# My first major mod, looking to get sponsored here



## PartyLikeARockStar (Mar 11, 2008)

Hey guys, taking a break from the cable company, wife has ok'd taking a crack at pro case modding. looking for support here, and prob some q and a sessions.

I'm a Rockstar junkie, and the only Rockstar mod I know of is on a Wii. So hopefully I can generate some attention and maybe some $ for future mods.

The Concept: Powered by Rockstar!
(pending approval by Rockstar for logo and name use)

The Victim:

Thermaltake Armor Full Tower





The guts of the system:

eVGA 680iLT LGA775
Intel Core 2 Duo e4400 @ 3.33 Ghz currently, looking for 4Ghz with water
4GB G. Skill DDR2 800Mhz @ 4-4-3-5, can hit 1100Mhz w/ looser timing
WD 320GB SATA 7400RPM
Sony SATA DVD+-RW
Xion 600W PSU
eVGA 7800GT (not a hardcore gamer, just City Of Villains. PS this card KILLS under Linux)
Gentoo Linux 64-bit
Saitek Eclipse 2 KB
Kensington Ci80 Wireless Mouse

Hope to wow you guys with the mod, color scheme borrowed from the Zero-Carb Rockstar.

Pics to come soon

EDIT:
The inspiration for the mod.


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## Hawk1 (Mar 11, 2008)

I'm not aware of anyone getting sponsored (monetarily) for something like this on TPU. The fact that this is your first post here doesn't help your cause either, but there are lots of people here that will be willing to give support/suggestions/comments on your project. Best of luck to you though, and sounds like a great project. Cant wait for some pics (and ideas for my own Armor.)



Hawk1


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## DaMulta (Mar 11, 2008)

How many mods have you done? Do you have any links of what you have done so far?


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## PartyLikeARockStar (Mar 11, 2008)

Not looking for a TPU sponsorship, more like a Rockstar sponsorship. Like swag/drinks/to get my name out there. No noob to posting on forums, and I have read on the forums here and TBCS for years, just never posted. I'm well aware of how a well intentioned modder-to-be can come off looking like he/she has no idea what's going on. Sadly though after a recent cleaning of parts and a HDD funeral (40GB IDE) all pics and the parts themselves are gone. So at worst consider me a first-time modder if you must. BTW, thanks for the quick replies and the warm welcome. ATM, I'm ripping the case down, most likely to the rivets. Pics of the disassembled case to follow later today.


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## PartyLikeARockStar (Mar 11, 2008)

(BAD CAMERA PHONE SHOT)
first quick shot of getting the case naked. Also: My cat will NOT be in the modded case. She appears to be supervising.

Side panels are off
Plastic parts removed from the inside
Doors removed from front
Port cover on top is off 
ATX rear panel is off

Opinions welcome:
Plexi on window to be replaced with hex modder's mesh painted flat black to match the side panel, want it to look factory. Also, may cut the curved lines out of the window, but a lot of Armor owners seem to do that.

What do you guys think?


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## TechnicalFreak (Mar 11, 2008)

I have no idéa where you live, but if you need pro.help in painting the chassie and live near Sweden then look up this company : Frittes Billackering AB. The owner,Kalle (one of my customers, when I worked at Wichita ScooterWorX) he has done some great paint jobs in his life, and I think painting that case to look like the energy drink would be easy for him.

Good luck anyway.


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## PartyLikeARockStar (Mar 11, 2008)

@TechnicalFreak,

thanks, however I live in Baltimore,MD USA. Shipping alone would kill me. I'm debating having the chassis powdercoated. Basically keeping all parts on the outside black, to look like the Armor stock, shooting/powdercoating the inside the can color. with accents/plastic parts chrome colored. Krylon does not seem to have Fusion in chrome, anyone know of anything like Fusion that comes in a chrome type of color for plastics? The drive mounts aren't going to be that sandable IMHO, and I have used Fusion with no errors on plastic without sanding, pretty much melts into the plastic ala vinyl dye, as I am sure most of you on here already know.


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## MKmods (Mar 11, 2008)

well if ur gonna start start at the top I always say....
for sponsorship you will need a resume with past work and contact with Rockstar. 

This will be interesting to watch. 

I have never seen chrome finish that really resembled chrome, I would check with local platers that specialized in plastics.

One thing I have noticed is sponsors really like new high end hardware. In the contests I have entered my cases rule, but because I use avg hardware it hurts in the judging.

Welcome to TPU..


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## DaMulta (Mar 11, 2008)

We have a place in town where you can drop stuff off to be cromed.

That would make for a cool looking case/


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## PartyLikeARockStar (Mar 11, 2008)

All hardware is off of the case, and almost ready for paint. This case came apart like it was made to be modded! Still on the fence about drilling out the rivets, from your perspective is it going to be worth it? Krylon fusion silver is on the way, should be able to get that at lunch today, and hopefully I'll have the plastic drive mounts and fan mounts painted tomorrow!


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## WhiteLotus (Mar 11, 2008)

i would say make a case, a large can shaped case... if you get my drift


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## rick22 (Mar 11, 2008)

You need to show some pictures...or     anything.........or anything




P.S......................................................................................GOOD LUCK


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## PartyLikeARockStar (Mar 11, 2008)

@WhiteLotus,

the can is the plan, but not quite the way you might think. I have lots of nifty things planned, and an actual Rockstar can is one of them, but I want to keep the look of the Armor close to stock or slightly modded. The idea is that the case is powered by Rockstar, rather than being Rockstar. Thanks for the comments and ideas fellow modders, keep them coming!


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## MKmods (Mar 11, 2008)

Sweet, a Rockstar PS!


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## PartyLikeARockStar (Mar 12, 2008)

Well, I wouldn't say the PSU, that's a little out of my league.I don't trust my apartment wiring enough to go poking at the innards of a PSU, i only plan on sleeving that. All I can say for now is that there is actually a can of Rockstar in the mod. You guys will love it, I'm sure.


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## AphexDreamer (Mar 12, 2008)

Maybe you could try something like what this guy did.

http://www.mini-itx.com/projects/bubbacomp/


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## PartyLikeARockStar (Mar 12, 2008)

Well. You guys have finally coaxed it out of me. I don't think that it's gonna be near the beer can idea. Rather, I plan on making it look as if the PC is drinking Rockstar. I plan to route water cooling through an actual can. not a res since the cheap alum would corrode so bad. Also, I am planning to use a LED meteor light with a slow pulse to simulate the drink "charging" my PC. Hopefully it gets me in the good graces of the Rockstar staff, free caffiene is great! The coolant will be tinted to the color of zero carb Rockstar , with clear tubes to show the "Rockstar drink" flowing to my components. Spotlighting will be used to show off the logos on the can. Can you guys suggest a quiet WC setup to cool the components on my list incl NB? ATM I think the H20-220 from Swiftech would be good, but I'll need to change the black tubing for clear.


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## AphexDreamer (Mar 12, 2008)

PartyLikeARockStar said:


> Well. You guys have finally coaxed it out of me. I don't think that it's gonna be near the beer can idea. Rather, I plan on making it look as if the PC is drinking Rockstar. I plan to route water cooling through an actual can. not a res since the cheap alum would corrode so bad. Also, I am planning to use a LED meteor light with a slow pulse to simulate the drink "charging" my PC. Hopefully it gets me in the good graces of the Rockstar staff, free caffiene is great! The coolant will be tinted to the color of zero carb Rockstar , with clear tubes to show the "Rockstar drink" flowing to my components. Spotlighting will be used to show off the logos on the can. Can you guys suggest a quiet WC setup to cool the components on my list incl NB? ATM I think the H20-220 from Swiftech would be good, but I'll need to change the black tubing for clear.



Sounds Nice...

And maybe somewhere on there you can put something Labled INGREDIENTES and then underneth it have your system Specs Listed under it lol.

So like

                        Nutrients Facts

eVGA 680iLT LGA775                      10%

Intel Core 2 Duo e4400                   15%

4GB G. Skill DDR2                           10%

WD 320GB SATA                            10%

Sony SATA DVD+-RW                       5%

Xion 600W PSU                              20%

Gentoo Linux 64-bit                        20%

Caffeine                                         0%

INGREDIENTES
eVGA 680iLT LGA775, Gentoo Linux 64-bit, Intel Core 2 Duo e4400, Xion 600W PSU, Sony SATA DVD+-RW, WD 320GB SATA,  and 4GB G. Skill DDR2.

You get the Idea.


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## PartyLikeARockStar (Mar 12, 2008)

AphexDreamer. 

It might work, not too bad of an idea. Jury's still out on that one. The mod is dependent on funding for the WC and permission from Rockstar for the logo and all that jazz. MK, what are your thoughts as one of the resident gods around here?


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## MKmods (Mar 12, 2008)

PartyLikeARockStar said:


> AphexDreamer.
> 
> It might work, not too bad of an idea. Jury's still out on that one. The mod is dependent on funding for the WC and permission from Rockstar for the logo and all that jazz. MK, what are your thoughts as one of the resident gods around here?


LOL, I am SOOooooo far away from Godhood its not even funny...

Your idea is really nice, Im sure you will need NO permission to do the Rockstar stuff (as long as you dont try selling your own Rockstar merchandise)

I would figure what to do with the comp? Gamer, OCer, etc, before i bought any H2o stuff.

I think water cooling the chipset is a waste, but the swiftech parts are really good. I use DDC pumps with Petras tops (my fave)
http://www.petrastechshop.com/laddcwpeddto.html

For me I have stayed away from sponsorship as I like to build What I want When I want and How I want. But that can be the reason I am so poor, lol


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## PartyLikeARockStar (Mar 12, 2008)

MK,

As I said in my sig, it's a gamer and OC'er. I play City Of Heroes exclusively, and I'm at 3.3Ghz per core from 2Ghz stock, looking for WC to give me 4, which is why I considered WC the 680i chipset due to the increased volts. A 100% OC would be awesome on a e4400 considering the price 3Ghz C2Ds still sell for. I got my chip for $100 and it's outperforming some serious proc's in real-world. Prime95 doesn't matter to me unless I one day take up SETI or folding. As long as kernels compile and I can game, that's good for me.


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## MKmods (Mar 12, 2008)

use a Thermalright 05 for the chipset and go nutts.


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## Silverel (Mar 12, 2008)

Subscribed.

I am a Rockstar junkie. Lookin' forward to good things here.

I take it you're going for the Blue shades instead of the Gold+Black? imo, the classic Rockstar can would look much better. o.o...


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## PartyLikeARockStar (Mar 13, 2008)

If you want ~70g of sugar per can @ 3-4 16oz cans a day, classic Rockstar is great! the Zero-carb has you guessed it, 0g! Less chance of adult diabetes developing due to sugar intake. All thier drinks are cool by me, but it's better for me not to have the sugar. Anyone I can ship this chassis to for powdercoating? All the places around here want like $200 for just the chassis.  Help a broke fellow modder kick ass! I live in USA in Maryland. East coast needs modded PC's too.


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## PartyLikeARockStar (Mar 13, 2008)

Right now the chassis is taped off, and ready for paint! side panel plexi has been punched out, and the inside of the panel is painted atm.
By the end of the day the chassis and panels should be painted, with pics of before/after.

Modder's mesh is on order from Mnpctech http://www.mnpctech.com/moddersmesh.html
Sleeving for the PSU from Xoxide: http://www.xoxide.com/techflex2.html


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## PartyLikeARockStar (Mar 14, 2008)

chassis being taped






little more pre-game action





inside of side panel, plexi punched out





just a wee bit o' black. getting nice and dirty





another peek inside





e 

just the inside of the side panel, now missing plexi of course





chassis shot





done for the day, sanding and more painting tomorrow!

thanks to my lady for her tape skills and some of the spraying after i went to work!


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## beyond_amusia (Mar 14, 2008)

=) looking good. I'm keepin an eye on this thread to see how you come along.


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## aspire (Mar 14, 2008)

I fail to see any resemblance to a can of Rockstar


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## PartyLikeARockStar (Mar 14, 2008)

aspire said:


> I fail to see any resemblance to a can of Rockstar



I think a few of you may be thinking that atm. It's not supposed to. There are other mods like that out there, one on a Wii, and one over on thebestcasescenario.com that looks like a can of Monster:Khaos. My idea was rather subtle, leaving beauty in the details. I am making my PC still look like a PC, but *"powered by Rockstar"* ie water cooling tinted to the color of the soda, with some of the tubing routed through a can of Rockstar to make the illusion that the PC also drinks Rockstar. More pics later today after more painting, and possibly a mockup tomorrow. Stay tuned!


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## PartyLikeARockStar (Mar 15, 2008)

*More pics, watching it all come together*

So I got to painting some more today, still have sanding and such (its 90% sanding with paint.)

today's victims





inside right panel beginning to take paint





inside right panel hiding on the tarp!





plastic drive clips and fan mounts waiting for a bit o' bling





inside of atx panel, black on the outside to match factory paint





rear HDD cage





HDD cage again





panel and HDD cage together





that's all for now, rain ruined any more chance to paint. Maybe some of the Rockstar theme is sneaking out now


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## Simplicity (Mar 18, 2008)

Looking good bro, I'll have to see all this in person when its done. You got your hands full with this one!


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## Ehstii (Mar 18, 2008)

im really interested to see how this turns out.


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## Mr.President (Mar 18, 2008)

good going so far! waiting for results.


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## PartyLikeARockStar (Mar 22, 2008)

hey guys, it's been raining all week. pics later tonight. I did manage a wee bit of painting, mostly second coats of the metal-flake blue. got clear on some of it too. Also painted the inside of the bottom of the PSU with mirror finish paint, should help reflect the light from the LED fan inside to help reflect the light into the case.


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## domy85 (Apr 3, 2008)

Wow, that metalic paint looks great.  Are you going to gloss it? If so itll be like a car paint finish which would look awesome!


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## JrRacinFan (Apr 3, 2008)

This is going to look really nice when finished, Rockstar. Bump and subscribed. Can't wait to see the final product.


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## EnergyFX (Apr 16, 2008)

Rockstar, greetings from a few miles south.  I'm in Annapolis.

Case is coming along and looking good.


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## PartyLikeARockStar (Apr 29, 2008)

Anyone got any tips on making a res that looks like a can of Rockstar? I was thinking about it, and I can't figure out how I could get it to come together. It would be 16oz. and the alum can worked for a mockup, but too flimsy to make a res out of. I would most likely mount the res on the side panel, what do you guys think?


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## aspire (Apr 29, 2008)

Perhaps place an ek reservoir inside a can of rockstar via the top or bottom and then adding something in between the two to give it rigidity.


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## t_ski (May 24, 2008)

Still working on this?  I saw a beer can made into a reservoir before.  It was still online a month or so back when I was looking for it.

EDIT:  Here it is:

http://boxgoddess.com/dept/modding/index.php?Action=Article&ID=110


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## Silverel (May 24, 2008)

Holy crap that's a sweet mod. Do exactly what he did, and you'll be fine. You'll just need a T-line to use as a fillport is all.


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## t_ski (May 24, 2008)

Yeah, the only thing I didn't like about the bud can res was the lack of a hole to fill it with.  I would have made something to put a plug w/ an O-ring in it on top.


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## Silverel (May 24, 2008)

Ah, but they do make the regular gold and black rockstar cans with a screw-on top. It's gotta be enough to hold a few pounds of pressure. Would be tough getting the o-ring and nuts on through the smaller mouth though.


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## commandercup (May 26, 2008)

aspire said:


> Perhaps place an ek reservoir inside a can of rockstar via the top or bottom and then adding something in between the two to give it rigidity.



you could use that filler foam crap or w/e or you could just stuff packing peanuts down in there


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## Silverel (May 30, 2008)

ijkl415 said:


> We work hard with our suppliers to offer the lowest prices we can. We keep our prices as competitive as we can afford. If you find a lower price somewhere please e-mail us and we will try our hardest to match it. Our promise to you is that we will keep making progress every day to be the best one-stop shop for all your gaming needs.EVE Online ISKCheap EVE ISKEQ GoldBuy EQ PlatEQ Plat



GTFO spammer, lolz. :shadedshu

Lest teh W1z come to  youz...


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## PartyLikeARockStar (Jun 3, 2008)

Hey guys, found a Rockstar Zero-Carb with a screw-on top. Just wondering now exactly how the hell i get it to be a res, or can someone make me one? The mod's at another standstill, cause the wedding has run me pockets ragged.


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## t_ski (Jun 4, 2008)

Throw up a picture of one - I've never seen it.


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## PartyLikeARockStar (Jul 19, 2008)

Mods, please clost this thread. Maryland's high energy costs, and also a desire for a smaller PC have convinced me join the church of mATX gamers. Please stay tuned as I squeeze damn near all the hardware I was using into a Bgears B-envi. (link in sig) Looking at better, tougher mods in this revision.


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