I've been talking about the new build here and there, and since I started work on it last weekend I figured I'd go ahead and start the project thread. The specs are staying mostly the same as they are now. I got a new motherboard and faster pump, and I throwing my SpinPoint F4's back into the mix.

System:
Phenom II X6 1100T
8GB Corsair XMS3
Biostar TA870U3+
Radeon 5870, made by somebody... I forget who
Corsair Nova V128 SSD
2x320GB Samsung SpinPoint F4's in RAID0
1TB Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex USB3 external HD
Kingwin Stryker 500 Watt Fanless PSU

Cooling:
Hardware Labs Black Ice SR1 560 radiator
Danger Den MC-TDX CPU waterblock
Danger Den DD-Summit GPU waterblock
Alphacool VPP655 Variable speed pump
4x120mm Noiseblocker NB-Multiframe M12-S1 fans
Lots of compression fittings from Bitspower

The case I decided on was Corsair's Obsidian 550D. Other front runners were Antec's P280 or Fractal Design's Define R3. I hate noisy machines, so I like quiet cases.

The only problem... I didn't have one, and neither did anyone else. Corsair hadn't released it yet(and still hasn't, ARG!), so I downloaded Google Sketchup and started drawing.





With the design done it was time to paint things.




Frog tape. Enough said.


A few touchups on the radiator were needed afterwards. This is how you know a geek lives here.


The reservoirs and pump once assembled.


More this weekend.

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Containment Breach

Do not meddle in the affairs of archers, for they are subtle and quick to anger.

Edited: 02/23/2012 at 11:57 PM by Mime

cant wait to see more desighn looks killa .thats gonna hold a lotof liquid lol.



p.s cant belive no ones commented yet

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amd fx-8120 powercolor 6970 @890mhz
g-skill ripjaw x 1866mhz 16gig
asus ch5
2x corsair force 3 ssds in raid (2 x 60g)
2 xwd 500g sata 3 hdds in raid 1.10

Everyones looking for this in the modding projects log forum thats why. rofl

I love the orange paint Mime. I once owned a Yamaha cafe racer painted that colour and black.

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The opinions expressed above do not represent those of Advanced Micro Devices or any of their affiliates.

1100t on M5A99x-EVO with 2x4gb and 6870 running Win7 on Force120 ssd in Corsair 600t cooled by H100. Folding for team 34106

Nice Mime!! I'm really liking the sketch-ups! Can't wait to see more....

subbed

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The opinions expressed above do not represent those of Advanced Micro Devices or any of their affiliates.

That is looking pretty slick so far dude. Keep us posted, I'd love to see some good close-up pictures of those tubes once they're installed. Very futuristic-looking!

(edit) But if you're doing this for FROTM, don't expect to beat my K'Nex computer!

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ASRock M3A785GMH/128M
Phenom II X4 925c2 @ 2.80GHz (95W)
OCZ Platinum PC3-1333 2x2GB 7-7-7-21
WD5000AADS
Raidmax RX-500AF
Check it out.

LMAO...lovin it!!

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The opinions expressed above do not represent those of Advanced Micro Devices or any of their affiliates.

Killer design Mime!! The orange paint on the end caps really make those tubes pop.

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PII 1100T (Extinct)
Asus M4A78T-E (should be Extinct)
4Gb of Corsair XMS3 1600Mhz DDR3 (Going strong)
2x1GB 5850's (On their last lags)
Corsair HX850W (Awsome)
NZXT Phantom case (too ***** big)

Thanks guys.

Today I made a cover/dust filter for the radiator and created an unfortunate scene around the small res and pump. The radiator cover is just a sheet of steel mesh which I painted and cut to fit. Airflow can still flow freely and it should help keep things(dust, fingers, adventuresome cats...) away from the exposed back of the radiator.



Plus, it allows old hard drives to be used for temporary radiator stands.


Next up was the actual "containment" breach. The plan was to crack open the smaller reservoir and create my very own toxic spill. That's the reason for attaching fittings to the inside of it as well.



Besides, the best projects are always those where I get to smash something with a hammer.



Oops. Perhaps a little too much smashing, but it's nothing a little extra frog tape won't fix.




For my toxic spill, I used ordinary expanding foam sealant that I picked up at a local hardware store for a few bucks. Nifty stuff.



Uh oh... looks like someone didn't make it out in time...



After the foam had set I scraped it off the cardboard and carved a channel in the bottom for a strip of orange LEDs.





Instant biohazard.

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Containment Breach

Do not meddle in the affairs of archers, for they are subtle and quick to anger.

Edited: 02/25/2012 at 10:23 PM by Mime

HOT DAAMMNN!!!! That is awesome!! Mime! You are a creative b-stard, I had no idea!! Lovin' it!

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The opinions expressed above do not represent those of Advanced Micro Devices or any of their affiliates.

THAT'S JUST SICK!! and I luv it! lol

so dead Fred there is going inside the case?

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PII 1100T (Extinct)
Asus M4A78T-E (should be Extinct)
4Gb of Corsair XMS3 1600Mhz DDR3 (Going strong)
2x1GB 5850's (On their last lags)
Corsair HX850W (Awsome)
NZXT Phantom case (too ***** big)

Yep, dead Fred goes inside the case... the half of him that's still there does, at least.

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Containment Breach

Do not meddle in the affairs of archers, for they are subtle and quick to anger.

dude!!!

mime, your are bestowed upon the title The Dude!

Sweet! I was really confused with where you were going with that until I saw the last few pictures. That'll be awesome. Really creative.

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My GT430 Is Folding For AMD Team 34106
FOR A GOOD CAUSE---Accepting Donations of New, Used, Working, Nonworking PC Components
Thanks to KLEETUS for his generous donation of components!!

Looking good there... Like the spill idea! Will be good to see the completed product!

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The opinions expressed above do not represent those of Advanced Micro Devices or any of their affiliates.

Thanks guys... sort of in a holding pattern at the moment until I get my case. I'm hearing about delays of another few weeks until the 550D is released....

Grrrr. Argh.

... so I'm tempted to bail and go with the Define R3 instead. I like the fact that the Define R3 has two 5.25" drive bays instead of four, and the case should fit my existing design fairly well aside from a few minor changes. The connector panel on the top of the case would get covered over by the radiator, and I'd have to hack out the lower hard drive brackets to make room for the pump since they don't look to be removable. Might have to do a little more sketching just to make sure there's no surprises.

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Containment Breach

Do not meddle in the affairs of archers, for they are subtle and quick to anger.

Yay!


Any regrets I might have had about bailing on the 550D went away once I opened up the Define R3.



It just looks cool even by its self.

The first thing to do was to replace the rubber grommets with pass through connectors and fittings.





Then it was time to test fit the motherboard, and finish stripping the case down.


The lack of a northbridge heatsink was explained here... I plan to cannibalize the old motherboard for the required mounting hardware.



It's not a project if you don't have spare parts. Spare parts go in one pile... Stuff to be painted/drilled/cut to size goes in another. More on that tomorrow.

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Containment Breach

Do not meddle in the affairs of archers, for they are subtle and quick to anger.

love what youve done so far especialy the foam and skeleton biohazzard breach lol.fracaul desighn cases are good but if your going to put a window in the side like yur sketch shows just a heads up that sound dampining material is an absoulte pain in the neck

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amd fx-8120 powercolor 6970 @890mhz
g-skill ripjaw x 1866mhz 16gig
asus ch5
2x corsair force 3 ssds in raid (2 x 60g)
2 xwd 500g sata 3 hdds in raid 1.10

Nice case Mime! Think that you are going to be able to fit everything in there?

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The opinions expressed above do not represent those of Advanced Micro Devices or any of their affiliates.

Yeah I plan on ripping it off that one side since the window will basically be the size of the insulating panel. The other one I'll leave (mostly)intact, along with the insulated fan covers.



Yeah I like it. It's been a very long time since I've bought a new mid-tower... I've been on the SFF kick for some time now. The define R3 is just a bit smaller than the posted dimensions for the 550D, so I did some more sketching just to avoid any surprises. Got a new idea on where to put the fan controller while I was at it.

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Containment Breach

Do not meddle in the affairs of archers, for they are subtle and quick to anger.