[Project]: Centurion 530

[prosser13]

This is my second case mod project - the first was a custom built M-ATX case built from acrylic and aluminium angle, which is in use as my parents PC currently

This mod is just to tide me over til I build a fully custom watercooled case for myself.

The plans:

Cable management
Painting
Watercooling - starting with one loop, upgrading to dual when I get the money
Some other interesting features

Primary colour scheme will be black on the outside (possibly with some chrome/silver) and white on the inside, with two loops - one pink, one black.

 

[prosser13]

Stage 1
Cable management time!

Starting case with hardware installed. It's my system spec and it's not the tidiest of messes!

Motherboard power/data cable holes cut - I started by using holesaws, but my cheap (probably carbon steel) purchase couldn't cut through the steel of the motherboard tray so I ended up using a jigsaw and a large amount of filing to get these circles.

Drilled four pilot holes after marking out and joined the dots with the jigsaw, so to speak:

Next up was painting the inside of the case. Pretty boring stuff so no pictures, did a couple of coats of primer followed by a coat of clear. Also fitted the U-channel...(sorry for being so vague on how I did some of this stuff, there is a reason!) And, BINGO:

I took this picture after my second go at getting all the cables through the holes while still being able to put the side panel on...however, it took me at least another 5 tries afterwards to actual do it, so this is just a general idea and not a template!

Case back:

Case overview without side panel

Back (with flash, showing the size of my AC7 Pro, I like!)

All the PSU cables and data cables too!

The mess I made:

 

[prosser13]

Stage 2
Let the watercooling commence! xD

My watercooling plans:

Loop 1 (Start)

XSPC Delta CPU block
Swiftech MCR220 120.2 radiator
XSPC 400 Pump/Reservoir
10/8mm compression fittings with 10/8mm PVC clear tubing
Feser One Pink

Pump (case floor) -> 120.2 radiator (mounted off back of case) -> CPU block -> Pump


Loop 1 (Upgrade)

XSPC Delta CPU block
Swiftech MCR220 120.2 radiator (three fans, two pulling + 1 pushing)
D-Tek DB-1 pump
Swiftech MCRES reservoir
1/2" barbs with clear 10/8mm PVC clear tubing
Feser One Black

Pump (case floor) -> 120.2 radiator (mounted off back of case) -> CPU block -> Reservoir (next to PCI slots) -> Pump


Loop 2 (Upgrade)

EK FC79 full cover
XSPC 120.1 single pass radiator (two Xilence Red Wing fans, push/pull)
XSPC 400 Pump/Reservoir
10/8mm compression fittings with 10/8mm PVC clear tubing
Feser One Pink

Pump (case floor) -> 120.1 radiator (front of case) -> GPU block -> Pump

As you may have noticed, I installed the XSPC 120.1 single pass radiator in the front of the case, along with a sleeved Xilence Red Wing:

I had to do a bit of modding to get it to fit...new holes:

And the radiator installed (before painting):

My EK waterblock is here! (£22.50, bargain xD)

So, to take off the VRM block...I made it a lot harder than it should have been. Decimated the screw!

Luckily, it's not a bad as if it had been one of the screws holding down the acrylic. To get at it, first I had to remove the acrylic top - just a case of unscrewing the black screws:

A picture showing where the screw is...:

I don't have a pillar drill here at home (or most other tools, for that matter ) so it'll go up to my grandad who has said he will drill out the screw for me. I can't see it affecting the resale value of the block either, as even with just the one screw the VRM block is very well secured.

Shiny copper block:

My 4 fans! Already an Xilence Red Wing sleeved and installed for the front radiator, the rest will be arranged as I see fit at the time - probably 3 on the back radiator and one on the back of the case, and then another Xilence Red Wing will be added to the 120.1 when I go GPU watercooling.

My watercooling parts:

They include: the 120.2 radiator, the XSPC pump, 3 metres of clear PVC tubing, 2 x 10/8mm compression fittings for the 120.2 + 2 x 10/8mm compression fitting caps for the XSPC pump, my Delta block, a random fan grill (ghetto ) and a blue LED powered by molex which I may switch to UV if I get a chance...

That's it for now, over and out! =]

Update 21/01 - Post 9

 

[ChoÞÞer]

sweet project, looking forward for the finished thing

 

[misterPK]

Cool, I wanted a 530 with its stealthed drive bays, but when I came to buy they were replaced with the newer model that didn't have them. Good luck with the project, it looks great painted white.

PK!

 

[Carter]

I've got one of these cases sat doing nothing... Hmmmm...

 

[roadie]

Looks good but get rid of those fan grills!

 

[prosser13]

sweet project, looking forward for the finished thing

Ta

Cool, I wanted a 530 with its stealthed drive bays, but when I came to buy they were replaced with the newer model that didn't have them. Good luck with the project, it looks great painted white.

PK!

That's the Centurion 532 right? It's got toolless drive bays, and I'm pretty glad I didn't get it if the hard drive rails on this version are anything to go by - I think I've broken at least half of them, nothing a bit of glue can't fix but I prefer having the hard drives in the 5.25" bays anyway...I'm not actually using the stealth bays at the moment, need a longer IDE cable - it's pretty stretched as it is.

I've got one of these cases sat doing nothing... Hmmmm...

Mod it! Or cut out the motherboard tray and send it to me for my next mod, I could do with one xD

Looks good but get rid of those fan grills!

Thanks for the compliment The front one I will when I set it up with dual loops (end of the month, next pay day and I'm working some extra shifts to be able to afford another pump and reservoir), however the second one isn't quite so easy - I'll be using 80mm to 120mm adapters, so removing the fan grill would mean the screwholes would lose their supporting structure However, when I get a minute, I'll design a couple of cross-braces and cut it out then


Oh, and I have been working on this...radiator and the adapter brackets + PCI pass-through plate are being painted white and then clear coated...the radiator just needs to dry for 2 nights (second coat of white went on today) and then it'll be clear coated, one of the adapter brackets is done and the other two need one more coat of white and then clear coating, while the PCI bracket just needs clear coating

Also received my HR-05 today, it looks awesome! I'll post up some pictures with some of my watercooling parts in size comparison later

 

[prosser13]

Update: 21/01

Okies, water is in for leak testing! =]

Didn't have the time required to do a full fit tonight, so I've just connected up the watercooling loop and put the block outside the case along with the pump.

Quite impressed by noise levels TBH, the pump definitely won't be a problem for me even though I can be picky about noise =] Really old to listen to the bubbles in the system though, it's a bit scary! The majority seem to have bled already (it's been about 10 minutes) and this pink is nice xD

Radiator painted and clear coated:

*Slightly* blurry pictures showing what happened to the adapters - look at the one on the left to get an idea:

Barbs installed into radiator:

Next, I set up the system and cut the tubing to lengths:

Tubing at the back:

It goes out through a pass through bracket in the PCI slots, up the back of the case behind the radiator, and then crosses over...I like it! =]

I put the block outside the case - this picture also shows the tubing at the bottom of the case:

And finally leak testing:

I'll update when I get it fitted Wednesday!

 

[TehBluebear]

Looking good dude. Always been slightly iffy about water cooling (My thought process: water + electrics + my phailing at life = expensive mess), but you seem to be cracking on with it

 

[Jonny L]

Looking good dude. Always been slightly iffy about water cooling (My thought process: water + electrics + my phailing at life = expensive mess), but you seem to be cracking on with it

lol, fail at life is a bit harsh, FAIL at spelling maybe.

Really nice little project mate, looks good, keep us updated.

 

[gt_junkie]

Very tidy!

Black and white theme really works.

gt

 

[V|per]

always been a fan of painting stuff white, looks really clean etc. Nice work so far mate, keep it up!

 

[DampCat]

Pink and White! My girlfriend would love it!

I jest. Looks good

 

[prosser13]

Cheers for the comments guys :]

TehBlueBear - if you ever decide to watercooling, get some of these 10/8mm compression fittings. You just push the tubing over the fitting (it generally needs warming up as it's a tight fit) and then you screw down the cap, which 'locks' the tubing in place :]

Vlper/gt_junkie - cheers, I like it too :]

DampCat - LOL =p I was waiting for something like that ;] TBH, the pink doesn't look all that unmanly...I must admit I knew it was pink before I bought it, but the bottle says Feser One Red so that's always a get out close no? I'm looking forward to getting a black loop in there somewhere, the contrast should really set things off!

Anyway, onto the next update xD

Update: 24/01
It's All Coming Together


Update time! :]

First thing I did was remove the chipset cooler:

Ouch :/ The thermal stuff was literally flaking off. I cleaned it all up, put on some Ceramique, and installed my HR-05 SLI...

Then my camera batteries died =( Anyway, there wasn't anything exciting for the next 3 hours or so...I'll describe it anyway ;]

Fitted the HR-05 SLI
Tried to install XSPC Delta block with loop filled
Found that despite the manual saying "Tubing should be attached to the block" it is physically impossible to get the mounting plate over the block when the loop is filled...
Spent about an hour at 1am draining the loop with no idea what I was doing :]
Fitted XSPC Delta block with mounting plate
Reconnected up tubing
Refilled loop
Sorted out a couple of fans (you'll see what I mean :] )
Breathed a sigh of relief I hadn't killed anything yet
Switched on the PC
PC froze when I entered the BIOS
And again
And again
Repeat until I get the idea
I gave up, tried once more, it booted to Windows :/
Checked temperatures
60C and climbing idle
Checked watercooling loop
Realised pump wasn't plugged in properly, hit wallplug switch
Plugged pump in again
Booted into Windows, PC froze
Shut down, went to bed

Anyway, next day I came home and switched on the PC. It booted up for 5 seconds, making loud buzzing noises from the chipset, and then switched itself off. With the feeling the HR-05 SLI was the cause of my problems, I removed it and refitted the stock NB cooler, and no problems since :]

Anyway, onto the pictures!

My fans for the radiator - this is upside down =o The 'top' one in the picture is resting on the floor:

My complex fan mounting system...

Shiney block!

The pump all filled and in the case:

I connected up the blue supplied LED to the pump out of curiousity:

The water looks purple, it's very nice ;]

The crack I was worrying about has all but been covered :]

Excuse the mess!

That's a Zalman ZM-MFC1, just temporary - the fans on the radiator won't need a fan controller. I've sent Swiftech an email regarding getting some fan screws, and the yellow IDE cable is temporary...my DVD drive has died on me, I've connected up the other drive outside of the case now.

The bolts I've used for the 80mm to 120mm adapters are long enough to go through a 120mm fan as well, so when I get a minute the To-Do List is:

• Mount back 120mm fan
• Shorten tubing between pump and CPU
• Tidy up the wires (again)
• Mount the fans onto the radiator properly

Overclocking
Well, that's the cause of all this!


I'll start up a new thread rather than cluttering up this one, but I've noticed a drop of at least 15C xD

There is more to come, including watercooling my GPU with ANOTHER 120.2 radiator (that'll be fun!) and possibly changing this loop to 1/2" with black Feser One, and I'll keep updating =]

Ta for reading so far, just saying this stuff because I doubt I'll get a chance to update this for a couple of weeks or so - I'm normally wrong though =o

(Oh, and apologies for the MySpace style smilies used...I've got this log on a couple of forums so I tend to write the post and then post it up. The other forums all have >25 images a post so I go back and remove the smilies and it normally fits on here!)

 

[Darg]

Sounds about like one of my upgrades, problem, problem, one problem fixed, two more problems, finally computer working, motherboard dies, cry, new motherboard, works for two days and dies, cry some more, finally get working motherboard + host of new problems, finally get it fixed, two months later motherboard dies again, cry some more.

That's roughly how mine went.

I really like the paint job. Can you tell us a little more on how exactly you did that and what paints etc. you used. I'm seriously considering it for my case

 

[prosser13]

Haha - hopefully I won't have the dead motherboard problem, this is already an RMA return motherboard!

Glad you like it I used Plastikote paints from Wilkinsons, they are about £4.50 a can - I just used a can of white primer followed by a can of clear acryrlic. If you go to Wilkinsons, I definitely advice picking up one of the snapon 'triggers' - they stop you getting paint all over your fingers, and when spraying for long periods its much easier It's exactly the same as here, but it's only £2

As for how I did it, it wasn't too bad TBH. First off, tape off everything you don't want painted with masking tape/parcel tape. Sand down the inside of the case with some rough sand paper - you don't have to do much, just try and make the surfaces a bit rougher so the paint will stick. Next, wash down the case - some warm water and a sponge does the trick.

Primer is a must for all painting I do, a few thin layers is the way to go. You should then do another couple of layers of clear coat but I skipped this; there isn't really a difference in colour between white primer and top coat, and I was trying to save a bit of dosh! If you do do this, make sure the primer + clear coat are compatible - just spray some primer on a piece of metal and clear coat it before you do the rest of the case, just to check you won't have any problems.

A couple of clear coats gives the paint strength, a nice shiny finish (you can tell the difference in my case where I put more clear coat on the drive bays than on the motherboard tray, its a lot smoother and looks shiny).

Leave the paint to dry for at least 12 hours between each of the primer/top/clear coats, and 24 hours when you move from one stage to the next (i.e. primer -> clear for me). Try and cover the case in some way to ensure that it doesn't get dust or dirt in it, it's a pain.

Hope this helps, anything other questions just ask

 

[Darg]

Fantastic! I was never 100% sure on the process before. I must say your radiator looks 10X better then it did at the start.

I gotta try this, I'm planning on redoing the window I cut into my case, when I first did it I had to get my gfs dad to use an angle grinder on it, I've since gotten a very nice dremel kit so I should be able to make the lines straighter then they are atm and I've got rubber U shaped sealing for the sides before I put the new window on.

Gonna play around with cutting more holes for the cables behind the motherboard too. Probably gonna add a top and bottom fan too to help with cooling. My big idea though is to use a pair of tights doubled up a few times on themselves to make a nice duct from the window fan straight to my 2900XT to try and keep that a bit cooler, and tights all round to stop dust getting in through the fans that are there atm.

 

[prosser13]

Sounds good, and ta

Took a lot of effort to sand the paint off the radiator but it was worth it - the black was flaking off in some parts anyway

Your ideas sound great, I'll look out for the thread

 

[Darg]

Just had a look at our local DIY shop here. Would cost me €11 for white primer and €9 each for acrylic and a black spray. I'll probably do what you did and just use the white primer for the white colour.

Here's a link to my old thread showing what it looks like atm. Not the best so want to do it up a little more.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17767040&highlight=antec+titan