Project: Sleeping Beauty - By Evoss

[Evoss]

Sleeping Beauty

As a few of you may know, I have been meaning to build a new PC prior to going to University. A few things stood in the way though, waiting for products to be released and waiting for manufacturers to update their products to work out some niggles.

However, the time is here. I have named the project "Sleeping Beauty" because since I will be staying in a shoe size boxed room at University, I would like it to be silent, but powerful and amazing to look at as well, so I think the name works.


Build Spec:

Case: Corsair 650D
CPU: Intel i7 2600K
Motherboard: Gigabyte G1.Sniper 2 Z68
Graphics Card: EVGA Geforce 580GTX DS
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 4x4Gb
PSU: Corsair AX 850W
SSD: Corsair Force 120Gb
HDD: Samsung F3
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100

Braid: MDPC
Fans: Akasa Apache Black
HDD Silencer/Cooler: Grow Up Japan Smart Drive


The first job to be done was to remove the front mesh on the Corsair 650D case. The reason behind this is that the mesh created positive pressure behind the mesh and created a whine, so it had to go in order to keep it quiet.


Corsair 650D prior to modding

Corsair 650D stripped

Items placed aside

Front view, prior to grinding

The weapon of choice

Little test cut

OcUK had to be in here somewhere

Grinding, need a pretty picture too!

Nearly done

Done!

Front view

Front/side view

Now it was time to put the bits and pieces back in it, but there was a lot of little bits of metal floating around the case, and I didn't have any cans of compressed air lying around. So I had a scout around the farm and came back with this. needless to say, it did a fantastic job.

Everything back in, and edges touched up

Link To Photo Album: https://picasaweb.google.com/revans...authkey=Gv1sRgCIKD7-uopI-MgQE&feat=directlink

 

[Evoss]

Braiding Time

This came in the post, 3 days earlier then expected big thumbs up to Nils @ MDPC for such a quality a product.


Love the personal touch

Inside the magical brown envelope, with more personal touch from MDPC

What a mess

Final shot of the 24pin braided cable

24pin, 8pin, 6pin and 3 SATA cables braided

Graphics Card Colour Strip Change

I wasn't too keen on the blue strip that ran along the EVGA Geforce 580GTX DS. I spoke to the EVGA rep and he said as along as a card can be sent in its factory conditions it wont void warranty, so he said this was all clear as it is just a piece of adhesive green vinyl.


The card, stanley, ruler and vinyl

Green strip looks great, adds to my green/black theme

 

[Evoss]

Very nice, looks very professional.

What do you mean by the mesh causing positive pressure? Does it actually cause a whine with the front fan?

Ye, it created a whining noise, unless you take the fan away/turn it off you may not notice it. But being as picky as I am, it was annoying me before I even started the build

 

[Evoss]

Thanks for all the positive responses. Ill get more pics up tomorrow.

 

[Evoss]

Well today I got nearly everything installed and then this dreaded sound.

RMAing and hopefully will be here with me before Friday if im lucky.

 

[Evoss]

Love the Corsair cases and yours looks to be yet another stunner!

No pics in vid but it sounds like teeth grinding!? What is it? Ouch!

Its the Samsung F3 1Tb HDD.

 

[Evoss]

RMA has been arranged, being picked up tomorrow.

 

[Evoss]

This is something I can not wait for I love that stripe on the 580

Thanks

The HDD was picked up today, hopefully they may dispatch a new one tomorrow. /fingers crossed.

 

[Evoss]

Keeping an eye on this, liking the colour scheme so far,

Was contemplating ordering a 650D last night and getting black+vanilla or black+yellow braid from mdpc

So will see how you get on with yours


Are those cables just extensions or did you sleeve your original 24/8 pin cables?

Since it was my first time braiding, I bought extensions just in case, and gave me more room to play with.

 

[Evoss]

Components

Here are the components used within the build and some open box pics.


Components lineup

Gigabyte G1.Sniper 2 Z68

RAM: Corsair Vengeance 16Gb Kit
CPU: Intel i7 2600k

The ultimate cooler for Sleeping Beauty

Just kidding! Corsair H100

EVGA GeForce GTX 580 DS

Corsair AX850, outstanding packaging

Even comes with its own little bag, aww

SSD: Corsair Force 3 120Gb
HDD: Samsung F3 1TB
HDD Silencer/Cooler: Smart Drive NEO Japan

x3 Apache Black Fans to replace x3 Corsair stock fans,
Corsair Airflor
NZXT Green LED Sleeved Lighting

Silencing Kit to help Beauty become Sleeping Beauty

 

[Evoss]

Unfortunately Sleeping Beauty is still asleep while we wait for her hard drive to be delivered

 

[Evoss]

That looks really nice

You should have done a custom loop though with green fluid.

I would have, but then I would have been too tempted to water cool the GPU as well and all that kit is going to sky rocket the price

 

[Evoss]

Build - No Power

I don't have any pictures of it powered on yet due to the hard drive, so make do with these for now

 

[Evoss]

That hard drive cage looks dodgy.

It is because I have a Black CM Megaflow in there.

The top hard drive cage isn't there anymore.

 

[Evoss]

Ahhh all these ideas xD Ill see if I can do anything

Not sure if making the RAM modules will void warranty, in which case I have the Corsair Airflow I can put on top and ill make that greener, doesn't matter if warranty on that is void

EDIT: RMA has found HDD faulty, new one is currently being picked. Wooo xD

 

[Evoss]

Going to go have a play with components, Stanley knife and vinyl xD

 

[Evoss]

I have done this so far:

EDIT:

 

[Evoss]

I bet I can guess your two favourite colours

 

[Evoss]

Looks amazing lol
do you test everything before modding or just fingers crossed nothing needs RMA ing lol

wanted to remove lots of stickers from thing but got scared in case i need an RMA

and p.s how thick is that front fan is it 30mm

Everything does work. Its just I have stopped for now due to the HDD.

The CM Mega flow is 30mm ye.

 

[Evoss]

How did you fit the Mega flow in there? Didn't think there was enough room between the HDD cage and case?

The only reason it does not fit is due to a small metal taboo about 5mm wide that sticks out.