PROJECT: Osiris (800D)

[closetredneck]

do you stil have the silverstone TJ10, i would be interested in buying it if your in the UK, or any large case for that matter, anyone got a cheap 2nd hand one going, im willing to pay somewhere around 30-50 for a large case.

oh and i love this build. Those red fans look awesome, how much are they each?

Thanks! The Enermax Apollish retail for about 20-25$ here in the US. I'm still up in the air on them in a WC build. They use a thermal sensor to control speed, so you have to cut it off and solder the two leads together to get the fan to operate at full speed. Moreover, if you hook it to a fan controller, dropping the voltage to lower speeds also drops the voltage to the LEDs, so obviously it gets dimmer.

I still have the TJ-10 and was going to put my old 780i with Q9550 in it. Shipping to the UK would be cost prohibitive I'm sure...

Oh, I like the look of this!

Thanks! I'll be updating with more pics soon!

Yeah, I've been using ArctiClean since I bought it - but it's really just a gimmick. One bottle is simply "goo be gone" citrus scented, and the other is isopropyl rubbing alcohol. After I bought the set and tried it out once I instantly knew I had been ripped off

Yeah, I came to realize that as well. I've should have been more specific: I've been using the same bottles for years. I won't buy it again.

It looks great so far, is that thermal past hanging off the side of the South bridge? Really?!

I know, right!?! talk about excess. It wasn't hanging off with the stock heatsink installed...I think it kind of plopped off when I removed the sink and just landed there. Still, that's a lot of paste.

[closetredneck]

Well, my second order from MDPC-x finally arrived, along with (hopefully) properly sized spacers for the comp fittings on the vid card blocks. I'm sleeved everything I could while I waited, and been doing little things here and there. I should have the build complete this weekend.

Well, complete for now... I'm already thinking about what I should have done different/do next.

[insidertrading]

I decided to install a BitsPower 360 Rad Guard up top for two reasons. First, I didn't really like the way the top panel of the case looked and second, since I installed the BP 240 guard on the side, I wanted some consistency in the look.





absolutely beautifyl work.

could i ask you how you installed the rad guard on top of the case?

did u drill? if so, did u use a power drill or a dremel?

thanks so much!

[closetredneck]

absolutely beautifyl work.

could i ask you how you installed the rad guard on top of the case?

did u drill? if so, did u use a power drill or a dremel?

thanks so much!

Thank you! I used a power drill with a 1/2 inch bit to enlarge one of the existing fan mount holes so I could fit the blade for my jigsaw in it to start cutting. I then used the aforementioned jigsaw with a fine tooth metal cutting blade to cut the hole I had traced onto the case.

[closetredneck]

UPDATE:

Well, I think I'm just about wrapped up with this one. Still have a few things to do. First, some of the latest pictures.

Starting my sleeving. I went a little overboard with the sleeving...I pretty much uni-sleeved everything. There are some great threads here explaining how to do this, so I won't waste your time with a ton of pictures of the process. It was my first time sleeving, and it was fun...for a while. Then it started to feel like..."when am I going to be finished?" My fingers were dry and raw from tightening up all the sleeve.





And some of the results...





Here's some SATA cables. I actually went back later and put on longer pieces of heat shrink (about 30mm). It covers almost all of the exposed connector and a good bit on the sleeve too.






If you remember, these fans come with a thermistor to control the speed. I simply cut it, off shortened the leads,soldered and shrunk. I also cut the fan cables to length and soldered the leads together into one cable. The fan speed signal only comes from one fan. I was right about these fans too - using them with a controller drops the voltage to the fan motor and the LEDs, so the LEDS get dim when at low speed.




I just realized I didn't take any pictures of leak testing! Oh well...
I leak tested using an old 350W power supply so I could just run the pumps. And fans... And LEDs... All I did was jumper pin 16 of the main ATX connector to ground to get power.

I told you in an earlier post about the leak I discovered due to a clearance issue with the BP compression fitting and the EK water block. Here's some pictures to show what I meant:

The culprit on the left:




Here you can see where the fitting is catching on the PCB and not making a good seal with the o-ring and block.




My fix: BitsPower shining Silver mini spacer. The spacers EK provides were a little too thick and didn't leave me with enough thread on the compression fitting to secure it to the block.




All better..




Remember how I cut that hole in the case bottom so my GTX 240 rad would drop down and fit in the bottom compartment? Well, the radiator prevents the dust filter from fully seating in it's slot. Had to do some surgery....




It fits really well, and there's only about a 1x3 inch area of the perforated case floor that doesn't get covered by the filter.

Ok. Assembled and working. I was really disappointed with the quality of these pictures. I thought I had more than enough light: 4x100W and 2x75W, but I guess not. I told you I wasn't good at photography.




I was thinking I need to get something to group the tube going from the pump to the CPU inlet with the other two tubes. I had it zip tied just snug enough to hold all three together, but it looked kinda cheesy.




And some closeups....












The back side. Yes, the side panel fits. It looks a lot worse in this picture than it does in person. Obviously it could be better, but... This is about the time I realized that uni-sleeving everything may have been a bad idea. This is also something I will do differently next time (see end of post).




Between all the lights and me yelling and cursing because my photos weren't coming out the way I liked, ole Stinker Belle decided she should come investigate.




And some shots of the lighting. I still am undecided if I will put in the UV cathodes...










So, I think I'm just about done.

There's still a few things I need to do:

1. Mod one of my old Lian-Li DVD bezels to fit and cover the LG Blu-Ray drive.
2. Sleeve and install the UV cold cathodes.
3. Build and powder coat a little caddy to elevate the case off the floor a little more and be able to wheel it around. It's heavy!
4. Crap. I forget. I'm sure I'll remember what 4 was...
5. Build some custom white LED modules to provide some accent lighting and light the chrome a little.

Some things I'll do differently next time:

1. First and foremost, I will chose fans on function, not for flashy looks or lights. These things are loud. I mean, jet engine loud. In my next build or maybe even if rework this one, I'll use some Scythe GTs or S-Flex's and simply cold cathode or stand alone LEDs for accent lighting.
2. Less uni-sleeving. I should have used the large sleeve Nils provided and only uni-sleeved the visible parts. This was A LOT of work and added a lot of bulk to the cable. Still, it looks freakin awesome and I'm hooked and will probably do it from now on!
3. Will probably switch up the airflow so the fans are mounted at the top of the case, pulling cool air in and pushing it through the radiator. Also, would rotate the rear case fan so it's exhausting air rather than pulling in. I would have done this right away except I would have had to drain the CPU/mobo loop. Placing the fans up top and lowering the radiator would put too severe a bend radius in the line going from the rad to the res. I would have to rotate the radiator so the fittings are at the rear of the case as well. Maybe later...
4. Move away from the bay-mount reservoir. Wish I had gone with cylinder res. just for looks.
5. As happy as I am with the 800D and the way this build came out, I wish I had bought a Mountain Mods CYO. Oh well, there's always another build...

So, there we have it. I'll update the pics after I finish the last of the outstanding items and actually take some decent photos of the thing. Even though I'm really tired and glad I'm pretty much done, I know the bug has severely latched on to me. I'm already looking at what I can do next. My HTPC? My old system, just for the hell of it? My server?

Also, I think I might be crazy because I keeping seeing this MCR 220 and MCP655 laying here and it makes me want to stuff them in there and put the GPU's on the GTX360 rad with the 655, buy a cylinder res, throw the CPU on the GTX240 and the mobo on the MCR220... AHHHH!

[BobyTT]

I love your case man. I am going to build my own 800D project next week , but is far simple than yours.

[HazChem]

It's great that you jotted down the things that you would like to improve on in your build. I think it looks fantastic the way it is but, for sure, it can always get better.

Definitely one of the coolest 800Ds I have seen!

[RCG_Bex]

Veru pretty. I was worried those fan's might be too much but no - it's very nice!

~Bex

[triggs75]

Great looking build. Love the Red and Black...

Here is something for you to print out and glue down to your PSU compliments of FOXY@OC'D over at Overclock.net




Chad

[josk1]

yep, the new sticker for the psu would make the finish touch of a perfect built!!
awesome work dude!

[ipuoL]

Hey, nice sleeving work!

i have one question, where did you bought this green mat:
click me ?

thanks so far

[insidertrading]

Thank you! I used a power drill with a 1/2 inch bit to enlarge one of the existing fan mount holes so I could fit the blade for my jigsaw in it to start cutting. I then used the aforementioned jigsaw with a fine tooth metal cutting blade to cut the hole I had traced onto the case.

first things first: your sleeving is lovely especially so for a first attempt!

as for the above, could u explain further?

did you cut away the entire original top of the case? or did you simply drill the rad guard over the original top

[insidertrading]

Great looking build. Love the Red and Black...

Here is something for you to print out and glue down to your PSU compliments of FOXY@OC'D over at Overclock.net




Chad

dont mind if i do too!! heh

[closetredneck]

I love your case man. I am going to build my own 800D project next week , but is far simple than yours.

Thanks! It is a nice spacious case. Best of luck with your project! It should be lots of fun!

It's great that you jotted down the things that you would like to improve on in your build. I think it looks fantastic the way it is but, for sure, it can always get better.

Definitely one of the coolest 800Ds I have seen!

Thanks HazChem. I wish I could remember what 4 was. I think it was a remote switch pod for all the lighting, but I can't remember...

Veru pretty. I was worried those fan's might be too much but no - it's very nice!

~Bex

Thanks Bex. I still think the fans may in fact be too much! We'll see if I move them up top. They are pretty loud though. In the end, they may get swapped from some Scythe GTs and red CC lighting.

Great looking build. Love the Red and Black...

Here is something for you to print out and glue down to your PSU compliments of FOXY@OC'D over at Overclock.net

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/5...ir201000hx.png



Chad

Sweet! I think I will print this out on some matte photo paper and see how it looks!

Hey, nice sleeving work!

i have one question, where did you bought this green mat:
click me ?

thanks so far

I got that hobby mat from Tower Hobbies when I was into nitro RC cars about 10 years ago. Looks like they still sell it!

Hobbico Builder's Cutting Mat 24"x36"

first things first: your sleeving is lovely especially so for a first attempt!

as for the above, could u explain further?

did you cut away the entire original top of the case? or did you simply drill the rad guard over the original top

First, I measured the radgrill and top of the case to center it laterally on the top of the case. I then placed the radgrill and taped it temporarily in place while I traced the outline. I also marked the location of the mounting holes. I then removed the rad grill and penciled my cutting lines. To cut the area out, I used a jigsaw (skill saw) with a 36 teeth per inch metal cutting blade. Before I cut, I drilled a 1/2" hole so I had room to start the blade and bring the saw up to speed without it catching on any part of the top of the case. I cut out the entire original mesh area of the top part of the case.

Hope that helps.

Thanks again to everyone for your kind words!

[leo_bsb]

Nice build and nice dog.

[Liderc]

I rarely ever like red tubing, but your's looks great. Like you mentioned, the fans could be swapped out for some Scythe flex's or something a little more simple so that it lets the viewer pay more attention to the tubing/hardware.

Great job.

[armeniandave]

This is one of the nicest Corsair cases I've seen so far!

Great use of black and red, Congratulations on a fine build!

[shazza]

Hey there, crn! I've been following your log, but just realized I never commented. Along with all your other well-wishers, let me offer hearty congratulations

It really is stunning - I love it!

[Bolas]

Very nice build. Now I know what to do for a red and black themed Corsair 800D build!

[blackvette94]

Where did you get those red thumbscrews?? They look great!

[LeandroJVarini]

very nice!!!beautiful case!

[McBacker]

Amazing job! Well done.

[Raiden]

Very good , i just dont like the grill you puted in the side panel .. great modding.. !

[closetredneck]

Thanks everyone for all the compliments. It seems I haven't been back to check this worklog for a while. It's nice to read all the kind words.

However, I am back for a reason. The boredom/upgrade bug bit me and I bought 2 GTX460s. I also have been wanting to get rid of the apollish fans - they are loud and I'm having one fail already. Plus, in hindsight I think they are too flashy/gaudy for this build. Another piece I should have upgraded from the start was my CPU block. So, I ordered up a new EK Supreme HF, 2 new GTX460 blocks (direct from EK), and some GentleTyphoons.

I now have everything I need to do a little renovation to Osiris, but I'm still kicking some ideas around. I started another thread looking for ideas on how to improve this build. I am mostly interested in improving the cooling power/efficiency. I often worried that the 240 would be too little rad for the SLI vid cards, and I did see temps get kind-of high. I have a feeling these 460 are going to run a little warmer than my 285s did, so I'm looking at that rad again. I saw some other 800D builds where they fit a 360 or 480 rad on the bottom by moving the PSU to the front and mounting it vertically, taking up some of the space for the hot swap bay.

Any thoughts? OR other ideas for improvement before I get started? I have some time...I want to make sure the vid cards are good to go before I take off the stock fans. I'm also building a mini-itx silent XBMC machine, but that won't take long.

[ScottALot]

2 460s are a great choice, but water-cooling them is awkward because the GPU/Block price ratio is low.