[Build Log] Mil-Spec

[B NEGATIVE]

It seems my SR2 build has drawn some attention and as a result i have been contacted by a guy wanting me to build him a nice gaming rig for his son for Christmas.

So i specced him a nice machine that can play games all day long for a reasonable price.

No watercooling of the custom nature on this one,a H100 is going in as i cant rely on the customer changing fluids etc...he is not an enthusiast of watercooling but he is interested in it so im keeping it simple for now,he can upgrade to a custom loop later....maybe an XSPC D5 Raystorm kit.

So......the specs......

Intel Core i5 3570K,1155, Ivy Bridge, Quad Core, 3.4GHz, 5 GT/s DMI, 650MHz GPU, 6MB Smart Cache, 34x Ratio, 77W, Retail

Asus Sabertooth Z77, Intel Z77, S 1155, DDR3, SATA III - 6Gb/s, SATA RAID, PCIe 3.0, DisplayPort/ HDMI, ATX

3GB EVGA GTX 660 Ti Superclocked+, 28nm, PCIe 3.0, 6008MHz GDDR5, GPU 980MHz, Boost 1059MHz, Cores 1344, w/ Backplate

Corsair Vengeance C70 High Airflow Military Green Mid Tower Gaming Case with Side Window USB 3.0 2x120mm Fan w/o PSU

750W Corsair Pro Series Gold AX750, Modular, 90% Eff', 80 PLUS Gold, SLI/CrossFire, EPS 12V, Quiet Fan, ATX, PSU

Corsair H100 Hydro Series Extreme Performance CPU cooler, S775/1155/1156/1366/2011/AM2/AM3

120GB Kingston HyperX, 2.5" SSD, SATA III - 6Gb/s, SandForce, MLC-Flash, Read 555MB/s, Write 510MB/s, 85k IOPS Max

1.5TB Seagate ST1500DL003 Barracuda LP, SATA 6Gb/s, 5900rpm, 64MB Cache, 8ms OEM NCQ

120mm Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition, High Pressure, 2350rpm, 62.74CFM, 35dB, 3-Pin, Twin Pack

Corsair Memory Vengeance Green 8GB DDR3 1600 MHz CAS 9 XMP Quad Channel





The case is having some minor modding done,panel swap for a clear window with no fan mounts,lights....all your favorites.

I cracked on today,this is the case...Corsair C70 in green.
I am a big fan of this case now for the lovely little touches i will show later.

So,this is the case in its empty glory.











The 2 fans on the HDD cage,these are not staying.



This one is not staying either.



One of the nice touches with this case,decent cable management!!



Both cages come out,very nice indeed.









Dont worry,the red is not stayig either.



Again,someone was thinking,cable routing for the external fans.







Rubber grommets for the fan mounts.



Now,to the meaty center....

Z77 Sabertooth.









TUF Armor inserts.



1155 Ivybridge i5 3570k





CPU in.



8Gb Corsair Vengeance RAM



Black PCB FTW





Corsair H100.

Easy as pie to install this.









I have sprayed the rings yellow,they contrast nicely with the rest of the build and show up well thru the mesh of the case.











AX750 installed



EVGA 660Ti Installed.

Very nice card with the EVGA backplate,goes so well with this build!









Looking good so far!

Wiring tomorrow and the rest of the mods to be done during the week when the acrylic and lights turn up.

Would you like this for Christmas?

[CrazyNutz]

Very nice. I love that case.

If you want to unlock your 660ti post your bios in my thread: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...ers-Club/page2

[OldChap]

..... Must not let son see this!

I know little about the sabertooth ...with all that covering.....How is it cooled when there is no stock HSF?

[B NEGATIVE]

..... Must not let son see this!

I know little about the sabertooth ...with all that covering.....How is it cooled when there is no stock HSF?

There are small fans on the board that blow air under the 'armor'.

[B NEGATIVE]

I just ordered some clear inkjet sticker sheets up for some detail work.

Intake warning stickers and Military ID stickers i think will set it off nicely.
Nothing too over the top mind,just some nice detail bits like the back of fans etc

Got the rig wired up this morning so just the last bits of modding to be done.





Dont mind the fan headers,they are waiting for a controller.





That window has to go...







I have asked a few WC manufacturers if they want to get involved by sponsoring a loop,you never know unless you ask!

XD

So,to finish up...

New window with no fan mounts.

Some sort of LED strip light.

Stealth a DVD drive in to it.

Fan controller....im thinking a Bitfenix Recon.

Then its on to the OS install,setup and then a good burn in.
I will bench this rig,will be nice to see what this can squeeze out.

[B NEGATIVE]

I have my modding trousers on today..













What do you think? Too much?

[CrazyNutz]

Nope. It looks great.

I have that same ram cooler, never taken it out of the box lol. You have inspired me, I think i may do something with it now

[B NEGATIVE]

Well,my prayers have been answered!
XSPC and Specialtech are getting involved yet again!
Seems there will be a proper loop going in after all...buh bye H100,hello more hardlined lovelyness!!!

After speaking to the Dad,letting him know the good news,he then decided a second 660 needs to go in.
He has been following the build and reading other threads.....he now has the OVERKILL gene that we all share!
So,expect super clean piping and super clean hardware.

No GPU watercooling yet,I have to leave the lad SOMETHING to do dont i.

Again,many thanks to the two Pauls at XSPC and much love to the guys at Specialtech.
Not forgetting Namron and Skully from the Specialtech Forums for the spare kit they were willing to trade or donate.

Pics will come as the kit gets here.

[B NEGATIVE]

The first bits start to arrive.

Specialtech were quick off the line as usual,with this beauty.





Namron was also speedy with this contribution.



This will be used if I cant get a D5.

Now....i want to wrap the hold down pieces in Di Noc..or spray them yellow also.

I prefer DiNoc for these small detail pieces myself so thats probably how i will go.

Thanks Again to....

[B NEGATIVE]

DiNoc!







Doing the edges is a right pain but you have to do it to carry it off.

[Vellama]

Oh now that is nice.

[B NEGATIVE]

Oh now that is nice.

Done!



Im debating as to DiNoc the center piece or spray it yellow or just leave it be......

[dietje1908]

oooh yellow
I say spray it yellow , if you dont like it cover it with carbon

[B NEGATIVE]

Fittings painted for the block.

[B NEGATIVE]

Just a small update...

The customer came round yesterday to have a look at the progress and to deliver a second 660Ti.

So,while the rig was out of the box,i installed the OS and got myself ready for doing the loop when the final bits arrive from XSPC.







And Yes,there will be a Sli cover going on that ugly ASUS bridge.

[B NEGATIVE]

Right,another little update,Fan controller is here along with a concealed spring kit and the lighting.



A huge great wiring loom....not ideal,hopefully the functionality will be worth it.

Concealed spring kit for the waterblock,not keen on the black nickel finish so a blast with a rattle can for these..



DIY Backplate



Spring covers...DiNoc'd



Recycling is good for the environment









The drive bays are recessed which plays in to my plan of a 3 bay cover plate covering the res and the fan controller.

[B NEGATIVE]

Fan mount window...not pretty..





Cut a new one using the old as a template.



Fitted using the stock trim









So thats another thing off the list...

[B NEGATIVE]

The kit from XSPC has arrived! Got some rarities in here to!



An unpainted prototype EX 360!

4 EX 120s of various colours!

A D5 bay and 2 normal bays!

Lets have a closer look shall we...

The evergreen XSPC bay res,staple of many builds.



The prototype 360,painted tanks and polished sides i think for this if i can squeeze it in.



The guys at XSPC did ask what colours i wanted,i said i didnt mind as they would be painted anyway.
So he sent a mix of unseen colours.



The D5 res i will be using if i can get a cheap pump.



A lot of kit for sure!

Once the fittings arrive,its all systems go!!

This custom loop wouldnt of got off the ground without the great team at XSPC.
I will try to do you proud!

[B NEGATIVE]

Started on the front cover panel,got it roughed out ready for prep and paint.





Gloss black with some yellow detailing is the look for this piece

[Kenjiwing]

panel looks really nice

[B NEGATIVE]

Seems a 360 fits in the top with no modding...other than taking a support beam in the drive bays out.







There is about 3/4 on an inch overhang on the ends but its wont interfere with air being exhausted.

The front panel got its final filing and etch coat today,so it will be finished by weds...

Now,I need to get a pump,spray the rad tanks and get the sides buffed up,then I start with the pipework!

Hopefully end of week it will be ready to fill up and have the loop signed off.

[Evantaur]

that's gonna be one happy son (and dad )

[B NEGATIVE]

PIPEBENDING TIME!!!

The loop is in,just needs a a little tweaking here and there to get the lines right,but this is the layout.

[CrazyNutz]

Mother trucker! Thats real nice

[B NEGATIVE]

Progress is thick and fast this week!

Pump has arrived,XSPC vario D5 FTW!



Because i have blocked in the 8 pin and cant remove it easily,i have to use my trusty donkey PSU,i think it can handle it tho....



Forgive the next few photo's,lighting was very wrong!
I still have to touch up the fittings where i was fighting the pipe to get it in...







Leak test underway,nothing to report so far...

......which is good!