# AMD Project: Omega - Reviving an Old Mod.



## Yukikaze (Apr 10, 2009)

*Project: Omega - Reviving an Old Mod.*

*Introduction:*

 A while ago I modded an old Acer case to look cool and have a few extra fans (Front 120mm, rear 92mm, top 92mm).

This is how it looked back when I started:






This is how it looked when I was done:





A closeup of the insides:





And this is how it looked running in the dark:










It didn't look like much back then (I screwed up on the paint, pretty much), and I disliked it. 

The specs on it were:
Intel Celeron Dual Core E1200 @ 1.8Ghz (Crap board, it ran at 3.15Ghz on my Abit)
Zalman CNPS7500 Cooler
Asus P5KPL-CM
2 x 1Gb DDR2 667Mhz
Powercolor HD2600XT 256Mb GDDR4
200Gb HDD
300W HEC PSU

Then I gave it to my friend, whose laptop fried, and he needed a computer. It stayed over at his place for a while since I gave him my Mass Effect DVD to play (He completed two playthroughs at 1680x1050 with nearly maxed out graphic settings - not bad for this thingie). Then the computer got back to me.

It looked like this (OMFG !!!):















Needless to say I was displeased, but oh well. I love the case itself, though, so I decided to revive it.

*Present Day:*

I haven't owned an AMD rig since the dawn of time (My last AMD was an Athlon XP 1700+), so I decided to sell off all my Intel spares (E1200, E2200, E5200, two mobos, a P4, what not) and build a new AMD rig into this case.

Current specs hover between a Phenom X4 9550 (They are very cheap here, the same as the E7200), or a Phenom II X3 720 or 710, with a 780G mobo, and probably, at least for now, reusing the HD2600XT. I have a HDD and 4Gb of RAM waiting for it. A slightly more grandiose plan calls for HD4830 in CF and a Phenom II 920. Stuffing all that in here will be quite a challenge (and keeping it cool even more so, but it would be an amazing rig if I'd pull it off).

*The Plan:*
The case is undergoing disassembly right now. When I am done, I will wash it, scrub off the old paint and spray it with a base paint in a few coats, letting them dry out well between layers. I hope this will avoid my earlier problems with painting it.

Then I plan on spraying the cage itself with Red, the cover with Black and the front panel will be replaced with a custom one I intend to make out of wood, and which will also be Red. It will have the fans in the same locations as now, with one 92mm on the top, one 92mm on the rear (both red led Zalmans) and a front 120mm fan (probably my spare Thermatake Cyclo 120mm - the same one as in the shots of the case right now, or a red led Zalman 120mm). I intend to spray several coats of paint onto it, and then finish it up with something protective so it doesn't scratch easily. The end result will have one 3.5" bay and one 5.2" bay and will be a tiny, tiny case full of goodies, and hopefully, looking good.

I'll post up the front panel layout I plan on when I design it.

Wish me luck !


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## crtecha (Apr 10, 2009)

Dang man thats not cool.  I hate seeing people let rigs go to waste.  The amount of dust in that kills me.


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## nicholasblock (Apr 10, 2009)

I think I see some shrooms growing on the pci slot lol


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## crtecha (Apr 10, 2009)

well revive it or start cultivating


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## Yukikaze (Apr 10, 2009)

I just pulled out tons of dust and crap from the HD2600XT's cooler. Looks like half a Chinchilla got sucked into that thing or something (my friend has two of those). I'll call him and ask him if he's missing a rodent


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## alucasa (Apr 10, 2009)

You could have cleaned the case before putting everything in also. 
Or are my eyes deceiving me ? It may be the paint job that's making the case look as if it's covered with dust.


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## Yukikaze (Apr 10, 2009)

alucasa said:


> You could have cleaned the case before putting everything in also.
> Or are my eyes deceiving me ? It may be the paint job that's making the case look as if it's covered with dust.



It was perfectly clean and freshly painted when the stuff went it, obviously...


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## alucasa (Apr 10, 2009)

Yukikaze said:


> It was perfectly clean and freshly painted when the stuff went it, obviously...



Oh my, are you implying that all that dust came off the computer components ?


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## nicholasblock (Apr 10, 2009)

> well revive it or start cultivating



thats what i say lol


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## WhiteLotus (Apr 10, 2009)

I love that case! i would go for a deep blood red with white lighting.


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## Yukikaze (Apr 11, 2009)

*Quick Update*

Bought the spray paints today and the wood for the front panel:

2 x Red cans (For the cage and front).
1 x Heavy Duty Black can (for the cover).
2 x Primer cans (for everything !).
2 x Transparent protective cans (for all the metal parts).

I might be able to get priming done today on the metal parts, if my homework let me, that is.... currently writing a UaRT driver for one of my projects. 

If I do, I'll snap a few quick photos. If I don't, this will wait for next weekend (Damned exam coming up on Friday !).


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## Yukikaze (Apr 11, 2009)

Okays. Getting most of the paint off the case cover was....hard. The sander didn't work very well, so it went by hand. My arms hurt like heck.

Here's the process and result:










Sorry for the shitty second pic. I hope this is good enough for the primer to take hold well. I washed it with serious cleaning stuff to make it as clean as possible, now it is drying up. I might give it a first coat of primer tonight before I hit the sack.


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## MKmods (Apr 11, 2009)

looking forward to watching this progress.


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## Yukikaze (Apr 17, 2009)

*Update !*

Networking exam has come and gone, and now I got some free time. So here's a pic of the primed case, still waiting to dry. The cage itself still needs another coat of primer, while the cover is good to go for paint. I should have the first paint on it tomorrow.

I have sold a tons of my spares:
E1200
E2200
E5200
HD3650AGP
P5KPL-CM
And some other minor things.
If this P4 I am selling here will be sold, I'll be able to afford an HD4870 or GTX260 for this build, too. The case is just long enough to accommodate them.

This gives me enough money to get a Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition for this thing, which means that the only investment in this thing will be the motherboard, and if that is the case: I'll be able to get a good motherboard (Like the DFI LanParty JR 790GX) for this, unless my economic situation changes in a non-predictable way.

Anyone knows of a good cooler that is not very tall ? Under 14cm tall to be precise ? If I am getting the Ph2-X4-940, I want it to able to spread some wings 

Here's the pics:


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## pantherx12 (Apr 17, 2009)

This will do you well http://www.arctic-cooling.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=1_43&mID=133&language=en

You can get them for very cheap too.

I have the Intel version, its slightly different but it cools great!

best price / cooling ratio I reckon.


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## Yukikaze (Apr 18, 2009)

pantherx12 said:


> This will do you well http://www.arctic-cooling.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=1_43&mID=133&language=en
> 
> You can get them for very cheap too.
> 
> ...



Thanks, I know the Freezer Pros, and I know they have an absolutely awesome price/perf ratio, but I was wondering if something superior existed.


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## a_ump (Apr 18, 2009)

nice man, that blows your dude didn't take care of the case, but hey now you have a project to do in your spare time. I'm interested to see how this ends up, keep her up man


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## Yukikaze (Apr 18, 2009)

a_ump said:


> nice man, that blows your dude didn't take care of the case, but hey now you have a project to do in your spare time. I'm interested to see how this ends up, keep her up man



She's almost ready to take paint. I hope to have some nice pics of it later today, when it isn't gray and boring anymore.


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## Yukikaze (Apr 18, 2009)

Okay. Here's how it looks after it got some paint. Another color coat is coming next Friday and then a pair of transparent protective layers goes over that on Saturday. Then I'll start on the front panel.

My Tempest is in the background to give it some scale:


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## MKmods (Apr 18, 2009)

Yukikaze said:


> Anyone knows of a good cooler that is not very tall ? Under 14cm tall to be precise ? If I am getting the Ph2-X4-940, I want it to able to spread some wings



I used one of these 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835887002
Good points are it can be mounted 4 different directions (good mounting on AM2)
a couple deg cooler than a Freezer
Low profile (same as AC freezer)
Blue lighted fan (dont know if you want it with the red theme)

but this is 13CM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186028
Looks cool if it will fit


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## Yukikaze (Apr 18, 2009)

I was always under the impression the Freezer Xtreme was bigger. But this looks like it might be what I am looking for !


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## MKmods (Apr 18, 2009)

looks like there is now an AC Extreme and Extreme V2. Seems like they are both the same physical size.


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## vladmire (Apr 25, 2009)

oldschool case.. still sexy..


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## Yukikaze (Apr 29, 2009)

Okay, updates at last:

First, no AMD rig. My Q9650 and mATX P45 mobo will relocate to this case. A DFI X58 mobo along with the Core i7 920 will take its place as my main rig.

Second, here's the front panel:






Going to prime it now, then pain the front panel in red. If I don't like it, I'll just paint over it with black. That way I can see what I like more.


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## Yukikaze (May 2, 2009)

Here's a quick snapshot of the fans mounted, but without the front panel (Currently drying out after another coat of paint - It is almost ready for the final transparent protective coat):





I love how the paint on the cage came out, it is almost blood red.


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## a_ump (May 2, 2009)

yeppers, looks nice. i'd like to paint my case and do some modding, just haven't a clue how(will google eventually) nor the place to do it yet lol. You should update your first post to include the no AMD thing and whatnot.


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## Yukikaze (May 2, 2009)

a_ump said:


> yeppers, looks nice. i'd like to paint my case and do some modding, just haven't a clue how(will google eventually) nor the place to do it yet lol. You should update your first post to include the no AMD thing and whatnot.



Thanks !

As for the topic - I tried to....it won't change the topic even though I did in the edit....

Maybe some divine (mod) intervention might help me out ?


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## DanishDevil (May 12, 2009)

PM a moderator and ask.  Make sure you include the phrase "pretty please oh uber modzor above" in the request or it won't happen.


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## DreamSeller (May 12, 2009)

that's so awsome ) i love it 
black and red is what im trying to do too )


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## InnocentCriminal (May 12, 2009)

Moar!

Moar!

Moar!

I love the rags to riches theme goin' down.

I love worklogs!


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## Yukikaze (May 12, 2009)

InnocentCriminal said:


> Moar!
> 
> Moar!
> 
> ...



If you notice my specs on the left....It shows the Q9650 assembled in this case. Which means the pics are coming  I'll try to upload them tonight, or the weekend at latest.


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## InnocentCriminal (May 12, 2009)

Wooo!


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## Yukikaze (May 12, 2009)

InnocentCriminal - These are pulled for your enjoyment from my camera from the pre-assembly stage. 

Finally got home from work and uni and ate something and regained some cognitive ability (It is after 2300 here right now), so I'll take pics of the built system over the weekend. Now I just wanna crash.

Here's the finished thing from all sorts of angles:


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## InnocentCriminal (May 12, 2009)

Ymmmmm!

Lookin' good!


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## Yukikaze (May 18, 2009)

Kinda forgot to put up the pics here, bad me.

Here's two shots of the minimonster next to the monster. I've already placed the modded case in its assigned location, but I don't yet have a pic of it with the three monitors it is attached to 

On another note, the stock Intel cooler sucks. Not because it doesn't cool well enough, it is because it fails to seat properly. I've pushed the pins with all my might, everything clicked into place, and STILL, when under load, if I push the pins into the board I can shave 5-6c off. The mechanism is just freaking retarded.

I decided to run the case open, it looks sexier that way, you'll see what I mean when I upload a pic of the full setup in action.

Here's a pic with the flash:





Here's a pic with no flash:


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## InnocentCriminal (May 18, 2009)

Lookin' good!


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## Yukikaze (Jun 12, 2009)

Pics aren't very good, but it gets the point across. This is my apartment with the Q9650 and three-monitor setup for all my coding needs.

I replaced the stock Q9650 cooler with a Q6700 stock cooler, this one is beefier, cools better and seats properly. I am running the Q9650 on that cooler with 1.18v (stock volts) at 3.65Ghz which is speedy enough for anything I can think of.

Now I just need to stave off the need to replace the video setup in this rig for a pair of HD4770s or HD4850s, the prices on which were dropping like a stone over here for the past two weeks.

I plan to put the HD4870X2 in this rig once the main rig goes DX11 next year, so buying something now would be counter-productive....

Anyways, pics:


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## InnocentCriminal (Jun 12, 2009)

Love it!


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## Yukikaze (Jun 12, 2009)

InnocentCriminal said:


> Love it!



Good to know I am not the only one


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## Cuzza (Jun 12, 2009)

Great paintwork, I am impressed, though a bit disappointed I thought you should leave the wood panel unpainted, stained timber finish would have made it really different and interesting. But whatever you're into...

by the way...,






which button does what? pretty easy to hit the wrong one!


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## Yukikaze (Jun 12, 2009)

Cuzza said:


> Great paintwork, I am impressed, though a bit disappointed I thought you should leave the wood panel unpainted, stained timber finish would have made it really different and interesting. But whatever you're into...
> 
> by the way...,
> 
> ...



Right one is power, left one is reset. It is my case, so there's no need for labels and the like. I did do them pretty close together, but for my fingers (long and thin) it is just fine. I do agree with you that I shouldn't try to sell that as a case for thick-fingered people, though.


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## Cuzza (Jun 12, 2009)

Yukikaze said:


> Right one is power, left one is reset. It is my case, so there's no need for labels and the like. I did do them pretty close together, but for my fingers (long and thin) it is just fine. I do agree with you that I shouldn't try to sell that as a case for thick-fingered people, though.



I have fat fingers. remind me not to buy anything from you.


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## Yukikaze (Jun 12, 2009)

Cuzza said:


> I have fat fingers. remind me not to buy anything from you.



Duly noted


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## MKmods (Jun 12, 2009)

Cuzza said:


> I have fat fingers.



LOL, me too....

Really nice job on the use of a smaller case

if you could rotate the Hdd 90deg (maybe throw it above where the DVD usually goes) and throw in an AC Freezer ( or equiv) that would help a bit more.

PS: good detail cutting the wood to fit around the front fan instead of mounting the fan on top of it.


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## Yukikaze (Jun 12, 2009)

MKmods said:


> LOL, me too....
> 
> Really nice job on the use of a smaller case
> 
> ...



I thought about an aftermarket cooler, but the Q9560 does 3.65Ghz on stocks volts, so there really is no need and I am trying to cut down on expenses a bit. The reason why the HDD isn't at the top is that if I decide to close the case, there's no room in between the PSU cabling I hid there and the top exhaust fan.

Cutting that wood was more than a little annoying, but I like how it came out in the end. The black PCB of the mobo, the red of the case itself and the passively cooled GPUs give it a kickass "industrial" look to it, that's why I decided to run it open.


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## DanishDevil (Jun 12, 2009)

Build looks tight dude!  I really love the look of the passive cooling on that card, too.  Our LANPARTY JR's are neat little boards aren't they?

Man, Q9650.../jealous


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## Yukikaze (Jun 13, 2009)

DanishDevil said:


> Build looks tight dude!  I really love the look of the passive cooling on that card, too.  Our LANPARTY JR's are neat little boards aren't they?
> 
> Man, Q9650.../jealous



Yep. I love that board. Small but packed with features. If only the slots were x16 electrical....but you can't have everything on an mATX board - Unless you get the X58 JR, that is


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## DanishDevil (Jun 13, 2009)

Or this...


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## HammerON (Jun 13, 2009)

Nice job~


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## Easo (Aug 7, 2009)

Some moar plox?  With closed case too?


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## Yukikaze (Aug 7, 2009)

Easo said:


> Some moar plox?  With closed case too?



I am not running it with a closed case due to my apartment not having AC (And I've inverted the PSU to suck cooler air from above), but I'll see what I can do. Quite frankly, closing it scratches the paint a bit, and since I run it open I'd rather not close it more than I really need to (And currently, I don't need to).


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