[Build Log] (case change) Lian Li PC65 to Lian Li PC-7FW (ESCADA)

Soldato
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first off here, let me say a big thanks to overclockers for getting this case to me pronto, thanks guys

i was having hassle with invisible stock at another online retailer, i wont be using them again.

and as i purchased this case here i thought i wuld share a build log with your guys.

Well I am getting a bit bored of my Lian Li PC65, over the years it has been drilled and modded to death, and really looking the worse for wear. it is also silver and at the moment it doesn't fit the colour scheme of things. here's a pic taken recently, but it has took a further beating since this was taken.

PICT0060-1.jpg


over the last few months my cable management has also took a nose dive so this is the perfect opportunity to sort that out too. now also let me stress here that will not be any super extreme mod going on, but more of a simple case change with a few touches.

I was on the lookout for a case that would fit the dimensions of the PC65 exactly as I have a custom built computer area that really needs the height to be spot on, so it sits flush with the top of the desk my monitor is on. and funny enough another Lian li case fits the bill, the PC-7FW. to be honest this case seems more like the same case a few generations on. so was really the perfect choice for me. it also suits my watercooling needs (external)

lianli_7fw_3t.jpg

link: http://www.pureoverclock.com/review.php?id=668&page=1

my colour scheme is going to be black and blue, so a few minor mods need to be done, I also would like a couple more holes for cable routing, this will also be done. one thing I am disappointed in is that the interior is silver aluminium, would be great if it could have been black, but hey its £5.99 for a can of matt spray, so that is what is going to happen. the inside will be sprayed black with the exception of the hard disc cage. that will be blue /black.

I will also be replacing the black rear 120 mm fan with a blue led one to match the front, this will be a Yate loon D12 1350 rpm. various other parts have been ordered including the case, these are including the fan,

black braiding
black heatshrink
4 way manual fan controller
blue spray paint
black spray paint
new tubing and UV blue coils

now on to the internal hardware, this is all existing in present case, but will be changed over the coming months.

ASUS M4A79-Deluxe
Phenom 940
2 x 2 gig OCZ PC8500 Platinum's
Sound Blaster Fatality X-Fi (with front panel)
BFG GTX 260 OCX
OCZ 700W PSU
2 x WD Rapters 150 gig

CPU and VGA watercooled by a Zalman reserator XT (modded)

any suggestions at this point in time would be greatly appreciated, as will at any point in the build, about what I am trying to achieve here, I would like to make this as simple looking as possible to match the simple and elegant style of the case. and also show that maybe you don't need laser cutters and big machine tools to achieve a nice build.

in prep i have cleaned and sprayed the CD cover and fan controller, (i was getting new fan controller, but didnt)

here are some pics, you cant see it too well, but it has retained the 'brushed aluminium look' under the paint, this paint is great, two coats and its solid.

also here is a pic of the fan controller lit up, sry about quality, i will have another camera for finished build,

PICT0004.jpg


merge.jpg


and done, although in old case,

PICT0001-1.jpg


well i also have been thinking of a name for the build, im like that, i like it to have a name, and have settled for 'ESCADA', the LIAN LI ESCADA to be exact

now i have also been thinking of what to do with the little 3.5 inch panel on the front panel, i was going to stick a card reader in there, but thought that might be boring, so i have opted for a name badge

this has just been ordered, it is made of acrylic and will be back lit, with either some blue LED's or a coupe of colour changing ones, we will see on that...literaly.

heres some pics of where its going and how it should look,


ESCADANAMEBADGESANSERIF.jpg


and heres a quik mock up, i think i will back light it in just blue

frontUPLOAD.jpg


OK i was trying to source someone to make the plate for me that will sit on the front panel, after various quotes ranging from £75 to £135, i have found someone to do it.

Timpson shoe repairs...lol, they will do exactly what i want from 3 x 10mm acrylic sheets sandwiched together, with the text engraved to the reverse of one of the sheets, with frosted edges and back (for LED's)

cost? £14 +£4.95 postage lol

looking forward to how it looks
 
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WORK COMPLETED

disasembled
cable routing holes cut
inside sprayed black
accent parts sprayed blue
rear fan changed from boring black to a Yate loon 120mm Blue LED
fancontroller, disasembled and sprayed
CD rom stealth bay sprayed


ok she has arrived, woopey, here are some pics of initial looks,

shesarrived.jpg


in this pic, you can see in the more recent cases they have dropped the slotted cpu area for one big square, we know how useful this can be, i will need it soon for a new cpu block,

newcpumountarea.jpg


ok lets get to work, i need some new holes in there for cables, one drill and chisel later, two new blow holes.

cutholes.jpg


now on to the respray, as discussed black inards, with blue accent,

bluesparyjob2.jpg


dont worry about the bench lol, thats going to the skip soon,
bluesparyjob.jpg


now the finished product,

drivecagefinish.jpg

casefinsih.jpg

casefinsih2.jpg


it will now all be left to 'cure' in the shed (very warm in there) and i will resume the build tommorow, i am very happy with the results, cant wait to get the name badge in there !!!
 
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WORK COMPLETED

Motherboard installed (inc ram/cpu/VGA and waterblocks)
Leak tested
HD and rest of internal hardware installed
cable routes worked out and run in
Power UP, and overclocking session
Finished cable routing, closed up case


hi guys,

well I have been hard at it over the last couple of days, so sorry for the delay, but I have now got to a point were I can sit down and posts some pics, all in all the build has went well so far, with no major problems.

I had to extend the 8 pin motherboard power connector, and that took a while, and to be honest I wish I had just bought an extension lead, I do this every time. then spend two days complaining about it lol.

well onto some pics, I installed the PSU/ motherboard/ram/cpu and graphics card into the case to set up the loop, I grabbed my old 300w PSU and linked it up to the WC set up, it was time to leak test it, this of course was given 24 hours to pass, and all was well,

1leaktest.jpg




after the 24 hours for the leak test I moved on the innards of the case installing the HD's and looking at and working on the cables routes and so on, at this point I am still trying to asses where these cables will go, a few people had said to me there was little room behind this case for this, and now I have got to agree. if they just moved the motherboard tray in to the case by say 30mm, it would make life much easier.

2cablenearlythere.jpg




OK, here I am done, a mess behind the motherboard tray but what you can't see won't hurt, is my opinion, and please take note of the dying art of IDE cable folding in top left LOL,

3cablefinish.jpg




well here we are mid build, still needing some work but thought it might be a good idea to take a snap to log it, nothing special here, just connected hard drives and most of the remaining cables,

then of course I hit the power button (love that moment) only problem I had was the PWM Fan not working (cables not connected correctly) shut down the computer, fixed it and I was good to go,

4midbuild.jpg




although I had previously overclocked this rig, I decided to have another go, while it was on the bench so to speak, I managed to gain a little more on it, settling on,

CPU: 3800 MHz @1.45vcore / NB 2600 MHz @ 1.3v /RAM 1066 MHz 5-5-5-15 @ 2.1v Prime Blend stable

5midbuildoverclock.jpg




now on to the teaser, I wont post full pics just yet, as it isn't finished, I am still waiting on the name badge for the front, and need to get it into place for some pics, but I think it's looking great, the little benching screen will be dumped and a Black 22" Dell will be in its place.

in the next post I will have the finished product, thanks for reading so far guys.

6lastteaser.jpg
 
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hi there guys,

well i am still waiting for the 'good' camera to apear, but i have taken some shots with my little point and shoot camera to show you the finished result,

PICT0002.jpg


PICT0003-2.jpg


PICT0001-2.jpg


thats all for now, but i will update the thread when i get the good pics done. hope you enjoyed this build.
 
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that black and blue works well together

looks good mate

thank you, yeah im pretty happy with it, i think it will look much better though when i get the UV blue tubing and coils in there, bling it a little more maybe,

i got a big pile of led's here, that a gagging for a use ;)
 
that black and blue looks wickied, what are you using around the edge of the holes you cut?

im using the old edge trim from my current Lian Li case, you know the plastic trim the used to use on the sharp edges?

its white, so i stuck it in there, before i sprayed it black, and it does the job :D

ive decided to do 80% of the build tonight, all cable management will wait for now, i will just instal most parts and water cooling, then run the WC overnight for leak testing.

should have more pics up tommorow maybe :rolleyes:
 
I was looking at that case but ended up going for the cheaper PC-A07B :( Looks great, especially re sprayed with the bits of blue too :)

Keep us updated!
 
That's a really nice build. It's people like you that make choices between cases even harder! :D After seeing your thread I'm leaning to the PC-7F instead of the A07. The accented parts are a great idea, looks fantastic
 
That's a really nice build. It's people like you that make choices between cases even harder! :D After seeing your thread I'm leaning to the PC-7F instead of the A07. The accented parts are a great idea, looks fantastic

as i said before the PC-7F is a lovely case, with a classic look that will stand the test of time, but in modern builds, it can be quite pushed in the space department for cabling.

but that aside, it was a cracking build, just being able to remove all panels was a help too, you know you can get stuck in, without worry of scratching the case.

as i said it is nearly finished, i have two pieces to fit, the name badge and a piece of lighting i bet you have never seen in a case !!!

both are being made at the moment

stay tuned :D
 
Great piece of work; inspires the mod virgin in me to get spraying! :)

trust me im no spray expert, i just practiced a little on some parts of the old lian li case.

there are great simple tips on how to spray on youtube, thats where i looked.
 
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