I had my machine on the workbench tonight as I was installing some backplates I made for the EK Mosfet blocks, so I took the opportunity to snap a few photos of some new features.

First up...the custom made backplates. 1/8 inch aluminum:



They keep the MB from bowing as it will if the mosfet blocks are just screwed in to the bare MB. An added benefit is that sufficient pressure is now applied to the mosfets to allow AS5 to be used vs. whatever crappy 'thermal' tape is commonly used for a superior thermal interface. Now there is enough 'crush' to level out the mosfets for adequate block contact on all of the chips. Note this is the P5K Deluxe, where Asus thoughfully soldered mosfets on the back of the board as well. On a standard board one could simply sandwich in a strip of neoprene or something for insulation should this be tried.



I got a spiffy new Raptor X on sale for cheap, nothing like something spinning at 10K rpm in your computer . I noticed quicker XP load times, so it's good. You may notice the Dynamat wrapped around the sides and bottom of the HDD cage. Again, a noticable improvement in sound damping with this stuff, especially with Raptor seek noise.



I also have a high-tech fan controller now



And a nice overall shot of the loop as it is at this time, along with a change to the 'curved blade' Yate Loon fans.