This is my second case mod project - the first was a custom built M-ATX case built from acrylic and aluminium angle, which is in use as my parents PC currently 
This mod is just to tide me over til I build a fully custom watercooled case for myself.
The plans:
Cable management
Painting
Watercooling - starting with one loop, upgrading to dual when I get the money
Some other interesting features
Primary colour scheme will be black on the outside (possibly with some chrome/silver) and white on the inside, with two loops - one pink, one black.
Stage 1
Cable management time!
Starting case with hardware installed. It's my system spec and it's not the tidiest of messes!
Motherboard power/data cable holes cut - I started by using holesaws, but my cheap (probably carbon steel) purchase couldn't cut through the steel of the motherboard tray so I ended up using a jigsaw and a large amount of filing to get these circles
Drilled four pilot holes after marking out and joined the dots with the jigsaw, so to speak:
Next up was painting the inside of the case. Pretty boring stuff so no pictures, did a couple of coats of primer followed by a coat of clear Also fitted the U-channel...(sorry for being so vague on how I did some of this stuff, there is a reason!) And, BINGO:
I took this picture after my second go at getting all the cables through the holes while still being able to put the side panel on...however, it took me at least another 5 tries afterwards to actual do it, so this is just a general idea and not a template!
Case back:
Case overview without side panel
Back (with flash, showing the size of my AC7 Pro, I like )
All the PSU cables and data cables too!
The mess I made:
One of my favourite pictures:
And finally, showing the slight overspray. The case side panel needs some serious respraying, that grey bit on the mesh is where the paint has rubbed on and it's got more scratches than a cat murderer...for once, my camera was overly kind to my case!
Stage 2
Let the watercooling commence! :thumb:
My watercooling plans:
As you may have noticed, I installed the XSPC 120.1 single pass radiator in the front of the case, along with a sleeved Xilence Red Wing:
I had to do a bit of modding to get it to fit...new holes:
And the radiator installed (before painting):
My EK waterblock is here! (£22.50, bargain xD)
So, to take off the VRM block...I made it a lot harder than it should have been
Decimated the screw!
Luckily, it's not a bad as if it had been one of the screws holding down the acrylic. To get at it, first I had to remove the acrylic top - just a case of unscrewing the black screws:
A picture showing where the screw is...:
I don't have a pillar drill here at home (or most other tools, for that matter ) so it'll go up to my grandad who has said he will drill out the screw for me I can't see it affecting the resale value of the block either, as even with just the one screw the VRM block is very well secured.
The acrylic EK use is thick!:
Shiny copper block
My 4 fans! Already an Xilence Red Wing sleeved and installed for the front radiator, the rest will be arranged as I see fit at the time - probably 3 on the back radiator and one on the back of the case, and then another Xilence Red Wing will be added to the 120.1 when I go GPU watercooling
My watercooling parts:
They include: the 120.2 radiator, the XSPC pump, 3 metres of clear PVC tubing, 2 x 10/8mm compression fittings for the 120.2 + 2 x 10/8mm compression fitting caps for the XSPC pump, my Delta block, a random fan grill (ghetto
) and a blue LED powered by molex which I may switch to UV if I get a chance...a close up of the shiny parts:
That's it for now, over and out
Update: 21/01
Okies, water is in for leak testing
Didn't have the time required to do a full fit tonight, so I've just connected up the watercooling loop and put the block outside the case along with the pump.
Quite impressed by noise levels TBH, the pump definitely won't be a problem for me Really old to listen to the bubbles in the system though, it's a bit scary! The majority seem to have bled already (it's been about 10 minutes) and this pink is nice
Radiator painted and clear coated:
*Slightly* blurry pictures showing what happened to the adapters - look at the one on the left to get an idea:
Barbs installed into radiator:
Next, I set up the system and cut the tubing to lengths:
Tubing at the back:
It goes out through a pass through bracket in the PCI slots, up the back of the case behind the radiator, and then crosses over I like it!
I put the block outside the case - this picture also shows the tubing at the bottom of the case:
And finally leak testing:
I'll update when I get it fitted Wednesday!
This mod is just to tide me over til I build a fully custom watercooled case for myself.
The plans:
Cable management
Painting
Watercooling - starting with one loop, upgrading to dual when I get the money
Some other interesting features
Primary colour scheme will be black on the outside (possibly with some chrome/silver) and white on the inside, with two loops - one pink, one black.
Stage 1
Cable management time!
Starting case with hardware installed. It's my system spec and it's not the tidiest of messes!
Motherboard power/data cable holes cut - I started by using holesaws, but my cheap (probably carbon steel) purchase couldn't cut through the steel of the motherboard tray so I ended up using a jigsaw and a large amount of filing to get these circles
Drilled four pilot holes after marking out and joined the dots with the jigsaw, so to speak:
Next up was painting the inside of the case. Pretty boring stuff so no pictures, did a couple of coats of primer followed by a coat of clear
Also fitted the U-channel...(sorry for being so vague on how I did some of this stuff, there is a reason!) And, BINGO:
I took this picture after my second go at getting all the cables through the holes while still being able to put the side panel on...however, it took me at least another 5 tries afterwards to actual do it, so this is just a general idea and not a template!
Case back:
Case overview without side panel
Back (with flash, showing the size of my AC7 Pro, I like
)
All the PSU cables and data cables too!
The mess I made:
One of my favourite pictures:
And finally, showing the slight overspray. The case side panel needs some serious respraying, that grey bit on the mesh is where the paint has rubbed on and it's got more scratches than a cat murderer...for once, my camera was overly kind to my case!
Stage 2
Let the watercooling commence! :thumb:
My watercooling plans:
Code:
Loop 1 (Start)
XSPC Delta CPU block
Swiftech MCR220 120.2 radiator
XSPC 400 Pump/Reservoir
10/8mm compression fittings with 10/8mm PVC clear tubing
Feser One Pink
Pump (case floor) -> 120.2 radiator (mounted off back of case) -> CPU block -> Pump
Loop 1 (Upgrade)
XSPC Delta CPU block
Swiftech MCR220 120.2 radiator (three fans, two pulling + 1 pushing)
D-Tek DB-1 pump
Swiftech MCRES reservoir
1/2" barbs with clear 10/8mm PVC clear tubing
Feser One Black
Pump (case floor) -> 120.2 radiator (mounted off back of case) -> CPU block -> Reservoir (next to PCI slots) -> Pump
Loop 2 (Upgrade)
EK FC79 full cover
XSPC 120.1 single pass radiator (two Xilence Red Wing fans, push/pull)
XSPC 400 Pump/Reservoir
10/8mm compression fittings with 10/8mm PVC clear tubing
Feser One Pink
Pump (case floor) -> 120.1 radiator (front of case) -> GPU block -> PumpAs you may have noticed, I installed the XSPC 120.1 single pass radiator in the front of the case, along with a sleeved Xilence Red Wing:
I had to do a bit of modding to get it to fit...new holes:
And the radiator installed (before painting):
My EK waterblock is here! (£22.50, bargain xD)
So, to take off the VRM block...I made it a lot harder than it should have been
Decimated the screw!
Luckily, it's not a bad as if it had been one of the screws holding down the acrylic. To get at it, first I had to remove the acrylic top - just a case of unscrewing the black screws:
A picture showing where the screw is...:
I don't have a pillar drill here at home (or most other tools, for that matter
) so it'll go up to my grandad who has said he will drill out the screw for me I can't see it affecting the resale value of the block either, as even with just the one screw the VRM block is very well secured.The acrylic EK use is thick!:
Shiny copper block
My 4 fans! Already an Xilence Red Wing sleeved and installed for the front radiator, the rest will be arranged as I see fit at the time - probably 3 on the back radiator and one on the back of the case, and then another Xilence Red Wing will be added to the 120.1 when I go GPU watercooling
My watercooling parts:
They include: the 120.2 radiator, the XSPC pump, 3 metres of clear PVC tubing, 2 x 10/8mm compression fittings for the 120.2 + 2 x 10/8mm compression fitting caps for the XSPC pump, my Delta block, a random fan grill (ghetto
) and a blue LED powered by molex which I may switch to UV if I get a chance...a close up of the shiny parts:
That's it for now, over and out
Update: 21/01
Okies, water is in for leak testing
Didn't have the time required to do a full fit tonight, so I've just connected up the watercooling loop and put the block outside the case along with the pump.
Quite impressed by noise levels TBH, the pump definitely won't be a problem for me
Really old to listen to the bubbles in the system though, it's a bit scary! The majority seem to have bled already (it's been about 10 minutes) and this pink is nice Radiator painted and clear coated:
*Slightly* blurry pictures showing what happened to the adapters - look at the one on the left to get an idea:
Barbs installed into radiator:
Next, I set up the system and cut the tubing to lengths:
Tubing at the back:
It goes out through a pass through bracket in the PCI slots, up the back of the case behind the radiator, and then crosses over
I like it!I put the block outside the case - this picture also shows the tubing at the bottom of the case:
And finally leak testing:
I'll update when I get it fitted Wednesday!
