I am always for hire! I run a little laser operation called "the laser hive" - so while I do this for fun I like to call it R & D.
Project: Water Cooled Apple Cube Case
- Thread starter Laser
- Start date
I am always for hire! I run a little laser operation called "the laser hive" - so while I do this for fun I like to call it R & D.
Watching the build eagerly, cant wait to see how it turns out, are you going to run OSX86? Do it on an ipad retina display in a 14@ mini pre alu cinema display housing on it for the total geek chic look, and dont forget the pro speakers
im a fan of oldschool apple designs as if you hadnt guessed, and my favourite is the cube followed by the luxo lamp which my wife has. Now theres a challenge.
im a fan of oldschool apple designs as if you hadnt guessed, and my favourite is the cube followed by the luxo lamp which my wife has. Now theres a challenge.
Soldato
The white cover still looks good tbh 
So, I have taken a few steps back to move a few more forward.
I've actually been using the Cube in the form you saw above for a couple of weeks or so and quite happy with it, but still knowing I need to finish it off.
In the meantime though I was thinking that perhaps there was a little more room in there to do something with. And that maybe I should look at the graphics side to match that a little more evenly to the power of the CPU.
Inspired by another build that put a Sapphire 7750 low profile into the Cube (albeit an aircooled Cube) I thought that it would be a nice thing to do the same thing in my build, but in keeping with the cooling scheme to watercool it.
Here is the virgin card:
and here it is being transformed:
I couldn't find a universal block that was low enough and had side outputs and was specifically for the 7750 so I took a gamble and modified an XSPC universal Rasa block. I basically ditched the mount bracket and removed the screws holding the heat transfer plate to the block and then used studding and nuts to secure the plate. This studding is on a 43mm x 43mm square which fits through the GPU holes....
The original rubber blocks from the aluminium air cooled heatsink are re-used to provide a cushioned contact for the GPU die and nuts are used on the reverse of the card to attach it.
To mount this card I made a new support piece that provides a route for a rigid PCI-e x 16 extender to come up through it and also to take a supplementary DC-DC converter board (photos to follow) and fix this all to the side supports of the Cube.
I lowered the motherboard another 7mm over where it was before - to give more space - and here is a trial fit using an old 775 ITX board:
Finally here is a first trial fit in the Cube base with single 120mm Noctua fan on the Alphacool radiator.
Obviously next things to do are now a bit more complicated....new panel, more water fittings, more things to figure out. Still, I am pretty sure one way or another it is all going to fit in there.
I've actually been using the Cube in the form you saw above for a couple of weeks or so and quite happy with it, but still knowing I need to finish it off.
In the meantime though I was thinking that perhaps there was a little more room in there to do something with. And that maybe I should look at the graphics side to match that a little more evenly to the power of the CPU.
Inspired by another build that put a Sapphire 7750 low profile into the Cube (albeit an aircooled Cube) I thought that it would be a nice thing to do the same thing in my build, but in keeping with the cooling scheme to watercool it.
Here is the virgin card:
and here it is being transformed:
I couldn't find a universal block that was low enough and had side outputs and was specifically for the 7750 so I took a gamble and modified an XSPC universal Rasa block. I basically ditched the mount bracket and removed the screws holding the heat transfer plate to the block and then used studding and nuts to secure the plate. This studding is on a 43mm x 43mm square which fits through the GPU holes....
The original rubber blocks from the aluminium air cooled heatsink are re-used to provide a cushioned contact for the GPU die and nuts are used on the reverse of the card to attach it.
To mount this card I made a new support piece that provides a route for a rigid PCI-e x 16 extender to come up through it and also to take a supplementary DC-DC converter board (photos to follow) and fix this all to the side supports of the Cube.
I lowered the motherboard another 7mm over where it was before - to give more space - and here is a trial fit using an old 775 ITX board:
Finally here is a first trial fit in the Cube base with single 120mm Noctua fan on the Alphacool radiator.
Obviously next things to do are now a bit more complicated....new panel, more water fittings, more things to figure out. Still, I am pretty sure one way or another it is all going to fit in there.
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Hmmm, an english lesson. Well, in my little world abbreviating "modifications" (or moderators I guess) comes down to "mod.s" like shortening "specifications" to "spec.s". I could easily be wrong but I have been writing like that for years so probably won't change now.
Completely off topic, but the correct way to abbreviate words is to put a ' rather than a . in place of the missing letters.
However, some words, like modifications or specifications can be shortened to mods or specs.
Back on topic - been following this from the start, and I'm liking it The new front/back panels look great, and good job on squeezing a watercooled graphics card in there too!
However, some words, like modifications or specifications can be shortened to mods or specs.
Back on topic - been following this from the start, and I'm liking it
The new front/back panels look great, and good job on squeezing a watercooled graphics card in there too! Sorry for the lack of update on this thread for a while.
There is progress on the horizon though as I have had a new bottom plate made up - this time from steel. I am hoping that I can braze or weld the new plate to the Cube chassis and would then ideally like to assemble it all up, make any adjustments needed and then rip it down to paint it - possibly powder coat.
I'll upload some pic.s of the new plates in the next few days.
There is progress on the horizon though as I have had a new bottom plate made up - this time from steel. I am hoping that I can braze or weld the new plate to the Cube chassis and would then ideally like to assemble it all up, make any adjustments needed and then rip it down to paint it - possibly powder coat.
I'll upload some pic.s of the new plates in the next few days.