Project: Aquasidian (Corsair 800D)

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11-01-2009, 09:52 AM
Nem

Project: Aquasidian (Corsair 800D)

Six months on small update: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...8&postcount=80

Finally managed to get started on my new build...

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/01.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/02.jpg

Run down of parts:

Asus Rampage II Extreme
Intel i7 920 D0
Asus Ati 5870
Corsair Dominator 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8
Corsair Obsidian 800D
Crucial 64Gb SSD + Westen Digital 1Tb

Watercooling:

Swiftech GTZ SE
EK 5870 full cover
XSPC RX360
Swiftech MCP655
EK 250 R2 Reservoir
Tygon 1/2" with Fesser Compresion fittings
Thermochill EC6 Blue Coolant

Then to finish it all there are some white cathodes, Scythe Kaze controler, Scythe Jyuni 1900 fans, Corsair Ram cooler. All cables will be sleeved with MDPC-X sleeve and heatshrink.

Mounting the 5870 block:

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/03.jpg

Pump, Res and Rad mounting:

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/04.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/05.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/06.jpg

Motherboard and graphics fitted, all pipework in place:

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/07.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/08.jpg

Two days work so far, and it's gone rather well so far. I have managed to snap on of the res mounting brackets so need to replace that.

I've sleeved a few of the cables for the fans already, also turned the rear case fan around to draw air into the case. Just witing for a delivery from Germany for the rest of the sleeving to finish off the psu cables.

Next stage it to recheck all the pipe fittings and then fill and leak test the system before going any further. These compression fittings certainly look nice, but it's a bit of a task to get them 100% secure, so need to be careful of them I think.

I have also got the waterblocks for the mosfets on this board, but didn't realise you need to also replace the north / south bridge cooling as well. I've not got enough cooling to have all of it in the system so for now I've decided to keep the stock cooling on the mother board and add at a later date.

Will update later in the week with progress :)
11-01-2009, 10:53 AM
br4d

amazing, i luv it! <3 :D
11-01-2009, 11:04 AM
shazza

Very nice!

You're not the only one who has snapped the res holders - it's a fairly common problem.
11-01-2009, 12:07 PM
eponymous

Good stuff!

Yeah, those brackets are fairly brittle :(.
11-01-2009, 12:38 PM
WinstonSthlm

Looking great, good choice of case! :)
I also broke the res holder for the EK Multioption.
11-01-2009, 02:19 PM
Nem

Are there any better options for the rad mounting brackets?

I've seen some generic black ones which will do the job:

http://www.chilledpc.co.uk/shop/prod...oducts_id=1510

They will obviously do the job and look like they are more hard wearing that the standard clear ones.

I've also seen the Murder Mod ones which say they will be available soon, but they are very pricey.
11-01-2009, 02:36 PM
WinstonSthlm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nem

Are there any better options for the rad mounting brackets?

I've seen some generic black ones which will do the job:

http://www.chilledpc.co.uk/shop/prod...oducts_id=1510

They will obviously do the job and look like they are more hard wearing that the standard clear ones.

I've also seen the Murder Mod ones which say they will be available soon, but they are very pricey.

Those from Chilled will most likely not break. When I wrote EK Waterblocks they said that they are working on a better version of the res holder.

If you slide the res into the plexi holder they should probably not break, not as easy anyway.

The Murdermod holder is really nice. A bit more expensive tho :)
11-01-2009, 03:22 PM
dingdong555

Nice start!

Sorry, but where is the pump pumping too?
11-01-2009, 03:30 PM
millertime359

looks nice.
11-01-2009, 04:12 PM
Nem

Quote:

Originally Posted by dingdong555

Nice start!

Sorry, but where is the pump pumping too?

Couple more pics to show how the pump is mounted and the pipe routed behind the motherboard wall. There is a good inch of space back there, so with that smll piece of the case bent it allows the pipe to not be squashed at all.

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/09.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/10.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/11.jpg
11-01-2009, 04:16 PM
dingdong555

WOW, thanks for that, you just gave me some awesome ideas for my case!
11-01-2009, 04:18 PM
Nem

Not a problem. I had to get my thinking hat on to figure it out, there isn't as much space in the lower part of the case as I was thinking there was from the pics on the net. Wanted to use both of the holes in the case floor partition and have the pipe going in and out of there but there isn't room to mount the pump to allow it.

Also this way I think the pipeing looks cleaner, and gets people thinking how it's done :)
11-01-2009, 07:26 PM
Liderc

Very clean.
11-01-2009, 08:19 PM
Mr_Armageddon

I love me a liquid cooled 800D. Looking forward to seeing the finished product. Keep up the good work.
11-02-2009, 11:53 AM
Nem

First fill an leak test didn't go well :( Fluid coming out of both the cpu block inlet and outlet! Not the pipe connection but the compression fitting to the block. But it was as tight as possible to screw it in.

Had to part drain the system and remove both fittings to have a look. Seems that the O ring on the compression fittings are not large enough to seal them to this cpu block. Had a brainwave and looked at the fittings supplied with the block (which I've not used at all) and they had O rings which were twice the size on them. Changed them over to the compression fittings and put it all back together, refilled and for the last 30 minutes they seem ok. I've currently got a towel and kitchen roll laid out to look for any leaks with a micro torch aimed at the cpu block to make it easier to see.

The colour of this Thermochill Blue liquid is perfect for the Aqua theme :D

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/12.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/13.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/14.jpg
11-02-2009, 03:18 PM
dingdong555

Great job there.

Because Swiftech recess the hole for the fitting, you must replace the o-ring with the stock swiftech o-ring and you'll be fine, you just found out the hard way!

Nice Coolant too!!
11-02-2009, 03:43 PM
Nem

The hard way indeed, lol!

Well it's been running for about 4 hours now with no other issues. Have turned it off now for the night, and will continue with the leak test tomorrow when I can sit and keep an eye on it, just in case.
11-02-2009, 04:34 PM
Nem

Last update for today...

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/15.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/16.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/17.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/18.jpg
11-02-2009, 04:55 PM
millertime359

That blue coolant looks really nice. Good job there. :up:
11-02-2009, 05:26 PM
1nvisible

Never seen those barbs before, looks weird.
11-02-2009, 08:13 PM
anubis_is_evil

looking really great Nem :up:

especially that blue coolant from TC, daym its beautiful, never see any coolant look like it before ? where do you get that TC coolant :D
11-03-2009, 12:53 AM
Khoral

Case is great, coolant is really good looking (back to the origins, aquarium style ? :D)

Really good job o/
11-03-2009, 02:02 AM
woffen

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1nvisible

Never seen those barbs before, looks weird.

They are Fesers version of 45° compressions.

Very nice build! And that coolant really looks sick in this build!!:up:
11-03-2009, 02:51 AM
Anemic

I really like this case, but seeing this build makes me like ever more! Awsome job Nem, keep us updated.
11-03-2009, 03:24 AM
eponymous

Very nice stuff, keep up the good work!
11-03-2009, 05:11 AM
todda7

Quote:

Originally Posted by woffen

They are Fesers version of 45° compressions.

Very nice build! And that coolant really looks sick in this build!!:up:

Arent they quite restrictive?
11-03-2009, 07:16 AM
dro

Love the pump mounting.....
Does that comes standard with the case?
11-03-2009, 07:33 AM
Nem

Quote:

Originally Posted by todda7

Arent they quite restrictive?

They seem almost the same inner diameter as the 1/2" Tygon, so seem great. Nice smoth bend inside too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dro

Love the pump mounting.....
Does that comes standard with the case?

The bracket comes with the pump, and then it's bolted to the hard drive bay. So you loose the hard drive mountings down there, but you also get 4 s-ata hot swap bays next up accessable from the front where I'll put my two hard drives.
11-03-2009, 08:53 AM
Nem

So I've been advised on another forum that I'm not making the best use of the parts I have with regard to the loop order.

It's been suggested to get the EK X-top for the pump I have to allow me to have the inlet and outlet on the same direction rather than going out and behind the case side.

Then it will let me have the loop running res > pump > gfx block > cpu block > rad > res using the top inlet of the EK res as the inlet.

Will let me know the water is flowing by sight seeing the water flowing into the res from the top will be a bonus. Will shorten the loop itself also, and I'll not have to worry about squashing the pipe next to the case side (even tho it seems to be ok).

So leak testing has halted until the X-Top arrives and I can change the loop around. Shold still look as clean as it does now I think so the only main difference is the water hits the gfx before the cpu which I hope is ok.
11-03-2009, 09:02 AM
millertime359

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nem

So I've been advised on another forum that I'm not making the best use of the parts I have with regard to the loop order.

It's been suggested to get the EK X-top for the pump I have to allow me to have the inlet and outlet on the same direction rather than going out and behind the case side.

Then it will let me have the loop running res > pump > gfx block > cpu block > rad > res using the top inlet of the EK res as the inlet.

Will let me know the water is flowing by sight seeing the water flowing into the res from the top will be a bonus. Will shorten the loop itself also, and I'll not have to worry about squashing the pipe next to the case side (even tho it seems to be ok).

So leak testing has halted until the X-Top arrives and I can change the loop around. Shold still look as clean as it does now I think so the only main difference is the water hits the gfx before the cpu which I hope is ok.

The EK top does offer better performance, but I don't see anything wrong with the way you have it setup. As long as the tubing doesn't get kinked, you will be ok.

Also, you will know if water is moving by looking in that res. Also, setup your BIOS so that it shuts your comp down if it overheats and you won't have to worry about the pump failing and killing your components. :yepp:
11-03-2009, 09:28 AM
kamieldehond

im in love with that case. nice build so far
11-06-2009, 10:13 AM
Nem

Quick update...

I've now got the EK pump kit for the MCP655, and also the rest of the cable sleeving from MDPC-X. So I'll get some work done on the piping and see how far I get with the rest of it. Hopefully some more pictures tomorrow or Sunday. :D
11-07-2009, 08:39 AM
Nem

Right, new piccies!

I've fitted the EK Pump kit which allows you to have the inlet and outlet on the same direction. Basically lets me use both of the pre-fitted grommits in the middle case floor instead of having that long pipe up the back side of the motherboard tray.

I did try the layout suggested above, having the radiator go back to the res top inlet, but I was just getting too many bubbles from the water dropping back in and the pump was just pushing froth around the loop. Also the pipe from the res down to the pump wasn't great and at the point of kinking.

So after draining it all for the 2nd time, and a couple of pipe changes later we have this:

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/19.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/20.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/21.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/22.jpg
11-07-2009, 09:06 AM
millertime359

The way you originally did it looked alot cleaner. The long run of tube wouldn't have been a big deal. The biggest concern would have been a kink or a cut. :(
11-07-2009, 12:21 PM
Mazlov

Please post your temps (stock&OC) as soon as you have this baby up and running! I'm thinking of building a system like yours, but I wonder if a single 360mm is enough to keep temps down.
11-07-2009, 12:47 PM
Liderc

The blue looks nice, very clean.
11-07-2009, 03:50 PM
Nem

Next stage now complete. 24 / 8 and two 6 pin psu extention cables sleved and heatshrinked!

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/23.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/24.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/25.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/26.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/27.jpg

Tomorrow should see psu fitted along with fan / temp bay panel, optical drives and possible even get to boot it up!
11-07-2009, 04:39 PM
millertime359

Nice job with that sleeving. :up: is that a mix of Nil's aqua blue and royal blue?
11-07-2009, 04:41 PM
Nem

Quote:

Originally Posted by millertime359

Nice job with that sleeving. :up: is that a mix of Nil's aqua blue and royal blue?

Certainly is :) MDPC-X Aqua and Grande Bleu. :up:
11-07-2009, 07:10 PM
noeru

beautifully

:clap:It completes very beautifully！
It is while I still have XSPC480+XSPC240 as a case. :shrug:

http://bbs.kakaku.com/bbs/-/SortID=10440975/?s1
http://bbs.kakaku.com/bbs/-/SortID=1...mageID=477481/
11-09-2009, 03:54 AM
Nem

So latest news is that the psu was installed last night, along with the optical drives, sleeved the s-ata data and power cables and installed them also. All that is left now is to pop in the memory and cpu and then connect all the wires currently hanging out the back :rolleyes: just need to decide if I can make it all tidy or to just connect it all and put the side on and not open it again, lol!

Will update with pics this evening!
11-09-2009, 05:19 AM
Xion X2

Nice sleeving job, Nem. I like the colors. :)
11-09-2009, 06:16 AM
millertime359

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nem

Certainly is :) MDPC-X Aqua and Grande Bleu. :up:

That Grande Bleu is really nice looking. I was debating about getting some myself, but decided to just stay all black.

Coming along nice. Looking forward to more photos. :up:
11-09-2009, 05:35 PM
Nem

Well after a long evening, it lives!

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/28.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/29.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/30.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/31.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/32.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/33.jpg

That cpu temp was after it had been sat in the bios for about 15 minutes, after an hour it was at 38DegC, but I've yet no idea if thats good or bad?

I've still got a lot to do yet, but couldn't wait to get it turned on and make sure it was all going ok so far :)

Job list looks like this:

Resleeve the power cable for the RAM cooler unit,
Spray paint the cases of the DVD drives black,
Try somehow to make the 24 pin cable look tidier,

Then I've got some white strip cathodes I'm hoping to fit in somehow, I want some basic white light in there, but not too much, and not so that you can see the light source at all. The cathode wires are already sleeved so they just need placing when I can work out where. I definitely need one to light up the res :)

I'm also thinking of some sort of support for the gfx card, it's definitely bending over at the front end, just some sort of thin metal tube to wedge from one of the power connectors to the middle case floor to prop it up will do I think.

I'm also looking again at fans, I've found a lovely fan for the case rear but it's only in 120mm and not 140mm as is now. There are holes to fit a 120mm fan in that place, but I'm not sure of the effect of the smaller fan. The current 140mm one is sat at 900rpm and really doesn't feel like it's doing that much. Also the fans on the rad were meant to be the 1900rpm ones, but I got sent the 1200rpm version instead, and I didn't notice on the packets untill after I'd sleeved them all, doh!

Anyway, after a few more bits sorted I'll get some more, and maybe final, pics up in a few days time. :cool:
11-09-2009, 05:50 PM
Nem

Decided to do a couple more pics...

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/34.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/35.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/36.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/37.jpg
11-10-2009, 03:48 PM
Nem

Think I've sorted the lighting out. Decided to ditch the 30cm cathodes as they definitely put out too much light. Instead I've used all 4 of the 10cm ones, one mounted vertically behind the res, one at the bottom lower rear of the case mounted vertically next to the expansion slot screws, and the other two fixed across the case to the fans on the radiator...

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/38.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/39.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/40.jpg

Thoughts?

The only thing I'm thinking is the one behind the res is too much, and possibly needs to be an LED plus in the bottom res socket to shine up into the liquid?
11-10-2009, 04:08 PM
lester01

no Uv lights?
11-10-2009, 04:13 PM
zalbard

Love the coolant colour, I also think the tubing routing is very decent. Great job! :up:
And wow @ the monitor size compared to the case! :rofl:

Edit: your lighting is fine now IMO, I'd keep it as is. Or perhaps move the cathode to the right even further that way so it's doesn't show in the window.
11-10-2009, 05:46 PM
dro

Great Sleeving job + craftsmanship + colorways!
11-12-2009, 04:26 AM
Nem

I've finally got Windows 7 (64-bit) installed after a few issues with the S-ata cables. I'd got them too tightly bent behind the motherboard tray and 2 had snapped on the connections :(

Anyway, bought some new (better) ones and resleeved them, and this time they are just mounted straight accross and under the res area through to the drive bays.

So, next problem is temps. Just sat in the bios the cpu is at 35deg C and in windows using RealTemp it's saying about 40deg C. I ran a quick stress test from within RealTemp and the cpu maxed out at 60deg C, which sounds very hot to me. Also this isn't with any load on the gfx card which will add a lot more heat to the loop when I do any 3d Bench's :(

I then tried the "easy oc" function in the bios which lets you select either 2.9Ghz of 3.2Ghz for the cpu. Selected the 3.2Ghz option which worked without any problem, but in windows the temps were 45 - 50deg C, and under load hit 75deg C.

So I'm more than a little miffed that the temps seem so bad. Any thoughts anyone?
11-12-2009, 07:21 AM
Detale

Firstly Awesome build man. I just got the Obsidian a few days ago, when the rest of my stuff comes in I'm going to start another worklog here also ;) . What direction are your fans blowing in? I had a top mounted rad in my old tj07 build with the fans blowing out which didn't work too well. When i reversed the fans to be blowing in I got about a 10-15 degree difference. Also you could try lowering the CPU voltage in bios to find how low you can go while keeping it stable. This will help with CPU temp. Hope this helps
11-12-2009, 07:34 AM
Nem

Yeah, the fans are set to blow through the rad and out of the case roof.

So I might be best reversing them and also do the same with the case rear fan to exhaust then.
11-12-2009, 11:28 AM
Red-5

The photo above, lit up and with the side window really stands out. The lighting you have just finishes the interior off nicely and really shows off the coolant colour and the excellent cable sleeving. Awesome mate.
11-13-2009, 09:40 AM
Wezly

It's amazing dude.
The blue is perfect for that case, I can't explain it any more haha.
11-19-2009, 03:26 PM
Nem

Quick update... Good news and bad :(

I've now replaced:

The 3 fans on the radiator from the 1200RPM Skythe Kaze Juni to the 1850RPM Skythe Gentle Typhoons. Also replaced the stock 140mm Corsair rear case fan for a Xigmatek Black smoke one with white LED's. I've now changed the direction of the airflow also, so it's now pulling air in through the radiator and out through the case rear.

Changed the Swiftech GTZ cpu block with the newer Swiftech XT, and also gone for the Arctic Cooling MX3 paste over the Arctic Ceramique

The combined effect is about an 8 degree reduction in temps at load and about 6 degree reduction at idle!

I've also replaced the pipe from the gfx to cpu block, as it was a little bit streatched and I didn't want it easing out of the compression fittings over time. Also chopped about 3cm off the pipe from the cpu up to the radiator to make it more level looking rather than dipping down.

Have cable sleeved all of the new fans, and re-sleeved the cable from the ram cooler as it's all in sight now being plugged into on of the motherboard headders.

Have replaced the resevour mounts for some new minimal size frosted effect ones after snapping the original ones, and the black ones I bought last week were far too big and bulky.

I've got the black spray paint sat ready for the dvd drive casing, and a small support rod for the gfx card which are the last bits to finish off now before some final pictures I think.

But...

What I have managed to do is to put a 15cm scratch down the middle of the case side window :( Was lent up against the bench and I managed to knock the other side panel which fell into the perspex panel. Gutted is not the word, I've emailed Corsair support to see if I can get a replacement piece.

One picture from last night to keep everyone going :D

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/41.jpg

Nick
11-19-2009, 04:22 PM
eponymous

Looking fantastic. Sorry to hear about your case side; I hope it all get sorted out.
11-19-2009, 08:51 PM
jpm804

The case is looking good and it's those little changes I think that make the difference ..... XT looking good :up:

Sorry about the window, Curious how does corsair fasten the window to the side panel? any chance you can replace it yourself with a new piece?
11-19-2009, 09:25 PM
shazza

Nice job! It looks great. I like how you were willing to experiment and change things around to lower your temps.

Had the same thought as jpm - if Corsair won't replace your window, I imagine you could put your own in - you can even order one cut to size if need be. BUT - I'd expect Corsair to help you out. If you have any issues with them, I'd recommend sending a photo of the great job you've done with their new case, and there's no way they could resist helping you.
11-20-2009, 02:55 AM
TMWH

Nice job, looks awesome. Realy like the case :D
11-23-2009, 09:36 AM
br4d

oh my god, i love your build... everything is perfect, nothing is ugly. sleevejob is nice and perfect, fluid's color is nice too, EVERYTHING IS PERFECT! :D
11-25-2009, 03:42 PM
shadow46x2

nem, can you take a shot of the top of your case? i'm curious to see what the radiator grill looks like with everything installed...

also, how did you mount your radiator/fan block?...what type of screws, etc? i just got my mcr320 in, and i'm trying to figure out the right way to mount this bad boy

--j
11-25-2009, 04:09 PM
Nem

Not much to see on top really:

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/43.jpg

Just mounted the rad straight to the roof of the case using 4 short screws supplied with the rad. Then the fans are bolted to the bottom of the rad.

Thanks for all the great comments from everyone. Hopefully get the last few bits sorted out this weekend :)
11-28-2009, 10:05 AM
Nem

Ok, update time...

DVD drives masked up and first coat on paint on:

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/44.jpg

Metal rod cut to length for the gfx card support:

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/45.jpg

Gfx card support in placed. Used a tiny piece of felt tape on each end to not scratch the case at all and to help keep it in place. Just had to push the gfx card up and then slot it in. The gfx card still isn't totally level, but there is too much tension to push it up and further, and this way it can't sag down over time at all:

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/46.jpg

Black dvd drives back in the case, looks loads better:

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/47.jpg

Last shot for today:

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/48.jpg

Not bad for a couple of hours work to get a few small touches completed. Just need to get the case window sorted out now and I think thats it :D Will get some decent pictures of the system sorted out and posted when I can.
11-28-2009, 10:31 AM
Warbird

Very beautiful, i like it!

Cheers
11-28-2009, 10:47 AM
Andrea deluxe

http://www.nickgoodall.co.uk/pics/co...asidian/10.jpg

:shakes:
11-28-2009, 11:29 AM
jpm804

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nem

Ok, update time...

DVD drives masked up and first coat on paint on:

http://www.nickgoodall.co.uk/pics/co...asidian/44.jpg

Like the metal rod idea and project is looking good.

Question did you dissamble the drives before painting? Just curious, always wondered if you would have issues painting it like for fear of the paint getting into the internal drive and casuing some issues.
11-28-2009, 11:30 AM
br4d

andrea_deluxe: what's the problem? o_O
11-29-2009, 05:24 AM
Andrea deluxe

Quote:

Originally Posted by br4d

andrea_deluxe: what's the problem? o_O

damaged case for one tube passing?

NO!:down:
11-30-2009, 01:47 PM
Nem

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpm804

Like the metal rod idea and project is looking good.

Question did you dissamble the drives before painting? Just curious, always wondered if you would have issues painting it like for fear of the paint getting into the internal drive and casuing some issues.

Well the metel rod has now been slightly 'modded' :)

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/49.jpg

The drives were taped up over the rear connectors and the full front bezel. Also put a bit of tape over all of the screw holes on the sides and underneath to make sure. Seem to work fine still now :)

I have to admit it's a bit of a shame about the bit I bent, seeing as the pipe no longer goes that way after the pump top was replaced. But still it's behind the motherboard tray area so will never been seen at all, so I can live with it.
11-30-2009, 02:33 PM
Waymon3X6

haha I love it, nice build! Also don't worry about what Andrea deluxe has to say, it's your case so do what you want!
12-10-2009, 04:39 PM
Nem

So the Lian Li drive bezel covers are now fitted:

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/50.jpg

Took about an hour to complete, used a dremel with standard cut off disc to trim down the mounting on each side, and then just some thick "no more nails" double sided tape to stick them in place.

I've also managed to fit the new side window after my scratch disaster last week. Took a while to trim the new panel down from 50cm x 50cm to the required size, but found the jigsaw worked fine. Then fixed the old panel to the new one and drilled the holes using the old panel as a guide.

Too my time with it as I wanted to avoid making a hash of the new panel having never worked with perspex before. I only had to make one hole slight larger to get it all to fit very easily in fact.

I like the crisper look to the case now with the smoked panel, but it does loose some of the colour of the aqua pipes and sleeving inside and I'm not sure if thats what I wanted to do. But I think for £10 for the panel I can always change it again if I needed to.

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/51.jpg

I'm still hoping to get the fan controller replaced soon with one of the Aqua Computer ones, the Skythe one really doesn't match the black alu of the rest of the front now at all and I'm hoping the Aquero one will do. Apart from that I think it's complete.

Nick
12-10-2009, 08:02 PM
shadow46x2

absolutely beautiful...nice work...i love the coordination on all of the parts for the overall blue theme...

bravo sir

--j
12-15-2009, 05:31 AM
Nem

Right, well this is probably the last actual build update as all the parts are now in place. Just need to take some decent photos to show it all off now.

So the last part was to replace the fan controller with one of the Aqua Computer Aquaero 4.0 ones. This unit has a much cleaner look than the Skythe one and fits the colour scheme perfectly. The only thing it's missing is a brushed alu look to the panel to match the rest of the case front, but what I might do is to modify one of the unused drive bay covers and use that instead as the covers on the Aquaero are swapable. But where the Skythe unit was jet black this is much more charcoal like the matt aluminium finish so is 99% perfect anyway.

The actual fitting of the unit is also not that great, it seems the screws provided won't fit into the threadded hole and I've now got two screws half stuck in and I can't get them out. So somehow I've got to dremel them out and then replace them with a normal nut and bolt. So once thats done it will fit better in the front panel of the case as it's currently sat a couple of mm from being lined up perfectly.

Anyway, last pics for now untill I get some final ones done...

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/52.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/53.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/54.jpg

Thanks for all of the positive comments throughout the build :cool:
12-15-2009, 10:10 AM
djvanguard

1 Attachment(s)

Hi Nem:

I love your build. I have been closely watching it come together these last few weeks as I have decided to leap into my first WC project with a Corsair Obsidian.

My build is planned to be a little different in that I will be using distilled + UV blue tubing and a dual 5.25'' double reservoir instead (2 loops).

That last update also sold me on that new fan controller (can only seem to find it at sidewinder computers, and is out of stock)

If I may, I do have a few questions for you now that you're about finished. I noticed that pieces of the red heatsinks that come stock on the Rampage are missing. Did you remove those and how much of a pain was it to do? I'm going to shoot for black and blue theme also but wanted to keep this legendary Asus motherboard.

Also, I've taken one of your pictures and circled an area in which I would like to pass through 1/2'' ID tubing. Was wondering if you could confirm it will actually clear that size hole.

Finally, if you could please post your final temps ;)

Thanks!
12-16-2009, 11:57 AM
Nem

Quote:

Originally Posted by djvanguard

Hi Nem:

I love your build. I have been closely watching it come together these last few weeks as I have decided to leap into my first WC project with a Corsair Obsidian.

My build is planned to be a little different in that I will be using distilled + UV blue tubing and a dual 5.25'' double reservoir instead (2 loops).

That last update also sold me on that new fan controller (can only seem to find it at sidewinder computers, and is out of stock)

If I may, I do have a few questions for you now that you're about finished. I noticed that pieces of the red heatsinks that come stock on the Rampage are missing. Did you remove those and how much of a pain was it to do? I'm going to shoot for black and blue theme also but wanted to keep this legendary Asus motherboard.

Also, I've taken one of your pictures and circled an area in which I would like to pass through 1/2'' ID tubing. Was wondering if you could confirm it will actually clear that size hole.

Finally, if you could please post your final temps ;)

Thanks!

Hi

The red parts on the mosfet heatsinks just have two tiny screws holding them on, which come off very easily :)

As for the hole with the 1/2" tube, it will fit through no problem by the looks of it, but on the inside of the case you'll need to check clearance. With my Radiator with the fans mounted underneath it pretty much covers the path that the tube would take on entering through that hole.

Couple of pics of the area to give you an idea:

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/55.jpg

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/56.jpg

Nick
12-19-2009, 01:41 AM
Petrucci_M3

I love everything about your build dude, such class. Looking forward to those final shots :)
12-19-2009, 12:22 PM
lesterc

awesome build!
12-19-2009, 01:48 PM
aka_GK

turned out great! :up:

Can you please show me backside of your window side panel ?
02-24-2010, 05:40 AM
Nem

I've had some issues with my picture hosting, so I've now moved them all and updated all the links I think. So all pics should be working again now.

Found one more which I didn't post before with the newer ram cooler in place:

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/57.jpg

I've still got to take some final shots when I get time to clear some space and set the pc up for it. Will do this as soon as I can and post them up.

Cheers.
08-15-2010, 02:59 PM
Nem

Right, time for a small update seeing as I've made a slight change to the system and it's been 6 months since this was all started.

For the main rear fan I wanted one with blue blades or at least something blue related but couldn't find anything in a 140mm size at the time. So I ended up with a Zigmatech smoked one with white led's in it which I have to say was quite nice. Anyway, I noticed last week a place selling the same fan but with a blue blade so couldn't resist :)

I ended up buying two actually as I'd always thought the lower fan in the middle case floor / partition could do with being an led fan to put a small amount of light under that floor. So today I got round to braiding the cables and fitting them in the system...

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/58.jpg

Rear fan fitted:

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/59.jpg

Lower fan fitted, not the best picture but shows how it now put some lights on the lower pipes:

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/60.jpg

Quick overall picture:

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/61.jpg

And the last one for this update:

http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...asidian/62.jpg

I know the new fans aren't the same aqua colour as the rest of the project but they do actually match the darker blue braid used for the alternate colour on some of the cables, so I think they work quite nicely overall.

I have to say that I'm still very impressed with the clinical grade dust filters, apart from a quick blast with the air can it really is still incredibly clean inside as the pictures show.

So I'll leave it there for now, I'm still hoping to get some proper final shots taken of the system and all details, especially now I've got these two fans installed which I've been thinking about for weeks.

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