# Cooler Master Haf XB Harley Davidson Mod



## tastegw (Dec 23, 2012)

Starting on a new project for an upcoming build. I will be using the Cooler Master Haf XB as my canvas.






Some parts in the mail:




2X Overkill grills from mnpc tech





2X 3"OD 18" aluminum pipes from CX Racing





1X 2'x2' black diamond plate and 1X 2'X4' brushed aluminum





10 pack of towering inferno nut covers (only needed 2 :/)





3X 140mm Cougar Vortex Hydro fans 

Work begins in about a week or so
Items left to order:
• Harley Davidson etched acrylic window clear for top panel
• 2x 14x6 arcrylic window orange or clear for side panels
• Harley Davidson orange spray cans
• misc bolts and supplies

Will update when work has started


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## tastegw (Dec 26, 2012)

Scetch of front panel design change plans






•Mesh to be removed and replaced by either brushed aluminum or black diamond plated aluminum.
•Overkill grills to be mounted flush on fan holes, planning on painting grills black to offset both the orange fans and the brushed aluminum, or leave as is if using black diamond plate.


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## DanishDevil (Dec 26, 2012)

Interesting concept, subbed.


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## tastegw (Dec 30, 2012)

Work got a small start today:

Case Chassis: Cooler Master HAF XB
Case Theme: Harley Davidson




So I finally got back home and found some packages waiting to be unboxed






Sadly, not everything came yet, but I did get some goodies.





1x Cooler Master HAF XB case
2x Overkill Grills from MNPC
3x 140mm COUGAR Vortex Silent fans (orange)
2x 80mm Cooler Master standard fans
2x 80mm Link Depot standard fans
10x Inferno Nut Covers
1x 2'x2' Black Aluminum Diamond Plate

Items purchased today:

some new dremel bits
self etching primer
orange glossy
clear coat
various glue/tape/tools and stuff

Still awaiting:

2'x4' Brushed aluminum slab
2x 18"L 3"OD exhaust pipes
1x Transparent Amber Acrylic (enough for both sides)
1x Transparent Clear Acrylic (spare for top)
1x Laser Etched Clear Acrylic /w logo at top of post
1x Decal pack

edit:  forgot to mention what the specs will look like after hardware is purchased (though nothing is set in stone just yet)

LGA 2011 Platform X79 
Intel Core i-7  3820 (to be replaced with 22nm 6 core in Q3
Undecided on motherboard, but i really wanted a Gigabyte GA-X79-UD7 board (its got orange on it lol)
Zotac 660ti (to be replaced by 780's dual or tri sli Q2)
AIO cpu cooler (all in one)
Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 1300w PSU
16/32GB quad chan kit, undecided on details
Western Digital WD VelociRaptor 1TB HD


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## tastegw (Dec 30, 2012)

Unboxing the case was a treat,  this little thing had some real weight to it.

The panels are fairly thick and overall quality is very good.













I wanted to start by removing the front panel mesh,  to my surprising the mesh that I had read was non removable was actually removable 









even the filter was removable





this was all easier than getting the front panel off the case on its on. Next step was to remove the plastic grid from the front panel, and I got delayed, so that will wait until tomorrow,  but I did get 2 of 2 nut covers reduced in length and ready for sanding before calling it a day today.





so to tease you with what these are for,  here is a mock up using the actual items:













will have more ready for you hopefully tomorrow.


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## tastegw (Dec 30, 2012)

Before I continue, I wanted to show detailed images of these COUGAR fans,  they seem to be of really good quality, though, I have not tested them out just yet.

boxed





front





rear





top





sleeving





accessories (screws / 3 pin to molex / toolless push pins)





side by side with the basic cooler master fans that came with case (120mm)





enjoy.


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## de.das.dude (Dec 30, 2012)

sub


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## stinger608 (Dec 30, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> sub



Yep, same here.


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## tastegw (Dec 30, 2012)

thanks guys!

I began some cutting today on the top panel.

Tools used:

Standard Corded Dremel 
EZ Lock 456 Metal cutting blades
number 438 sanding bits











first thing to do was to mask the sections that needed cutting,  I cut from the inside today for 2 reasons:  1) the outside will not even be seen once mod is finished , 2) it was easier lol with the way the panel was set up.






once I had my lines drawn with a 90,  I began to cut (my dremel skills are not very good, but i do my best)





cut completed after about an hour and a half





this case has the thickest panels I have ever cut before





next step was to sand the edges so its smooth and safe to work around, no pics of that sorry.  but I did use both the dremel and manual sanding methods.

part 2 of the work was to continue with the nut covers,  I had cut them last night, but they needed some sanding.









one is not finished, the other is,  can you tell?





different angle


thats it for now,  will update later tonight or tomorrow with more work done,   next thing to do is start on the front panel grid,  that has to go!


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## t77snapshot (Dec 30, 2012)

This Xb mod is going to be awesome!! Subbed for sure  

May I have permission to add your log to the "Members Build Log" section of my Cooler Master Haf-XB Case Club *here* ? and I would love for you to join the club as well.


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## tastegw (Dec 30, 2012)

t77snapshot said:


> This Xb mod is going to be awesome!! Subbed for sure
> 
> May I have permission to add your log to the "Members Build Log" section of my Cooler Master Haf-XB Case Club *here* ? and I would love for you to join the club as well.



sure thing man,  thanks a bunch!


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## tastegw (Dec 30, 2012)

Front Panel work:

unsure on what the tool was called that was used to cut this,  but it did a pretty good job.  it did need some heavy sanding afterwards.


before:





after (front)





back





trash left over





mounted back to the empty case (still not finished yet)





more images of my vision (note that the grills will not be mounted as the photo shows, they will be turned 45 degrees once the diamond plate has been cut and mounted)





I was really happy with the new height of the nut covers





next job is to cut the diamond plate to proper sizing, and get some nice round holes in it.





I also need a light sanding done on the front panel, then prime it and paint it harley orange (not officially harley orange, but as close as i can get) and then clear coat it.
as you can see from the above photos, I may need to putty up some "opps" on the front panel near the right edge and another spot,  not sure how ima do that just yet.

enjoy for now,  will update prolly tomorrow with more


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## tastegw (Dec 31, 2012)

Small Update for tonight:

Masking and measuring the diamond plate for cutting tomorrow:
















I over thunk that one,......when I was trying to figure out what half of the width was.....I was using the height's figure and kept wondering why the math didnt seem right lol.

anyhoot,  I messed around with the diamond plate,  and I will have more left than I would have used,  so I tried to see what it would look like on the top instead of brushed aluminum:





the picture really doesnt do it justice,  it looked very nice,  I am contemplating whether or not to do both the top and the side panels with the diamond plate also,  if i do, ill need to order more of it.

one thing holds true,  I cant paint a pattern or strait lines on the diamond plate,  so if i go with diamond plate on the rest of the case,  its prolly going to stay unpainted, except for clear coats, but then again, I dont think I had any plans to paint the brushed aluminum either,  I went away with that idea,.


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## tastegw (Dec 31, 2012)

Hi,  so I got back at it this morning,  some cutting and some accessory painting.

This is where I left off last night:





Now some cutting was ready to be had




was able to get a pretty solid line today, I was pleased with the results




as you can see, it fits pretty snug in there




another shot




after some sanding, it will need some touch up black on those edges.

now for the holes










I also cut to size a top panel to see if I like it instead of brushed aluminum (which hasnt came yet  )




this one still needs some work around the edges, either my case isnt strait, or they sent me a bad cut, cause their 90 doesnt match up with the cases 90,  my cut was 90 on the other sides.





some painting and priming:
front panel prime




front panel orange (clear coat not shown in this pic)























these look really nice in the case 





thats it for now,  im watching paint dry as we speak,  tonight I will try and get the nut covers mounted on the fans, a painful task thats going to be.

enjoy


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## adulaamin (Dec 31, 2012)

subbed!


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## tastegw (Dec 31, 2012)

adulaamin said:


> subbed!



thanks man!

small update:

bought some goodies at the auto shop today,  not sure if they will be used or where, but its nice to have options:





pretty sure I will use these letters above, got to decide where they will look best once shell is completed.






if i use these vents above, I need to work on them first,  cut out the inside so they would be actual working vents.


other update with painting and nut cover:

front panel mounted after clear coat applied and dried





side view





teaser of how finished look will be




nothing is mounted yet in the above,  and still deciding on whether or not to paint those grills





nut cover mounting




never mind the void you see, you will not be able to see that from the outside of the case,  if needed, I will fill the void and refinish it afterwards.

will update more as things progress.

currently watching pain dry on motherboard tray and PSU mount bracket,  as well as the 120mm fan and the expansion slot covers.


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## t_ski (Jan 1, 2013)

Two things:

1.  If you decide to use the vents and letters, don't paint the fan grills.  That way the silver will accent at several places in the build.  You might want to use the same brushed/sanded look throughout though.

2.  Be careful with the nut covers on the fans and make sure you get them centered perfectly, or else they'll be out of balance.


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## tastegw (Jan 1, 2013)

mounted the expansion bay covers,  they look sweet.  orange may be a odd color, but it sure does play nice with black.

inside





outside





you can see the fan I painted in the back 120mm rear slot,  I dont like it,...





so I ordered a 120mm version of what my front two intake fans are




at least I know those look good.

anyhoot,  will update when I can,  enjoy!


---------------

edit for small update:

psu cover done:


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## tastegw (Jan 1, 2013)

Last update for tonight:

Mounted finished motherboard tray:




I am happy with these results




sorry for the light, its making the color look off.






so while I was at the hardware store today picking up some bolts, I checked out the plumbing section because my 3"OD pipes still have not came and I only have 1 day left before I ship out for another 2 weeks.

I saw 2 of these:





they are much smaller than what I have in the mail,





 but they look really nice.  the problem is, with their smaller size,





  I am not sure that one on each side would be enough.





those would be much easier to mount than the 3"OD 18" long aluminum pipes,  problem is,  I will need 2 more and I bought the last two from that hardware store,  I would have to find 2 more tomorrow.
(if my brushed aluminum sheet comes in, otherwise, I will have to wait till next home stretch to continue on these.

edit:  just checked my local lowes, they have 2 of these in stock
I will come up with something else for the 3"OD pipes,  I like the double exhaust look.

next up for tomorrow:
cutting out the side vents


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## tastegw (Jan 2, 2013)

A small update for today,  much to small for my liking.

I drove over to Lowes to pick up 2 more of those pipes,  got back home and began working.




I got the first side panel cut out like I needed it




these cuts didnt have to be perfect cause both side panels will be covered up by the brushed aluminum, but the cuts on that aluminum will need to be perfect, thankfully that aluminum is really thin.





Then I started cutting out my 1 1/2" holes for the pipes, and this is where I ran into trouble.

I didnt have a metal cutting hole saw, my so called "all purpose" hole saw bits were doing just fine for me up until today, it cut through my antec case just fine, the decent depth diamond plate, but this case ate it up,  so I tried a 2nd bit,   it ate it up again...

Boy this steel is hard as nails,  so I drove on back to Lowes and bought a proper bit, well almost I guess.  I got a bi-metal bit that was suppose to be good enough to cut steel.

So when I got back home,  I was able to finish the first hole in seconds,  I got the 2nd hole no problems.   It was time for the next panel.   No go...this bit was toast after attempting the first hole.
So by this time it was too late to make a 3rd trip to Lowes (the closest HW store open today)

But I do have pics of how the pipes fit in my one finished panel (finished as far as cutting and drilling goes)










I ship out for another 2 weeks tonight, so I cant update until I get back and get some more work to do,  by then, everything should have came, including:

*Top Panel Laser Engraved CM/HD Logo Clear Acrylic
*2'x4' Brushed Aluminum sheet
*120mm matching COUGAR fan
*extra acrylic (amber and clear) pieces
*orange thumb screws (case screws)
*Amber LED Lazer Light (to shine down the seem of the top panel glass to light up the logo)
*everything else I may have forgotten about

Things left to do:

*2nd side panel, cut out both pipe holes and "window" slot
*cut the brushed aluminum to size for both sides and the top panel
*give the sides and top panel its finish (whether it be painting, or leaving it be, I am undecided)
*finish mounting all panels (no drill holes have been drilled yet)
*test out those fans with the nut covers on them, see if they will be ok, fix what needs fixing
*everything else I had forgotten about

****put a machine inside of it  (comes later)

Enjoy for now, see you next time!


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## epiales74 (Jan 2, 2013)

Looking great can't wait for the next update


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## tastegw (Jan 3, 2013)

I have decided on how to finish the brushed aluminum.
Originally I had planned on leaving the aluminum with its original brushed look, but after some thought, 3 different colors/finishes just seems a bit much, so other than the chrome exhausts, orange and black will be the dominating finishes on both the interior and exterior.

I have planned a 75/25 black/orange paint job for all 3 aluminum panels (left, right and top). Specific details are not yet ready.

Metal Harley badges are fairly expensive, but I did find a source for some officially licensed badges for a very reasonable price, these badges are less then 2" wide though, but I think those are perfect size for what I will be doing with them.

Comments, suggestions are very welcome, as I have plenty of time to plan ahead.

Thanks!


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## t77snapshot (Jan 4, 2013)

tastegw said:


> Last update for tonight:
> 
> I am happy with these results




I absolutely LOVE the orange and black color scheme you have performed. It very much reminds me for my Tempest mod I did a few years ago.






Keep up the good work tastegw, cant wait to see the final results.


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## HammerON (Jan 4, 2013)

Sub'd for an interesting build


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## PatoRodrigues (Jan 4, 2013)

Subbed! Awesome project!


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## tastegw (Jan 5, 2013)

Thanks guys!


Some planning updates:

After much thought about the progress thus far, I am pleased with everything except the front panel.
I have decided to outfit the front panel with diamond plate only leaving the edges as that plastic.

With this change, I have purchased a new power button:





With orange led





Front plate will feature minimal, meaning, only 1 button, 1 drive, and of course the two intakes fan/slots.
I will use the bottom drive.

Other items arriving:

New case screws





Two  5mm LED harnesses 2-pin





Orange LED light to shine on (down the seem) etched window





Two Harley badges





And if I do decide to take use of the second drive, it would be with this Lamptron FC10
(Not purchased yet)





Questions, comments, suggestions welcome


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## tastegw (Jan 9, 2013)

A couple of purchase updates while I'm still a week from home:

Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 1300w to start things out:





I don't think I'll be using that controller, i have poor hearing as it is, 100% is fine with me.





Next up is the CPU cooler
Kraken X60 by NZXT




This will be my first ever product bought by these guys, so I hope this cooler does a nice job





The original light I wanted to glow my etched window suddenly was in stock





And some cool looking Willie Skulls





And most importantly, I'm taking advantage of my time down south with an awesome lunch from my favorite fast food joint in the world.





I'll resume the work in about 7-10 days
(Ima truck driver)

Enjoy for now!


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## tastegw (Jan 11, 2013)

Hehe, I've never had waffles with my chicken, I'll try it sometime

Airflow plans for this build after completion ( note side venting not shown )







I have came up with a temporary build to put in this rig once I finish the modding

Intel i7 3820 
NZXT Kracken X60 (owned)
ASRock X79 extreme 9
EVGA 660ti FTW in twin SLI
Geil Enhance CORSA DDR3 16GB
Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 1300w (owned)
OCZ Vertex4 SSD (boot)
Random high capacity storage drive ( not very important )
Random BR/DVD drive

The GPU's come with EVGA backplates




That I plan on painting orange
Also adding a orange pin stripe on the card cover

The motherboard seems to have some appearance modding options also




 Only if I can remove what I want

The Ram isn't the best, but will be plenty fast 





Plan on replacing cpu with upcoming 22nm chip
Plan on replacing GPU's with upcoming 780's if performance gains over 680's is more than 25%

See u soon


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## t77snapshot (Jan 11, 2013)

Aww it's a bummer you were never able to get you hands on this board.. 

It would have looked perfect 





**_and I speak for both of us_**


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## PatoRodrigues (Jan 11, 2013)

Man, if you could get your hands on a UP7....

Your build would be complete, then.


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## tastegw (Jan 12, 2013)

Ya, can't find it anywhere


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## tastegw (Jan 14, 2013)

Small purchase update:

4x Yate Loon 140mm 140cfm fans for my Kraken





Since I have no filtering left over, I will use this (by silverstone)




Mounted on bottom in the same manner the PSU filter is mounted, easy in easy out (pull out)

After being advised on airflow direction, the rad will suck in from bottom instead of blowing out.

Until next time, enjoy.


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## tastegw (Jan 23, 2013)

Finally home again,  will begin working tomorrow.

A ton of packages were waiting for me though, after opening them all:






Geil Enhance Corsa DDR3 1600 16GB (4x4) Quad Channel with Orange HeatSinks





OCZ Vertex 4 128GB SSD (something tells me ima like this, wish it was bigger though)





Asus external BD Burner USB 3.0





4x 140mm Yote Loon 140CFM fans





280 Filter by Silverstone (magnetic)





Custom Etched Acrylic (looks amazing in person, great job by my source to be unnamed just in case of copyrights) (will demonstrate the effect tomorrow)





Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 1300w PSU

















Kraken X60 AIO by NZXT













Power Switch 





Harley Accessories ($80 for these ;/)





Also in but not worth a picture "yet":
Clear Acrylic Panel
Amber Acrylic Panel
3mm Amber Sleeved Led's
3mm Amber Spotlight
5 Led Lazor Light (to shine down the seem of the etched window)
3"OD Racing Pipes (these will not be used in this build anymore)
120mm COUGAR fan (rear exhaust replacement)
2'x4' Brushed Aluminum Panel (will cut this up in 3 parts tomorrow)
4x Bullet Style bolts
2tb HD by Toshiba 
Windows 7 OEM
3" and 2" etching letters/numbers

cant wait to get started again tomorrow.


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## tastegw (Jan 23, 2013)

32 incoming photos of my progress this mid day and last night:

first thing I could do last night was to remove the front panel ports




I decided I may need the usb connectors, so I took those out




the rest of it will be tossed

did a little measuring for my 3 panels side/side/top





tested out my rad filter








it holds very well




the magnetic design




close up





then I began planning my new design for the front panel since I will be scrapping my previous design.





I will try to perform a miracle and set the power button inside of the willie skull




for a look of something like this:





front panel work began this morning:




I really wish I could get straighter lines with a dremel... but I guess that will have to do




cut completed




panel fitted in place




mounting holes








I cheated a little, ididnt need to measure here,  I just used the outline of the holes that were never drilled into the backside of the front panel




holes completed




those bullet style bolts I bought, just a tad too big,  my attention to detail failed me again here, they hang off the edge just a few hairs,  so I will need some new bolts for the front panel, oh well





next up was to figure out just where to drill my 5" holes for the fan mount grills








with the help of no template, I had to rely on good old fashioned mathematics,  I think i got it right





all in place so far




so now I could mark my grill mount holes

plan seems to be coming along well





now for some experimental cutting,  never tried anything like this before




I was very nervous about this, as there wasnt any room for error because there were the only two flame cutouts I had




I first started with a grinder,  using the dremel,  but that was getting very hot, it didnt like the chrome.  so I broke out the old strait line metal cutter and tried to work wonders,  I think it came out well




sanded the edges a lil to get the rough out




did i crop this photo wrong?




both pieces done,  woo




as you can see, I need to go back and grind a lil on the right piece, no biggie




front panel nearly completed




just need some sanding, some priming, some painting, and some polishing (and a few drill holes)

will update with more later on today hopefully

enjoy


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## erixx (Jan 23, 2013)

Wow, you will be able to sell this to some official HD shop and they will pay you everything.


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## erocker (Jan 23, 2013)

You do my city proud tastegw.


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## brandonwh64 (Jan 23, 2013)

erocker said:


> You do my city proud tastegw.



Good ole "wiskanson"


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## tastegw (Jan 23, 2013)

side panel vent work:

here are how they look out of the  package





what I needed to do was to remove the middle so that they would work as actual vents




so I began cutting from the backside on the first piece 




turns out, i didnt need to cut anything,  the only thing holding the middle in was that 3M double sided tape, boy these were made cheaply, but I had already cut into the first one and saw some blemishes that would be hard to fix since these are ABS plastic




wish I would had known before hand that the middle inserts just pushed right out with some elbow grease




so anyhoot,  I went to buy a new pair so that I would have 4 perfect side vents with no blemishes




the one on the far right has been replaced, that was the one that I took the dremel to.

this will fit on the side panels above the exhaust pipes, I will be using part of the front panel modders mesh to use as my screening behind these after they are mounted.

will update later on 
enjoy


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## tastegw (Jan 24, 2013)

thanks guys!

as promised, I would hook up the lazor light to my current rig to show effect on etched window.

boy am I disappointed to learn not only was the so called "spotlight" a crap shoot,  but 3 of the 5 bulbs in my lazor (i know im spelling it wrong, its just how the makers spell it) light are dead,

so with only 2 working bulbs, this is all it could do,  I really need another solution, something stronger.





2 working bulbs, 3 dud bulbs...or im doing something wrong?





not the effect I was looking for,  a stronger light(s) would help out.











*so can anyone link me to a good quality orange/amber light that will illuminate my window the way it was meant to be?*

thanks all.


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## n0tiert (Jan 24, 2013)

tastegw said:


> thanks guys!
> 
> as promised, I would hook up the lazor light to my current rig to show effect on etched window.
> 
> ...



i dunno where u located but may u find some here 

http://www.aquatuning.us


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## tastegw (Jan 25, 2013)

Thanks guys for the nice comments 

As for selling for a profit,  I highly doubt I could pull that off, some sucker would need to pull out $750 or more for just the cast after its finished for me to make any extra bones.

today I got some panels cut and ready for work, I started by cutting out the top panel overlay:




I used a dewalt jigsaw for the cutting today













I then went to recheck the case after I had the top panel cut out
my case is torqued when stripped down, this is a nightmare!









when I lay my cut down on top of the case in its final resting place, it does not line up, even though my cut is pretty good:









but the good news is,  the case untorques itself after the panels are reapplied, so everything should be fine once completed, but just in case, if something on the top looks off,  im blaming CM!!!

so now was time to get my window lines drawn








using a fairly large washer for my rounded corners template




some measurements against the window placement








the top looks like its going to be off




so I have to cut my acrylic at the bottom about a half inch or so

after all lines and corners measured and drawn




it was time to cut out the window section, cut completed (minus sanding and grinding at corners to make them better)








4 corners, they need some work
















ill get those fixed up tomorrow with a grinder,  and while im grinding, ill grind out those flame cutouts a little better too.

next up was to get the two side panels cut out,  this was pretty strait forward as they were the same size









setting it all in place thus far:





















back tracking some,  those chrome flames,  they really tore up my metal cutting disc, here it is compared to a unused one:




maybe that is the result of trying to turn the blade as I was cutting.

other photos of my work today, didnt get them fit into the "story"






























there, now I dont feel bad for uploading them to photobucket 

anyways,  I should get some more done tomorrow, things on my todo list:

grind the corners of the top panel to near perfection
grind the flame cutouts a little better
side panel aluminum cuts for the vents and exhaust piping
finish cutting the right side panel (case panel not aluminum)
drill 3/4" hole in a willie skull (if i can find a bit that big)

things I will get to the next time I am home since I ship out on Saturday:
placement of the 280mm rad,  fan hole cutouts and filter placement
start mounting everything together to make sure it "fits"
strip it all down again and prime the panels ready for painting
painting
and etc that I cant quite think of,  dont want to get too far ahead of myself.

enjoy!


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## tastegw (Jan 25, 2013)

got a bit of stuff done today thus far:

I started this morning by getting the side panel vent cutouts ready













next was to get the modders mesh off the original top panel








but first i needed to get the mest off the panel,  so i took the easy route








just broke off the plastic parts holding it in place

next i needed to cut them to size













and to see how it would look when finished





























I also fixed the corners of my top panel, now I need to order some u-channel mold from mnpc





I then got some primer readied up for the top and front panels





will have more updates later this afternoon,  i think I am past the halfway mark for this project log, so about 40% left to do i think, stay tuned.


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## Pehla (Jan 25, 2013)

wana se how it finish up!! very impresive.. you make moding so simple...


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## PatoRodrigues (Jan 25, 2013)

Your project is really amazing thus far, looking forward to see the final product. Hope you got those orange lights that you needed.

And as i said before, just a shame that you couldn't get a UP7.


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## tastegw (Jan 26, 2013)

thanks u2,  ya up7,  where is mine at!!

last update for tonight and until I get back home from my next trip out starting tomorrow, be about 2 weeks.

finished the top panel, got the exhaust holes drilled into the side panels and gave them a few coats of black,  as well as the front panel.


























the exhaust pipes fit real nice in the side panels, i will have to get photos of that next time im back.

things left to do for this case mod:


 get final coat of black onto all the panels
 get some orange in there also, still undecided on what I want with that.
 clear coat the panels
 wax/polish the panels for a really smooth shine
 mount the panels
 mount the exhaust pipes
  mount the side vents and mesh
 instal u-channel in the top panel
 mount the window
 paint and mount the overkill grills
 install power button (either in the willie skull or above it)
 polish and mount the front artwork 
 install custom made feet (will have more info on this later)

mods to do for the hardware:


 paint the backplate and cooler cover of the gpu
 motherboard work****(if applicable) 
 mount the radiator and get holes drilled for it

hardware left to purchase:


 motherboard - leaning toward AsRock Extreme 9
 temp gpu - leaning toward anything with a backplate, perhaps a 660ti reference

current build still boxed up:


 Intel i7 3820
 Kraken X60 AIO cooler
 Geil Enhance Corsa DDR3 16GB (4x4)
 OCZ Vertex 4 128GB SSD
 Toshiba 2TB 7200RPM HD
 Coolermaster Silent Pro Hybrid 1300w PSU
 Asus External BR Burner

any questions or comments more than welcome, as I have 2 weeks to think about this project without being able to touch it.
Thanks!

edit: sorry, forgot to resize the images


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## tastegw (Feb 1, 2013)

Case feet update:

Many of you know FannBlade, if you don't, he is an excellent metal crafter and modder from OCN.  he has agreed to make me some custom case feet and a kickstand for my mod here.
I'm 110% sure that his work will be nothing short of fantastic. I or he himself will keep you posted on the outcome of his work.

When deciding on what kind of feet I wanted, I really didn't see any striking options, even MNPC's aluminum feet (while still being badass)
So I decided to ask for help. Incoming update(s) as soon as they are ready.


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## tastegw (Feb 9, 2013)

Hi again,  back home finally and got a lil work done today.

I began with making room for my Kraken,  I needed to remove both front bays,  the 5.25" and the 3.5"





I dont have a rivet tool, so I just drilled them out,  that was a lil harder than I thought it would be, steel rivets are tough.





I began to play around with my 3.5" bays cause the case states I can fit 2.5" in there by doing something with the plastic snaps on the right side,....
I couldnt figure this out...will have to look more into that,  or maybe i just need to open up my vertex 4 and see if it came with anything to fit it in a 3.5" slot





anyhoot,  I was now ready to get my fan holes done





note on those fan holes,  my hole saw pieces have just about had it,  it my largest bit would not cut all the way through, so I had to resort to the ol jigsaw,  these holes are not perfect, but the good news is, nobody will see that once the build is all together.





somebody remind me the next time I do this, to get a damned template to use, that would be much easier.





next up was to get the mounting  holes ready for the top window.
this made me very nervous because this was not just any piece of plexi glass that came with a protective layer on either side,  this was a laser engraved piece and those layers were removed well before it got to me,  so I had to mask it up with my painters tape before doing anything





got the holes marked and drilled, and then mounted





top panel needs a re-finish, that last can of black I bought really sucked,  so I went back to the kind that I knew was decent,  no painting tonight, but I did get it sanded down to a smooth surface.





thats it for today,  I also watched 2 movies,  hit and run       and      7 psychopaths, so that hurt my time a lil bit, but it was relaxing.

tomorrow, I plan on getting a lot more done:

refinish top panel, front, and side panels with better spray, adding in design
get "inside" side panels measured, cut, primed and finished
watch paint dry i guess, smoke some cigarettes, drink some dews, and try and remember what the hell else I was going to do

its been a long week for me, from Minneapolis, to Green Bay, to Indianapolis, to Lexington, to Chicago, to Dallas, to Des Moines, to my hometown in Lancaster County, PA     ......my brain is fried,  should be better in the morning.

have a good night.


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## HammerON (Feb 9, 2013)

Your mod is looking amazing!
Keep the pics coming


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## PatoRodrigues (Feb 9, 2013)

HammerON said:


> Your mod is looking amazing!
> Keep the pics coming



+1. This rig is going to be AWESOME.


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## tastegw (Feb 10, 2013)

thanks guys!

Today I got a ton completed, well it seemed anyways 

I will break this up into two posts, have about 40 or so photos.


Lets begin with the front panel willy skull:

So I thought I would try and get a 3/4" hole in the top of the willy skull to slide my power button through as stated in an earlier posting, so I prepped with an X





Since I don't have a 3/4" drill bit, nor would I be able to properly perform this using a hole saw (which I do have that size) due to what this skull is made of,  (weird combo, it appears to be aluminum plated steel)

So I started with a small bit from the box:




and just kept on going bigger and bigger




and bigger




and bigger




and bigger




until i reached a point that the largest bits didn't fit inside my drill,
so it was time to grind it the rest of the way out

not quite there yet




after about a while, I finally got what I was looking for




ya ya, i know it looks not so circular , but that's all good




it fits like a charm (don't mind the front of the skull being all dirty, that polished right up)





all in all, I spent about an hour and a half on this one piece,  it was a challenge that I honestly didn't think was going to work.

I still need to drill a 3/4" hole in the front panel to mount the button, but here is how the front will look (unless I decide on changes, doubt it, but its still open)






next post for more:


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## tastegw (Feb 10, 2013)

more....:

Did some sanding work with the front, top, both sides

tool of choice here:






does a nice job, finish is smooth as butter




its pretty fast too, only spent about 5 minutes per part




these panels are now ready for primer




after a movie the primer was ready,  I started with some orange on the side panels




after the orange was dry enough for painters tape, I measured where the lines would be




and masked them off




I was now ready for some jet black glossy 




got a few coats on over time and removed the mask from the side panels




tomorrow, I will need to mount the side vents, and black away any orange that stands out of place




after a couple coats of clear coat, these were ready for hanging





more next post


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## tastegw (Feb 10, 2013)

continued:

I also got a little bit of the inside side panel work done, I will explain more on this a bit later on:

measurements




hole placements




going with 1 3/4" for the inside even though the pipes are 1 1/2"




holes drilled









I used a jigsaw to cut the lengths of the panels, no pics on that yet, these two pieces got a coat of primer, but not painted yet, I need to go back and add in the side vent holes first.

I also installed the 3.5" bay into its new resting spot:















it sits in the bottom, back, left corner facing the left side in case the photos are confusing.

I do believe I am out of photos for now, it felt like I got more done, maybe I just forgot to get photos of that, but anyhoot, will have more for you tomorrow,  planned:

*Polish/Wax Front, Sides, and Top Panel to a nice shine
*Mount Side Panel Vents, remove any excess orange paint (before polish)
*Mount Front Panel Art and Overkill Grills
*Finish Inside Panels, to complete side panels so they can be merged into 1 (well, 2 sides of course)
*misc work

enjoy for now!


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## tastegw (Feb 10, 2013)

Wasn't really feeling it today but I got some photos 

got the front panel ready for the power button





will look like this when all finished up





tried some good wax for a nice shine on the panels





took very long to dry in this cold weather, even in the garage





but once it dried, no real improvements in the gloss area...

pre-install of the u-channel molding, just to know where to cut it
(wax still drying in photo)





install top panel window, wax is dry here, but now i gotta re-apply the u-channel





side panels almost finished





things I got done but no photos: (sorry, will have photos of these when I return in 2 weeks)
*mounted the vent mesh for the side panels, glue still drying
*mounted front panel art, glue still drying 
*finished inside side panels, painted and ready for mounting
*other misc work

------------------------------

I got a lil frustrated today when things started going a little sour, and just wasn't liking some of my results, i hope it all turns out ok, but at this point, i have decided no more money into this project(excluding hardware), so i have to make it work with what i have thus far.  front panel really needs to be redone, maybe down the road at one point, but i gotta stick to what i have currently

big props go out to all of you that can pull this stuff off with ease, experienced or not.  this is my 3rd mod,  and by far the biggest ive attempted,  my previous 2 mods were only side windows and painting solid colors, kinda strait forward stuff. i really feel that i didn't plan anywhere near as good as i should have, especially when i started going off track from my original idea(s)

anyways,  everything should start coming together the next time I get back home in 2 weeks,  nearly all work is done, just mounting and putting things together is left.

until next time,  have a great day!


edit:

the missing pics (still need to be cleaned up around the edges and stuff)

front panel (only thing left is to get Overkill Grills mounted





side panel(s) (only thing left is to mount it along with the pipes)


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## tastegw (Mar 4, 2013)

small update:

was lucky enough to get home for a 34 hour break today,  was able to nearly complete the side panels:



























also a purchase update:

*30" Korean IPS 2560x1600 Crossover 30Q5 Pro
*Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid Mechanical Keyboard /w Cherry Red Switches
*and some extra keycaps for the keyboard above


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## n0tiert (Mar 4, 2013)

very nice tiny detailed mods bro... thx for sharing !

btw. where u get those letters from (mercedes) ?


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## tastegw (Mar 4, 2013)

n0tiert said:


> very nice tiny detailed mods bro... thx for sharing !
> 
> btw. where u get those letters from (mercedes) ?



thanks man 

I got the letters from Advanced Auto,  about a buck each letter, rather cheap, clean, and easy mod.


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## PatoRodrigues (Mar 4, 2013)

Finally some update bro! It was weird not to see any e-mail about this rig, haha!

Keep it going man! 

I'm following closely two orange builds now, yours and one from a really cool guy called Ron Sanut (YT). Take a look at it! It's a WC build, entirely different... But you can get few ideas from him, actually.


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## grunt_408 (Mar 5, 2013)

Wow , keep up the good work


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## tastegw (Mar 7, 2013)

Thx guys 

Forgot to add a last pic before leaving for another 2 weeks:
Panels sitting, not fastened, in place.






Work still to be done:
*mount overkill grills on front panel
*fasten the side pipes to a fixed position
*case feet (work done by FannBlade)
*install hardware
*clean it up


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## erixx (Mar 8, 2013)

Your awesome job here reminds me the motorcycle DOGMA: It's not the destination but the road that matters! The end product does not convince me personally but the whole story was cool. I hope you enjoy it miles & miles


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## tastegw (Mar 9, 2013)

FannBlade is working his magic over in The cross roads of America

I got him a brand new kit to help him out






His work so far:


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## tastegw (Mar 11, 2013)

Got home for 2 1/2 days, 2 awesome packages waiting for an unboxing:

30" 2560x1600 monitor
















And my new mechanical keyboard
CoolerMaster Storm QuickFire Rapid






Cherry Red Switches






I also had some orange key caps on order, so I plugged those in too

















Loving this keyboard quality.

Does not look like I will need an upgrade on either of these items ever, only replacing them when their time is up or they fail prematurely.

Should have some more work progress photos for you all tomorrow, till then, enjoy.


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## tastegw (Mar 11, 2013)

Motherboard came in today, played around with it a lil:


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## 15th Warlock (Mar 14, 2013)

I just found this gem of a thread, what a fantastic mod man, subbed, great job, it shows how much effort you've put into it


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## grunt_408 (Mar 14, 2013)

tastegw said:


> Motherboard came in today, played around with it a lil:
> 
> http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/...4EB6E48-6702-00000FF808393511_zpsdca4eeb2.jpg
> 
> ...



Awesome


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## tastegw (Mar 16, 2013)

Thx guys


FannBlade is almost finished with the feet:


























Kickstand will mount to one of the feet when all said and done.

As for the case, I have to go back and redo the front panel to make it fit together better, ordered a new holesaw for the job since my last one is toast.

Should have more updates around the 28th or so for the case mod(s)

May have gpu update next week if I can make my mind up, that's the last pieces of hardware left to purchase.

Until then, enjoy


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## tastegw (Mar 22, 2013)

Thx man 

At all, made up my mind and decided to go with a single titan.

Ordered a evga superclocked titan, the only one in stock at newegg at the time.

All hardware is now complete, can't wait to get it all booted up

Edit: 
To defend the overpriced purchase, here is my reasoning

*single card setup:
------------------------ no micro stutter, no sli hassles
------------------------ likely fastest single card till maxwell
*more than enough gddr5 for many years on all games likely


The cons
The price, sli/crossfire 670's+/7950's+ outperform it in most situations

Total investments to date:



Hardware:
Case - $100
CPU - $230
Mobo - $220
RAM - $90
PSU - $230
GPU - $1020
Cooler - $130
Fans - $60
SSD - $125
HHD - $120
BR Burner - $130 
Monitor - $570
Keyboard - $100

Hardware Total - $3,125

Case Mods:
Etched Window - $100
Custom Feet - $100
Overkill Grills - $100
Aluminum panels - $45
Supplies - $100
Harley Davidson Mem. - $80
Chrome Mem. - $80
Misc Parts $50
Power Button - $25
Lighting - $30

Case Mod Total - $710

Grand Total - $3,835
*Plus taxes and shipping where applicable.

Unused Parts:
Windows Clear and Amber - $30
Diamond Plate - $30
Racing Pipes - $35
5" Chrome Cut-outs - $35

Total - $130

This better last!


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## tastegw (Mar 24, 2013)

Case feet finished, FannBlade did an amazing job, polished them up very well:




































I highly recommend FannBlade for any work you may need to outsource.  
But you already knew what he could do most likely.

I get home mid-week this week, looking to get some near final finishes on this case mod.  

Things left to do:

*redone front panel
*mount everything else
*install hardware 
*boot up and never look back

Until next time, enjoy!


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## Widjaja (Mar 24, 2013)

I knew you would stop there......

It's like those tv series which stop at the most critical moment so you come back to watch the next episode.


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## tastegw (Mar 27, 2013)

Thanks u2!  

I finally got back home for 2 1/2 days today,  I started redoing my front panel.

Before I continue, let me explain why a redo was necessary:  When I went to mount the overkill grills, they were too close to the flame cutouts, I forgot to measure where I was putting the power button, and the power button dictates where the flame cutouts go.   So a redo, with a slight design change was due.

This time I will be using 1/4" thick aluminum instead of the much thinner stuff I used last time of approx 1/16" (side panels and top panel are approx 1/8").  I bought a proper sized quality hole saw, even though I said I wasnt going to do this earlier, I felt it was needed for a quality job.
Hard to find 4 3/4" by Black and Decker off ebay for a steal at $10 + ship.

With the design change,  I am replacing the much larger nut covers that I painted orange (regretted that afterwards) with smaller ones, and I will be leaving these chrome.   I grinded out the insides so they would lay as flat as possible on the curved Cougar fans










I got the as center as I could,  sorry for the lack of video quality,  my video editor would not load up the videos off my phone for some reason, so it was a strait upload off my phone.
http://youtu.be/QvES3r7oubo

how the new design will come together thus far:






















thats all i got for you today,  tomorrow I will work on the new front panel more,  it needs new power button location,  trimmed and sanded down, then primed and first coat black.  Second coat and clear coat the following day.

The overkill grills, I am also giong to be giving these a new finish, as you can tell in the above they are partially sanded, a real pain in the arse with those.

My Titan should be coming in within the next 2 days,  so even if my shell of a case isnt completed by then, I will be firing that futher mucker up.


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## Pehla (Mar 27, 2013)

tastegw said:


> I am replacing the much larger nut covers that I painted orange (regretted that afterwards) with smaller ones



why regret?? now it look's much beter!!


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## tastegw (Mar 27, 2013)

Pehla said:


> why regret?? now it look's much beter!!



regret painting the originals orange


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## tastegw (Mar 27, 2013)

halfway through the day,  got some updates:

started getting some of the final touches on the front panel work,  new placement of power button makes sure there is plenty of room below the grills for the flames





I then needed to angle the inside left and right edges to for a solid fit on the front plastic, this was a bit tricky as the best tool for the job was a manual file





looking good after many many strokes









and how it sits on the plastic is just what I was looking for





I then sanded the hell out of this aluminum to a marble smooth finish ready for priming









oh ya,  what do you think of the top of that panel? 




that added design idea was due to the placement of the bullet bolts, needed something to make it look like it wasnt going to drag off the edge some,  speaking of the bullet bolts,  long and skinny or short and fat?  I like the longs better:










will have more for you after some priming/sanding and coating.


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## tastegw (Mar 29, 2013)

hi again 

have some good news,  everything is just about done 

I took my grills down to a local machine shop and sand blasted them myself, took 33 minutes and cost $14 bucks and some change, pretty good deal I thought.








all I need to do now is wait till I can find a proper method to get a chrome look to those, and they will be completed, until then they will be mounted as is.

I also finished the front panel completely excluding minor clean up detailing:






























and I think I forgot to show the completed top panel from earlier:





its 4 corners and where the u channel ends meet:




the above has a blemish in the paint 




















completed side panel (other is in garage getting some last touches, will look identical to this one, only opposite side





now for some fun stuff 

prepped my SSD









and EVGA has something for me today




well, I had to buy it from them lol.















I plan on starting to build this rig a bit later on if everything falls in place,  will update on progress before the night is over,  I leave in the morning for 2 weeks, so if i cant get it done tonight, another boring wait


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## t_ski (Mar 29, 2013)

They do make chrome paint...

http://www.google.com/search?q=chro...QGJlIHoCg&sqi=2&ved=0CG0QsAQ&biw=1920&bih=963


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## tastegw (Mar 29, 2013)

ok,  so i didnt win the lottery tonight, but i did win the 2 dollar prize 

here goes,  prepped case for hardware install





dont laugh at my temp feet !!! the real ones will get installed next time i get home 

1st thing to do was the easiest thing, install my front panel fan filter behind the fans 





I then installed the SSD and HDD, no photos as they cant be seen from outside anyways.
next was to slap in the PSU, ......I am not liking the single braided cables, they are a real pain in the ass due to stiffness, but anyhoot, what can i do.





next up was to lay down the motherboard tray with the mobo in it, and connect the 24 and 8 pins





my workstation for the night:





next was to apply some thermal paste, i used:




(had to take that gunk off the x60 that was preinstalled)
my grain of rice





release tha kraken!





release tha titan!











got to get those wires managed when i get back

and more misc pics













































also,  got a short vid of the front panel in motion:

http://youtu.be/Vao8vqiZXlM

was unable to get windows installed tonight, was having troubles with my external br driver, may need to figure out a different approach to that one.

anyhoot, will have more photos of this finished case mod when I return in about 2 weeks, will also try and get some benchmarks in if possible.

enjoy!


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## HammerON (Mar 29, 2013)

Looking great


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## Widjaja (Mar 29, 2013)

Looks great!


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## tastegw (Apr 16, 2013)

got everything installed

posting some numbers:

stock clocks on cpu
100% load temps:




idle temps (meaningless almost)





*basic* overclock on cpu to 4.3GHz
100% load temps:





default testing:
P12945 on 3DMark11: http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/6411829
9035 on FireStrike (base clocks): http://www.3dmark.com/fs/376100
19611 on Catzilla (base clocks): http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr17/tastegw/cat-stock_zps3c8cb296.png
10.26 on SuperPI 1M (base clocks): http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr17/tastegw/spi-stock_zps8c723fb8.png

2560x1600 testing:
will update after I hook up the monitor


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## tastegw (Apr 22, 2013)

Thinking of swapping out top window with the unused transparent amber window I have, the more I look at the etched window, the more I don't like the way I can't really see through it.

As far as hardware and stuff, everything is installed and working like a charm, it's good to know no RMA's are needed that slow things down.

Things left to to:

Install the custom feet by FannBlade (arrived)
Install backplate on Titan (arrived)
Some minor cable management
Some finishing touches on side panels: may need to bolt the layers together as my different adhesives keep failing to hold the bond.
Take it to the local HD shop and give them the finger ..I.

Return home on the first or second next month, will update then with any progress.


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