Associate
COMPLETED 24/08/16- Project 'EVIE' - Steampunk Build
I have had an interest in the artwork and ethos of Victorian Steampunk for several years and finally got around to doing something about it – thus, Project ‘Evie’ was born.
To me, Steampunk is before the age of electronics. A Victorian age where steam powered boilers and ornate gear powered machinery collide head on to create amazing creations of brass, copper and bronze. From the very early concept stages of this build it was important to me that I stay as true as possible to the Steampunk genre and hide as much of the electronics in the build as possible – not an easy task when you are building a custom PC.
And why is she called ‘Evie’? Well, the French author Jules Verne (often quoted as the grandfather of steampunk) wrote 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea in 1870 where we find the huge steam powered Nautilus submarine….and here comes the link…..like all steam boilers of the Victorian age the power plant of the Nautilus had a name – Evangeline or ‘Evie’ for short.
As a build ‘Evie’ is nearing completion but rather than bombard you all with too many photographs in one go I will post the build over several updates to give you all some breathing space.
Hardware
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth Z170 Mk1
Processor: Intel Skylake i5 6600K (OC to 4.7 GHz)
Graphics: 2 x EVGA GTX980 TI SC+ in SLI (OC to 1475 MHz)
EVGA Pro SLI Bridge
Memory: 32GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4 (2400 MHz)
Power Supply: Corsair RM1000X
Loop and Cooling
12/10mm Copper Pipe for the Loop
EKWB Supremacy EVO CPU Waterblock
EKWB FC Nickle GPU Waterblocks
EKWB RES-X3 250mm Reservoir in Custom Brass Cradle
Laing D5 Pump with Bitspower Pump Top
Lamptron CW611 Fan/Pump Controller
1 x 360mm Hardware Labs Black Ice Radiator (Top)
1 x 280mm Hardware Labs Black Ice Radiator (Front)
Coolant Flow and Temperature Sensors by Koolance
1 x Corsair AF140 Fan (Rear)
3 x Corsair SP120 Fans (Top)
2 x Thermaltake Riing 140mm Fans (Front)
2 x Be-Quiet 80mm Fans (Side)
The Concept
The case I chose as the basis for the build was the Corsair 780T. The reason being it was large enough inside for the custom work I had planned and I could easily cut the case to death both inside and out as some serious metal and internal fittings removal was needed.
I don’t have access to CAD for design work and without access to CAM lathes and milling machines all the build work would be carried out by hand crafting using easily available hand tools. However, I managed to knock up some basic concept sketches of how the build would develop.
The first task for the 780T would be some case cutting and fittings removal and then onto paint and airbrushing. Across the top would be 360mm radiator but several bars ran across the width of the case (at the top) – these had to be removed as they looked ugly under the custom MNPCTEC grills that would sit there.
Down the front all the 5.25 inch bays were removed as a custom signature plate would sit there along with a front mounted fill port leading to the reservoir. Also, I relocated the Fan/Pump controller to the bottom of the front panel and moved the twin 140mm fans higher to accommodate it (along with removing some more cross bars which obstructed the front fans. Once completed there was only 2mm of clearance with the new bay added into position – it was tight but it worked!
The floor front was cut away in readiness for a new design floor to be inserted, a basement shroud completed and some internal panels to bring back the case strength integrity and tidy everything up.
Finally, the inner case could be sanded, cleaned and spray coated with bronze.
The custom basement shroud showing the PSU opening and locations for the exposed pump. Of course a little bit of work on the Corsair badge which has been relocated from the front of the case.
One of the new inner strengthening plates – this one running down the right side to hide all the IO panel cables.
I have had an interest in the artwork and ethos of Victorian Steampunk for several years and finally got around to doing something about it – thus, Project ‘Evie’ was born.
To me, Steampunk is before the age of electronics. A Victorian age where steam powered boilers and ornate gear powered machinery collide head on to create amazing creations of brass, copper and bronze. From the very early concept stages of this build it was important to me that I stay as true as possible to the Steampunk genre and hide as much of the electronics in the build as possible – not an easy task when you are building a custom PC.
And why is she called ‘Evie’? Well, the French author Jules Verne (often quoted as the grandfather of steampunk) wrote 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea in 1870 where we find the huge steam powered Nautilus submarine….and here comes the link…..like all steam boilers of the Victorian age the power plant of the Nautilus had a name – Evangeline or ‘Evie’ for short.
As a build ‘Evie’ is nearing completion but rather than bombard you all with too many photographs in one go I will post the build over several updates to give you all some breathing space.
Hardware
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth Z170 Mk1
Processor: Intel Skylake i5 6600K (OC to 4.7 GHz)
Graphics: 2 x EVGA GTX980 TI SC+ in SLI (OC to 1475 MHz)
EVGA Pro SLI Bridge
Memory: 32GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4 (2400 MHz)
Power Supply: Corsair RM1000X
Loop and Cooling
12/10mm Copper Pipe for the Loop
EKWB Supremacy EVO CPU Waterblock
EKWB FC Nickle GPU Waterblocks
EKWB RES-X3 250mm Reservoir in Custom Brass Cradle
Laing D5 Pump with Bitspower Pump Top
Lamptron CW611 Fan/Pump Controller
1 x 360mm Hardware Labs Black Ice Radiator (Top)
1 x 280mm Hardware Labs Black Ice Radiator (Front)
Coolant Flow and Temperature Sensors by Koolance
1 x Corsair AF140 Fan (Rear)
3 x Corsair SP120 Fans (Top)
2 x Thermaltake Riing 140mm Fans (Front)
2 x Be-Quiet 80mm Fans (Side)
The Concept
The case I chose as the basis for the build was the Corsair 780T. The reason being it was large enough inside for the custom work I had planned and I could easily cut the case to death both inside and out as some serious metal and internal fittings removal was needed.
I don’t have access to CAD for design work and without access to CAM lathes and milling machines all the build work would be carried out by hand crafting using easily available hand tools. However, I managed to knock up some basic concept sketches of how the build would develop.
The first task for the 780T would be some case cutting and fittings removal and then onto paint and airbrushing. Across the top would be 360mm radiator but several bars ran across the width of the case (at the top) – these had to be removed as they looked ugly under the custom MNPCTEC grills that would sit there.
Down the front all the 5.25 inch bays were removed as a custom signature plate would sit there along with a front mounted fill port leading to the reservoir. Also, I relocated the Fan/Pump controller to the bottom of the front panel and moved the twin 140mm fans higher to accommodate it (along with removing some more cross bars which obstructed the front fans. Once completed there was only 2mm of clearance with the new bay added into position – it was tight but it worked!
The floor front was cut away in readiness for a new design floor to be inserted, a basement shroud completed and some internal panels to bring back the case strength integrity and tidy everything up.
Finally, the inner case could be sanded, cleaned and spray coated with bronze.
The custom basement shroud showing the PSU opening and locations for the exposed pump. Of course a little bit of work on the Corsair badge which has been relocated from the front of the case.
One of the new inner strengthening plates – this one running down the right side to hide all the IO panel cables.
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