[ Project ] : Altair | A Lian-Li PC-P80, dual loop, all internal build

[mpower1001]

Another useful tool - the handy holders with magnifier:

Awesome Build...Where can i find these sweet tools

[eponymous]

Awesome Build...Where can i find these sweet tools

http://www.farnell.com/

They have loads of stuff. If you search for "helping hand", you should be able to find them.

[eponymous]

Just a quick update: been re-organizing my work area to make more space.






I'll have some pics of the CPU block installation I did at the weekend soon.

[Armitage]

I hope you use a bigger table for building the computer lol.

Looking good. More pics!

[aka_GK]

lots of good tools - I love it

[eponymous]

Well, I've been busy the last couple of weeks, fitting the CPU block, flushing radiators and drilling holes in my case for the radiator.

So on with the show: CPU block fitting first:

All of the stuff I need laid out neatly:


The ASUS P6T Deluxe ver 2 motherboard:


It's always a good idea to leave the little protective cover on until you're at the stage when you are fitting the CPU in place.

Next step: fitting the screw posts into the backplate. It was necessary to use a pair of small needle-nose pliers to fit these securely:



Adding the rubber protective seal. This prevents any shorting out of contacts.




Next step is to apply a thin layer of MX-2 to the CPU using a credit card or other spreader:



A backplate is already installed in this motherboard so it was necessary to use the Koolance backplate and seal which has the centre cut out to accommodate this.





Now when tightening the screws up on the block I like to follow the same method I use when I'm tuning drums which is this:

1) Tighten the screws just so they aren't rattling. Do this in a star pattern, alternating sides so the pressure is kept as even as possible.

2) Go round and tighten all the screws up, again in a star pattern, by a small amount.

3) Keep gradually tightening the screws up until they are tight enough. Don't over tighten!

You should easily be able to tell when the block is secure enough.

Just a quick bit of measurement to check that we are all lined up and that even pressure is being applied:




Remember to use a wooden or plastic ruler when measuring up from the motherboard - you don't want to scratch the tracks.

And we're done!







That's it for now guys, more coming very soon.

[Armitage]

I like it, almost like a tutorial =] Good stuff.

[Brad8988]

Love the block mate.

[eponymous]

I like it, almost like a tutorial =] Good stuff.

That was my hope , especially for people new to the watercooling game.

Love the block mate.

Cheers man

[Brad8988]

I was tempted to get one but at the time i had to import from usa or Germany which worked out at like £90. You get urs from chilled?

[eponymous]

I was tempted to get one but at the time i had to import from usa or Germany which worked out at like £90. You get urs from chilled?

Yeah I got mine from Chilled

[Brad8988]

Hes getting a nice selection of koolance and bitspower gear lately

[shazza]

Nice job on the tutorial. Can't tell from the pic, but there might be a tad more TIM than you need. I found I always ended up with too much when I tried to spread it, so I generally use the dot in the center approach now. Of course, I guess it might also vary by type of TIM and the recommended procedures.

Also love your neat work area - that's how I always start out, but can never manage to keep it peferct like that!

[eponymous]

Nice job on the tutorial. Can't tell from the pic, but there might be a tad more TIM than you need. I found I always ended up with too much when I tried to spread it, so I generally use the dot in the center approach now. Of course, I guess it might also vary by type of TIM and the recommended procedures.

Also love your neat work area - that's how I always start out, but can never manage to keep it peferct like that!

I was just thinking how the photo made the TIM layer look really thick :P It's quite deceptive but there's not that much on there. I spread it really thin across the processor to the point where it was too thin at one point and the surface layer broke and I had to add more :P

I've never been partial to the dot in the centre approach as I don't think you get a consistent layer across the entire processor (tends to be really thin or lacking at the edges). The 350 isn't a totally flat surface either so that would hinder it more I think?

What do others think?

[D0BR0]

Yes dude, great stuff there! The work isn't quick, but you take your time to do it well, and I like that very much Nice work area btw, I do this... on my floor
Waiting for new updates, as usual

[Wookie Man]

That block is so sexy, and can't wait for the next update too.

[eponymous]

Yes dude, great stuff there! The work isn't quick, but you take your time to do it well, and I like that very much Nice work area btw, I do this... on my floor
Waiting for new updates, as usual

I use the floor as well man! :P Case is way too big for that table.

Thanks for the comments

That block is so sexy, and can't wait for the next update too.

I'll be posting some updates on the case drilling soon.

[D0BR0]

Yeah but you seem to have a lot of tools there! very nice

[eponymous]

Hey guys, it's been a busy week!

I've been hard at work flushing my radiators (yep still going), drilling my case and also making the reservoir/pump mounting plate

So here we have the complete guide to drilling the holes for the bottom Thermochill PA 120.3 (24.5mm spacing). Enjoy! :

The first step was to download and cut out the Thermochill template from http://www.mnpctech.com/Fan_Grill_Templates.html.

This site is great and they offer proper wooden templates for the 15mm spacing rads!



As the guide is only for a 120.2 radiator, I had to cut out an extra one from another sheet. The whole thing is then stuck to a piece of thin card:





The whole lot is then stuck down with Pritt stick and checked to ensure everything lines up correctly:



A bit of masking tape to secure it fully:



The next step is to work out how the radiator will be positioned inside the case:



It's a good idea to take the case apart at this stage so you have as much room in which to work in as possible:



Remember to keep all your screws sorted! A magnetic dish with labelled sections helps a great deal.



Lining up and measuring:



You can never use enough masking tape!



Now we're ready to drill! RAWR!


I'm using a 114mm holesaw here. Those of you who are paying attention will notice that I originally bought a 121mm holesaw at the beginning of the project. This size is way too big as I found out by putting a 120mm fan up against said holesaw. The actual circle inside the frame where the blades spin is closer to a 114mm holesaw hole!

Always where eye and ear protection!



Oh and put the sidehandle on if you have one - makes it so much easier to hold.

As a test I'm going to drill that old case-side you can see under the drill.



Hmm, seems ok - but that was steel and the case is Aluminium. ALU is far worse to work with in my opinion as it tends to "chew" with it being soft.



Ok, so I decided to drill from the inside of the case, with the case clamped down using G-Clamps and a piece of wood underneath to *minimize* tearout.

The results were fairly impressive, but it was a nightmare to cut through!



Now to file and de-burr:



All done!








Overall I'm please with the results

If you plan on doing this yourself I'd suggest the following:

1) Use an 18v or higher cordless drill for 120mm fan holes.
2) Use EYE PROTECTION and EAR PROTECTION.
3) Clamp everything down to stop it moving around.
4) Put the drill on a low gear so you have low speed and loads of torque and take it slowly.

You want to guide the drill and not push down too hard - it's a steady medium between letting the drill work itself and applying pressure. I found this difficult on the first hole and the drill jammed a bit, but simply stop the drill and start it again taking it slow.

[eponymous]

Now we get into the making of the perspex mounting plate for the reservoirs and the pumps:

So the first step was to measure the from the edge of the motherboard to the edge of the drive bays and mark a line to cut the perspex:









Next step is to mark out the position of the bolt holes for the reservoirs, pump brackets and support bolts:







Again with the masking tape! :P You really need it when cutting this stuff however.



Oh dear! When I was marking the holes for the brackets I noticed that one of them was slightly off - BAD XSPC! :P



Easily remedied with some supports and a heatgun. The plastic is heated up just enough to make it flexible.



The two are then clamped together to they are lined up:



There we go, much better:



So now the brackets have been sorted the rest of the holes were marked out. I needed to make sure that there was enough space between the bottom of the reservoir and the top of the pump top allow for a little bit of flexing in the tubing without kinking. I also decided to lay the motherboard alongside the perspex to see what potential hazards there may be (ports, cabling etc):



On to the cutting. It was about 14mm from the edge that I needed to cut off.



Using a hacksaw seemed to work perfectly as I could keep the sawing action slow and gentle which prevented the perspex from melting back together. This is a common problem when using a jigsaw or a bandsaw.

Note: If you decide to use a powertool for this, I'd recommend using a circular saw with a fine tooth steel cutting blade. Also make sure that the blade is at full speed before you go to cut the plastic to prevent it cracking.





Once that is done the plastic can be filed down:



And finally sanded with a piece of (dry, medium) Wet+Dry paper:







Next the plastic is clamped with a piece of chipboard underneath, ready for drilling. Pilot holes are drilled first, with 3.5mm holes being drilled next and then 4mm holes being drilled afterwards.

The HSS drill bits I used weren't ideal as they had a harsh rake which shouldn't been filed down ideally so they are at about 130 degrees. The holes turned out fine and are covered by washers and/or brackets anyway so i'd suggest not worrying too much about them.

Note: The protective plastic remained on at all times until I was completely finished.



A little filing later and we are done.



After drilling the plastic it was time to drill the motherboard tray. At this stage I decided to get the motherboard out and work out what possible hazards there were so I could position the perspex accordingly.

For example the 90 degrees SATA ports needed to be clear of the brackets:



Clamped and ready to drill:



Just needs a little bit of filing with a feather-file:



The finished article!:



With the plastic as well:



Everything fitted:











That's it for now, stay tuned!

[illidan]

wow! awesome work!

that reservoirs/pumps holder looks great

[eponymous]

wow! awesome work!

that reservoirs/pumps holder looks great

Thanks I just wish I had some better pictures :P

[Arthur]

Using the acrylic for reservoir panel is pretty creative mate. I also liked the cutting job for 120mm fan holes, your method simple and clean.

I looking forward to see your updates here. Keep up the good work mate.

[OrtoN]

looks great !

good work dude

[slim142]

1 word
amazing
keep it up