Project: Black Knight (Pimp My Rig ROUND 2 - TJ07)

[hughythomas]

Hey guys,

First of all thanks to all that contributed to my original thread "Pimp My Rig" found here

This build originally was all about feedback from the brilliant community here on OcUK. I want to keep the spirit of this 'open-source' approach as much as possible. If you don't like what I'm doing say so and let's see if we can realise something greater as a result!

HARDWARE

Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 Motherboard
Intel Core i5 3570K Ivy Bridge CPU
8GB G.Skill RipJawX 1600Mhz DDR3 RAM
AMD Radeon 7970 (not bought yet!)
1TB Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD
128GB Crucial M4 SSD
Samsung BD (not bought yet)

WATERCOOLING

XSPC Raystorm CPU Cooling
7970 full cover block of some description
XSPC RS360 triple roof mesh mod w/Yate Loons
XSPC RX480 quad radiator in bottom w/Scythe GTs
1/2" - 3/4" XSPC Blue UV Tubing
Koolance 1/2" - 3/4" Compression fittings (black)
Bitspower 1/2" - 3/4" 45 degree angle fittings (black)
EK PSC Rotary 45/90 degree connectors
Laing DDC Ultra w/XSPC top pump
T-Balancer BigNG Fan controller

CASE

Silverstone TJ07 (heavily modded and powdercoated internally & externally)

Since the completion of the first round of 'Pimp My Rig' I took a long hard look at my TJ07 and realised quickly that she was going to need a serious make-over for her big night out!

Thus, I recently sent her off to be powder-coated all black (and a few other cool mods to boot!):

I'm hoping THIS time we can build a TJ07 together that is a little more special

Tom

 

[hughythomas]

Updated thread with some new photos taken on a half decent camera.

Apologies for the fingerprints - I will give her a good clean after I've started the dremeling that I need to do to successfully route tubing/cables.

 

[hughythomas]

Small update:

Finished the Dremel work I needed to do to route cabling/tubing. Was a bit messy but is needed as I am moving to 1/2" - 3/4" tubing...

Prior to this madness:

Please forgive me Silverstone:

Used a black Sharpie to cover bare metal (after some filing and sanding)

Does anyone know if there is a better alternative to a Sharpie? Some sort of paint perhaps? The colour doesn't match and it looks really bad. Still, not as if this stuff will be visible TBH so maybe I shouldn't worry.

 

[hughythomas]

Radiator install:

Pump/front USB mounting:

Had to velcro the Akasa front panel USB 3.0 down and I'm not really too pleased with the results. Unfortunately, after the powdercoating base of the 3.5" drive has raised up just a little too much rendering the predrilled screw holes not flush with bay devices.

I also want the front bay to be flush with the case...

 

[hughythomas]

Decided to bite the bullet and order an official front panel device directly from Silverstone (OcUK don't stock the one I want otherwise I would have bought it here!).

Hopefully this'll match up properly to the front and make it all look flush, neat and tidy!

 

[hughythomas]

Been working on her this weekend.

Got new feet through as well as the official Silverstone front USB 3.0 which fits much better than the Akasa one.

 

[hughythomas]

Hey Avathar,

Thanks for the reply! Yes, I know what you mean but could not see an obvious solution.

Would this be better in your opinion?

The way it is setup currently is that the fans push air through the rad and out of the case.

Should I swap it around so that the fans are drawing air from outside and pushing through the radiator instead?

 

[hughythomas]

No need to check the space man - the reason I did the dremeling on the case was for tubing as the barb end of the radiator is towards the front of the case not the back.

I will re-mount the radiator/fans now and post back with some photos once completed

Thanks for your input Avathar - really appreciated!

 

[hughythomas]

Done

 

[hughythomas]

Arg kinda wishing I went for UV red tubing now...

 

[hughythomas]

Small update:

Started to attach tubing (although my 7970 is not here yet nor the waterblock released for it so improvising somewhat) & thinking about cable management.

I'm a little concerned about flow - can anyone confirm if it's OK to have a 90 degree rotary as the initial pump outlet fitting? If not, I will have to turn the pump around and re-think the loop. Happy to do this if flow will be better.

 

[hughythomas]

Thanks for the kind words guys.

I got my 7970 through this morning - I am in half a mind to just install it as is (without the waterblock) and at least get the rig up and running for a number of reasons:

1. The EK waterblocks have been delayed untill mid-late July (according to the official website)

2. As I had planned to originally use a Samsung BD-Rom Drive the custom front panel I had made up will not fit with the Silverstone FP58 bay device I am now using. Unfortunately a new custom front panel will have to be made from scratch and powdercoated, this will take at least a few weeks.

3. I do not get paid until the 25th of this month and I am SKINT for the time being!

I can always re-visit this thread once the waterblock has arrived to finish this beast but I might just install everything else for the time being and have the 7970 on air to tide me over till payday...

 

[hughythomas]

Quick update with 7970 installed! woooooop!

Only problem I have now is with the PCI-E connectors making it look uber untidy.

I will take another photo later to show you guys but I will need help with this I think!

EDIT: Here you are:

Need some help with cable management:

The plan is to hide as much as possible behind the custom front panel, I'm not a fan of the 5.25" mounting I have currently for the single 3.5HD I plan to use:

My design:

I guess I will have to pop off the front fascia plate of the Silverstone FP58 and use it as a guide to get the custom front panel made up.

 

[hughythomas]

Yer looks like I don't have enough room for that particular mod. Still, looks awesome on yours

I am completely skint now having spent monies on the 7970 this month.

Gonna wait till the 25th before ordering the other bits & bobs I need to complete this build - stay tuned guys!

 

[hughythomas]

TBH I used to have the pump down below like you suggested but I was getting ****y at it blocking the bottom radiator (hence why the need to change it all around).

Definitely hear what you are saying though - will the 2x 90 degree adapters inhibit the flow in a big way?

Cheers for your post.

Tom

 

[hughythomas]

UPDATE: 11/09/2012

This build is 95% complete (there are only a few things remaining). The reason it has been delayed was due to slow delivery of EK Lightning block for the MSI Lightning 7970 card.

Check it out:

Just need the custom front panel now:

Baby, when the lights go out:

Thoughts/comments lads? I will post decent photos up (using a proper Digital Camera) tonight!!

STAY TUNED.

 

[hughythomas]

Small update:

Just installed front panel although I might need to re-adjust it as it's a little wonky :S

I'll DEFINITELY have some decent photos for you guys after weekend. Going to do a proper photoshoot of the build once I get the time