nice upgrade! getting your project is amazing!
nice upgrade! getting your project is amazing!
SORRY FOR MY BAD ENGLISH!
UPDATE!
Very exciting day today !
A package i have been waiting for a long time now has arrived.This whole theme is counting on these items to push it over the top and the cooling is routed the way it is for this reason.
First i would like to start by showing the story that made me want this person as a Sponsor and involved with this build.This story is very inspiring and and when i read it i knew i had to have him as a Sponsor.All my Sponsors as i said before are companies that i Love and totally believe in or i would not promote their products.Well there is no question i promote Mayhem's products and highly recommend them. (Just be sure you know what you are ordering because allot of his coolants are for show only such as the Aurora Product line.)
Anyway enough of me Flapping here is Mayhem's Story and its a very inspiring and Amazing story. I guess it could be called a from Rags to Riches story:
And a link to his Store: http://www.mayhems.co.uk/shop/en/
Meet Michael (aka) Mayhem,
" Mayhems (formally known as Mayhems Dye) started back in early 2009 by total accident. Michael (aka Mayhem) part owner of Mayhems was fed up of buying in dyes that were supposed to be made for water cooling yet would only last a few weeks at best are were never as strong or as good as described. After trying out many versions of dye made for liquid cooling Michael decided to make his own. Michael initially invested £5.00 on dyes.
His first steps were good but not good enough so after more research and playing around he started to perfect his process and eventually produced some of the strongest water cooling dyes ever to hit the market place. These dyes not only looked good but they worked for long time in the Pc liquid cooling systems he tested them on and now are a re·nowned product and favoured by the modding community worldwide. Mayhems Dye was born.
Next Michael took a look at the fluid market and thought once again that all the products on the market just seem to be gimmicky hyped up cooling fluids that never seems to work as advertised. After several failures at trying to produce the same sort of fluids Michael finally found success in his X1 formula. Not only did the liquid look much better than anything else on the market its thermal performance blew every other product out of the water literally.
As Mayhems Dyes grew Michael knew he could not handle all the work load himself and invited Steve Verity (former owner of Themochill and www.over-clock.co.uk) to come see some of his products he was developing (Aurora). Steve saw the potential in the new products and has known Michael for a very long time. They both came together and re launched “Mayhems” on Nov 2011 with a new name and new web site.
In Nov 2011 the new web site (www.mayhems.co.uk) was launched and at the same time mayhems Aurora & Pastel range of fluids was pushed into the face of modders worldwide. The take up of all the whole range of products Mayhems has created has literally changed the face of liquid cooling for ever and is helping change the way people see liquid cooling.
In the very short time Mayhems has been around it has grown in size and now can produce over 800 Ltrs of cooling fluids a day (this is soon due to double up). These fluids are all built from the ground up and are all made in the UK which is something Mayhems is very proud off.
Mayhems now has two offices and a warehouse and a product development centre and all so has several people working for them. They employ a colorist, a chemist and several labours to help with the making of the fluids. The testing of the fluids is second to none and there development of new ideas is just a force to be reckoned with.
Michael said in 2009 on a forum to Tiny Tom Logan of OC3D “I will change the water-cooling forever.” and he still stands by that statement to date. "
Hope you enjoyed the story where you can see he started out just like allot of us.He had an idea and he did something no one else on the market was doing and created the Incredible product line they have now.
Here is what Mayhem sent for the "Mass Effect 3 - NZXT Switch 810 Build" :
x2 bottles 250 ml Concentrate bottles of Mayhem's Pastel - Light Red
Link to Mayhem's Light Red: http://www.mayhems.co.uk/shop/en/may...224350924.html
x2 bottles 250 ml Concentrate bottles of Mayhem's Pastel - Ice White
Link to Mayhem's Ice White: http://www.mayhems.co.uk/shop/en/may...224350917.html
X2 10 ml Bottles of Mayhem's Red Dye
Link to Mayhem's Red Dye : http://www.mayhems.co.uk/shop/en/may...s-dye-red.html
"The Red Dye is needed to make the correct color Red to match the Mass Effect Theme i am doing"
So Huge Thanks to Mayhem's for there help Sponsoring Me and the the Mass Effect 3 -NZXT Switch 810 Build!
More Updates Shortly !
"UPDATE!"
Yup my Birthday and i am giving you guys the present of an Update
If you guys have been following this thread you realize i am running a dual loop system sorta setup the way Venom was with the reservoirs Being used the same way.So in total technically this build will have 4 Reservoirs. I EK dual bay dual loop Spin Res. Basically the actual Reservoir and fill point. Then there are 2 10" Reservoirs just to hold more liwuid in the system and both being bottom fed straight from the Pumps.The spin res is right above the pumps as the main Res. So the Pumps will never run dry.I am not debating this setup i researched it and used the same setup in Venom and got great results. So this is the way the cooling in the Mass Effect 3 build is going.
But the Major Part of this whole build and nightmare was to get the Cooling lines to run through the top of the case with 6 140mm Fans in Push / Pull and an EK XTC 420 up there also.But heres where it gets really tricky. I want windows in the side of the top cover showing the tubing which will be flowing with Mayhem's Pastel Ice White on one side and Mayhem's Pastel red Mixed with Red dye on the other side.Sounds simple but if you actually look at the case and the top and realize there are 2 loops it is extremely difficult to pull off. Also it has taken so many hours of planning and so many fittings i had to but that wouldn't work not to mention the actual time put into doing it.
Lets Just simply Say it was a Pain in the AZZ.
But on my birthday after a long night of planning and executing a plan I FINALLY PULLED IT OFF!
The windows aren't cut in the side of the top cover yet because i am debating on sending it out for Laser cutting because one little slip and that's it .All that work will be trash.
Here are some Photo's of what i have been doing and at the moment it just looks Like a stock Phantom on top.You would never know all the work that's actually done inside.
Here we go :
First i will show you guys the New EK HF Supreme Nickel bracket i got.atahe Ram block will hopefully be matching i am trying my hardes to get a top for it.
I got the new Low Profile elbows and it worked like a charm.Just the right Height :
Also got some Extensions so i can actually get to the compression unions underneath.
Ok so now i know for sure i can clear the top of the Cover and get to the compression unions to hook everything up.So now time to start modding the Cover itself. Fun fun. "Oh yeah i got to use my Blade of Lost fingers again to do this Job"
Here is the top on and you would never even know what was under there. Also i have some other shots of stuff i am working on also.:
Well that's all for now! More Updates Shorty so keep checking back! Or subscribe to the thread to get notified of updates!
Hope you are enjoying it so far!
UPDATE!
First i want to give big Thanks to EKWB , Primochill and Mayhem's for Sponsoring the Liquid cooling Setup for this build.
Ok guys here is an update i did at around 3 am totally exhausted in my kitchen on the night of my Birthday.I am no pro at it but i decided to make my first video of me actually speaking and talking about the build.
This Update will Consist of Radiator Flushing and a video of me Talking about the Mass Effect 3 - NZXT Mods.
Ok Radiator Flushing Time!. I have to have the tubing in this build stay clear. I am taking every precaution i can to achieve that.As you should know from my Sponsor List i will be running Mayhem's Pastel's and Primochill's Clear PRO LRT Tubing.
My plan of attack to avoid clouding at all costs is.
1 Heating 5% acidity Distilled Vinegar up on the stove. (NOT TO HOT!) just heating it to a bit hot but not a boil.
2 adding the vinegar to the Rad's and Shaking the hell out of them and then i will let them sit 15 Minutes and then Dump them dump it out.
3 Next i fill the Rad with distilled Water and shake it and dump at least 3 times.
4 ok now to even make go an extra step i put distilled into the res and pump it straight into a bucket (To make sure all the Vinegar is out)
5 Yup still more steps. Now i set the loop up Res-Pump-Rad-Res i will let this circulate and dump it every maby 6 hours while i am working on other stuff.
6 I will have gone through 3 Gallons of distilled at least on EACH Radiator before i am through. OVERKILL? i hope so because if anything goes wrong ,it will be hell changing the tubing out.
This is the best Method i have found for flushing new rads plush i over killed it a bit on the distilled flushing.But like i said i don't want any problems.The second reason i am using this method is this is the method i cleared up the last tubing issue i had that i thought was bad tubing.But apparently it wasn't because the tubing was still clear after 4 weeks using this method. Any way this is not meant to be a guide.This is just what i am doing and what i found to be best in my opinion.If you want to use it as a guide then go right ahead but i am not in the mood to debate flushing methods in the build Log. Although if any questions or debates on the way i am doing it then just PM me and we can discuss it
Here we go:
Distilled White Vinegar 5% acidity or lower. (I heard Malt distilled is the best but regular distilled does fine also)
Big Rads Big Bottle!
Here you can see me getting ready to heat it and pour it into the Radiator. (Not boiling,Just a bit hot)
Fill it.
Cap it.
And Shake Rattle and roll(Sorry no pictures of me shaking it.Everyone was sleeping)
Also i would like to add the Vinegar came out Blue when i dumped it into the toilet so there was definitely something going on and a good flush i highly recommend. Sorry no Photo of that either but i will try and remember to add one when i do the XTC 420.
And here is the Distilled i will be using for flushing. (Going to try and get the best distilled i can in the area for the final loop though)
Ok and here is the first flush to get most of the leftover Vinegar out before looping it. I used a whole gallon for this part so actually total amount of distilled to flush will be 6 gallons on this build!
And Finally i Looped it and now will drain the water every 6 hours or so till the 2 gallons are gone! (Oh yeah i have a white wheel to replace the Blue on in the Spins Res.Thanks to Ek and also EK led kits for all blocks.
"Ok now please don't Laugh". This is my first attempt of using Video to explain what i am doing with the build.
Oh boy here it is .Please be easy on me. Also if you listen good you will learn allot about the Plans of the build.
And here is the Video:
MybadOmen explaining a Little about Mass Effect 3 Build. (Or trying at least )
Take Care MybadOmen and as always more updates Shortly:
UPDATE!
Ok guys to me this Update is Huge because i am a Huge Fan of this Kids work!!
So Please Welcome Andrew Cook (aka) DaFrontlineTrooper to the Mass Effect 3 - Switch 810 Mod.
He will Be building and Sponsoring a Mass Effect 3 Assault Rifle Prop for the Build.
And i have been for a long time.He is a very talented individual in the work that he does.Many of you Gamers Might already know of him.So lets get Moving on to him and what role he will Play in the Mass Effect Build!
Andrew Cook otherwise known as "DaFrontLineTrooper" is Amazing at build Stage Props such as Halo Weapons and Armor and many other Prop's and of course most recently the Mass Effect 3 Prop Weapons.
During my Halo days i was following him for a long time and always wanted to try and build one of his weapons because not only does he build them .He also shares his talents with the world and shows how to make your own.I could have attempted to make my own weapon but after thinking about it i thought to myself ."How Great would it be if i actually could talk to him and get him actually to come aboard the build and have him personally build the Weapon for it." Well to make a long story short i decided that's what i wanted to do,was try my hardest to get him involved.
My first email to Andrew was asking about buying a weapon from him and that's when we started talking and he actually was excited about the build and Offered to totally Sponsor the weapon.Even with his Crazy Schedule of working on 4 international Projects at the moment.
Here are some words from Andy (aka) "DaFrontLineTrooper" himself .
" Gidday everyone
My names Andrew Cook or internationally known as DaFrontlineTrooper
over the internet and within the Film Prop community.
I am a prop designer on the much anticipate Halo Fan Film : Halo The Fallen and am privileged to be helping out on this amazing Mass Effect 3 Build with MybadOmen and the other Sponsor's involved.
Hope this goes that little bit further with my little addition =)
Cheers Andy "
Also you can Check out all his Amazing work here: http://www.youtube.com/user/DaFrontlineTrooper
And here is a couple of His Videos. I highly Recommend you check out all his work! :
Huge Thanks Andrew for coming on board to help make this Build even that much more Amazing when completed!
Take Care and i am back to work.
MybadOmen
More updates to come very soon!
UPDATE!
Yup already another update.
I am at the point now i want this thing together to the point that i can get working on the Theme so i have been working overtime on it!
Ok what i did in this Update was stripped the whole build back down again because i finally have the Motherboard Plate the way i want it.I gave the back plate one last sanding with a DA sander and 220 grit sandpaper and then wiped everything down with 70% alcohol. Since this is Bare metal you have to use a special primer called etching primer if you want that pain to stick and not peel later:
Here is the stuff i will be using:
Most Important is the Coffee!
Here's the Etching Primer and Alcohol i used to clean and Prime the Metal.
Since i liked how the Krylon Fusion came out so far i decided to use it again on the back Plate and 5.25 bays.
As you can see its good for Metal as well as Plastic:
Ok i fist started with a dusting coat of primer.Or others may call it a tack coat.What this is ,is a very light coat that you apply before actually laying the coats down .to actually make the primer stick better.
You can tell from the Photo hear its barely covering the Metal at this point:
After a few coats and letting the Primer dry i lightly sanded the primer being very careful of the edges and start spraying the Black.I sprayed the black the same way.A dusting coat followed by a bunch of lighter coats:
After about 5 lights coats here is the final result: (Almost forgot to mention.Whenever i use a spray can i always warm the paint in the sink by letting the can sit in water roughly 70-75 F )
Next i started on the Modded 5.25 bays by doing the same as above: (Forgot photo of them finished it was getting dark out and was in a rush but you will see them soon enough anyway)
Here they are in Primer though:
Next i Put a few Rivets in the new back plate and brought it inside.Even though its fast dry paint i wont mess with it untill tomorrow to avoid scratching it more then i have to. ( Scratches always happen when building.Something always goes wrong where you have to redo something or add something)
Anyway here She sits waiting till Morning & at the same time i know the PSU and Pumps work because they are all running right now flushing the Rads to the point of overkill to avoid any tube clouding in this build. (At least every effort will have been taken to avoid it)
Also where the Pumps,Rads and PSU are running right now. (I change the Distilled roughly every 6 hours)
Also not sure if you guys Missed it or not but i added many updates the last couple days so check the INDEX ,Some really cool stuff happened including the Introduction of the Newest Sponsor to the Build.
More Updates as soon as Possible Keep watching guys!
Take Care
MybadOmen
UPDATE !
To start off this update this one is for you Kaged ! (Because you said you couldn't wait to see it finished)!
As you know from the Last Update Andrew Cook (aka) DaFrontlineTrooper is building and Sponsoring a Mass Effect 3 M8 Avenger Assault Rifle to my "Mass Effect 3- NZXT Switch 810 Build".
For one i am a huge fan of his work anyway.And for 2 he lives in a far away country from me ,so doing this for the Build is absolutely amazing!
Here is a Sneak Peek of the M8 he is working on for the build (This is no where near completed )This photo was sent just to make sure it was the correct size and is only sitting in primer!
Here is Andy's Incredible Talents at work:
For more Info on Andrew Cook (aka) DaFrontlineTrooper click the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/user/DaFrontlineTrooper
Ready ? Next is some work i actually did.
Things are Really starting to turn around now and starting to come together nicely i think.I know it may be hard to see but you have to picture it will all the red and white actually inside the Case plus the Mass Effect Logo's etc i will be adding also.
First i will start with some small stuff i did getting ready to apply the theme to the build:
Here is some small touches to the top so Far (Much More work to go up top)
Before:
After:
Next work had to be done to the Front to fit what is going in the 5.25 Bays.Remeber there is going to be tubing going down through all the Bays so allot of thinking and allot of work to get everything to work here. Also with the tubing running down the bays that meant no room for any thing else to go in the bays right? Nope wrong. Just had to think outside the box a bit and am working on some new brackets. First of all i needed 5 bays just to fit whats going in the front. This build will have an external DVD drive with it. At least for the time being.
So this is what is going inside and how i am going to pull it off . With the wiring and the Tubing also running through the bays:
First what i did to the front cover so far (Also much more to be done with this also):
Before:
And After. Extra drive bay spot done !
Also another tiny Touch of red:
First item that will be sitting in the now somewhat 5 drive bay spaces i now have is a Antec VERIS Multimedia Station Premier Infrared receiver and remote. If you notice almost every build i have put together has one of these in it.I cant live without it and i think i am keeping them in business with how many i bought so far:
But as everything i have been doing this isn't going to fit either:
Here it is:
And after moving the small circuit board,taking off the bracket that slides into the drive bay and of course i will be trashing that big adapter plug and wiring it up with a tiny plug off the PSU.
Anyway after a few minutes of rework so far on it. It will work wonderful with the 2 inches of room i have in the Top 2 drive bays that now exists:
Ok now for the NZXT Sentry Mix. (Thank You NZXT for Sponsoring this also)
Alright and again there is no way this is going to work !This needs to go into the 5th of the 5 drive bays i now have:
But because NZXT is always thinking of us (or maybe it was a coincidence) The whole Mix comes apart and simply leaves 2 nice brackets to work with and is very thin . Now this works perfect for me!
Ok so last thing that needs to fit and takes 2 bays .And has no other options but to go into the 3rd and 4th drive bays which will fill the bays is an EK Dual bay Dual Loop Spin Reservoir (Thank you EK for also Sponsoring this):
This is actually the one thing that has to go in a little and unbelievable! Its a perfect fit without modifying anything. Well i kinda Lied, I am changing the Blue spins wheel out for a White spin wheel
Here it is anyway:
And now for one of the other pain in my @$$ parts of the build was getting the drive bays themselves to work out.
Here is some more work done to them today:
The feet between the Pump Bay i made and the Drive bays were a little to wide so i trimmed and files both of the down so the tubing would have room to clear down through the bays from the top.I already cut tons of opening in a previous update to allow room for the tubing and Outlets for the Pumps:
So here is a shot of the 5.25 Bays and the Pump bay looking down from up top. Perfection
And finally another Shot of how the inside of the build is looking so far.I also want to mention the EK Clear Plexi Dominator Ram Block i needed so badly EK Sponsored that also and it is on its way here to my door ! (Thank you so Much again EK!)
( And yeah we all know by now how bad my iPhone pictures are ! But i promise when it really matters. the pictures will be perfect!But this is the best i can do for Pictures now)
Both Blocks will soon be matching the CPU block and Plan is to have each have a different color coolant (Not sure yet if it will work out but that's the plan for now) Either way will still look great!
Also i am going for the same SSD mounting as i did with Venom. So the SSD's will be mounted on the 3M Di-noc Carbon Fiber (Thank you for Sponsoring it Mnpctech.com) This will even out the Chrome and black look and make sure there is not way to much red and white at the end:
And just some shots with the Fans sitting in the bottom where the EK XTC 280 Rad with 4 NZXT FZ fans in push/pull with be sitting. Basically just to show how it will look when the color starts coming in:
And just a shot of the Pump bays that i decided i definitely don't want to rivet together because it makes easy access to the Pumps if i use screws or these Plastic rivets i am now searching for.
Lol really Bad shot of that one!
Wow it takes so much work just doing the Log its self.Its Crazy. But i want to share everything with you guys and of course i know you like Updates so i try and give them to you as soon as Possible:
Hope you guys are liking it so far!
More Updates Soon! Keep Watching this should get really good!
Take Care MybadOmen.
UPDATE!
Thank you so much again for the help and Support for the 4th time EKWB!
If you guys have been following my Build Log you will know i made a huge mistake and ordered the x4 EK Dominator Ram Pelxi Clear Top for my EK Nickel Ram block (6 stick Model).
Well i didn't want to ask for anything else from EK because they already contributed Huge to this build. I exhausted all other routes in trying to find the Top myself in the USA where i live.Or even a Used block for that matter.
Anyway i wont mention his name because i am not sure that is allowed so i will just call him "G Man" for this Post. Anyway he again pulled through and saved my butt by also sponsoring the block. And shipping it all the way from Slovenia with fast shipping on top of that! This block top actually went through Slovenia ,Australia,Germany then Boston USA and then to me . Imagine all that just to help me out.
Here is what they sent this time: (And damn its Beautiful)
Absolutely speechless and had to make an update because this meant so much to me.
So again Thank you so Much "G Man" from EKWB once again you saved the day ! And got me back on Schedule.
If you guys are interested in EKWB and there Products here are some links below:
EKWB's e-Shop (with all their products) : http://www.ekwaterblocks.com/shop/
Here is the x4 EK Dominator Ram Top Clear Plexi : http://www.ekwaterblocks.com/shop/to...inator-x4.html
And here is the Regular Original EK Dominator Ram Block (6 stick) : http://www.ekwaterblocks.com/shop/bl...dominator.html
I know this might seem like a small update but believe me it is a huge update for the build itself to look right.
Also wanted to show how incredible of a company and how great EK's products are. Remember this was all my Fault on asking for the wrong Top to begin with. And still they helped me and sent me the right one.
So please check out there Products if you are looking for very nice water cooling gear!
Take Care, MybadOmen
And as Usual More Updates very soon ! So keep watching , Tell your Friends and just pass it on anyway you can
And please tell me if there is something you don't like also!
"UPDATE!"
Installing new EK Clear Plexi Dominator Ram Block Top :
Here is the block before new top:
And here is the block Apart:
Damn look at that Nickel Plating ! How sweet is that!
And finally just what i knew that was missing from the build.The Block with the new Top! It is beautiful if you ask me.
And now when i picture the build in my head done the color looks right. Just look how sweet it looks in there with the other hardware! Now imagine the read and white pastels added.
I LOVE this photo its like my Father in Law and Brother that passed were right there saying "yeah just like that! "(Made me feel very good seeing this Picture)
I am feeling much better about the build today after taking a break.Yesterday my brain was fried from just to much of it and i started thinking everything looked horrible.
Today i think everything is going just right. Still a few battles ahead making things work but besides that i am really digging it.
What do you guys think? Is it looking good ? Or tear it apart and start over .
Take Care and as always more Updates very soon. I am going to hammer on this build all week to get as much done as possible. So keep watching closely .I plan on getting to bed early tonight and getting a Clean fresh start in the morning. I should be in bed by 3am and that's very early for me!
MybadOmen
Fantastic! Keep on the good work!
PC:
MOBO: Maximus VI Extreme
CPU: Core i7-4770k
RAM: 2x4gb Dominator Platinum 2133
GPU: GeForce GTX Titan
Greetings from Brazil!
UPDATE !
Ok guys i guess i can do a little update of a few things.But they are no were near complete.But it does show what i am working on at the moment!
First off we will start out will a Huge thanks to Primochill / Tyler Industries who has went above and beyond helping with this build and being a great friend.
Anyway i don't want to say his name because i don't think that would be appropriate but is an awesome guy as i stated above
I asked for a few of there Ghost Barbs (which are awesome) for running the tubing through the roof of my Switch 810 and also asked for a few LED G1/4 plugs for my reservoirs.As he always does he sent way more stuff then i asked for.Mostly a bunch of stuff he thinks i would get a kick out of or new products that are coming to the Market soon. Anyway some of the stuff i am about to show you is not available yet but will be in roughly 30 days i was told. I did ask for permission to share them with you guys and he said yes. So that's what i am about to do
He is sending 3 Boxes that i know of Plus something really big non build related (Birthday present) this is one of those boxes but this one he rush delivered to me because he knew i needed the barbs badly to make sure they would work.And they did and they are incredible barbs.
Here is the Box i received today with all sorts of new goodies:
Lol, as you can see he sent allot more then a couple bards and a few LED G1/4 Plugs:
Now we can take a closer look at what we have and i will do my best to explain them because like i said allot of it isn't available to the public yet.But what is i will tell you where you can find there stuff: (I had no idea they made half the stuff they actually make)
These are available to the Public and the are really incredible barbs if thats the route you are heading or you need to fit in a tight spot.These are for 1/2"ID x 3/4"OD Tubing. They are called PrimoChill Tool Free Ghost Fittings.They are very sleek and because i love them so much and never knew they existed i will give a description also of them: (Also remember i asked for a few of them)
Highlights of the New Fittings
Shortened threading to better suit CPU and Video Card block depths, improving flow.
Removed unneeded wrench flats all together in favor of a much more user friendly tool-free knurling.
O-ring shoulder made thinner for a shorter fitting overall without sacrificing needed length in the barrel.
Tool-Free Design
Because you use the ultimate reach-anywhere tool that you never leave home without - your fingers - you can get to a fitting in almost any location inside your case. The knurling allows you to easily grip the fittings and install them "finger-tight" as is recommended by most manufacturers to avoid cracking the block.
Ghost Design
The tubing nearly covers the entire fitting so it is invisible inside the tubing. Being invisible AND beautiful isn’t easy, but PrimoChill managed it.
They can be found Here: http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...ducts_id=23513
Next I will show the LED G1/4 Plugs. These are very different from others i seen on the market and have bought before.I fell in love with them immediately.Only problem is i don't see them listed anywhere for sale so the might be one of the new products coming out. If you are intereste in them just let me know and i will ask more information on them next time i talk with the company.
LED G1/4 Plugs:
These next things are something to be very excited about! I don't know how many times i ordered LED's already wired or ones that i bought single and tried different resistors just to get a plain looking light.There are 2 different Types here and believe me when i say it. They are Extremely Bright! All these LED's are going to be new products and they are some new bulbs i was told that are the brightest you can get!
Here the single wired bulbs (He sent them with a little box that controls an on off switch and 20 leds can be plugged in.At the moment i am not sure how they will be sold when they do go up for sale)
First off here is the Little box that Controls the Single LED's:
And here is a White Led :
Red Led:
And UV of course :
And here is something i think people are going to go crazy for ! I love them and am most definitely using them somewhere in the Mass Effect build: (The little suckers will blind you if you are not careful and they are the tiniest LED's i ever seen in my life! )
These tiny things run right off the 12 volt yellow and black PSU wires.So i imagine they will be sold with different options for plugs:
Here is the White:
The Red:
And at last the UV:
Lol i know them lights are tiny and the camera takes away some of the effect but OMG are they bright!
Also all the lights were on in my Kitchen when i took these Photo's of the LED's on ! That's how crazy bright they are!
Still tons if stuff on the way from Primochill / Tyler industries.
Hope you guys liked this update and Sneak Peak on some of Primochills upcoming Products .When you get a chance look up Primochill and really look through all the stuff they already have available.I had no idea they Made even Compression Fittings Also!Tons of cool Stuff!
Sorry cant Show any updates on the Build itself right now. I don't want to ruin ant Surprises and the next Update should look really cool . But that again is like everything else.If i manage to pull it off!
Take Care Guys and Keep watching. Things are going to start really getting good soon!!
MybadOmen
Lol
Had to show you guys this quick video of the kid Andrew Cook (aka) DaFrontlineTrooper that's making the Gun for my Mass Effect 3 build.
(This is not my Gun he is showing but he is making a video of the gun that is going on My Build so keep watching my build log)
This kids a riot and i love the work he does . Check this out. Cool as Hell !
Hope you enjoyed it as much as i did.Damn i cant wait to see the Video of the M8 he's making for my Mass Effect build !
"" Keep checking back guys! Getting really close to adding some new Updates! ""
MybadOmen
"UPDATE"
Wow this build is already over 50,000 views between the forums i am on. Thanks so much guys for the support!
If it wasn't for you guys that like my work i don't know if i would work so hard at making each one special for you guys.
I do these builds and Log everything for a few reasons and mostly to help the Modding community grow like the Masters before us like Bill Owen,John Hanlon,Wayne the Bullet Butler and tons more.
And the biggest reason is to help attract more newcomers to the great sport i would call it of Modding/Overclocking.
Thanks everyone so much for everything XTremeSytsems.org,The people who watch my work and like it,People that help me when i need it,and of course all my Sponsors and other companies that help our whole community grow and not die out.
I have a feeling that Modding/Overclocking has only just begun to become big.and its getting time that we have to start stepping up our game and logging everything so the next generation can follow and have people to look up to like we did.
Again Huge thanks to my Current Sponsors:
NZXT :
http://www.nzxt.com/new/
ekwb :
http://www.ekwaterblocks.com/
Primochill / Tyler Industries :
http://www.primochill.com/
Mnpctech: (Bill Owen & Crew)
http://www.mnpctech.com/
Mayhem's :
http://www.mayhems.co.uk/shop/en/
DaFrontlineTrooper Andrew Cook (Films, Props,and Tutorials):
http://www.youtube.com/user/DaFrontlineTrooper
Also to the Companies that gave me support that rather stay anonymous !
Also decided good or not i am adding the Video to the build log and index .Because it does show me as just a normal person just like you all. (Listen to me mess up saying Mnpctech.Lol (Was Exhausted)
Anyway here it is guys.Now officially added to the Build log and index.
Keep watching Guys as i will be starting the Theme very soon and that's when things should get even more interesting
Take Care Guys
MybadOmen
"UPDATE !"
Ok now after all the excitement of my previous build "Venom" making top 10 in Maximum PC. I am finally ready to give another big update to this build.It took a few designs and trial and error but i got things to where i want them now:
This Update mainly is about the new PSU & Rad Cover that is pretty much completed besides adding some Mass Effect 3 Theme to it.
As usual i tried my best to log everything to help other Modders understand how i do my builds. I of course cant log everything sorry because it would take to much time taking a shot of every single thing i do. But i have allot of it showing the Process i used in making this build.
Ok Lets get started:
As always when i am making something i pull out the Pizza box because i eat way to much of it and have tons lying around:
And as usual i find a problem.Box wont fit in the case without having a gap.
Back to the drawing board.Which is really in my head because i don't draw anything:
Ok i have a plan now (I Think). So lets get moving:
Next i decided to use my old metal brake that i made real quick on day.This was the metal break before my Project Bend It. Brake that there is a build log somewhere here for.Anyway its the one i decided to use for the bend i needed.
And some more cutting: (By the way really nice Jigsaw and it only cost $59.99 at Harbor Freight . It also has a built in laser guide and a metal guide to make straight lines whci you will see me using:
Look good so far right? Wrong it got scrapped and started over again.I didn't like it.To get to the Rad and PSU would be Hell like this . So again back to the drawing board:
While i we wait for the next box design here is where i am aiming with the Tubing routing and listed are the colors that will be flowing through the tubing (Mayhem's Pastels and Dye of course)
Allrighty then back to work again:
Damn i love my Rotozip and Dremel !
Next got the Mesh out and again went Rotozip crazy!
Nicely cut if i don't say so myself. Also look at that sweet sheet of Aluminum underneath the mesh. You will see me make a few things with this later. It is great stuff and polishes up to look very similar to Chrome.
Hmm whats next let me think a second. Oh i remember. Time to cut the spot so the EK XTC 280 Radiator Can breathe with its 4 NZXT FZ Series 140mm Fans in push/pull config.
As you can see now the PSU box is 2 pieces so i can easily Maintain things inside.Very important to think of these things ahead of time.I liked the one piece look but it wasn't practical at all. You can also see the mesh added and the Molding added to the box. Now she can breath again!
Next i started working on one of my Crazy idea's that i think is really going to make this build cool as Hell. Notice the tubing in the roof! Each side will be showing a different color coolant.This was extremely difficult and major time consuming to figure out and get to work! But well worth the time.
Alright. Every thing seems to look good. But there is no way the PSU / Rad box can stay like that even though it don't look bad. I also decided to move the tubing around a bit down bottom so the GPU's tubing dumps straight down rather then back..Lol waste of a perfect cut hole .
So take it back out and back to work Again:
And another wall i hit. I cant find my larger size step drill so stuck with a 3/4" hole.The tubing would fit but that just wouldn't be right.So Dremel time!
Before we go any further i want to take a moment to say something. This work i am doing shows you don't need a ton of fancy tools to do some incredible Modding.The tools you have seen me use so far are all inexpensive. Even the Drill press you see me using. Again i bought that on sale at Harbor Freight for $59.99 My regular drill cost me like $18 bucks My Rotozip kit i picked up for $25 bucks on Craigslist and a Dremel is roughly $60.00 or you can grab on on sale or even used for allot less. And i already mentioned my Jigsaw which is sweet as hell was $59.99. Just wanted to go over this real quick because you don't need a CNC machine Laser cutter ,Milling machine or anything like that to be a great modder. Just grab a Dremel and have Faith in yourself. I mess up all the time and when i do i just try to work with my mistakes.
Ok we are not writing a book right here in the middle of the Update so lets get back to the build:
We left off with me losing my bigger step drill and time to Dremel the hole out.Lets see what i have that might work. (My metal bit that does this job perfect broke a few days before )
Choice of weapons for the job! Dremel ,Round File and a orbital sander i didn't get a shot of but you see me use it elsewhere. That was 15 bucks by the way.
Lol that went well:
It may have broke but it was working out well until it did so back into the box to grab another:
Ok looks good to me...Next i need to drill holes perfectly placed in the front cover or the box and then Make a smaller hole to make threads so it can be screwed together and removed when needed.
Now for the top which wouldn't fit in my drill press without setting some kind of jig up so back to my hand drill. (By the way i recommend all plug in power tools.Cant stand the battery ones.I want the Power Baby! )
Looking good. Fits the build perfect. And is very practical now.But far from done.
Ok now to start making it blend and make it look Pretty! Thank you Bill Owen of Mnpctech.com for Sponsoring a roll of 3M Carbon Fiber Di noc and some other great things to Me the Build and my Son. Still need Allot more for the build though.Already almost went through 2 rolls trying to make all the Fiber lines head the right direction.
Sorry for getting to much into my work on that part i only have one shot because i totally forgot to shoot the rest.
But here are the end results.Looks way better then in the Photo's and i am going to try and get some better shots in the daylight for you guys.But anyway this is what i got it looking like so far.
And a little Sneak Peek of whats to come:
And here is a shot of me Crammed in between my Printers and this is before the Plotter even arrives at my door on Monday.This is something i am really getting into also and should see me doing something soon with all this. (Artisan Maybe?) Who knows can only wait and see .
You can also see one of my upcoming Projects in the future. That's the Memorial PC build i am doing for my Father in law that Passed recently. (Will be doing this over time and it will be immaculate and very close to me .So don't expect to see this build for a while to come)
Well that's about all i have to show for now without Spoiling anything in upcoming Updates.
Hope you guys are enjoying it and keep checking back!
Again hope you guys like it so far. It is getting extremely close to the deadline and i go to work soon also.So i am very scared i might not make it. I am pushing big time now on the build to make the deadline though,
Take Care Guys and keep checking back!
MybadOmen
UPDATE !
New Sponsor came on board the Mass Effect - NZXT Switch 810 build today !
Extremely excited about it and i will show what they are Sponsoring when it arrives.
Also Banner will be added to the list in the morning.
Please Welcome
ATX PC Repair | Austin's Computer Repair
Austin Computer Repair. FREE Computer Diagnostics. Top-Rated Computer Repair Service in Austin. ATX PC Repair provides on-site computer repairs for homes and small businesses
You can visit their Site here: atxpctech.com
Thank you so much for coming on board the build guys.Highly Appreciated !
Also i have More big Updates for you guys Very soon !!
MybadOmen
Update !
Awesome Video & More in this Update!!
When 2 Artists,A handful of great companies and an incredible Community come together.There can be nothing but Great results !
This is an Incredible Update and i am so excited about it. I know some of you have been anxiously waiting to see the M8 Assault Rifle from Mass Effect 3 that is going to be Top Mounted on the Mass Effect 3 Build of course. Well today we are lucky enough to receive a video that is also posted on DaFrontlineTrooper's YouTube channel.
I find this to be Amazing because this was an international project that we worked on together and i find it very cool that people from different parts of the planet can come together on one build to make it great.
So lets talk a little more about Andrew Cook again for those of you that missed it before. He is mostly known as DaFrontlineTrooper and a does Films,Props and the best thing i admire about him is he also does Tutorials to share with others how to do what he does.Sorta like we do here by displaying build Logs.I have been watching him for a long time and was actually going to try and build my own M8 by using his tutorials. Then i thought to myself, Hmmm he is a huge Mass Effect Fan ! I am a Huge Mass Effect Fan! Why not contact him and do an international project together.
Long Story short i asked him if he thought it was a great idea and he agreed it would be a great thing to do.I also want to let you know he was in the middle of 4 international Projects when i talked to him first and he still wanted to do it.
I don't know about you guys but just him playing a part in this build just makes it allot more sentimental and a bigger story to go behind the build. (I am such a huge fan of his i also had him sign the gun for me
And Finally after all my Blabbing the Video showing the Actual M8 that will be Mounted on top of My Mass Effect 3 Build!
Hope you guys enjoyed the Video and my Tiny little Mass Effect 3 M8 Assault Rifle.
I still have Tons i haven't got to post yet on the build progress so keep checking Back! (I will be Posting as soon as Possible)
Take Care Guys and thanks for Following my work and for all your Support!
MybadOmen & DaFrontlineTrooper
UPDATE !
Ok so last we left off i was just finishing up the Rad and Power Supply cover i made.
First off:
Big Thanks to EK for the Radiators. EKWB Sponsored both the XTC 420 & XTC 280 Rads. (Plus Tons more! )
Both Rads and tons of other Great EK Products can be found here : http://www.ekwaterblocks.com/shop/ra...rs.html?cat=94
Also Thanks goes out to NZXT for the Power Supply which is a NZXT Hale 90 1000watt.
The Power Supply Can be found here again along with there incredible Products: http://www.nzxt.com/new/products/pow...s/hale90_1000w
Also guys i have used both these companies Products long before i was ever sponsored.And i highly Recommend both companies products.
Ok here are some updates of where i left off painting the Mesh for the bottom Rad to breathe.
Before:
Bare metal always needs an Etching Primer before painting:
Hanging the mesh and priming it:
Taping off the everything besides what i want to be white: Also measuring to match the top.
after i painted the white i taped off again over the white to make the Red Stripe:
White and Red done just black to go:
And the black finally:
And Finally the Finished look together of the top and bottom Mesh.
Still tons more to Update but i need to get back to work on it so cya guys soon!
MybadOmen
UPDATE!
Got the Package that was Sponsored by:
ATX PC Repair | Austin's Computer Repair
Now i can really get cranking on the Theme. Was a costly Case to dress up because Shepard's N7 Armor is all Carbon fiber .
Already the build took 2 2' x 2" sheets just to do the inside and the one top piece.
Thanks you ATX PC Repair | Austin's Computer Repair for Sponsoring 3 more sheets to the build !!! That was a huge help and will get this build rolling again!
Here is what was Sponsored to the Build: 3 sheets so its 2' x 6' Roll: of the Real 3M Di noc (Stuff is far from Cheap)
For more info on My Sponsor Please see his website here: http://atxpctech.com/
Thank you ATX PC Repair | Austin's Computer Repair for the help and thanks to everyone else that has been following the build and supporting me through the build and some rough times!
MybadOmen
UPDATE!
I know i am busy as all hell but i figure i owe you guys some more updates since i did tons of work and haven't had time to log it. So some of the updates will be showing work done before the pictures you guys have already seen.
But here goes. I will do my best to make it all make sense:
Ok here i am working on the top Mesh and cover of the Case:
Here is the top after i cut the 2 slots on each side for the tubing to show through and i painted the small mesh in this piece also (Might be painting it back to black at the end though)
Primered with Etching Primer and Painted the Red white and black (Picture shows the white done)
Now taping off for the Red Paint. (at this point i was going to try to keep the metal look but i didn't like it and changed it to black)
And here is some more work i did because i wanted the handle on the top back in and needed to mount the Mesh to the top. (I used 2 part Epoxy to mount it)
Lol and look at my fingernail in this next Photo ! MybadOmen going Goth!
Applying 3M Di noc to the top. This was pretty tricky but i got it the best i could and it looks good.
And some of the work finishing up the Bay i modded for holding the Dual EK DCP 4.0 Pumps:
Screws i decided to go with to give a nice look against the polished aluminum cover i also made.This will make it so i can easily get to both Pumps if need be:
Tap and Die set to make new Threads:
Now just making the holes bigger one the front cover parts so the bolts go through to the threads:
And what the final Pump tray looks like:
Also Mounted the little SR2 Ship on the Front 10" Reservoir. Both Reservoirs are EK-Multioption RES X2 - 250 Advanced .
Reservoirs i am using can be found here : http://www.ekwaterblocks.com/shop/re...-advanced.html
Pumps i am using can be found here: http://www.ekwaterblocks.com/shop/pu...v-dc-pump.html
And with the Pump Box in:
Also got a new Monitor because mine died on me ! Absolutely love the new one i got. Its an HP 2511x you guys have to check these monitors out if you ever see one.It stood out in the store and made all the other monitors look horrible ,so basically i had no choice but to get it.I didnt want it because it was HP and i went there looking for an Asus or Samsung. But believe me this HP is Amazing. It does cost a little more then the Samsung and Asus but it was well worth it!
Here is a peek of what i am working on now until the next Update as you can see i have the little helping hands out and yup ,I am soldering in there. Think my warranty is still good?:
Thank you NZXT for the Hale 90 1000watt to rip apart
If interested in a NZXT Hale 90 1000watt PSU for your build here is the link: http://www.nzxt.com/new/products/pow...s/hale90_1000w
As always these are all Great Products from great companies or i wouldn't Use them or endorse them! Any part i show or use i highly recommend !
Hope you guys enjoyed the Update! It takes allot of time from the build when i am sitting here but the build is pointless without you guys watching so you guys are Priority number 1!
Thanks for Watching and keep checking back!
MybadOmen
UPDATE!
*** Huge Thanks to Newest Sponsor for joining in on the Mass Effect 3 - NZXT Switch 810 build! ***
http://www.plextoramericas.com/
Now i would like to talk a little about why Plextor is part of this build.I have been watching them on Facebook and was amazed at how closely they work with the community and there incredible support for their customers.They had allot of the same Qualities found in my other sponsors and if you guys all remember the sticker ordeal with my OCZ drives then you know how terrible of support they have.
So as far i can see so far Plextor is an incredible Company community and Support wise.Hmm well what about there drives was my next question.
So as always i went and started digging and researching and was amazed to find all kinds of awards for their SSD drives and incredible benchmark scores. (I will be Reviewing and Benching them Myself when they arrive also).So at that point i was sold and contacted them about coming aboard the build and they said yes.
So all i can say at this point is i am highly honored to be Sponsored by another great Company! And i am not speaking of just a good quality fast drive.I am talking the whole company is another great company. I feel if a company wants us to buy their parts they should be part of the community and hear what we have to say and also see what we are building and maybe a contest here and there for us. Well every sponsor you see listed for this build ,Including the newly added Plextor fall into that category or trust me i wouldn't be associated with them.
So as for Plextor they are another Company that i highly recommend their Products and will endorse them with everything i have !
Here is some info on Plextor SSD Drives also: http://www.plextoramericas.com/index...-m3-pro-series
Take care guys ans Stay Tuned for what is coming from Plextor which will be in an update sometime next week!
Take Care,
MybadOmen
Update!
Here is a bunch of Random photos of the work i have been doing. I have been rushing as hard as i can the last few days because i need to start working and wasn't expected to start yet.So here is wht i have done so far.
LED Strips:
Wiring Fans a little more convenient: (This will allow me to control each row of fans on the rads.So i can adjust the push or pull of the sets of fans)
Looks fun don't it. And that's still without the PSU installed!
Small little bracket i had to make to hold the PSU & Rad cover up:
PSU still Modded even though you will never see it. This was the all white NZXT Hale90 1000w.
Here are just some shots of the build. As you can see i changed the tubing on the Red loop to Red just to avoid any tubing issues because i wont have time to change it if anything goes wrong now. So it will still look great and i have no worries now.
Update!
Here is the Sketch up we are going by, for the inside only. We are saving the Mass Effect 3 Logo for the Outside of the case and of course the M8 made by DaFrontlineTrooper will be going on top.Also the cooling will be white and red and also 2 Plextor SSD drives will be Mounted on the blank Carbon fiber Panel on the right hand top side.
Also allot of help with the Vinyl work is being done by Kaged as my equipment is no where near ready to run
Also guys don't forget to check out and support his Pink NZXT Phantom Cancer Awareness Build !
Cancer Awareness Build here: http://www.overclock.net/t/1211457/c...t-pink-phantom
UPDATE !
Plextor SSD's arrive! Unboxing , My thoughts , and Benchmarks !
Thank you Plextor for making this Update possible and for coming on board the Mass Effect 3 - Switch 810 build !
As you guys that have been following the thread know already i have been talking about changing the SSD's to a different brand. I have been Very interested in Plextor Pro Series SSD's for a while now and read allot about then. Well to make a long story short i talked with Plextor and am dumping the OCZ drives and going to run a new Pair of Plextor 128gig M3 Pro Series SSD's in raid 0 Striped in the Mass Effect 3 build.
After some Testing i definitely love the drives and plan on running Plextor drives from now on and let me show you why:
First i will start with the unboxing of the Drives:
It was raining the day the drives arrived and i was nervous when i seen the box was wet!
As i opened the box i realized Plextor Packed the drives very nice, so my worries instantly went away (So much bubble wrap i bet i could of dropped them off my roof and they would be fine so A+ for Packaging! )
Now to look at the box itself :
As you can see and it was hard to get it on film the box is a shiny metallic blue and looks very nice!
And the Back which has the Specs which i will get to in a few:
And here are the contents inside the box: The SSD , an Adapter ,mounting screws,Software and Manual and 5 year warranty info.
Ok lets get right to the drive now because i am very excited about it:
The drive looks absolutely gorgeous! It sits in a brushed aluminum casing with Plextor done very nicely in black. Yeah i know this is just looks but trust me we will get to the performance soon enough. Also this SSD is one of the Lightest SSD drives i ever held and it is extremely thin. So for looks ,weight and size the drive is amazing so A+ here also !
And here is where they will be going in the ME3 build:
Also here they are mounted in Venom which i am using just as a test bench right now :
Ok now onwards to see how they Perform:
ATTO:
CrystalDiskMark
Plextor SSD Performance Analyzer
Windows Experience Index also 7.9 for the SSD's of course.
As you can easily see these drives easily do 1000mbs + and we proved it with Multiple benchmarks to be fair as Possible.
Also one of the biggest attractions to the Plextor drives is their award winning technology called True Speed where their drives keep the performance over long periods of time. Plus don't forget they have a 5 Year Warranty !! So why are more people not running them ? I have no idea but i will be for sure !
More info on Plextor True Speed Technology : http://www.plextoramericas.com/TrueSpeed/index.html
And also the Specs of Plextor M3 Pro Series Drives i am using : http://www.plextoramericas.com/index...series?start=1
My conclusion is these SSD drives Rock ! and i would highly recommend them to anyone looking for lightening fast drives! Also Plextor makes many other model SSD's and Blu Ray burners etc so take a look for your self. here: http://www.plextoramericas.com/
But the # 1 reason i chose Plextor and wanted them as a Sponsor is because they have INCREDIBLE customer service and they also are very close with their customers on Facebook etc !
I am highly honored to be Flying the PLEXTOR banner on this build Log and Proud to represent their name !!
MybadOmen
More updates to come soon so keep Watching !
"UPDATE"
Well hiya guys, I have an update but its not huge. I am now back to working on ME3 as well as another build but making ME3 the priority right now.
Here is the point the build was at before today as you can see i have been working on her a bit:
Here is some work i did Today.
Mounted the 2 Plextor M3 Pro Series SSD Drives.
Wrapped the Modded top front Panel with more 3M Di noc Carbon Fiber
And also Painted another NZXT FZ-140 Fan Red and Modded the lower front panel and cut out some Mesh that will be painted to match the mesh on top and inside. (Front is still incomplete)
Also did some boring wiring but didn't photo it as it was nothing special.
And thanks to My Sponsors involved in this Update:
Plextor for their PX-M3 Pro Series SSD Drives that are smoking fast Clean or Dirty !
More Info Here : http://www.plextoramericas.com/index...-m3-pro-series
NZXT For everything they Sponsored for this build:
More Products from NZXT Here: http://www.nzxt.com/new/product_all.php
ATXPCREPAIR & MNPCTECH For huge help getting all the 3M Di-noc Carbon fiber needed for this build which is a total of 2 feet x 10 feet and is far from cheap stuff!
More Info on ATXPCREPAIR Here: http://atxpctech.com/
For all MNPCTECH's great products, guides,blobs look here : http://www.mnpctech.com/casemodstore.html
Sorry for the long wait but hope you guys like where its heading. Looks like its almost done but its all the tiny details that drive me crazy, But you should see allot more updates from here on out as i am all set up to work here now.
Take care and really hope you guys like it:
More to come soon so keep watching:
MybadOmen
UPDATE!
Just another small update of getting a little more work done to the front of the Case. Looks a bit funny right now till the actual Theme is applied and the Window etc is Modded.
Ok Lets get started :
Here is the lower front Panel that i started Modding in the last update:
Now to paint the Mesh i made earlier to match the top. First step because it is bare metal is to Prime it with an etching Primer:
Next i paint the whole piece in Black Krylon "Fusion" Satin Black. I have completely switched to using Krylon when using rattle can pants now. The stuff is really amazing on Metal or Plastic and also has an Adhesion Promoter already in it.
Next i mark it and tape of a 2 inch space that will be Painted white as part of the red and white stripe. (Usually this stripe would go on the side but i wanted to be original as this is my Version of Mass Effect 3 Build so i wanted it Centered) Also again using White Krylon Fusion.
Totally forgot to take a Photo of the white panted and taping off the Red. but basically all i did was let the white dry and taped off a 1 inch stripe in the center to pain red and here is what it looks like drying with the tape off.
Now i move on to the Heat gun and 3M Di-noc Carbon Fiber to wrap the lower panel that the Mesh will be sitting in:
And after a little heating and carefully getting all the edges its wrapped:
and a Shot of it back on the ME3 build:
More to Come Keep Watching
Take Care,
MybadOmen
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks