Project: .:Prometheus v3:. ->LianLi V1200B Plus II

[schoolslave]

After my previous project (Ragnarok) ended with my case being stolen and me being ripped off, I have finally decided to start "fresh".
That means: new project name, new case, new ideas, new hardware.



Prometheus v3 - Liquid cooling worklog by schoolslave



After scouring the interwebs, I found a Lian Li PC-V1200B Plus II in immaculate condition for extremely cheap.
Previously, I had worked on one of these cases, unfortunately that project ended in disaster as well when the case fell off the workbench and the toolbox then fell on the case.

This project will revolve around three basic "themes":

1. Longevity - I am planning on using this PC for my remaining two years in college with minimal maintenance, maybe changing out the water once a year.
2. Beauty & Elegance - No gaudy lighting, colors, etc. There will be some subtle use of red and polished aluminum, but mostly the color scheme is grey and black.
3. Simplicity - I will try to keep the case as close to stock as possible on the outside.

Hardware:

Asus z68 Gene-Z
Intel 2600K
eVGA GTX680 SC
2x8Gb DDR3 1600 Corsair Dominators
Intel 80Gb 320 SSD
Intel 120Gb 320 SSD
Intel 120GB 320 SSD
Silverstone Strider 1000W

[Beriphent]

Cross my fingers nothing goes wrong for you this time.

[schoolslave]

I hope so too

Pictures of the case:






The first mod
I do so hate these cluttered front I/O connectors.....

[Edited]

I LOVE those Lian Li cases! I own A05NB myself!

I remember your old work log, too bad with the case, I guess it had a major negative impact for your motivation.

Subbed!

[schoolslave]

I LOVE those Lian Li cases! I own A05NB myself!

I remember your old work log, too bad with the case, I guess it had a major negative impact for your motivation.

Subbed!

I have an A05NB as well

And yes, my motivation was essentially zero, another big factor was that I didn't know if/when I would get my case back. I didn't want to start a whole new build only to have my old case show up.
At this point though, it's been almost a year and I've given up waiting for my v350, plus the v1200 was super cheap.

[Edited]

Hopefully you'll be lucky this time!

Seems like we've got the same color scheme on our builds, good choice!

Now, go out there and make some hardware pr0n!

[dietje1908]

LOVE this case man , almost bought one myself recently but shipping was too much :-( Im subbing this one , good luck with the build !

[schoolslave]

I've always hated the gaudy/huge/obnoxious EK logos on their blocks.





This situation only gets worse when using EK blocks together with something simple, like MIPS blocks.

In order to fix this "problem", I wet and dry sanded my EK Supreme HF acetal top to get rid of the logo.

After 1 hour of wet/dry sanding with 100 grit:




After 45 minutes wet sanding with 400 grit:



Looks much better I think.
I still have to finish sanding with 1000 -> 1200 -> 2000 grit and then polishing the acetal with some Novus or something similar.
I will post results soon

[schoolslave]

Started work on the case with the radiator cutout.
Usually I do not like radgrills, but the Bitspower alu ones match the finish on Lian Li cases perfectly.






Now I just have some filing and sanding to do.

[dietje1908]

woooow a 480 in the top ! dayum

[grasskicker509]

i would never have the courage to cut up a lian li...especially a classic like yours...other than that it looks pretty good

[paulbagz]

Just fits!

+1 to GK509's comments; love worklogs with balls.

-PB

[schoolslave]

woooow a 480 in the top ! dayum

i would never have the courage to cut up a lian li...especially a classic like yours...other than that it looks pretty good

Just fits!

+1 to GK509's comments; love worklogs with balls.

-PB

Yeah, I was definitely sweating while cutting the radiator hole.
Really makes you appreciated how large those quad radiators actually are.....

Minor update, I added a fillport to the top. I measure and remeasured about four times in order to ensure that it fits nicely (clearing the sidepanel latch on the inside).
The silver fillport is only temporary, I am going to substitute a black one later. This top fillport + a Y-fitting will allow me to fill both reservoirs simultaneously (more on that later).

[schoolslave]

What do a random Lian Li piece and an acrylic panel have in common?
They make a perfect stealth mount for three SSDs!

This particular piece is only for testing, the final one will look much better.
I also learned I should probably invest in a drill press to produce better counter sinking results...

[schoolslave]

Another minor update:

Port hole in the front to allow the bottom radiator to connect directly to the quad in the top:



Back port holes to allow the back radiator to be connected to the rest of the loop:




It may seem I am just randomly drilling holes at this point, but there is a purpose to the madness (at least I hope.....)

[Farmerbrown]

Oooo I do like your work so far, love me a good Lian Li build. Just finishing my build off now :p

Keep up the good work man

[schoolslave]

Thanks! I've been following your log as well, Lian Li's are just pure excellence

Updates!

I decided to try out this new hard copper tubing "trend". Unfortunately, it is very difficult to source any 12mm OD copper tubing in the USA, McMaster carries some but it is quite expensive. When I did find the tubing, it only came coiled

After researching online, I came up with this method of straightening coiled copper tube:




Clamp one side of the tubing (in my case, in the vise) and use a wrench to hold on tightly to the other side. Then just hit the wrench repeatedly with a hammer until the tube is straight. Works fairly well, there are still very slight "curves" but they are not really noticeable.


Also, I took the case apart to have the internals powder coated (LOCALLY, after the last powder coating fiasco )

[Edited]

Thats rad!

Pun intended.

[schoolslave]

Finished the new top for my EK block today.

Countersinking adventure with my new $50 drill press




Group shot after polishing the top with some Novus:

[El Mano]

You probably already know this but anyway. I never tried it but I've been told you can work with copper tube easily if you fill it with sand. If you do so it won't kink when you bend it. Remember to close both ends of the tube or the sand will come out and the tube will kink

[schoolslave]

I was actually planning on filling the tube with water and then freezing it, but the sand trick might also work

Small update; I finally finished assembling the pumps. Cables will be shortened, re-crimped, and sleeved later.

[schoolslave]

Planning placement of one pump:





I also got all the internal pieces back from powder coating Pictures soon.

[schoolslave]

Went to Home Depot to buy parts to build my radiator filter setup:



Hardcore bucket modding!




Finished:

[schoolslave]

Update!

Results from running the rad filter loop for 2 days:



Nasty stuff, there was also some strange oily grease which came out


Next, I started work on the acrylic midplate (to cover all the holes...).
Also, I started assembling the front bay pump and reservoir combo.





Got some sleeving for the two pumps done as well!










Going to continue sleeving today, group shots soon!

[schoolslave]

Some updates!

Cleaned some of the crap out of the case:







Wired up the SSDs as well:






Bottom radiator grill installed:




First test fit using an old motherboard and most of the water cooling components:











Detailed shot of the cable management: