Project XOSKEL [D-Frame Mini Build]

[Alec**]

Hey all,

So it's about time for a new build! And I've decided to push the boundaries a little bit for this case mod, and go for something more 'outside the box'.

I went on a hunt for a case that was a little bit more unusual, something slightly different from the standard six-sided box (as much as a like my old TJ07). I was also after something a little smaller, for ease of portability. But above anything else, a case that looks fantastic, and has great modding potential.

So here it is then, the In Win D-Frame Mini. I saw this at a tech show a few months back and was instantly taken by its unique tubular design juxtaposed with tempered glass sides. More so, watercooling this (currently) Mini-ITX case seemed an achievable task, and instantly had a few mods in mind.

The tempered glass sides add a touch of class, juxtaposing the tubular frame really nicely.

I'm really impressed with the overall build quality on this case, particularly the precision machined motherboard tray - I've never seen a mobo tray so thick!

Front I/O ports and switches couldn't be much more accessible.

Without the glass, the case is fully exposed. Hard drive trays and a 240mm radiator mounting bracket are now on show (not that either are staying for long!)

The handle is really well positioned, and makes moving this lightweight case a piece of cake.

There's no end of perspectives in here!

Probably the easiest 'mod' of the build - swapping out those stock red feet with some black ones - looking stealthy!

Thanks to In Win for sorting this D-Frame Mini out!

I’m taking this build on alongside MikeMK, and we've got a series of interesting mods lined up for it:

• Fitting an mATX Motherboard into this Mini-ITX tower
• Mounting a 360mm radiator instead of a 240mm
• Full hardline watercooling loop

Having often opted for the blue colour scheme in builds, I wanted to mix it up a little bit. As you may have guessed by the project logo, we're going Turquoise. There's a fair amount of cable braiding, motherboard painting, and coolant mixing ahead of us!

The nature of this open air chassis means noise is an important factor, which is why I’m really excited to have Be Quiet! On side for the build, thanks to the guys over there for providing the new Dark Power Pro 11 850W PSU and three Silent Wings 2 120mm fans for the radiator.

I'm really impressed with the look and feel of the Dark Power Pro, a very sleek finish which deserves to be on show! After reading the raving reviews, I was keen to get this in the build.

I've heard great things about these Silent Wings, 50.5cfm at 16.5dB speaks for itself (or should i say whispers!)

Thanks again Be Quiet! will look at these products in a little more detail when I get them running!

Finally, the motherboard. The ASRock Fatal1ty ticks all boxes. Except the colour. The red won't be staying.

Here's the spec low-down (for now):

Hardware:
CPU: Intel I7 5820K
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty X99
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 2666Mhz
GPU: MSI Radeon R9 290X
Sound Card: TBC
SSD: TBC
PSU: Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 11 850W

Watercooling
CPU Block: TBC
GPU Blocks: TBC
Radiators: TBC
Tubing & Fittings: TBC
Reservoir: TBC

(Still some work to do on the WC setup!).

I'm expecting this project to be ongoing for the next month or two, kicking off with the mATX mod and a bit of braiding.

That's it for now, stay tuned!

 

[Alec**]

@Keechy & @grim. Thanks guys!

@TechMinerUK Hahaa yeah... colour matching is looking like the biggest challenge right now!

Been toying about with hardware layout the last couple of nights and sorting out required tools etc. will post a few pics later.

 

[Alec**]

So a little update then, first off a few new components!

First off, i7 5820K alongside Corsair Vengeance 16GB 2666MHz DDR4...

I've been itching to try out one of these, Samsung SM951 256GB M.2 PCI-e SSD - it's tiny!

The first of the Monsoon watercooling gear's arrived...

So here's the general gist of the layout for the case...

Here's a little idea on that lovely turquoise I'm colour matching off, a little bit of braid...

Time for the first mod! So from first glance at this case, I knew I wanted to get a 360mm rad fitted. The XSPC EX360 is slimline, but it has to be in order to squeeze that GPU in above. In order to get it in, however, a slot had to be cut in the PSU cage.

About 3 mins of jigsaw, and 3 hours of filing later...

And with the radiator in place...

Need to work out the best mounting solution for the rad, a couple of custom brackets are in need I think. Another job for this week is getting the mATX motherboard fitted and cabling holes cut so I know what length the PSU cables need to be for braiding - much fun!

 

[Alec**]

Great pics you've taken, look forward to this.

Cheers colinmcr!

Looks very interesting.
I think this Inwin cases are pretty cool.

"The red won't be staying."

Will you paint it or use some vinyl decals?

Painting seems to be the way forward on the motherboard, black spray paint on the PCI slots etc. and some colour-matched turquoise paint on the heatsinks (planning to use some MTN 94).

D-Frames are awesome cases. Shame they're so expensive, I'd love to build in one. Keeping an eye on this!

Yeah it is something else, makes a change from the standard box cases at least! Thanks

Well this should be good, looking forward to seeing more!

Thanks Brian!

On the cusp of getting the motherboard mounted, awaiting delivery of a new taper. Planning also to get the cabling holes in the mobo tray cut end of this weekend / beginning of next week. Then it's on to braiding and painting!

 

[Alec**]

It's about time for an update! Sorry for the radio silence, metalwork seems to be taking much longer than I'd hoped! All the metalwork as seen below completed by use of a jigsaw, and many hours of filing...

So first job was coming up with a secure mount for the radiator. Seeing as it sits in the PSU cage, thought I'd make use of the mount and cover up the surrounding gap.

I'm pretty happy with this bracket, looks pretty clean and does a good job in holding the rad in place.

Some kind of fixing was also required at the front, and after many hours of pondering, here's how I went about it.

The curve around the tube seems to provide a good amount of tension, holding the rad in place.

To prevent any sideways movement, a screw seemed to finish it off. This was threaded in the aluminium tube.

So I didn't like the way you could see through the 'DFrame Mini' to a PSU label, and thought it could use tidying up. I therefore cut a panel to side in the PSU cage, this will be painted that lovely shade of turquoise eventually!

I've also cut a few cable holes in the mobo tray. From left to right: GPU power, front panel USB, and ATX power. The appropriate mATX stand off holes have also been cut and threaded.

And look what arrived.. had to source the paint from a graffiti site as it was the only place I could find a decent range of colours!

I'm hoping to get the above panels painted this week, along with the PCI bracket (which is in the works), and an additional panel to mount the res on. I've also got a HDD mount to figure out (hopefully just some holes in the mobo tray), and a couple of slits to cut for the PCI cards in the tray.

The aim is by the end of next week, to be in a position whereby the rig is being built for the 'final' time, and brading can get underway. Stay tuned!

 

[Alec**]

Great pics and nice work. Looking forward to seeing a more finished product.

Nice to see a good log in a more unusual case like the D-frame.

Cheers Teuton! Yeah it's uniqueness was what attracted me to the case in the first place...

Hopefully another update to come in a little bit

 

[Alec**]

A quick update for tonight, more progression on the metalwork!

So first up, most of the last couple of nights have been spent on producing the PCI bracket. Again, a jigsaw and file job with a dremel and clamp to get the folds. Needless to say, this has been a b**** lol.

It seems to be there now though, and holds the GPU in pretty solid.

Also had to cut a slit for the PCI cards to sit through the mobo tray, which means the GPU can now be fitted! (for now..)

Seems like a pretty momentous occasion getting the GPU mounted, now getting a better idea on how the hardware's going to look.

Another plate produced, here primarily to cover up the mass amount of holes which exist for the original hard drive mounts / cables. This will also act as a mounting bracket for the res. A little hole for the 8 pin was also cut, and I'm quite happy with how the 'angled corner' came out, mimicking the angle of the mobo tray behind.

So the last one for tonight, I needed a way to mount the hard drive on the back of the mobo tray. At first, I was thinking about just 4 holes and screw right through. However that would mean to remove the hard drive, the entire motherboard would have to be taken out.. hardly convenient!

So I really liked the stock hard drive mounts that came with the case, the fixed thumb screw bracket makes for easy removal. Here's the original bracket.

So I took two of them, chopped off the bulk of the plate, leaving just the thumb screws and a 90 degree section. Simple screw in to either side of the hard drive for a quick release hard drive bracket! Just got to drill and tap the appropriate holes in the mobo tray to mount.

Also tested out a black 'paint pen' here. Considering the brackets are already nicely finished, I just needed to 'black out' the cut line. A simply paint pen seemed to give a really thick consistent finish on the cut, think I'll be using that again!

The aim for tomorrow is to put the finishing touches to the res mounting plate (as pictured above), and then prep all of the metalwork in the last couple days for painting. Wouldn't mind getting the spray cans out soon!

 

[Alec**]

Great work on that PCIe bracket man, that's very well done with basic tools!

Thanks Brian - was a bit of a mission!

In the process of painting the metalwork atm, away for the weekend now though so pictures will have to wait!

 

[Alec**]

Great job with the pci bracket. I don't think you would have expected it to come out that well yourself even!

My skills just cease to amaze me No but seriously, it was probably one of the mods I was most afraid of, but I think it's come out OK!

Amazing job mate, look forward to seeing it complete!

Cheers Conm8!

I love seeing modders take a brand spanking new case and immediately start drilling holes and cutting chunks of it out!

Looks great so far, keep up the good work!

Hahaaa, the first cut's always the most nerve racking! Thanks

So been away for the weekend, and now back on with the build! In the process of painting the metalwork as we speak, and hope to paint the mobo this week too. Will post a few pics when done!

 

[Alec**]

It looks so clean and tidy. Loving that GPU waterblock as I haven't seen one that cools the back as well

Cheers! Yeah the heatspreader is a nice touch (aesthetically at least!)... check the last pic of the next update though.. sort of detracts from the GPU block

 

[Alec**]

About time for an update! Painting took a little longer than expected, tip: if you're going for a matte look, don't use clear lacquer, then decide it's not good enough and have to sand it all right back again.

So first up, I'd mentioned previously I was going to attempt to paint the motherboard, here's the prep:

And the result:

Pretty happy with the way it's turned out! Heatsinks look pretty cool I think, especially with the silver labels put back on. The turquoise really stands out on the black. Can see also the plate behind the 'D-Frame Mini' PSU cage has been given a paint job.

The PCI bracket has also received a coat of paint.

Used enamel lacquer in the end to maintain a matte finish, the clear lacquer left a more 'varnish' effect.

Here's that mid plate fitted in which the res will be mounted. Definitely tidies up the old HDD holes.

The rad bracket also looking pretty stealthy.

Still very happy with the way this bracket came out, really tidies up that PSU cage.

That front rad bracket also fitting in quite nicely now.

Finally got around to mounting the easy release HDD cage on the back of the mobo. Another upcoming job is to rip out the HDD of my current rig to get the top sanded back and painted black.

So that's pretty much it for now. Got the first cable braided tonight, will try and grab a pic in the next day or two. Hoping to get the PSU braided by this time next week (yawn) so I can actually start thinking about the watercooling!

Talking of which, took a look at the GPU block tonight to see an earwig's made a home of it!

 

[Alec**]

Great job Alec. All starting to come together. The metal work is v.nice and the colour scheme is certainly unique!

Thanks Mike, let's hope the coolant mix will match!

Very nice job on the motherboard there sir!

Cheers! Thought it might be appropriate to do a before and after of the motherboard painting. The sockets / ports painting on the motherboard itself was an absolute pain but it's come out ok, the board has now been tested and can confirm it's fully working! The heatsinks were comparatively easy, I can see myself doing that part at least again.

Before:

After:

So most of the last week has been spent braiding the PSU, I've literally just finished the ATX but here's a quick peek at the GPU & P8. All cables have been shortened, recrimped, then braided using paracord.

Finally, what should be one of the last deliveries, the final watercooling components (minus a handful of right angled fittings I expect)... The Heatkiller IV's stealthy and sleek appearance meant it topped the EK alternative, with a full acetal top. Really happy with the look and feel of this block, looking forward to getting it in the case! Also gone for an Aquacomputer Aqualis 150ml res with DDC pump top. I always knew a pump res combo was a must for this build due to size, and this seemed to be the perfect solution.

Also had a little Mayhems delivery. My logic is blue + green = turquoise, we'll see if this works out in the coming days...

So in other news, I've chopped off the mounting brackets on the DDC, then decided the entire pump enclosure needs sanding back and painting. This is in progress and hope to post pics in a couple of days when fully mounted. There's little bits of braiding to do which shouldn't take long, and I'm hoping to paint the HDD too. Other than this, it's on to the hardline! I've got a general idea on tubing route, but it's not easy.

This project will be finished within 2 weeks tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled for a few little updates soon!

 

[Alec**]

Looks great!

Thanks OracIe!

Great! After doing the motherboard heatsinks on mine, I can honestly say I am massively impressed at yours. How did you ever get the inside of the connectors done?!

Cheers! Yeah took a fair bit of sanding back and lacquering on those heatsinks to get the finish I wanted. As for the connectors, I folded (down the long edge) some strips of masking tape and put them in the PCIe / RAM slots, they were folded enough to cover the pins while not covering the 'outer-inside' of the connectors. Seemed to do the trick!

 

[Alec**]

Great job on the motherboard alec, can't believe you got to all the red inside the slots

Looks awesome, can't wait to see more of this build.

Thanks guys, much appreciated!

 

[Alec**]

Love that case , reminds me of a bike frame . Like what you did with the motherboard to

Keep up the good work

Hahaa, it made me think more of a rally car's roll cage! Thanks

Time for another update! So I finally got the res / pump combo mounted on the new res-plate, which has now been mounted on the mobo tray. I decided the plastic mounts for the DDC pump had to get the chop, which then meant the pump case needed a sand back and respray. Really happy with how that came out, very clean.

I've also finished the braiding now, always one of the most painstaking mods but can just about convince myself it's worth the time and effort!

I think the colour match is also pretty good with the spray painted components, let's hope the coolant will come out as good!

Final point for tonight, got some Barrow fittings delivered today, mostly right angles. Not 100% fixed on this layout but need to start working with the tube to see what's going to be possible.

Looks like I'm on track to have it leak testing next weekend, just a little bit of wiring to do and on with the bending

 

[Alec**]

Looking great again!

this is soo beautiful

Thanks guys! The positive comments really are much appreciated

 

[Alec**]

I really like the colour scheme, should look beautiful once the loop is filled .

Any ideas / sketches for the tubing routes ? Anything crazy planned ?

Thanks rickyjb, yeah hoping I can get the mix between the pastel blue and green dye looking good!

As for the tubing routes, here's what I'm currently thinking. This diagram's for the cleanest route that would be most achievable:

Once I've started to get an idea on how easy it is to work with the tubing, how close to an end I can bend it etc. I'll have more of an idea if I can push this further. If I think it's doable, I'd like to keep the tubing all sitting on the X/Y/Z axis (i.e. no 'angled' tubes), but that's going to be tricky with a confined space so we'll have to see! That would look a little more like this:

 

[Alec**]

i like the first one more . Also it would be cool if you could match the angles of the case frame , instead of any 90 degree angles you would have 2 45s
dont know if this would work but some thing like this

That's really cool! Love the way the angles mimic the case frame! The biggest challenge with that is getting the correct angle from the tool kit, as there's only 45, 90, 180, and 360 bends. Will require some tool-modifications I think! Will also be challenged with the distinct lack of space in the case, and getting so many bends into such a short length of tube.

But now I've seen that picture I'm going to have to try and make it happen!

 

[Alec**]

I must say, I'm very impressed with the design / layout. Its a very good one. But most of all your tips about painting the mobo, putting the masking tape inside the slots. That is a valuable technique.

Just to confirm: you used a brush for that? I mean painting the pci-e and dimm slots black.

Thanks, much appreciated! Nope, spray can job. With everything masked up wasn't a problem, and guarantees a consistent finish. Did have to use a paintbrush to get to a couple of bits that the spray can couldn't get to though.

Great build.

I have that motherboard, it's really good - I've recently upgraded to its bigger brother (Extreme 11)

I couldn't see it mentioned above, but will dust be an issue with that case?

Thanks

Yeah I'm looking forward to start overclocking with it! As for the dust, yes. A serious issue in which I've lost many hours sleep over. Due to the orientation it doesn't seem like there's many obvious places for the dust to settle, I'm just hoping the radiator doesn't 'dust up' quickly. At least the side glass is really easy to remove if it needs a quick clean!

 

[Alec**]

A quick update for tonight, had a couple of deliveries today!

Finally got around to ordering a sound card, the Asus Essence STX II.

And then a couple of backplates from ColdZero. Been really excited for these to arrive, custom laser printed backplates for the sound card and M.2. Kept both of them pretty clean, just adding the XOSKEL logo. Really impressed with the quality of these, can see myself ordering from ColdZero again!

So here's the soundcard and its backplate in place:

And the M.2:

I've now also finished the cable work on the build, including stealth front panel connectors (stealth = black), and a few final bits of braiding. All that's left to do is the tubing! Friday's job is this, project XOSKEL will be finished by the end of the weekend! Will be sure to post a few updates over the next few days.