I finally re-did my loop!@

[SuperDave1685]

Hey there guys... Well I finally got tired of looking at my ugly ass setup. I decided to re-do my loop - thanks to the inspiration of the numerous "my rig" pictures. I placed the radiator in the top of my case instead of the outside now. This was my first case mod ever. I know I know... I'm a case modding noob lol... Heres some pictures during and the after results.. I hope ya like!


Before:

[SuperDave1685]

Heres the case empty, before the hacking began!

[SuperDave1685]

My nice little outline :D

[SuperDave1685]

Nice and clean... I love my jigsaw :D

[SuperDave1685]

Heres what it looks like from the top:
http://home.comcast.net/~superdave1685/DSCF2960.jpg

With the radiator installed ( the red stuff is Permatex- had an o-ring go bad, just I just patched it with some silicon :) )

http://home.comcast.net/~superdave1685/DSCF2962.jpg

With the PSU installed- its a tight fit!

http://home.comcast.net/~superdave1685/DSCF2967.jpg

Heres the finished result!

http://home.comcast.net/~superdave1685/DSCF2976.jpg

With the lights turned up a little bit:

http://home.comcast.net/~superdave1685/DSCF2978.jpg

I used an Antec Trio Speed fan on top and an Antec one the bottom..they both feel like they're moving more air than my old fans, which might be why the drop in temperatures... Upon Entering Vista, I fired up core temp to find out my temps had dropped about 5C at idle and about 8-9C on load... (I did a quick test with Orthos)... so I guess you could say I'm a happy camper :)

[Mycobacteria]

I wouldnt have to guts cot cut a lian li with a jig saw...

[aaronjb]

Nice improvement - looks really clean. I find myself making little changes or additions here and there, and before long my entire case is a mess of cables and tubing. It always feels good to clean that up. :beer:

QFT on the jigsaw.. I cut into my Lian-Li PCV2000 with a dremel when making fan holes, and it took a lot of filing to clean the edges up afterwards.

[striker85]

Was there any improvement in temps? I assume you were able to use less tubing with that change.

[SuperDave1685]

Yes, there was a nice little drop in temperatures.... I ran Orthos all last night and I opened core temp to check my temps. Core 1- 49C, Core 2 50C. They usually hit right around 58/62 respectively.... Also, the idle temperature has gone down as well. The only thing I'm not happy with is the tubing coming out of the block to the radiator. Its kinda long... Although theres no kinks in it, its just long... I didn't have any of the spiral thingys to put around the tubing to keep it from kinking, thats why. If I had had some of the stuff to keep the tubes round, it would half as long... And the reason I used a jigsaw was because it was the only thing I had :D And I felt quite comfortable with it - I used to cut a lot of fiberglass a while back with it, so I know how it cuts, etc.

[thideras]

Yes, there was a nice little drop in temperatures.... I ran Orthos all last night and I opened core temp to check my temps. Core 1- 49C, Core 2 50C. They usually hit right around 58/62 respectively.... Also, the idle temperature has gone down as well. The only thing I'm not happy with is the tubing coming out of the block to the radiator. Its kinda long... Although theres no kinks in it, its just long... I didn't have any of the spiral thingys to put around the tubing to keep it from kinking, thats why. If I has had some of the stuff to keep the tubes round, it would half as long... And the reason I used a jigsaw was because it was the only thing I had :D And I felt quite comfortable with it - I used to cut a lot of fiberglass a while back with it, so I know how it cuts, etc.

It looks like there are about 3 different colors on the tubing...is that right or did the camera help that? Otherwise, much better!!!

[SuperDave1685]

Well I decided that I'd better cool my RAM... These Ballistix sticks are known to run warm, so I touched one of the modules here... ouch! with only 2.8v! So I decided to ditch the ghetto looking RAM cooler in my first post and go with a single 140mm fan that cools the RAM and the surrounding areas...The advantage is that its just held in place by the tubing and I can remove it at the blink of an eye! And it seems to be doing a better job at cooling the ram, because the RAM feels cooler to the touch than when I was using the 2 x 80mm fans... I also threw a fan down at the bottom corner of the case to help move some fresh air over my 8800GTS... And the fan really isn't *that* bright lol

http://home.comcast.net/~superdave1685/DSCF2982.jpg

[SuperDave1685]

Thideras - No, you're right... I used different tubing on the in and out of the water block and different tubing going from the rad to the Fillport/reservoir...

[BobcatDan]

Now you just need to do something about your T-line res. I know you case top is crowded, but balancing it on your 8800 :eh?:
Dan

[SuperDave1685]

lol... its not even touching the 8800.... its standing on its own :D

http://home.comcast.net/~superdave1685/DSCF2989.jpg

[BobcatDan]

My bad:bang head Good job BTW, much cleaner now:beer:

[xtreme_ego]

whoa is it just me or are those tubes crusty as hell?

[WonderingSoul]

Nice case :p


I'd cut out the back for another 80mm though. Easy enough with the removable mobo tray.


And oh I have butchered my Lian-Li case. (http://www.ocforums.com/showpost.php?p=4991388&postcount=59)

[QuietIce]

Nice job, SuperDave - the case looks great!

I prefer using hole saws and jigsaws over Dremels, too - go with what you know ... :beer:

[ARCJr]

My wife's PC has the same case, nice job!

[SuperDave1685]

thanks guys for all the kind comments...Hopefully I'll have another update here in a few days when I get in my spiral thingys to keep my tubes round.. that will shorten the length of the tube coming out of the CPU block

[Wankerfx]

Much cleaner. Nice job.

[voigts]

The next time you have it apart, go and spend .25 cents and get a new o-ring for that rad. I personally just wouldn't trust some silicone thrown on the outside to seal that thing permanently.

Your loop sure looks a lot better. I would recommend against leaving that fan being supported by the tubing, as it is really being supported by your waterblock.

I also will take a jigsaw over a dremel to cut into metal as I can get better cuts with the jigsaw.

[Tyranos]

looking good marine... now do some flutter kicks.

[SuperDave1685]

lol I did those yesterday....as for voigts... there is also Permatex on the inside that you can't see... So it is secure, I can assure you lol.I don't see how that fan is being supported by the waterblock though... the tubing yea, but the waterblock??

[SuperDave1685]

Just a little update.. I removed the long ass tubing coming out of my CPU waterblock and replaced it with a shorter one. I also placed the 140mm fan in the back, blowing air over the RAM :D

http://home.comcast.net/~superdave1685/DSCF3002.jpg

[QuietIce]

lol I did those yesterday....as for voigts... there is also Permatex on the inside that you can't see... So it is secure, I can assure you lol.I don't see how that fan is being supported by the waterblock though... the tubing yea, but the waterblock?? A better question is "What supports the tubing?" ... ;)