Project: 343X

[Extigy]

Been reading these forums for a little over a year now and with a new build beginning, i couldn't think of a better time to sign up. My inspiration for the build that follows comes from the likes of Virtualrain, Mekrel and Cascades, all of whom have used the Lian-Li 343b for their build.

Project aims:
-To make an aesthetically pleasing case
-A 'future proof' case which i can use for current and future generations of technology
-Case must be easy to work with.
-Offer enough cooling to allow for for some serious overclocking.

As you can guess, my chosen case is the Lian Li 343b. A note to anyone considering using this case, its EXPENSIVE (And i underestimated this). On first impressions, i was quite underwhelmed with my purchase. The side panels are made of very thin aluminium (i am used to the beefy sheet aluminium used in the v2000b) and as a result makes quite a tinny noise when tapped. The window in the top of the case does not lay flush with the rest of the case and the side window i purchased is not a good fit compared with the standard panels. Saying that, the case is VERY light and the structure is very strong and is ideal for water cooling as there is lots of space, easily disassembled and there are few plastic parts.

Below are some pictures i took with the case stripped down.

Front of case with hard drive cage and rad


Side of case with window


Rear of case


hard drive cage


The plan is to cut out the rear and mount the motherboard in a horizontal orientation similar to Virtualrain. Below is the back plate i have designed using autodesk inventor. This is currently on its way to the laser cutters!




The case will then be powedercoated.

There will be one one pa120.3 mounted in the front drive bays. The other drive bays will house the hard drive cage, Dvd-Rom and some kind of fan/pump controller. A second pa120.3 will be mounted at the rear below the motherboard tray. When the main fabrication is done, i will start to consider the other components.

I will update the build as i go. Things will be slow until the backplate is made.


Thanks to the following for providing my parts so far without any trouble:
www.overclockers.co.uk
www.aqua-pcs.co.uk
http://www.kustompcs.co.uk
www.Chilledpc.co.uk
http://www.aquacooledpc.co.uk/

UPDATES:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...26&postcount=7 - Laser cut panel and fitting: 20-JUN-08
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...1&postcount=16 - Powder coating: 01-JUL-08
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...7&postcount=37 - Rads assembled and mounted: 10-NOV-08
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...2&postcount=38 - Pumps plumbed and mounted: 13-NOV-08
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...0&postcount=41 - Blocks and overclocking: 24-Dec-08

[disruptfam]

i really like this case subscribed

[Nate P.]

sub'd ...

This could turn out to be real nice ...

Not "MM" NICE, but nice none the less...

Would ya quit it, MM fanboy? it's getting kind of annoying.

yes, MM cases are excellent, but does every one of your posts have to be about MM? Not trying to start a flame war or anything, but...

[Serpentarius]

these all big casings looks same to me .. why would someone get a mammoth casing like this?

[MomijiTMO]

This is my favourite case of all time for the Lian Li build quality and finish. Too bad I can't get it here and it's not like I would pay for it either . MM has nothing on this case

More updates please.

Oh yeah and I'm with Nate on this. The necro thread revivals with "Another satisfied MM owner" is the reason I don't enter any MM logs that you posted in last because I just don't know if it is a revival or if it is a rebuild lol

[Extigy]

UPDATE!!!!

Got my laser cut back panel back from the wonderfully efficient company stevenage sheet metal (http://www.stevenagesheetmetal.co.uk/) - 4 hour turn around and the result as you can see below is perfect. One thing i love with laser cutting is 'what you draw you get', no burrs, and perfect 90 degree cuts, mmmmmm perfect.





I then took my case up to the workshop started butchering my up case with a jigsaw.




Cut outs finished and de burred. My cuts were not perfect - they did not need to be as they would not be seen.

heres a picture of extigy H&S!



To fasten the backplate to the case, countersunk rivets were used.




I then cut the motherboard tray so it would fit and temporarily rivetted it. As you can see - my nifty CAD work paid off as everything went together like a dream. There was one small hole i messed up top right of the motherboard bracket - this will barely be noticeable once powdercoated.



I am now waiting on some angle aluminium and mesh - then it is off to the powdercoaters!

[evil-98]

now that was too easy.. lol looks great man. how much was it to laser cut the panel?

[virtualrain]

It's great to see more horizontal 343 designs taking shape. It's cool to see different approaches as well. I can't wait to see this project unfold.

Cheers,
-Chris.

[HaCKs]

I am impressed so far! I love build logs with a lot of real modifcations instead of just buying a case and bolting things in...

It reminds me of a cooking show where they spend put a turkey in the oven and take it back out in 30 seconds all done, I wish I could see the hours and hours of work that goes in between the pictures.

[Extigy]

Laser cutting of the panel was £50 (this included the material). If i hadn't of supplied a drawing, it would been about £70ish. Thanks for the comments. I chose this case over a mountain mods becasue i wanted to do some modding and be creative. I have one question about fan control i was wondering if someone could answer.

-The Aqua computer Aquaero - 5 Watts per channel output. This is enough to power 1 maybe 2 fans. Anyway to increase this?

-Mcubed Cubed T Balancer - 20Wats per channel output - i could run 3 fans with ease on one channel correct?

[evil-98]

Laser cutting of the panel was £50 (this included the material). If i hadn't of supplied a drawing, it would been about £70ish. Thanks for the comments. I chose this case over a mountain mods becasue i wanted to do some modding and be creative. I have one question about fan control i was wondering if someone could answer. The Aqua computer Aquaero - i see i can only operate 1 fan per channel and there isn't even enough power to runa pump. Anyway to increase this and stil be able to control fan speed/use a pump. ideally i want 3 fans on 1 channel, 3 fans on another and the last 2 channels reserved for pumps. Any ideas ?

wow thats nearly $100 usd.. lol think it would be cheaper to get panels milled or laser cutted? i would assume laser cutting right, since its like printing, very little programing.. right? i wouldnt know. im looking into getting some panels made so im gauging my price range right now lol

i would personally go 343 over MM for similar reasons

[Extigy]

Not sure if you could mill a thin panel - would probably warp the material. Laser cutting is quite easy. you draw what you want, upload the .DWG file to the machine, it converts your drawing to movements and off it goes. Little or no warping, no burrs, pin point accuracy. I am sure you could get laser cutting in the US done cheaper (seeing as most of the machines are made there!). Produce your drawing, mail it to several companies and get quotes.

[Big_Daddy]

Laser cutting of the panel was £50 (this included the material). If i hadn't of supplied a drawing, it would been about £70ish. Thanks for the comments. I chose this case over a mountain mods becasue i wanted to do some modding and be creative. I have one question about fan control i was wondering if someone could answer.

-The Aqua computer Aquaero - 5 Watts per channel output. This is enough to power 1 maybe 2 fans. Anyway to increase this?

-Mcubed Cubed T Balancer - 20Wats per channel output - i could run 3 fans with ease on one channel correct?

If you have the 4.0 version of the Aquaero, it's 10 watts per channel, 30 watts total. As far as 3 fans, it depends on the fan your talking about. The yate loon D12SH-12 is .3 amps, which is 3.6 watts. 3 is 10.8 watts. Which is a little over. Your risking it. Now with T-Balancer, it is 20 watts per channel, but 20 watts total. So actually, the Aquaero can handle more wattage, just not per channel.

[Matias23]

Great project, i have a similar here http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=189668 i will have only 2 loops.
This is great case to mode coz it gives u so many way to do it i have even seen Lian Li 343 with 3x120.3 on top here http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...ducts_id=21901 at some point i was thinking to do that crazy mode but decided not to.
More update pleace.

[Extigy]

UPDATE:

My case/HDD cage is back from the powder coaters (http://www.fullrangefinishing.co.uk/)

Took 4 days, got my case done in gloss black. I am so impressed with the finish and it only cost £25, this has definately been the best value for money thing i have done so far to my case!

The pictures really don't do the shine justice









I am now waiting for my pump, anti vibration mounts, Aquaero and fans.

[disruptfam]

Wow that looks great!

[Matias23]

Great finish i like it i will do same with mine

[disruptfam]

I'm assuming you have to take the case apart for painting?

[Pellepel]

coming along nicely subbed

[Extigy]

The case in the above pictures is how i sent it to the powdercoaters. You can powdercoat quite intricate parts as the coating is applied electro-statically, so the powder is drawn to the parts which do not have powder effectively.

Thanks for the comments!

Quick question: Splicing fan wires together. If i am splicing 3 fans into 1 wire, will i need a slightly thicker wire or can i splice into 1 fan cable ?

[Tile]

I like the metalwork you did to the back of the case - MountainMods style. I think Lian Li should take note and design the back of the case like that.

[evil-98]

wow thats a nice price for the powder coating, i cant even find one around here

[MomijiTMO]

Dang that's cheap.

Keep up the good work.

[taowulf]

I should have bought a 343 back in Decemebeer when i was swimming in money. I lust after them terrible. And MM looks like ass to me Nice cases, sure, but they look unfinished and tacky. The Lian Li 343B looks slick and refined.

Mmm, Beer.

[skinnee]

Wow...that 343B sure cleans up nice!

sub'd

I should have bought a 343 back in Decemebeer when i was swimming in money. I lust after them terrible. And MM looks like ass to me Nice cases, sure, but they look unfinished and tacky. The Lian Li 343B looks slick and refined.

Mmm, Beer.

The extra powder coat or annodizing does wonders for any case, the MM cases are one step further in the mod process on delivery. We (speaking for MM owners) don't have to strip the case down and send it to powder coat/annodizing, thats the real difference IMO.

I really like the 343B, I will be doing a 343B build at some point but I need to hone the modding skills before I attempt a project involving that much skill. My decision to go with an MM now versus a 343B was the modding needed to be done was still an advancement in mod skills for me. I did what NaeKuh called crazy (or something like that...need to find it and quote it.), first real build is a tri-loop. I've done much smaller projects before, but nothing like I am doing on my current project.