Project: OptPrime Rev. 2.00 "By the books" - Update 11.01.04

[Optimus Prime]

Well the winter months are comming here in Indiana. School has been in session (I go to Indiana University in Bloomington Indiana) for like almost 7 weeks. So naturally I am getting prepared for a long and boring winter in which I spend many hours infront of a monitor.

So, this being said... Why not pass the time with a project.

That was my setup a year ago... You can see the fugly/nasty Thermaltake Xaser II just sitting there looking like something out of a vin-deasil movie. Bah how far i have come in the past few years. Since that pic I have painted the inside of the case, cut the fan grills out, swapped mobos, switched procs, did some etching, and swapped vid cards, bought new monitors, well basically switched everything except the case.

So onto the revamp of the old. The only thing that will be returning from my old setup will be the core components for now. I plan on keeping my nf-7s for at least the first 2 weeks of this project. My ram, 6800gt, sound card, and opticals will be staying. Everything else will be replaced with faster compnents.

This case will be all air cooled for now. Reason being IMHO i could either dump 200 bucks in a nice water cooler and MAYBE get 200mhz more out of my proc. Or i could dump 350-400 in board and proc and get the performance boost that I am really looking for. So to me the choice seems simple.

As you guessed from my name I am a huge Transformers nut. Wel not even so much as I am a huge Optimus Prime fan... So most things that involve computers and whatnot for me have my tag on them which is now "OptPrime". So as you can guess this case will be mostly featured around doing a personalized case around my handle.

So where am i at now. Right now i have these specs:
AMD Mobile Barton 2500+ running at 2.6
2 * 512MB Corsair PC-3000C2PT (this stuff is BH-5 So it will be with me until ddr2 time)
ABit NF7-s (the one with the black dimm slots )
EVGA 6800GT
WD800JB 80gb 8mb cache ide
Audigy 2 zs
Thermalright slk900a
Swiftech North Bridge Sink (dont know the model number cause im lazy but you will see pics tonite)
Plextor 8x DVDR
Lite-On 16x DVD Reader
Thermaltake Xaser II (I wish i had never gone through the newb faze )

These parts are in the mail.
200 bucks off of hardforumSilverstone SST-TJ03 http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-163-014&depa=1
50 bucks used for 2 months from roomate Enermax noisetaker 460 http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=17-103-422&DEPA=1
got this for 10 bucks off of hardforum http://www.evga.com/products/moreinfo.asp?Part_Number=202-F1-EV19-01
55 bucks off of hardforum Matrix Orbital MX-412 http://www.matrixorbital.com/pages/products.asp?CatID=5&mx=4

I will be purchasing over the next few weeks:
120mm high output LED Fan
2 * 4inch ccfls (blue or white)
LED's for doing my own custom case lighting
90nm 939 board, and proc, along with Some thermalright Heatsink
Audigy 2 front live panel to go along with my new sinhiesser hd-555's

Preliminary list of mods:
1) The case doesnt come with a window... so a window mod will be in order... I will be turning to you fools for some help on this one
2) A ducting system for my 6800gt. Hey if you are going to aircool you have to do it right.
3) Considering painting, however it is gonne be tough to convince myself to paint up this $300 beauty
4) A super nice etching done by my woman of who else but Optimus Prime
5) some custom case lighting
6) either a top window or 120mm blow whole instead of the stock 80mm
7) I am thinking about modding my vantec fan controller into the case some how... not quite sure about this one yet.
8)Ne thing else that is feasable that you guys bring to light
9) some sleaving to the powersupply and possible fan replacment. Thinking about polishing it as well.

Alright so there is the intro to the project. This one will mostly be super simple. MY DISCLAIMER: THERE IS A VERY GOOD CHANCE THAT I WILL NOT BE DOING NE THING GROUND BREAKING WITH THIS MOD. I JUST GOT LOOT FOR NEW COMPONENTS AND SINCE THIS PLACE IS SUCH A FREEKING GHOST TOWN LATLEY I FIGURED THAT I WOULD JOIN VIO1 IN TRYING TO KEEP IT GOING.

I will have some updates in a few hours. Last night I lapped the 6800gt heatsink. I will give an explanation as to why i didnt purchase a nv-silencer as well.

Stay tuned if your completly bored... maybe this will at least give you some thing to look/laugh at. I'm out till I get off work.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Small Update!

Here is a small pictoral update...

Here is the upgrade heatsink from evga...

Here is a pic of the lapping job... I watched the new punisher while i did it. Horrible movie.

Here is the card before the sink was installed...

And here is the after...

The heatsink was worth about 6 degrees celcius on idle and load temps... not too bad. this means that un-overclocked my card idles at 48 and runs full load at around 58-62

 

[Optimus Prime]

Here is a pic of my current workbench... I dont know why i tossed this pic up... guess just something for you to look at.

Here is a pic of the roomate's and my current lab setup in our new house

Last but not least here is a pic of my current rig.

Here is a pic of the etching that is on my current case window... I am designing a new one for the new case.

There won't be any updates for a while cause i am waiting till some parts come in. The case will be here early next week and I will start work as soon as i get it.

 

[Daewood]

lookin good and the best show on tv (transformers) got canceled and then they brought it back with some stupid episodes (lasted two months) but i still own the movie and that kicks but...

keep us posted

 

[phrkshw]

I plan on doing an Optimus Prime mod as soon as I can get windows and decals on my Predaking case ( yes , I will be dropping 200 smackers at christmas for the Predaking re-issue toy ) . It will be something like this . The case will be the trailer , and I will take my G1 Optimus and make him "hook" up to the case . I plan on cutting the case somehow and making it so i can make it look like the battle station that the trailer turned into . Now to get back to your mod ( sorry , rants and raves ) . Good luck and ill be keeping an eye on this post , cant wait to see it .

 

[Optimus Prime]

after drinking a little and being super bored. i hacked this up... plz pay no attention to my complete disregard for perspecitves... my 8th grade art teacher would kill me.

Original pic is from virtual hideout(http://www.virtual-hideout.net/reviews/silverstone_temjin_tj03_nimiz_case/index.shtml) the review is there and YES I AM HOSTING THIS OFF OF MY OWN SERVER
.
what you see of the autobots symbol will actually be part of the aluminum side panel... what does not immediatly connect to the side pannel will be attached with two sided tape to the plexi window. Ne who i think this is really going to cover my drive cages well and frame my components really well.

I also aquired more parts today... I have a black audigy 2 livedrive w/remote comming from a guy off of ocforums.com for under 50 bucks. so that was cool.

I got this too of course I am going to work it in some how.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5925720047&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOAB:US:6

I should be getting some parts real soon. HeHe

 

[-Superman]

after drinking a little and being super bored. i hacked this up... plz pay no attention to my complete disregard for perspecitves... my 8th grade art teacher would kill me.

i allmost failed 8th grade art.

 

[xanderjobizzle]

hey man, looking good. I cant wait to see it done.

-Good Luck,
Xander

 

[z0n3]

Looking good. Do you guys have wireless on the IU campus? Been thinking of going there.

 

[Optimus Prime]

ya actually we have a rediculus wireless setup... I can sit ne where on campus which is about 2 miles x 2 miles and get access sitting on just about ne lawn with my orinoco g card w/antenna. The have been installing waps in light posts. I can also get wireless on my pda in every building... super schweet.

what do you want to go to school for?

 

[k3nshin]

why dont you think abut reversing the image on the dor and making it so you can see the mobo through the face?

 

[Vio1]

Alright so there is the intro to the project. This one will mostly be super simple. MY DISCLAIMER: THERE IS A VERY GOOD CHANCE THAT I WILL NOT BE DOING NE THING GROUND BREAKING WITH THIS MOD. I JUST GOT LOOT FOR NEW COMPONENTS AND SINCE THIS PLACE IS SUCH A FREEKING GHOST TOWN LATLEY I FIGURED THAT I WOULD JOIN VIO1 IN TRYING TO KEEP IT GOING.

Right on! This place seems to have died off a bit. We need to keep adding some fresh blood so that it doesnt crumble.

Good job on the mod by the way!

 

[z0n3]

ya actually we have a rediculus wireless setup... I can sit ne where on campus which is about 2 miles x 2 miles and get access sitting on just about ne lawn with my orinoco g card w/antenna. The have been installing waps in light posts. I can also get wireless on my pda in every building... super schweet.

what do you want to go to school for?

Sounds awesome. I have to move out when I'm 18 and if I go to IU I can still mooch off the folks for a while longer. Where as if I go to Purdue I'll be skinned alive and used as a rug. I still can't decide.

 

[Optimus Prime]

wow cs:source tried to steal my life for a bit there. ive escaped for now... Ne way I am still recieving tons of parts by mail. I am ordering some stuff off of newegg and frozencpu and that should be the end of parts purchasing.... I will be buying a 120mm 100cfm Thermaltake LED fan... I will also be picking up one of the blue vantec sleaving kits... and last but not least Some plexi...

I do need some help finding some very lightly tinted plexi or acrylic. I also need some mirrored plexi/acrylic. If anyone knows where I can find these things plz let me know.

Also I need an opinion on the window situation. It was said on this forum and ocforums that some people think i should just cut the autobots symbol in the side panel as the window. The reason that I hadn't initially planned on doing this is because I was thinking that my first design was kinda more artistic. also I like seeing my parts through the windows clearly... in addition I want to have a fan right over my vid card. I was thinking that the autobots symbol would look kinda week with a fan hole right next to it... what do you guys think?

 

[k3nshin]

yeh thats true, but who want to look at their drive bays?

 

[Optimus Prime]

I messed Myself

I got home from work for lunch and the case was sitting in my living room. OMG I almost nutted myself upon taking it out of the box... This is the nicest case I have ever seen in person. I can't wait to start work on it. I am going to do the design that I intially planned on with the autobots logo covering the drive bays... I agree no one really cares about seeing them so I might as well do something artsy with that part of the case.

STILL LOOKING FOR DECENTLY PRICED TINTED ACRYLIC OR PLEXI. I ALSO NEED MIRRORED SO IF YOU KNOW NE THING SPEAK UP.

 

[Optimus Prime]

well i didn't get many responces on my mirrored/tinted acrylic question so I think that I am going to try to tint it myself. It appears I am heading over to the HD today after work... I have another question for you guys. I plan on doing a window etching on one my windows. I am obviously going to experiment with this a little. What is going to be tough is I have to apply the tinting to the outside on this window otherwise the etching will be messed up (the etching obviously has to be on the inside). Is it even possible to apply tinting to the outside of a plexi window and have it look right... and also do you think the etching will show up decently if i light it well?

Ne who i will be starting on the removable motherboard tray tonite. It is going to be simple yet classy. What i am going to be doing is cutting out the tray so that you can see the traces on the board. once that is done i will either add some modders mesh or just leave it so you can see the board cleanly through the window with of course my girlfriends wonderfull etching of the armada optimus prime knealing.

Sorry that I havent posted pics but I have been super busy latley. I ordered 100 bux worth of cooling stuff off of newegg last night... the package included a 100 cfm TT 120mm fan, a 4 inch ccfl, and a blue cable sleeving kit, and some other odds and ends. I will be dropping some cash at home depot and that should be the end of purchasing for now until the 939 stuff comes into play in a few weeks.

The Matrix Orbital LCD should be here on friday or monday... and the sb audigy 2 livedrive should be here sometime next week.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Got the case a couple of days ago.... but was too busy playing source to post pis... So here I'll give you the quick catchup:
Sorry for the crap *** lighting in some of the pics... i dont know what i was thinking.

Beautiful

Mod ME!!!!!!!!!!

The dual front doors are nice. I will be making a custom fan grill for the 120mm up front... I figure with a 2800rpm fan up there some one could loose a finger...

I have never had a removable motherboard tray before... I can aleady tell I won't be able to live without one from here on out. You can see that the guy before me had a hole so he could remove his proc heatsink easily... The hole was done very well, which is a good thing cause I will me incorperating it in my next step.

Overall this case is awesome... Well worth the high pricetag. The construction and finish is impressive... So impressive that I will not be painting it, well at least not yet. There is a possiblity that i may paint the inside but it is unlikley.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Ok so i finally got rolling with this thing. After seeing the case I took a trip out to lowes and picked some stuff up for this project and for an aria that I am going to be working on very soon. Here is the result of that trip.

Haha the file is called a fat *******.... if my dad heard me say that and was within an arms reach he would smack me and accuse me of being a sissy boy. LoL

got a huge sheet of lucite acrylic... this stuff should be much more impact resistant the the plain ole plexi... and supposedly it is harder to scratch and has better tooling properties... we will see i guess. I am still looking for a way to tint my windows. I think that getting some super thin lexan (kinda like what is used on r/c car bodies would work well with some tinting rc car paint applied to it... Not sure yet though, suggestions?

Guess what I actually did some work to the thing. I cut the removable motherboard tray so that you can see the backside of the motherboard. I will be doing a window back there and a super detailed etching of none other than Optimus Prime... most likley the armada edition cause he looks bad arse. I borrowed this mod from FushyuGuru over at OCforums.com. I view his work on his lian as a guide for many things so i thank him for this idea.

Here it is from the backside without the case panal on it. The motherboard is just a tester pos with my first overclocking chip in it. 300A baby. Man those were the days.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Here are some sneak peak shots of what i will be workign on tomorow.

Let me know what you guys think of this before i cut into it. The logo will be case metal and will cover up the front bays/drives. This will still leave room for my handle to be etched up where the powersupply is and for a door fan w/ducting for the vid card.

NEED FEEDBACK NOW BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!