After taking a break for a few years...back to w/c'ing! [LOTS-O-PICS]

Theorie, the only thing i hate aboutt his is how shitty 8800gtx drive support is i still get random bsod from nv4_disp from driver 69.89 to 97.44 and i run driver cleaner pro in saf emode on all installs, but i think its just the driver is still shitty.
 
Op excellent work, i want to ask you one thing. How the hell you took those beautifull pictures with the white back ground, looks artificial. :D
 
annaconda said:
Op excellent work, i want to ask you one thing. How the hell you took those beautifull pictures with the white back ground, looks artificial. :D
Click to expand...

i work as a photographer :D haha

white seamless, two strobe heads, some diffusion frames i built, and my camera :)
 
Nice setup. Looks very clean.

I have a similar setup. Same case, have watercooled CPU and GPU. I used the 5.25 to 3.5 screws and currenty use 3 bays for 3 hds and also have a bay res and a LIS display oh yea and a DVD burner. I only have the 120.2 BIX rad though. Its mounted on the bottom and fits in front of the PSU. Its a clean setup too. I spent about 12 hours on cable management. I have no elbows but its mighty tight in from the rad to the pump which sits ontop of tray that you hacked up. :) It looks like another couple mm and it will kink. Your system looks awsome man. Its a great case for watercooling, you just have to be a little creative.
 
Does that case allow you to choose how you want to set up the motherboard? I notice he changed it from regular position and then put the mobo tray on the other side for a inverted setup. Is this a feature of the case, or some modding was involved?
 
Modding is involved.
Not much, in fact it almost appears as though Silverstone thought about doing it themselves- but it does take some work.
 
Nice work, man. I've been working on a TJ07 build also, and ran into the same issue with the retarded LL EX-23's. Silverstone's 3-to-4 is nice, but I only have 2 free bays, so I'm basically borked unless I want to hack the LL.

Ockie pointed me to THIS which doesn't look too bad - no grommets or fancy holes but it should fit the right way, the air is filtered and it won't stick out into the case as far as the EX-23. Might work a little better/easier for you. I might pick one of these up and see if the LL HDD bracket from the EX-23 can be attached to the IStorm base. Icy Dock makes some nice stuff too.

Anyone want to buy a like-new LL EX-23b?
 
dude this is very inspiring. i am getting a lot of ideas from your setup, and i'm totally snagging your little L-brackets-on-the-bottom-rad thing, thats great!

bravo. excellent camera work. keep it up:D
 
inspiring is the word! :)

i will have some pics up soon of my little rig, although it isnt quite the same as this one, i still think you might like it.
 
Lazy_Moron said:
Does that case allow you to choose how you want to set up the motherboard? I notice he changed it from regular position and then put the mobo tray on the other side for a inverted setup. Is this a feature of the case, or some modding was involved?
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its weird. its almost like they started designing the case so that you could flip the motherboard tray - but then they decided to not ship it that way.

the entire case is assembled with screws. you can take off 99% of the pieces just by undoing screws. the ONLY part you cannot remove is "support bar" for the motherboard. its actually riveted to the sub-floor.

in order to mount the motherboard tray upside down - you ahve to drill out the rivets and then re-bolt the "support bar" to the other side of the sub-floor. also, when you re-mount it, you have to put about a 1/4" of spacers (i used two nuts) between the sub-floor and the support bar because the motherboard tray isnt symmetrical...

i would post pics to show what i mean, but im in colorado right now and my computer is back in ny. :D

---edit---

here, check out this picture

support-bar-relocation.jpg
 
sprocket said:
Enjoying the snow?
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haha yeah, ive been inside with my girlfriend most of the day... :D went out looking for sleds but everywhere was sold out... headed up to aspen today. woohoo

heres how it looks here in Boulder

DSC_8443.jpg


DSC_8455.jpg
 
Theorie,

First off, let me extend my congratulations on a superb job. I really like the classic understated beauty of the TJ07 to start with and your mods are elegant and well executed.
I'm working with AvaDirect right now on a similar system...TJ07 BTX style with QX6700, dual BFG watercooled 8800GTX in SLI and 4gb of the new OCZ 9200 water cooled RAM. We haven't quite started the build, but your work is inspiring. I'm going with a PCP&C 1kw PSU and I'm not sure if there's going to be enough room to mount it in the bottom compartment along with a rad. At the moment we've spec'd a 240 rad in the top, but I can see that there won't be any room with the waterblock and tubing off the GPU, so I'm proposing to put the rad in the basement like you and with the CPU, 2 GPU's and RAM all watercooled, I'm thinking I'll need at least a 360.
I'm also looking for recommendations from anyone on my proposed rig and what might be a good schematic for the cooling loop.
Once again, really nice job, and as others have said, excellent work with the camera as well, you do the rig justice the way you shot it.
 
stevo.k said:
Theorie,

First off, let me extend my congratulations on a superb job. I really like the classic understated beauty of the TJ07 to start with and your mods are elegant and well executed.
I'm working with AvaDirect right now on a similar system...TJ07 BTX style with QX6700, dual BFG watercooled 8800GTX in SLI and 4gb of the new OCZ 9200 water cooled RAM. We haven't quite started the build, but your work is inspiring. I'm going with a PCP&C 1kw PSU and I'm not sure if there's going to be enough room to mount it in the bottom compartment along with a rad. At the moment we've spec'd a 240 rad in the top, but I can see that there won't be any room with the waterblock and tubing off the GPU, so I'm proposing to put the rad in the basement like you and with the CPU, 2 GPU's and RAM all watercooled, I'm thinking I'll need at least a 360.
I'm also looking for recommendations from anyone on my proposed rig and what might be a good schematic for the cooling loop.
Once again, really nice job, and as others have said, excellent work with the camera as well, you do the rig justice the way you shot it.
Click to expand...

Well, if DFI-Street hadn't shut down, I'd link you to a very nice project involving a TJ07 and two water cooling loops (each with it's own 240 radiator) that I thought really kicked ass. I bought it off the guy, so I guess I should probably take a few pictures of my own to show you.

Anyway, you can fit a radiator and a PSU down in the bottom, and you can also fit a BIX 240 in the top (the thin kind). I've read that you can even fit a swiftech 3x120mm radiator in the bottom and still have room for one HDD rack (as long as you move the HDD rack forward a bit).

Right now I'm cooling a Opty 170 with the thin 240 in the top, and two X1900s with a thicker 240 in the bottom. I'm using a PCP&C Silencer 750, but the 1KW should still fit - it'd just be a little longer. It is slightly cramped between the PSU and the bottom rad, but there plenty of paths for the air to flow.

I don't have too much experience with the temps because I just recently got the thing put together and then my Kama-meter went and burned up on me, so it's still not fully functional.

Edit:
Having trouble loading the most recent pics, but here's a few from when I first got the case that should give you the general idea. The case was damaged when I received it but has since been repaired, so ignore the bends.
lower rad
lower rad 2
from the right
top rad
top rad 2

I'll try again to upload the most recent pics.
 
Thanks for the info Nicepants,
Having been inspired by theorie, I'm gonna try and do a window on the top of the case to show off the BFG 8800GTX watercooling blocks and add a RaptorX under glass at the top as well.
I think I'll go with a 480 rad the full length of the bottom compartment and remove the HD case down there to make room for it and the pump.
I'll let you know how it comes along.
 
DISASTER! fried 7800GT...

time for a new PSU.... :| i know that was the culprit...it just wasnt enough power with the addition of the pump & all the overclocking...

no matter, im gonna get the card fixed and i'll have an 850w PSU on the way pretty soon. also, i think i messed up my soundblaster card...i think one of the caps is bent too much...its too damn tight in there with all those PCI cards....

pics from when the card died:

testing parts...
dead-7800gt_01_disassembled.jpg


fried 7800GT
dead-7800gt_02_fried-chip.jpg


something wrong with this...think the Cap. is messed up
dead-sb_01_bent-cap.jpg
 
stevo.k said:
Thanks for the info Nicepants,
Having been inspired by theorie, I'm gonna try and do a window on the top of the case to show off the BFG 8800GTX watercooling blocks and add a RaptorX under glass at the top as well.
I think I'll go with a 480 rad the full length of the bottom compartment and remove the HD case down there to make room for it and the pump.
I'll let you know how it comes along.
Click to expand...

Windowing the top is nice, (I made a red plexi window to replace the mesh on top) I'm not sure you'll be able to see the GFX waterblocks unless you remove the top two fans, which probably isn't a big deal, but come on, do you know how awesome it'd be to have a 480 on the bottom AND a 240 on top?

Depending on where you place the fillport, you could fit a thin 360 on the top, the 480 in the bottom, and without the HDD cages, you could get another 120 in the bottom in front of the PSU across from the forward portion of the 480. Don't use a Kama-meter.

I know that's overkill, but you're considering 4gb of 9200XLC...Which reminds me, I emailed OCZ to verify that they didn't mix metals in their water loop, and I haven't received a response. Seems like it'd be a selling point for legitimate WC enthusiasts, and yet they don't mention it...


@Theorie: My X-fi has a cap just like that and it does tend to want to rub against metal parts that it shouldn't I tend to place electrical tape over waterblock backings, etc. to keep it from causing problems.
 
Whoa dude! a 360 plus a 480 and another 120??? I'm not trying to get sub-zero! ;) LOL
I think I;ll be fine with the 480 down below. I am planning on removing the 2 fans, cutting a larger opening in the top and having a custom made plexiglass window with a grill in the middle for a 120 and showing the Raptor X and the 8800GTX's

Theorie: sorry to hear about the crispy card. I have to admit that when looking at your rig earlier I did notice that the weakest link was that PSU. Keep at it, I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out.
 
That soundcard is an easy fix, and the 7800 might even be fixable if thats all thats wrong with it...depends what IC that is....if you don't want them I'll pay shipping if you wanna give them to me :p
 
Sorry to hear about your problems. That really sucks. I'd probably use that as an excuse to upgrade to the 8800GTX. ;)

I've been looking at the TJ07 for a while now but just couldn't bring myself to spend $300 on it. I think you've inspired me to go ahead and finally get it. Yours turned out SOOO nice that I just gotta have some of that. Anyways, is there anything you can tell me about this case that might convince me not to buy it? Any problems you had or the way the case is put together that isn't acceptable? I currently have the TJ06 and it's been a good case but the airflow in the top chamber is horrible. All the heat from my hd's, optical drives, and my pump are all vented through my poor psu. Temps in the top chamber are 7-10c higher than the bottom. Not sure why I'm tellin you all this, probably still trying to justify that $300 price tag. Anyways, I'll be running a similar setup to you, triple rad cooling an E6700 right now but have a QX6700 on the way.

Any info you can give me will help. Thanks
 
Sideroxylon said:
Sorry to hear about your problems. That really sucks. I'd probably use that as an excuse to upgrade to the 8800GTX. ;)

I've been looking at the TJ07 for a while now but just couldn't bring myself to spend $300 on it. I think you've inspired me to go ahead and finally get it. Yours turned out SOOO nice that I just gotta have some of that. Anyways, is there anything you can tell me about this case that might convince me not to buy it? Any problems you had or the way the case is put together that isn't acceptable? I currently have the TJ06 and it's been a good case but the airflow in the top chamber is horrible. All the heat from my hd's, optical drives, and my pump are all vented through my poor psu. Temps in the top chamber are 7-10c higher than the bottom. Not sure why I'm tellin you all this, probably still trying to justify that $300 price tag. Anyways, I'll be running a similar setup to you, triple rad cooling an E6700 right now but have a QX6700 on the way.

Any info you can give me will help. Thanks
Click to expand...

honestly, i can't complain about this case. its perfect imo
 
that 7800gt looks a bit worse for wear :(

and that raptorx mod is going to look pro! im trying to think what i can do with mine that hasnt been done before :)

ive asked one of the OCZ tech guys on MSN what the flex blocks are, ill post that up for you guys
 
Theorie said:
honestly, i can't complain about this case. its perfect imo
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Bought!! Now of course if I'm not completely satisfied I'll find you and secretly install a Celeron in your rig. :eek:

Thanks for the help and good luck with getting your box fixed.
 
First, even though it's been said already, great job on the system Theorie. What I like is that it was thought out and looks clean. I myself am actually getting ready to build up a system w/ watercooling for Vista and I was thinking of trying to build a similar cooling system to yours. However, I was curious what kind of temps you were getting and how audible your unit is at idle and load? Thanks for your help and good luck with the repair.
 
Theorie,
Thanks fror the thread.
It inspired me to get a silver TJ07, and build my water cooling system.
Do you have any trouble getting the side panels back on?
 
Don_1 said:
Do you have any trouble getting the side panels back on?
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I already asked him that and his panels slip on "like buttah" (I think that was the phrase Theorie used...).

Mine on the other hand, are so bad that I made a custom set of panels to replace them.
The problem is the one piece cast body panel.
It must be luck of the draw but mine is totally out of whack, a problem I discovered after cutting the new panels (made from a set of Lian-li v2000 panels). Like an idiot, I took some measurements and then cut the panels square only to find that they weren't even close.
It took hours of hand filing/fitting to get them to approximate the actual shape of my case and even now the gaps aren't as consistent as I'd like (but I'm not spending another $125 to redo them).

Since I got my case last spring I've asked several 07 owners and results seem mixed.
Most said their sidepanels fit fine, a small minority had the same issues I did.
Good luck with yours.
 
jtruax28 said:
First, even though it's been said already, great job on the system Theorie. What I like is that it was thought out and looks clean. I myself am actually getting ready to build up a system w/ watercooling for Vista and I was thinking of trying to build a similar cooling system to yours. However, I was curious what kind of temps you were getting and how audible your unit is at idle and load? Thanks for your help and good luck with the repair.
Click to expand...

IMHO, the TJ07 is the most perfect watercooling case available at the moment. Temps and noise will be entirely dependent on your choice of watercooling parts and fans/fan controllers. In my case there is no difference in noise level between idle and load, but until I finally get a fan controller that works, my case sounds like a case with 5 120mm fans. I'm probably going to end up turning down the speed on my MCP655's also.

For those not looking to drop $300 on this case (I can't blame you), it might be a good idea to check the FS/FT forums. I got extremely lucky and scored my TJ07 complete with two rads and two pumps for under $300. Not a common scenario by any means, but you can find these things for under $300.
 
update:

the 7800GT is on its way back to eVGA. slapped the OEM heatsink/fan on it...looks like it just came out of the box (minus the burnt resistor....) they said 3 day turn around once they get it. woohoo

oh, and im communicating with the SoundBlaster people....kind of a pain in the ass... theres no way to contact one specific tech support person... the first guy i talked to gave me some info, i replied, then a different person replied back saying just about the same thing. i replied back again...maybe this time they'll give me some RMA info...the card is still under warranty after all...
 
Theorie said:
update:

the 7800GT is on its way back to eVGA. slapped the OEM heatsink/fan on it...looks like it just came out of the box (minus the burnt resistor....) they said 3 day turn around once they get it. woohoo

oh, and im communicating with the SoundBlaster people....kind of a pain in the ass... theres no way to contact one specific tech support person... the first guy i talked to gave me some info, i replied, then a different person replied back saying just about the same thing. i replied back again...maybe this time they'll give me some RMA info...the card is still under warranty after all...
Click to expand...

Good to hear. Your setup has been a great inspiration to me, I just don't know if I can spend that much on a case! (I'm a poor university student :eek: )
 
I had a couple of questions as I would REALLY like to do something similar to this completely awsome WC setup.

1st, if I got the TJ 07 with the side window and then inverted the mobo as you have done, will it make the window useless? From the looks of it it would only work on one side of the case, and once the mobo has been switched I would be staring at the back of the mobo tray. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811163067

2nd, I was looking at possibly getting the Raptor X and wanted to know if there was any really good location that it could be mounted so that you could see through the top of the raptor. If not then I will just save some money and get the non-window Raptor.
 
Two thumbs up for a nice setup and sweet photos :)

Am I reading this post right, you're getting 30C temps - is that load or idle? I'm considering a WC setup with my AM2 X2 3800+ right now (OC'd to 2.7Ghz @ 1.4V), I'm getting 26C idle and 43C load - if I can get into the low 30s that would be perfect.
 
Oh, which 90 degree elbows did you end up ordering for your setup? I know some were threaded, but I wasn't sure which type of threading to get. Also, what size (ID and OD) tubing did you use?

Thanks.
 
Hey, thanks for the great idea.

I've been looking to mount a triple 120 rad in a case for awhile but couldn't figure out an easy or clean way to do so. I never thought of using the mid-panel in a Lian Li full tower case.
 
Awesome job, both on the case and presentation.

I was wondering if you considered adding another triple DD Rad to the loop?, say on the other side of the case.

I too fried my 7800GTX (due to a leak). Surprisingly my rig ran for a couple of days WET (non-conductive fluid) until some ions got in there and decided to..... you know... conduct... anyway... here it is: *project log is in my sig*

PA260143.jpg


PA260142.jpg
 
ah well i could add another rad to the loop. but im sure i would need a second pump to do that.... not really sure i need another rad right now...im getting great temps so im happy.

i've got the new 7800gt co card installed (they just sent me a new one :D) and also a new sound blaster card. everythings working awesome now. too bad i've got the itch to build a new system now!

well if anyone wants to buy this one, im selling it for only $1999 check the classifieds ... http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1030633281
 
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