- Joined
- Jul 17, 2002
Basically a couple months ago I wanted to upgrade my current computer(pentiumd 805, 7900gs, 2gb ddr-667, etc etc), and I realized that this was technically the same computer I've had since like 1998, just gradual upgrades here and there. So I decided to treat myself to a brand new system, not a single salvaged part, no upgrades, just pure new-ness. There was one catch, no led's, cold cathodes, uv paint, fans with text, fog machines, excess chrome, etc. I've done all that in the past(well, no fog machine), and I'm older now and don't want a computer that I could use as the centerpiece from the ceiling in a dance club.
I opted to go for watercooling, not because I needed to, I just thought "never done it, so wtf not?" and so far this is what we have:
Thermaltake Armor VA8000BWS
I got this model specifically because I didn't want the silly 25mm fan on the side, the new armor+ is ugly, and I needed some openings on the side to work with. Aside from painting the interior of the case flat black(3 coats of primer, 4 coats of flat black enamel, so sanding specifically because I like the rough finish). I also removed the window and replaced it with an AC Ryan modders mesh panel, I cut the rough shape of the window so it would fit, as well as let me put the original clips for the window in place so the exterior looked nice. Unfortunately the holes in the mesh were so big that it wouldn't hold, so I had to use epoxy putty to keep the mesh in place. The back side of the panel with the mesh looks horrible, but you'll never see it.
Intel e6850ES G0 stepping CPU
I don't want a quad core processor, was willing to drop the cash for the 6850, saw an ES on ebay for 80 bucks less with a few minutes to go and won it. It was the logical choice at the time.
MSI 8800GT OC 512MB
This is the one from the infamous dell deal back in November. After enoguh screaming into the phone I got an additional 50 bucks off, total cost $157 plus shipping. It may have taken me 2 months to get it, but at that prices who cares.
Corsair HX620w
No flashy lights, "bling", just functional with good specs.
Abit IP-35 Pro
It had to be an Asus or Abit board, the Abit seemed more appealing
2x 150GB WD Raptor
Got a good deal in the classified section here, couldn't pass 'em up. I might add something else for bulk storage later, but I have a raid 5 nas already anyway, I'm not worried about it.
2x1GB Corsair Dominator 8500 DDR2
They were reasonably priced, and the dominator airflow fan was cheap and pretty quiet. Just had to peel the ugly blue sticker off the top. I figured the extra headroom of 1066 over 800 would be nice to avoid worrying about the ram not keeping up.
The watercooling consists of:
IC Diamond compound
D-Tek Fuzion CPU block with nozzle kit
Swiftech MCW60 VGA block
Swiftech MCP355 pump with Petra's top
Swiftech MCR220-qp (mounted in the front with velcro)
Swiftech MCR120-qp
Swiftech MC8800 SMC ramsinks (I screwed up the sticky tape on my first attempt, didn't clean the oil from the stock thermalpad off the ram good enough. So I wound up using the thermalpaste and superglue method. Yes, I tested, I can still pop them off if I really need to. The gel superglue I used really helped with controlling the amount I put down)
7/16" Masterkleer tubing
2x DangerDen Acetal fillports(one in the top where the usb used to be, I never cared for front or top mounted usb and audio, and it hides it. And the other is actually after the outlet on the pump as a drain, just kinda tucks into the case but can be pulled out if needed)
Anti-kink coils(black)
Yate loon 120mm and 92mm medium speed fans all around
Noise isolator VR 3.5" 4x fan speed controller
Swiftech Radbox
And now that I got that out of the way, PICTURES! (Please ignore the messy garage in the background of some pics. I hate my roommates, they won't clean up after themselves.)
I'll be updating this again once I have more hardware and assembly done.
I didn't bother with pics of the case before it was painted, because we all know what the inside of a TT armor looks like.
I opted to go for watercooling, not because I needed to, I just thought "never done it, so wtf not?" and so far this is what we have:
Thermaltake Armor VA8000BWS
I got this model specifically because I didn't want the silly 25mm fan on the side, the new armor+ is ugly, and I needed some openings on the side to work with. Aside from painting the interior of the case flat black(3 coats of primer, 4 coats of flat black enamel, so sanding specifically because I like the rough finish). I also removed the window and replaced it with an AC Ryan modders mesh panel, I cut the rough shape of the window so it would fit, as well as let me put the original clips for the window in place so the exterior looked nice. Unfortunately the holes in the mesh were so big that it wouldn't hold, so I had to use epoxy putty to keep the mesh in place. The back side of the panel with the mesh looks horrible, but you'll never see it.
Intel e6850ES G0 stepping CPU
I don't want a quad core processor, was willing to drop the cash for the 6850, saw an ES on ebay for 80 bucks less with a few minutes to go and won it. It was the logical choice at the time.
MSI 8800GT OC 512MB
This is the one from the infamous dell deal back in November. After enoguh screaming into the phone I got an additional 50 bucks off, total cost $157 plus shipping. It may have taken me 2 months to get it, but at that prices who cares.
Corsair HX620w
No flashy lights, "bling", just functional with good specs.
Abit IP-35 Pro
It had to be an Asus or Abit board, the Abit seemed more appealing
2x 150GB WD Raptor
Got a good deal in the classified section here, couldn't pass 'em up. I might add something else for bulk storage later, but I have a raid 5 nas already anyway, I'm not worried about it.
2x1GB Corsair Dominator 8500 DDR2
They were reasonably priced, and the dominator airflow fan was cheap and pretty quiet. Just had to peel the ugly blue sticker off the top. I figured the extra headroom of 1066 over 800 would be nice to avoid worrying about the ram not keeping up.
The watercooling consists of:
IC Diamond compound
D-Tek Fuzion CPU block with nozzle kit
Swiftech MCW60 VGA block
Swiftech MCP355 pump with Petra's top
Swiftech MCR220-qp (mounted in the front with velcro)
Swiftech MCR120-qp
Swiftech MC8800 SMC ramsinks (I screwed up the sticky tape on my first attempt, didn't clean the oil from the stock thermalpad off the ram good enough. So I wound up using the thermalpaste and superglue method. Yes, I tested, I can still pop them off if I really need to. The gel superglue I used really helped with controlling the amount I put down)
7/16" Masterkleer tubing
2x DangerDen Acetal fillports(one in the top where the usb used to be, I never cared for front or top mounted usb and audio, and it hides it. And the other is actually after the outlet on the pump as a drain, just kinda tucks into the case but can be pulled out if needed)
Anti-kink coils(black)
Yate loon 120mm and 92mm medium speed fans all around
Noise isolator VR 3.5" 4x fan speed controller
Swiftech Radbox
And now that I got that out of the way, PICTURES! (Please ignore the messy garage in the background of some pics. I hate my roommates, they won't clean up after themselves.)
I'll be updating this again once I have more hardware and assembly done.
I didn't bother with pics of the case before it was painted, because we all know what the inside of a TT armor looks like.
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