Worklog: The Holy Mammoth (Part Deuce)

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SolidBladez

Supreme [H]ardness
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Jan 4, 2008
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Well, I decided to redo a lot of things from my last project. Previous worklog

Here are the list of changes:
  • RMA'd Laing DDC-2 pump. Got me a nice DDC-3.2 18W in return. Thanks Danger Den!
  • Replaced stock top with a XSPC acrylic top. Got some 1/2" EK High-Flow fittings for it. Also bought a Designs Absolute Pump Bracket for the pump as well.
  • Replaced Swiftech Micro-RES for a Danger Den dual 5.25" bay reservoir (clear). Came with 1/2" High-Flow fittings.
  • Got rid of my crappy vinyl tubing and instead got some Tygon R-3603 1/2" ID, 3/4" OD tubing. World's difference.
  • Bought some black sleeving and sleeved many cables such as molex extensions, fans, some power cables.
  • Ripped out lower HDD bay and instead bought a Lian-Li Ex-23B HDD cage.
  • Replaced stock 120mm side exhaust fan with a 120mm TT blue LED fan. A little quieter but the blue glow is just amazing.
  • Replaced my Samsung 18x DVD burner (IDE) with a Samsung 20x DVD burner (SATA). I was getting sick and tired of that obnoxious IDE cable.
  • Bought additional cables and a 4" white cathode kit.
  • Oh, and last but not least.. bought a WD 640GB hard drive. Figured the price was reasonable and I wanted a little more storage. Currently selling the WD 250GB and Seagate 320GB in my For Sale thread.

Currently in progress:
  • Cleaned and washed Rocketfish frame. Currently spray painting a clear coating to protect it from further scratches.
  • Still have a few more cables to sleeve.
  • Leak testing components (see pictures below).
  • Painting Ex-23B cage black. The front may have a black bezel but the frame is silver. Doesn't look good in a black case.

I'll explain more on where everything is going once I finish painting and re-cleaning my parts.

p1010362ma9.jpg
p1010363nl3.jpg
 
I have a few updates:
  • Received the hard drive today.
  • Finished painting the detachable side exhaust fan.
  • After painting my case with the clear spray and having it dry for a few days, I rewashed it (basically took my outdoor hose and sprayed it) and wiped it squeaky clean. :)
  • I finished my last coat on my HDD cage but I have to let it dry for a day or so and then wash it like I did with the case.

Here is just what my pump looked like before (stock top) and after (XSPC top).

p1010311pf1.jpg

p1010318ll9.jpg


This is the finished side panel exhaust fan.

p1010365he7.jpg

p1010366vw0.jpg


I totally forgot to show a before and after picture of how well the clear sealant exemplifies the black color. So instead, I took the old HDD cage and compared it.

p1010367ic6.jpg

More to come!
 
Okay, I ran into a semi-large problem.

The dual-bay reservoir I had hoped would fit in the bays actually does not. I was planning on having it on the very top part, but the stupid bay slots are blocking it. Fortunately I was able to remove one of those inserts (if you have a Rocketfish case you will know what I'm talking about) and slide it in.

The problem is that my pump is now lower causing it to get cramped with other cables such as the 24-pin ATX.

So I've narrowed it down to two options.

Option A:

  • Remove pump bracket and lie pump vertical to motherboard tray.
  • There will be enough spacing for the 24-pin ATX cable to connect and I doubt I will have any kinking in my tubing from the reservoir to the pump.
  • This is probably the best option.

Option B:

  • Place pump perpendicular to the motherboard tray with the bracket attached.
  • Since pump is now lower, it will be a little more difficult to go from the pump to the radiator.
  • There seems to be a very narrow gap for the ATX power to connect. The cable is very stiff so I'm not sure if it will squeeze in there and hold.
 
Rob Black said:
That looks really clean. awesome!

good job! :D
Click to expand...

Thank you.

Took a while to hide my wiring though.

cheezeit said:
looks great :D

Why didn't you just mount the rad on top though?
Click to expand...

Because I didn't have the hardware/tools or the time. I figured that it would be a little easier just to make two small holes on the back and mount it outside.

But what I do like is that I have a lot of extra spacing down below. Enough for another 2x120 radiator. If you catch my drift. ;)
 
^ Negative.
Shaq wears around a size 20-22. That only looks to be a 14, possibly even 13.
 
Indignity said:
Holy Crap!!! Is that Shaq's shoe?

Very nicely done!
Click to expand...
Nope, but a few sizes short.

kaiweiler said:
^ Negative.
Shaq wears around a size 20-22. That only looks to be a 14, possibly even 13.
Click to expand...
If you ever see the size of a Rocketfish case, you'll know how large my feet are.

*HINT* (100-50+20-15) / 5 + 7

Indignity said:
You have never seen a Rocketfish case have you? LOL
Click to expand...

Lol, spoken like a true masta!

NeilFarted said:
i think the reservoir placement is awesome, really great idea.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I was going to originally have it on the very top bay but the 1-2 mm 5.25" bay holders wouldn't allow me to put it in. :/
 
very nice look man VERY nice. I love how you can see the res in the front.. Great job!
 
Glad you liked it.

Too bad it currently does not look anything like the pictures I took... The feser view dye really starts to corrode the tubing, causing less of a UV effect. I'm in the process of cleaning out the tubing and adding a NB waterblock to the loop. I also have a different motherboard than pictured above.

I ordered a new PSU and once the 4870X2 comes out, I'm going to get that as well.
 
those 2 height bay mount reservoirs are really nice. only other company I know that makes one like that is performance pcs.
 
man, seeing that dualbay reservoir makes me with I had more room in my Shuttle for when I setup my watercooling.

Nice though...nothing wrong with the external radbox setup at all, but I prefer a top mounted rad myself. ;) :)
 
I'm probably going to add an external 3x120 rad somewhere to cool my 4870X2 when it eventually hits the market.
 
Good to hear...always nice knowing there's upgrades on the way!

I personally can't decide if I'm gonna watercool my Shuttle or bust out my PC-V1000 to be able to setup two seperate loops for my CPU and HD4870..arg...the decisions. :rolleyes: :D
 
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