WCing my Lian Li V2100B, another what/where to buy thread

[!nsane]

Gday all, I have been researching for a few weeks now, as I would really like to set up a nice water-cooling arrangement in my rig.

Here are the computer specs:
- Gigabyte DS3P V3.3
- E6600
- HD 2900 XT (Powercolor)
- 5 Hard drives (don't want to WC them)
- Corsair HX620W
- Sounblaster Audigy 1
- 1 pioneer DVDRW

The only things I want to water-cool are the GPU and CPU.

these are the things that have been recommended to me/what I have seen reviewed as the best.

- Fuzion CPU block
- EK 2900 FC GPU block (when it comes out!)
- Laing DDC2 (not sure if petras top or not, I'm in aus, it looks like I will be buying some things from the US, but the less the better. However I have heard that petra's tops or the bomb.)
- Tygon tubing (heard about the Mcmaster Carr tubing, but I can get the tygon locally.)

Now, the interesting one. Reservoir.
As I am doing A case mod concurrently with this water-cooling setup, I would like to make the reservoir a feature in my case. I would like to have a long plexi/plastic cylinder, but with the top off of an Aquacomputer Aquatube (it just looks so damn good with this case).

In your minds, do you think it will be moderately easy for me to cut up the Aquatube and bolt on a plexi cylinder (around 30cms total height, incl. the Aquatube) and bolt the Aquatube back onto the bottom of the cylinder?

I have a bit of experience making gaskets for Hydraulic fittings, so I am fairly certain that If I can get the right plexi cylinder, I will be able to make a gasket to keep it watertight.


Here is a crude drawing of what I am hoping to do in my case:



if anyone has any recommendations etc, feel free to give me some helping advice or constructive criticism, thanks!

[ColonelCain]

Wait, is that a power rail? Or just cords? Cause, you will dissapoint me if it isn't a rail.

[!nsane]

its a "power pole". I could make a power rail, but to be honest it's too much work for not enough benefit. the idea is stolen from the Orac3 project, its an aluminium square tube with sleeved cables poking out at exactly the right heights to plug straight into the video card & mobo.

[virtualrain]

Sounds cool... I can't help you with the plexi res but can't wait to see this project develop.

I am curious what you are doing for a touch-screen... do you mind sharing?

[Jedda]

Never seen the alphacool res in the flesh but going by pix it looks as if the face dome and mounting plate could be salvaged and adapted to a scratch built cylinder in plexi. You could get a water proof glued seal between dome and hollow plexi cylinder and also rebated solid cylinder piece to serve as end cap. Drill and tapping the end cap is feasible for barb fittings and routering the rebate equally feasible.
A-J could give you the clues on glue and machining from his experience. Sourcing the required plexi off cuts would be your only challenge.

[!nsane]

Never seen the alphacool res in the flesh but going by pix it looks as if the face dome and mounting plate could be salvaged and adapted to a scratch built cylinder in plexi. You could get a water proof glued seal between dome and hollow plexi cylinder and also rebated solid cylinder piece to serve as end cap. Drill and tapping the end cap is feasible for barb fittings and routering the rebate equally feasible.
A-J could give you the clues on glue and machining from his experience. Sourcing the required plexi off cuts would be your only challenge.

Sounds cool... I can't help you with the plexi res but can't wait to see this project develop.

I am curious what you are doing for a touch-screen... do you mind sharing?

Thanks virtual rain, I am just trying to source parts etc at the moment, and assembling my tools (got my dremel the other day, fun fun!)

today I opened the case up and un-riveted one hard drive cage and the separator between the PSU and the hard drives. Mostly just opened it up and took everything out to have a ponder and take some measurements.

one of my problems is that I have no other case to put all my stuff in while I am working , so at the moment I am having to assemble parts and plan everything out, then do it in one or two day stages and then reassemble afterwards, which will slow me down. might have to look for a spare case ><.

re the touchscreen, I am thinking simply a lilliput touchscreen, 7 inch 1024 X 768 res, with a vga input. I will simply snake a cord back from the video card, plug it all in at the back, cut the whole thing out of its plastic casing and flush mount it to the computer. Then it will simply be run as a secondary monitor running samurize, or some other such graphical representation program.

Also, I will be running a BigNG in this case, so being able to set all that up form the touchscreen will be some mad bling, and I doubt it will be that hard to do.


Re: jedda/suki, (I knew you would find me on here :P ) yeah, that is what I am thinking. cut the aquatube in a circle around the bottom, leaving at least 1.5cms around the base, and then use it like a flange with the plexi cylinder. then, on the base, simply do the opposite with the aqua tube bottom (which has the 3 inlets/outlets on it) and bolt the plexi onto that. the end result should be an aquatube, with the plexi cylinder hanging off the bottom, and down the very bottom, the 3 inlets/outlets from the aquatube. Fingers crossed that I can make it work.

If anyone knows places in australia to source plexi / aluminium for reasonable prices, please please let me know!

[!nsane]

ok, so I thought instead of just posting a general list etc, I might get more help / answers if I posted specific questions. This list will be updated as I get more problems/questions!


- Does anyone know when/where the Ek 2900 XT blocks will become available?

- The elbows in my system. Yay or nay? I understand that they will lower flow rates, but it really is the look I am going for, and to be honest, I think my system will be overkill. The corsair PSU doesn't have the required 8 pin power connector to overclock the 2900, and I don't think I will OC the CPU much. considering that I am using a good pump and a 120.3 thermochill rad, do you think it will make much of a difference?

- Would there be a WC shop in the states that could possibly not only take my order, but also either source stuff from other WC/mod shops in the states for me, or accept delivery of other shops products, so that I can combine the shipping on a bunch of different orders? I would be able to give an exact part number list etc of things I am looking for, and would be willing to pay extra for continental US shipping to their location. (I guess the essence of this question is, what WC shop in the states has really good customer service :P ).

cheers guys, that's all i can think of for now!

[Kayin]

Hmm, the bowed fronts fit my reservoirs, they're cast polycarbonate...

After I get over my pleurisy, I'll be sending Petra the specs. Petra I do know will do international, if it's what you want I will work with him to make sure you get one. Even if I have to eat some costs myself.

[Jedda]

Home Depot sell acrylic and plexi but you really want the local fabricator's off-cuts bin.
Some good tips on fish tank builder's threads and sites like This one.
List of suppliers Here, too.

[crackbag]

Wait, is that a power rail? Or just cords? Cause, you will dissapoint me if it isn't a rail.

LOL

[ranker]

ok, so I thought instead of just posting a general list etc, I might get more help / answers if I posted specific questions. This list will be updated as I get more problems/questions!


- Does anyone know when/where the Ek 2900 XT blocks will become available?

- The elbows in my system. Yay or nay? I understand that they will lower flow rates, but it really is the look I am going for, and to be honest, I think my system will be overkill. The corsair PSU doesn't have the required 8 pin power connector to overclock the 2900, and I don't think I will OC the CPU much. considering that I am using a good pump and a 120.3 thermochill rad, do you think it will make much of a difference?

I say nay as elbows basically double the length of tubing for most loops; especially with the linked test that 1 elbow =4 ft of 1/2" ID tubing. But in your case where you're looking at bling instead of performance, I doubt you'll care if your temps rise a bit considering that you won't care too much about your OC potential.

- Would there be a WC shop in the states that could possibly not only take my order, but also either source stuff from other WC/mod shops in the states for me, or accept delivery of other shops products, so that I can combine the shipping on a bunch of different orders? I would be able to give an exact part number list etc of things I am looking for, and would be willing to pay extra for continental US shipping to their location. (I guess the essence of this question is, what WC shop in the states has really good customer service :P ).

Try Petra's. I know they have some CNC friends that take care of their tops so they might be able to help you in that regard. Other than that, there's a few "special" case modding stores that will take care of everything for you but it's usually at a large premium.

[!nsane]

I say nay as elbows basically double the length of tubing for most loops; especially with the linked test that 1 elbow =4 ft of 1/2" ID tubing. But in your case where you're looking at bling instead of performance, I doubt you'll care if your temps rise a bit considering that you won't care too much about your OC potential.



Try Petra's. I know they have some CNC friends that take care of their tops so they might be able to help you in that regard. Other than that, there's a few "special" case modding stores that will take care of everything for you but it's usually at a large premium.

hmm, thanks for that ranker. I am eagerly awaiting the tests that people are saying that they will do in regards to the elbows. people are saying that having 1 will have a large effect, but having 2 will not have a much larger effect at all? anyway, eagerly awaiting those results.

I do care about performance, but yeah, I think your right. Bling all the way. and put it this way, my computer isn't CPU limited, and won't be for a fair while I would guess heh.

Will be sending petra's an email this week. come-on payday

[!nsane]

ok, so I thought instead of just posting a general list etc, I might get more help / answers if I posted specific questions. This list will be updated as I get more problems/questions!

REV 1.1 QUESTIONS

- Does anyone know when/where the Ek 2900 XT blocks will become available?

- Does anyone know of any Exact, correct Dimensions of the 2100B? I am measuring myself now as I go, putting tech drawing skills to use, but measuring with a ruler = teh suck. for machining purposes I would really like a dimensioned drawing of the 2100B. If anyone who has modded this case has one, it would be much appreciated.

- Gasket/Flange fittings. During peoples internet trawling, has ANYONE seen ANYTHING resembling my drawings at all?

- Would it be possible to wire all my lighting up to either something that can be controlled by the computer software, like a BigNG controls fan speeds and pumps etc. OR could I wire all the lighting up to a switching circuit that is in turn controlled by one of those bulgen vandal proof lighting switches? I think one of them would look damn schmick in my case.

- How much caffeine am I allowed to have before going crazy heh.

cheers guys, that's all i can think of for now!

[Jedda]

Don't know if they're still available but check out this.

[!nsane]

hot damn jedda you are the man! bit more expensive than I would like, but oh well. Should fit in well with my bigNG