Project X-343B-WC (Lian Li Cube) Completed [WARNING: Lots of Pics! 56K Beware]

Finally, after about 5 months long, I introduce to you my new build X-343B-WC. "343B" is for the Lian Li cube case. What started out as a simple 2 loops upgrade from my previous Opteron 170 system led to an all-out extreme watercooling system. Some of you have already seen a few sneak peek pics but here's more for your viewing pleasure. Critiques and feedbacks are welcome, infact encouraged. Thx!

SYSTEM SPECS
Main Components
Mobo: Asus Striker Extreme
CPU: Q6600
GPU: eVGA 8800GTX SLI
RAM: 4GB OCZ FlexXLC PC2-9200

Audio
SoundBlaster X-Fi Fatal1ty

Storage
LSI Logic Dual Channel Ultra-320 PCI-Express SCSI Controller
580GB 147GB x 4 RAID 0 Fujitsu Ultra-320 15K RPM
750GB Seagate SATA-II NL35
500GB WDC USB
Plextor PX-755SA w/Lian Li SATA USB External Enclosure

PSU
Ultra X3 1000W

Display
Dell 307WFP-HC
Spyder 2 Pro

Peripherals
Logitech G15 Keyboard
Logitech G7 Wireless Mouse

Watercooling
CPU: Swiftech GTX
GPU: EK 8800GTX FC x 2
Mobo: EK Asus NB/SB/Mosfetts Set
Pump: MCP655 x 1, MCP355 x 2
Rad: PA120.3 x 2, PA120.2 x 1
Res: Swiftech MC-Res x 3
Fitting: Koolance Compression
Tubing: Tygon 1/2", 3/8", 1/4"
Fan: Yates (Lots of It)

OS
Vista Ultimate x64

Main Use of System
Photos and Videos editing and Gaming


http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...1_IMG_1493.jpg

LOOPS
Red: Res > MCP655 > PA120.3 > CPU > Res
Alien Green: Res > MCP355 > PA120.3 > GPU2 > GPU1 > Res
Blue: Res > MCP355 > 1/2" Y ..... F > PA120.2 > Res

• Y1: > 1/2" to 1/4" > RAM1 > RAM2 > RAM3 > RAM4 > 1/4"-1/2" F
• Y2: > SB > NB > MOS1 > MOS2 > 1/4"-1/2" F

IN THE BEGINNING

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...1_IMG_0043.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...2_IMG_0052.jpg
Skeletal view of 343B. I installed Akasa noise dampening material throughout the case then sleeved the cables.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...3_IMG_0045.jpg
Here's how 2 D5s can be mounted to the mobo side panel. These pumps were installed here for the originally intended dual loops. One D5 was removed as you will later see.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...4_IMG_0049.jpg
Bay module and top plate prepped for PA120.3,

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...6_IMG_0054.jpg
PA120.3 ready to be mounted

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...5_IMG_0055.jpg
Where a PA120.3 will live. Those fans are low speed yates with blue led. As you can imagine, am setting up a push-pull.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...7_IMG_0170.jpg
The Striker with EK's blocks installed. I can't praise enough about the look and quality of EK's work.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...8_IMG_0183.jpg
Another one of EK's beautiful work of art. The only thing that bothered me is the difference in colors of the G80s PCB. But I didn't lose any sleep over it.

That's all the pics I have for the prep work.

I PRESENT YOU X-343B-WC

EXTERNAL VIEWS

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...1_IMG_1445.jpg
Bay cover is Lian Li PC-343B 3 X 5.25" Fan Module with Mesh Front and Filter.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...2_IMG_1447.jpg
Side view. One day I will cut this side panel to put window just like the other side.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...3_IMG_1452.jpg
Back side. Medium speed Yates + PSU fan for exhaust.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...4_IMG_1451.jpg
A window with quite a breathtaking view :D

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...5_IMG_1448.jpg
Another side shot. I love this case!

OTHER EXTERNAL VIEWS
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...P_IMG_1440.jpg
Top view. The original top panel was cut to perfectly match a PA120.2. I also bought the 343B top rad mount and clear top and ended up not using them. I plan to cut the clear top to match PA120.2 for better inside case view from the top.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...T_IMG_1443.jpg
Installed quick connect/disconnect of power button whenever the front panel is removed. I had to make the hole bigger to fit the molex, and I drank too much coffee that day. LOL!

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...1_IMG_1408.jpg
Here you can see how 2 PA120.3s can be installed in LL 343B. If you choose to keep the top bay panel, it must be cut just like I've done. Otherwise, just remove and toss or set it aside. From this shot you can also see how one of the reservoirs is mounted with bracket that came with MC-Res.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...1_IMG_1411.jpg
Another shot showing how the reservoir is mounted.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...2_IMG_1412.jpg
How the other 2 reservoirs are mounted. The red is screwed on to the green. The green is screwed on to the back side of the case. A perfect fit and location for this set up.

Very Very Nice Job! No shortcuts taken, the way i like it :)

X-343B-WC IN DETAIL
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...1_IMG_1428.jpg
For 3 loops, the tubings don't look too busy because not all tubes are 1/2", and the 1/2" used is 5/8" OD, not 3/4". Only 5/8" OD will work with the 1/2" ID compression fitting. Coolsleeves had to be used in some area. I chose to install coolsleeve in almost all tubes just for the uniform look.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...E_IMG_1439.jpg
Those 3 white fans on the PA120.3 are Nexus, for pulling air. 12" UV is installed on each side.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...2_IMG_1431.jpg
Close up bottom view. SB with 1/2" inlet and 3/8" outlet. PCI-E w/battery pack (white) and Fatal1ty between the GPUs.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...3_IMG_1432.jpg
Mid shot of CPU, RAM and MOS. Some of you probably have already screamed, "OMG there are 90 angles and too many of them!" Well all of the angles except one are on the insignificant loop.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...4_IMG_1436.jpg
A close up of the CPU. Note the MOS and RAM merging into the F-Fitting.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...5_IMG_1434.jpg
Close up of FlexXLC. The Asus Striker was quite a pain when it comes to 4 sticks of RAM. I had to go through 4 sets to finally find 4 sticks that work together in the Striker. Even so, the highest speed is 1066Mhz at 5-5-5-18, XLC 9200 rated timings.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...6_IMG_1433.jpg
Top view of PA120.2 and reservoirs.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...8_IMG_1437.jpg
MCP355 for GPUs.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...9_IMG_1438.jpg
MCP355 for NB/SB/RAM/MOS. These pumps are exceptionally quite once all the air in the loop is bleeded. These DDCs came with RPM cable that can be connected to the mobo fan header and then can be monitored in Windows using monitoring tools. I am using Everest.

THE DARK SIDE
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...1_IMG_1418.jpg
A little crowded but there's still plenty of access space.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...3_IMG_1406.jpg
4 x 15K RPM SCSIs + 1 SATA = HOT HOT HOT! Fortunately the rad fans are blowing at them. The drives are mounted by UFO HD mounting brackets. Yes, UFO :D
They are mounted to the rad fans and worked out quite well for this set up. Note the MCP655 is vertically mounted to back side of the mobo panel.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...4_IMG_1407.jpg
Just another close up shot.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...5_IMG_1413.jpg
The Ultra X3. Originally I had the PCP&C 1kW but that was so damn huge and long (insert dirty joke here). The X3 is a much smaller and shorter profile and incredibly beautiful, with black automotive finish, thin and very flexible modular cables and 1000 watts to boot. Oh, and it is also very quiet.

Also how hard was that to bleed since you have the resovoirs on the outlet side of the pumps?

THE LIGHT SHOWS
Ok. Time for some cool light shows. But first I want to show you my 30 inches. No, not that. My Dell monitor. LOL!!!
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...1_IMG_1455.jpg
Monitor may appear smaller in pic than in real life, but the 30" is huge.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...2_IMG_1470.jpg
At 2560x1600, there's plenty of real estate. After calibration, the color is even more vibrant. Note the idle temps at the top right corner. The first 4 is the CPU core. The last bottom two is the GPU. How about that? It rhymes.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...P_IMG_1482.jpg
Close up of the idle temps. CPU and GPUs are not yet overclocked. So far am quite satisfy with the GPU temps. The CPU could be better eventho Q6600 runs really hot. What I should have done is bowed the GTX.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...D_IMG_1475.jpg
All together now. The system is still on the workbench in the garage. She will be moved to a nice cool room.

THE REAL LIGHT SHOW
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...3_IMG_1462.jpg
Did I mentioned that I love this case?

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...2_IMG_1476.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...2_IMG_1491.jpg
The green light effect on the EK acrylic top is alot greener in real life than in this photo and it looks stunning. This is accomplished by attaching green laser LED (3 LEDs) on top of EK's FC aluminum part with LEDs shining against the acrylic.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...2_IMG_1506.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...3_IMG_1502.jpg
The blue is a combination of Pentosin G11 and blue UV dye. It glows quite nicely. The CPU loop was intended to be UV orange but I found it almost impossible to obtain fluid that is even orange, let alone glows. Most of the orange UV dyes I've tried are either just light shade of red or green when exposed under UV light. Fire red was my next option but still doesn't glow as bright. Alien green is the brightest. You can't go wrong with either UV blue or alien green if you're looking for nice glows in your loop.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...4_IMG_1498.jpg
With 2 x 6" UV light sticks attached to the back of MC-Res. Niice!!!

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...5_IMG_1496.jpg
No UV attached directly. MC-Res still glows very bright.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...K2IMG_1399.jpg http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...5_IMG_1486.jpg
Asus Striker EL back lighting, Off/On.

LETS DO IT WITH LIGHTS OFF
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...N_IMG_1489.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...1_IMG_1512.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...4_IMG_1360.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...5_IMG_1509.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...6_IMG_1510.jpg
The green is so bright, it is yellow :D
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...7_IMG_1511.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...4_IMG_1485.jpg
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...2_IMG_1461.jpg
Bulgin Vandal Power Switch - White
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...1_IMG_1379.jpg
Striker Power/Reset/Clr CMOS lighting and a nice bokeh (background/foreground blur) from a Canon 2.8 lens.

FINALLY, THE KEY TO RULE THEM ALL
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...B_IMG_1384.jpg
All lighting effects, except the power switch, are wired so it can be turned ON or OFF remotely with this key FOB.

Well there you have it. I hope you enjoyed viewing my rig as much as I enjoyed setting it up. Overclocking here I come.

Loverly build!
I'd do the same if the case was available in Aust.
Had to bolt two together to bodge up a ghetto Lian-Li quad.
Your's came out really sweet.
Which keyboard is that?

Lovely build, puts the mountain mods cases' to shame.

Love how the panels actually slot into each other, and form a cube. None of this thumb screwing the panels to the side, making them stick out from the frame work.

Wow :) I'm in the process of building something very similar, expect a couple PMs with questions :)

Amazing build, realy nice job! I just recived my 343 cube and must say that the quality of the case is the best ive seen. Mine will not bo so flashy, as im not that kind of guy, but will defo took some ides from you! once again, great work! :up:

btw, is that optional part for the PSU, to suck the air only from outside?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jedda

Loverly build!
I'd do the same if the case was available in Aust.
Had to bolt two together to bodge up a ghetto Lian-Li quad.
Your's came out really sweet.
Which keyboard is that?

---

That keyboard is the Saitek Eclipse, which has been replaced with a G15.

WOWOWOWOWOWOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you totally PWNZORZED any MM to the max!!!!


THATS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice job. I was wondering what the ambient temps were when you gave those Temps. For all the rads and loops they seem rather high for idle . I would expect all temps @ idle to be in the 26c-29c range.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mekrel

Lovely build, puts the mountain mods cases' to shame.

Love how the panels actually slot into each other, and form a cube. None of this thumb screwing the panels to the side, making them stick out from the frame work.

---

Interestingly enough he uses the Mountain Mods Hard drive brackets! Without them he'd be HD less with the Rads. Unfortunately he still has to use external optical devices - what a bummer! As for the non thumbscrew look, Looks way to flat to me. I like the 3D to the MM cubes the thumbscrews and removable bays. This LILI looks like a black flat square box, but the OP did an awesome job with this build. Very nice job with the tubing and coloring, and the modifications needed to fit the thermochill inside. Me though I'd of opt for this for a lot less money-

http://www.ocia.net/reviews/mmduality/page1.shtml

Can hold everything you got there plus some.

wow, thats beautiful :shocked:

XS keeps breaking its own record in WC xtremeties

Wow, stunning build. Well done!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mekrel

Lovely build, puts the mountain mods cases' to shame.

Love how the panels actually slot into each other, and form a cube. None of this thumb screwing the panels to the side, making them stick out from the frame work.

---

Altho build quality is almost equal or the same for both MM and LL but LL is alot cleaner and more refined looking while LL looks too industrial. I recall some one here on XS once described MM UFO as a Snap-On toolbox found in your garage. Am not puttting down on MM or anything because I recommended the case to a friend.

whered you get that remote?

ill say it again, WOOWOWOOWOO@O!@O!OOO!

Glitch4583: Bring on the questions :D

no_n|ck: The PSU sucks air from the bottom of the case and exhaust through the back. Nothing was done to the PSU or LL PSU mounting.

Turtle1: It was very warm in the garage that day when I took the pic. Those temps are core temps of Intel Quad 6600.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by onekewlchip

Interestingly enough he uses the Mountain Mods Hard drive brackets! Without them he'd be HD less with the Rads. Unfortunately he still has to use external optical devices - what a bummer! As for the non thumbscrew look, Looks way to flat to me. I like the 3D to the MM cubes the thumbscrews and removable bays. This LILI looks like a black flat square box, but the OP did an awesome job with this build. Very nice job with the tubing and coloring, and the modifications needed to fit the thermochill inside. Me though I'd of opt for this for a lot less money-

http://www.ocia.net/reviews/mmduality/page1.shtml

Can hold everything you got there plus some.

---

Thx! You're right about my HD mounting. I was stuck for awhile figuring out how to mount them. I've tried various brackets but none seem to work until an XS member suggested the MM bracket. It's a Godsend!

As for the lost of bay devices, I didn't care too much having it installed in the case. Infact I find it more convenient with an external USB.

Never mind the computer and the water cooling... look at his raid set !!! The water cooling is cool and neat... but I see other things about this machine that blow me away.

mjassbong,

If it makes you feel any better, I went through four sticks of ram hell myself and I settled on the mediocre Corsair 8500C5 5-5-5-15 ram. I burnt through two sets of Dominator 8888C4 hot rod hyper expensive ram, and Corsair got mad with me with the RMAs lol I like that OCZ Flexx ram though.. and I heard they just released a PC2-9600 version that has the same exact problems with the Striker lol

WOW man.. thats some Awesome work i have seen since a long time :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sick_g4m3r

whered you get that remote?

ill say it again, WOOWOWOOWOO@O!@O!OOO!

---

This is the one: http://www.xoxide.com/remote-12vdc-relay-kit.html

mjassbong,

Can you share why you chose to dremel out the holes at the top of your optical bay cages rather than just drill out the four pop rivets and remove the entire optical bay top panel ?

Would you believe I found an adapter to mount an optical drive in that case? :) Except that you can't access the optical drive from the front, obviously. If you have a plex window up top, I think a slot loaded DVDRW may work in vertical mounting mode.

Wow, now that is a computer! Great work!

nice work indeed. Very clean setup.

However each time i see one of your 90's it get a slight twitch.

Definitely nice build tho.

Why bother watercooling the ram if you're only running it at 1066mhz? heh

IanY: For the majority of people who chose the Striker, they will go through some form of nightmare. Am glad mine wasn't eXtreme.

As for the bay top panel, I did removed it first by drilling out the 4 rivets. After removing it, I realized the cages were a bit flimsy. I then proceeded with the cutting in order to install it back on. However, once the rad is installed, the bay cages is very sturdy once again, even without the top. So my mod was really unnecessary, really. But it does look nice with it on :D

Did you use a dremel to cut ? I don't mean to sound ridiculous, but in your opinion, is the top edge of the case frame friendly to joining two cases.. as in flipping a second case upside down and bridging two cases with 6-32 bolts and nuts, or using pop rivets. ? The reason is, with full respect to you and everyone else, everyone's machine ends up very very cramped with very little space left. This is true with both LL and MM.

On the other hand, is the ceiling and the floor of the case perfectly smooth? One option is to remove the case ceiling top panel and then cutting a similar hole in the floor of the top case. Is the underside of the case floor aluminum colour or is it black ?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by IanY

mjassbong,

Can you share why you chose to dremel out the holes at the top of your optical bay cages rather than just drill out the four pop rivets and remove the entire optical bay top panel ?

Would you believe I found an adapter to mount an optical drive in that case? :) Except that you can't access the optical drive from the front, obviously. If you have a plex window up top, I think a slot loaded DVDRW may work in vertical mounting mode.

---

Where did you find the adapter? I still have one more HD that got left out because of space issue. I am done with adding any devices but if you have an idea for me to mount another hard drive, I'd buy you beers, if you're local to me LOL!!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by IanY

Did you use a dremel to cut ? I don't mean to sound ridiculous, but in your opinion, is the top edge of the case frame friendly to joining two cases.. as in flipping a second case upside down and bridging two cases with 6-32 bolts and nuts, or using pop rivets. ? The reason is, with full respect to you and everyone else, everyone's machine ends up very very cramped with very little space left. This is true with both LL and MM.

On the other hand, is the ceiling and the floor of the case perfectly smooth? One option is to remove the case ceiling top panel and then cutting a similar hole in the floor of the top case. Is the underside of the case floor aluminum colour or is it black ?

---

I used a dremel and it was a pain to replacing the cutting wheel very often. In my opinion, the LL cube frame is very sturdy. I really think it's possible to stack 2 cases and joined them with bolts or rivets like you mentioned and also add extra support at the frames. That would make one awesome tower case.

If I recall, the underside of the case isn't completely smooth but not impossible to trim or sand the rough surfaces. And it is aluminum silver.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NaeKuh

nice work indeed. Very clean setup.

However each time i see one of your 90's it get a slight twitch.

Definitely nice build tho.

---

With the amount of 90s I have installed, you must be having ALOT of that slight twitch, Naekuh LOL!!!! j/k

Thx for the compliment

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mjassbong

Where did you find the adapter? I still have one more HD that got left out because of space issue. I am done with adding any devices but if you have an idea for me to mount another hard drive, I'd buy you beers, if you're local to me LOL!!!

---

Yeah baby lol Beer not necessary.. just glad to help :)

I found a way for you to have eight HDDs... yes 8 HDDs... up from your current five. I hope your extra HDDs will all be additions to your scsi raid :)

These are called Coolermaster 4-in-3 drive bays, typically used in the Stacker case but can also be used in any other case.

Buy two of these suckers and dump the fans (actually, they're not bad, so keep them lol)... mount the fan to the PA120.3 radiator. That mounting alone would be strong enough to support the weight of the drive cage, but the drive cage itself can be screwed onto the optical bay cage as well.

http://reviews.cnet.com/storage-acce...-30995795.html

As for the extra optical, that's a different product :)

Ya.. I forgot.. you may have to decide between using 1.5 inch x 6-32 self taping screws (assuming you are using close cornered Nexus aka Yate SLs) and 1.625 inch x 6-32 self tapping screws. You see the screw has to be fitted from the inside of the drive case and has to pass through the fan into the rad. Of course, if the fans are open corners, you have no such concerns. Its just that messing around with Thermochills is like messing around with a bomb. Don't want to puncture that radiator core.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NaeKuh

nice work indeed. Very clean setup.

However each time i see one of your 90's it get a slight twitch.

Definitely nice build tho.

---

With the amount of 90s I have installed, you must be having ALOT of that slight twitch, Naekuh LOL!!!! j/k

Thx for the compliment

mjassbong,

Please do me a favor. Can you please confirm that the latest iteration of the 3007WFP-HC uses the LG/Phillips S-IPS LM300W01 panel and not the Samsung PVA LTM300M1 panel. Many thanks.

ANP and AndyM: Thx very much! The actual work wasn't so hard but it took alot of planning.

How did you, or did you, get the soundblaster fatality to work w/ Vista x64 and 4GB of ram; most people are having problems; are you using Alchemy?

That is one nice build, by the way. The cube seems like it's made for WC and radiators, unlike some builds that are forced into a standard air case.

Nice!

very nice build you have there...I see you shot the pics with a 5D...very nice camera as well..you use a tripod with the dark shots?

Holy crap! I have one of these right now. I could have easily used one, mounting with the middle rad fan allowing for 4 drives instead of 3 with MM bracket. Mounting at the top will be in the way of the PA120.2 and at the bottom might be in the way of all the cables and tubings. Thx again for the suggestion. Now tell me where to send beer LOL!!

The Dell 3007-HC uses S-IPS panel from LG. Here's a few sources:
http://www.hothardware.com/articles/...ch_LCD/?page=2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_monitors

There is a long thread or toward the middle of this long thread about this monitor here:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1017391

It's a gorgeous monitor. The only negative is the lack of multiple inputs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by IanY

Yeah baby lol Beer not necessary.. just glad to help :)

I found a way for you to have eight HDDs... yes 8 HDDs... up from your current five. I hope your extra HDDs will all be additions to your scsi raid :)

These are called Coolermaster 4-in-3 drive bays, typically used in the Stacker case but can also be used in any other case.

Buy two of these suckers and dump the fans (actually, they're not bad, so keep them lol)... mount the fan to the PA120.3 radiator. That mounting alone would be strong enough to support the weight of the drive cage, but the drive cage itself can be screwed onto the optical bay cage as well.

http://reviews.cnet.com/storage-acce...-30995795.html

As for the extra optical, that's a different product :)

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dekruyter

How did you, or did you, get the soundblaster fatality to work w/ Vista x64 and 4GB of ram; most people are having problems; are you using Alchemy?

That is one nice build, by the way. The cube seems like it's made for WC and radiators, unlike some builds that are forced into a standard air case.

Nice!

---

The only thing I did was installing the latest SB driver for Vista x64. Maybe it is working for me because I have not or did not enable EAX? I was playing COD2 and a few other games all day without and problem, without EAX.

Thx!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Grinch

very nice build you have there...I see you shot the pics with a 5D...very nice camera as well..you use a tripod with the dark shots?

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Thx :)
It was all hand held shots with the 24-70 lens, which has no IS. I may have gotten better results using a tripod with a little longer exposure.

Excellent job! :clap: :clap:

That is one classy build. :toast: :toast:

holy mother of bling! I am not exactly a huge fan of case lighting but damn...got to love the attention to detail and all the hard work you obviously put into this build.. and props for the remote... very cool :clap: :clap: :clap:

amazing work... and great pics to do it justice... many thanks for sharing them :up: :up:

How do you like the mounting of those EK mosfet blocks? Are they stable and solid using the mounting mechanism they come with or ???

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mjassbong

Thx :)
It was all hand held shots with the 24-70 lens, which has no IS. I may have gotten better results using a tripod with a little longer exposure.

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:eek: 24-70 major $$$...very nice glass...and a great camera...still great pics..:clap:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mjassbong

Holy crap! I have one of these right now. I could have easily used one, mounting with the middle rad fan allowing for 4 drives instead of 3 with MM bracket. Mounting at the top will be in the way of the PA120.2 and at the bottom might be in the way of all the cables and tubings. Thx again for the suggestion. Now tell me where to send beer LOL!!

The Dell 3007-HC uses S-IPS panel from LG. Here's a few sources:
http://www.hothardware.com/articles/...ch_LCD/?page=2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_monitors

There is a long thread or toward the middle of this long thread about this monitor here:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1017391

It's a gorgeous monitor. The only negative is the lack of multiple inputs.

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I have a previous generation (actually second generation) 3007WFP S-IPS LG panel, as does my wife. There's this huge anxiety about Dell switching over to the cheaper Samsung panel... and I heard about the ghosting horrors with the PVA panel. I'm in the market for another one (my third) because my son wants one.

Mjassbong,

Do you use a Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L lens ? Its great for portraits. I know 24-70 isn't a common Nikkor AFS platform.. wife's hobby is photographs...

Very nice build. Looks awesome and I'm sure its awesome too!

mjassbong,

Just for your future reference, this is a nifty device to extend the platform for an optical bay. thus allowing one to install an optical drive and a rad together, except of course you cannot access the optical from the front.

Now.. think about it... perhaps the opticals can be mounted in front and the rad behind a few of those .... :) Opens up new possibilities :)


http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...oducts_id=2491

Man...I am stunned. Have nothing else to say! What a freaking great work!

This is Xtreme!

Enjoy!

If you on the northern East Coast, I'll buy you some dinner to celebrate your beautiful machine :)

That is an amazing build.

Thanks for that remote control link, I am definately using that in my build for the UVs. Thanks!

Dude,

Where did you buy the Akasa sound absorption foam ?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hoax

holy mother of bling! I am not exactly a huge fan of case lighting but damn...got to love the attention to detail and all the hard work you obviously put into this build.. and props for the remote... very cool :clap: :clap: :clap:

amazing work... and great pics to do it justice... many thanks for sharing them :up: :up:

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Many thanks :)
That's the beauty of the remote. If I get tired of the bling or about to go blind from all these lights, I can just turn it off with one click :D

mjassbong,
as you can see, we are all amazed by this this quality piece of work, beauty and one hell of machine,

this Lian-Li case is a marvelous thing to work with and you filled 100% with great stuff

I like the detail even in such a huge system,
congratz on this marvelous CUBE man :toast:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AndyM

How do you like the mounting of those EK mosfet blocks? Are they stable and solid using the mounting mechanism they come with or ???

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Mounting the mosfet blocks is very stable and feel solid. However, on the Striker, I ended up adding thermal pad on a few mosfetts because once tighten, the mobo bowed just a little around the area, creating gaps.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Grinch

:eek: 24-70 major $$$...very nice glass...and a great camera...still great pics..:clap:

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Canon L glasses are big $$$. But they have excellent resale value. I got the 24-70 barely 2 months ago. It is heavy but excellent lens for fast low light shots such as at weddings or portrait. It is on my 5D 90% of the time.

IanY:

Dinner! That sounds very good about now. Too bad am in the Westcoast. I used to go to NYC and Boston alot before my ex and I are separated.

About the new Dell 30HC, you can probably rest assured and am almost 100% sure that will always be an IPS panel. Even the previous generations are great monitor. The first time I saw a 30" LCD was Apple's at their store in SOHO and absolutely fell in love with it.

And wow! You got 2 already. Have you tried pairing them together? Talk about screen real-estate...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by IanY

Mjassbong,

Do you use a Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L lens ? Its great for portraits. I know 24-70 isn't a common Nikkor AFS platform.. wife's hobby is photographs...

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That's the one I have. I had the 24-105 f/4L IS prior (an excellent walk-around lens with great range) but I find myself shooting more in low light and needed something faster. I ended up almost breaking even by selling the 24-105 to buy the 24-70. Getting into dslr photography is a very expensive hobby, especially if you're shooting a Nikon or Canon. There is a tendency or urge to collect assortment of lenses which will make a HUGE dent on the checkbook. The upside is these quality glasses don't depreciate much, unlike our other expensive hobby - the PC and the constant upgrades :D Is your wife on the Nikon camp?

Great find on the optical bay extension. I bought most of the stuffs for this build from PPCS and missed this one.

I got the Akasa Paxmate II here: http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/akpanorekit.html

sorry im really tired and im SURE this has been answered...

it appears you have overlooked one very important thing

where are your dvd/cd roms?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sick_g4m3r

That is an amazing build.

Thanks for that remote control link, I am definately using that in my build for the UVs. Thanks!

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No problem. Also you might want to pair the remote unit with this, which is what am using. It makes connections a lot easier.

http://www.xoxide.com/sunbeam-minibaybus.html

Or this, but more expensive.

http://www.xoxide.com/thermaltake-po...-mini-box.html

Quote:

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Originally Posted by teyber

sorry im really tired and im SURE this has been answered...

it appears you have overlooked one very important thing

where are your dvd/cd roms?

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LOL!!! Good observation. Here's my CD/DVD-ROM. It's a Lian Li EX-127 USB2. Can take both IDE or SATA drive. Mine is a Plextor PX-755SA, which is SATA.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...ex127_main.gif

Thank you all for the kind response and feedback. I've built a couple watercooling systems and this is my best one so far. Of course, I put in more time and alot more effort into it, not to mention a big dent in my bank account :lol2:

Dad-gum-it Mjassbong. You make me want to spend money! That case is phenominal! Like Iany, I would like to see two of them stacked. Would be a bit xtreme I know. But.....

Awesome job in separating the loops like you did, going in 1\2" & coming out 3/8" from your chipset block, & cooling your ram with those awesome blocks!

I use a Stacker case & as soon as I saw your HD's, I immediately thought you could have used the 4 in 3 HD cage.

I have been keeping up for 5 months. And it is good to see it finally completed. CONGRATS m8! Job superbly well done!

very good finish. although it really does get cramped in there...

IanY how's that stacking of 2 cases plan of yours coming along...

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Originally Posted by septim

very good finish. although it really does get cramped in there...

IanY how's that stacking of 2 cases plan of yours coming along...

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Septim,

Unfortunately it hasn't gone very far so far. Hard H20 is hooking me up with a custom fabrication shop because I am not very satisfied with either MM or LL's solution. In fact, I find MM a little hard to work with. The custom shop will get me the case that I truly want, but that takes time. Incidently, Hard H20 has a 36 inch cube done already... yes, its four times the size of a typical MM or LL case. Forget stacking. This one's stacked and double wide, and also one piece, not joined together by some silly rivets. Its going to blow the doors off conventional thinking.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mjassbong

That's the one I have. I had the 24-105 f/4L IS prior (an excellent walk-around lens with great range) but I find myself shooting more in low light and needed something faster. I ended up almost breaking even by selling the 24-105 to buy the 24-70. Getting into dslr photography is a very expensive hobby, especially if you're shooting a Nikon or Canon. There is a tendency or urge to collect assortment of lenses which will make a HUGE dent on the checkbook. The upside is these quality glasses don't depreciate much, unlike our other expensive hobby - the PC and the constant upgrades :D Is your wife on the Nikon camp?

Great find on the optical bay extension. I bought most of the stuffs for this build from PPCS and missed this one.

I got the Akasa Paxmate II here: http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/akpanorekit.html

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mjassbong,

Yes, she's with the Shiite enemy (Nikon) lol That hobby is killing me, forget computers. Computers are downright cheap compared to camera stuff. And don't be fooled that lenses are "buy once" items... if you are heavily into it, every freaking lens that comes oout... you gotta have it. You know some simple Nikkor AF-S zoom lenses can cost like 8800 SLI (geeks dimension costs in terms of computer hardware lol), and that's not even a telephoto or macro. Silly thing like a tripod.. oh.. it *must* be carbon fiber !.. if its heavy, guess who gets to carry the damn thing around.. :) And I love the justification too... "when I get a gig (usually a birthday party for some rich family), I get to earn about $500 for three hours of work"... "ya... never mind that your latest DX upgrade.. body only... cost me how much??" lol :)

Hey.. did you use one or two orders of Akasa Paxmate in that case ? It says that its "extremely difficult" to remove, which worries me a little because I tend to over-do things and then find out that I would need to remove some lol

On your optical box, do you use an eSata, USB2 or 1394/2 connection to the computer ? I dig Plextors.

Where are you.. So Cal, S. Barbara, Monterey, SF/Valley, Sacramento/Reno, Portland, Seattle ?

I know I spend alot of time here as well:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php

And yes dslr photography costs WAY more than computers...

here is what I have now:

Bodies: 30D & XTI
Lenses: Canon 50 f/1.8..Canon 100-400L f/4.5-5.6..Sigma 17-70 f/2.8-4.5
Misc: 580EX..Better Beamer..4 & 8gb Ridata 150X CF..Opteka Battery Grips..Kenko 1.4 TC..UV Filters..Lowepro Slingshot..Tripod

OK. I stand corrected. Nikon does have a 28-70 f/2.8 AF-S lens. It costs only $1350 hahaha

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...AF_S_Zoom.html

Info for the Asus Striker Extreme memory support group.. for those moments where you feel all your hair is falling out from the four sticks of memory blues :)

http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?...Language=en-us

More than you would care to know about the Striker Extreme

http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?...Language=en-us

Have you tried bios 1301 ? I have had luck with bios 1102.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by IanY

Septim,

Unfortunately it hasn't gone very far so far. Hard H20 is hooking me up with a custom fabrication shop because I am not very satisfied with either MM or LL's solution. In fact, I find MM a little hard to work with. The custom shop will get me the case that I truly want, but that takes time. Incidently, Hard H20 has a 36 inch cube done already... yes, its four times the size of a typical MM or LL case. Forget stacking. This one's stacked and double wide, and also one piece, not joined together by some silly rivets. Its going to blow the doors off conventional thinking.

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Can't wait to see pics of this badboy :D
Am getting dizzy just thinking of its possibilities with a case this size. The phrase "The Mother of all Watercooling" should sum it up :ROTF:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by IanY

mjassbong,

Yes, she's with the Shiite enemy (Nikon) lol That hobby is killing me, forget computers. Computers are downright cheap compared to camera stuff. And don't be fooled that lenses are "buy once" items... if you are heavily into it, every freaking lens that comes oout... you gotta have it. You know some simple Nikkor AF-S zoom lenses can cost like 8800 SLI (geeks dimension costs in terms of computer hardware lol), and that's not even a telephoto or macro. Silly thing like a tripod.. oh.. it *must* be carbon fiber !.. if its heavy, guess who gets to carry the damn thing around.. :) And I love the justification too... "when I get a gig (usually a birthday party for some rich family), I get to earn about $500 for three hours of work"... "ya... never mind that your latest DX upgrade.. body only... cost me how much??" lol :)

Hey.. did you use one or two orders of Akasa Paxmate in that case ? It says that its "extremely difficult" to remove, which worries me a little because I tend to over-do things and then find out that I would need to remove some lol

On your optical box, do you use an eSata, USB2 or 1394/2 connection to the computer ? I dig Plextors.

Where are you.. So Cal, S. Barbara, Monterey, SF/Valley, Sacramento/Reno, Portland, Seattle ?

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I hear you. These lenses are a novelty item. You can never have enough of it until you bought the entire collections. I told myself enough is enough after I collected 4 lenses. But I still don't have a wide angle and need one. Or is that a "want"? Speaking of carbon fiber tripod, I don't have it either, yet. :ROTF:

I ordered 2 sets of Paxmate and ended up using 1 1/2 of it for this case. The glue they use is very sticky and on most surfaces, it's very difficult to remove without making a mess. If you intend to use it, I'd suggest plan it carefully.

That Lian Li EX-127 has USB 2.0 connection only to the PC. With this new build, I utilized all the USB ports in the back, on a 5-port hub, and even 1 of the port on the 30".

Sunny SoCal is where am at :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Grinch

I know I spend alot of time here as well:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php

And yes dslr photography costs WAY more than computers...

here is what I have now:

Bodies: 30D & XTI
Lenses: Canon 50 f/1.8..Canon 100-400L f/4.5-5.6..Sigma 17-70 f/2.8-4.5
Misc: 580EX..Better Beamer..4 & 8gb Ridata 150X CF..Opteka Battery Grips..Kenko 1.4 TC..UV Filters..Lowepro Slingshot..Tripod

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Very nice gears you have. The 30D is a great body and what I had initially. I couldn't resist the step-up to the 5D when my local Sammys camera shop had a refurb for $1800. It is basically a brand new body. I still miss the 30D 5fps compare to 3fps on the 5D. But once I look through the 5D viewfinder, I completely forget the 30D :D

Being where you are, I bet the 100-400L comes in very handy. How's the result when used with your Kenko 1.4? And have you considered upgrading to 580EX II? Am thinking about it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by IanY

OK. I stand corrected. Nikon does have a 28-70 f/2.8 AF-S lens. It costs only $1350 hahaha


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...AF_S_Zoom.html

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Yowzers! That's alot of dough, more than a Canon.

Quote:

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Info for the Asus Striker Extreme memory support group.. for those moments where you feel all your hair is falling out from the four sticks of memory blues :)

http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?...Language=en-us

More than you would care to know about the Striker Extreme

http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?...Language=en-us

Have you tried bios 1301 ? I have had luck with bios 1102.

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I am on 1102 as well right now and seems to be working just fine. I may give 1301 a try after hearing the faster boot up time, better overclocking and 4GB support.

Err.. I suggest not jumping on the 1301 bandwagon yet. I hear a lot of gripes so far. Fools rush in where angels fear to thread lol :)

And for lenses, when you get into the telephoto stuff, which my wife thankfully isn't interested in (wildlife, investigative husband cheating on wife, celebrity snooping, etc.), we're talking $3000 to $5000 for one lens.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mjassbong

Very nice gears you have. The 30D is a great body and what I had initially. I couldn't resist the step-up to the 5D when my local Sammys camera shop had a refurb for $1800. It is basically a brand new body. I still miss the 30D 5fps compare to 3fps on the 5D. But once I look through the 5D viewfinder, I completely forget the 30D :D

Being where you are, I bet the 100-400L comes in very handy. How's the result when used with your Kenko 1.4? And have you considered upgrading to 580EX II? Am thinking about it.

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You are very very lucky to get a 5D for that great price, refurbished or not. At least you are smart and didn't pay retail... I hear the retail for a 5D is $3,800, body only?.... is the 1D still the bomb for Canon ?

And just to console myself and make myself feel a bit better.... the ambient temps in Sunny SoCal ain't so good for extreme overclocking temps.... there, I feel much better now :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mjassbong

Very nice gears you have. The 30D is a great body and what I had initially. I couldn't resist the step-up to the 5D when my local Sammys camera shop had a refurb for $1800. It is basically a brand new body. I still miss the 30D 5fps compare to 3fps on the 5D. But once I look through the 5D viewfinder, I completely forget the 30D :D

Being where you are, I bet the 100-400L comes in very handy. How's the result when used with your Kenko 1.4? And have you considered upgrading to 580EX II? Am thinking about it.

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:eek: $1800.00...nice! The only reason I have not gone with the 5D is exactly what you said ..5fps vs 3..I take alot of nature/sports photos and need all the fps I can get...this is what I am buying next instead of the 5D..

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0702/07...s1dmarkiii.asp

10mp @ 10fps....ew la la very nice...:eek:

my 100-400 rarely leaves my 30D along with my kenko 1.4....here is a place where all the pics I have taken were with the 100-400 along with the kenko tc...

http://www.pbase.com/grinchy247/canon_100-400

keep in mind I have only been doing this since december 2006
:up:

Excuse me Mr. Grinch. Can you please enlighten me as to how you learned advanced Digi photography so darn fast? I live with my wife and I don't understand half the crap that she (and her circle) says when it comes to photography, and my skills are distinctly lacking.... I use auto focus cameras lol

I am involved in a local photography club...and I read the hell out of:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php

other than that ALOT of practice...*-)

alot of it to is in the glass attached to your camera...

great work mjassbong :)
Please explain abit more about the leds by the Ek blocks for you 8800's
thanks

IanY:
I guess I can wait awhile before jumping the 1301 bandwagon.
Btw, in SoCal we get to play golf pretty much year round :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Grinch

I am involved in a local photography club...and I read the hell out of:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php

other than that ALOT of practice...*-)

alot of it to is in the glass attached to your camera...

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I got started with digital photog middle of last year. I've been frequenting fredmiranda and dpreview. I will definitely check out photography-on-the-net. But like you said, the best way to learn is to just start shooting.

Those are some really nice photos you took. How long again have you been into photog? Your shots look like pro to me :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jabski

great work mjassbong :)
Please explain abit more about the leds by the Ek blocks for you 8800's
thanks

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Thanks! Unfortunately I don't have pics of how I mounted the green LEDs. Since a few others had asked the same question, here's my attempt at illustration.

First, this is the LED.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...7_38246148.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...7_38216960.jpg

Here's how I mounted it.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...IMG_0182_1.jpg

The LED is shining through the acrylic toward the back of the case. You can just use a double-sided tape, preferrably a thin one. However, I didn't have the tape at the time. So I applied a tiny dab of epoxy glue I had nearby on the LED and pressed it on to the EK aluminum heatsink.

Next, use a piece of black tape about the same lenght of the LED and place it between the acrylic and LED to prevent effect light from bleeding out.

If you have an inverted case such as some Lian Li's where G80 block is right-side-up, then you might want to make this mod look as neat as possible since it will be shown/exposed. Mine is a regular mount with the block upside down, you can barely see the LED.

Very impressed !!! Congrats on the A+ build

Wow grinch, i am not into photography stuff, but your pics are mindblowing!!!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mjassbong

IanY:
I guess I can wait awhile before jumping the 1301 bandwagon.
Btw, in SoCal we get to play golf pretty much year round :D

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mjassbong:

Bah.. at least the links here are green and not brown ..j/k :D

Hey Mr. Grinch,

When I asked to see chicks, I wasn't expecting birds.. j/k :D Stunning photos.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mjassbong

I hear you. These lenses are a novelty item. You can never have enough of it until you bought the entire collections. I told myself enough is enough after I collected 4 lenses. But I still don't have a wide angle and need one. Or is that a "want"? Speaking of carbon fiber tripod, I don't have it either, yet. :ROTF:

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Roger that!
I haven't embraced digital photography with much enthusiasm, just because I have most of the old nikon range of lenses, drives and bodies.
LOL I haven't used my 24-70 for longer than Grinch has been into photography!

What's the go with mirror lenses? Can you strap the old 500 or 1000 reflex onto a digital body?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mjassbong

I got started with digital photog middle of last year. I've been frequenting fredmiranda and dpreview. I will definitely check out photography-on-the-net. But like you said, the best way to learn is to just start shooting.

Those are some really nice photos you took. How long again have you been into photog? Your shots look like pro to me :)

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Thanks man...I really like that forum for photography...I like the layout way better than dpreview...I have been doing this since december 2006:up:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sick_g4m3r

Wow grinch, i am not into photography stuff, but your pics are mindblowing!!!!!

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Thank you...:up:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by IanY

Hey Mr. Grinch,

When I asked to see chicks, I wasn't expecting birds.. j/k :D Stunning photos.

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:ROTF: ...Alot of it is in the glass...:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jedda

Roger that!
I haven't embraced digital photography with much enthusiasm, just because I have most of the old nikon range of lenses, drives and bodies.
LOL I haven't used my 24-70 for longer than Grinch has been into photography!

What's the go with mirror lenses? Can you strap the old 500 or 1000 reflex onto a digital body?

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you talking like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Opteka-500mm-HD-...QQcmdZViewItem

you can but overall a mirror lens is not that good with IQ...:up:


If you want to see ALL the pics I have taken and put on the web...then go to:
http://www.pbase.com/grinchy247

you might see a slow progression into getting better...

Holy smokes! You bush gardens shots are amazing!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sick_g4m3r

Holy smokes! You bush gardens shots are amazing!!

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thanks man...although it was quite funny watching all these people stare at me with a giant white lens attached to my camera..:up:
when that 100-400 is extended with the lens hood on it looks HUGE..:clap:

I'm speechless.