding%20006.jpg

Batteries of the camera are almost dead will need a recharge hehehe. Normally once the radiator arrives (it's in stock woohoo) it will be placed on the sidepanel above the PSU in the length not standing up... would make the tubing easier (I think)

Tommorrow if I have the time I'll make a small acryl panel for the two 5cm fans that will blow air onto the Swiftech copper heatsinks on the power regulators and install front damping kit and redo the HD mounting platter

Awesome modding great job. Thank you for sharing.
I too really like the look of the cube and I am considering trying my hand at building something like it, although I dont have any experience.

Like you, I am also watercooling for the first time and had similar desires for large cube case both for functionality and cool aesthetic appeal.
Could you possibly share the measurements on the cube's compartments so I can start getting some idea of what to start planning?



Congrats on newborn as well :)

Keep up the great work dude. Congrats on the kid also man, wish you all the best mate. :toast:

subscribed ;)

Congratulations your case is very good :clap:

For the Cube dimensions I went straight for 48 on 48cm , why because the AC Ryan acryl panels are 47 on 47cm so I had some spacing left plus didn't need a lot of cutting. Also this allowed me to place one or two triple fan rads on the watercooling side without any worries. Initially gonna keep it with one, if the cooling isn't sufficient gonna add a second rad to keep it cool(er).

http://www.thermochill.com/guides/PA120-3.pdf

But initial setup is one rad placed horizontally, in case I need a 2nd rad I have the option to place it on the mobo's side front panel or replace the dvd rom and floppy/cardreader to the mobo's frontpanel of the cube and place the 2nd rad on top of the other one.
But the guys at Thermochill forum said that one rad was more than sufficient for my specs (E6600@3600mhz, NB and 8800GTX cooling. Maybe in worst case scenario they told me to add a 120 between the NB and GPU but I'll have to wait to see how it all performs. Thing I want that it's dead silent since the pc is in my living room temps will be sure as good as it's now on air and even better. Also weight was important, still below 8kg's with PSU, GPU and mobo added.

For the dimensions as mentioned 48 at 48 cm. Mobo's side is 26cm in width watercooling side 20cm. I did this because I wanted to place the HD's at the bottom to keep cables etc neat plus the mob and stuff still easy to remove or exchange. I really want good cooling but even more an easy cube/case to work on and I wanted something original not some case you buy in a shop although those UFO mods look tempting....

On monday I will continue to work on the mobo tray, gonna put a 12cm fan behind the mobo ( behind the cpu , PWM) to aid it in cooling, do some holes for clever cable management and if time permits start the small fan cooling acryl panel to place over the PWM's and ram. I decided to go with 5cm fans to blow air over the MC14 copper heatsinks from Swiftech....

Case looks good but it isn't the best build, mostly the builder is too blame but also lacking some good tools and patience :p

Subscribed. Great looking case and congrats on the little guy.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Leeghoofd

I didn't think the pump would be this big

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Lol you don't even have an asetek pump. It's over twice as big! :eek: :p:
Nice! Congrats for both the timewaster projects :D

Got soem work today ( yesterday too many visits couldn't ge tout and hide in my favourite workspace " ze garage"

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/garage.JPG

As mentioned before needed to relocate the Harddrives to the largeness of the pump, I choose to move them more to the rear of the case , but keeping them quickly accessible. I placed the dampening mat on the bottom where the harddrives will be placed, due to the thickness I had to think about another way to mount them, my previous construction looked good but afer a few removals the threads were gone on the plastic bushings. I used longer screws that go all the way through the mat a nut on top to fix it ,then the acryl panel that holds the 2 harddrives , a rubber grommet and then finally a nut on top to secure it all in place. Picture says it all :

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/Hd1.JPG

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/Hd2.JPG

those mats will cover the entire floor of the harddware side...
Only thing that worries me might be the heat the harddrives create , not much air going through at the moment, but that will be verified once the rig runs...

Due to the fact I was cooling the northbridge via water too I had two options cut the heatpipes ( bye bye warranty) and keep the PWM heatsinks in place or remove it all and use heatsinks and an aftermarket southbridge cooler.

I followed EVA2000 on this and got some Swiftech copper heatsinks, for the southbridge I opted for the still popular Evercool copper fan, which is silent and deadly efficient...

To get some air blowing over the heatsinks I made a small acryl plate that can hold 2 x 6cm fan both positioned over the heatsinks, the fans will be connected straight to the mobo as they only deliver 14dba at max speed...

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/6cmfan2.JPG

The fan shroud isn't yet attached to the mobo's plate (2 screws ), that's why there's a small piece of wood behind it , also the location on the P5W differs from the Striker board, so it should be aligned properly.

Well that's it for today, more work tomorrow....

Got the mobo tray finished, need to pick up the pace, found an excellent airbrusher that wants to paint my case for a fair price. His name is Ribi and the dutch speaking peeps will know him cause he always attends lan parties and you can ask him to mod ya case sidepanels etc there, if you want he even pody paints ya girlie !!

K so for the mobotray, I took it apart and put the striker onto it, I marked where I needed holes to route the powersupply/IDE toward the other chamber of the cube. I also had thought of the idea to put a slow spinning 12cm fan , blowing fresh air onto the mobo's back. This might be a zero thought or pointless but I will test the PC with and without the fan spinning...

Some piccies to add to the already large collection :

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...tray%20001.jpg

Now with the 12cm fan added :

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...tray%20002.jpg

and finally with the 6cm fan shroud :

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...tray%20004.jpg

Tomorrow I'll try to make the supports for the radiator ( still not in my possession bu tI missed the guy from TNT today :( ), so the cube can go to moddingmaster...

http://www.moddingmasters.be/

your backside motherboard cooling is good

did you offset the fan a little to account for the deadspace?

well it can suck air in from the other side of the Cube, plus I added 3mm washers between the tray and the fan so theres about 9mm between the fan and mobo tray... I just wanted to try this since Asus acclaims there Stack cool so high. It might be a long shot and do nothing to aid the cooling or it might be the next big thing lol :banana:

I think it is a very cool idea that..the air behind must be static normaly so this might help loads, if not in terms of overclock just the system lasting much longer. I would on my V2000B but sod all sapce and would need to cut into the side pannle on the other side sadly

Oh wow, great job so far on your custom case. Can't wait to see the finished project.

wow that fan shroud a really nice idea. mmm.. i'm so copying that idea for my next project.. and the rest of this project is looking so sweet too. two thums up mate.

Great work so far!

Thx guys gonna start on the rad support profile, drawing at the moment ... monday the cube is off to the painters ....

It's tuesday sadly tuesday a week later, cube still at the paintshop, I overdid it with the abrasive brush, Ribi will try to fix it but will take more time to complete. On Stby there then...

Today did the radiator , yes it finally arrived my black beauty.

Took 2 L profiles again, put the Thermochill Blend on them so the holes match up perfectly and then cut out the holes for the fans so the air passing through won't be obstructed. I still have to get rid of some small areas but that will be for tomorrow or so... anyway enjoy the piccies...

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/rad%20002.jpg

Rad fully assembled, if you look closely there still some alu hindering air passage,... The alu again will be painted and the whole covered by an Acryl Panel...

Sideview, neoprene gasket beteen the alu and radiator to reduce vibrations...

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/rad%20004.jpg

Also my Swiftech copper heatsinks for the PWM area and the Evercool VRC for the southbridge arrived on my doorstep...

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/rad%20007.jpg

hope to have the fully painted cube back this week... Too bad I got delayed so many times , couldn't get it done before the lan this weekend, therefore modded my Armor case with a small side fan to enhance cooling on the northbridge area... which still gets very hot !!

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...rmor%20007.jpg

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...rmor%20009.jpg

Got the cube back from the painters, Ribbi wasn't so happy with the result as it was very hard to spray, plus my abrasive work was too rough so he had to polish it a lot to get somewhat smooth. Many thx man for the extra hours you put, for me the reuslt is fab , I never could have achieved this result ( too nervous) some more piccies to add, will fit the rad today, and paint the supports black too...

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...ubeB%20001.jpg

Mobo tray and support

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...ubeB%20003.jpg

Cube all shiny black

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...ubeB%20002.jpg

nice work

Thx man , got the rad installed piccies below, 4 screws keep it in place so it can be easily removed... in case I need to change PSU or something....

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/rad%20008.jpg

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/rad%20009.jpg

Also fitted the Swiftech Micro reservoir. Attached it to an acryl panel which in turn is attached to the optical drive mount. Should give me easy tubing and quick removal again ( 4 screws)

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/res%20001.jpg

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/res%20008.jpg

Above the reservoir gonna fit a Danger Den quick refill unit so I can easily fill and empty the loop if required

congratulations on the new baby :) and that case is amazing, keep up the good work, I cant wait to see it finished.

continued working on the radiator and mounts today.

First I removed the excess parts that hindered air flow, then some sanding and sprayed a primer coat. After some hours drying sanded it again and applied some layers of black. In the mean time I also sprayed the floor panels in the same "dull black" :rolleyes:

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/rad%20015.jpg

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/rad%20014.jpg

I got my 2nd neprone gasket so I could finalise the fan setup on the rad.
I choose 3x Scythe Flex fans 1200rpm ( got a good deal for them, thx Hans from www.jaha.be) for me they give a good balance between flow and noise, though all has to be seen and heared once the cube is fully operational. If too much noise I revert to 7 volts instead of 12 volts... Taking voltage directly from the PSU I soldered 3 2pin wires to the cable and hooked these up to the fans. Why not direct you may ask , I just want the option to swap (dead) fans and with this setup it's easy to do ...

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/rad%20013.jpg

Fan test hooked up to the current rig , they do spin lol :banana:

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/rad%20011.jpg

Looks great :toast:
OT question how is the 1002 bios working for you?

Well for my E6600 the 1002 bios is great, sadly for quadcore overclocking not all issues are solved ( yet), FSB overclock is still around 333Mhz for those cpu's.

Painted the floor panels and installed the pump in the mean time, I orientated it to be straight towards the reservoir so I could reduce some tubing and bends....

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...%20008.jpg

Next up was the mobo, got the heatpipe system out an dnoticed I had some green corrosive stuff near the NB , maybe a leak in the pipe ?

Swiftech coppersinks for the PWM area to be extra cooled by the 2 5cm fans placed on the shroud

NB via the MCW30 copper cooler, ceramique grease used. Had to cut it slighlty becasue it interfered with the capacitor above the PCI express slot

SB via VRC-E copper cooler, needed to redrill the holes slightly to make it fit, ceramique greased used... also needed to cut the lever off the middle PCI express slot

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...mobo%20001.jpg

First steps of the tubing goin in, connected pump and radiator to the reservoir. Good tip to soften the tubing via hot water , otherwise it's a damn bugga to connect

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...%20005.jpg

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...mobo%20006.jpg

Rad looks fab too with the supports all black need to put a protective cover layer but wanted to finish the rig asap, and work on the details later on...

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...mobo%20007.jpg

watercooling setup complete, looks great, now filing the reservoir , then some shaking around and then start the pump to bleed out the air, refill, tralalaalaa

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...mobo%20009.jpg

not bad, not bad at all. i really like everything that you have done so far.
keep it up mate.

btw i love to look at photos and i know i'm not the only one, so next time you update could you please post little bit more pics for us. after all we are talking about a custom made case here. So every little piece of info "what takes to build a case from scratch" is more than wellcome.

thx man , well not such a good photographer plus no dwarings or stuff, it's all in the head ...

Well anyway leak tests done for an hour, working on the rig now but will continue leak test tonite..

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...%20012.jpg

Temps for the CPU are dissapointingly the same as for the Ultra 120 (coretemp of around 58°C at 3600mhz 1.4 volts Orhtos blend ) but I knew that, NB is 15°C cooler according the asus board opt1 sensor, GPU is amasingly low at 28°C idle and 35°C load ( 3dmark 2006 )

More piccies soon as I start working on the panels

Cube in action with flash

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...mobo%20016.jpg

without flash

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...mobo%20017.jpg

ohhh man... it's hard to my ayes jejeje very nice mod. great ideas...

Thx for the thumbs up, good ideas yeah craftmanship is a bit less but I'm happy with the talent I got....

today worked on the USB panel and power and reset button panel.

USB panel will be on the side due to the fact the cables weren't long enough to run to the front lol :rolleyes:

constructed it out of 3mm Acryl UV reactive , hope it gives a nice effect in the dark...

I attached the USB panel to the floor panel so it stays there when I remove the sidepanel...

Again piccie time ...

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...nels%20001.jpg

and fully installed in the cube

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...nels%20003.jpg


Next up the front panel

Cut 2 x 4cm holes then used a jigsaw to join the 2 holes, you get a nice oval shape ...


http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...nels%20004.jpg


2 buttons installed, never mind the messy wiring that's for later ...

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...nels%20005.jpg

More work done added the top panel ( stil have to make a fill hole :) ) and added right front panel too

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...%20006.jpg

Next up will be too paint the floppy support and mount a black drive in there

then the rear panel, HD support needs to be redone, then wiring .... no sex for this lad lately ...

Nice one :toast:

K got some more work done,

First up was to remod the fan shroud (as it was the easiest task to do lol )
I just shortened it to provide clearance for the rear panel to be fitted with an extra nut.

New model

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...%20001.jpg

Also countersunk the screws now ...

Got the front panel wiring done, soldering ain't my thing but got the job done plus the sleeving.
And most wonderfull thing they work as do the leds :banana:

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...Cube%20003.jpg

Fitted the rear panel, and attached the mobo tray to it via 3 screws with locking nut. The top screw was the reason I had to redo the fan shroud otherwise there was no room to put a nut...

think I have to redo the PSU opening , gonna make a bigger opening and attach the PSU to an extra acryl panel. Just for looks ...

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...%20005.jpg

Next up will be the hard drive placement, have found a way to place them out of the way of the tubing plus neater and easily removable via a HD cage from an Antec case...Pump placement will be higher too, so shorter tubing in my cube and cleaner way of mounting...

teaser pic :p

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...Cube%20013.jpg

More work soon....

Today worked some on the HD cage, as said before I wanted to stack at least 2 HD , make them easily accesible and removable...

I opted first for the Acrul Hd plate but it was wrong on 2 important factors :

1) was in the way of my tubing, so I repositioned it still not good enough
2) Hd's got too hot ( over 55°C when running)

I kindda liked the idea of my Antec P160 case with the harddrive slides, bu tI love that case so much as does my dad and I didn't want to cut it up...

So I looked around anly 2 other Antec cases I found using a similar manner was the Lanboy and the new 6000 case. Since te latter one was in stock at my vendor and only costed me 50 euro's I went for it as I knew I was gonna be able to sell the case later on , even with a hijacked HD bay...

First piccie shows the HD cage in it's original stateand the new pump placement...

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/HD%20001.jpg

I opted for 3 drives so I cut the 5 drive cage in two aswell as the plastic sliding mechanism... Mounting 4 L shaped alu strips enabled me to mount the HD cage securely to the bottom plate...

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/HD%20002.jpg

Note in the rear the box of the stripped Antec 6000 case...

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/HD%20003.jpg

I mounted the cage with the 4 screws and noticed that the L shaped mounts penetrated (love that word) to deep into the damping mousse... work around was to create an acryl panel that would create an equal force on the damping mousse... mark the spots where the cage foots entered the mousse before the mod. Now with the plate, pressure is spread out equally and it helps to reduce vibrations better ( I think)

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/HD%20005.jpg

After some abrasive work, primer coating and seating the Pump holder this is what it looks like... all will be painted black soon

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/HD%20007.jpg

2 hdd close up with room for a 3rd

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/HD%20009.jpg

Voila everything installed and the box in running condition and HD temps dropped by 13°c around 42°C now

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/HD%20010.jpg

Firstly congrats on your new addition to the family :-)

Second, awesome work on the case, as you know I am also building a cube case from scratch which is how I came across your thread (saw the link in your sig :-) ) I'm glad you made a comment on mine so I found this thread, very inspiring stuff mate you must be very proud of your achievements, building a case from scratch designed how YOU want it! simply outstanding...I think I might have to seriously consider the fan behind the mobo tray for my own case hehe, Keep up the great work buddy :-)

Ye thx man, I really like your idea of fitting the tubes, good craftmanship...

I don't have to much time to spare with the kiddo, but I get some small details ironed out each day. But it takes ages lol to complete, also when lacking some skills lol and tools to get it done...

Looking forward seeing yours evolve !!

Great looking case

congrats :clap:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Leeghoofd

But it takes ages lol to complete

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Doesn't it LoL...I don't think I will be tackling a case from scratch again anytime soon, starting to respect the high cost of the UFo cases now haha... its good knowing in the end i have a case made to the specs i want, i wont have to contort my hands up to fit things in it either which is a bonus...

Look forward to seeing the final result ;-)

Great work there Leeghoofd.

Hopefully jumping on the homemade-cube-case-band-wagon myself soon so I'm keen to see everyone's different ideas and takes on things.

I was wondering why you aren't installing your HDs on the relatively empty right side? I've probably missed something. :rolleyes:

I like your countsunk screw fixings in your joints, instead of rivets, too. More work though ;) I had something similar in mind if I didn't go with the Qubelok 'connector/tube' system that AussieJester's using.

Lo GAM , another down under modder, well this pc comes in my desk and if I want to switch HD's it's easier to have access on this side, on top of that the radiator is a bit too low ( wanted to keep it centered ) for 3HD's, plus I wanted a front fan on right hand side plus the BigNG fan controller will be positoned behind the fan... but for now only cable seeving, quality time with the family,...

Your works looks fab too, great stuff , followed the worlds biker build off , damn Aussie bike was amasing craftmanship, sadly it didn't bring home the gold :mad:

Fair enough mate. ;)

re Biker Buildoff, I've only watched the first one, where the Aussie bike was all hand made aluminium panels etc. Sadly that bike didn't win against the long nosed US bike.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Leeghoofd

quality time with the family,...

Your works looks fab too, great stuff , followed the worlds biker build off , damn Aussie bike was amasing craftmanship, sadly it didn't bring home the gold :mad:

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Was an awesome display of craftmanship wasn't it :-| HUGE fan of American Chopper also have every episode...MIKEY for president :-P

eeeew to cable sleeving, toss up between sanding and sleeving for my two least favourite things to do LoL

Looking great !
sorry for the longer wait on the paint job.

No problem master Ribbi, you had to fix the pieces I had made, never ever will I ever listen again to a guy from a hobby shop when it'c PC concerned....

You did hell of a job, too bad I damaged slightly some paintwork, I'm too anxious to get it done, plus I need this PC each day for work and fun , so I need to mod some stuff then put it back together , drag it upstairs (luckily the weight is pretty good, you gotta love Alu )

Also Ribbi I wanted to contact you but since you are amongst the crazy peeps here about etching a panel with some names on it like you did for the Pro gaming Pc's

http://www.moddingmasters.be/project...rogamepc_6.htm

Think that would look cool on the side, off to mod the top panel and more sleeving, got a cool idea to hook up some stuff, but that wil be for thursday or so ....

HD cage back in black , now you see the bottom acryl plate better , hope it glows nice with some UV lights

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...%20003.jpg

Next up the top panel , to break the dull look I opterd to go for an UV transparent panel below it

Cutting in progress :

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...%20001.jpg

Panel fitted :

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...ter2%20002.jpg

Close up :

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...ter2%20005.jpg

Hope like the switch panel, Usb panel , PSU support ( still to be made ) it will give a nice shiny effect when the UV lights go on

Woohoo my Enermax Galaxy has arrived at the shop, gonna pick it up next week; so this PSU can go into the second rig wich will be build once the P5W comes back from RMA and the Core2 CPU's drop in price on the 22nd of April....

Just read through this and it's giving me ideas for a possible summer project (too much work shoehorning a PA120.3 into a case while keeping my old PA160 setup so :D)

My immediate contribution:
Rotate pump outlet 60 -80 degrees COUNTERCLOCKWISE from where it is now (aim it @ the CPU block). All too easy not to do this and will shorten tubing + more importantly, minimize a bend or 2..

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/HD%20010.jpg

gratz on the new addition to your family!

cube looks great, i've been thinking about doing a custom job myself as my current case is simply too small for WC (and even some of the bigger air cooling solutions!) I like how you're keeping the case very functional, while still retaining the looks....i've dealt with enough cramped cases and terrible designs, so i understand your motivation :D

Thx for the nice comments guys...

Mikee kinda looking into ya proposition there, is there a way to turn the pump then while keeping the current mount, I need to put a block under there to create an angle of about 75°C to get it straight from the pump to the CPU block.
What do you think of removing the NB block and replacing it with a Swiftech NB copper cooler and making a new fan shroud with 3 x 5 cm coolers... I cannot get the bent right from the NB to the GFX card, I tried with longer and shorter tubing, it still bends too hard and reduces flow....

You know I forgot to say congrats or the organic construction project, now you only have to wait ~ 20 yrs to see if the 'behavioral mods' work :D

I usually just rip off the mounting 'L' and let it float on a silicone heel-pad, so I never had any problems w/ the 'rotation issue', sorry.

Thinking out how to loop the tubing, or I would consider the HR-05 (old or new version) since it would be sitting in front of the loop from the CPU to vidcard. Could make that part of the loop a little longer to stretch around the above if it fits. I haven't used the board or cooler, just have heard good things about the cooler, so you may be the guinea-pig. :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Leeghoofd

Thx for the nice comments guys...

Mikee kinda looking into ya proposition there, is there a way to turn the pump then while keeping the current mount, I need to put a block under there to create an angle of about 75°C to get it straight from the pump to the CPU block.
What do you think of removing the NB block and replacing it with a Swiftech NB copper cooler and making a new fan shroud with 3 x 5 cm coolers... I cannot get the bent right from the NB to the GFX card, I tried with longer and shorter tubing, it still bends too hard and reduces flow....

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Got my Enermax Galaxy DXX today, man this is a heavy PSU, looks amasing, let the cablemodding begin...

I want to create an acryl backpanel for the PSU to add anice shiney glow when applying some UV lights, also some molex connectors will be grouped on an acryl panel too to have easier access and less sloppy wiring...

some piccies of the PSU ...

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...%20001.jpg

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...laxy%20002.jpg

Leeghoofd what kind of sound dampening mat is that you are using ?

Cooltek Super Silent Universal mats, liked them becasue they looked neat, perform well and aren't super expensive....(around 11 euro's , about 15 dollars)

http://www.cooltek.de/Super-Silent-Universal.html

thanks for the info Leeghoofd

:banana::banana::banana::banana: thats some awesome work!

Oh and congrats on the new baby ;)

You are welcome Solarfall, Thx Patriote a full 6kg already, luckily for me seems more interested in the Tv then the PC so daddy can play some more on the latter :)

K not being happy with my temps at 3600mhz at 1.42 volts ( load 58°C coretemp) I took out the NB cooler to test and replace the whole stuff with the stock heatpipe combo again...

I think my bad temps were to blame on the bad tubing connection I had between the NB and GPU... so I decided to make a new shroud with not 2 but 3 fans...

I ordered a new powerfull fan to blow cool air over the NB position and the soon to be in position Swiftech MCX159CU...

New shroud looks like this ( soz for the pic it's a bit off angle ...)

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...%20002.jpg

I opted for UV reactive Acryl again to lighten up the inside and give my dull Cube a little extra bling...

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...roud%20001.jpg

It's a tight fit with the stock heatpipe combo ,about 8mm off the large PWM heatsinks and 4mm off the NB heatsink... if the NB sensor is the one that Probe reads out as Mobo temp , this one dropped 2°C also around 29°C (Ambient temps now aroudn 25°C in Belgium damn sunny for the time of year)...

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware...roud%20004.jpg

Well I 'm pretty happy with the results as temps dropped 5-7°C on the cores... it idles now when I run at 3000Mhz (24/7 setting) at around 31°C (coretemp) , at least beating my Thermalright Ultra 120 scores now ...

Next up the Galaxy PSU, to be continued...

Loving the new shroud its very cool (no pun intended) I have been thinking of similar for my ramz and northbridge myself after seeing your initial effort (until i watercool them that is hehe)

Only thing I am not keen on is the pump sitting on the hard drive caddy...sorta looks like its been an "after thought" <--for lack of better explanation...yes it works well there just hrmmm...Just IMO <--for what its worth LoL just "doesn't look right" to me... It wouldn't come outta the factory like it you know what i mean? Maybe sit him next to the caddy on rubber and see if you think it looks better? I realize you have already fitted it all and cut tube etc now though...so prolly not possible now...maybe next waterchange/clean ;-)

Your work is inspiring though mate not far off now your should be VERY proud of what you have accomplished thus far :-)

OH...hows the 'new addition' to the family getting on? Keeping you up at night ... ah joyz of babies LoL...

Look forward to next update mate bloody supeeerb ;-)

well i'm gonna cover up the pump and right side compartment so they should no longer be visible. Some lexan covered with carbon film would be fab

Installed the Galaxy , damn there's no way I'm gonna get all those cables tucked away neatly... thinking of making a box and stuffing them all in... at the piccie all the cables coming directly from the PSU, no extra cables hooked up ...jeez Enermax is this modular ?

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/psu&#37;20001.jpg

Made the PSU rear plate too, gonna hook it up tonite and remodel the rear black acryl then...

http://users.pandora.be/OAP/Hardware/Cube/psu%20002.jpg

The cube still has to reflect my level of intelligence Jester ;) lol

mmmm carbon film...32 bucks a roll on eBay was --><--- that close to covering the inside of my cube with it :-)

Would LOVE that psu DAMN! they are expensive here in OZ though :-( I have been thinking about making up a PSU myself from 2x550watt antec psu using a custom acrylic case and watercooling it, couple fellas on OCAU have recently done watercooled psu and they look schweeeet...Again excellent work buddy :-)

well I found some carbon film at a local hoppy shop and it was 12 dollars per square meter so that's doable , I already spend 190 dollars on the cube ( not including the paintwork) so this might top it off plus saving me loads of soldering and warranty voiding...there's no way I'm gonna get rid of these thick long cables man...

and I need my 620 watt anyway in my second Pc as PSU.. hopefully my P5W will come back soon from RMA...

Nice work Leeghoofd. I like the motherboard fans and shroud too. Very neat and functional.

Damn that Galaxy is big, and quite impressive ;). Cables are messy though. You can help out those cables a lot by customising their lengths and connector locations--see here for details.

Well I did that GAM on my Liberty cables, now the Galaxy has 3 S-ata , 3 molex connectors and laods of mobo connections fixed to the PSU itself, so not modular... which to me is dissapointing as I had a plan to tidy up all those cables and stuff, with this PSU it' s no longer possible without voiding warranty.
Second problem is to fix the PSU , the Liberty's have a sort of L shaped housing so you can fit it to the bottom plate aswell, the new Galaxy models (DXX ones) don't have that no longer so I can't solely rely on the acryl back plate... will need to make some sort of housing or stuff to keep it neat , tidy and in place...

Damn even more work lol :)

Sorry for the misunderstanding. That's bummer mate re the Galaxy's perculiarities.

yeah but I have to live with it :) no worries Cube is fine for me I don't care too much about details I just want performance/cooling/maintainability which is perfect for me...I'm not entering any modding contest with htis lol

This worklog is done, a friend wants to have the cube in it's current state (no sidepanels ) to use as a benching rig, he likes the idea of having loads of space to work with plus the watercooling setup of his is the same as mine so all will fit well...it will be a tight fit to use the 8800GTX in this case plus the rad in front of it but we will see how it works out in the long run... time for some dremel action !!

I am planning on doing another cube one, but this time will use 2 antec SLK6500 bolted together via a frame with the the rad in front of the case and use the other side for wiring and stuff... I hope to shorten the tubing and increase performance a slight bit but we will see how it will work out....

http://users.pandora.be/OAP2/NSK6500_f.jpg

http://users.pandora.be/OAP2/NSK6500_i.jpg

make a new logg for thet modd! :p:
make a big fan in front and put a radiator bihind it :p:

Awesome , Curious how much in materials did it cost? I am seriously thinking about making my own case. Casue I really cant find a case that I want.
If you don't mind me asking a few questions :)
Did you make any type of plans before hand? Or is there case mod sites that have some plans available to download?
Can you get that smoke acrylic like at Home depot or Lowes? Or better to buy online some where?
Good case building/mod sites?
I thought about making a thread about a custom case, I don't want to ask to many question and get your thread off track.

Thx
:toast:

Due to it was my first Cube I made some errors and had to correct hem later on. Main error was not to have a plan, I had thought it over and made soem modifications when building it, leaving me with a few holes too much , but I4m not enterign a moddign contest with this one , neither does my friend, jut a practical setup , with loads of room to spare...

For the frame I used 1 meter 25mm x 25mm Alu L profiles costing about 4-5 euro's a piece. I used 9 in total for the frame. Mounting them with 4mm countersunk screws and fasten them with 4 mm locknuts. Screws were 12 euro's for a 1000 piece box and the nuts around 15 euro's for 100 nuts...

Most expensive parts were the Acryl panels, I tried some of our local hobby markets but they broke too easily and most were transparent anyway...
So I ordered them from AC Ryan, I opted for 5mm panles at starters , but this was unnecessary 3mm was strong enough for all the sides and top... just be carefull with Acryl , tape it in , and use slow spinning drills and cutters. Cost per panel around 14 euro's for the 5mm black ones and 8 euro's for the 3mm ones.

To fasten the optical drive and floppy I ordered the bayconstructx set as it would look fab and would be easy to mount etc....

Last thing was the painting I really messed up there as I got initially a deal at around 40 euro's for spraypainting. But I went too harsh on the abrasive paper :shrug: and the Painter had to redo it 4-5 times raising up the cost drastically...

With this mod ( as I screwed up some things myself due to haste and inexperience) overal cost was around 150 euro's but it can be done with much less money if you have some old cases around and you can strip them for drive bays etc,...

This is the case with my new projects as I recovered a damaged case to get the mobo tray and support , drive bays, HDD bay,...

I hope my new project has as many replies as the current one and I hope to get some good input by you lads as I gonan built the old cube into a smaller version with a different layout to shorten hose tubing as much as possible...

Cya next time :up:

Very nice job man.

I look forward to the day where I can do some of the things you can.

Looking forward to your next mod.

Thx guys for the nice comments, new build will only start once I get the kitchen done at home, m girlie insists this one has priority ( damn women lol )

But keep you guys posted once it starts...

any news about the kitchen :P

Pretty messy Safran80 and too much dust, hope the floor and co wil be done end of this month... then I have some time on my hand to start for the new build...

o[owq9r9
erwr9-r

Quote:

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Originally Posted by xoplrak

o[owq9r9
erwr9-r

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Is that some sort of code ? does it mean you fancy my cube or is the 4th world war imminent ? :shrug:

I have to admit I really appreciate the work your puitting into this. It's just right. You have a pump with enough pressure, a great triple fan heat-exchanger, great blocvks and the NB cooler is going make a hugh difference. In fact at this point anyone running P965 or P35 systems should have their NB watercooled even if it's the only thing they watercool!


All in all it's the best system I've seen in a long time. Well thought out, well executed and it appears your experiened in thermodynamics and I really respect that.

A true DIY project :)

Amazing :eek2: . Man i would love to be able to build my own case. Maybe i will soon. Cubes are east to build someone build a circle!!!!! LOL Cute baby, get use to him being young. Once they get older, they will get into everything......

Thx guys for the nice replies, kitchen is in a final stage (for me that is), it's out of my hands now, will start casemodding again ( yep another CUBE) soon... parts are already ordered :)