Dremel Dream Machine!

OCD-OC · 29 Jul 2010 at 13:01

Hi guys,

First off I apologise if you've seen this build already on other forums.

I wanted to get some hints from the UK OCers as well as the Americanos so here goes :

Back in February I decided I want to build a monster
fully watercooled new case with all new components
I was donating my old SLI rig to the father-in-law and needed something to occupy my time and then be a lasting piece of kit in my gaming arsenal.

This was my old Antec case PII 965 BE + 9800GTX+OC SLI

I researched and lurked here for a while before ordering

The kit arrived :

and I started to rip it up

OCD-OC · 29 Jul 2010 at 13:04

The 800D is HUGE

I had to fit in 2 x PA120.3 (top and bottom) and with the PSU there's no room

This is where the problems really start and I SHOULD have done some of that thinking thing...

here's what it started out like :

and here's me trying out the space for size ... no wai is that gonna fit in there !!

Time for ACTION ... so I bugger off to B&Q and buy a dremel and some other power tools..

Fun ensues !

after removing the drive bays :

I thought I'd have room to use one of the hot swap HDD enclosures if IT sawed it off the rest of the bay and screwed it back into place ..
No room for the PSU or the Cables though .. so after spending a day cutting it out ..
I trashed it and will mount the backup HDD into a DVDROM bay with a chassis..

OCD-OC · 29 Jul 2010 at 13:05

more cutting is required and then slide the PSU into position :

this is upside down so you can see the fit of the RAD ..

now attaching the RAD is a Whole new ball park

first off, attaching fans to them and then trying to get them to attach inside the case ..

Theres a really good reason people buy shrouds .. I forgot (or was too cheap to do it properly)

see here the screws that come with the fan ? well they are meant to screw into the fan chassis but that would involvebeinf screwed in from the opposite side of the radiator .. I think you see the design flaw there

So, out with the drill .. Back to B&Q

40 x M4 30mm bolts and nuts

Drill some holes in the RAD (enlarging the exisiting screw holes as seen here )

now the Clever bit

I ACTUALLY did some thinking

If I put the fan on top of the rad and try to put the bolt through to go into the nut ... it ain't going to work .. even if i got lucky and managed to get them lined up

Here's a handy trick ............. Superglue !!! you heard it here first !

put the bolt through and grab some threads ... dab glue to the top of the nut and then tighten a nut on top to add pressure
I tried holding it in place first by hand But .. I just wasnt steady enough and secondly 36 bolts would have taken me a month !!

you end up with this :

funky huh !

Give it a few hours for the glue to set so that when you attach the fans there's enough traction for the bolt to start tightening wothout the nut spinning freely ...

OCD-OC · 29 Jul 2010 at 13:06

here's the first fan :

and the whole thing is ready to be installed ..

I really complements the case as this is SO much more sturdy than just using self tapping screws .. and MOST IMPORTANT ... I didn't risk pircing the radiator at all .... I was so impressed with my ingenious idea !

now there is a choice to be made in attaching the Radiator inside the case ..

either use the self tappers provided or do the nut and bolt thing again ..

I had run out of superglue and opted for the self tappers ... ONE precaution !!

I filed of the pointy bits ... Really didn't want to screw into the rad at all

here we go .. all fitted !

and inside view

OCD-OC · 29 Jul 2010 at 13:06

OK,

the RADs are bothe fitted.. cool

I don't yet have the waterblocks for the GPUs so just the one loop for now

Bay res is next to be fitted in ... the 800D has some metal brackets in the DVDROM bays which blocks the bay res from fitting ... MORE Dremel later !

and in she slots .. the blue tube is tust from my leak testing .. not gonna bore you here with that .. I already linked it in another thread.

PLEASE please leak test outside the case first ... better safe than wet an electrocuted !

okay okay .. one piccy of leak testing

and a front end shot with lovely Blue LED

now onto the scary expensive stuff

Compression fittings .. ummm .. fitted ..

MAN GOO !!

get rid of the horrible blue plastic bracket

and lets start getting Risky !!!

OCD-OC · 29 Jul 2010 at 13:07

that waterblock on the NB is Copper .. I'm quite sure of it .. the down side is the barbs are not removable .. so I replaced it with the passive "silent pipe" cooler as supplied :

and then attached the HEATKILLER V3.0 to the CPU and M/B

so far so good .. I might as well throw it in the case seeing as it's all ready now .. scared yet ?

just remember the Case is HUGE .. and the MoBo is one of the biggest form factors XL-ATX woot !

inside the case .. it looks TINY !

OCD-OC · 29 Jul 2010 at 13:07

RES fitted .. MoBo fitted, RADs n Fans fitted

best run some TooBs then eh ?

I got 5 metres of TFC Silver 3/8 ID 1/2 OD tubing and will use the same in BLUE for the GPU LOOP eventually ... this should match the silver and Blue theme here ..

so here's my first shot at watercooling guys !

Spot the deliberate mistake .. yes I know .. all that money on fittings and I hardly used any and FORGOT a drain tube .. this is going to be a problem !!

Told you I ain't good at thinking !

did some tilting the case (can't photo it .. case too heavy !!! )

and got 90% of the bubbles out

see the froth in the top of the res ? coooool !

at the minute I have to top up by pulling the bay res out

I have to drill more holes in the case and fit some fillports .. I have them but need the 22mm -> 1/4 in BSP ? adaptor to make it work .. then it will all be simple .. I'll probably do the drain at the same time as I fit this and the gPUs

so now I did some more leak testing in the case for 3 hours :

before I was happy to carry on building it up and adding in the rest of the gear

A few things more:

Threw in the RAM and GPUS (air cooled for now)

I need to figure out a way to make the heatsinks BLUE .. to match !

OCD-OC · 29 Jul 2010 at 13:07

You are going to love this ...

Cable management *** !!

Looks quite good at the front .. I still have a lot of work to do yet

But TADAAAA ! .. a view from behind ! .. not for the faint of heart !

SSD Velcros to the back panel ... some LED light controller and a SHED LOAD of fan cables and other cables

.. Do'h ! what to do what to do ?!

and Yet ANOTHER Problem ..

see the PSU in the bottom .. mounted quite cleverly to the front of the case ?

Well that's fine .. but ... the Damn cable won't fit under

the PSU is attached to the front with industrial strength Velcro .. and is jammed in against the bottom tray of the chassis ... TIGHT !

So, PLAN B ! !

DREEEMEEEEEEL !

fits alreight now yay

and I can run the cable outside under the legs of the case

For now .. until I get some more kit .. thats me .. I'm gonna see how it goes

OCD-OC · 29 Jul 2010 at 13:09

in the window

and here's an obligatory night shot

Next ... in a few months onto the GPU's

OCD-OC · 29 Jul 2010 at 13:11

This is where we are currently at :
CPU loop has been in place a couple months and GPU's air cooled and cooking.

And here' is what has turned up

strip tease :

NEKKID ! apart from see thru panties

and to make it all look prettier

someone else did this ...

:clap:

more to follow as I start ripping this all apart

OCD-OC · 29 Jul 2010 at 13:11

took the plunge, moment of truth time.

:cool:

starting with this -- huge block of copper and plastic

then something fell off, oops

mucky handed minions maded my GPUS .. yuck, needs cleaning.

drop on a lump of metal and acetal

multiply by a factor of awesome squared

Oh hell why not, multiply by TOTALLY AWESOME CUBED TO THE POWER OF OMGWTFBBQPWN !!one!!eleven

other angles

and the other side

rjk · 29 Jul 2010 at 13:49

saw this build on another forum. some really interesting ideas.
i like the psu at the front idea too

as you havent set your trust email up, would it be possible for me to move this thread into the 'Case Central' section?

we are hopefully implimenting a Project Logs sub section soon and this thread would fit in there really well.

Muel · 29 Jul 2010 at 13:51

Loosk hawt. I would have got a 90 degree PSU lead instead of cutting another hole in the case personally though...

Reaper652 · 29 Jul 2010 at 13:56

Muel said:
Loosk hawt. I would have got a 90 degree PSU lead instead of cutting another hole in the case personally though...

He did say several times that he doesn't think about things enough

OCD-OC · 29 Jul 2010 at 14:14

rjkoneill said:
saw this build on another forum. some really interesting ideas.
i like the psu at the front idea too

as you havent set your trust email up, would it be possible for me to move this thread into the 'Case Central' section?

we are hopefully implimenting a Project Logs sub section soon and this thread would fit in there really well.

That'd be fine by me thanks for looking rjk

TRUST MODE - Activated !

-- Cheeeezy !

Muel said:
Loosk hawt. I would have got a 90 degree PSU lead instead of cutting another hole in the case personally though...

I looked in about 5 shops for one, got home and cut the hole

thinking AND patience ... I have neither

Reaper652 said:
He did say several times that he doesn't think about things enough

did I say that ? damn .. I need to think before typing

Muel · 29 Jul 2010 at 14:25

Could have at least cut the hole nice and square and neat, spoils it IMO.

OCD-OC · 29 Jul 2010 at 14:57

it's going to be filled in

90 degree on order,

So, jobs to do

Fill ports , drain lines, cable management and lighting

should be finished in a week

NathWraith · 29 Jul 2010 at 16:20

Awesome idea for the rad and PSU mounting. Given me a few ideas for my 800D.

perry081064 · 29 Jul 2010 at 17:03

bout time you got that trust activated
..been trying to add you for a while.

awesome rig btw

OCD-OC · 29 Jul 2010 at 18:32

Cheers

just got home, time for some drilling