J-J-J-Jam it in. A preview of my upcoming build.

[kuhla]

As those of you who saw pics of my case in the water case gallery already know, my current case is quite the function-over-form setup ahh lets cut the c***, its damned uglya!! My setup (http://www.gt-clan.net/kuhlas_stuff/...age/index.html) needs a new home that is compact (I like small cases) but still big enough to fit my watercooling inside it. A while ago I read about one of lian-li's new[er] cases, the PC-A05B (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112130), and really liked it's compact size and design (with the PSU in the front). After doing some thinking and sketches I think I found a way to make it work with my setup. I went ahead and bought the case about a week ago .... and a new swiftech MCR320 rad .... and a mcres res .... and some yate-loons .... and uhh some more tubing! i hate this hobby....

sidenote: Petra's Tech Shop for-the-win

ANYHOW. This thread would not be complete without some pics of a test fitting for the radiator in the case after I removed the bottom "stand" for the PSU and the hard drive cage (see the newegg link pics for what it should look like internally). However before I go any further I wanted to mention what my main goal was in making this thread: From the measurements I got from other A05B owners (before I purchased this case) and from the measurements I have so far, the case (provided it is modified) can fit a full 3*120 radiator in it. I would dare say this one of the smallest cases that can do that measuring only 15"(h)*8.26"(w)*19.3''(d), making it only slightly larger (in volume) than my currently butchered Antec Super Lanboy. The main modification that needs to be done to make such a large radiator fit along the bottom is: move the PSU up to where the hard drive cage (and front exhaust fan) used to be. This will require some sort of new support to be placed in that location for the PSU to screw into. This does mean that the only real place left for a hard drive is in the 5.25" bays but since I only plan on using 1 internal drive, that does not concern me.













I will start another thread (in a diff section)(EDIT: scratch that, I'll just be using this thread as the worklog) once I start the real building. Some of the other things I have, for now, planned to do to this case:

(1) Paint insides flat black
(2) Cute sidepanel for window
(3) Add 2 black, spring loaded, recessed, steel speaker cabinet handles
(4) Add some green acrylic inside (as a radgrill maybe)
(5) Re-do the case feet so that they are both rubber and tall enough to allow the radiator to really breath
(6) Possibly add a top blow-hole (need to check strength of case after I add the handles before I really decide on this)

[p8ntslinger676]

thats going to be a sqeeze which should make for an interesting build, cant wait for updates

[Okda]

thats going to be a sqeeze which should make for an interesting build, cant wait for updates

ya this sure makes it a project worth to watch

[septim]

yah jam it all in, and don't forget to jam this thread with pictures.

[Grinch]

yah jam it all in, and don't forget to jam this thread with pictures.

was going to say the same thing..

[Solarfall]

hheheh the title sure was accurate.. what a small case, this should be a interesting project..

btw where the hell are you going to mount the PSU on that case ??? o
riginally it was on the front bottom.. correct isn't the rad in the way now???

[septim]

lolz, lets wait for more pictures. how about wireless PSU, hehehe

[Hard H20]

This should be interesting. That's an awful tight case for a WC project. Good luck.

[IanY]

My first question is how you are going to mount the PSU when there's that radiator there.

[septim]

The main modification that needs to be done to make such a large radiator fit along the bottom is: move the PSU up to where the hard drive cage (and front exhaust fan) used to be. This will require some sort of new support to be placed in that location for the PSU to screw into. This does mean that the only real place left for a hard drive is in the 5.25" bays but since I only plan on using 1 internal drive, that does not concern me.

already answered in his post.

kuhla, you could probably add some supports like L bracket or triangle bracket, rivet to top panel and front and back to add strength.

[IanY]

Oh OK. Thank you.

[noel82]

This seems to be a great challenge for the work!

Tuned...waiting for new pics

[kuhla]

kuhla, you could probably add some supports like L bracket or triangle bracket, rivet to top panel and front and back to add strength.

So far without the HD rack the case is still fairly sturdy but I am still considering using brackets like you mentioned. I have to do a bit more cutting until I really decide on that.

I think I already mentioned this but my last case (Antec Super Lanboy) lost a LOT of it's strength once I took the HD rack out. In fact it got so bad that I was afraid of cutting anything else on the front of that case for fear it would collapse under the weight of the radiator. Then I started planning to re-do the front completely with whole new sheet of aluminum and then it just kind of spiraled out of control from there until it go to the point that I was practically going to be building a new case (which I hope to do someday), so I just gave up.

I'll be doing some more fitting tonight with actual hardware (so no gaming ) inside the case. I'll post some pics of that so you can all see what I am planning to do. I'll probably have to suspend the PSU with string since I don't have a mount for it yet I don't know if I will get to any real cutting started until probably friday afternoon

[kuhla]

First off let me apologize for the atrocious file sizes of the pictures below. I had to save them with Microsoft's photo program (on my mom's laptop right now) which seems to saze all JPGs at maximum quality. I also had to boost the contrast/brightness in some of the pictures to bring out the details I wanted to mention. So overall not the most ideal pictures but they will do the job. Once I have my PC back up and running, I'll be back in Photoshop saving them to nice, small sizes.

So here are some pictures after my first day of actual test fitting. Everything is fitting just like I imagined (and planned) it would, perhaps even better than I thought. Like I said, the PSU at the moment is only attached with some string The pump will most likely be placed beneath the PSU either (a) directly against the other side panel or (b) on a L-shaped plate attached to the bottom of the case. Using a plate would be the better in terms of reducing vibration and function (since it wouldn't hinder me taking off the other side panel whenever I want). However the pressure from the tubing would always keep the plate slightly bent unless I get thick-ish metal for the bracket. I'll have to think about it.

In terms of how I plan to run the loop, it will most likely run OUT of the pump > INTO the barb on the radiator closest to the motherboard > OUT of the barb farthest away from the motherboard > INTO the cpu block. This should minimize tangle/bends/required length. Anyone have any better ideas?

On a sidenote: I will at some point (hopefully soon) be replacing my PSU. This 430 watt Cooler Master is getting old. It doesn't even have a proper 6-pin PCIE much less one of the newer 8-pin PCIEs. I will measure sometime about how big of a powersupply I can get but it looks like I will have to stick to the smaller, more normal sized models out there. Meaning most (not all) modular psus are off the list.

Enough of this... time for some pics!!


In the picture below: You can see roughly how I am planning to place/fit everything.




In the picture below: I took an angle show how the radiator lines up with the case feet. It fits roughly between them. I am still not sure where I am exactly going to make the cutouts on the bottom but I want to decide soon so that this project keeps rolling and I don't lose momentum.




In the picture below: You can see how much clearence there is between the motherboard and the radiator. This particular amount of space turned out to be more than I thought it would be (and since it also worried me the most its an added bonus)! Its more than enough space to easily deal with putting in/taking out RAM.




In the picture below: You can see the front and roughly where I am going to have to cut to place the PSU. Part of the string/knot that is holding the PSU in place for this photo shoot is also visible, hehe. The PSU is far enough to the right of the case that it will not interfere with the on/off switch. Ignore the cable hanging out of the 3.5" bay (from when I stuffed the PSU wires in there), I should have moved it before the shot...




In the picture below: I wanted to take one more picture showing the clearance on either side of the radiator.



Tommorow is kind of tight so I probably won't have any more updates for this until Friday. By then I hope to have decided where to cut for both the PSU and the radiator and get started on that.

[septim]

hmm you could always move said rad a little bit more away from mobo...
nice fit you have there.

[Solarfall]

so thats how the PSU gets installed to your case.. very creative

[Sparky]

That is a nice shot, brings the geek out in me, I have this urge to turn it into my wallpaper
*EDIT* OK I did it, now the wallpaper on my PC at work

So are you going to have the power cord of your PSU going in the front of your PC then? That is gonna be kinda weird. Also, the Corsair power supplies are normal size yet modular so they might be an option.

[Chas_The_Man]

I have that case on my work PC. Its too big to be cool but not large enough to be obvious. Nice case though for what I stuffed in it on stock air. Its the fastest desktop in the office. O/C'd E6600 with a 7600GS Video card. I PWN everyone in Pivot Tables and VLookups.

[septim]

hmm is it bring your own pc to work everyday there?

here its the usual group buy cheap servicable branded pc, which is $200 more expensive than assemble your own.
for that $200 more i'd have em buy better cpu air cooling than intel stock whine_rs...

[kuhla]

hmm you could always move said rad a little bit more away from mobo.

Yea, I will probably end up shifting it farther away from the mobo. I will have to take out the case feet before I can do that since the ends of the rad kind of bump into them right now (see this pic for what I mean). I remember a long time ago seeing these nice rubber case feet being sold online that were being specially marketed as vibration absorbing. I'll have to take a look out for those. Or maybe some of those high-class looking speaker feet? As long as whatever I get is tall enough to let the rad really take in air....

http://www.gt-clan.net/kuhlas_stuff/pictures/JJJamITin_9.jpg
That is a nice shot, brings the geek out in me, I have this urge to turn it into my wallpaper *EDIT* OK I did it, now the wallpaper on my PC at work

Glad you like it Do you want the higher res version? I still have original from the camera.

So are you going to have the power cord of your PSU going in the front of your PC then? That is gonna be kinda weird. Also, the Corsair power supplies are normal size yet modular so they might be an option.

Actually the case is designed to have the power cord running through the front panel already (see newegg pictures) I will just be moving it up a few inches.

Yea, as far as I know the Corsair HXs are the only modular PSUs that run normal sizes (150mm) but I would like to get a PSU with the new 8-pin PCIEs to be ready for the R600s (and G90s?). So far I have my eyes on 2 PSUs:

Enermax INFINITI 650
(SLI or Crossfire version makes no difference I think)
link = http://www.enermax.com.tw/english/pr...y.asp?listp=55
+ Is modular. Minor plus in my book.
+ Relatively short for a modular PSU at only 160mm (6.3").
+ Is 80 Plus efficient. Big plus in my book.
+ Performed very well in a recent review (link to review of 720w model)
- Expensive for the power it puts out.
- Finish is ok but not quite my ideal. I would prefer flat black.

Silverstone OP650
link = http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/op650/op650.html
+ Cheaper than above PSU.
+ Single 12v rail so no power balance worries.
+ Shorter, but only a little bit. 150mm (5.9") vs. 160mm (6.3")
+ "Looks" nicer with a simple, black look.
- Modular version is much longer at 180mm (7.1")

[Chas_The_Man]

Septim, Yeah, Its the same here but I managed to expense it through my own department... and kick in a few bucks of my own in the end.

Kuhla, What kind of optical drive are you going to throw in there? I find the sony black doesnt look so good with the Lian Li.

[kuhla]

Kuhla, What kind of optical drive are you going to throw in there? I find the sony black doesnt look so good with the Lian Li.

I am currently using an NEC ND-3550A but eventually I will be buying one of these drives so that I can move to a IDE-less-all-SATA setup. I'll make a note about avoiding Sony. Thanks for the heads-up. I don't want to go NEC again even though they have a decent reputation and a loyal customer base (that routinely comes out with modded "faster" firmwares). My current drive is extremely loud when spinning up which hurts the quiet (not silent) setup I have/will be running. My friend has Lite-On and is pretty happy with it, but he bought it only for size reasons since I heard they are shorter than most drives.

[kuhla]

*I’m using Resurrect on my worklog!*

Firstly let me apologize that all the below is being hosted on imageshack temporarily since I cannot access my FTP at the moment.

Admit it, you thought this project died! .... and well it kinda did. I have this really bad habit which makes even easy projects take a long time. The habit is called procrastination. You may have heard of it. ANYWHO. I did make a lot of progress the last few days and here is an update (with pictures).

The pictures below are somewhat far apart chronologically and one of them is just a picture of me overclocking my ram while I was sitting on aircooling for a while (threw that in just for fun).

What I have DONE so far:

* psu holes drilled and test fitted
* spacers used on psu screws so that with front power plug the front panel still can attach properly
* radiator opening was cut in bottom of case
* water loop was assembled
* water loop was leak tested
* main components and water loop were installed
* system was powered up

















Despite my original plans there are some much more pressing things that need to be taken care of before I can really continue with this project:

* wiring needs to be cleaned up badely
* proper case feet need to be installed so that radiator can breath
* a modular psu like a corsair 620hx would help save some space
* a proper mount for the pump needs to be fabricated since its just "hanging" now (as you saw in pics)
* either a 5.25" enclosure or suspension needs to be done with the hard drive since it very very loud right now since it is hard mounted in the 3.5" bay
* I kind of cobbled together my own way of mounting the cpu block so i need to do some overclocking and temperature monitoring to see if the block is sitting nicely and giving proper temps
* obvious stability testing to see if i broken anything despite all the manhandling of the hardware over the last few days/weeks

....once all the above is taken care of I'll go back to my original plans and see what I can do:

Some of the other things I have, for now, planned to do to this case:

(1) Paint insides flat black
(2) Cute sidepanel for window
(3) Add 2 black, spring loaded, recessed, steel speaker cabinet handles
(4) Add some green acrylic inside (as a radgrill maybe)
(5) Re-do the case feet so that they are both rubber and tall enough to allow the radiator to really breath
(6) Possibly add a top blow-hole (need to check strength of case after I add the handles before I really decide on this)

[FLMJIGGY]

Have you closed the case or are you leaving it like this?

[kuhla]

Have you closed the case or are you leaving it like this?

I've closed it. I'll take some new pictures tonight of how it is right now but here is a picture of my setup (where you can see the case is closed) -->> http://www.tacinept.com/kuhlas_stuff..._myNEWdesk.jpg <<-- oh and I got a new desk

I haven't really finished modding it but I needed to take a breather (my eurotrip vacation helped) so that explains why I haven't updated this thread in a long time. My setup is not dead though!! I still plan on giving it some proper new feet, some cable sleeving (fans mostly), possibly a window and a few other things. I still need a proper mount for my T-line and pump which are just kind of hanging.

Right now its running good though everything is inside even with a tiny bit of room to spare. I have a new PSU (corsair 520hx) on the way which will help things look a lot cleaner inside.