Project: Monolith [56K Beware]
Project: Monolith
The Premise
Almost a year ago, I bought a Mountain Mods U2-UFO from our very own Philly_Boy. When I first saw it in person, my jaw dropped. This thing was monstrous! It seemed the epitome of case engineering. I also picked up some basic WC gear, and transferred my aging rig into this behemoth (Worklog). It hummed right along, but it's been over 2 years since I've upgraded the hardware. It's in dire need of a complete rebuild.
Something else which I wanted to change was the look of the UFO. Almost every Mountain Mods case I've seen looks strikingly similar. While the hardware inside is always impressive, and the case suited perfectly for WC, the face wasn't quite my cup of tea. Many cases have caught my eye over the past year, but I decided I wanted something to differentiate myself from the crowds. There's only one solution: modding. I am completely altering (more masking I suppose) the front panel of the U2-UFO. I want something more refined. Something simple. Something which set my case apart from the others I had seen. Project Monolith was born.
The Plan
The top and right (PSU/5.25) side of the UFO would be simple black panels from Mountain Mods. No fans, no windows. Simply black. The panel for the motherboard (left) side of the case would be dark gray smoked acrylic. It has very low visibility without light behind it, so it almost looks like just another black panel. However, when the case is lit up, you should be able to see the internals perfectly.
The biggest change is to the front of the case. I ordered another plain black panel from MM and have created a facade for the front panel. I drilled mounting holes just like the ones the side panels are mounted with, mounted the plain black panel using 7/8" standoffs. The front of the case is now just a plain black panel, with enough space to allow for airflow to the front fans, among other things. I will be mounting two Vandal black delrin switches to the front panel. Mounted to the back of the facade will be a slot-loading slim optical drive, facing up. I'm really excited about this part, how sweet will it be to seemingly load your discs into the top of the case?
Lighting will be all white and controlled from a rocker switch on the rear of the case. There is going to be a gentle white glow radiating from the gap in between the facade and the front of the case, and LED clusters illuminating the internals.
The cooling system is of course being completely revamped. Time to do away with the ghastly/cliche blue fluid with green SmartCoils. I will be using black Tygon, and if necessary black tubing springs. The final loop setup is in the air, but the base components will be a PA120.3, FuZion V2, DDC-3.1, EK Res, and fullcover EK block.
The Hardware
PC Components:
ASUS Rampage Formula X48
Sapphire 3870X2
4GB (2x2GB) OCZ ReaperX DDR2 1000
Intel Q6600 SLACR
SeaSonic M12-700W
Western Digital WD6400AAKS
Panasonic UJ-85J Slimline Slot-Loading DVD Writer
Razer AC-1 Sound Card
Cooling:
Thermochill PA120.3
DDC-3.1 w/ DDCT-01s
DTek FuZion V2 w/ Quad Midplate
EK FC3870X2 Nickel Plated
EK MultiOption 250
Tygon R3400 7/16" ID 9/16" OD
Scythe S-FLEX D 800 RPM 120MM
Goals
- Silent - The rig in my sig is humming along dead silent on air right now with 3 S-FLEX D's @ 12v. I plan on running 4-5 @ 7v
- Fast - Obviously. Not the fastest rig around clearly, but it should handle pretty much anything I can throw at it
- Stylish - Rising above and beyond the standard UFO setup as well as the typical lighting/color schemes
- Learn a few things along the way
As it stands...
The Workspace
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2246/...7678f4d3_b.jpg
The Case
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3203/...cda56abd_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/...d2e0c5bd_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2170/...6e7e5e7221.jpghttp://farm3.static.flickr.com/2385/...c797fcc6db.jpg
Questions
1. Currently I'm debating between running just the PA120.3 to cool everything. However, I have the MCR220 from my first WC setup sitting around. What are your thoughts on adding this to the loop? It creates some airflow questions which I'll address in question 2.
2a. With the PA120.3 as the sole radiator, I would have 3 fans pulling through it and a single exhaust on the motherboard side. There would be no fans on the other side of the case save for the PSU fans. I assume this much positive pressure will be fine because I'm going to be using such low CFM fans?
2b. If I do in fact add the MCR220 to the loop, would it be alright to have the three intake on the motherboard side and have two exhaust on the MCR220 be the only fans? Would positive pressure take care of removing the heat from motherboard components out of the back of the case?
3. Is there anywhere that has PA120.3 shrouds/gaskets in stock? These are impossible to find!
Short To-Do List
1. Mount power/reset switches. Will be mounted vertically, at the top center of the facade. Will require to drill holes directly behind them on the front of the case because the power buttons on the stock UFO front are not actually centered like these will be.
2. Wire fans. Custom cable lengths, connectors, etc.
3. Wire lighting. Change molexes to 3-pin so I can dim them, wire to rocker switch, etc.
4. Wait for hardware.
The hardware should be arriving tomorrow, with most of the water cooling parts getting here early next week.
Have at it.
