Pimp My Rig - TJ07 aka. "Project: Open-Source"

[hughythomas]

Hi guys!

Project: Open-Source is a humble endeavour - I ask the community to help me realise my dream of a 'pro' looking rig.

I know it is no small order (check this out - how she looks currently):

Note, the first 3 of those pics were a year ago or so, whereas the last few taken today on girlfriends sucky camera

***SPOILER ALERT*** ***SPOILER ALERT*** Some of my photos might be down right SHOCKING untill I borrow my dad's dSLR

The technical stuff

I have just bought the following to get the initial ball rolling (but suggestions are encouraged!):

5m Koolance 1/2 ID - 5/8" OD Tubing (UV Dark Green)
8x Koolance 16/13mm ID 1/2" OD 5/8 (Matte black compression fittings)
4x Bitspower 7/16" (Matte Black barbs)
XSPC RX480 Quad Radiator (to replace the slightly damaged TC PA120.3)
XSPC Universal Radstand 120mm (to mount quad radiator in bottom compartment)
4x Scythe 120mm Gentle Typhoon (1850rpm)
XSPC RayStorm CPU block

Specs:

Intel i5 2500k @ 4.5Ghz (1.384v currently HK 3.0 but will be XSPC Raystorm)
ASUS P8P67 (thinking of replacing this with a different board to give a decent colour scheme)
8GB G.Skill RipJaws (@1600Mhz - 9 - 9 - 9 - 24)
NVIDIA GTX 580 1.5GB (with a FC-EK block currently)
Auzentech X-Fi Prelude (might sack this off as use the HDMI on gfx card now)
128GB Crucial M4 SSD (5.25" adaptively mounted)
1TB Samsung SpinPoint F3 (5.25" adaptively mounted)
mCubed T-Balancer BigNG Fan Controller (mounted with velcro currently)
Silverstone TJ07 (Black with black powder coated internals - has a few scuff marks and might need powdercoating externally)
TC PA120.3 (bottom compartment with 3x Yate Loon DSL13s)
XSPC RS360 (top compartment with 3x Yate Loon DSL13s with triple roof mesh mod to TJ07 - should we replace with an EX360?)
EK Multioption Res 150 (Attached to motherboard tray of TJ07)
Laing DDC Ultra 18w (XSPC Top - I am unsure that where it is mounted currently is best...suggestions?)

Now, I want to make it clear from the get-go that I have no real plans for this other than 'riding the wave' of suggestion from a fantastic community! I want this build to be organic and 'see where the wind takes us'.

I have a tight budget but anything you guys can recommend to help me along my way of modding this 'vintage' case into something I can be proud of would be great!

I am willing to push my skills (my biggest shortcoming is lack of proper DIY experience) to get the most out of this rebuild. I should also stress that colour scheme is important to me - as is the overall 'look' of the case (including cable management which I clearly have a big problem with!).

I will add a new reply with updates on progress as I first de-plumb her.

Look forward to hearing from you all!

 

[hughythomas]

Fittings & Dark Green tubing (1/2 ID - 5/8 OD) - hopefully this will increase flow as my previous sizing was 7/16 - 5/8...

Dusty as hell - I really don't like the look of the motherboard/RAM either. Don't think the colours really match at all:

GTX 580 - gonna need to take block apart as I suspect corrosion...

 

[hughythomas]

Would this motherboard be a nice touch? It is mostly black so the RAM/Dark Green tubing wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb...

Decent clocker?

 

[hughythomas]

Here's the thing guys - I am fairly incompetent when it comes to DIY. I had to send the case off to a modding specialist who fitted my pump and radiator for me. The radiator is attached to a triple rad stand via a couple of screws going into the bottom of the TJ07.

Obviously, how I mount the new quad rad I have bought is going to be an issue. In preparation I bought the XSPC 120mm Universal Radstand link

I also purchased some Alphacool velcro although a more professional approach would be to use screws and drill into the case. I have never done this before but with the help of the pros on here I want to expand my horizons (how else do we learn?!).

 

[hughythomas]

I think it would, but I have seen people remove and paint those blue heatsinks on the Asus P8 boards and use covers for the open pci slots to even the color out.

Hows the raystorm performing? plan to get one later this week

Ah cool - do you know what kind of paint would be best?

As for the Raystorm - I am as far the last bunch of pics (wanna take my time with this and do it RIGHT as opposed to usual) so don't know yet!

EDIT: The more I think about it the more tempted I am to grab that Gigabyte board as it is compatible with Ivy Bridge...what say you?

Tom

 

[hughythomas]

Thanks for the reply Panyan!

I should have made it clear from the get go - strictly NO DEAL NOEL on premixed coloured coolant. This rig will be comprised of coloured tubing only as I do not want another rig wrecked by dye seperation (or whatever causes the gunk inside the blocks).

I'm interested by the prospect of stealthing the drive - how does one achieve this? Also, you mentioned fitting the res properly...it's currently got the EK arm holders screwed to motherboard. Are there better alternatives?

Look forward to hearing more suggestions! I've just got back from work so will continue de-plumbing and draining.

 

[hughythomas]

Quick update:

I started to take my GTX 580 block apart and GUESS what I found...

How would one go about cleaning this off?

Thanks for your email btw panyan - unfortunately I am looking inside the HK 3.0 and it looks mighty similiar situation. In fact, the exact same thing happened to a mate of mine's build and recently and we replaced his block with a Raystorm too.

I'm starting to think I'm a complete noob and have messed up somewhere along the lines. Having said this, we did both used to use the TFC precoloured coolant (green!) so might this green gunk build up be left overs from that perhaps?

Would love some insight into why this exact same green gunk built up in both me and my best mate's rig. Check out some older photos of his Heatkiller 3.0 (which we had to throw away in the end!!!):

Probably never flushed my system properly since moving to Mayhem's Pure H20 (with a few drops of biocide). Could this be the culprit or is there something fundamentally wrong with my approach?

Please advise guys!

Tom

 

[hughythomas]

I'm cleaning the GTX 580 block with a warm damp cloth - maybe isoproyl alcohol would be better?

 

[hughythomas]

Cool - I've washed it as best I can with the cloth in some warm water but it's still mostly not coming off. What are my options? Washing up liquid maybe?

 

[hughythomas]

Cleaned it up a bit:

Took out motherboard tray...

Need to think long and hard about cable management for the rebuild that's for sure!

 

[hughythomas]

Not sure yet Avathar,

Gotta XSPC RX480 sat here (to replace my damaged TC PA120.3 in the bottom). Couple that with with the XSPC RS360 which is already installed with a triple mesh mod in the top and I assume that will be sufficient?

I couldn't find any benchmark comparisons between the RS360 vs the newer EX360. Might an upgrade to the top radiator be worth it now as I'm taking her to bits for the first time in years?

My trusty RS360 has the benefit of all 3 fans being braided into one 3-pin for tidyness (again I didn't do this myself):

Maybe I should just bite the bullet and buy an EX360 with 3 more Gentle Typhoons for the top mesh? What are your thoughts guys?

Anyhow, I've made some small progress tonight:

Sneaky peek down under:

What the hell are we gonna do with this front panel malarky?!

I wanna mount the pump someplace else so it doesn't block the XSPC RX480 going in the bottom...any ideas?

 

[hughythomas]

Ha ha yer I tend to just fall into things as a person - don't like getting tied down with planning and preparation. If it feels right do it sorta thing.

Cool - saves some monies

Gonna go ahead and grab that Gigabyte motherboard though - want to be able to use Ivy when it surfaces soon. My current mobo won't. (sad face)

 

[hughythomas]

Don't have monies for RAM just yet bro but once I've sold on my P8P67 will be worth considering!

I'll order the motherboard up in the meantime - never liked the turquoise blue of the ASUS tbh. Have to go for Saturday delivery which is a bit of a pain (girlfriend is at work all week).

 

[hughythomas]

Done a couple of hours work on this tonight.

DUST FIEND!!!!

Might end up just ripping out front panel - not like I use it anyways and I want pump there...suggestions?

Anybody wanna buy a barebones TJ07?

 

[hughythomas]

Thanks webbo I'll pop down later after work and grab some to clean the block up. I MIGHT even try to sell the 580 on MM as the new Radeon 7970 is looking mighty tempting!

Quick update:

XSPC RX480 with 4x Scythe GTs

Ripped our the front panel junction box so that pump can be installed

Mocked up

 

[hughythomas]

Also, check out what this guy did:

http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=172384

He put cable management square holes round the back of the mobo tray - this seems like a really good idea as my PSU cables will be on show up the central panel otherwise.

What would I need to do this? A Dremel 300?

 

[hughythomas]

Yer, fair point lads - I will invest in one.

Also, expect some pictures tonight...I took my rig over to my parent's garage ready to hack up with my new Dremel 300 30, Hole Saw bit & Power Drill. Checked out some tutorials online so I'm feeling a little more confident in what I want to achieve.

Wish Keplar would hurry up and release TBH me wants...

 

[hughythomas]

Well I stupidly had a heavy night out last night so didn't get a chance to get on with the DIY but spent all of today expanding my horizons!

Bear in mind this is my FIRST foray into the land of DIY but I'm pretty pleased with the results tbh!

I started by grabbing a hole saw from a local hardware retailer to start on the motherboard tray cutout:

Next, I went and bought a Dremel 300 30 and used it to cut the remainder of the square out:

I ordered a Pulse backplate for the TJ07 as mine was seriously bent/damaged from a shipping accident:

Had to then de-rivet the vanilla panel:

Then attach the new one...

Finished article:

Next, I wanted to cut some cable management behind the mobo tray to help neaten things up later:

More updates tomorrow when I start actually rebuilding her!

 

[hughythomas]

Liking what you are doing there (subbed).

Is it just me or isn't vinegar supposed to be good for cleaning copper?

Have you got a colour scheme in mind for the overall asthetic?

Thanks man! I've always relied heavily on others in the past but thought this time I wanted to actually man up and learn something new. A couple of youtube tutorials later and...I'm surprised at how well it has turned out.

I was just cleaning my graphics block oddly enough. Didn't manage to make it to Halfords (like someone had previously mentioned) but did buy loads of things from Homebase over the last few days, including copper cleaner. It's working miracles TBH! Block looks new! Will post some photos tomorrow.

As for colour scheme - Green & Black (like the chocolate!) seems to be order of the day! I bought some dark green UV tubing but the whole point of this project was to get community feedback and input so I'm totally open to suggestions!

This build is running the risk of being generic - how many TJ07s in black are on the net?! lol!

 

[hughythomas]

Thanks for the kind words guys!

Been hard on it today but sadly still not finished...

It's starting to look less and less pro - any guidance would be really helpful & appreciated!

Started with reassembling/cleaning graphics card:

Then attached XSPC RS360 in roof:

Next was attaching new Gigabyte motherboard & installing XSPC Raystorm block:

Started tubing up:

I'm a bit meh now...looks kinda messy

What really screwed me over was a Bitfenix 8-pin extender cable - they hadn't cut one of the plastic lines properly and as a result I had to route the 8-pin CPU power in front of the mobo - me no likes!