# Project Sestren Worklog - World's First Back/Outside Mounted Tri Loop Cube!



## pc1x1 (Sep 16, 2009)

- a _PC1X1_ project -




History:
Computing in general has been a hobby ever since I was young. I started back in Dos/Windows95 era at the tender age of 8 years old. Since then I have always been trying to evolve and exceed my previous work. Computing to me is a journey, so I am not worried about the end result. This build has been in the making for a little while now. I figured it was about time to see how far I can currently go. The computer is named after Sestren, the main computer/entity in the Panzer Dragoon Universe.

Theme: 
Performance and Elegance, and Pioneering the World's First Outside Mounted Triple Radiator Cube!

Phases:
Phase 1: Computer Case Modifications, pre-planning, and 70% parts acquisition. [Complete]
Phase 2: Computer Case painting and assembly, test run on previous hardware [In Progress]
Phase 3: Rebuild with next generation hardware, ala i7 etc.
Phase 4: Multi-monitor Display Expansion to Hex Monitors

Parts List:

-Sestren’s Core-


Optical Removable Media:
[1] Pioneer DVD-RW​
Solid State Removable Media:
[1] Koutech Floppy/Media Reader​
Processor:
[1] TBA​
Motherboard:
[1] TBA​
Solid State Drives:
[4] TBA Raid 0​[4] Icy Dock 2.5 to 3.5​
Hardrives:
[1] 1 TB External Hardrive​[1] 250 GB External Hardrive​[2] 300 GB Velociraptor Hardrives Raid 0​[2] 640 GB Internal Hardrives Raid 0​[1] 1 TB Internal Hardrive​[1] 500 GB Internal Hardrive​
Raid Controller:
[1] Areca 1680IX Raid Controller​
Hot Swappable 3.5 Drive Bays:
[2] Athena Power Backplane​
Memory:
[2] TBA 12 gigs of DDR3 Ram​
Monitors:
[6] Dell 3007WFP-HC 30in Monitor​
Monitor Stand:
[1] Custom Hexa Monitor Stand​
Video Cards:
[2] Multi Card GPU X2 Series​[1] Single Slot GPU​
Power Supply:
[2] Enermax Revolution85+ 1050w​
Computer Case:
[1] Lian Li PC-343B​.......Removable Motherboard Tray​.......Window​.......Side Panel​.......Top Panel​.......Top Radiator Mounting​.......Front Panel​.......Lian Li Black Universal Bezel​
Cooling:
[3] Swiftech Pumps with Reservoir Tops​[1] Hardware Labs 360mm GTX Radiator​[1] Swiftech 360mm Radiator​[1] Swiftech 240mm Radiator​[2] Swiftech Rad Boxes​[1] GTZ CPU Waterblock​[2] TBA GPU Waterblocks​[1] TBA Single Slot GPU Waterblock​[60 Ft] Clear 7/16” ID (5/8” OD) Tubing​[3] Petra's Gel Stuff​[4] Smart Coils​[1] Kama Bay​[X] Various Fittings, Rotaries, Clamps, Multi Card Water Links​[X] Heatsinks​-Accessories-


Fan Controllers:
[4] Zalman Black Fan Controllers​[1] Lian Li Black Fan Controller​
Fans:
[12] 120mm Yate-Loons Fans​[6] 120mm Scythe Ultra-Kazes​[2] 120mm Enermax Magma Fans​[3] 80mm Coolermaster Riffle Fans​[2] 80mm Silverstone Fans​
Fan Grills:
[4]  360mm Black Steampunk Fan Grills​[2]  240mm Black Steampunk Fan Grills​[4]  120mm Black Gears Grill​[7]  80mm Black Gears Grill​
HTPC/Visual Display Units:
[1] Antec Multi Station Premier Pro​
Cables:
[1] Rounded Red Floppy Cable​[1] Sata Cable​[3] 4x Sata Octopus Cables​[X] 4 Pin Molex Extensions​[X] 3 Pin Fan Extensions​
Cable Organizers and Accessories:
[X] Small Wire Management Clips​[X] Red/Black Male-Female Connectors​[X] Red/Black 3 Pin Fan Connectors​[X] Red/Black Various Wire Loops​[X] Blue/Black Velcro Ties​[X] Zip Ties​[X] Zip Ties with Adhesive Base​
Lighting and Misc:
[500 Ft] Sleeving/Heatshrink​[1] MNPCTech T-shirt​[1] 360mm Radiator Cut Out​[1]  240mm Radiator Cut Out​[X]  Radiator Mounting Screws​[1] Roll of Pseudo Carbon Fiber​[1] Scotch Clear Mounting Tape​[X] Dremel Discs​[X] C-Molding Black​[1] Logisys 12v Relay​[2] 15in White CCFL​[1] Bubble Blue CCFL​[X] Velcro Strips​[2] 7-Port Hubs​[2] UPS 850 Watts​
Operating System:
[1] Windows 7 Ultimate x64​Notes:
* Must keep HT
* Target 4.0 ghz on all 4 cores
* Temperatures under 50'C Idle
* Ram @ 1600 mhz

Front Bay Configuration:






1. Pioneer DVD-RW.................... 10. Koutech Floppy/Media Reader
2. Zalman Fan Controller............. 11. Zalman Fan Controller
3. Athena Bay........................... 12. Athena Bay
4. "" ....................................... 13. ""
5. "" ....................................... 14. ""
6. Kama Bay ............................ 15. Antec Premier
7. "" ....................................... 16. ""
8. "" ....................................... 17. Lian Li TR-5B
9. Zalman Fan Controller ............ 18. Zalman Fan Controller   


Slot Array: (Subject to change, due to motherboard availability)
[1. PCIE 1x
[2. PCIE 16x - Graphics Card
[3. Blank 
[4. PCIE 16x Graphics Card
[5. PCI
[6. PCIE 16x Graphics Card
[7. PCIE Areca Raid

Sponsors:
My Nuclear Family, Mom and Dad





Petra's Tech Shop - www.petrastechshop.com/ Thanks to: Alex Venz,  Quoc





Enermax USA - www.enermaxusa.com Thanks to: Wei Yang, Tom





MNPCTECH - www.mnpctech.com/ Thanks to: Bill Owen


Thanks!
Danny Bui [H] 
silent-circuit [H] 
enginurd [H] 
Zero82z [H] 
PradaG [H][XS]

Special Thanks to!
My Parents, for believing in me and helping fund this wonderful project.

My Aunt Marly for driving me around to get the Cube painted.

Built in the USA

Copyright Information:
I am not affiliated nor work with neither this forum, nor any on the sponsors directly in any way. I am an Enthusiast, and thus want to share my passion through this build log. Sponsored, and donated items are courtesy on the sponsors. Logo's and other copyrighted information belongs to each respective owners! My opinion and build is my own. Thanks!

Please feel free to suggest changes, ideas, etc! Criticism welcomed, also feel free to help shape/change the layout etc.

Sincerely,
PC1X1


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## pc1x1 (Sep 16, 2009)

Update 1:

This is the first part, basic building conceptualization and mods.

Shout out to Petra's Water Tech Shop, for great customer service.

This is a work in progress, and I am on a strict deadline, and thus this is a temporary build. Also due to cost of this build, it will take a while. This is merely phase one. I presume it will be worked on / finished within 3 months. So far theres only one radiator mounted, but more are coming. Work will resume in early May. Please keep in mind theres finger prints, reflections, case wasn't cleaned etc, etc, since I know this is temporary, so it will look much better in the end, I promise .

Current Temperatures are great, OC'ed CPU at 39'C idle, and mid 40's on Load. Radiator with 5x 120 H CFM Fans.

Many more parts, including i7 920, 12 gigs of ram, Geforce 280 GTX's, etc coming at a later date.


> This is the front for now. Still pending 2 more Zalman Controllers, an Antec Premier, and a Kama Bay, and another Athena Power Swap Bay. Also note the little mod I made to cover up the gap the Zalman and Athena Power bay, its on the later pictures.














> Here's is the beginning of the actual CPU Water Loop, there will be 3 water loops total eventually. I am thinking of modding a second floor in this space and putting more pumps there or perhaps mounting them vertically. When the pumps arrive I will make my decision. The pump has to be a bit forward from the actual bay so theres space for fan controllers in my drive bays. One of the things I was adamant about was keeping all 18 drive bays relatively free. With some form of function, i.e something installed be it a fan controller a drive, etc. One side is all Hardware, other side is all Water. No mix, I want to be as clean as possible.














> No UV or Water Addictives except Biocide. Theme is clean.










> Above is the first test run to see where possible kinks, if any appeared. Even without Smart Coils flow was really good.










> Above is the modded Backside where the radiators tubes go in. They are measured and spaced to match the radiator.










> Quick view of the inside, its starting to shape up (This is my current and temporary motherboard)









> Radiator is mounted and I am checking for clearance on the wires. One fan has to be removed for wires to fit, otherwise its perfect. They make a shape that I will lock into place eventually.









> Where the pump will live, this is prior to being bolted down. And DAMN!! Is this tough aluminum to drill.









> Pump is drilled in and mounted, notice how clean It looks, you can barely see the screw on the underside.










> Loop is starting to take shape. Of course will be calibrated and will use some form of hooks to hold it, but even on its own its looking pretty good.









> Front side, again theme is elegance and cleanliness, so I only want 2 tubes per loop coming in. No hodgepodge, and even though this is overkill in terms of dissipation, I am not using fancy fittings, etc. No waste on aesthetics, but a bit of waste in the amount of loops, but thats in the name of keeping things seperate and clean. Also for ultimate performance.










> Starting to guide the wires.










> And the plugging begins.






























> Sorry for being blurry, this is a LED Bubble light, it simulates ocean currents using light, with the lights off, the back (Where all the water cooling is) shines through the Wire Hole and looks like theres around sloshing around, I dunno I thought it looked pretty cool .









> White Cold Cathodes are go.










> This is my own creation/idea. To dissipate Heat faster, I have this little mod of 80mm white fans shooting air up.









> Two mighty Silverstone 80'smm










> Wiring










> Time to start routing, however I changed my mind, and to forgo having to buy a CCFL extension, I simply reversed it and plugged its converter box near it, you will see it in the upcoming pictures.









> More wire routing, although these are now sleeved, however I think I sleeved to much because now its harder to fit them, so that may have been a mistake, still working on this part of the project. Also I am terrible at sleeving, if your awesome feel free to come over, I shall buy you a beer.










> I made a cool little track of wire organizers so I could tuck and pull the lengths I needed, in a spiral fashion.










> Visualization









> Tada sleeving!










> Was running out and in trying to save the planet and being cheap, I only sleeved most of what is visible hehehe.









> Sleeving that CCFL, its a 15incher btw.









> Final routing for now, made a cage with Modders mesh to protect CCFL cables.










> How its shaping up in its current form, This was just a test run, to make sure all components work, and I need the computer for school etc. So I am stopping here for now.









> Here's a sideway view. Keep in mind, since I still need to get alot of extensions, alot of things will be routed. Also I think I just may route all my Power cables, through the top of the motherboard. The opening port is to small for everything. It should look better as well.



Anyhow please let me know suggestions, nothing is set in stone, I have no deadline for this build, so feel free to suggest anything . I also made two more holes for all the wires to come through they are on the right of each radiator mount (aka the back 120mm fans), Came out pretty cool. Minor scratches on the back when the drill came off my hand, the damn thing is a pain to drill through, but overall I think its pretty cool.

I am short on time, and Ill format this thread much better later .

Thanks for checking out Phase 1. There will be around 5 phases total.

My only current problems is that its to loud, and I am not sure which fan is causing it, I will look when I have time.

Also this is super strange, but my Smart Coils, just broke off by themselves. I am not sure if they were stored for to long prior to coming to me, but they cracked in lots of pieces simply by touch. Very strange. Heres a pic of whats left XD.







> RIP Smart Coils.



Please Feel free to criticize, just keep in mind its a work in progress. I can always use new ideas. Thanks again! This is my first build log, so pardon my newbness at this, Ill work on making it better as I go along.

Computer powers several monitors including my main 30'. More Monitors one day , but thats for another build log


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## pc1x1 (Sep 16, 2009)

So what does 290 ft of sleeving look like ?

See below .

Had a bit of a hard time making sure it was all correct though as the pictures on MurderMods do not match the description, theres more sleeving in the photos than actually comes with it, or at least looks that way. However it came in as described in text and thanks to Kirk for great customer service for checking with me. Had the poor guy on the phone with me for a while, last time I had him for 37 minutes, this time he ran away at 16 .

Poor Alex from Petra's is also a victim, I had him for 40 minutes before as well, heh!






I am working on getting the parts for the other 2 loops, will keep ya posted!


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## pc1x1 (Sep 16, 2009)

lkiller1231 said:


> Nice build! Really looking forward to more progress!



Thanks! A major update is coming in a few days, right now I am working on the logistics for migrating to Windows , so around the 16ish or possibly sooner, I should start working on the cube again.

Meanwhile more parts came in


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## pc1x1 (Sep 16, 2009)

Here's a small teaser update:







> Here's the water cooling stuff, and sleeving tool, inside the green box, is lots of surprisingly expensive crap









> Closer looks at the Kazes and their fan grills, and radiators, ok time to unpack this stuff









> But first, lets sidetrack into fan sleeving, these Yate Loons, have a unnecessary 4 pin molex attached, time to remove it









> Another picture of how I am going to sleeve the wires, I also broke one, which set me back a few bucks to buy replacement tips









> Testing fitting, and its starting to look like a computer now. At least this is what you get when you cross a SERVER + HTPC + GAMING PC









> This is only the beginning of what I have to organize X_X









> Expensive Crap(It really adds up!) The $600 GeForces are cheap, when you factor in cumulative accessories cost!









> More Crap









> It never ends! At this point I am trying to figure out, how the heck can I organize this properly, I am also banned to my room only, hah so no wide open spaces anymore









> Yup more crap









> Say hi to the server, its the silver Lian Li in the back, just running  a podcast while working on this long and tedious build









> Heres the cut aluminum top plate of what I call the PSU Garage









> Here you can see how think it is, it also has anti vibration material applied to it, since a pump is going to be on top of it, although I am going to use a Gel on the pump as well, so hopefully little to no vibration









> Heres the mock up, ie unbolted PSU Garage, it stands on 4 alluminium rods, to avoid and chemical reactions, so those took a while to find. Overall looks pretty good I think, its simple but works, thats the idea inside, simple but usefull









> Another view of the front, the hole will have a kama bay in it, I still need to make dividers since these damn accessories have gaps in them sometimes.









> Cables and my Radeon 3870x2, ram









> Organized crap, say hi to server again









> Ok No more organizing the crap, now it just needs to magically get inside the cube









> Heres the garage in all its glory, I am going to go file it now









> More organized crap, so I can actually store it better



And that's it for now, more stuff coming soon!


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## pc1x1 (Sep 16, 2009)

Here's a quick update on the sleeving.

The computer parts for now is actually done. Instead of the Areca 1222, I opted higher and went with the 1680ix + battery back up. So I can hook up to 128 hardrives, which isn't happening, but at least I can plug in all my 10 . And I should have good performance whenever I run 4x SSD's in Raid 0. Plus I can run Raid 6, 5, combos, etc,etc.

Also my original motherboard the Asus P5WD2-E Premium, unfortunately decided to die, when I sent it in for Asus for RMA, they couldn't fix it, and instead sent me a P5WDH Deluxe, theres some trade offs, and I miss my old board, but this board opened up a cheaper upgrade path for me. So instead of getting an I7 for now, I am going to wait a little longer. I spent a bit to much on this upgrade as it is, and it will be cost beneficial to wait on the following, until prices drop.

This is what's left to get, which I'll get at a later date.

CPU: i7 or better, whatever is available.

Motherboard: EVGA X58 Classified or whatever is best OC'er period at the time.

Ram: 12 gigs of Corsair Dominator GT or better.

Graphics Card:
GeForce 295 GTX x2 Quad SLI or Whatever Quad Fire, or Quad SLI gives the best performance.
GeForce 260 216 PhysX If I go Nvidia, I'd like to add Physics support.

Power Supply #2:
Enermax Rev 85+ *This I want to buy ASAP, whenever I can afford to.

Water Blocks
295 GTX x2 or whatever GPU's I end up with.
260 GTX

Basically I need CPU, GPU, Motherboard, Waterblocks, and PSU #2

For now, I'll be running a Q9550, clocked at whatever I can get it to clock, most likely around 2.66-3.0 ghz overclocked (i975x Limitations) and my 3870X2, and 4 gigs of ram, and one 1050w PSU, which honestly for work, runs great, so I am set for now , and if I happen to be lucky and run into disposable income, then Upgrades happen .

Everything else is A-OK, guess I can't complain, Ill be with a pretty decent system noneless, not top of the line, but should run mainstream (I hope)

Heres the quick update.







> Here's the back of the computer, looks cool when everything is mounted.









> Radiator #3, 240mm all mounted up and ready to go, note that all my radiators are using high CFM fans, on both sides, ie the 240 has 4 fans, and the 360's have 6 each, 2x swiftech radiators are running all on yate loons, while the HW Rads, are running 6 Ultra Kazes Fat









> The insides before, Now its all sleeved, Ill show pics in the next update









> The tools are ready to go! Let the Sleeving begin!









> The Swiftech Radiator single pass, I double insulated everything, so this is the first step, it has the sleeving applied but I went a step further and added another layer of heat shrink as a finishing touch, you will see it in the next picture, looks nice imo









> Heres an upclose shot, all grills are proportionally aligned.









> Another Angle









> Heres the single Dual PSU Boot cable, looked decent, but I went ahead and tore apart that sleeving and am individually sleeving it now









> Just so you notice, I changed all the fans Internal connectors, they were an uglyish brown before, and are now black and or red. However sometimes the pins would break, so I had to actually remake the cables, ie cut, strip, crimp/sodder etc. I am going to have to do that ALOT, because I changed all connectors to black, etc









> The pumps are sleeved, notice, the molex, and fan connectors are now black as well , its the small details, comon MDPC!









> Upclose shot of the double insulation, this isn't the best one I did, nor the worst, but I think it looks good overall









> The 240 Radiator, sleeved









> How the sleeving magic is done









> Internal connectors, Firewire, USB, and Sound, I put 3 heatshrinks on firewire, to differentiate, and also help hold it, the reason the cables are fat, is because Lian Li, includes headers and extra single strands, I want to keep the headers, since its standard, but in case one day, I get a mobo thats not Standardize, I kept the single pins as well









> Heres the power, Reset, HDD light, etc sleeved









> The Insides of the Power, Reset, etc, etc



And thats it for now!


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## pc1x1 (Sep 16, 2009)

Update: Sleeving!







> Let the Sleeving begin.... again..









> Better shot, time to pull









> Doesn't come off, seems stuck, don't want to try my luck, time to improvise









> Messing with the Lian Li Fan Controller, heres the first tips









> Man that was alot of work, starting to look good though









> Upclose look at craftmanship









> Better shot









> Took a detour and decided to mess with the USB plugs, they look better this way imo









> Trying to take a picture of the jacket









> Still trying....









> Good enough -_-









> Back to the Veris thingy









> The Veris's USB plug








> Closer shot, Looks good, time to add finishing touches, I used like 5 heatshrinks to reach that effect









> Back to the fan controller









> looks good









> Comparison before and after









> Little better shot, I even made new stickers for Fan 1, etc









> Resemblance is uncanny









> And heres another one









> Time to work on the Power cable for the Fan Controller









> Remove those Molex Pins









> Heh its naked, err whats the pin out order again









> To get here was a nightmare!









> Looks awesome though, one side is double insulated the other is not, but not for long









> Tada!









> Up close look at the connectors


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## pc1x1 (Sep 16, 2009)

Update:







> Sleeved Speaker, looks uniform and sleek, as it has dual insulation









> Up close shot of the speaker









> Speaker Tail









> Water Pump LEDs









> USB Before









> All Sleeving is preplanned and set aside like this, this is all the heatshrink that went in the REVISED Octopus Sata cable, I wanted for it to have a better finish, and I sleeved its Sideband, looks kewl in my opinion









> Heres the Sata Cable finished, in all its glory, as well as the Sleeved USB connectors, its for the Veris, and for the Floppy









> Up Close of the Sata Connector









> Upclose of the legs of the Sata Connector



And that's it for today.


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## pc1x1 (Sep 16, 2009)

Update: Basically now finishing the extensions, ie Fan, PSU, the actual PSU + cables, then the Sata Cables, the build it, and they will come.







> Preparing the Cold Cathode Tube, its too bluish, and hence converted!









> Unfortunately the heatshrink does not wrap around it , so I had to be creative and create two jackets for it









> Time to put it inside its condom









> Testing









> Tada!









> Top view









> Side View









> Working on the fan extensions









> Here's the Bubble Cold Cathode









> The Bubble Cold Cathode power









> Better Pic of the above









> I am not using any brackets, I want my entire 7 Case slots free for gear, so I dismantled and will reroute everything internally, I will be using a Logisys RM01 to remotely turn it on and off









> Time for surgery, because this CCFL uses a Y Cable, and its not to proportion, time to cut









> Cuts in place









> Time to put it back together









> Yay









> Complete Y Cable









> Just as a finishing touch, I also heatshrunk the contact points, all of them individually for extra protection









> Time to work on the Fan Controller Power Connectors









> Tada! If only it were this fast in real life









> Time to work on cold cathode extensions, unfortunately because they are both white, I am using a multimeter, to make sure the right ends come out, because when you sleeving they may go sideways etc.









> Tested each individually mutiple times, then tested all of them together, worked great, PASSED









> Each individually









> Heres a fan Extension, the way it comes, its actually very well made, but I can make it better, so I shed tears while tearing it apart









> Tearing it









> Go figure to save money, they only heatshrink the middle contact point, heh! Very Chinese, cheap but works, I will heatshrink all of them : /



And working on that tomorrow, Take Care!


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## pc1x1 (Sep 16, 2009)

Update: Well I felt bad for the poor 2 people that are subscribed to this, so I formatted the pictures anyhow, so you can follow my fun. Although I am pretty weary of sleeving hehe... only thing left to arrive is the 165 ft of sleeving.








> This was my red sleeving and more heatshrink I needed, note the drawings Nils is famous for, as per request thats me working on my PC-343 cube









> That's me everyday.... Sleeving....









> That was that order, that's both packages









> Here's one type of fan extension, its like always a before and after shot, since theres like 20+, maybe 30? fans in this computer, I have alot of these to do heh









> This is the CCFL relay, partially sleeved and my coconut, not sleeved









> Another shot, and coconut again, it was pretty good, but over priced not to much water in there : /









> More work on it









> Almost there, and also you can see why I take so long, I sleeve everything individually, then I sleeve as a whole etc, etc, many steps : /









> Ta da!









> Heres a close up of it completed, its alot more work, but I believe the results speak for themselves









> Here's input and output labeled









> Here's a stock shot of a standard sleeved 3 pin fan cable extension









> Took a break to reflect on whats sleeved and what needs to be sleeved, theres more sleeved stuff inside the cube, so many wires!!!









> After killing the previously seen cable, here it is reborn, and also with a red tip, to keep in theme, ( Watch me end up with a Blue motherboard or something, lol)









> Tada! Here's the New and Improved, I mean its both new and improved, thats pretty amazing









> Another shot, now 36 more of these to go XD









> Heres a shot of heatshrink, no one will ever see EVArrr! However To keep my mind at ease, and for quality, I individually heat shrank each contact point, previously they came with 1, I did all 3, which imho is more complete, not needed per say, but this whole build has not needed parts, heh!









> Taking a break from 3 Pin fans, Those pins love to break and make me start over , and did all the Molex extensions cables, here is a before and after









> And Tada! there's also 5 that look the same but are smaller, for things that don't need to go through the entire case



That's it for now, and onward to 3 pin fans extensions, then finally psu extensions, then PSU itself, and I am done with sleeving for PHASE 1 of this project.

This is a 2 part project, and I hope to get part 1 done by this weekend, not likely but trying.

Be back later!


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## pc1x1 (Sep 16, 2009)

Quick Update:

Nothing to terribly new, I finished all the extensions, and now just need the 2 Power Supply Extensions, and all the Power Supply and its cables to be sleeved, and then I start on the actual build.







> The reason the extensions take so long, is I want them to 1) quality, 2) they are opposite reversals, ie, if laid flat, there are no kinks, and the top and bottom are reversed so when I arch them, or circle them, they connect into themselves, you be surprised how much harder this makes, all customs extensions are done . Was quite challenging, but once in a groove I was able to knock alot out, the main problems is when something goes wrong, and I have to redo the entire thing, multiple times









> Here's what's left the PSU extensions









> Here's whats sleeved, the other stuff is inside the cube already









> Here's the psu cables that need sleeving



I am hoping to have enough energy and determination to finish them today - tomorrow, and start the build by latest tomorrow night. And Monday finish building, and Tuesday be on Windows 7.

And that completes Phase 1 of the project.

Phase 2, is new hardware, also I could use some suggestions on Phase 2.

I am thinking of adding accent LED's, and using Metal Polish and making the inside reflective, need ideas! I can't powder coat it myself, so need ideas I can do at home. Also not to keen on painting the insides with normal paint.

Alright Talk to you later.


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## pc1x1 (Sep 16, 2009)

Anyone have any suggestions on opening the male pins of the sleeves, the female ones I opened, albeit it was really difficult, but the male do not want to come out.

Also in case one of the pins break, anyone know where I could pick up replacements? Thanks!

Pics!


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## pc1x1 (Sep 16, 2009)

Quick Update:

Thanks for Enermax for helping me out with some cabling!

Nothing terribly exciting, and keep in mind this is a test cabling run, I am going to remove everything and tidy, but man theres alot of wires haha.

Also I got a new camera, so next update will feature pictures from it , and Ill attempt to take better pictures haha.







> This is the Veris FVD, cable it runs on 24 pins to the mobo, so I can remotely boot the computer, its just acts like a relay









> Dual power supply cable, this and veris are all that needs to be sleeved









> Another full shot, funny story while a bit angry, I melted this cable, heh! Couldn't get the pins out and thus yea...... bad idea, but it works heh!









> Top Radiator, with fan wires attached to the side









> Back Fans wired and routed









> Better shot at the routing









> Back side and adding fan extensions









> Everything is routed through the middle









> To many cables, though in a practical sense you can't see them









> Side where Motherboard stays, this is basically what will be visible, and with window you can't see any of the cabling period









> See what I mean ;p, everything is routed so I can pull and tug it a little, so I have some leway









> This part needs to be redone, so its more feasible, working on that as we speak, or read, you know what I mean









> Back of cube









> Welcome to my nightmare


----------



## pc1x1 (Sep 16, 2009)

Update: Preparing for the rebuild: Meanwhile I am reorganizing again, and will start sleeving the psu extensions, so I won't be idle. I still want to wrap up Phase 1, by latest Next Sunday. Wish me luck.

Also hopefully the pictures are better .







> Preparing the PSU









> Finally both Radiators are mounted! (that didn't last long)









> Organize wiring, had all the wiring passed, and despite space, came out pretty good, but I wasn't satisfied, and that motherboard tray was really ticking me off









> Shot of the inside









> Took off the roof to work better (why didn't I think of this before beats me, Live and Learn!)









> The Idea here is good, but execution is so so, this is the area I wan't to improve the most, now that the case is naked, I have better access and ideas









> Top view of the dual 360's on the back, its a long case, no lan parties for this guy : /









> Neatly wired back, this part will basically remain the same, I like how it came out









> Quick Picture of the back, my table is blocking the light









> Better picture of the above









> Making the Power Supply Cables pretty, up to this part, I had not decided to powerder coat it yet...









> Quick picture of the front as I am looking where can I drill the rivets, I am uber annoyed at this point









> Yea this isn't going to work, on the right side, wheres theres all the wire organizers, theres horrid but useable space to tighten the screws, but on the left side, its hopeless, at this point I knew I had to do something, and at least I proved my proof of concept, unfortunately now I have to tear everything apart and start over.









> Meanwhile my army of PSU pins have arrived, just in case I get angry









> My naked cube!









> All that is left to remove is the plastic wire organizers, I am pretty tired at this point









> Top view of the bare aluminum









> It was a huge pain to remove those wheels, I gave it all I got, and at least it was enough, but doesn't change the fact that it was uber hard.



And thats it, hopefully monday or tuesday Ill get it coated, and continue the madness, be back soon!


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## pc1x1 (Sep 16, 2009)

Alrighty, Hows it going Tech Power Up!

Its been long time coming, due to the spam filter, the log was blocked temporary, but Its not spam, or is it?

Anyhow I will be aggresively working on it, and be ready for new updates in the coming days, feel free to field any questions, comments, critiques, 

I am working on better pictures, and a few surprises are in store, be back soon!


----------



## pc1x1 (Sep 16, 2009)

- Thread Updated, 

Thanks to SneekyPeet! and Wiz!

More updates coming soon!


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## MKmods (Sep 16, 2009)

pc1x1 said:


> Alrighty, Hows it going Tech Power Up!
> 
> Its been long time coming, due to the spam filter, the log was blocked temporary, but Its not spam, or is it?
> 
> ...



Looking forward to watching what you come up with. One suggestion is on ur grills, normal perforated grills block quite a bit of airflow but adding another grill on top blocks even more. Since your blue radiation grills are so simple why not mask the design off on your case and paint the radiation symbol on the case instead of using a second grill on each fan.


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## <<Onafets>> (Sep 16, 2009)

This is uber shweet! Hmmm...ideas.
http://www.flexiglow.com/products/LazerLED.htm

Put those behind drive bays!

IDK of anything else...lol, ure too good.


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## <<Onafets>> (Sep 16, 2009)

Photo's are dead...WTF?


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## steelkane (Sep 17, 2009)

I know what you went through with the wheels, Have you thought about putting nicer wheels on.


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## pc1x1 (Sep 17, 2009)

MKmods said:


> Looking forward to watching what you come up with. One suggestion is on ur grills, normal perforated grills block quite a bit of airflow but adding another grill on top blocks even more. Since your blue radiation grills are so simple why not mask the design off on your case and paint the radiation symbol on the case instead of using a second grill on each fan.


The grills are only on the Facades, Mark can you clarify exactly what you mean? Also they will all possibly be changed, I am looking into that, since there was some negative feedback on how they came out.


<<Onafets>> said:


> This is uber shweet! Hmmm...ideas.
> http://www.flexiglow.com/products/LazerLED.htm
> 
> Put those behind drive bays!
> ...


Cool idea, I thought of something similar myself, I want to add leds everything, under the GPU water blocks etc! Ill be keeping this mind, though, we would add this part, a bit later on the cycle, I need to get the foundation up first heh!


<<Onafets>> said:


> Photo's are dead...WTF?


They are, are they back yet? Did you clear your cache? Let me know if theres any problems, I am paying for them to be hosted heehehe!


steelkane said:


> I know what you went through with the wheels, Have you thought about putting nicer wheels on.


Yea it was a nightmare, good thing I was working out, because jeez, took everything I had to take them off. I did think about it, I would much rather have stainless steel or something nice, I went to lowes, and home depot, searching online, but didn't find anything really compatible, if you have better luck than me, let me know, I am definitely open to making any thing in this project better


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## sneekypeet (Sep 17, 2009)

Nice work! Glad to see you got this sorted out.


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## pc1x1 (Sep 17, 2009)

sneekypeet said:


> Nice work! Glad to see you got this sorted out.



Thanks, I owe you, and I did mention how you helped me alot to Wiz . Really appreciate it! Although now if I need assistance, I'll prob come bug you heheh!


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## Sasqui (Sep 17, 2009)

You are a cable sleeving GOD 

Looking forward to the final product! ... BTW: get a tripod!

-----------------------------------------------
"anything worth killing is worth overkilling"...


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## pc1x1 (Sep 17, 2009)

Sasqui said:


> You are a cable sleeving GOD
> 
> Looking forward to the final product! ... BTW: get a tripod!
> 
> ...



Thanks! It was alot of work, and I have a tripod, I just failed to use it . Rest assured, next set of pictures will be as pro as possible. I mean I am still a scrubby photographer, but will attempt more heh!

Sleeving thus far about 400 ft, quite a bit more to finish.


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## MKmods (Sep 17, 2009)

pc1x1 said:


> The grills are only on the Facades, Mark can you clarify exactly what you mean?


I think this is what I was talking about, the prob was there were so many picts I got really confused


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## pc1x1 (Sep 17, 2009)

MKmods said:


> I think this is what I was talking about, the prob was there were so many picts I got really confused
> 
> http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/oo142/Partspicts/MMtop.jpg



Ah ok, got it, yea I just remove those top grills, you sir are correct, that's to much restriction. Thanks!


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## MKmods (Sep 17, 2009)

I did research a while ago and found most perforated metal only allowed between 30-50% of air to pass. That means a lot of the air is reversed back into the case (and adds a bunch of extra noise too)
I use the hex mesh and even that is like 79% (still like 21% that dosent pass easily) I had a chart once, Il go look for it and post it in the BadBoys Clubhouse.


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## Sasqui (Sep 17, 2009)

MKmods said:


> I did research a while ago and found most perforated metal only allowed between 30-50% of air to pass. That means a lot of the air is reversed back into the case (and adds a bunch of extra noise too)
> I use the hex mesh and even that is like 79% (still like 21% that dosent pass easily) I had a chart once, Il go look for it and post it in the BadBoys Clubhouse.



I never suspected that much restriction, but not surpised!

Myself, I always go for a clean hole cut, and chrome grille when possible.


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## MKmods (Sep 17, 2009)

Sasqui said:


> I never suspected that much restriction, but not surpised!
> 
> Myself, I always go for a clean hole cut, and chrome grille when possible.



lol, thats my fave too (cheapest also)

I checked the chart at Mcnichols and some perforated panels only allow 23% of air to pass....Kind of takes some of the fun away from using high speed fans...


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## Sasqui (Sep 17, 2009)

MKmods said:


> lol, thats my fave too (cheapest also)
> 
> I checked the chart at Mcnichols and some perforated panels only allow 23% of air to pass....Kind of takes some of the fun away from using high speed fans...



Wow!, totally.  I've found myself judging the quality of a case by the fan perfs.  Surpisingly, a company like Lian for instance has some of the best case build quality, but guilty of the worst fan perfs.

Didn't want to hijack this thread, so speaking of cutting case holes, I posted this thread:

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?p=1555729#post1555729


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## pc1x1 (Sep 17, 2009)

Sasqui said:


> Wow!, totally.  I've found myself judging the quality of a case by the fan perfs.  Surpisingly, a company like Lian for instance has some of the best case build quality, but guilty of the worst fan perfs.
> 
> Didn't want to hijack this thread, so speaking of cutting case holes, I posted this thread:
> 
> http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?p=1555729#post1555729



No problem, as long as it pertains to the topic, I don't mind. As far as the actual plate holes, not much I can do, that's the standard on the LiLi case. My fans are 90 CFM+, with good static pressure , so I should be ok noneless. My real concern is noise.


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## steelkane (Sep 17, 2009)

I've shared this link with other, & think there an awesome set of wheels, Strong Stylish & Cheap
http://www.greatlakescaster.com/gre...ded_caster_with_top_plate-TWUN-65N-P02-VS.php

http://www.greatlakescaster.com/gre...ded_caster_with_top_plate-TWUN-60N-P02-GS.php


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## pc1x1 (Sep 17, 2009)

steelkane said:


> I've shared this link with other, & think there an awesome set of wheels, Strong Stylish & Cheap
> http://www.greatlakescaster.com/gre...ded_caster_with_top_plate-TWUN-65N-P02-VS.php
> 
> http://www.greatlakescaster.com/gre...ded_caster_with_top_plate-TWUN-60N-P02-GS.php



Indeed, if I had a rivet gun, I def would get that last one, quite sexy


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## MKmods (Sep 17, 2009)

Along with tin snips a rivet tool and 1/8" short alum rivets should be a must buy for any tool box


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## pc1x1 (Sep 17, 2009)

MKmods said:


> Along with tin snips a rivet tool and 1/8" short alum rivets should be a must buy for any tool box



Feel free to send me a pair .

Evening everyone, and I am proud to bring you a glimpse today of whats to come for the Sestren build log.

I been working around the clock to improve everything that I can, and in the next few days, weeks. Expect a multitude of updates, I took to heart all your comments, from private messages, emails, and sponsorship feedback, and I hope to bring you the best possible build log.

So without further ado, I am bringing in a new section of the build log, for a few items, I will do a "parts review" showcasing" a special part of the build log, and expect all new updates on the normal build log, to be of the same quality. There will be less pictures per update, but the quality will be there. I will try to be as consistent as possible, and I will update as often as it makes sense to. I hope to bring a new standard of quality and will do my best. Mean while please continue all your feedback, as I really appreciate it. 

Onward!

- PC1X1




Enermax Magma Series: Twister Review







> The Enermax Magma Twister



By: _PC1X1_

Enermax Technology Corporation, est. 1990 in Taiwan is known as a worldwide leader in engineering solid and powerful computer power supplies. Enermax also specializes in computer cases, peripherals and other accessories. Enermax provides OEM “Original Equipment Manufacturing” services for various other companies, who use Enermax’s experience in the field to design and manufacture their own products. Enermax pools their vast Research and Development resources and ability to manufacture top components into their own line of products as well. With a reputation for quality Enermax is known throughout the enthusiast community as a reliable and solid company. Both in terms of their products as well as their outstanding customer support. With the same dedication that has made Enermax famous as power supply manufacturers, Enermax created the Magma line of computer fans.







> Front









> Profile









> In Motion



The Magma line is Enermax’s answer to enthusiast cooling. Specifically the Magma UC-MA12, or Magma “Twister” fan is designed to be powerful; pushing close to 70 CFM at a top speed of 1500 RPM, yet still more importantly virtually silent. Pair the Twister with a fan controller, and you have a versatile, silent air mover. As most Enthusiasts have several fans in their computers, it’s a welcome sight or in this case noise, that the “Twister” is barely audible even in stock form. In a rare best of both worlds, the Magma “Twister” has the oomph of a powerful fan; its batwing fan blades boost a 20-30% CFM improvement over traditional fans. Yet the “Twister” produces as much noise as a low rpm silent fan. This is possible to due to the “Twister’s” unique and exclusive Twister Magnetic bearing technology, which makes the spinning bearing feel like it’s literally floating in air. There are absolutely no signs of friction or movement from the bearing to the blades itself. The only small discernable sound is of the wind moving through its blade. With an 18 decibel rating, the “Twister” is significantly quieter than a normal human whisper, which is rated at approximately 30 decibels. When inside a computer case, you won’t hear the Twisters at all.







> Blade Showcase



So not only is the Enermax Magma Twister powerful, and quiet. It is also very attractive. A beautifully sculpted red tornado like blade hovers over a very densely black housing stand the “Twister” apart from normal fans. No cheap materials here. The plastic housing feels solid, but smooth and strong enough to withstand a fall. Yet it is still soft enough for your fingers to touch and search for its voluptuous curves. The Twister follows standard 120mm form factor and measures, 120x120x26.5mm. The materials and finish is top notch, with black being actual black and not a grey cheap plastic and that’s only the fan housing itself. The “Twister” also boosts a removable striking red fan blade, which not only makes it a breeze to clean. Simply press outward from the back of the fan unit, unit the blade pops off for easy access. It is also a Modder’s dream because nothing stops one’s creative imagination on how to customize this fan. With ample access to its housing, and blade, feel free should you need to customize its color it to your heart’s desire.







> Angled View









> Angled View 2



The Magma Twister comes with a long clear and attractive plastic sleeved cord that not only holds all the wires together as that make routing that much easier. It also feels very solid and of quality. Should you choose to customize the Twister further, its joined wiring makes it a breeze to sleeve with your own third party sleeving. Still even with such a repertoire the Twister keeps on giving, as the retail package comes with a 3 pin to 4 pin adapter, should you want to use the Twister as a CPU fan, as well as plastic anti vibration screws, that considerably drown out noise due to vibration. The Enermax Magma Twister is rated an impressive 100,000+ hours of operation, which will undoubtedly make the “Twister” outlast most of your other components. The Twister’s are perfect for computer case, and cpu heatsink usage. The Twister also has an impressive 1.4 pressure rating, and can be used in conjunction with water cooling in radiator trim, however in extreme conditions it is not intended for radiators, and one should look further in Enermax’s line up for that use.







> Top View









> Back View



The Enermax Magma Twister is bar none the best case fan available today. It’s a solid build, which moves a lot of air but produces little to no noise. It’s very attractive, black on red design and smooth textured materials make it a looker. Its removable blade is perfect for cleaning, as well as customizing. And comes with all the necessary accessories one would expect a high tier fan would have, such as anti vibration screws, and a 3 to 4 pin adapter. Enermax has been famous for its outstanding power supplies for years so it comes as no surprise that its fans follow the same trend. The only quibble one can have with this fan is the fact it’s not free and being a premium fan, it carries a premium price. However the fact it’s a performer and a silent one at that, makes the Magma Twister a real solid investment. In a society where one spends hundreds of dollars in components that will be replaced in the next two years, the Enermax Magma Twister will lively churn along for years to come doing its job well and being barely audible. Paying itself with your ease of mind as it’s a solid product sold by a solid company.

_The Enermax Magma Twister is highly recommended._

-PC1X1


----------



## MKmods (Sep 17, 2009)

LOL, you have no prob making the worlds longest posts

I got one of the 80mm ones for my mod and it really is a nice fan.


pc1x1 said:


> Feel free to send me a pair .


for this price there really is no excuse not to have one
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=7356

and if you want to be fancy a rivet Nut tool is handy too
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94100


----------



## pc1x1 (Sep 17, 2009)

MKmods said:


> LOL, you have no prob making the worlds longest posts
> 
> I got one of the 80mm ones for my mod and it really is a nice fan.



Hehe yea, I am still waiting for someone to give me a Prime TV show, I have alot of content to offer .


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## MKmods (Sep 17, 2009)

you should chat with the important people here and do reviews


----------



## pc1x1 (Sep 17, 2009)

MKmods said:


> you should chat with the important people here and do reviews



Do you like the text? I would like to do reviews one day, wouldn't mind doing them heh!


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## MKmods (Sep 17, 2009)

I liked this part:

"So not only is the Enermax Magma Twister powerful, and quiet. It is also very attractive. A beautifully sculpted red tornado like blade hovers over a very densely black housing stand the “Twister” apart from normal fans. No cheap materials here. The plastic housing feels solid, but smooth and strong enough to withstand a fall. Yet it is still soft enough for your fingers to touch and search for its voluptuous curves. The Twister follows standard 120mm form factor and measures, 120x120x26.5mm. The materials and finish is top notch, with black being actual black and not a grey cheap plastic and that’s only the fan housing itself. The “Twister” also boosts a removable striking red fan blade, which not only makes it a breeze to clean. Simply press outward from the back of the fan unit, unit the blade pops off for easy access. It is also a Modder’s dream because nothing stops one’s creative imagination on how to customize this fan. With ample access to its housing, and blade, feel free should you need to customize its color it to your heart’s desire."

Honestly I am way too busy to read over all the stuff I come across (thousands of things daily) so for me short and sweet rules...

But you have a nicer way with words than I do thats for sure...


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## steelkane (Sep 18, 2009)

Enermax is awesome, a shame they used rivets on your wheels,, that wouldn't stop me putting on what I wanted. I mean you seem to have some great hardware & time,, Tools would only improve your finished Builds.


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## Cold Storm (Sep 18, 2009)

steelkane said:


> I've shared this link with other, & think there an awesome set of wheels, Strong Stylish & Cheap
> http://www.greatlakescaster.com/gre...ded_caster_with_top_plate-TWUN-65N-P02-VS.php
> 
> http://www.greatlakescaster.com/gre...ded_caster_with_top_plate-TWUN-60N-P02-GS.php





aww the first ones are the ones I love the most!! 

Looking really good man. Subscribed and waiting to see the end result.


----------



## pc1x1 (Sep 18, 2009)

MKmods said:


> I liked this part:
> 
> snip
> 
> ...





steelkane said:


> Enermax is awesome, a shame they used rivets on your wheels,, that wouldn't stop me putting on what I wanted. I mean you seem to have some great hardware & time,, Tools would only improve your finished Builds.



It certainly doesn't stop me, heh, I went head first into this build, but I want to focus and get the core back up first, but I will keep that in mind as a finishing touch.


Cold Storm said:


> aww the first ones are the ones I love the most!!
> 
> Looking really good man. Subscribed and waiting to see the end result.


Hehe I am partial to the second ones, I like sports cars, and that seems sporty, and thanks, will work hard toward the end goal.


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## pc1x1 (Sep 23, 2009)

Title: Quick Update
Date: September 22, 2009
Status: Pending

Brief: Good evening guys, sit tight that the next update will come in a few days. I was unfortunately delayed due to dremel issues. I finally bought a dremel, and unfortunately it arrived dead. I have ordered a replacement and should be here by the end of this week. Since that happened, not to much progress, so expect the new update to come close to the end of September or early October. Again I apologize for the inconvenience, I am as inconvenienced as you guys, as I was hoping to have it assembled by now. The powercoating should be done early next week (after I get my dremel replacement, do a few mods, and then its off to powder coating, and then the update with the Red Cube. Sit tight, hang on , until next time! Meantime feel free to ask questions, etc. 

- PC1X1


----------



## pc1x1 (Oct 5, 2009)

Title: Parts Review, +Info!
Date: October 03, 2009
Status: Ongoing. Finish Parts Review, prepare for Red Cube

Brief: Good Evening Everyone, lots to do today! Before you scream "Bloody Murder" this log is becoming a Review Log, and not a work log! I'd say Halt. As work on the worklog is ongoing, and as I mentioned previously I have had to pause for a bit due to getting the Cube painted. First I had to wait for my dremel to arrive to do the mods, the dremel was DOA, got replacement, did the mods, and dropped it off at Fusion Powder Coating here in Sunny Florida, and am picking it up early week of Oct 4th - Oct 9th. And I will resume operations and do all updates with the worklog in the same manner and production as the parts review.

However so I am not standing idle, I decided to do some more Part's Review for you guys, this is where I show you a hands on impression of products I am using in my build. You will see it in the final product, when I actually get to the point in my build log that I use it, I will reference these, as my hands on impressions, and on the worklog it will be practical usage. So feel free to ask any questions as you may want to use these products yourself. Alot of things I use, I got ideas from other worklogs, so to make it easer for you, I have linked the products I am showcasing in these reviews in the Part's list. Big thanks for my partners in the build log, for providing, and helping obtain these items.

The Cube ended up being Powder Coated Mettalic Red, and Black, so its not a normal powder coat, I asked for and paid extra for Show Quality paint. Fusion Powder Coating, normally works with Automobile and Motorcycle parts so you can start imaging the outcome! I am anxious as you problably are now, and I will post the picture of the painted cube ASAP.

Expect another Part's Review tomorrow, and then I am done with reviews for a while, and then I will be working full time on the worklog, and hopefully, cross your fingers with me! I can obtain the rest of the parts and keep going. A factor that threw alot of things in the air, however is graphics cards. Right now its a race between 2x 295 GTX's and or 2x Radeon 5870x2s, and or 2x Fermi's. I am still evaluating all my options, and it will come down to performance and cost. As soon as I have a clearer decision, I will let you know. Also due to the recent price drops in SSD, they have now become viable options, and I will be using 4 solid state drives as my main OS drives, and I will send the Raid 0 Velociraptors into Programs/Data drives all powered by the 1680IX. Either way, its going to be very very fast.

I have updated the first page, with all full parts list, and will make a few more edits here and there, when I either have the items, or have a clear decision on using that item. However 99% of the time, anything that goes in the parts list, I own, or have already made an arrangement for it to come. As some items are custom, I can't 100% confirm their existence yet. Anyhow that's pretty much it for now, expect more constant updates, and much more content in the coming weeks (honestly in a couple of days even!). I will push as far and as intensively as I can. I hope everyone joins me in the struggle that is this work log. It took me 12+ Hours straight for this update to occur from start to finish!

I'd like to thank my producer, (Mom), and Logistics Director (Dad), as couldn't have gotten these pictures up without them. They also sign off layout changes, heh. Front page is officially done for now, go click on the first post again!

Thanks alot for checking out Sestren! And make your voice heard, if you like it, make your voice heard, or type here, as the more support, the more influence and reach I can push for. And be back soon, as in a matter of days, a certain red metallic comes home..... I am ready.

- PC1X1





Petra's Tech Shop: Smart Coils 5/8 OD Review
By: PC1X1











Smart Coils are twisting plastic strips that are used to cover tubing so it doesn't kink or bend itself thus obstructing waterflow while the tubing is bent at awkward angles. This is important because a single kink can drastically reduce waterflow. Smart Coils are generally specifically made for certain o.d, or outer diameter tubing. Today we are taking a look at 5/8 O.D Smart Coils from Petra's Tech Shop. Because Sestren uses external radiators it is imperative to make sure all the angles from the external radiator to the inside pumps do not kink. So Smart Coils are applied at certain sections to prevent that from happening.

You can apply smart coils by gently wrapping it around tubing that will be angled. It is interesting to note that alot of users use alot of Smart Coils to dress up their tubing, when it actually only needs to be applied to where the tubing is angled. Smart coils can be used sparingly. One doesn't need to use a large amount of Smart Coils. However since they denote a certain status quo and are generally attractive depending on the build, it is fun to put them all over the tubing. It won't hurt the computer in any way, just your wallet. Overall Smart Coils are pretty simple, put them where you want to prevent kinks and you are done, they are necessities in tight tubing bends, and generally inexpensive, so definitely pick up a few if you can and are water cooling.

Do note however, that there is a small drawback to Smart Coils, and it isn't their application nor the functions, when coiled they work perfectly. Their only con is really their resistance. They can be pretty brittle sometimes. Personally I am only acquainted with this type of Smart Coils, which can be bought from Petra's Tech Shop, so this may or may not happen to all Smart Coils. However it seems to be the norm. If you apply the coils with tubing already filled with water, or even if its dry but its connected to something if you are not careful while coiling you may break the coils. While they can certainly be put on and put off, if you are gentle and careful, they are also prone to break. So I highly suggest you apply the coils prior to the build, and only after your tubing is coiled up, then put it inside your computer. Failure to do so, can result in losing a perfectly good pair of smart coils, which I personally lost. You can check out in the first stages of this worklog on that one.

Overall I highly recommend Smart Coils, and pick up a few, just in case you break one. And specifically this one from Petra's Tech Shop, as it's inexpensive, does its job well, and when one of my coils was faulty, Petra's staff took care of it, and replaced it, and explained how to properly apply them. So it is highly recommend if you have areas in your water cooling set up that are prone to kinking, get yourself a pair of smart coils today.

Petra's Tech Shop: 4-Pin Molex Extensions Review
By: PC1X1
















Here we have ATX spec, the mother of all power connectors! The 4 Pin Molex. The 4 Pin Molex is an amazing combination of two grounded signals and a +5 Volts line and a +12 Volts line. They are the building blocks of computer and alot of hardware electricity. While the 4 pin molex has been superseded by the new and slim Sata Power Connectors, it still soldiers on as the quintessential computer power connector. And just because there are smaller and slimmer alternatives today, doesn't mean that there isn't alot of hardware that still uses the good old 4 Pin.

Coincidently it seems that the Wizards that are Hardware Engineers, have mostly made the 4 Pin Molex become the computer accessory connector. The Molex can still be used to power Hardrives, and other core computer parts, however as I mentioned Sata Connectors are better at that task, and some hardrives are even phasing out the 4 pin females. So you may ask, What is the 4 Pin instead is perfect for? Well basically everything else. Every single computer accessories you can think of. From Cold Cathode Lights, to that cool little Bay thingie that glow and you have no idea what it does, to water pumps, and everything else, is based on the good old 4 Pin Molex. Because it still a very versatile connector. It is universally used and thus has a large market penetration, and is highly mod-able, or customizable. Not to mention, motherboard manufacturers have also been using the 4 Pin as a power supplant to high end motherboards.

Basically the 4 Pin Molex isn't going anywhere. So we have the gear that needs it, but in the quest of organized wiring, it is a bit cumbersome. The main problem with a 4 Pin Molex, is the same as DVI to HDMI, it does the same thing as its alternative. However it is bulky, and unattractive. Worst yet you need to route distances in your case, that can't be reached by the cables that come with your motherboard! However don't be discouraged because again our friends at Petra's Tech Shop, have what we need.

*Please note that the pictures above are of the product that is being reviewed, however that product as since been upgraded with a male and female black connector, and has been resleeved with a third party sleeving to achieve that look. You cannot purchase a Extension in that condition, you have to sleeve it yourself!

Basically you have two choices, either buy a standard extension that does not come sleeved or buy one that is. Unfortunately I have already sleeved all my extensions, and thus do not have any recent photos on how they looked prior to be sleeved, you may check the beginning on this worklog to see all I went through to sleeve them! It was a alot of work, but I had a solid foundation with Petra's Tech Shop Extensions. Petra's offered various sizes, and all of high quality. After spending thousands of dollars in accessories for Sestren, I needed dependable extensions, and I am highly satisfied with what I got from Petra's, just be prepared to do alot of custom work yourself to reach this level of quality.

However the original extensions that came pre-sleeved weren't bad at all. In fact, they were of much better quality then I imagined. The stock that I got was from OK Gear, and was basically that, OK looking. It wasn't a custom sleeved job, but it wasn't a hack job either, it worked, and seemed to be using a derivative of PET Sleeving. So if you want to sleeve your cables and do not want to do it yourself, I highly recommend these, and if you want to do it yourself, be sure to buy the bare extensions, and then do the custom work yourself. For references on how to actually sleeve it and for pictures of the tools needed to custom sleeve your wires, check the beginning of this worklog.

Petra's Tech Shop: 3-Pin Fan Extensions Review
By: PC1X1
















Following the same principles as the 4-Pin Molex, albeit specifically tailored for 3 Pin fan, these extensions are made to route those ever growing fans from your case right to your power supply. Basically the same Review applies to these 3 Pin Extensions, they work as advertised come in various sizes, and when sleeved look great! You can purchase them at Petra's either sleeved or non sleeved, and they are very inexpensive. They carry all volts needed by your fans, and I checked each of my extensions with a volt meter to ensure consistency. Like I mentioned before, I highly recommend them as a way to route your computer cables so your computer is more aesthetically pleasing and as a way to increase space and airflow inside your case. Highly recommended, especially if you have 30+ fans like I do.


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## pc1x1 (Oct 5, 2009)

Petra's Tech Shop: Petra's Gel Stuff! Review
By: PC1X1











Here is Petra's Gel Stuff. Some unknown squishy substance that is used to reduce pump vibration and thus reduce noise. And the question is does it work? And the short answer is yes it does. Did I mention it is squishy? Do not eat... So when you aren't playing with Petra's Gel Stuff, or wondering what heck is this thing made of? You may want to put it under your pumps, and then clamp them down to apply a small amount of pressure. The pump then sits on the Gel Stuff like a cradle as it forms itself around the pump. So motion and kinetic energy from the pump is dispersed through a large surface area. And since the Gel Stuff, is tangible, or in lame sense terms squishy, the vibration tends to echo less. This is specially important in Aluminum cases, that are more prone to noise from pump vibrations.

So basically as the name implies, it some sort of gel, and reduces noise and works wonders. Sestren, is very large, so very prone to pump echoes, and the gel stuff takes care of that better than the standard sponge that came with the pumps. Gel stuff is inexpensive and easy to apply, so if your having some pump noise due to vibration (not pump whine) then definitely be sure to check out the Gel Stuff. Due note though, that the Gel stuff does turn greenish, and seems to be prone to breaking apart easily, so do not be surprised to change your Gel Stuff after a few uses in your water cooling system. There is a low light picture above deliberately showing the wear and tear of a lightly used Gel Stuff. Aside from turning green, it works great, and is highly recommended.

Now just to figure out what this stuff is made from? Also did I mention Do not eat it!

Petra's Tech Shop: Wire Management Clips Review
By: PC1X1






Today's specimen is Wire Management clips or the building blocks of any organized and routed case. Aside from the original, aka. Zip ties, Wire management clips are your best friends, in routing your cables. By routing your cables, you are making you computer more aesthetically pleasing, increasing its airflow be decreasing the surface area of wires that can impede airflow. These are very small clips that can route wires around. They are strong and well built and feature a very strong adhesive base. Unless forcefully pulled, they will remain in place. A lesson learned when I stripped Sestren again for painting at the painful cost of 30 clips. Generally one would want to put the clips in angles that they are not seen, to give that illusion of no wires.

Since these particular clips are small they are by far the best for routing 3 Pin Fan cables. I use them alot through Sestren, and they can be used for various applications. Pro Tip: Put one with the hook face up, and then the next one with the hook face down, and you have just created a physical lock for the wiring! So be sure to experiment with all the combinations. Personally I would recommend a mix between various Wire Management Clips, being these are the smallest and thus most versatile ones, a few bigger ones, and some usesage of Zip Ties. And you too can achieve that clean wiring look. While cable routing is tedious and mostly a painfully frustrating process, the end result is clear. It makes it easier to management and upgrade your components. Makes your computer more pleasing, and gives you that satisfaction of OCD organization.

I have searched high and low for the best clips, I mean I have 30+ fans, Pumps, and 500 ft of sleeved wiring in there! And these were the only inexpensive ones I could find at this size. The glue sticks well, a little to well! Pro Tip #2: Use Goo Gone to remove the residue! And you have yourself the best foundation for an organized and clean build. Also feel free to color them, I will be painting them Black soon!

MNPCTech: T-Shirts and Grill Cut Outs Review
By: PC1X1






Ever wanted to look stylish while modding? I mean you pay popular companies to wear and advertise their logos in your clothing! So while not pay for the hobby you love?! Enter the MNPCTech T-Shirt. The only T-Shirt that add Megahertz to your overclock. *Note: This claim is not verified by any credible source, and should not be taken seriously.... or should it? The shirt is standard Fruit of the Loom, silk screened t-shirt, and most likely will shrink a little after a wash. However it is very well done. The front sports the MNPCTech logo, while the back has a awesome cut out of a computer case being modded. More pictures of the back of the T-Shirt in the next installment. So whenever your feeling fly, and or need to be inspired by modding. Check out this great T-Shirt. It feels good, as its a standard good old Fruit of the Loom T-Shirt, but most importantly finally advertises something you love. So you can be different from everyone else, and become alienated in your own hobby. Also makes great PJ's. I may or may not pick up girls, not enough testing has been done on that segment yet. More research required.

Aside from the styling shirt, we have here radiator grill cut outs that can be used from testing fitting certain non existing custom grills for a certain build log. To actual modding of your case. Do you want to add holes to add a internal radiator to your case? Well look no further, as these are perfectly cut to simulatate actual Radiator size. So one can add a grill and or radiator with ease. Simply press these guys down and draw with the pencil an outline, or if you have the disposable income, buy several and simply use them as stencils for your projects. Either way they are great helpers to any modding project involving radiators. Highly recommend, and I would pick up a few, as their only drawback is that they are flimly, and easily belt, stepped on, or eaten by your family pet.

MNPCTech: The Modder's Tool Box, Zip Ties, Mounting Tape, Dremel Discs, C-Molding, Carbor Fiber Film
By: PC1X1


























So what happens when the mod your are building, has wheels, pseudo carbon fiber, is water cooled, has radiators, needs heat disapation, and has the capacity for 2000 kilowatts? And is not a car? Well then you have Sestren, or specifically a mod. And to actually implement these mods, I need my good old trusty tool box. Here's a short review of some items I will be using on Sestren. Since alot of these items are fit and finish trim pieces, obviously I cannot use them in their practical purpose, however I can provide a first hand review, on their form and functions, and I will expand this later when Sestren is in the Fit and Finish phase.

First we have the Zip Ties, like the previous review on Wire Management Clips, Zips Ties provide the foundation or basis for your wiring. These Zip Ties are standard fair, strong, durable, easy to use, and come with very good adhesive bases, as you can see in the picture. These are perfect for large wires, that will not fit in a management clip, i.e. 24 Pin ATX Power Supply Cable. However the most astonish fact on these MNPCTech zip ties? The kit is extremely cheap, cheapest place I found for these particular ties by a long shot. They are very dense black, and attractive, while the base has a nice contour. Plastic is problably ABS plastic, but is sturdy. Overall when used properly they are your best wiring friends.

Next up we have Mounting Tape, this is a Scotch brand, which you can also pick up inexpensively at MNPCTech. I tried to find a comparison in Home Depot/Lowes, but was unable to find one. Obviously this package is still shrink wrapped, so I have not put it in practical use, however 3M is basically the industry standard on adhesives, they invented quite a few of them. So I wouldn't expect any less than a great product. So for practical purposes, I turn to MNPCTech's own website owner, Bill Owen who claims this is the "Tape from the Gods". And since Bill Owen, is a pro modder, and owner of MNPCTech, I take his word very seriously. You can also check out a video on how to make a floating window, that gave me lots of ideas on doing a few things for Sestren. The tape can also be used to apply Wiring Management Clips, that have had their backtape ripped out. Anyhow 3M makes good stuff, couldn't find an alternative for comparison, and the price is pretty good. So if you need to mount something I would take a look at this tape. I will post more impressions when I am using it in Sestren at a later date.

Which leads us to Dremel Discs, or another Modder's foundation tool; the dremel. Since computer cases hold micro..etc components, cases aren't very big at all. Although Sestren would disagree with the norm, computer cases are generally small. So you need a small and precise tool. For cutting thin steel and aluminum, one would be hard pressed to find a better tool like a dremel. However just as you need the dremel to make the cut, the dremel needs its own accessory to actually implement the cut. And here is the Dremel Discs. These Discs are specifically made of Aluminium Oxide, and thus are more resistant and don't heat up. The best part, they are made specifically to cut metal, so with the right tools, anyone can do the job.

It does take alot of patience and safety precautions, as one should always wear safety googles, work in a well lighted, and ventilated area, and read all pertaining manuals. You may be asking? Ok so its a circular disc, so what? It is a circular disc, but it is without a doubt the best disc I have used to cut aluminium with. The sweet spot I found is 25,000 or higher RPM on your dremel, and light touching the surface. Don't force your way as you will wear out the discs faster. However the best quality I found on this disc, is the fact it did not heat up or warp my Aluminum chassis. As you can imagine, I am cutting through the motherboard frame, completely anxious, because if I screw it up, I can't buy one at a store, as I modded the plate to be removable. I would basically have to buy another Lian Li 343B, so I was extremely happy, that the discs not only worked, but made my job easer, and clean. This was my first time using a dremel, and it was pretty simple, be sure to check out MNPCTech's videos on how to use a dremel as they were great intros on what I was getting into. My only complaint with the discs is that they wear out fast, however it could have been due to my inexperience. I did talk to Bill Owen, on tips and why the discs wore out so fast as its became almost half size from only one mod, (the smaller one in the pictures is the one used). And Bill basically told me, I applied to much pressure, and I don't doubt him, as I originally out of fear, started out at 5,000 RPM, and kept moving up. As I gained confidence on the discs, and noticed they were working exactly like they should, I upped, until I found 25,000+ rpm to be the best. Overall great discs and got the job done, you will be able to see the results from the mod, when the cube comes back from powder coating. Also save your smaller and used up dremel discs for more delicate cuts, so even used they can still be reused for greater value!

So after cutting the motherboard tray, I wondered what could I use to make this finish more profesional, I had already sanded it down. And again MNPCTech had the answer, C-Molding. Or U Molding as they call it, but I call it C Molding. Pro Tip: If it bothers you that I call it C-Molding, while reading this tilt your head to the right and its now a U. So while my cuts onto the motherboard tray for routing are currently secret, the molding is not. I put it on there to test, and it worked perfectly. Its made of a good feeling plastic, i.e. doesn't feel uber cheap, and is very dense black colored. Overall it will fit with the theme and augment the finish on Sestren. It is great molding, and you will see the results when the cube is painted. If you need to make any dremel cuts and want to avoid cuts from where you modded with your dremel or other tools that leave the area a little sharp. C-Molding is the tool for the job.

So I have my mod done, everything is ready, I am building almost a car, I figured, what's left to get? Enter Carbon Fiber Film. This pseudo Carbon Fiber appplique can be used to augment your computers aesthetic looks. Because honestly, almost no one has real carbon fiber in their car, let alone their computer. And since our computers aren't going anywhere, at least not normally aside from Lan Parties, weight does not matter to much. At least not in small components, so real expensive carbon fiber would be of little to no use. However let's be honest, it still looks cool, and expensive. And adding lights to a computer is just aesthetics, so why not add some carbon fiber trim for that F1 look? The Carbon Fiber film looks great, infact its very close to real carbon fiber. So while using it alot may make people think your are "ricing" your computer, the same can be said for LEDs. So use it sparringly, and it can definitely give your computer a unique look. Its made of very high quality film, is again pretty affordable, and best of all, doesn't leave any gunk while applying it or removing it. So you can use it on your mouse, keyboard, or inside your computer. The possibilities are endless, and since Lian Li gave Sestren some pseudo carbon fiber on its top front, I will accent the insides sparingly and tastefully with it, stay tuned to see it in actual application!

Hopefully these reviews gave you guys some insight on what I choose what I choose, and what I learned while building this computer. Be sure to ask any questions, and most of all, go out there and build your own worklog!

Thanks for reading! No seriously it was pretty long!

Until next time, stay tuned as actual parts are coming in through the magic that is MAIL! Talk to you later! 

Be sure to support great passionate stores, like Petra's Tech Shop and MNPCTech, they aren't gigantic major corporations, but enthusiasts like me and you, that share the same passion for computing. Give them a call, mention this worklog, mention your love for computing, as both Alex, Quoc, at Petra's, and Bill Owen at MNPCTech were super nice enough with me, in both making sure I got my orders right, and answering any questions about my project in their respective fields, and hence I want to repay their favors. Major thanks and kudos to them both, and its the sole reason I choose to work with them for Sestren, it's their customer service, and attention to our community.

I am out!

- PC1X1


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## pc1x1 (Oct 5, 2009)

Title: Quick Update
Date: October 04, 2009
Status: Are you ready to rumble?

Brief: Some grills are arriving today, with more to come a bit later, so yes I can confirm at this point. Due to popular demand, I changed the reactor grills, heh. So we'll have some pictures of those and a review soon. Aside from that I am just waiting for confirmation to pick up the cube. I should be picking it up Tuesday, so expect an update on the build log, with actual work on the cube, Wednesdays or Thursday. I'll work on condensing the reviews for next time. Thanks and check back soon to see the red cube, we are almost there, I can confirm its painted! Talk to you later!

- PC1X1


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## pc1x1 (Oct 8, 2009)

Title: Worklog Update
Date: October 07, 2009
Status: The Red One Arrives!

Brief: Good Evening everyone, after much anticipation, Sestren has returned home. I would like to first off, thank Patrick from Fusion Powder Coating for an absolutely fantastic job on the 343B. The Powder Coat came out great, and exactly how I wanted. It is now red hot with passion!

I would like to again thank my sponsors, and you guys for the feedback on the reviews. Any and all feedback I listen to, and correct anything that you guys mention. As you can see how the updates are shaping up. Its thanks to the awesome feedback I receive and keep it coming!

On to business, Sestren has finally returned home, so it means it's time to boogie. Expect many updates, as I am assembling it, so many "Worklog" Updates to come! Overall I am very satisfied with the outcome of the powder coat, its great to see a vision start to take shape. It wasn't without incident however, as if you recall originally it was supposed to be a metallic red. However after speaking with Patrick, the owner and the one who powdered the cube personally. He advised me to withhold on the metallic, because due to the cooling properties and how thin the Lian Li Aluminum is, there was a chance that it may not come out even. So of course I took his professional advice, and I am glad I did, as it came out awesome none-less. Looking at it, I wouldn't have it any other way.

I am a big fan of a certain red F1 racing team, so I am sure you can see a little bit of the influence there, heh! So theres definitely some "Passione" in there. So stay tuned for some tasteful carbon fiber touches here and there. The cube is currently wrapped as its not ready to be worked on for now, I shall be working on it this weekend, so thats October 9th, 10th, and an update should follow a little bit afterwards.

I am still securing some parts for Sestren, and depending on how some things go, it should be complete, around Q4 of this year, and or Q1 of next year. I am still waiting for some graphic card releases, as well as other parts that are coming. None-less I will still be working on whatever I can, so there will not be any droughts on updates, I expect to be pretty consistent, I have a schedule laid out. Overall I am pretty invigorated to work on it, as any who see a dream becoming reality would be. I hope to continuing to strive and bettering myself with each update. And I welcome you to join me in this pursuit. Thanks alot everyone, every time I see that little views counter go up, there's a smile in my face.

Here's some of the parts featured on the reviews and where you can buy them. Especially check out these awesome Grills from MNPCTech. The pictures speak for themselves.

Be sure to check out the first page for a complete part's list!

Here's Petra's Tech Shop:
[3] Petra's Gel Stuff​[4] Smart Coils​[X] 4 Pin Molex Extensions​[X] 3 Pin Fan Extensions​[X] Small Wire Management Clips​
And here's are the Stars from this update! The MNPCTech Accessories!

Here's MNPCTech:
[2]  360mm Black Steampunk Fan Grills​[7]  80mm Black Gears Grill​[X] Zip Ties with Adhesive Base​[1] MNPCTech T-shirt​[1] 360mm Radiator Cut Out​[1]  240mm Radiator Cut Out​[1] Roll of Pseudo Carbon Fiber​[1] Scotch Clear Mounting Tape​[X] Dremel Discs​[X] C-Molding Black​
Featured in this specific update are:
[2]  360mm Black Steampunk Fan Grills​[7]  80mm Black Gears Grill​[X] C-Molding Black​
Until next time!

- PC1X1









Description: Sestren has returned, in this picture you can see 80mm Black Gears grill, the modded removable motherboard tray, the vented PCI case slots powder coated black, the back plate of the 343B also powder coated black, the 343B chassis, and lastly MNPCTech's 360mm Steampunk Grill also in black.





Description: Here is an aerial view of the previous picture. Notice how glossy the red powder coat came out. One can see their own reflection. It is also very natural and smooth throughout. Great job from Fusion Powder Coating indeed. I will remove the plastic wrap from the actual chassis as soon as I am ready to work on it, so no worries. It will have its own feature.





Description: Here's an up close shot of the 80mm Black Gears Grill. Notice how well made the cuts are. I was throughly impressed with the quality. At first I was hesitant since its acrylic, but its fit and finish are the best I have seen. Expect a full part's review at a later date.





Description: An upclose shot of the 360mm Steampunk Grill, notice how it reflects and matches the powder coated back plate. The details are amazing, right down to the MNPCTech logo, everything is very well made. Expect this part's review along with the other grills.





Description: Here's a front shot of everything, and you can see the mods I did to the motherboard plate. First it wasn't removable, but since it was a nightmare to actually tighten things inside the Chassis, I decided to make it removable, by removing the rivets, and tapping, so it self holds itself with bolts. Expect a more throughly detailed explanation later. Also notice the contemporary designs on the right side of the motherboard plate. I did that consciously, as I was expecting the gear grills to arrive, and wanted something to match their designs. The openings will be used to route PSU ATX cables throughout the chassis, and the smaller holes are for all the 3 Pin fan cables. Notice how well the C Molding blended with the design.





Description: Here's a side shot of the action, where you can see the reflections of the powder coating again. Also notice on the top side of the motherboard tray. There is more C Molding. This is crucial and a part that is largely ignored, that cuts alot of builders. While the Lian Li case is already wonderfully build, and thus seldom hurts me, the C molding is a great looking finish, that not only is functional, it is pretty.





Description: Here's an upclose shot, so one can see the details. Again C Molding does a great job as a functional finish. And if you look to the right most motherboard tray opening, you can see that the opening undulates almost like a figure eight. This was intentional, as quite honestly I thought it looked cool and contemporary. It was quite a bit of dremel work, and I couldn't have done it without MNPCTech's Dremel Discs. See my review for more info.





Description: Here's a side shot of the action, notice how glossy that black is. It almost drags you in. Couple that to contrast the passionate red, and you can start seeing the aesthetics of the build. Once its fully assembled, there is extensive use of color balance, and areas to draw your eyes in. I can't wait to put in the motherboard and the other equipment. I am very satisfied with how this came out. So stay tuned for more!

Talk to you later!


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## extrasalty (Oct 8, 2009)

I was already enjoying the build, the pictures and the parts reviews, but when the red ones came I'm still speechless...


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## pc1x1 (Oct 8, 2009)

extrasalty said:


> I was already enjoying the build, the pictures and the parts reviews, but when the red ones came I'm still speechless...



Thanks Salty . Hope to bring some more soon .


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## smee (Oct 8, 2009)

Dang man! I'm really likin the build!!
We have somewhat the same type of mod going on too! Heh you should check out mine sometime 

I'll definitely be watching this! Good job so far!!


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## pc1x1 (Oct 9, 2009)

smee said:


> Dang man! I'm really likin the build!!
> We have somewhat the same type of mod going on too! Heh you should check out mine sometime
> 
> I'll definitely be watching this! Good job so far!!



Definitely subscribed!


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## MKmods (Oct 9, 2009)

im enjoying this too, well done. I wish my picts were 1/10 as good as yours.


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## pc1x1 (Oct 9, 2009)

MKmods said:


> im enjoying this too, well done. I wish my picts were 1/10 as good as yours.



Your pictures are fine, and your mods are awesome, and in the end its the content, not the presentation that counts. The presentation certainly does help though .

Hows it going Mark?


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## MKmods (Oct 9, 2009)

really good thanks. I am preparing for a LAN this weekend and really looking forward to finishing up my mod next week.

By the way I agree with MNPCTech Stuff (excellent place) we need to support our fellow modders. And that steampunk grill is BAD ASS!


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## pc1x1 (Oct 9, 2009)

MKmods said:


> really good thanks. I am preparing for a LAN this weekend and really looking forward to finishing up my mod next week.
> 
> By the way I agree with MNPCTech Stuff (excellent place) we need to support our fellow modders. And that steampunk grill is BAD ASS!



No definitely, I was personally surprised by the quality. Like I mentioned at first I was like Acrylic? thinking of something possibly cheaply done, but was pleasently surprised. The quality is top notch. I wish I had a lan to go to, things here are pretty quiet, not much of a local computing scene.

Looking forward to seeing your finished mod, I have to look at your thread again, you have so many! And thanks alot, and this weekend, I'll be working on it again


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## MKmods (Oct 9, 2009)

I bought a bunch of laser cut acrylic grills from Cyberdruid and its amazing how fine the details are.
(MNPCTech guys do excellent work)


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## pc1x1 (Oct 14, 2009)

Title: Quick Status Update
Date: October 14, 2009
Status: Working on Tower

Brief: I have not disappeared, there will be many more updates soon, however I must take a detour. I have been working on my temporary computer solution named Tower. Sestren controls the world through Towers in the Panzer Dragoon Universe. Anyhow I'll update around this weekend. Its been a learning experience because I have recently switched to Windows 7, so currently working on that. This is also a prep for Sestren itself, since it will run off the same OS.

I am also designing the Hex Monitor stand, wish me luck, and I'll be back soon!


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## pc1x1 (Oct 24, 2009)

Title: Quick Status Update
Date: October 23, 2009
Status: Incoming Update!

Brief: Hi Guys, sorry for taking a little while, just have been swamped this week, so I am going to slow down a little for the next two weeks, as I prepare for the next updates, also I need to find a way to secure more funds for the build, so I need to concentrate on that. Otherwise everything is going good, all theory is pretty much set.

As your aware I been delayed since I built Temporary Sestren, aka Tower, but its working good now, and I have full hang of Windows 7, I may do a explanation on some things if you guys are interested on Windows 7 itself. Anyhow back to work, and expect an update most likely tomorrow night, Eastern Standard Time.

Thanks! And sorry for not updating sooner, didn't want to update without pics! But also want you to know I am on the job!

Take care,

- PC


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## pc1x1 (Nov 1, 2009)

Title: Worklog Update
Date: November 01, 2009
Status: The Cube returns to form!

Brief: Good evening everyone, work resumes full steam ahead as of right now. As many of you are aware. I did push my time tables back a bit due to the following reasons;  I am still in the process of securing parts for Sestren. I am currently waiting for MNPCTech's graciously sorting my last order. And in the meantime I set up my temporary computer, Tower. Which was quite a jump from my previous Pentium 805D. To be completely honest, this Q9550, 4 gigs of Ram, 3870x2, F1 Raid 0, is mostly sufficient for most of my needs. I also had to endure a complete OS change and migration from Windows XP Pro 32x, to Windows 7 Ultimate x64. Tower is much faster than the previous Sestren, as the jump from Pentium 805D to Core 2 Quad, is pretty significant. In some areas, it exceeded my expectations, in some it lacked. However in the lacking I believe that is due to hardrive limitations, even in Raid 0. I will further investigate once I move to four SSD drives Raid 0.

However as humans, we need to progress. So one must push boundaries, test limits, and evolve, so with that said. Work resumes on Sestren at full speed ahead. The time tables still fall on this Month of November to December for Sestren to be ready. I may also possibly feature an article on my transition to Windows 7, its been mostly positive, and I can suggest everyone to upgrade should they need to, however it wasn't without its quirks, and there's still some software and compability issues, but overall It was one of my most pleasant OS transitions, and a fun ride. However that is for a later time, and possibly a different medium, right now the focus is on the worklog. So please enjoy this quadruple dose of updates, since I took a little while to format this one, and be prepared for alot of content coming your way. Especially if I can secure more parts soon. This is just getting the case ready, parts are already going in, and as soon as I have confirmation on more stuff coming. I will update. I am waiting to see how the Radeon 5890 stacks up vs. Fermi x2 to decide. More parts are coming in, so definitely check back these weeks as there are bound to be updates.

Left to come!
CPU
Motherboard
6x DDR3 Ram
PSU
4x 2.5 to 3.5 HDD converters
4x SSD's
2x Graphics Card x2
Water Cooling Fittings
Water Piping Cutter

Take care,

- PC1X1










Description: The great assembly had begun! Here you can start seeing how the colors will match and accent one another. Also note how all plastic parts are painted black, and the new 3 screws on the facade of the cube, are part of the removable motherboard tray mod. So indeed the tray is removable and looks pretty good in my humble opinion.





Description: Here's a profile shot that features the hardware side of the cube. The right side is where all the water cooling, and accessories, lights etc.. will reside. The top plate that holds pump #3, now has a carbon fiber trim. On the right side, left side of the bay you can see two silver screws, and some carbon fiber trim, that's part of the removable motherboard tray. It was quite difficult to counter sink the screws so they wouldn't scrape the actual bay hardware. However in the end it came out pretty good I think. The little carbon fiber guy in the bottom of the right side is there to help hold up the Power Supply Unit.





Description: Another shot of the the cube's skeleton, here is a front shot that portrays the cube in all its towering glory. Again check out the details and screws from the removable motherboard tray, and the painted plastic hinges, that hold the front panel.





Description: Here's an up shot of the cube. You can see its glossy red appearance, and its details. The black motherboard end plate contrasts really well.





Description: Here's a frontal shot of the motherboard side for the cube's skeleton. As you may have noticed, the cube is divided into two main compartments. I took advantage of this fact, and divided all working hardware in the Motherboard side, and all accessories and support hardware in the right side. The paint is nice and glossy, and again the black trim, and intentional use of blacks to contrast the red looks pretty cool. Notice how the wheels also join the form now.





Description: Here's a close shot of the back plate. The cube while not longer than a standard computer case, is indeed much wider. So you can see that while being a standard 7x End plate, the width from motherboard to actual computer window is pretty large. That gives me alot of room to play with the water cooling and cable routing. Again the end plate was made as a contrast, and looks pretty cool in my opinion, once hardware is installed, it should contrast and blend even better. It also serves as a focal point to draw your eyes.





Description: Here's is the back of the cube in all its naked glory. Luckily this post is safe for work. Here you can see that the PSU end plate is also powder coated black. And contrasts with the red of the cube. While the red is the main color of the skeleton, once the cube is fully assembled, all the pieces will make sense.





Description: Here's a close up shot of the 120mm Fan exhaust, and the opening for the tubing from the 2 main 360mm radiators. You can also see an upclose shot of the motherboard tray screws. I really like these screws. Also the metallic Lian Li screws also look very good, and when all the water cooling chrome fittings are in, everything will be themed and harmonious.


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## pc1x1 (Nov 1, 2009)

Description: Here's a towering view of the back side, and you can see how everything complements one another. Also the anti vibration grommets also worked and matched very well to the water cooling grommets.





Description: Here's a front view of the right side bay. Here's where all the accessories will reside, and on top of the carbon fiber table, is where pump #3 will go. Under will be the two power supply units.





Description: An up-close shot of the carbon fiber trim on the pump housing, this was a custom made mod, to gain upward space on the cube.





Description: Aeriel view of the cube





Description: Complete shot of the cube from above. Some say it was taken by a spy satellite.





Description: aeriel view from another angle.





Description: Here's a shot of the underside of Sestren. You can again view more screws from the removable motherboard tray, I made that tray removable, because it was a pain in the butt, to add and remove bay hardware. The ray is held in place by 9 screws, and 2 side screws, for a total of 11 screws. Notice that the cube is defying the laws of physics, and no I did not rotate that picture in post processing, Its actually being held up physically in that position.





Description: Another artistic shot of the cube defying the laws of physics, so you can view it from yet another angle. It may be propped up somehow, or possibly it has magical powers.





Description: Here's the back aerial view of the cube, and the final installment of the cube skeleton.


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## pc1x1 (Nov 1, 2009)

Title: Worklog Update
Date: November 01, 2009
Status: Let the great assembly begin!

Brief: Continuing from my previous update, since I owe you guys for not updating for a little while . This is the beginning of putting all the parts together again, once this part is finished, which it is in this update. I will be working straight on putting all the parts back on. Which is most likely what the next update will feature. First all front bays come back in, then I go into water cooling, then hardware. So certainly stay tuned, things are heating up .

Until next time,

- PC1X1









Description: Like the mighty Voltron, the cube has assembled itself, and now you can start fully visualization, my vision for the theme and motif of this project. Classy on the outside, fiery red hot on the inside.





Description: Here's a profile shot of the cube fully assembled, keep in mind, this is case only. The parts are coming in the next update, however looks pretty hawt if I may just say so myself.





Description: Another angle side view of the cube, you can see all the parts fitted pretty nicely. The main problem on painting something is that it adds a small extra later to the dimensions of the original object. While this is no exception, the powder coat and sand blasting etc, were well done, because the cube fitted basically perfectly.





Description: This is a frontal shot of the cube, while simular to the first shot, its actually differs in angle and altitude. This shot is a great showcase for how the colors contrast one another, and how there's a HDR/Bloom effect on the paint due to colors and gloss. Once actual hardware also goes in, the effect will be complete.





Description: This shot is an aerial frontal shot, that differs a view degrees from the rest. Its emphasizes the cube's outwardly proportions and just how big it is. Again the colors and lighting make it appealing to look at it. All these front bays will be filled up quite soon.





Description: Here's yet another frontal shot, because it came out pretty cool . However on this shot, lighting inside is heightened, just like it will be when all the CCFL or cold cathodes light up the cube from the inside .





Description: Another frontal..... just kidding, here's a cool side view the cube. This is a good representation of how and what I will see when it is finished. Of course hardware will be in there, but one can start seeing and imaging how it will look fully integrated.





Description: Side aerial view of the motherboard side of Sestren. You can also see now how the back blends in and works the entire theme throughout. Also looks artsy and avant garde.





Description: This shot is similar to the previous one, however instead of looking at it in a micro scale for the details, you can see the whole picture.


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## pc1x1 (Nov 1, 2009)

Description: Now flipping to the front, you can get an idea how the entire project meshes together.





Description: Considering we covered almost every shot and angle known to man, the only way we haven't gone on this update is up. Well now we did! Recall this is where the 240mm radiator will be mounted.





Description: Aerial view of the cube





Description: This is a cool shot of the back, because now with the roof, and sides, all the blacks are fully represented, and now join each other in contrasting the Red interior. When designer this project, this is what I envisioned, and it came out pretty close to how I wanted. So I am pretty happy with the results. Can't wait to add the hardware in there, to complete the cycle.





Description: Here's an upclose shot of the back, while similar to the skeleton shot of the back, when we add the roof, and the sides, the lighting and aesthetics of the cube change. And that's important, because I have to preplan each step as a finished product and not a phase. However this part came out just like I wanted, as the lighting is good, and not overwhelming, the red and black stick the classy, yet ret hot motif exactly.





Description: Here's the back from another angle. Keep in mind there will also be radiators eventually attached, so that will further balance the color proportions.





Description: And finally but surely not least, the last picture of this particular update. Another picture of the front of the cube, however in its towering form. This picture is the perfect example of what I wanted from this color scheme. The angle, the contrasts, where the shadows hit, everything flows, and that's for now, the biggest accomplishment of this build. Going further I hope to improve and expand this concept. So stay tuned!!!


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## Cold Storm (Nov 1, 2009)

Holly Sh1t  that is sweet!

Yeah, it's going to be a big jump when you go from the F1 raid to the SSD raid.. Fit's was showing with his Vertex at being at 330mbps on read just setting it up at the start.. So, I know you'll see a huge difference in the raid array.

Good luck on the build and glad the case came out the way you wanted it to!


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## pc1x1 (Nov 1, 2009)

Cold Storm said:


> Holly Sh1t  that is sweet!
> 
> Yeah, it's going to be a big jump when you go from the F1 raid to the SSD raid.. Fit's was showing with his Vertex at being at 330mbps on read just setting it up at the start.. So, I know you'll see a huge difference in the raid array.
> 
> Good luck on the build and glad the case came out the way you wanted it to!



Thanks! And I hear, I have a Areca 1680IX to handle the 4x SSD Raid, hope to hold around 800-1000 mbs. The F1's are nice though, and in reality sense, they do everything I need, I just need to wait 1-2 seconds. I believe its our need and want, since its a high end build for instant gratification, heh that makes it seem slow.

And thanks alot, I am pretty happy myself, but much work to do! Stay tuned!


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## pc1x1 (Nov 27, 2009)

Title: Quick Status Update
Date: November 27, 2009
Status: Coming Updates and What's in Store for Project Sestren!

Brief: Good Evening, I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! And good luck on your Black Friday and Cyber Monday deal hunting. Anyhow everything is good with Project Sestren, though I figured I update a little so everyone is on the same page as I.

Long story short, I almost pulled a crazy move, and it wasn't because of lack of trying. Intel was having their Intel Mod Contest at http://www.intelcorechallenge.com/. And I did everything in my power as I was very adamant in entering. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. I could not secure parts in time, not to mention was still waiting on some parts from sponsors, and with the shops I contacted, things just did not click well enough. I was prepared to do credit card genocide, heh, so I guess it worked out best that I didn't as it was a big gamble. Though I do think I had a shot of getting in there with the finalists. Oh well, it wasn't meant to be, but thats the basic reason I was a bit absent early November, I was trying every day to see if I could get the parts, I had also cleared that my entry was legitimate with Intel, etc. So overall I am a little disappointed, because even if I didn't win, the secondary prizes, would have helped me alot, ie. Intel SSD's etc. Anyhow no use crying over spilt milk, the project still needs to go on, and go on it will!

Also I had to RMA my powersupply, the Enermax Rev85+ 1050w, not because there was anything wrong with it, but because some early models may have incompatibility problems with the Evga X58 Classified, and I figured not to risk it. Again I would like to Thank Tom Lac, for a quick and painless RMA, Enermax is top notch when it comes to customer service.

Anyhow after thinking about it, I am pretty satisfied with the steampunk radiator grill, and how it fits with the overall aesthetic of Sestren. Panzer Dragoon, has a bit of a steampunk aesthetic as well, so I think its meant to be. So I decided not to purchase the aluminum grills which would create disparity between the designs. Originally I was going to go full aluminum grills, however because of the scope of this project, the bills were racking up, I opted for the Steampunk grills instead as they are much cheaper and then was going aluminum in the back. I decided to go full steampunk as essentially it's the same thing. Honestly, I was very surprised with the quality of the steampunk grill, so I think it may even come out better than going aluminum, so Steampunk it is. I also ordered more fan steampunk fan grills, etc. So the whole theme will be fluid.

I updated the first page with all the parts list of the project, so check it out! As far as actual updates, I haven't updated in a bit, because I wanted to only update with pictures. But since I have to wait for the parts to come in, I'd figured might as well chime in a little. As like I mentioned previously I couldn't secure any sponsors on time for the project (I wanted to have sponsors secured as well as parts, at least 10 days before the contest deadline to be responsible on my part) and even in some cases were out of stock. For example MNPCTech, was out of stock of the steampunk grills, they are on their way to me right now, so it would have been too stressful to get in the contest, not to mention parts would have been missing, and its overall the reason I haven't updated.

So with this delay, I decided to merge both phases of Sestren and just go for it. However this will delay the project a little. Basically forget reason, and I am going to go for the Hexa Set up at the same time as well. So yea, I am going to need 5 Dell 3007WFP-HC's wish me luck on saving up heh! The actual build is still fairly similar, but also I decided that the SSD's must be 160 gigs or bigger, so thats another large cost dent. Also depending on price, I may go i9, but who knows. There's alot of factors involved and I am going to need alot of the community's help. Sestren isn't a computer to fulfill my needs nor one to simply show off. It's really a proof of concept, my desire to see if it really can be done. Hence the extremes on the project. Because quite honestly, I am using Tower (my temporary computer), with a Q9550 downclocked to 2.6ghz due to the limitations on my motherboard with 4 gigs of ram, that I bought years ago, with my trusty Radeon 3870x2, and its works fine for me. So there's no practical reason for Sestren to be hurried or done, etc. I just want to see if its possible to accomplish my vision/goal, and learn more about the computer and myself while doing it. I think so, though I will be frank, its a really really hard task to do. So I need your help!

Anyone that can donate or sponsor a part, please get in touch with me, if your just browsing the project, and sharing the experience with me, tell your friends, family, anyone, because the more exposure, more page hits, etc, the better chances, I can persuade a sponsor to work with me, so this really is a group effort. And I humbly ask for help! If you know any stores, friends with stores, or are a customer in said store, let them know about Sestren! I of course will also try to get as many sense-able parties involved as well as raise funds for the project. Because at the end of the day, its on my tail heh! But anything that can buffer the blows helps and helps alot!

SPECIAL THANKS!

to Petra's Tech Shop, for being the first guys for working with me, ironically when I had them as the first sponsor, the scope of the project was completely different, go figure! So while I had already gotten all needed parts from them, as well as bought all my water cooling from them a while ago, I think a big thanks is in order for helping kick start this project. I have all the parts I needed from Petra's.

Thanks for Enermax for great customer service. Although my wallet is sad when it recalls how much I paid for the Rev85+, their customer service is really top notch, and their reputation for it is well warranted and that combined with quality makes the price worth it. Made good friends over there, Hey Wei and Tom!. I now have all the parts I needed from Enermax for now, though I may add more fans, and am still looking for a good deal on my second Rev85+.

Thanks for MNPCTech, which is quite simply the best shop period for accessories I seen. Big big thanks for its owner, Bill Owen, who not only helped me through MNPCTech, Bill is one of the big reasons, I decided to push hard on this project. Because Bill expects and demands alot from a builder, and that push, is what made me strive to become better each update. I will continue to do so. Bill is definitely the biggest outside factor that pushed this project along, as well as a great guy in general. MNPCTech has alot of cool stuff, and really reasonable prices. So thanks alot Bill, I hope to work with you in the future! I have all the parts I needed from MNPCTech for now, 

This is a tentative list on what I believe still needs to get bought for Sestren to be part's complete.

To buy Sestren Parts List.
Computer: $4000
1x	Evga X58 Classified	$394.99 – $30 Rebate
1x	Bitspower Black Freezer EIX58NSC 		$ 165
1x 	Bitspower Black Freezer MOS EI58DP II		$45
1x	Enermax Revolution 85+ 1050w		$220
4x	Icy Dock 2.5 to 3.5 		$99.99
1x	Intel Core i7 	$240
4x	Intel 160 gig SSD G2 	$415
2x	Corsair 6 gigs 		$330
1x	Bitspower and  Fittings 	$400
1x	Tube Cutter Advanced		$14.95	
1x	LED		$50
2x	Dell  Active Mini Display Port to DVI		$100
10x 	USB Extensions			$20

Graphics Card: $2100
8 Monitor Graphics Cards
3 Waterblocks

2x	Radeon 5970	$599.99
2x	Radeon 5970 Waterblocks	$200
1x 	GeForce 285 	$400
1x	GeForce 285 Waterblock	$99
1x	GeForce 285 Single Slot PCI Bracket or Mod.

Monitor Stand: $2000-$3000

Monitors: $6000 +/- $360 tax
5x	Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP-HC	$1199.99 each

Misc: $200

List and Prices are tentative, and subject to change, depending on budget, availability etc and I tried to round a bit up, as its always better to lower costs, and not be surprised by exceeding costs. Basically overbudget > pass budget. These costs are definitely unreasonable so time to get creative, and work my butt off, and most likely not eat for a while heh!

As far as pictures updates, they are coming soon, you will get two more updates for sure before the years end. However since everyone is shutting down operations in December, the build will most likely go into Q1 of next year. So be on the look out for two more updates this year, and I'll work around the clock to get this build up and running asap! Trust me I tried everything possible and a few crazy things that it's better I didn't do, to get the build finished this month of Nov, and hit Dec with it completed, but just isn't possible. But don't worry, this just means theres more time to make it better! Wish me luck! Help out if you can! And lets keep IT GOING!

Take care,

- PC1X1


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## DrPepper (Nov 27, 2009)

That was fun to read through one of the most detailed build logs ever. I'd love a double 360 rad to cool my cpu


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## pc1x1 (Nov 27, 2009)

DrPepper said:


> That was fun to read through one of the most detailed build logs ever. I'd love a double 360 rad to cool my cpu



Thanks, its a pleasure to write, more coming soon


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## DrPepper (Nov 27, 2009)

pc1x1 said:


> Thanks, its a pleasure to write, more coming soon



yay 

I enjoyed making mine although it's not done and won't be done til I get some money.


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## pc1x1 (Nov 27, 2009)

DrPepper said:


> yay
> 
> I enjoyed making mine although it's not done and won't be done til I get some money.



Don't worrry I am literally in the same boat . Slowly but surely though! Looks very nice though subscribed!


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## pc1x1 (Dec 2, 2009)

Title: Mini Worklog Update + New Features
Date: December 01, 2009
Status: Welcome to my workshop!

Brief: How's it going everyone! Work continues, and is going well. This is a mini update as I have just finished putting all the drive bays in, so all 18 5.25's drive bays, are now full again . It was going to go through a live update, but unfortunately takes alot of time and work, so I didn't finish it today. However the first update will go live this weekend, and the second will closely follow it. I have to say, everything came out perfect, the removable motherboard tray made things so much better. Still took forever to align everything though, I'll elaborate next update.

Though today's update features! My brand new Christmas presents. Yup, there goes my Christmas credit, but its very cool and something useful. I got a brand new toolbox, so I put in the tools I mostly use, except my soldering station, and fluids, (artic silver, etc) everything is practically in there. And it looks great to boot, so I was pretty happy with it, so decided to take three pictures. However this isn't just me sharing my cool new toolbox, this was a calculated test, for how chrome reacts to lightning conditions etc, which all of Sestren's fittings are based off, so there is a practical reason to doing this .

Also I am proud to announce a new feature coming soon to the worklog!

...

Video! Yup we are going Web 2.0 (lol) and will now have a video component, I have written the script, and scenes already, just need to shoot it, and figure out how to cut it. If you do video editing, please help haha! I have Adobe Premiere. But I also need your suggestions and what do you guys want to see? Do you want detailed explanations and video going in and out of the case? Do you want sleeving tutorials? etc.. etc.. I am still figuring out how I am going to do this, but it will be showing up in one of these future updates, and coming quite soon.

The Icon is even ready 

Coming soon! To computer monitors near you! ( No clicking on it yet, not set up, but will be in one the next updates! )




Take care,

- PC1X1





Tool Box Review:





Description: Here's my brand new toolbox, its pretty big, and quite heavy. The thing is really sturdy which is a plus, though like I mentioned, its a bit hard to carry around. Quality is top notch, and I definitely recommend this company's quality. No idea on price, since I just got it as a early Christmas present, but I am very happy with it. Fit and Finish are top tier.





Description: Here's the profile view, there you can see the warning label, showing you that it is pretty heavy. The sliding trays are very smooth, and nice, also I like the fact I can lock all the tools inside as well. Can't steal them now, albeit you can steal the entire case X_X. Also comes with this foam backing in the bottom, that holds the tools in place, and protects them and the case from scratches. Very nice touch.





Description: Tada! Tools, hurray, this is all the basic things you need for modding and computer building. Of course, I still have three more tool boxes with crap, I used to build Sestren, as well as the actual power tools and their boxes, so everytime I work on this thing, its a party, the entire house is filled with various toolboxes with stuff! I am a big Do it yourself person, so I actually do anything I possibly can, so lots of crap. But I put most of the stuff I use constantly for computer building in here, and a small carry toolbox, with screwdrivers and stuff, so with those two I am ready for any computing challenge! I hope at least!


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## Chicken Patty (Dec 3, 2009)

holy $%&U$)*%&$*   I'm subscribing to this one.  I still have some reading to do 


Good job bro, this is coming out lovely!


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## pc1x1 (Dec 3, 2009)

Chicken Patty said:


> holy $%&U$)*%&$*   I'm subscribing to this one.  I still have some reading to do
> 
> 
> Good job bro, this is coming out lovely!



Hehe, thanks, 954 says hi to 305


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## MKmods (Dec 3, 2009)

Nice Box there...I have been a pro mechanic for over 30 years and never had one that nice..

PS: by the way the case looks beautiful, I love the red inside and black outside.


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## pc1x1 (Dec 3, 2009)

MKmods said:


> Nice Box there...I have been a pro mechanic for over 30 years and never had one that nice..
> 
> PS: by the way the case looks beautiful, I love the red inside and black outside.



Hehe, yea it was a great gift, and personally if I was a pro mechanic myself, I don't if I could bring myself to use it, its so shiny, heheh, I would be polishing it more than working .

Wish I could import you though Mark, my car is broken


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## MKmods (Dec 3, 2009)

LOL, when I first started back in the day I was very impatient (basically a pissed off kid 24/7 and beat the crap out of my tool box)
Now I am older and quite a bit more patient so my things tend to last quite a bit longer.
But ur tool box is a thing of beauty

I have been so busy with modding I forgot about everything else and it took me 4 days straight to fix all the things in my poor car that should have been done.


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## pc1x1 (Dec 3, 2009)

MKmods said:


> LOL, when I first started back in the day I was very impatient (basically a pissed off kid 24/7 and beat the crap out of my tool box)
> Now I am older and quite a bit more patient so my things tend to last quite a bit longer.
> But ur tool box is a thing of beauty
> 
> I have been so busy with modding I forgot about everything else and it took me 4 days straight to fix all the things in my poor car that should have been done.



Heh, I know the feeling, got to drop by your projects again sometime. I been pretty swamped myself.


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## Chicken Patty (Dec 3, 2009)

pc1x1 said:


> Hehe, thanks, 954 says hi to 305



NO EFFIN WAY!!!!! 

When am I going over to see that thing in person??????


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## DrPepper (Dec 3, 2009)

Chicken Patty said:


> NO EFFIN WAY!!!!!
> 
> When am I going over to see that thing in person??????



I'm guessing you two live nearby ?


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## Chicken Patty (Dec 3, 2009)

DrPepper said:


> I'm guessing you two live nearby ?



If I understood correctly the beginning of 954 is about 15-20 minutes away from me.  Depends how far up 954 he lives though.


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## DrPepper (Dec 3, 2009)

Chicken Patty said:


> If I understood correctly the beginning of 954 is about 15-20 minutes away from me.  Depends how far up 954 he lives though.



oh 954 is a street ? I thought it was a house number


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## Chicken Patty (Dec 3, 2009)

DrPepper said:


> oh 954 is a street ? I thought it was a house number



Area Code


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## DrPepper (Dec 3, 2009)

Chicken Patty said:


> Area Code



The US system is confusing to me


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## Chicken Patty (Dec 3, 2009)

DrPepper said:


> The US system is confusing to me



 It's ok bro.  You cool


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## DrPepper (Dec 3, 2009)

Chicken Patty said:


> It's ok bro.  You cool



I guess your area code is the same as our post code.


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## pc1x1 (Dec 3, 2009)

DrPepper said:


> I'm guessing you two live nearby ?


Well I noticed on his comment, that he is in Miami Florida, which is 305, I also live in South Florida, but to the West side, near Ft Lauderdale, locally everyone distinguishes where they live in South florida, by the area codes, because its cut up into blocks. And we have post codes, its our Zip Numbers, but since there are many zips, its harder to categorize one place. Basically here in FL, we use our area codes, somewhat like one would use Counties. He lives in Dade County, I live in Broward, that is normally used as well, but as a almost slang,derivative, we use area codes, because most of Broward is 954, and most of Dade is 305. I hear in California, they also do this.



Chicken Patty said:


> If I understood correctly the beginning of 954 is about 15-20 minutes away from me.  Depends how far up 954 he lives though.



I should be about 30 mins away from ya, I am in Pembroke Pines, and when the computer is a bit more finished, your welcome to see it in person


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## Chicken Patty (Dec 3, 2009)

pc1x1 said:


> Well I noticed on his comment, that he is in Miami Florida, which is 305, I also live in South Florida, but to the West side, near Ft Lauderdale, locally everyone distinguishes where they live in South florida, by the area codes, because its cut up into blocks.
> 
> 
> 
> I should be about 30 mins away from ya, I am in Pembroke Pines, and when the computer is a bit more finished, your welcome to see it in person



I used to spend all my nights in Pines.  I worked at NABI on Sheridan and University.  Had my friends that stayed in East pines by Hiatus.  They moved out of here though so I don't go over there that much.  But yeah man that'll be cool stuff


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## DrPepper (Dec 3, 2009)

pc1x1 said:


> Well I noticed on his comment, that he is in Miami Florida, which is 305, I also live in South Florida, but to the West side, near Ft Lauderdale, locally everyone distinguishes where they live in South florida, by the area codes, because its cut up into blocks.



Ah right I understand now


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## pc1x1 (Dec 3, 2009)

Haha I updated my post a little, but yea I am in Pines, so you should be familiar


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## Chicken Patty (Dec 3, 2009)

pc1x1 said:


> Haha I updated my post a little, but yea I am in Pines, so you should be familiar



   Gotcha.


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## pc1x1 (Dec 6, 2009)

Title: Front Panel and Video Log 1 Update!
Date: December 05, 2009
Status: Tired, very very tired, but working to improve!

Brief: Hi everyone, today you can check out Sestren's fascia! Hurray, the front panel is on! Next update, the radiators are going back in, and a bit forward, water cooling and parts will start migrating to the bowels of the cube.

Today was the first time ever, I messed with video, so please pardon the production values, I will read and study it to get to par. But honestly I just wanted to make it work. I am aware of lots of things wrong with the video, but I think its mildly entertaining, at least a start. So please enjoy the first Sestren video log! More coming later.

Also notice in the front of the cube, how there are no gaps at all. That's my own little design, thats a mixture of sleeving, C molding, mounting tape, and solid wiring, that covers, all the gaps. As you guys know, not all devices fit perfectly, in the 5 1/4 bays, in fact, the Athena power bays, and the Zalman's fit pretty poorly, but with my tiny mod, it fits perfectly. Anyhow, be sure to suggest ideas, for the next video!

If your musician, and would like to contribute tracks, please let me know .

Thanks again!

Take care,

- PC1X1










Description: Front of the mighty cubicus!





Description: Top Profile view! Notice how aligned every single bay is! That's no mistake, I literally spend hours (no joke) aligning it to make sure it worked. On the mod to cover the gaps, I spent to hours making sure it lined up as well as possible.





Description: Another shot of the side, again notice how aligned everything is. Looks lovely.





Description: You can start seeing how the cables go from the front panels to the insides, of course they will be routed, and out of sight when parts start going in. That's going to be a big challenge on this project, making everything cohesively fit.





Description: Hail Cubicus! He looks like hes 50 ft tall. He also resembles an air conditioning unit, and I have been asked by a guest if hes a refrigerator. Heh!





Description: Hard drive bay galore!





Description: They are escaping!





Description: Hmmnn which one to pull first, notice this is the hot swap capability, coupled with my Areca card, its going to be a powerful server grade raid subsystem.





Description: He's coming for you!


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## pc1x1 (Dec 6, 2009)

Description: Flip to the other side!





Description: Whatever you do, don't look down!





Description: Cubicus has arrived!





Description: Shot of the inside with all the wiring.





Description: Close up shot of the inside, featuring you guessed it the wiring. Notice how the sleeving is coordinated, and even the contact points between the fan controller and wires are nicely done. Those parts will never be seen by anyone, but the details are there.





Description: Right on the outside again





Description: Going up!





Description: Ta ta for now shot!


Ladies and Gentleman, boys and girls, today's content has been  formatted from its original version, to fit on your computer screen!  It's Sestren, its here! Its in Video!



​


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## pantherx12 (Dec 6, 2009)

Looking good, although personally I hate non symmetrical things so if I were doing the bays they'd have the exact same things either side he he


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## pc1x1 (Dec 6, 2009)

pantherx12 said:


> Looking good, although personally I hate non symmetrical things so if I were doing the bays they'd have the exact same things either side he he



Hehe, me too, but unfortunately I had to leave one of the bays free because the the darn GPUs being so long. I wanted to keep it symmetrical myself, but had to compromise, but I think it came out good .


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## CyberDruid (Dec 6, 2009)

I am a little surprised you decided to mount stuff outside the case considering how gynormous the case is. And I am sure you know this is not the "world's first" triple LL cube lol...not that it matters...but it's sort of a weak way to title the log. Your work stands on it's own and does not need questionable claims to be special...it's already over the top special.

I like the color scheme and choices for hardware and so on. Not big on optical bays loaded with stuff but the hotswaps look good.

Looks like you have got the modding bug bad.

If the C Channel does not stay where you put it try a dab of weatherstrip adhesive in the C Channel and a dab on the edge of the hole you want to line.


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## pantherx12 (Dec 6, 2009)

Speaking of which, do you need all of that stuff? I think another one of what looks like a HDD cage with fan would look great matched on the other side.


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## Chicken Patty (Dec 6, 2009)

I can't look at this anymore


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## MKmods (Dec 6, 2009)

This is gonna be a blast to hook up all those wires. Il be looking forward to see how you accomplish that.
About the face its the opposite of the way I roll but I must say it appeals to my baser instincts..More buttons is cool!

The video was cool

iMON FTW!


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## pc1x1 (Dec 6, 2009)

CyberDruid said:


> I am a little surprised you decided to mount stuff outside the case considering how gynormous the case is. And I am sure you know this is not the "world's first" triple LL cube lol...not that it matters...but it's sort of a weak way to title the log. Your work stands on it's own and does not need questionable claims to be special...it's already over the top special.
> 
> I like the color scheme and choices for hardware and so on. Not big on optical bays loaded with stuff but the hotswaps look good.
> 
> ...


Thanks, but the title is actually World's First Back/Outside Tri Loop Cube. So I am not claiming to be the first to water cooling, but that first that has radiators on the outside, and all the bays free with 3 water loops total. I agree titles etc, but needed something to catch the eye, and to my knowledge its facual. I put the bays, floppy, etc for convenience, as I wanted an all in one package!



pantherx12 said:


> Speaking of which, do you need all of that stuff? I think another one of what looks like a HDD cage with fan would look great matched on the other side.


Don't really need it, as its more of a want. I choose these units, because this will be ultimately my workstation, so I can work, and if need be, transport hardrives to and fro, etc. I also wanted as much space as possible inside, so I can fit the tri loops with space to spare.



Chicken Patty said:


> I can't look at this anymore


Hehe, I knew once the front units went it, it would be controversial, but hopefully you can look at it, who am I am going to find to help me polish the thing locally . I know, I know, the simple clean look is cool, but I wanted to mesh that with functional as well. I think considering the amount of hardware, that it looks cool, but everyone is entitled to their opinion, and while I may not change, and go with something you . I do listen to all criticism, and if it can be changed, and I like your idea, I will do it.



MKmods said:


> This is gonna be a blast to hook up all those wires. Il be looking forward to see how you accomplish that.
> About the face its the opposite of the way I roll but I must say it appeals to my baser instincts..More buttons is cool!
> 
> The video was cool
> ...


Yup, its going to be a big challenge, but I do have an idea how to do it. Hehe, and yea alot of people are in for a surprise since its not the standard, nothing on the drive bays, but I think that sets Sestren apart, and will it all comes together, will make it very unique. And buttons are cool, but I did try to make them tasteful and fit with the theme.


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## Chicken Patty (Dec 6, 2009)

I meant I can't look at it as in "holy $**T I want to go to your house and take this thing"


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## pc1x1 (Dec 6, 2009)

Chicken Patty said:


> I meant I can't look at it as in "holy $**T I want to go to your house and take this thing"



Oh I see, in that case, I am not to sure I should give you my address then  lol!


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## Chicken Patty (Dec 6, 2009)

pc1x1 said:


> Oh I see, in that case, I am not to sure I should give you my address then  lol!



Dammit, I spoiled it for me


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## pc1x1 (Dec 6, 2009)

Heh, just wait till the radiators going in next week , did you check out the movie?


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## Chicken Patty (Dec 6, 2009)

pc1x1 said:


> Heh, just wait till the radiators going in next week , did you check out the movie?



I had missed that   Just saw it now, very detailed bro.  Love how you used that (Antenna?) to point stuff out    Bro if you can execute this thing correctly, holy shit!


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## pc1x1 (Dec 6, 2009)

Chicken Patty said:


> I had missed that   Just saw it now, very detailed bro.  Love how you used that (Antenna?) to point stuff out    Bro if you can execute this thing correctly, holy shit!



hehe, none taken, glad people like it. I hope to of course improve on it, first time I ever did a video, but its a start. I am going to work on the timing, a little better, but pretty happy with it heh. And you can see a real look at the computer, how it appears in life, not just pictures.

Alrighty, back to work for ye! much to do!


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## DrPepper (Dec 6, 2009)

What cpu are you getting ? I'd wait for a gulftown 6 core monster if you want to be driving 6 monitors


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## Chicken Patty (Dec 6, 2009)

pc1x1 said:


> hehe, none taken, glad people like it. I hope to of course improve on it, first time I ever did a video, but its a start. I am going to work on the timing, a little better, but pretty happy with it heh. And you can see a real look at the computer, how it appears in life, not just pictures.
> 
> Alrighty, back to work for ye! much to do!



Yeah bro, and that's great.  This way people see that it's not only pretty in pictures but in real life and that it's not only the pictures making it look good.  I like that


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## pc1x1 (Dec 6, 2009)

DrPepper said:


> What cpu are you getting ? I'd wait for a gulftown 6 core monster if you want to be driving 6 monitors



Yea that's the i9, I may wait for it, the only main hurdle, is if it comes in as an Extreme Edition only, and breaks the bank. But I am definitely keeping my eyes out. Also should be interesting what new tech Q1 brings. Although its a pretty strange season on tech. Mid range is maxing out most applications, and we are going backwards only with high end gear first, then into the mid range lines.


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## Yukikaze (Dec 13, 2009)

Holy $h!t!

This makes all mods I've ever done look like lameass hackjobs....


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## pc1x1 (Dec 13, 2009)

Yukikaze said:


> Holy $h!t!
> 
> This makes all mods I've ever done look like lameass hackjobs....



Nah, thanks for the compliment though, whenever you pick up a dremel, I salute you


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## Yukikaze (Dec 13, 2009)

pc1x1 said:


> Nah, thanks for the compliment though, whenever you pick up a dremel, I salute you



Thanks 

That *was* a lameass hackjob, though. Just a pretty insane one


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