# Project: Qube³



## stuartpb (Mar 27, 2009)

I am new to these forums so hi everyone. This is my new project built around the monster of a case, the MM U2-UFO. It has been powder coated Candy Purple, with the grilles, motherboard tray and 5 1/4" bays painted gloss white. Here's the full specifications of the build: 

(Edited 23rd June to show hardware changes)

*Main Components:*

Mountain Mods U2-UFO 
Asus P6T 
Intel Core i7 920 
OCZ Gold PC3-10666 
2x 500Gb Barracuda's 
CM Silent Pro M 700w PSU 
Asus 20x DVD-RW
GPU Unconfirmed
5" LCD Screen fitted in 3x 5.25" Drive Bay

*Watercooling Equipment: *
1/2" tubing 
9x 120mm Fans 

*CPU loop:*
ThermoChill PA120.3 - 360 Radiator 
12V Laing DDC-Pro (modded to Ultra) w/XSPC  Pump Top/Res 
EK Supreme waterblock

*GPU Loop:* 
ThermoChill PA120.2 - 240 Radiator 
12V Laing DDC-Pro (modded to Ultra) w/XSPC  Pump Top/Res
Waterblock Unconfirmed

As I have still to buy the watercooling equipment, I expect the project to take a month or so to complete. I only took delivery of the case today, and I won't be building in it till I have everything I need. I am tempted to get the fans and run the rig on air cooling though

Here's some pictures of the empty case:




















I think the purple and white theme look pretty good, and it will be mirrored in the choice of fans, lighting and tubing. I can't wait to get going on this project, I have been dying to get my hands on a Mountain Mods case for a while now.

Cheers,

Stu


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## red268 (Mar 27, 2009)

That case looks very nice.

I'm very tired though, and I'm getting very confused by it. What sits behind the motherboard? Looks like there's room for something behind it, or am I losing it?


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## 3870x2 (Mar 27, 2009)

Already looks beautiful, looking forward to more!

The mothARboard tray sits behind the mothARboard.


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## stuartpb (Mar 27, 2009)

Thanks fellas. I should have taken a photo of the internals, I will put one up in a bit. The motherboard tray divides the case inside, with the mobo, HD's, and main components on one half, and the optical drives and PSU on the other.


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## LittleLizard (Mar 27, 2009)

pics with the hardware inside, it looks very good, also welcome to tpu 

PD: fill the system specs so u dont have to write them always


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## red268 (Mar 27, 2009)

stuartpb said:


> Thanks fellas. I should have taken a photo of the internals, I will put one up in a bit. The motherboard tray divides the case inside, with the mobo, HD's, and main components on one half, and the optical drives and PSU on the other.



I see! Nice way to seperate out the hot PSU I suppose. Takes up some floor space though!


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## stuartpb (Mar 27, 2009)

LittleLizard said:


> pics with the hardware inside, it looks very good, also welcome to tpu



Thanks for the welcome I have to get all the watercooling gear before I start building. I will keep posting with the latest developments though. My first job is to order all the fans and sort the cables with some braiding. I will be starting that sometime over the weekend. I am also going to have a bash at making my own controller for all the fans.




red268 said:


> I see! Nice way to seperate out the hot PSU I suppose. Takes up some floor space though!



It look massive to be honest, but it's 18" cubed, so it will fit on my desk (hopefully)


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## stuartpb (Mar 29, 2009)

I have been thinking about a fan controller over the last couple of days, and have decided to go for a Sunbeam Rheobus. I have heard that the LED's used in this controller are blindingly bright, so I am going to kill two birds with one stone and paint the front bezel and dials gloss white. It will make the controller blend in with the case style and should dampen down the leds too.

I like this controller because it can handle 20w on each channel, and has 4 channels, so I can rig all the fans up on one controller. I have still to decide on the fans I am going to use, but I will definitely be using white bladed ones. As I'm going to be running the finished rig on a modest OC, I could get away with some low CFM fans. I want to be running as quiet as I can with this rig. I have seen some Nexus fans that I may order - any thoughts on these would be appreciated


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## BumbleBee (Mar 29, 2009)

stuartpb said:


> I have been thinking about a fan controller over the last couple of days, and have decided to go for a Sunbeam Rheobus. I have heard that the LED's used in this controller are blindingly bright, so I am going to kill two birds with one stone and paint the front bezel and dials gloss white. It will make the controller blend in with the case style and should dampen down the leds too.
> 
> I like this controller because it can handle 20w on each channel, and has 4 channels, so I can rig all the fans up on one controller. I have still to decide on the fans I am going to use, but I will definitely be using white bladed ones. As I'm going to be running the finished rig on a modest OC, I could get away with some low CFM fans. I want to be running as quiet as I can with this rig. I have seen some Nexus fans that I may order - any thoughts on these would be appreciated



nail polish works. Nexus Fans are a Yate Loon variant.


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## grunt_408 (Mar 29, 2009)

That case looks magik  I like it! This link http://archive.atomicmpc.com.au/forums.asp?s=2&c=18&t=4523 I think its the same case???


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## Hayder_Master (Mar 29, 2009)

good work my friend , welcome to tpu


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## Geofrancis (Mar 30, 2009)

Are you going to use white led fans or white bladed fans?

I think it would look good with purple led fans with some white uv fluid in your water cooling setup or white fans with the purple fluid.


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## Darknova (Mar 30, 2009)

Looks really nice, I had planned to get a MM case and try a watercooling loop in it, just never have the time, or money (have you seen the shipping costs to the UK?).



3870x2 said:


> The mothARboard tray sits behind the mothARboard.



MothERboard.


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## stuartpb (Mar 30, 2009)

Geofrancis said:


> Are you going to use white led fans or white bladed fans? I think it would look good with purple led fans with some white uv fluid in your water cooling setup or white fans with the purple fluid.



I am going to use white bladed fans on the front and top of the case. On the rear I will be using clear Yate Loons with white LED's. I am going to be using 2 loops with different colours in each. I am thinking about using white tubing on one loop though, and maybe purple coolant in clear tubing on the other. 



hayder.master said:


> good work my friend , welcome to tpu



Thanks



Craigleberry said:


> That case looks magik  I like it! This link http://archive.atomicmpc.com.au/forums.asp?s=2&c=18&t=4523 I think its the same case???



Thanks, and yes it's the same case. There are some very good case mods out there with the UFO, that's what attracted me to it.



Darknova said:


> Looks really nice, I had planned to get a MM case and try a watercooling loop in it, just never have the time, or money (have you seen the shipping costs to the UK?).



Thanks, they certainly aren't cheap. Especially with all the extras that you need to fill them


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## Darknova (Mar 30, 2009)

stuartpb said:


> Thanks, they certainly aren't cheap. Especially with all the extras that you need to fill them



Yeah, I saw that, there's no fans or anything is there? Just the basics of the case.


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## MoonPig (Mar 30, 2009)

wow, that looks damn nice. Looking forward to this... alot.

Where abouts in South Yorkshire are ya? I'm near Wakefield.


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## stuartpb (Mar 30, 2009)

Darknova said:


> Yeah, I saw that, there's no fans or anything is there? Just the basics of the case.



Nope no fans, and considering that you need 9 of them, that's £40-£100+ straight away



MoonPig said:


> wow, that looks damn nice. Looking forward to this... alot.
> 
> Where abouts in South Yorkshire are ya? I'm near Wakefield.



Cheers and I'm from Donny.


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## MoonPig (Mar 30, 2009)

yea, fans are stupidly expensive when you buy lots of them. The 5 i needed for my desk hurt . And im looking at 2 more... lol

I live on Donny road... haha. Crofton.


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## stuartpb (Mar 30, 2009)

Cool, nice to meet a fellow Yorkshireman


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## MoonPig (Mar 30, 2009)

it might be slow, but the UK is taking over TPU. One case mod at a time.

All we need now is decent prices.

When we looking for the next update?


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## stuartpb (Mar 30, 2009)

I have the fans on order, so they should be here this week. I am gonna build the rig without the wc setup this week too, so I can figure out the best layout for everything. Probs have some news and piccies by the weekend This builds gonna be a slowish one due to costs and the bank of missus having a fit at the costs


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## MoonPig (Mar 30, 2009)

haha, ok. Well, good luck with it. Not that you'll need it, its looks awesome sofar.


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## Geofrancis (Mar 30, 2009)

rule no 1 about modifying.....never tell the other half the price lol.


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## stuartpb (Mar 30, 2009)

Yeah, lesson learned there, shame I had to learn the hard way this time.


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## Th0rn0 (Mar 30, 2009)

Nice case mod! Kudos on been from Donny 

I live on donny road in barnsley xD

The yorkshire men are taking over!


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## stuartpb (Mar 30, 2009)

Yay, Yorkshire FTW


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## pro-infinity (Mar 30, 2009)

make that 3 from yorkshire moonpig i think its yorkshire taking over tpu


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## stuartpb (Mar 30, 2009)

We should get a Yorkshire modders club going


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## MoonPig (Mar 30, 2009)

+1. 

I'd join ;-)


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## Th0rn0 (Mar 31, 2009)

Yup


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## Deleted member 24505 (Mar 31, 2009)

Hello,another yorkshireman here,from hull east yorkshire.

Very nice,my mate has a ufo2,which is watercooled too.It does indeed cost a fortune for fans,i think he spent nigh on £100 on fans.

I just noticed your from hull too pro-infinity wow,were abouts are you?


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## Th0rn0 (Mar 31, 2009)

tigger said:


> Hello,another yorkshireman here,from hull east yorkshire.
> 
> Very nice,my mate has a ufo2,which is watercooled too.It does indeed cost a fortune for fans,i think he spent nigh on £100 on fans.
> 
> I just noticed your from hull too pro-infinity wow,were abouts are you?




Oh shi-

Yorkshire is talking over!


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## JousteR (Mar 31, 2009)

You Got all your wippets and flatcaps...?..
Mine say North of england but i do mean yorkshire of course...
A little village between doncaster and barnsley..In the dearne vally..


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## Th0rn0 (Mar 31, 2009)

Fuuuuck.

Barnsley FTW 

Which part?

/hijack thread


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## JousteR (Mar 31, 2009)

Bolton upon dearne...!


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## pro-infinity (Mar 31, 2009)

Im from Brough u?


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## stuartpb (Apr 2, 2009)

I have been busy as hell with work at the moment, so I haven't had the chance to do much work on the project. But I got the fans I ordered the other day. and fitted them to see what they looked like. They look pretty smart I reckon. I also got around to spraying the bezel on one of my DVD drives but had an accident with it. It's from the one without a bezel in the picture. I spent an hour or so prepping the bezel and spraying, then left it on some newspaper to dry on the side in the kitchen. One of the kids came in and put her horse riding magazine on top of it. It took me ages to peel all the magazine off it.I will do it again this weekend probably. The DVD with the bezel is an IDE drive and I won't be using that in the final build. 







I was going to try and get your opinion on the grilles. I have a load of purple grilles the same as the white ones. Not sure which to use tbh. I have a picture with a purple one fitted but my camera's batterys are on charge, so I will post back later.

I hooked the fans up with the molex connectors, and they are surprisingly quiet. I will be able to improve on this when I get them hooked up to the fan controller though.


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## MoonPig (Apr 2, 2009)

Im not sure you should have purple or white. Maybe black for a contrast. Quick spray one to see what it looks like.


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## Th0rn0 (Apr 2, 2009)

Looking very very good there Stuart!

Cant wait to see the finished project


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## Deleted member 24505 (Apr 2, 2009)

Did you string up the kid 

The fans look nice.i'd like one of them case,but there is only 1 place in the u to get them from,and the shipping is a killer.

I just had a couple of voddy and redbulls,its my fave drink at the moment.


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## stuartpb (Apr 13, 2009)

Still not had much time to get anything done yet. Works been mad at the mo and with the kids off school, we have had a few days out etc. I wanted to see what the purple fan grilles loked like instead of the white ones I fitted though so swapped a few yesterday. I reckon I am gonna go with the purple ones now:











Tomorrow, I start work on the braiding of the 9 fans. I will also be fitting the fan controller as soon as that's delivered.


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## pantherx12 (Apr 13, 2009)

stuartpb said:


> . One of the kids came in and put her horse riding magazine on top of it.



Dragon punch sir, Dragon punch.

Loving the look of this by the by.


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## MKmods (Apr 13, 2009)

I like the white grills better than the purp ones (the contrast looks very nice)  well done


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## stuartpb (Apr 18, 2009)

I am going to have a white bezelled fan controller and DVD drive in the white 5.25" bay, so I think that there would be too much white with the grilles as well. When the fans are running, it's like a solid wall of white, and it does look much better with the purple grilles when running.

Anyways, here's a quick update:

Right , I had to nip to the post office this morning for delivery I missed the other day. Turns out it wasn't what I was expecting and it was the Sunbeam Rheostat fan controller. I am going to be modding the controller, to sort out the overly bright LED's, and to make the front panel tie in with the rest of the case. It's my daughter's 3rd birthday today so I won't get time to get it all done today though, but I have managed to strip the controller down, give the panel a sanding and coat of primer. Here's what I have just done:


*Out of the box:*











*Stripped Down:*











*Masked Up:*






*Sanded:*






I will post back with more pics of the paint job and LED mods when I get a chance to finish them. I have given the panel a few coats of primer, just need that to go off before I put the gloss on.


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## technicks (Apr 18, 2009)

Looks very nice so far. Great case.


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## stuartpb (Apr 18, 2009)

technicks said:


> Looks very nice so far. Great case.



Cheers mate


Well, the kids all went home a couple of hours ago from my Daughter's party, so I got started on a few more jobs. I got the gloss coat down on the fan controller, and am stuck on that now till the paints hardened. So I decided to start on the 9 fans I have that need braiding. I also had to daisy chain them so I could use all the fans on the one controller. I now have a 3 fans daisy chained for the 360mm radiator, 2 fans daisy chained for the 240mm radiator, and another 2 daisy chained for the roof. That leaves 1 fan for above the mobo on the rear panel on it's own.

Here's some pics of one of the x2 daisy chains:

Before, as you can see the cables would look a right mess if left like this.






I cut off the ends, I am only using one of the yellow (sensor) cables as using more than one can make the mobo get false readings on fan speed. The one I wasn't using was just trimmed back:







Soldered the cables from the fan to the extension pieces:






Used some heatshrink to cover the joins:






And voila, braiding done:






Close up of the 3pin with heatshrink:






Finally, how it will look when the fans are fixed in place. It looks a hell of a lot tidier, and it means I can control 9 120mm fans with just the one controller.


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## aCid888* (Apr 19, 2009)

Very tidy mate.....I have the exact same fan controller yet mines black, cost me around $10 from DirectCanada.  My only issue with it are the LED's...very very bright.

You've given me some inspiration to do something about them in the coming weeks.


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## stuartpb (May 4, 2009)

Thanks and no worries mate. 

Not much been happening on the build as of lately. I have been busy with other stuff and not had much chance to get alot done. I have been taking a closer look at the case though and decided to swap out the HD & PWR LED's. They were white and looked out of place, as the fan controller LED's are blue. I'm going to get some blue LED's tommorow and fit them. I wouldn't mind trying a different panel mount on the LED's too, the ones that were fitted stick out like a sore thumb. 

I am also considering using acrylic behind the wire mesh on the panels. I really like the idea of using mirrored acrylic, the stuff you can see through when a light is behind it. Not sure how well it would work on this build though or if at all. Looks like I will be experimenting on that this week too.

Hopefully, over the next two weeks, I can get alot more done with the rig. As always, I will post back with the latest updates.


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## stuartpb (May 13, 2009)

I still haven't had time to get much done with the build. I replaced the HD & power LED's as mentioned in my previous post. I have also ordered some LED's to replace the ones fitted on the SunBeam Rheostat fan controller. The original ones are way too bright for my liking and they need to go. I am expecting delivery of those today, so I should be able to get some pics up of the new LED's when I have fitted them.

I have also decided to go with the white fan grilles, instead of the purple ones. I have been dithering over which to go with for a few weeks now, but I have finally made my mind up. I also got the first of my radiators, a PA120.3 and have test fitted it. I will edit this post later with all the latest in pics.

EDIT: I dropped a bollock with the new LED's for the fan controller. They are just as bright as the old ones, and apart from the originals being clear lensed and the new ones being diffuse, there is no difference. :wallbash: I'm just gonna stick with them as they are now with the new ones. 





The new blue power and HD LED's, which replaced the old clear white ones.






The new LED's fitted in the SunBeam Rheostat fan controller. Up to 7v the LED's shine red, over 7v and they shine blue.






New look with the new LED's and white fan grilles.






This is the first rad to be used in the build, a Thermochill PA120.3, with 3x 120 Nexus Real Silent fans daisy chained.


*Jobs left to do:*

Sort wc loops out, still need to buy pumps, 1x PA120.2 and fans, res's & wb's for CPU & GPU
Sort cable management out
Sort lighting out
Sort out DVD drive bezel
Thinking of fitting a 20x4 LCD screen, as I will have a spare bay on the 5.25" rack


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## MKmods (May 13, 2009)

beautiful attention to detail...well done


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## BOBDBONE (May 14, 2009)

Hey this is looking great!

I just love the color combo. Can't wait to see more progress.


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## stuartpb (Jun 8, 2009)

MKmods said:


> beautiful attention to detail...well done





BOBDBONE said:


> Hey this is looking great!
> 
> I just love the color combo. Can't wait to see more progress.



Thanks guys

I have some more progress on the build. I was considering using an LCD screen for the build as I had 3x 5.25" bays to fill up. Well I done some digging around and found a mod guide on using a PSOne screen. So I managed to get hold of a screen a while ago, but have only just got around to sorting it out. I think it's turned out pretty well. I still have to finish the internal wiring and put some sealant around the screen. I have managed to get the screen running, and I will be creating a config file for Samurize. The LCD will have system info on it (updated real time) with some nice graphs etc.

Here's what's been done so far:







I stripped the screen down and removed it from the plastic casing. 






As the screen is PAL, a little mod had to be done so that the backlight would function






I had some spare 5mm white acrylic that I used for the bezel. It takes up 3x 5.25" bays. The bezel is fixed to the drive cage by some cut off bezel sides that I screwed on to the rear of this bezel.






Here the screen is after being secured to the bezel and plugged in. Works a treat and looks the mutts nutts As I said, I will be filling the gap around the screen with some white sealant. 






Excuse the paw prints The build is starting to take shape now, and I am looking forward to finishing the little jobs left on the screen and starting the watercooling. I've still got to sort out that damned DVD drive bezel too


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## MKmods (Jun 8, 2009)

I have to repeat, your attention to detail is excellent. 

I bet you are getting excited that it is getting closer to being finished..


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## MoonPig (Jun 8, 2009)

You have too much money... i want some!

Take a drive north-west and donate me something! lol

Awesome work man, doing Yorkshire proud. - Take that Southerners!


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## BOBDBONE (Jun 9, 2009)

Man I just love this thing!!

That screen is really awesome. Keep posting pics. Great job.


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## Th0rn0 (Jun 9, 2009)

MoonPig said:


> You have too much money... i want some!
> 
> Take a drive north-west and donate me something! lol
> 
> Awesome work man, doing Yorkshire proud. - Take that Southerners!



+1


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## reverze (Jun 9, 2009)

Nice LCD.

I had a few of those setting around a few years ago but never got around to modding them into my PC..


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## computertechy (Jun 9, 2009)

wow! i didnt notice this stu!

could of told me on msn!

i love it!


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## stuartpb (Jun 9, 2009)

Thanks guys, I'm glad there's more than just me who likes the build. My missus isn't too keen, but that's women for you



MoonPig said:


> You have too much money... i want some!
> 
> Take a drive north-west and donate me something! lol
> 
> Awesome work man, doing Yorkshire proud. - Take that Southerners!



The screen only cost me £15 from ebay, and the leads I had to buy were another couple of quid. I already had some acrylic to use so it's stood me at less than £20.



computertechy said:


> wow! i didnt notice this stu!
> 
> could of told me on msn!
> 
> i love it!



I never mentioned it cos I was reading your log. Yours is looking great too pal

Anyways, I got the DVD bezel finished, so the front panel is done at last!!! YAY!!! I am in two minds whether to use sealant to fill the gap around the screen, as there is a nice glow from the LCD backlight, it doesn't show up too well in the pics, but I like it. I still have to finish off creating the config file for the Samurize screen which is shown on the LCD. At the moment I have the temps, CPU & mem loads, and C drive space showing. I will be adding more tonight.

Here's how it looks:


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## Bo$$ (Jun 9, 2009)

very nice keep it going


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## MoonPig (Jun 9, 2009)

stuartpb said:


> The screen only cost me £15 from ebay, and the leads I had to buy were another couple of quid. I already had some acrylic to use so it's stood me at less than £20.



£15!

Tempting... lol

What leads?


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## stuartpb (Jun 9, 2009)

I got a Sony 3.5mm to Composite camcorder lead. The 3.5mm end plugs into the LCD controller board, and the Composite goes into the Composite to S-Video lead that came with my graphics card. The S-Video end plugs into my graphics card. I have to get a PSOne car power adaptor yet, so I can run the screen off the PSU. The screen runs at 7.5v and the adaptor converts 12v down to 7.5v. I will be modding the adaptor so it will draw power from one of the molex's. All the cables are going to be trimmed down as required, and I will be spending some time on the cable management too.


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## Cuzza (Jun 10, 2009)

*DUDE, line up the slots on your screws! That is so amateur.*






Sorry I'm just being a dick there, seriously it's frickin cool.


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## HammerON (Jun 10, 2009)

Wow!
This is seriously a nice build 
Thanks for sharing~


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## tzitzibp (Jun 10, 2009)

really superb overall work....

nice choice of colours, lots of modding and detailed pics... thanks for sharing, mate!

btw, Yorkshire people... don't know how old you all are, but if you are 28+ I probably served you tons of lager at the Leadmill, and at the Unit clubs or even seen you down at the Niche (miss it). I worked at the first two for about 3 years... happy days!


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## stuartpb (Jun 10, 2009)

Thanks fellas, I really appreciate your feedback

@Cuzza, I tried lining the screws up bu they just won't have it unless I leave some loose.

@tzitzibp I used to go to the Leadmill in the early 90's, and I think I have been to Niche a few times. There was a club in Sheffield that used to lay on a coach from Doncaster, and I can't remember 100% if it was Niche, but I am pretty sure it was. I saw some great bands at the Leadmill (Stereo MC's, Cast, Coldplay etc etc.) Brings back some great memories


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## tzitzibp (Jun 10, 2009)

stuartpb said:


> @tzitzibp I used to go to the Leadmill in the early 90's, and I think I have been to Niche a few times. There was a club in Sheffield that used to lay on a coach from Doncaster, and I can't remember 100% if it was Niche, but I am pretty sure it was. I saw some great bands at the Leadmill (Stereo MC's, Cast, Coldplay etc etc.) Brings back some great memories



thats the one...



stuartpb said:


> Thanks fellas, I really appreciate your feedback



you got a killer rig there man!


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## Cuzza (Jun 11, 2009)

stuartpb said:


> @Cuzza, I tried lining the screws up bu they just won't have it unless I leave some loose.



I hate it when that happens. mind you it's just nitpicking when you start worrying about that sort ofthing. damn I need a new project; sooooo idle right now


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## stuartpb (Jun 11, 2009)

Get cracking then! No time like the present and all that I am going to be bored as hell when I get this one finished. I promised the missus I would at least wait a few months before my next rig

Small Update:

I got another job out of the way last night and finished the screen display, using Samurize. It's a nifty little piece of software, which allows you to create system info in a nice way. I'm still not 100% happy with what I have done but the colours tie in with the case and there's enough info on there for now. The screen is running at 1024x764, so I had to make the text and images pretty large to make it readable on the 5"LCD. Here's a screen capture of the display:






I may have another mess around with Samurize over the weekend if I get time.


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## Odin Eidolon (Jun 11, 2009)

awesome! good job!


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## tzitzibp (Jun 11, 2009)

nice temps on that i7 !


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## stuartpb (Jun 12, 2009)

Thanks mate! I am hoping to shave a few degrees off when the rig gets its wc installed.

*Samurize Update 2:*

I have finished with the samurize config at last. I was struggling to get the sceens to rotate so that I could use more than one screen at a time. I also wanted the media info to be on a seperate screen, and to kick in only when music files were being played then revert back to the other info files when done playing. It's taken me a long while to sort it out, having never used Samurize before but I have done it at last. The spectrum analyser turned out to be a major PITA too!  Everythings working great now, and it may not look brilliant but I am chuffed with it.

Here's screen one, which the screen starts with when the rig is switched on:





This is screen two, which fades in after 60 seconds. I may add to this page, with more network related info:





This is the media info screen, which kicks in when a media players starts up. This page took me friggin ages, as the 18 band spectrum analyser was a git to do. I really like this page though.





Here's how it looks on the LCD, minus the dodgy lines etc. The quality of the images is much better in the flesh. My camera makes it look crap.





So that's the screen done and dusted now (maybe a few tweaks here and there), so onwards and upwards to the watercooling next.


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## tzitzibp (Jun 12, 2009)

its obvious that u know what you are doing and I think the best thing to do is experiment a bit more till u are absolutely satisfied with results! Otherwise it will just haunt u and u'll end up coming back to it!

I am impressed, btw!


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## Odin Eidolon (Jun 12, 2009)

what about enabling lyrics to be shown on the screen?


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## stuartpb (Jun 12, 2009)

tzitzibp said:


> its obvious that u know what you are doing and I think the best thing to do is experiment a bit more till u are absolutely satisfied with results! Otherwise it will just haunt u and u'll end up coming back to it!
> 
> I am impressed, btw!



Thanks I am sure I will have another mess about with it at a later stage. I want to get finished up on the wc setup now though as I have been putting it off for ages. It's my least favourite of the jobs left to do



Odin Eidolon said:


> what about enabling lyrics to be shown on the screen?



I like that idea, but I wouldn't have a clue how to implement it Using the screen does put some overheads on the system resources and I wonder if the script needed would be much of a drain?


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## DreamSeller (Jun 12, 2009)

can anyone tell me what are the max temps for the i7 ?


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## Odin Eidolon (Jun 12, 2009)

stuartpb said:


> Thanks I am sure I will have another mess about with it at a later stage. I want to get finished up on the wc setup now though as I have been putting it off for ages. It's my least favourite of the jobs left to do
> 
> 
> 
> I like that idea, but I wouldn't have a clue how to implement it Using the screen does put some overheads on the system resources and I wonder if the script needed would be much of a drain?



shouldnt be that hard to do. still i'm not an expert. using a player which supports lyrics auto searching would be a nice start. Under Linux its for sure possible, dunno under Windows tho


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## stuartpb (Jun 12, 2009)

Well I will do some digging around, see if it's something I can do. Thanks for the idea btw

I'm not going to get much done till the end of next week now, as I am busy up until then. I am really itching to get this build finished now though


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## stuartpb (Jun 19, 2009)

I have just this minute ordered some more kit for the build:

1x XSPC DDC top/reservior
4x 12" UV CCFL's
2m XSPC 1/2" hose
1x Feser View purple UV dye
1x 12v Car Adaptor for the LCD screen
1x Arctic Silver 5


I have ordered this lot so I can get the CPU loop done. Once the order comes in, I will have everything to get it done. It will consist of the following:

Modded Laing DDC Pro (modded from 10w to 18w Ultra)
XSPC pump top/res
Thermochill PA120.3 Rad
EK Supreme waterblock
1/2" tubing
Distilled water with Feser UV dye and water additives.

I still have everything to buy for the GPU loop, but my GTX280 started crapping out last week, so I am leaving this until I decide which GPU to go with. It will be a ballache working around the CPU loop when fitting, but it's going to be a while till I know what's happening with the GPU itself. I currently have an ATI 4850 installed but this is only temporary. Pics will follow when I get the gear (hopefully tomorrow or Monday).

I need the car adaptor for the screen because it is currently running of the mains adaptor. So I will be modding the car adaptor to run off a 12v molex from the PC's PSU. Then I will be boxing the LCD, it's circuit boards and the modded car adaptor in somehow so it doesn't look a mess.


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## tzitzibp (Jun 19, 2009)

stuartpb said:


> I need the car adaptor for the screen because it is currently running of the mains adaptor. So I will be modding the car adaptor to run off a 12v molex from the PC's PSU. Then I will be boxing the LCD, it's circuit boards and the modded car adaptor in somehow so it doesn't look a mess.



this should be most interesting! I 'll be paying attention to the details of this...

hope you get all the staff soon and get on with it!


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## stuartpb (Jun 19, 2009)

Thanks mate, as soon as I get the car adaptor I am gonna start putting some ideas together for the box to hold it all in. Might have it cracked by the end of next week (hopefully).


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## stuartpb (Jun 22, 2009)

I got my ordered bits and bobs today and set about installing the CPU loop. It took me an hour or so, and I am pretty pleased with it. 

The first job was to think about how I was going to mount the pump. I wanted it to be visible from the outside of the case, and hit upon an idea. I had two HDD brackets left that came with the case, which allows you to fix the HDD's to a 120mm fan. So I decided to use one of these and fix it sideways to the PA120.3 rad. I would then stick the pump onto the bracket, using the sticky foam pad that came with the pump: 








Here's the CPU waterblock I am using, the EK Supreme:







And the pump, which is a Swiftech MCP 350 (AKA Laing DDC Pro 10w). I have modded the pump so that it has the same performance of a DDC Ultra. I have also braided the cables for a neat finish.












Next up was to fit the waterblock onto the CPU/mobo. I used Arctic Silver 5 for the thermal paste. As the U2-UFO has a removeable mobo tray, it did make life easier.





With the temporary GPU fitted (ATi 4850)








Then I had to refit the mobo tray, which is as easy as tightening 5 thumbscrews. I also fitted the pump/res at this stage too.






Next up was to cut the tubing to length and fit it. 







Once I was happy with the tube placement, I used the worm clips to secure the tubes, and filled the loop up. It took some time to remove the air bubbles and a foam was created when the dye and corrosion inhibitor was added, but this will settle soon.










I don't think it looks too shabby. I have installed 2x UV CCFL's, one along the top and one along the bottom edge on the left side of the case. I will do the same on the right side when I do the GFX loop. The effect doesn't look very good in the picture below, as it was still light and my camera was struggling to get a decent pic (well me). I will try and get some more done later tonight to see if I can capture the effect better. 







The CPU temps ahve shown a decent decrease under water, and I would expect a few more degrees once the Arctic Silver 5 has bedded in (200hrs). 





So that's the CPU loop done and dusted. The pump works a treat when modded, and saved me a few quid too. I like the effect of the UV lights, and didn't want the case interior to be glowing massively. I just wanted the tubes to be shining and visible through the white mesh.

Next up is the LCD car adaptor mod and the GPU/wc loop setup. So watch this space


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## Assassin48 (Jun 22, 2009)

i like it !
how many uv lights are in there ?

only 2 uv lights and you get that effect wow


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## stuartpb (Jun 22, 2009)

Cheers pal. Yeah those CCFL's are working a treat. I thought I would have to use 4 of them per side to get the effect I wanted but 2 are enough.

No-one here has seen my boo-boo then? Great! 

When I fitted the EK Supreme, the springs were supposed to go in-between the fastening nut and the waterblock. I fitted them, in my haste, between the mobo and the waterblock. Someone else spotted it in another forum, and pointed out the error of my ways. Anyways, mistake has been rectified


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## MKmods (Jun 22, 2009)

lol, here at TPU we re too polite to point out flaws/mistakes...

That said is there a chance to replace the hose clamps with something a bit cleaner.
(those look like they are made for a larger diam hose so they arent gripping  evenly all the way around the hose as they could be)


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## stuartpb (Jun 22, 2009)

Thanks for the feedback, and for not pointing out my gaffe

I will be using some compression fittings when I have saved some more cash. The Bank of Wife is watching my expenditure like a hawk. The clamps don't look nowhere near as good, but they are watertight and will have to do until my next cash splurdge


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## MKmods (Jun 22, 2009)

these are really nice too
http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=715

I get mine at a local auto parts store (less $) They grab 360deg, are easy to attach and can be painted (hint hint) to match your color scheme.

I really like how you mounted the pump


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## stuartpb (Jun 22, 2009)

They are very cool, thanks for the heads up!! I think they would look great. I hope there is a UK supplier who carrys these.


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## aCid888* (Jun 22, 2009)

You use the same pump/res as me and the same colour fluid....now I know why I went with purple. 

This keeps getting better and better.....I wouldn't mind some more pictures of the outside as it looks pretty damn nice..one of my favorite cases.


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## stuartpb (Jun 22, 2009)

Thanks

I am going to take the case downstairs tomorrow and get some good pics of the case (internal and external). The room where the PC currently is in is pretty cramped with all my gear, so I was struggling to get some decent pics.


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## aCid888* (Jun 22, 2009)

You should slap some Bitspower compression fittings on your loop..it would look sexy and avoid you cutting your tube with the awful clamps.

I hate the things with a passion.....I'm not even sure why them sell them for use in a rig. :shadedshu


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## tzitzibp (Jun 23, 2009)

aCid888* said:


> You should slap some Bitspower compression fittings on your loop..it would look sexy and avoid you cutting your tube with the awful clamps.
> 
> I hate the things with a passion.....I'm not even sure why them sell them for use in a rig. :shadedshu



 I use them along with all sorts of clamps... lol, I keep changing my loop and adding radiators or water blocks that I find it easier to just pop down to my local hardware supplies store and grab a few....

Compression fittings are by far the best (both for looks and safety of the loop), but sometimes you work with what you have! 

Btw, Bitspower are my favorite, too, but they are so hard to get in Greece, and shipping from the US is not really worth it ($$$)!


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## stuartpb (Jun 23, 2009)

tzitzibp said:


> Compression fittings are by far the best (both for looks and safety of the loop), but sometimes you work with what you have!



That was pretty much the case for me yesterday, as I only had the wormclips to hand. I like the compression fittings but grudge paying that much for them. It the Scots/Yorkshire blood in me

I like MKmod's idea of using those clips and painting them to match the theme. If they were painted white they would look pretty cool I think.

Time for a recap on the project and to list the jobs left to do now. First here's some pics of the case as it is at the moment (please bear in mindd the project is still ongoing).





































So here's whats left to do now:


Get a new GPU (or wait for possible RMA on GTX280)
Buy hardware for 2nd watercooling loop (GPU loop). Need waterblock, pump and pump top/res. Also need 1x Thermochill PA120.2 and 2x 120mm fans.
Sort cables out, still some more braiding left to do and need to start tidying cables.
Still waiting for PSone screen car adaptor, needs modding.
LCD/circuit board and IO boards need sorting too, going to box them in somehow.
Change the wormclips on the CPU loop for something more visually pleasing, maybe compression fittings.
Paint DVD external casing white.
So there's not alot left to do now, the whole build has taken longer than expected but I have been grabbing spare time as and when I could to get work done on it. I am really looking forward to getting this build done and the next one underway.

EDIT: I still have to sort out the PCI slot covers too, nearly forgot about those.


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## Odin Eidolon (Jun 23, 2009)

awesomwnwss! what about painting the PSU too?


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## stuartpb (Jun 23, 2009)

Thanks

I was thinking about painting the rad and the PSU white. As it is though, they are hardly visible through the side panel mesh and I like it like that. If I did paint them white, they would be highly visible under the UV lights. I wanted the case to have a subtle look when lit, with the tubes being the most visible under UV. I think the best way to decribe my intention is 'understated'.

I have also come up with an idea to hide the 8 pin ATX cables, and the cable for the top mounted fans. I am going to use some white trunking the height of the mobo tray and stuck to the rear with some double sided tape. The cables will then run through the trunking out of sight. Not sure how I am going to tidy the rest of the cables yet, but I have a few ideas.


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## tzitzibp (Jun 23, 2009)

thanks for the picture sum up! fantastic work so far, mate! 5/5


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## stuartpb (Jun 23, 2009)

Thank you pal


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## tzitzibp (Jun 24, 2009)

well worth it, mate! hard work always shows!


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## computertechy (Jun 24, 2009)

love it buddy 

great work!!!!


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## stuartpb (Jun 24, 2009)

Thanks again fellas, I really appreciate the feedback. 

Another day, another job finished. I got the LCD car power adaptor this morning, and have finished modding it. It works a treat, and looks much tidier now that I don't have to trail the external mains adaptor lead into the case. 

Here's the car adaptor (unmodded):






Stripped down:






Soldered a male molex connector to the board. Excuse my soldering, it's never been my strongest point, but it works. My poor old desk is getting some hammer too. Nice excuse for a new one soon






Mod done, Basically I have shortened the cable from the plug to the adaptor, removed another cable (which would have powered the PSOne), soldered on a molex and trimmed the casing down. It was very straight-forward and only took 20 minutes.






Here's the rear of the LCD, with the various IO parts and the adaptor plugged in to a PSU's molex. The screen is working fine, and I am surprised it went so easily.





Next up for the LCD is to tidy up the rear somehow.


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## roast (Jun 24, 2009)

Excellent stuff, keep up the good work.

-Mick.


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## tzitzibp (Jun 24, 2009)

nicely done, mate... as clean and tidy as it can be done!


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## MKmods (Jun 24, 2009)

Beautiful work 

I am very curious on the small LCD and hookups you use, I just bought a 7"Pyle for my mod (I was inspired by you while watching this mod) Can you please link me to the software you used for it?


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## stuartpb (Jun 24, 2009)

Thanks again guys

The software I used is Serious Samurize. Here's the link for the site:

http://www.samurize.com

It's very good at what it does, but does take a little patience to get anywhere with it.


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