Yeah I'm a sucker for the detail, things feel a bit all over the place but looking over all the small things while I wait on the case (just emailed). Should have gone for a Parvum me thinks...
Project Smurf 3.0
- Thread starter Smffy
- Start date
Yeah I'm a sucker for the detail, things feel a bit all over the place but looking over all the small things while I wait on the case (just emailed). Should have gone for a Parvum me thinks...
Damn, that sucks having so many issues with what should be a premium quality case. Looks like them refusing to modify the front panel has really worked out well for me, dodged a bullet there!
Loving the pump top, far nicer than the generic EK ones everyone seems to go for
If you're planning on making any modifications to a Parvum and are planning on starting the build before 2026, I'd suggest ordering it now...
Ordered 17th August with a 2 week lead time on the render and 2 - 4 weeks on the actual cut... Still no sign of it
Loving the pump top, far nicer than the generic EK ones everyone seems to go for
If you're planning on making any modifications to a Parvum and are planning on starting the build before 2026, I'd suggest ordering it now...
Ordered 17th August with a 2 week lead time on the render and 2 - 4 weeks on the actual cut... Still no sign of it
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Wow that's quite a delay, I was looking at frosted clear also but not necessarily custom - what do you design the custom panels in? I've made some mods to my motherboard and RAM today, rapidly running out of stuff to do while I wait but potentially sleeving all cables will keep me busy 
I just knocked up a rough idea of what I wanted using GIMP and left the guys who know what they're doing to make it work, but if you're a lot more skilled than I am with 3d rendering software like Sketchup they'll cut pretty much anything you can draw... Just get some soup & beans in because it could be quite a wait!
Cool, i'll have some new pics up later but Hex Gear have now asked to 'recall' the case to check it... Also asked that I send my motherboard and graphics cards to check - yeah thats not happening
Have you actually called up Parvum then, curious as to whether its the custom bit thats making it take so long or just a back log - they didn't even reply to my email last week so who knows.
Damn, that sucks having so many issues with what should be a premium quality case. Looks like them refusing to modify the front panel has really worked out well for me, dodged a bullet there!
Loving the pump top, far nicer than the generic EK ones everyone seems to go for
If you're planning on making any modifications to a Parvum and are planning on starting the build before 2026, I'd suggest ordering it now...
Ordered 17th August with a 2 week lead time on the render and 2 - 4 weeks on the actual cut... Still no sign of it
Thats some delay, but I bet it will look amazing when you receive.
They seriously thought you'd send them an expensive GPU and motherboard to use as a template?! That's beyond ridiculous, but fair play on them for having the cheek to ask 
Last few weeks it has been a constant "no reason it shouldn't ship before end of the week". Repeat every Monday... Then, finally, it looked like some good news when I was sent a tracking number. As you can see, it hasn't exactly progressed as expected!
Since then I've sent a couple of emails, first time was told it "should have shipped but I'll check tomorrow" but that was on 3rd November and I've not heard a thing since. Starting to think come December I'll be asking for a refund and looking for a plan C... Maybe pick up your old Hex Gear on the cheap lol
Last few weeks it has been a constant "no reason it shouldn't ship before end of the week". Repeat every Monday... Then, finally, it looked like some good news when I was sent a tracking number. As you can see, it hasn't exactly progressed as expected!
Since then I've sent a couple of emails, first time was told it "should have shipped but I'll check tomorrow" but that was on 3rd November and I've not heard a thing since. Starting to think come December I'll be asking for a refund and looking for a plan C... Maybe pick up your old Hex Gear on the cheap lol
They seriously thought you'd send them an expensive GPU and motherboard to use as a template?! That's beyond ridiculous, but fair play on them for having the cheek to ask
Since then I've sent a couple of emails, first time was told it "should have shipped but I'll check tomorrow" but that was on 3rd November and I've not heard a thing since. Starting to think come December I'll be asking for a refund and looking for a plan C... Maybe pick up your old Hex Gear on the cheap lol
Yeah I know why they ask but seriously I'm not about to send them 2 x 1080s in waterblocks/bridge to mess with... You might be lucky and get my dodgy case, but it wont let you put a GPU in the motherboard so good luck
While i'm here some snaps from my tinkering while I wait/move house yet again... So after much looking at this kit while I can't actually build it in decided I wanted to lose the sort of cheapy feel and make it look a bit different. Part of that was to remove the funny stickers and go for a more stealthy 'EVGA' board look.
Step 1, remove kiddy stickers (I was pleasantly surprised at how easily these metal stickers peel off).
Reminder of how it looked:
Unscrew the various metal heatsinks from the rear of the board and they just fall off. The stickers are stiff as hell but peel an edge up then I pulled them off with pliers...
Back on the board with the white shrouds (plastic aesthetic only) removed:
Step 2, decide I don't like the RAM anymore... remove the heat spreaders carefully - this was tricky but ease it open and give a squirt of contact cleaner/isopropl and it should start to ease off. It was tedious though I won't lie.
Back in the board while I wait on my new EK Monarch Nickel bad boys to arrive - two are here now (nobody had stock of more than 1 pair) so pics of that later:
Stage 3, making my board look a bit more stealthy... Decided to spray the shroud with this lovely looking metallic grey/black:
I think its come out really well, love the paint...
Step 4, decide again you don't like your brand new XSPC Raystorm block... Debate about returning it... Decide to attack it. Stripped off all the pain on the surround, its solid aluminium so wanted to see how the finish was naked:
Looked a little off being quite bright so opted for the same metallic paint job as with the board shrouds which I think looks really nice... Also thinking I might copper pipe the liquid cooling instead of PETG...
They better hurry up and sort my case before I obsessively mod anything else! My plan for the RAM is just to leave the Nickel casings on as heat spreaders, at this point I don't plan to actually loop in the RAM and water cool it.
What do you think to my new EVGA ASUS board?
Step 1, remove kiddy stickers (I was pleasantly surprised at how easily these metal stickers peel off).
Reminder of how it looked:
Unscrew the various metal heatsinks from the rear of the board and they just fall off. The stickers are stiff as hell but peel an edge up then I pulled them off with pliers...
Back on the board with the white shrouds (plastic aesthetic only) removed:
Step 2, decide I don't like the RAM anymore... remove the heat spreaders carefully - this was tricky but ease it open and give a squirt of contact cleaner/isopropl and it should start to ease off. It was tedious though I won't lie.
Back in the board while I wait on my new EK Monarch Nickel bad boys to arrive - two are here now (nobody had stock of more than 1 pair) so pics of that later:
Stage 3, making my board look a bit more stealthy... Decided to spray the shroud with this lovely looking metallic grey/black:
I think its come out really well, love the paint...
Step 4, decide again you don't like your brand new XSPC Raystorm block... Debate about returning it... Decide to attack it. Stripped off all the pain on the surround, its solid aluminium so wanted to see how the finish was naked:
Looked a little off being quite bright so opted for the same metallic paint job as with the board shrouds which I think looks really nice... Also thinking I might copper pipe the liquid cooling instead of PETG...
They better hurry up and sort my case before I obsessively mod anything else! My plan for the RAM is just to leave the Nickel casings on as heat spreaders, at this point I don't plan to actually loop in the RAM and water cool it.
What do you think to my new EVGA ASUS board?
Soldato
Awesome.
Soldato
Lots better. Copper of the CPU block looks a little odd next to the rest of the metal but that'll get hidden but coolant and fittings. It's looking, to me, ripe for black nickel fittings.
That looks absolutely stunning, so much classier than the chavtastic stickers it was covered in as standard. The metallic black you've used on the plastic covers and CPU block also works perfectly with the de-stickered heatsinks, if only it came like that as standard they could add another £50 to the RRP!
I did think the same thing but if I want to I can just take the top of the copper block off and spray it white/silver, however i'm not thinking if I have copper tubing it will look like it matches... We shall see, plenty of time to mull it over while I wait for the case problems to get resolved. Two of the RAM modules arrived...
Stripped down clean RAM was pretty simple to do, bit of thermal paste on each to stick the pad and also improve the thermal transfer. the pads come cut way to wide, it was actually spot on to cut down the middle of the strip.
Sexy shiny RAM... My GPU backplates match this so should look pretty nice when its all together finally!
Soldato
Or you could have the copper piping black nickel plated to match the shiny RAM. Ahh, spending other people's money is so much easier!
Or you could have the copper piping black nickel plated to match the shiny RAM. Ahh, spending other people's money is so much easier!
I reckon I could actually spray the EKHD fittings to match the new metallic grey shroud, right now i've got about 20 blue ones
Might try it on one and see how it looks but that paint is pretty good at getting a smooth coverage and i'd only need to spray the outside. What I would need is 16mm copper though, find that and you can spend my money on it.
Soldato
Now that's a tricky one.
here but they're out of stock. May know a source if you ask though.
You can get "2 x Chrome Plated Copper Tubes 490 mm Size OD 12mm 14mm 16mm watercooling" but it's hard and not recommended for bending as the chrome is likely to flake off.
Looks like it may be available in European countries. Spain apparently use it....that's all I could find in the time.
here but they're out of stock. May know a source if you ask though.
You can get "2 x Chrome Plated Copper Tubes 490 mm Size OD 12mm 14mm 16mm watercooling" but it's hard and not recommended for bending as the chrome is likely to flake off.
Looks like it may be available in European countries. Spain apparently use it....that's all I could find in the time.
The Chrome coated is mad over priced, actually I already have a quote to chrome a few meters of copper tube - you can also get black chrome and nickel/black nickel so possible - but you bend it then get it done when its already shaped. I'm gonna have a look around but ultimately i'm sending the case back Thursday probably so can't do anything... What i'll probably do is fit the PETG and then if I go copper just drain and replicate the bends like for like and re-fit. We shall see, a bunch of sleeving arrived today so i'll just no life fully braiding all my cables and learning to use sketchup for some custom stuff.
Redneck build update:
So the case is being collected today... I hope. Off it goes to be inspected/refunded/replaced/repaired (doubtful). In the mean time its been far to long since i've been able to use all my expensive kit so I've embarked on a bit of a work around....
Nightmare ready to leave my sight finally... Pretty sure they wont be able to open the box but you can't say its not packed well
Stripped down the former Smurf case, removed the rivet fixed panels because What i'm trying to squeeze in aint small... Removed the EK Slim 360mm (x2 top and front). Suddenly it looks a little bare
Decided front mounting the 480mm big rad externally was a silly idea (I might still do it) so stuff in the 360mm, these rads have great cooling potential but man they would be easier if the styling was just squared not bulging out in round edges... The front fans are the stock (with case) NZXT 120mm's:
Now the thing that occurred to me was that my new dual pump setup was NEVER going to fit. Also occurred to me I really REALLY didn't want to take apart all that kit and reassemble the old EK pump. But then I clocked some spare MDF, problem solved... Introducing the new cutting edge Hex-Gear R80.2 with new cutting edge externally mounted res and pump:
Added some spare 140mm NZXT fans to the top/rear coz why not (why do I have so many fans??)
I plan on hardline plumbing in all this mash up of kit on Friday, it will do for now while I wait on things getting fixed/replaced/refunded/re-ordered. So its not quite the sleek build I was going for but hopefully it will work...
So the case is being collected today... I hope. Off it goes to be inspected/refunded/replaced/repaired (doubtful). In the mean time its been far to long since i've been able to use all my expensive kit so I've embarked on a bit of a work around....
Nightmare ready to leave my sight finally... Pretty sure they wont be able to open the box but you can't say its not packed well
Stripped down the former Smurf case, removed the rivet fixed panels because What i'm trying to squeeze in aint small... Removed the EK Slim 360mm (x2 top and front). Suddenly it looks a little bare
Decided front mounting the 480mm big rad externally was a silly idea (I might still do it
) so stuff in the 360mm, these rads have great cooling potential but man they would be easier if the styling was just squared not bulging out in round edges... The front fans are the stock (with case) NZXT 120mm's:
Now the thing that occurred to me was that my new dual pump setup was NEVER going to fit. Also occurred to me I really REALLY didn't want to take apart all that kit and reassemble the old EK pump. But then I clocked some spare MDF, problem solved... Introducing the new cutting edge Hex-Gear R80.2 with new cutting edge externally mounted res and pump:
Added some spare 140mm NZXT fans to the top/rear coz why not (why do I have so many fans??)
I plan on hardline plumbing in all this mash up of kit on Friday, it will do for now while I wait on things getting fixed/replaced/refunded/re-ordered. So its not quite the sleek build I was going for but hopefully it will work...
Soldato
Sometimes you've just got to get the kit together and get in some gaming downtime. I knew this external mounting malarkey would catch on!
Soldato
This is why I always run at least two PCs and maintain them. That way when I am having downtime due to modding etc I always have a PC to be on. It saves me weeks of messing around. That was partially why I bought Dianoga, so that hours spent just staring into space would be putting hours on the caps and so on in a cheap rig, rather than my expensive one.
It's also better because I can concentrate a lot more on fine details when building or modding a rig without worrying about having it back together at the end of the same day to use it.
It's also better because I can concentrate a lot more on fine details when building or modding a rig without worrying about having it back together at the end of the same day to use it.