My "murder" project.

[Antioch]

Phew! I just found this thread today, and I burned through the past several hours reading it all. Granted, it's nothing compared to the amount of time put into it, of course.

I must say, as many others have, that you've created something truly magnificent. I've been into water cooling since the days of aquarium pumps and heater cores gutted from old cars and have recently found my way back to the 'scene' as I contemplate my future build - and I'm incredibly astounded at what you (and the rest of the community) have managed to produce and how far you've moved water cooling forward in a few short years.

That being said, I have a few ideas I'd like to offer.

Back in 'my day' (I'm only in my early twenties, but I've been water cooling since I could mow a lawn and stash money away) we had to make use of ugly off-white steel cases and we hacked away at them with blunt instruments. One of the key advancements that has really helped the scene churn out incredible designs is modern manufacturing equipment. Not everyone can have the newest, most advanced power tools, or water-etching, CnC mills. Nor is a skilled, quality machinist to be found locally. Yes, you can order from a machine shop on the other side of the country, but as you've stated before, you never really know the quality put into a part until after you've got it back in your hands.

It is for this reason that I suggest you offer "M3" (or M-cubed) parts in addition to whatever fancy treats you have in store at your store. M3 standing for "minimal murderMod." What I imagine goes hand-in-hand with what another user has already asked you about (but I couldn't ask sooner because I wanted to read the entire thread first!) and that is getting our parts powder-coated by the quality craftsmen you've discovered and developed a relationship with. However, my idea picks up where this leaves off and suggests that you offer faceplates, backplates, topplates, etc. without any designs cut into them - or have users send you files with designs they would like to have etched (again, using the quality machinists you've taken the time and energy to search out). The idea being to offer the ability for those of us who do not have access to high-tech machines to be able to create the designs we've imagined. I think this would help your boost your business because, while MurderBox is a great machine, everyone has their own tweaks they'd like. Moreover, half the fun of modding and making your own machine is building it! Right?

You may have had this very idea in mind for your store, or you may not - but you're welcome to it.

I for one would have no problem paying a reasonable price to ship my parts to you to have them anodized or machined and think it would be well worth it.

Oh, I almost forgot! I've been looking at the pictures you've posted and have noticed that the faceplate does not quite match the rest of the frame. Perhaps the dye used in anodizing is a bit off, perhaps it isn't as deep of a black, or maybe it's the brushstrokes in the aluminum you use. Whatever the reason, I think it would be a great idea to solidify and unify the look by replacing the old 3.5" flip-down door with a piece of the aluminum used for the faceplate. Or at least offer it to those that want it - like me!

Either way, good luck with your business - I wish you much success!

PS - Again, you've done an excellent job and I look forward to seeing your pure|murderBox.

PPS - I would hope that the M3 TJ07s you offer on murderMod will have the silverstone logo and other white paint removed. This paint in the sole reason why I refused to use a TJ07 for my future build as it really detracts from the look of the case. However, seeing your builds with it removed entirely changes the look and feel of the front panel into something I very much want to use.

PPPS - Have you ever experimented or tossed around the idea of putting dual-loops into murderBox? I'm of the opinion that it's better to separate the CPU from the GPU's heat (especially with 2 GPUs) in order to keep the CPU as cool as possible. What do you think?