# Project: Irate



## 1Kurgan1 (Aug 14, 2009)

*Project: Irate - HAF 922 Mod*

*Finally massive update on post #78 (after 2 years)!* 
*Builds done for this year post #83*

Parts are starting to show up, and the new build going to start going underway very soon. I don't know if I am going to paint the interior of the case yet, either way I fit a little surprise in there, here's a few pics, more will start appearing around the end of next week 












and here's where the fun begins!











Can't wait to see how the loop fits in a mid tower


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## Asylum (Aug 14, 2009)

Nice.
Cant wait to see how the build goes!!


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## YinYang.ERROR (Aug 14, 2009)

Does the HAF letters on the side of the case bug anyone else? It is the one thing I don't like about the HAF 922.

Your modding that case right?


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## EnergyFX (Aug 14, 2009)

YinYang.ERROR said:


> Does the HAF letters on the side of the case bug anyone else? It is the one thing I don't like about the HAF 922.
> 
> Your modding that case right?



It's love/hate for me.  If the case gets heavily modded then I always think factory markings should be taken off, but if the case gets left relatively unmolested then factory markings seem appropriate to me.

That's how I see it anyways.  For example... a heavily modded HAF isn't really an HAF anymore... its a custom piece of work so get rid of the marking.


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## 1Kurgan1 (Aug 14, 2009)

YinYang.ERROR said:


> Does the HAF letters on the side of the case bug anyone else? It is the one thing I don't like about the HAF 922.
> 
> Your modding that case right?



I like the markings on the side, that case is a dull case, and it allows them to show the name without being too flashy and having another color mixed in.

But yes I am modding, I'm not sure exactly how much will need to be done though as this case already has a lot going for it and I'm not completely worried about airflow as I'm running a WC loop in there. But I am still trying to think what I should be doing to the inside of the beast, once I get everything ready to go in will be easier to figure out.


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## MKmods (Aug 14, 2009)

Removing the silly sideways HDd rack would be the first thing I did.

A window should be in order, and cutting out the HAF letters out and putting a piece of colored acrylic on the inside would look cool.

Cutting out the stamped in fan grills would also be of benefit


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## 1Kurgan1 (Aug 14, 2009)

MKmods said:


> Removing the silly sideways HDd rack would be the first thing I did.
> 
> A window should be in order, and cutting out the HAF letters out and putting a piece of colored acrylic on the inside would look cool.
> 
> Cutting out the stamped in fan grills would also be of benefit



Some great tips there, I might have to pick up a dremel, I dont have one. I don't know if the rack will stay or go, I kind of like it, but I am tempted to drill out the rivets and move it back a bit so it would be possible to put a 140mm or 160mm rad up front, then another 120 or 140mm rad on that bottom fan. Granted removing the rack would allow a 240mm rad to go below. That or I could cut out the bottom few HDD spots so I could fit a 230mm rad down ther and retain some HDD storage.

The acrylic idea is awesome, didn't even think about that. Then could place some lighting above and below the acrylic and a shroud around them so only the HAF lights up. Fan grills I got to think about, I really like how they look, but if I could find something that looked better in their place, then I would go for it. Once again thanks for those tips, really gives me some direction, also some more news about parts on the way, I took a big hit on my wallet today 






**EDIT** Now I'm back thinking about dremels and such, and surfing amazon looking at them. Any pointers on what too look for here or some good links?


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## Asylum (Aug 14, 2009)

They have a few here to choose from.
http://www.nextag.com/Dremels/stores-html?nxtg=9d630a280511-23016FE0343559C9


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## 1Kurgan1 (Aug 14, 2009)

Here's one I was looking at, looks like a pretty nice kit.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000302Y2/?tag=tec06d-20

then here's a bit cheaper option

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000302Y1/?tag=tec06d-20

I'm not sure what to look for in dremel options, I'm sure the expensive kit is better, but is it really needed, you guys let me know


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## Assassin48 (Aug 14, 2009)

get a multi speed dremel and dont get cordless ones 

cant wait to see some pics


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## steelkane (Aug 14, 2009)

MKmods said:


> Removing the silly sideways HDd rack would be the first thing I did.
> 
> A window should be in order, and cutting out the HAF letters out and putting a piece of colored acrylic on the inside would look cool.
> 
> Cutting out the stamped in fan grills would also be of benefit



That what I was thinking about the letters
http://www.techpowerup.com/gallery/1772.html


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## DarkEgo (Aug 14, 2009)

You aren't going to be able to fit fans in that triple rad. I had to mod mine to fit because they will come down and cover ram slots on your mobo. Also I would follow MK's suggestion and remove that HDD bay, it is very easy to do and improves air flow dramatically (especially sense it doesn't push much air any way.).


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## MoonPig (Aug 14, 2009)

I'd have the barbs facing into the drive bays (like you have) then ask CyberDruid to make me a 4x5.25" bay reservoir that lines up with the barbs. That would be awesome. 

Then use an external DVD Drive.

Actually, if you have the money, do that, it'd be amazing.


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## 1Kurgan1 (Aug 14, 2009)

steelkane said:


> That what I was thinking about the letters
> http://www.techpowerup.com/gallery/1772.html



I'm thinking about doing something like that, but if I do it, I would place the lights a bit off the the sides, and place a shroud around them so the lights wouldn't send light elsewhere in my case. That way the letters light up, but they don't have those obvious lights behind them. But that idea might change once it goes under the knife and I can actually see how it looks in person.



DarkEgo said:


> You aren't going to be able to fit fans in that triple rad. I had to mod mine to fit because they will come down and cover ram slots on your mobo. Also I would follow MK's suggestion and remove that HDD bay, it is very easy to do and improves air flow dramatically (especially sense it doesn't push much air any way.).



Already got that all figured out. You just can't fit 38mm fans on the ram spot. For now the back and front slots are going to run 120x38mm Ultra Kaze 3's and the middle slot above the RAM's gonna run a 120x25mm fan. As far as my measurements showed I could fit a 30mm fan over the RAM, but Silverstone makes a really nice 32mm fan that I'm wondering if I could fit above the RAM.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835220013

Once I start putting it all together then I will be able to measure more accurately and decide if I can fit the 32mm fan, if I can't I''ll prob pickup it's little brother the Silverstone 25mm, as the 25mm is actually rated at 3cfm more pushing out 110, but I doubt it's static pressure can compare so would rather get the 32mm if I can.

Also cooking up some good ideas for the front fan exhaust since 1/3 of that rad will be under the front bezel on the top. I'm going to make some sort of housing to go under that and cut out the notches on the back side of it to make it exhaust out. I just tore it down to it's bones, will post pics tomorrow about those thoughts.



MoonPig said:


> I'd have the barbs facing into the drive bays (like you have) then ask CyberDruid to make me a 4x5.25" bay reservoir that lines up with the barbs. That would be awesome.
> 
> Then use an external DVD Drive.
> 
> Actually, if you have the money, do that, it'd be amazing.



Thats a good idea, but I'm moving the rad inside the case to try and keep it neat. So I would probably only want him to make a 3 bay res so I could use the bottom bay to hold my DVD-RW. Otherwise that is a wicked idea, I been contimplating what to do for a res and thats a killer idea!


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## 1Kurgan1 (Aug 14, 2009)

Just found this, looks like exactly what I'm looking for, and a killer price, you guys think I should pick it up?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001IYAAFM/?tag=tec06d-20

or a more for sure better brand, but more expensive, but multispeeds.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001GUDRI/?tag=tec06d-20


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## MKmods (Aug 14, 2009)

The Black and decker is 1000 X better than ANY dremel.... go to walmart and pick one up (only $20)


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## steelkane (Aug 14, 2009)

http://search.harborfreight.com/cpisearch/web/search.do?keyword=dremel&Submit=Go
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=9714694


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## 1Kurgan1 (Aug 14, 2009)

Sounds like a plan, gonna head up to Gamestop real quick and reserve a game, then hit Walmart and get a dremel, getting all giddy about cutting this up.


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## MKmods (Aug 14, 2009)

the other cool thing about the BD tool is it uses all the dremel accessories (I get those at Home Depot)

And the link SK posted is great for people that arent sure if they will continue to use the tool


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## 1Kurgan1 (Aug 15, 2009)

To all who recommended the dremel, there isn't enough Thanks button to go around. I went and picked up a very nice setup, $25 Black and Decker dremel and a $20 kit of basic junk for it.






The recommendation for a 3 speed was awesome, glad I bought this one. Now to show how giddy I got with it, but first to show her naked :O






and now topless  Yes after this I'm popping out the HDD bays and 5.25" bays for an easy painting, then moving the HDD bays back a 1/2" so I can fit a rad up front and a rad in the bottom.











And here's my idea for the venting of the front part f the rad. I still need to cut out the rest of the slots and figure out how to square off the corners, but I think it looks really sharp like this, and once the rest are gone will look awesome!


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## steelkane (Aug 15, 2009)

I bought 100 pack, last really long.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200163036659&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT


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## DarkEgo (Aug 15, 2009)

1Kurgan1 said:


> Already got that all figured out. You just can't fit 38mm fans on the ram spot. For now the back and front slots are going to run 120x38mm Ultra Kaze 3's and the middle slot above the RAM's gonna run a 120x25mm fan. As far as my measurements showed I could fit a 30mm fan over the RAM, but Silverstone makes a really nice 32mm fan that I'm wondering if I could fit above the RAM.



Ah the difference is I had to get a BIX in there and it looks like you have a MCR320. The 320 is only about half as thick as the BIX. A recommendation for a rad to put up front would be a PA.160. They fit perfect! And it is a very good rad (better then a PA 120.2 and close to a 120.3).


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## EnergyFX (Aug 15, 2009)

bleh!  Why does my work have to block image hosting sites?  I can't see


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## MKmods (Aug 15, 2009)

steelkane said:


> I bought 100 pack, last really long.
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200163036659&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT



+1 thats the best way to get disks...I remember in the beginning paying about $1 each for the 1" dremel ones(dont last half as long as the 1 1/2" ones do)


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## Marineborn (Aug 15, 2009)

Good choice on the motherboard josh, and i like the case too bad its not a full tower....but still nice


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## 1Kurgan1 (Aug 15, 2009)

DarkEgo said:


> Ah the difference is I had to get a BIX in there and it looks like you have a MCR320. The 320 is only about half as thick as the BIX. A recommendation for a rad to put up front would be a PA.160. They fit perfect! And it is a very good rad (better then a PA 120.2 and close to a 120.3).



Yeah, no way a thicker rad would fit up top very well. I'm not sure any rad would fit up front with the 30mm thick stock fan, I could put 25mm's up there and fit one. But I'm just gonna drll the rivets and move the HDD cage back 1/2" inch. Wish they made a 200mm rad, could toss that up front, but in the future, most likely will be a PA160.1 up there, and then a 140.1 rad down below, and could still fit a 120 on the back. Another funny thing is, a 480mm rad would actually fit up top. Thats really an insane amount of rad in a mid tower.



Marineborn said:


> Good choice on the motherboard josh, and i like the case too bad its not a full tower....but still nice



Yeah the GD-70 is ownage. I'm liking this midtower the more I look at it, was thinking HAF 932, but this is a bit more of a challenge, and once I got all this internal, it's just going to be much more cool as people don't take this route with mid towers. Also I'm not sure if there are any other internal WC looped 922's, I have searched high and low and found nothing but ap ic of a rad in one.


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## qubit (Aug 15, 2009)

I recently got a HAF 922 and I really like it, so good choice there, buddy. 

I don't mod my cases, but I have left both side panels off, because I'm always tinkering around inside, so it's more convenient this way.

Oh and I've finally been able to put my Raptor X on show - the only HD with a clear top, so you can see the platter and head assembly. I mounted it on the bottom rack and took out the two above it. As the PC sits on my desk, to my right, I get a great view of it.  I'm just thinking about how to light it, to show it off best.

Thinking of it, I might do a very small mod. The HD light is on the top of the case, which means that I can't see it. I'm thinking of connecting the red LED on that big front fan to the HD activity output on the motherboard and see how it looks.


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## 1Kurgan1 (Aug 17, 2009)

Today was a big day, I tackled every other rivet that I wanted to remove. All in all this case is now free of 32 rivets which all will be replaced by bolts/nuts so it will all be able to be taken apart very easy later on incase I get any other crazy ideas. 

We'll start it off with the group shot, HDD cage out, mobo tray out, topless. (And yes that is my bottle for when I feel I need an easy snack, lol)






Here's another shot of the mobo tray out, will be nice to use bolts to put this back in, will be the only HAF 922 I know of with a removable mobo tray 





And here's my idea on HDD Rack placement. Look how much space sits in front of the rack, would be awesome if they made a 200m rad for that front fan.





And if your thinking with the rack pushed back I won't be able to fit 10." cards, this is a massive midtower, about 12.5" of space with that rack moved back :O





The only thing I'm left wondering is if I should cut out 3 of the HDD bays. I want someplace to put my HDD's that still looks very good. If I cut out the bottom 3 trays I would be able to fit a 240mm rad in the bottom, and still have room for another rad off that front fan. If I leave the HDD rack I would still have room for a 140mm rad in the bottom and still have room for a rad behind the front fan.

Either one of those cooling solutions is enough for anything out there, so really going for what looks the best. If you got any ideas on a different way to mount the HDD's or some way to run it with my current setup, lets hear them! 

**EDIT**
Also goign to start painting this next week, any tips here on sanding or anything else would be fantastic!


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## EnergyFX (Aug 17, 2009)

How many bay devices are you planning on using?  How many HDDs?

Consider maybe using HDD silencer kits to mount the HDDs in the upper bays.  That way you could get rid of the HDD cage altogether and give you lots of room for a radiator and possibly other equipment if necessary.


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## tonyd223 (Aug 17, 2009)

good luck matey


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## 1Kurgan1 (Aug 17, 2009)

EnergyFX said:


> How many bay devices are you planning on using?  How many HDDs?
> 
> Consider maybe using HDD silencer kits to mount the HDDs in the upper bays.  That way you could get rid of the HDD cage altogether and give you lots of room for a radiator and possibly other equipment if necessary.



I got 2 HDD's and a DVD-RW. But my 360mm Rad will take up the top 2 5.25" bays, DVD-RW takes 1, then I'm deciding if I should have a dual bay res that is right off the bottom of the Rad. If I do all that it only leaves me with 1 bay. And I would like room to at least add 1 more HDD.

So I'm really thinking keep the HDD Rack is my best bet. Just trying to decide if I should cut off a few spots or not. It would give me room for a rad, but would it look as good? I'm putting a good amount of time in and I really want this too look great and perform great.


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## EnergyFX (Aug 18, 2009)

It's tough to make a hacked up hdd cage look nice... but it can be done.

Once upon a time I stumbled on a set of brackets that bolt onto a 120mm fan (or rad) and allow you to mount 2 or 3 hard drives.  I tried googling it but I can't seem to find it.  The brackets themselves would probably be easy enough to fab up.

Just bouncing ideas off you.


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## MKmods (Aug 18, 2009)

I think mountian mods made them


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## EnergyFX (Aug 18, 2009)

MKmods said:


> I think mountian mods made them



That is initially what I thought too. I checked their site but couldn't find them.  Granted... I didn't exactly look thoroughly.


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## MKmods (Aug 18, 2009)

is this it?
http://www.mountainmods.com/mountain-mods-m-10.html


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## EnergyFX (Aug 18, 2009)

Yup, there they are.  Useful idea if you ask me... as long as the fan is mounted well enough.

Nice search MK!


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## 1Kurgan1 (Aug 18, 2009)

Awesome. seeing those, the HDD cage might have to leave, I'll make the decision tomorrow when I look at it a bit more, those are awesome! Only thing is I would have to mount them to the 120mm fans on the 240mm rad on the bottom so the HDD"s would be facing long ways up. But that actually would line them up with the 5.25" bays, so would look pretty good.


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## Cold Storm (Aug 18, 2009)

Woot! something I can finally add to the project and not just say "subscribe"

I say, that the hdd rack from MM is a great thing! you can place them anywhere and everywhere! as long as you still can screw in the fans. 

If you do want to go with the rack, and I say its a great bet, I have a black one from my MM case sitting around. I can ship it on Thursday if you want it.


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## EnergyFX (Aug 18, 2009)

1Kurgan1 said:


> Awesome. seeing those, the HDD cage might have to leave, I'll make the decision tomorrow when I look at it a bit more, those are awesome! Only thing is I would have to mount them to the 120mm fans on the 240mm rad on the bottom so the HDD"s would be facing long ways up. But that actually would line them up with the 5.25" bays, so would look pretty good.



Don't forget to think outside the box!  With those brackets you have more options than simply mounting to fans.  Mounting holes are mounting holes... wherever they are... even if you end up making your own holes.


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## Chicken Patty (Aug 18, 2009)

subscribed.  Great job so far, those cooler master cases are amazing!!!


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## 1Kurgan1 (Aug 18, 2009)

Cold Storm said:


> Woot! something I can finally add to the project and not just say "subscribe"
> 
> I say, that the hdd rack from MM is a great thing! you can place them anywhere and everywhere! as long as you still can screw in the fans.
> 
> If you do want to go with the rack, and I say its a great bet, I have a black one from my MM case sitting around. I can ship it on Thursday if you want it.



You have a rack from MM that mounts on fans or something else, either way send me a PM, I won't have money this week to buy anything though, my bank accounts tapped 



EnergyFX said:


> Don't forget to think outside the box!  With those brackets you have more options than simply mounting to fans.  Mounting holes are mounting holes... wherever they are... even if you end up making your own holes.



Yeah I wish they showed some better pictures, I was trying to see how they mounted to the fans so I could see where else to put it.



Chicken Patty said:


> subscribed.  Great job so far, those cooler master cases are amazing!!!



Thanks, yeah I love my CM690, but needed something with more possibilities and didn't have the cash for a ful ltower, no big deal this should be much more cool, every fits full loops into a full tower, now it's mid tower time, just no fat rads


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## DarkEgo (Aug 18, 2009)

1Kurgan1 said:


> Thanks, yeah I love my CM690, but needed something with more possibilities and didn't have the cash for a ful ltower, no big deal this should be much more cool, every fits full loops into a full tower, now it's mid tower time, just no fat rads



You _can_ fit fat rads in there, I have a BIX360 and a PA.160 internally in mine (both with 38 mm fans).  You just have to be creative. Always think outside the box.


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## 1Kurgan1 (Aug 18, 2009)

DarkEgo said:


> You _can_ fit fat rads in there, I have a BIX360 and a PA.160 internally in mine (both with 38 mm fans).  You just have to be creative. Always think outside the box.



You managed get get the BIX inside it instead of selling it? Very nice, you should post a pic or 2. Only way I could think of doing it would be to cut out the right hand side 5.25" racking and mount the BIX on the right hand side more.


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## MoonPig (Aug 18, 2009)

DarkEgo said:


> You _can_ fit fat rads in there, I have a BIX360 and a PA.160 internally in mine (both with 38 mm fans).  You just have to be creative. *Always think outside the box*.



To fit a rad inside, i think we're thinking *inside* the box


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## EnergyFX (Aug 18, 2009)

MoonPig said:


> To fit a rad inside, i think we're thinking *inside* the box



There's always one in the crowd :shadedshu


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## 1Kurgan1 (Aug 18, 2009)

MoonPig said:


> To fit a rad inside, i think we're thinking *inside* the box





EnergyFX said:


> There's always one in the crowd :shadedshu



I thought it was pretty funny 

Either way, I'm cutting out the rest of the tabs on the top plastic piece right now, and thinking about cutting the hole in the top for the air to move through.


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## 1Kurgan1 (Aug 19, 2009)

Looking at the case right now and wondering if anyone knows how to get off those 5.25" screwless drivebay holders? It looks like they slide out backwards, but I've put a decent amount of pressure on them that way and they didn't budget and I really don't want to break one.


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## Mussels (Jan 25, 2010)

thread unlocked at OP's request (autolock due to old age)


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## 1Kurgan1 (Jan 25, 2010)

Well it's been a few months now and I just havent had the cash to finish up the project so it's just been sitting. Recently I finally started priming some of the parts, and they look really good, I'm almost just thinking of leaving them primed. Here's a pic of the mobo tray compared to the outside of the cases factory paint. Let me know what you guys think, just leave it primed or toss on some flat black paint?


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## Chicken Patty (Jan 25, 2010)

For some crazy ass reason I like how the tray looks better.   Nice!


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## Marineborn (Jan 25, 2010)

i got faith in your josh, dont dissapoint me with paiting it pink or some shit! IT BETTER BE EPIC!

and remember putting stinkers on it doesnt make it faster


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## steelkane (Jan 25, 2010)

you could add some shine,, just by applying some clear. glad to see you starting this back up


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## kyle2020 (Jan 25, 2010)

/subscribed.


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## 1Kurgan1 (Jan 25, 2010)

Chicken Patty said:


> For some crazy ass reason I like how the tray looks better.   Nice!



Yeah it turned out really nice, I did the inside of the HDD racking last night, I can only do 1 side of a part a night since I have to paint in doors since it's so cold out and at night since fumes (the kid is sleeping at night). Tonight I'll finish up the HDD racking and see what else I can move onto, still need to look at the 5.25" clips and see how to get them off.



steelkane said:


> you could add some shine,, just by applying some clear. glad to see you starting this back up



Thats a good idea, I'll have to look into it, I don't really want to add too much more shine, but an extra layer of scratch prevention would be nice.


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## Chicken Patty (Jan 25, 2010)

Good deal man, take your time and keep up the good work.


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## 1Kurgan1 (Jan 26, 2010)

HDD cage got finished tonight, damn this primer just looks sexy...






Leaving this one full size so you can see the texture and how nice it really looks by zooming in.


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## Chicken Patty (Jan 26, 2010)

I really like it a lot.  Don't think I've seen someone use that color before.  I'll tell you one thing though, looks damn good!


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## 1Kurgan1 (Jan 26, 2010)

Damn your quick CP, in before my ninja edit, shrunk down 2nd pic and increased its resolution so it would still hold the detail, but would actually fit on peoples screens.


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## Chicken Patty (Jan 26, 2010)

1Kurgan1 said:


> Damn your quick CP, in before my ninja edit, shrunk down 2nd pic and increased its resolution so it would still hold the detail, but would actually fit on peoples screens.



I'm all over it buddy


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## deadlyrhythm (Jan 27, 2010)

can't wait to see the rest. check out mine work log on a haf932 currently in the works

project... fuck?


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## 1Kurgan1 (Feb 1, 2010)

Well I got my new (well new to me) PC & P 750W, Fits says he has seen one power 1100W worth of things, so I am taking him for his word on that and hoping it's better than my current PSU, just wish it was modular  I'll snap a few pics of the sexy thing tonight, being Red it should fit the build well. I need to pick up some more primer and a rivet gun real soon so I can start putting it back together.


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## Chicken Patty (Feb 1, 2010)

PCP&C rocks


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## 1Kurgan1 (Feb 2, 2010)

Chicken Patty said:


> PCP&C rocks



Thats what I hear, I won't be using it till I put the 922 together complete, just use my 950W till then. Anyways, heres the sexyness.


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## Chicken Patty (Feb 2, 2010)

1Kurgan1 said:


> Thats what I hear, I won't be using it till I put the 922 together complete, just use my 950W till then. Anyways, heres the sexyness.
> 
> http://www3.picturepush.com/photo/a/2864531/800/Project:-Irate/PC%26P-750W.jpg



I have a Turbo Cool 860W, but power outtages got the best of it.  They are beasty my friend


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## 1Kurgan1 (Feb 2, 2010)

They are pricey, I got mine for a nice price, don't think I could swing one of them new, but this ones mint, so worked out nicely.


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## Chicken Patty (Feb 2, 2010)

1Kurgan1 said:


> They are pricey, I got mine for a nice price, don't think I could swing one of them new, but this ones mint, so worked out nicely.



yeah they are a bit on the pricey side but their build quality makes it worth it.  You get a test results sheet with it and all.


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## 1Kurgan1 (Apr 7, 2010)

Well just ordered a 5970 last night, and a bunch of WC junk to finish my loop. Wondering if anyone knows of a place that sells some 1/2" 90 barbs or compression fittings for a cheaper price. Frozencpu has them for $8 each, only need 2, but $16 for 2 barbs is a bit painful.


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## steelkane (Apr 7, 2010)

I have a PC going to Minnesota tomorrow using an older PCP&C 850ssi. it was bought new when they first came out. years later & the 4th pc & still running strong. were it's going is a cow farm.  have to send it with a APC-UPS because of power issues there. just a little info about the strength of PCP&C


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## 1Kurgan1 (Apr 7, 2010)

Yeah, I'm looking forward to using the PC&P, I just hope its up to the task as I should be running a 5970 and a 6 core here very soon. 

And damn WCing hurts my wallet, just ordered the rest of the bits to finish up my CPU loop, 8ft of black tubing (I'm sure thats too much, that should be enough for my VGA loop later), 6 barbs, and some elbows, comes out to $56 after shipping for just tubing and barbs, very painful. Still need the barbs for my VGA loop later, probably want 1 more rad for that, need 5 more beefy fans and 6 more fittings :/


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## sNiPeRbOb (Apr 7, 2010)

Welcome to the wonderful world of WC Kurgan lol. WC usually equals a big price tag (if you do it right lol) but the good news is that if you pick all your components right your loops become future-proof, where you can upgrade hardware but not need to upgrade the WC loop.  I wanna see more pictures!


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## 1Kurgan1 (Apr 8, 2010)

My first loop (one I'm using right now I got by pretty darn cheap and good good results out of, but it only cools my proc and only uses a dual rad.) Now there will be at least a triple rad for the proc and possibly another 120mm one. And for the VGA loop at least 1 dual rad and possibly another dual rad, and even then I still got room for a single 160mm - 200mm rad up front. Thats a lot of rad for a mid tower, things going to be so heavy. Should be a lot more pics now, just spend $20 on more sand paper, primer, rivet gun, and some rivets.


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## crazyeyesreaper (Apr 8, 2010)

love PCP&C  i got the EXACT same powersupply you got there Kurgan crossfire red and all  things a tank for a PSU 2 5850s 940be 8gigs ram 4hdds 2 dvd drives and  10 fans etc etc so it should serve you damn well and i cant wait to see this thing finished


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## DannibusX (Apr 8, 2010)

What did you use for the primer, Kurg?  I like the look of that.


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## 1Kurgan1 (Apr 8, 2010)

Just a flat black Krylon primer I think. I got to start sanding down the actual tower within the next few days, thats the big step, once thats out of the way it won't be too much longer. I won't be doing the GPU loop quite yet and I won't be doing a few other things, I'm going to be selling my CM690, so just need to get the 922 up and running then I'll finish off those last few bits.


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## mdsx1950 (Apr 8, 2010)

Subscribed. This modding is awesome


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## brandonwh64 (Apr 21, 2010)

nice progress so far!!! cant wait to see whats next


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## 1Kurgan1 (Apr 21, 2010)

brandonwh64 said:


> nice progress so far!!! cant wait to see whats next



I been sleeping lately, but modding is still going on as far as hardware. Got a 28" Monitor, PII 955 BE just showed up, and 2x 5850's should be here soon. Hopefully will have time to sand and paint some more soon.


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## 1Kurgan1 (May 9, 2012)

Well after 2 years of the case sitting, I have finally returned to it. It was initially to house my WC setup, but since I never finished that I just never finished the case. Well I finally got around to finishing that WC setup, so I figured it deserves a good home. ( Insert gratuitous WC pictures)































So I dug the case out from it's resting place (under my basement stairs) to look at what I had. After sitting for that long, it had got chips in the primer I had done and in the factory paint (the sad part as I didn't want to repaint the whole case). Also after 2 years of mopping the house (which included the stairs) some water had collected on the case a few times. Not a lot and thankfully not on metal, only on the parts I had primed, so no rust, but the primer was now junk, covered in grime and scratched. It was time to completely strip down the stuff I had done and start over. So I sanded down the entire case and re-primed it all with 3 coats. Then I sanded it down again, only finer this time and primed it with 3 more coats. Then I went really fine on the sanding and hit it with paint. I've painted a few cases and none have turned out this well. Some looked great unless you looked for imperfections, some chipped easily, or some looked good only from certain angles. This just looked great, I feathered down the exterior scratches in the factory paint and resprayed those spots, then asked the fiancee if she could spot where I had repaired (as the ultimate test), and she couldn't. I'm extatic, it looks as if the case came this way.










I got a few more finishing touches to do (cut some holes for rads), then it's basically done and I will start putting the hardware in it (hopefully next week). The only thing I have to figure is what to do with HDDs. I'm thinking of just building an external rack from the original HDD cage (notice it's not in the pictures). That way swapping of drives between comps will be easy and it cleans up the inside of the case.

Long term plans are to replace the CM Window Side Panel (that I got from the CM store) acrylic with smoked acrylic. And then to cut out HAF from the side panel and put acrylic behind that and light it up. But those are long term, and I probably won't bother with those till next year.


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## Cold Storm (May 9, 2012)

Man, I was thinking about this build not to long ago.. going threw stuff and seeing I had one of the two brackets from MM for the hdd..

keep it up man!


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## 1Kurgan1 (May 17, 2012)

A few more presents have shown up, I went ab it crazy and decided to indulge myself and got these 





Also my HAF sidepanel showed up, got to paint that, probably try and get this all into the case next Monday I think.



Cold Storm said:


> Man, I was thinking about this build not to long ago.. going threw stuff and seeing I had one of the two brackets from MM for the hdd..
> 
> keep it up man!



Yeah I still got those in my mind, I don't think I'm going to end up going that route, but it's still possible. I like the idea of an external HDD rack a bit better though. But that is one of the reasons I revived this old thread rather than make a new one, because a few great suggestions by MK.


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## TheoneandonlyMrK (May 18, 2012)

Heh , nice build , i got something similar as my main rig, different case but some similar kit, i went with acrylic clear Ek blocks, but either way they're good , my cards have been folding all,, well ever lol, but lately at a newly CC inspired 1025 and never go over 51 core 61 vrms 

i went mad with rads thoguh ,my Kandalf case has a 320(poor one) in the swinging door but ive added a reasonable 240(front) and 120(rear), but lately ive been thinking what about a massive rad  External with low spd fans, just sharein a thought and thats a green smile cos of that lovely Gfx card you have


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## 1Kurgan1 (May 18, 2012)

Eventually I plan more rad in this, I kinda wish I could go thicker on that rads, but such is the limit of a internal dual loop on a mid-tower. But for now the 320 on the cpu and the 240 on the gpu's seems to do great (max I ever see on the cards is 33c). In the future I might put a 180 by the front case fan and maybe a 120 on the back case fan, doubt I'll ever need that many rads, but why not if I can, have 4 rads internal on a mid tower will be pretty funny (but things going to be heavy).


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## 1Kurgan1 (Jul 31, 2012)

And the case is done for this year!

I installed the top light, then I couldn't find the Res cover, so I took the stock grills for the drive bays and pulled the grates metal off the plastic frames that clipped in. Cut a hole in one to see the Res water level, then mounted them. So now it looks great!

Next year maybe cut out the HAF logo on the side and put acrylic and a light behind it, then I think the case is done all together.


































I think it turned out great, I'm extremely happy with it. Also I did add 1 new hardware piece between the last pictures and now. Borderlands 2 is coming out, and I picked up Batman AC, and since I got so much invested in this build already, playing anything at less than maxed out just won't do. So I picked up a 9800GT from a friend for cheap to use and a Physx card. You can see the poor thing under the bottom 7970, look at how close it is the PSU, not much breathing room, good thing it was single slot. This poor mid-tower has about as much in it as possible, so much that my HDD's are external, she is quite heavy. But it turned out great and external drives make drive swapping easy, I'm super happy with the end result.


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## t_ski (Jul 31, 2012)

How are the temps on the bottom card since you have the two in serial?  I usually set up my dual cards in parallel...


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## 1Kurgan1 (Jul 31, 2012)

Yeah I was thinking about running two lines between each, but I didn't pick up an extra kit to go between them (and I didn't really want to use tubing). So I just went with this, and funny thing is, card 2 actually runs cooler than card 1....

Here's a Afterburner screen during a BF3 session (card 3 is the air cooled 9800GT sitting idle, funny to see an idle card 20C over cards running a game )


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## t_ski (Aug 1, 2012)

The second card is probably not being used as much as card 1, so it may be pulling lower clocks.  Check your GPU activity/load % in Afterburner and keep an eye on the speeds.  I have my GPU stats set up to display on my Logitech G15 keyboard, which is nice.  I can see loads & temps while benching or gaming across all three monitors.


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## manofthem (Aug 1, 2012)

to your build, looks very sweet!  You gotta love the 7970cfx!  Very awesome!


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## 1Kurgan1 (Aug 1, 2012)

t_ski said:


> The second card is probably not being used as much as card 1, so it may be pulling lower clocks.  Check your GPU activity/load % in Afterburner and keep an eye on the speeds.  I have my GPU stats set up to display on my Logitech G15 keyboard, which is nice.  I can see loads & temps while benching or gaming across all three monitors.



Yeah thats most likely it, I don't think parallel will provide much if any better cooling, it might be marginal, but I'm not too worried. Even looking at the screen I put up, it shows max temp for each card and the 2nd cards max temp is 7C lower than Card 1, so under load it must just run a lot cooler since it doesn't push as much of the load.



manofthem said:


> to your build, looks very sweet!  You gotta love the 7970cfx!  Very awesome!



Thanks, yeah I've always wanted to CF and WC, mostly because it looks so sexy. And now I got it, and I got to say, it lives up to everything I expected looks wise.


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## manofthem (Aug 1, 2012)

t_ski said:


> How are the temps on the bottom card since you have the two in serial?  I usually set up my dual cards in parallel...





1Kurgan1 said:


> Yeah thats most likely it, I don't think parallel will provide much if any better cooling, it might be marginal, but I'm not too worried. Even looking at the screen I put up, it shows max temp for each card and the 2nd cards max temp is 7C lower than Card 1, so under load it must just run a lot cooler since it doesn't push as much of the load.



You guys have got me thinking now about running my cards in parallel....I have my 7970s in serial currently. As it is, card 2 usually is about 1-2*C warmer than card 1, I figured just because it's second, but maybe it's worth it to try a parallel config. 

One more thing, I really like the painting of the interior of the case Kurgan. My 932 is not painted. I've wanted to paint it but it looks like a lot of work. I haven't really tried taking the case apart but it didn't look easy. Now I have lots to think about, thanks


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## 1Kurgan1 (Aug 1, 2012)

manofthem said:


> You guys have got me thinking now about running my cards in parallel....I have my 7970s in serial currently. As it is, card 2 usually is about 1-2*C warmer than card 1, I figured just because it's second, but maybe it's worth it to try a parallel config.
> 
> One more thing, I really like the painting of the interior of the case Kurgan. My 932 is not painted. I've wanted to paint it but it looks like a lot of work. I haven't really tried taking the case apart but it didn't look easy. Now I have lots to think about, thanks



Well we both have basically the same blocks and my card 2 is running a bit cooler than card 1. As far as read, parallel is just better for matching the temps of the card. After all you run your line in and your line out, the config of serial or parallel is going to have a smaller effect on the flow as long as your pump is cut out for the job.

And you can paint your case easily, and it will look good, but the paint will scratch off easily. Even with good sanding it still can, I was tempted to try and use my oven to bake the paint (kind of like powder coating), but I didn't. I highly suggested taking the rivets out and sanding it down, I used something like 120 grit scuff pad and then 400 scuff pad, and then primed it. Then did 400 then 600 then painted. I just used my dremel to drill out all the rivets, then bought a rivet gun and riveted it back together when I was done painting it. That will get you the best results, otherwise you will have a hard time hitting some of those weird angles.


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## HammerON (Aug 8, 2012)

Nice build! I love dual loops myself. How are your loops set-up (can't tell from your pics)?


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## 1Kurgan1 (Aug 9, 2012)

I'm running the triple rad (top rad) for the CPU and the dual rad (on the bottom) for the GPU's.


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