Project Log - FushZero Deuce - Case and Cooling System Mod

Project Log - FushZero Deuce - Case and Cooling System Mod
Last Updated on: 07-07-07 22:20 PM

Old posts may be updated as the project progresses. Changes will be indicated here:

Latest Changes:

- Added "Misc Update"
- Updated "Hardware Choices"





Introduction

I'll get right to the point. This will be a pictoral log of the modification of an existing commercial computer case. The purpose being to replace FushZero, my currently long-in-face case and cooling setup which houses my main computer components.



My fundamental concepts for building a proper computer case and cooling setup are simple:

Trim the fat - I focus on the fundamentals, erganomics and overall functionality. If it doesn't serve a purpose, it will probably go or be left out. You won't see large bubbling reseviours of expensive coolant, cables shrouded in chrome, modeling clay, or huge amazonian snakeheads protruding from my cases.

Case Over Components - The case and cooling setup for me, is more important than the components inside. Develop a proper case and cooling, with the idea that parts will change but the case survives through multiple generations of hardware. Design a case for a particular build of components, and you will end up not liking parts of what you did when it's time to upgrade.

Make It Interesting - I like to add my own bit of style to all my builds. Without breaking the first two concepts, I try and build case and cooling setups that are mechanically organic. They seem more complex than they are which makes them fun to look at.



I will get into the details of the build in further posts. I just hope you enjoy my pictoral log, and learn something you can use on your own builds.

Matt.

Past Projects:
Last Updated on: 07-03-07 23:55 PM

It's been a long while since I've played an active role in these forums. Some of you may remember some of my past project logs in 2001 and 2002 time frame.

FushZero - The original FushZero was a blast to build. It was built to be a monster at overclocking whatever I put in it. I also tried some new things the modding community had rarely seen, skeletonized motherboard tray, modular PSU, UV coated interior, lots of watercutting and voiding the warranties on Vapochills. College and a military career put a damper on some of the final touches of the project to the dismay of some. Regardless, FushZero has been a trooper for great overclocks and as a testbed for tweaking hardware reviews. Over the years it has seen: 13 Motherboards, 6 CPUs, 9 Memory Kits, 5 GPUs, 2 PSUs, 3 CPU Heatsinks, 7 Waterblocks, 1 Modded Vapochill PE, 1 Modded Vapochill Lightspeed and over 74,635,200 CFM of hot air.

One of the original Project Logs is still archived here: Link I appoligise if some of the pictures are broken, I no longer have access to the hosting.





BigFush - This was my first crack at building a case from scratch. It was my file server for many years. Built from all Lexan and translucent polycarbonates, including the hardware. I even windowed my first hard drive to handle the network access logs.

that looks amazing.

Hardware Choices:
Last Updated on: 07-07-07 14:36 PM

I'm in the "drawings on a napkin" stages of flushing out what I want out of this case, but much of the hardware choices are easy. I either already have them or I have used them in the past. This case will be purely watercooling for the CPU/GPUs. I left my Phase Change roots a while ago, it just isn't practical for me now. Chipsets and phase power on the boards I will address with appropriate heatsinks. I've never been convinced that watercooling them gives me a bang for the buck. Noise is a primary concern when choosing hardware. This computer lives in my bedroom, I have to live with it.


As I make my choices, I will update them here:

Case - Lian Li PC-A16 - Just a nicely updated version of the awesome PC-6/PC-7 series. Simple, clean, and strong. Great ventilation and a blank top.
CPU Block - Danger Den RBX - Modular nozzles and faceplates. I'm still using one of the original proto's (It's identical to yours...).
GPU Blocks - PolarFlo TT (x2) - Easy to mount, easy to tear down, great cooling.
Radiator (New) - BlackIce GTX 240 - BIX2 performance with low speed fans and low flow.
Pump - Danger Den DDC12V /w Petra Tech Top - Small, variable speed, quiet, great head pressure. Higher flow rate with the Petra's Tech Top.

Here is a list of the hardware that will occupy Zero Deuce when it's all completed. Not a cutting edge C2D setup, but I don't quite need one at the moment. I will however be updating some of my current hardware to properly overclock my new chip.

CPU (New) - AMD Opteron 170 - LCB9E Stepping. Bang for the buck overclocker.
Motherboard - MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum SLI - I've had this board longer than just about any I've owned. It's a great board and handles some great overclocks. I've never had the ram to hit the ceiling on this board.
Memory (New) - 1GB GSkill PC4400 LE 0437 TCCD - Huge thanks goes out to Nick (Member - OcX) for a great deal on this TCCD kit. It now has a great home.
Power Supply - PCP&C Turbo-Cool 510ATX - After killing off plenty of Antec True Powers in my Phase Change days, I finally splurged on the PCP&C ($270 at the time). It has never skipped a beat since.
GPU - 2x eVGA 7900GT CO in SLI - Awesome card for the money, now, and when I got it. I picked up a second, go back to an SLI setup. Will hardmod the vGPU and vMEM.
HDD - WD Raptor 36.7GB - A Gen-1 Raptor drive. Maybe one day I'll get a second. Or not.

looking forward to seeing this as the project comes along flushy your mods are stellar.

Misc Update:
Last Updated on: 06-19-07 12:06 AM


Parts Orders - I just ordered the case last Friday, should be showing up later this week or early next. If you're not sure about the case I will be working with, BoxGods has a good review with plenty of pictures here: Link.


(Pictures from BoxGods)

Case Thoughts - If you like the case how it is, I'm sorry, I will be cutting it up. Some of you may be thinking, "Why didn't he go with a newer V1000?" Well, I've built systems with them, and I am still partial to the smaller footprint of the old standby PC6/7 series. The V1000's have a great thermal design, especially for air cooling. I just prefer a blank slate, and this case offers me that to work with, a familiar interior and plenty of options for radiator placement (especially in the modular and perforated front bezel).

Color Scheme - I'm still thinking through this part, and suggestions are always welcome. I've done the clear cases, wild colors, and have done almost all UV reactive schemes. This time I think I may go for a more subdued scheme. I want to keep the standard finish on the outside of the case, I love Lian-Li's hard anodizing. On the interior I was thinking of coloring all black. Cable sleeving would be all black. Then abandon my UV reactive roots and go with a smartly placed blue or maybe brilliant white LED lighting. Of course, if you know how I build, all the wiring would be redone to hide everything, and the lighting will be near perfectly hidden. With LED's this would present an issue of what kinds of COTS lighting are available? I'm sure for certain areas I would need to make something myself.

So what do you think, blue or white?

dont get me wrong the V1000 series is awesome looking, but essentially its all up to what you want to do with which case you decide to choose. i'm fully confident you will make this case look awesome regardless if it was a V1000 + or the pc6/7 series


i'm looking forward to seeing the final product


edit: i'm thinking white, way too much blue LED in the world

also, are you going to powder coat the innards? i think that would look good

Ah yes I remember reading through your entire project log of FushZero. You are amazing at what you do, that is for sure. As for the lighting...I have to agree blue is overdone to death. I don't think I've EVER seen a white light in a computer before. I say, make it happen

Ryanzbane said:

Ah yes I remember reading through your entire project log of FushZero. You are amazing at what you do, that is for sure. As for the lighting...I have to agree blue is overdone to death. I don't think I've EVER seen a white light in a computer before. I say, make it happen

Click to expand...

Thanks.

I think it may be settled then. I'm thinking a dull back lit glow instead of the over bright COTS lighting you see most of the time.

Matt.

Fushyuguru said:

Thanks.

I think it may be settled then. I'm thinking a dull back lit glow instead of the over bright COTS lighting you see most of the time.

Matt.

Click to expand...

Bah why not make things interesting and rig up a standard light bulb with a dimmer to the ceiling of your case (I'm joking of course...I think).

Misc Update:
Last Updated on: 06-20-07 20:47 PM


Parts Orders - The case came unexpectedly today. I wasn't planning on having it for another few days. Between my after work training I got a chance to pull it out the box and mess around. This is quite nice, a touch less "tank" like thick aluminum as my PC-6085 but a great design none the less. I will post pictures soon and point out a few of the modifications maybe with some sketches.

Case Thoughts - So now that I've seen it, the more I like the black/silver motif. For a while I was trying to figure out the style of the lines after I start cutting away. If you remember the original FushZero, the windowed side panels were cut with angular, interlocking, geometric shapes. I would like to use similar lines, just taking a few shapes, scaling them up a bit on the side panels and along the top.

I would also like to make this case as neutrally ventilated as possible. So I will use clear polycarbonate as well as perforated aluminum (matching the front bezel) to cover my cutouts. This may be hard to picture, but I'll try and come back with some sketches, or do it on the fly like I do.

Cooling - This case will be heavily ventilated (think V1000's) while trying to keep the case in a slightly positive pressure. Although negative pressure has an edge in air cooling, I would rather prevent dust buildup.

I had a chance to mock-up some of parts. Unfortunately I don't think I will be able to mount two BIX's as well as I would like. The extra hose/fittings coupled with height constraints (so I can mount an optical drive and two HDD's) I believe I will need to use a single 2x120mm radiator. I was hoping to use all the parts I have, but I don't mind getting new ones since my cases last me quite along while. I was thinking the Black Ice GTX 240, Link.


(Picture from DangerDen)

New Idea - I saw this fan controller (Zalman ZM-MFC2) and it really perked my interest, Link. I sure wouldn't put it in my case, but I was thinking it might make a neat fan control to keep on my desk. So I would probably hack it up, make a cable to go from the unit to the back of the case and have the display and controls in a fab'd stand/case at arms length.


(Picture from Zalman)

Sweet your up to a new project. I remember following Fushzero from day one.

I look forward to seeing your new project. FZ was bad *** because it was really nice but wasnt overly flashy or tacky like some.

SniperXX said:

Sweet your up to a new project. I remember following Fushzero from day one.

I look forward to seeing your new project. FZ was bad *** because it was really nice but wasnt overly flashy or tacky like some.

Click to expand...

Thanks.

FushZero I tried to do a lot at once, but I agree, it came out pretty nice. Deuce is going to be a bit more refined since it's going to purely be a water cooled box, with minimal lighting. I can focus.

Oh I just looked at your mobo and cpu, I am running an identical setup. I just need something better than my current value ram (its doesnt like going much more than 20MHz over stock sadly, so Im stuck with using dividers). I was able to clock my chip at 2.9GHz tho.

SniperXX said:

Oh I just looked at your mobo and cpu, I am running an identical setup. I just need something better than my current value ram (its doesnt like going much more than 20MHz over stock sadly, so Im stuck with using dividers). I was able to clock my chip at 2.9GHz tho.

Click to expand...

Just got the chip in today, LCB9E stepping. That makes me happy. So I can only hope combined with some good solid DDR, I can get some great 24/7 overclocks (near yours) out of it. The LCB9E's seem to do quite well at default voltage.

Misc Update:
Last Updated on: 06-21-07 21:15 PM


Parts Orders - The chip is in, LCB9E stepping. I also went ahead and ordered the new radiator, a Black Ice GTX 240, some fittings and sheet metal.

Case Thoughts - I'm going through tonight doing some parts teardowns and taking some pictures. Next update I will go ahead and point out some of the modifications I'll be doing. This case has a lot of room to work with. The design is strait forward and it came with a neat piece of hardware, a modular 120mm HDD rack that I can hack up and use to cleverly suspend HDD's in the top of the case.

Look for a picture update this weekend.

Nice to see a new project from you cant wait to see how it ends up.

Misc Update:
Last Updated on: 06-24-07 22:40 PM


Delay on Update - Had a bit of a delay this weekend. I finally toasted my Dremel tool I've had for about 10 years. I guess it's about time. So it set me back a couple days before a bought a new Dremel 300 series. Still not as good as the Craftsman HD rotary tool I used to have back when I made FushZero. I ended up giving it to my Dad, it was my Granddad's. That thing never got as hot as these Dremels do today, and spun faster with more torque (45k RPM).

So I just got to cutting today, I'll have some pictures in the next few days as I finish up a few things. For now, remember that nice HDD cage I mentioned. Here's a before and after, as well as a shot of the new Dremel.

Progress Update:
Last Updated on: 06-27-07 23:08 PM

Time to just jump right in. I am going to omit initial photos of the case as I linked directly to a nice review and several pictures above. Let's get strait to the fun stuff.


HDD Cage - I started with the clever HDD cage that came with the case. I wasn't so much interested in the cage itself, but in the neat hangers the cage uses to tooless'ly suspend the HDD's in the cage. I also was interested in the nice perforated front section. It takes up three bays and looks quite nice in the bottom of the case. However I want my HDD's up in the top of the case. So I had to separate the two just by taking out some pop rivets.



I have to split updates into multiple posts to get around the 10 image per post cap. So bear with me.
Continued in the next post...

Progress Update:
Last Updated on: 06-27-07 23:08 PM

HDD Cage (Cont) - With the faceplate free, I then took off the fan filter retainer to prep it to mount to the case. Just a few pop rivets later I could test fit, drill and then tap for screw mounts. I used a thumbscrew to bead the threads into the aluminum as I didn't have a tap for these common case screws. You may think these are odd spots for thumbscrews, but the real estate was slim on the lower mounts. It worked well.



Continued in the next post...