[Project] Polished Orange/Blue Stacker 832 - (56k warning)

Well folks without further adieu I give you my modded 832 Stacker. I know some of you have been watching my progress over in the Stacker SLACKER! thread but due to the amount of pictures I decided to start my own thread but will post some over there as well.

This was actually my first case mod ever and I think personally that it turned out rather well, at least I'm happy :). Thank you to each and every one of you here on Xtreme for all the help and great comments it's folks like you that keep the desire alive :up:

I guess enough blabbering and on to the pics, here's a quick inventory list,

- CM Stacker 832
- Asus Striker Extreme
- Quad 6600 (G0)
- 2 8800 GTX's
- Crucial Ballistix Tracers PC8500
- Thermaltake Toughpower 1200
- D-TEK FuZion Waterblock
- Thermochill PA120.3
- (2) MC60 w/MC8800 kit's
- Laing D5 Vario/Swiftech MCP655
- EK-150 Rev.2 Multi-Option Reservoir
- AquaXtreme High-Flow Fitting Barbs
- D-Tek High-Flow Fitting Barbs
- Danger Den Delrin FillPort
- 7/16" ID (5/8" OD) Masterkleer Tubing
- 6 Yate Loons DSL-12's
- (2) Sunbeam Rheobus Black Fan Controller
- Orange PSU Sleeving kit
- (3) Logisys 12" Dual Cold Cathode Kit - UV
- WD Raptor 74g (OS) -- WD 250g (backup)
- Sony DVD/CD burner (nothing special)
- About a 100 trips to Home Depot, Radio Shack and various other places and a unforgettable amount of time.


Quick pic of the Shop
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Picture017.jpg

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Picture019.jpg

Father in law helping out, here were making our marks for cutting out the bottom of the case to fit the radiator (PA120.3)
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Picture015.jpg

Here's the bottom cut out.
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Picture021.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Picture035.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Picture037.jpg

Next we made our marks for cutting out the mother board tray for routing cables.
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Picture023.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Picture030.jpg

Had the case painted a high gloss black (Suburu to be exact)
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...ker_832016.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...ker_832006.jpg

We had to make custom legs for added height due to the radiator being mounted on the outside of the case and not in as there was no room.
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...ker_832022.jpg


Heres the radiator with legs showing the clearance.
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...ker_832029.jpg

Fans mounted to the inside of the case, rad underneath
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...ker_832031.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...ker_832045.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...ker_832047.jpg

Shot of the motherboard tray
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...r_832006-1.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...ker_832008.jpg

Before cleaning up the wiring, as you can see it's pretty much a mess :shocked:
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...ker_832134.jpg

I had to strip the original paint then sand starting with 600 working my way to 2500, then polish to a finish but I let a shop finish the polishing for me
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker044.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker057.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker061.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker064.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker069.jpg

After everything put back together
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker074.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker078.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker079.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker080.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker086.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker094.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker096.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker100.jpg

I added a custom cover plate to hide all the drives and pump. I used some fluorescent and black plexi, cut the black a bit smaller than the orange so that the orange will glow under UV lighting.
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker109.jpg

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker111.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker113.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker117.jpg

And now for some night shots,
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker120.jpg

Put some custom Rocker switches in the top, these control the UV lights
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker121.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker122.jpg

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker124.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker125.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker127.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker129.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker130.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker133.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker137.jpg

Here she is sitting on the desk
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker141.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker142.jpg

Well there it is in all it's glory, some of the shots of the polishing just don't due justice. The pics outside with the sun blazing down give it a rather washed look but I can tell you that inside the baby shines like there's no tomorrow, I just wish I had a professional camera but oh well.

Thanks again everyone, it's been a fun first time mod and hope to maybe do some more in the future.

Sweet set up you got there. I'm thinking whether or not I should MOD a case, now seeing how yours turned out I want to do it even more.

Damn nice build man. Maybe some polished side skirts around the base might dress it up some more. Everything is very well done.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BlueAqua

Damn nice build man. Maybe some polished side skirts around the base might dress it up some more. Everything is very well done.

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Thats funny that you say that, I was debating weather or not to polish those as well but finally decided against it :p:. My reasoning for not was so that the side's matched the little bit of black on the top, back, mesh and legs but was a rather hard decision to make.

Super nice. It reminded me of the 2nd generation robot in Terminator 2. You know, the one that could morph itself into that shiny silver form. And great pictures too. I love the clarity and high resolution.

Nice clean build m8 love the shine :)

Woow Awesome Build Mate!!!!

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

:up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up:

only thing i would do is maybe cable tie your power cord's look just a tad cleaner

other than that

FANTASTIC BUILD!!

That is some insane polishing, brilliant. Really looks like chrome. And the orange is nice too, I've always wanted to do a mod involving orange... some time.

Thats one good looking stacker ! :up:

One of the nicest stackers I've seen! Great job.

that puter is very yummy! :D great job bud!!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by disruptfam

Woow Awesome Build Mate!!!!

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

:up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up:

only thing i would do is maybe cable tie your power cord's look just a tad cleaner

other than that

FANTASTIC BUILD!!

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LOL, I actually did have them zip tied with my old PSU, I just got my new one, had to re-sleeve it and forgot to zip tie them, good catch. :)

those tracer's really suit that build nice work!!!

Guys, thanks for all the kind comments, it's much appreciated :up:

Awesome mod. That is amazing work.

56k Warning? I wonder who's still on 56k. . . lol

How are your temp's???

How well is that 120.3 handling that quad and 2 gtx's??

Fantasic setup. Great polishing work :clap: :clap:

the orange and blue looks great, nice work

Very nice color scheme you have selected. I love the black gloss base. It really brings out everything else. The polished finish is astounding as well. :up:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by disruptfam

How are your temp's???

How well is that 120.3 handling that quad and 2 gtx's??

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Temps are decent for two overclocked 8800GTX's and a quad. I idle around 36/38 and load (P95) max 62.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TopherTony

Very nice color scheme you have selected. I love the black gloss base. It really brings out everything else. The polished finish is astounding as well. :up:

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Thank you, I think the two colors (gloss black and polished aluminum) compliment each other quite well, along with the orange and blue glow :)

very nice mod....only thing is that mobo is a huge POS for a quad....

But the quality and craftsmanship is fantastic on the mod, I really like it

I would change that mobo asap though...you will have far more headroom to OC that quad.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 7499richard

very nice mod....only thing is that mobo is a huge POS for a quad....

But the quality and craftsmanship is fantastic on the mod, I really like it

I would change that mobo asap though...you will have far more headroom to OC that quad.

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Before I grabbed the Srtiker I had a IP35-pro (actually if you look at the pics of the mother board tray you'll notice it's not the Striker:)) that could push my quad to the 4.0 range, however in my whole build process I thought that I blew up my 8800gtx and while awaiting RMA I picked up another 8800gtx. So then it was a question of "Do I want an extra 200mhz or possibly 400mhz, or sacrifice it for another 8800gtx"? The answer to me was simple, 2 8800gtx's as I'm running my quad prime stable at 3.6. I know my chip has more room but I'm pretty happy with 3.6 and two 8800gtx's. Hopefully soon a new chipset will come out that supports SLI and can OC a quad with more ease, until then, I'm pretty happy.

You have such an awesome case! I'm not sure if I like the chrome, but you did an awesome job, inside and out.

Very nice mod man the only thing that needs a change is the legs !!!

Fantastic look man, really like the shiny exterior with the bright interior.

Looks great, obviously took some planning!

Looks great! Nice planning and finish, the polished and black really looks good!

Looks great. You really transformed that Stacker :up:

I am truly inspired! You just gave me a better place to put a rad in my case .. Could maybe even fit a quad !

Quote:

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Originally Posted by awhir

Very nice mod man the only thing that needs a change is the legs !!!

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Ya.. The legs could use some hiding.


Looks fantastic other than that though. :up:

Sweet Case!

the first thing i thought about when i saw this pic was those droids in Battlestar Galatica! That's pretty badass!

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker122.jpg

Very nice work there :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bball4ever39

Ya.. The legs could use some hiding.


Looks fantastic other than that though. :up:

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The legs happened pretty early in the build, I was trying to find something else but couldn't really come up with anything so It sort of just paned out while doing everything else. I looked high and low for some nice caster wheels, they were either to big or just didn't seem to fit the build. Maybe when I get some time I'll try to come up with some polished legs or something :rolleyes:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Crazypinoy9

Sweet Case!

the first thing i thought about when i saw this pic was those droids in Battlestar Galatica! That's pretty badass!

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...Stacker122.jpg

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Thats funny, someone over in the Stacker Slacker thread said the same thing.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...postcount=1403

WOW :clap: that is a really beautiful Case. Great Job :up: :clap: :clap:

You could build a little skirt or such and get put it around the legs, anything to at least disguise them a bit.

WOW!! :clap:

The case looks absolutely amazing...I'm not digging the extra length feet at the bottom but I guess it was necessary for what you built down there...the finish on that is just beautiful...hands down one of the best sand/polish jobs on a case I've seen.

Have you turned that mobo rack upside down?
Did it need modding or is it simple to do?

You could send me that case couldn't you... you know for inspection...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BulldogPO

Have you turned that mobo rack upside down?
Did it need modding or is it simple to do?

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The Stacker case is designed so that you can switch the MB tray to either side of the case, hence the reason it's upside down, I did had to move it to the other side so that I had more clearance in the bottom of the case, no need to mod it at all.

Actually when you own a Stacker and you start taking it apart and building your masterpiece you'll start to notice things that make you go "Oh My Gosh, the engineers who designed this thing thought of just about everything". The case is absolutely awesome, one thing to keep in mind is that the 830 series is really designed for air cooling so I'm sure you'll get different opinions about people saying it's not good for water cooling, but as you can see it can be modded for water cooling :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mondocool

You could send me that case couldn't you... you know for inspection...

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Sure for a special price :p:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ACE76

WOW!! :clap:

The case looks absolutely amazing...I'm not digging the extra length feet at the bottom but I guess it was necessary for what you built down there...the finish on that is just beautiful...hands down one of the best sand/polish jobs on a case I've seen.

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Thank you ACE, it was many many hours of sanding :eek: but it was worth it in the end.

WOW! Excellent job, looks stunning.

nice job and the way it looks... wauw:eek:


May i ask why u placed the thermochill 120.3 at the bottom ?


Is it bad to place it at the back or is it not possible due to it's size?


I'm asking cause i want to buy a new pc to with the 832 case with watercooling.

Very nice and clean look, super good finish and quality, one of the best case jobs I have ever seen, just fantastic.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Astratuner

nice job and the way it looks... wauw:eek:
May i ask why u placed the thermochill 120.3 at the bottom ?

Is it bad to place it at the back or is it not possible due to it's size?

I'm asking cause i want to buy a new pc to with the 832 case with watercooling.

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Yes, the PA120.3 will not fit inside the case any other way. You may be able to fit it in the front but I would assume that you wouldn't be able to fit anything else in there. Actually placing it at the bottom worked out great. I have the rad at the bottom and the fans on the inside for a total of (6) 120mm fans. I have one in the front, one in the back and one at the top all of which exhaust the air. The three on the rad suck in cold air which blows over the motherboard components and everything stays pretty dang cool. On another note during the summer I can put my machine over the register in my house, turn on the AC and really cool it off :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Terru

Very nice and clean look, super good finish and quality, one of the best case jobs I have ever seen, just fantastic.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nate P.

WOW! Excellent job, looks stunning.

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Thank you guys for all the kind compliments, it's much appreciated :up:

Guys, unfortunately it's time for my baby to go, some of you already know this from the "Stack Slacker" thread but thought I'd post here as well. The wife and I are trying to come up with as much money as possible for a down payment on a house so as the saying goes " it's a sad day in mudville":(

Most of everything will be over in the "For Sale" thread this weekend but if you want, PM me.

-Thanks

Such a nice Rig. Omg.

Very impressive work, it must be a pitty to sell this baby -(

OK here's a dumb question, maybe I just overlooked it, but... I have the 830 (duh), BlackIceGTX 360, and 2 single 120 Rads and am using your placement at the bottom as my model.

Anyway, do your fans on the 360 suck in or blow out since they're in the case? I am going to be using 3 Scythe Ultra Kaze (133CFM) for my triple rad and didn't know whether I should be having them blow air in the case or out...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nsidious9

OK here's a dumb question, maybe I just overlooked it, but... I have the 830 (duh), BlackIceGTX 360, and 2 single 120 Rads and am using your placement at the bottom as my model.

Anyway, do your fans on the 360 suck in or blow out since they're in the case? I am going to be using 3 Scythe Ultra Kaze (133CFM) for my triple rad and didn't know whether I should be having them blow air in the case or out...

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Im warning you man get those things on a controller, im using one right now and at the full 3000 rpm it is louder than all the rest of my fans put together. its quite nice and quiet at 2300 rpm though

or just get the 2000rpm versions :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nsidious9

OK here's a dumb question, maybe I just overlooked it, but... I have the 830 (duh), BlackIceGTX 360, and 2 single 120 Rads and am using your placement at the bottom as my model.

Anyway, do your fans on the 360 suck in or blow out since they're in the case? I am going to be using 3 Scythe Ultra Kaze (133CFM) for my triple rad and didn't know whether I should be having them blow air in the case or out...

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I'm using the Yate Loon's D12SL's and they suck air in which are all on two Sunbeam Rheobus Fan Speed Controllers. In the summer I can put my case over a register and crank up the AC :D

didnt you sell this rig?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hillsdale

didnt you sell this rig?

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I've been parting out most of it but I haven't put the case up for sale yet.

how much do you sale it for ?

Excellent!

What temps did you get with that setup?

Guys, please PM me for sale questions, thank you!

Great thing!!!!
The legs I must say are a little "off the rest". If you can make extremely nice and beautiful photos without reflecting the beautiful photographer, it could be one of the most beautiful systems!" Congratulations for this nice job!

watta beauty queen!:up::up::up:

that is one beautiful, sexy, smooth looking case! awsome work!

Well, I'm back boys and girls as I had took some time off. It's been a few months or so but I'm glad to be back.

I actually still have the case and will be soon throwing around some new ideas so stay tuned for some updates. :)

Very nice looking case man. Hopefully you don't end up having to sell it. I can't imagine the amount of elbow grease that went into getting it to shine like that!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bubbaxm2

Very nice looking case man. Hopefully you don't end up having to sell it. I can't imagine the amount of elbow grease that went into getting it to shine like that!

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You have no idea man. I had to have them amputated and then got prosthetic arms. On the sale note: At one point I had really thought about selling it but just couldn't bring myself to do it. I did however sell most of the hardware inside but this leaves with new ideas and a better build, hence the "stay tuned" in my earlier post :D

Thought I would post back here as my case is up for sale for real this time. You can check the "For Sale" thread and the "Stacker Slacker" Thread. I am taking offers at this time so please PM with questions.

Thanks!

amazing pc, ohh i wish i had the money :D:D

Only two words: "VERY NICE!" :clap::up:

Nice work! I'm not a stacker fan by any means, bleh. lol. But this one turned out very nice. Be proud!

Completely astonishing :up:

Noob question here: How and where can I achieve the chrome looking finish you got on your stacker GameGuru?

A couple of things...

For starters I never ended up selling the case, no one wanted to pay me for what it's worth so I decided to keep it and start a whole new updated round two project that I'm currently in the middle of. I'll probably end up starting a whole new work log as well so stay tuned as I have a lot of cool ideas in mind. My new build will consist of a dual loop with a PA120.3 and a PA120.2 but that's all I'm going to give away at this time.

Quote:

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Noob question here: How and where can I achieve the chrome looking finish you got on your stacker GameGuru?

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My particular stacker was polished, there was never any chrome plating of any kind. First you have to strip the paint and anodizing, I used "Oven Off" to achieve this. Once you have all your pieces striped, you need to start sanding. I started with 600 then worked my way up to 2000 wet/dry. Then the final polishing was done with a buffer and metal polish. I'm not going to lie when I say this, the whole process is VERY VERY time consuming. If your a normal guy like myself and have a life then this can take several days and even up to a week to finish depending on how much your doing and how many available hours in the evening you have. Other information you should be able to see in my first post.

On a whole other note, knowing what I know now and seeing some of the new hardware available my next build should kill this one. :)

Thanx for the info. On the chroming question... do you happened to know what are the downsides of chroming a case and any cheap ways to do so?

I thought about chroming out my case but do you have any idea how much that would cost? If your rich then by all means go for it but you could probably pay a shop or someone to polish your case for around $500 or so. Or do what I did and research how to polish aluminum and tackle it yourself. It's really not that hard, it's just very time consuming. One thing to keep in mind is that you're going to want to strip out the case which involves drilling out a bunch of rivets which again isn't that hard to do.

Thanks for all the info GameGuru, much appreciated :up:
I think polishing is the more affordable and convenient way for me.