![[H]ard|Forum](/styles/hardforum/xenforo/logo_dark.png){kind=logo}
Project L.O.S.I.A.S. Modified Sugo (LCD,TEC, and SLI)
- Thread starter craigbru
- Start date
MrMetal_53
[H]ard|Gawd
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2006
- Messages
- 1,197
This is quite possibly the coolest thing I have seen on these forums. Wow. 
I'm ure it's been aske somewhere. but i admit i'm too lazy to look for it. That little bitty touch screen is all your gonna use for a monitor? or are you adding a larger monitor.. with those two video cards, anything les than a 24" screen would be a shame lol.
Wow, that's a lot of stuff going into that micro atx case! That's quite an amazing job you've done so far. I really like your creative solutions and attention to the details. I'll be watching this one!
Where did you get that bezel made? Is it FPE? Are they online or local to you? I need a for a custom drive bay panel. I was planning to make it by hand, but not anymore after seeing that thing of beauty!
Where did you get that bezel made? Is it FPE? Are they online or local to you? I need a for a custom drive bay panel. I was planning to make it by hand, but not anymore after seeing that thing of beauty!
I thought the case was really well designed, but you just made it so incredibly better.
This may be a stupid question: but where do you get those shiny matching silver buttons for the fan knobs? I am looking for a few of those myself but have no idea where to get them. Thanks.
This may be a stupid question: but where do you get those shiny matching silver buttons for the fan knobs? I am looking for a few of those myself but have no idea where to get them. Thanks.
Lol. Yeah, SLI 8800's would be a tad overkill for such a small screen. I have a 24" Samsung as my primary display. I'm going to attempt to stuff a 3rd PCI video card in the case just for driving the touchscreen. That will be quite a project.
Wow, that's a lot of stuff going into that micro atx case! That's quite an amazing job you've done so far. I really like your creative solutions and attention to the details. I'll be watching this one!
Where did you get that bezel made? Is it FPE? Are they online or local to you? I need a for a custom drive bay panel. I was planning to make it by hand, but not anymore after seeing that thing of beauty!
That front panel is definitely FPE's work. This is the second project I've used them for, and their work is flawless.
The fan controller knobs are from a SilverStone 3.5" fan controller. When you buy it, it actually comes with three additional knobs in a PCI plate for the rear of the case. I pulled them off the plate, and mounted them as you see in the pics.
I'm not familiar with them. Do they have a website? Where are they located? How are they priced? I'm interested in having them mill my front panel bezel.
Again, awesome work. Will be watching for more pics!
I'm not familiar with them. Do they have a website? Where are they located? How are they priced? I'm interested in having them mill my front panel bezel.
Again, awesome work. Will be watching for more pics!
Wow Jon, it looks like you have a pretty nice project yourself. Here is FPE's website. They are located in Seattle. You download their free software, and use it to design your panel. If you are familiar with any kind of basic CAD (and it looks like you are), the software is pretty easy to use. It will even give you basic warnings if you attempt to do the impossible... Although someone at FPE looks at the design before they commit it to the milling machine. Typical turn around time is 10 days. As far as the price goes, they charge by the dimension of the aluminum or acrylic, then charge per cut or mill. So naturally, the more you need cut or milled, the more it will cost. I had quite a bit of milling done on mine, and I also had some work done on the back with the blind threaded holes, so it ran about $110. I think that's a pretty reasonable price for something like this, and their work speaks for itself.
Great! Thanks for the info. I hadn't heard of any service like it before, and they even supply the software. Very slick! How did you come across them? Is it your first panel with them? I'm getting closer to needing a bezel, so I'll definitely be checking out FPE. Thanks!
It's been a while, but I believe someone mentioned them on another forum a few years ago... I don't recall exactly.
This is actually my second panel with them. I used their services on this modified Shuttle SN25P. I've had quite a few people that have taken my plans from the Shuttle project and had their own made. I don't know when I'll start another project, but you can guarantee I'll use their services again.
This is actually my second panel with them. I used their services on this modified Shuttle SN25P. I've had quite a few people that have taken my plans from the Shuttle project and had their own made. I don't know when I'll start another project, but you can guarantee I'll use their services again.
Another day, another update.
With ones side of the case done, I turn my attention to the opposite side. Due the large fan on the CPU cooler, I have to modify the opening to match. With these large vents, airflow should not be a problem.
Here everything is masked out and ready for cutting.
The finished cut.
With both sides now cut, I can work on getting the mesh in place. The case will be painted black, but I'm undecided on whether to paint the mesh or not. I'm going to paint the case first, and see if I like the look of the stock mesh, before I make the decision.
All cut and ready to drop in place.
Next up... case painting!
With ones side of the case done, I turn my attention to the opposite side. Due the large fan on the CPU cooler, I have to modify the opening to match. With these large vents, airflow should not be a problem.
Here everything is masked out and ready for cutting.
The finished cut.
With both sides now cut, I can work on getting the mesh in place. The case will be painted black, but I'm undecided on whether to paint the mesh or not. I'm going to paint the case first, and see if I like the look of the stock mesh, before I make the decision.
All cut and ready to drop in place.
Next up... case painting!
It seems like I've got quite a few little side projects going on with this case, in addition to the main modding. While I could be content to run the internal LCD off one of the 8800's, I decided that wasn't extreme enough. I'm going to attempt to drop in one of these
Believe it or not, I've got the perfect place for this thing. It'll even get a little airflow. Any guesses? There is enough room under the rear hard drives, and above the GTX's for this thing to sit without much difficulty. The tricky part will be getting this thing connected to a PCI slot. If you'll have noticed in previous pics, the GTX's completely cover the only PCI slot on the board. In fact, there is only about 1/8" clearance above the PCI slot, and the bottom of the outer GTX fan shroud. Perfect I say! It's going to take some modding, but I'll get a flexible PCI extender in that slot one way or another!
You can see that this card is going to be modified as well. All connecters but the VGA, are going to be history.
Stay tuned!
Believe it or not, I've got the perfect place for this thing. It'll even get a little airflow. Any guesses? There is enough room under the rear hard drives, and above the GTX's for this thing to sit without much difficulty. The tricky part will be getting this thing connected to a PCI slot. If you'll have noticed in previous pics, the GTX's completely cover the only PCI slot on the board. In fact, there is only about 1/8" clearance above the PCI slot, and the bottom of the outer GTX fan shroud. Perfect I say! It's going to take some modding, but I'll get a flexible PCI extender in that slot one way or another!
You can see that this card is going to be modified as well. All connecters but the VGA, are going to be history.
Stay tuned!
I'm working on painting my case at the moment. While Ive been waiting for my paint to dry, Ive been working on OCing the FX-60. Its currently running benchmark stable at a little over 2.9ghz. Im so close to 3Ghz! Im going to keep pushing this thing. Temps are running in the mid 30s while looping, but Ill continue to monitor them.
Theres no doubt my CPU is holding me back. Although theres a big difference between 3Dmark06, and real world gameplay here. I havent noticed any CPU limitations in any of the games that I currently play. That being said, a 300Mhz increase in speed, gives me an extra 1500 points when benchmarking. Overclocking to 3.91 was pretty painless overall. Since the FX chips have an unlocked multi, I was able to run 14@208, with only a light voltage increase. Im still running pretty tight memory timings, so Ill relax them tonight and see if I can get a few more mhz out of it. I was stable at 13@220, but it wasnt benching well. I know that some people on these forums were able to drop the multi down, and get ~250 out of the FSB, but I havent tried that yet. This is the fun part though!
Theres no doubt my CPU is holding me back. Although theres a big difference between 3Dmark06, and real world gameplay here. I havent noticed any CPU limitations in any of the games that I currently play. That being said, a 300Mhz increase in speed, gives me an extra 1500 points when benchmarking. Overclocking to 3.91 was pretty painless overall. Since the FX chips have an unlocked multi, I was able to run 14@208, with only a light voltage increase. Im still running pretty tight memory timings, so Ill relax them tonight and see if I can get a few more mhz out of it. I was stable at 13@220, but it wasnt benching well. I know that some people on these forums were able to drop the multi down, and get ~250 out of the FSB, but I havent tried that yet. This is the fun part though!
Nice! Alot of stuff in a fairly small space, and still looks good so far.
I wouldn't have thought you could cram the bottom half of a flexible PCI riser in 1/8", but I measured mine in a PCI slot and it's just a hair over 1/8" above the PCI slot. With your video card having a double sloted PCI connector, you could even plug in your adapter backwards to get the wires facing a different direction if need be.
I wouldn't have thought you could cram the bottom half of a flexible PCI riser in 1/8", but I measured mine in a PCI slot and it's just a hair over 1/8" above the PCI slot. With your video card having a double sloted PCI connector, you could even plug in your adapter backwards to get the wires facing a different direction if need be.
Well, I've got the mesh in the cover, and will post pics tonight. I decided not to paint the mesh, and have left it in it's natural state. I really like the look of aluminum against black. Others may not have the same opinion, but it makes me happy!
I've just ordered an 80mm fan to help with cooling my video cards, and should get that installed once it arrives next week. Temps have not been a problem yet, but I thought I would take every precaution and drop one in while things were still easily accessible. Due to it's planned placement, it should help with the third video card, and hard drive cooling. Speaking of which, I should hopefully have time to mod the third video card in place towards the end of next week.
I've just ordered an 80mm fan to help with cooling my video cards, and should get that installed once it arrives next week. Temps have not been a problem yet, but I thought I would take every precaution and drop one in while things were still easily accessible. Due to it's planned placement, it should help with the third video card, and hard drive cooling. Speaking of which, I should hopefully have time to mod the third video card in place towards the end of next week.
Looking nice! I like the aluminum color too - it gives some nice contrast between the black cover.
I don't see any screws or rivets - how did you mount it?
I ordered some mesh material from performance-pcs.com, but it's more dense than I needed. The mesh you're using there looks more like what I need. Where'd you get it?
I don't see any screws or rivets - how did you mount it?
I ordered some mesh material from performance-pcs.com, but it's more dense than I needed. The mesh you're using there looks more like what I need. Where'd you get it?
The mesh is mounted with epoxy from the inside. It's more than strong enough, plus I don't have any rivets or screws messing up the clean lines.
The mesh is from mnpctech.com. I really liked the way it looked, and it allows for some pretty good airflow.
The mesh is from mnpctech.com. I really liked the way it looked, and it allows for some pretty good airflow.
Well, its been a while since Ive updated. Ive had a lot of real world obligations lately that have taken from my modding time. Im also still waiting for my PCI adapter to show up. Orbit Micro sure isnt Newegg!
While Ive been waiting to get a little time to work, Ive been thinking of new ideas. Ive determined that I will probably change my TEC setup a little. Since I OCd my processor, the temps have jumped up a little. While still in the 40C range at peak load, I sure loved the temps I had before. In an effort to get them lower, Ive decided to add an 120mm radiator. Internally, of course! It will also not require any modification to the case other than a mounting bracket. Wanna take a guess as to where Im going to put it?
While Ive been waiting to get a little time to work, Ive been thinking of new ideas. Ive determined that I will probably change my TEC setup a little. Since I OCd my processor, the temps have jumped up a little. While still in the 40C range at peak load, I sure loved the temps I had before. In an effort to get them lower, Ive decided to add an 120mm radiator. Internally, of course! It will also not require any modification to the case other than a mounting bracket. Wanna take a guess as to where Im going to put it?
Things are pretty packed, but I'm commited to keeping everything clean as well. I won't allow myself to half-ass some parts in, just to say that I could fit them in the case. If you think about it, there's really only one place where a 120mm radiator will fit. I'll give you a hint... Keep in mind that the radiator will have to have airflow, which means it needs a fan. 120mm of fan...
I had originally hoped to get 4 HD's in there!
Well Jon, I'm going to use the 120mm fan on the PSU to draw air upward through the radiator. The radiator will be placed below the PSU in a fashion similar to most Sugo CPU coolers. There should be plenty of available airflow, although I may have to use a different CPU block to get sufficient clearance.
Well Jon, I'm going to use the 120mm fan on the PSU to draw air upward through the radiator. The radiator will be placed below the PSU in a fashion similar to most Sugo CPU coolers. There should be plenty of available airflow, although I may have to use a different CPU block to get sufficient clearance.
FrEaKy
[H] Movie and TV Show Review Guy
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2003
- Messages
- 14,113
very nice, keep it up!
While a dual radiator TEC setup would be pretty cool, I need that space in front of the video cards for airflow. I've got an 80mm fan to drop in there yet. I've also got to get the radiator ordered, and find a good 1/4" CPU block with a low profile.
Well, I finally did get all my additional parts ordered. The radiator, CPU block, reservoir, tubing, and fittings, should be here this week. My PCI adapter should be here today as well. That means Ive got a crap load of work to do. I better get on it!
A side note though, Tritton is currently working on some beta drivers for Vista. I may be able to use my USB video adapter yet. If that happens, then Ive still got a free PCI adapter with nothing to attach to it soundcard...? physics...? hmmm...
A side note though, Tritton is currently working on some beta drivers for Vista. I may be able to use my USB video adapter yet. If that happens, then Ive still got a free PCI adapter with nothing to attach to it soundcard...? physics...? hmmm...
The block is an Alphacool NexXxos. It's low profile, and is supposed to work well in low flow loops. I really have no idea what kind of results to expect, but I'm anxious to find out.
The radiator will be a fun project. I really won't have any idea how I'm going to mount it until it arrives. Whatever I do, it's got to be fairly easy to remove and maintain. I'm beginning to wonder about my sanity after all...
The radiator will be a fun project. I really won't have any idea how I'm going to mount it until it arrives. Whatever I do, it's got to be fairly easy to remove and maintain. I'm beginning to wonder about my sanity after all...
Well guys, I've finally got a big update for you all. I've been slacking a little lately, and I hope this makes up for it.
As I posted earlier, I finished my watercooling loop. I haven't turned the machine on yet, so I don't have new temps, but everything appears to be leak-free. The loop is as follows, TEC -> pump -> CPU block -> 120 mm radiator -> reservoir -> back to TEC. I set up the loop in this manner, so that radiator cooled water would enter the TEC for further chilling, before hitting the CPU block.
Speaking of the block, this thing is no less than three times as heavy as the stock Freezone block. It's an Alphacool NexXxos designed to work well in low flow situations.
With the block in place, it was time to find a location for the reservoir. Even in this space limited case, I found a great location that allows easy access. As you can see in the pics below, I've finally found a use for all the those stupid spare PCI covers...
Here I've got pictures of the loop itself. It really was pretty straight forward, as I tried to keep it as simple as possible. I only used an additional foot and a half or so of tubing, otherwise I utilized the existing tubing whenever possible. I also used CoolSleeves to keep kinking to a minimum, and to match the stock Freezone setup.
As I posted earlier, I finished my watercooling loop. I haven't turned the machine on yet, so I don't have new temps, but everything appears to be leak-free. The loop is as follows, TEC -> pump -> CPU block -> 120 mm radiator -> reservoir -> back to TEC. I set up the loop in this manner, so that radiator cooled water would enter the TEC for further chilling, before hitting the CPU block.
Speaking of the block, this thing is no less than three times as heavy as the stock Freezone block. It's an Alphacool NexXxos designed to work well in low flow situations.
With the block in place, it was time to find a location for the reservoir. Even in this space limited case, I found a great location that allows easy access. As you can see in the pics below, I've finally found a use for all the those stupid spare PCI covers...
Here I've got pictures of the loop itself. It really was pretty straight forward, as I tried to keep it as simple as possible. I only used an additional foot and a half or so of tubing, otherwise I utilized the existing tubing whenever possible. I also used CoolSleeves to keep kinking to a minimum, and to match the stock Freezone setup.
On order to get the radiator mounted, I had to think outside the box a little. Due to the way the power supply was slid into position, I couldn't have a rigid structure to support it. I was also really pushing it with the space requirements As if that wasn't enough, I also needed something that was fairly easy to remove in case of maintenance. My solution was really quite simple, but didn't come to me as easily as I had hoped.
Here I have the radiator prepped for install. Since it will be mounted directly against the PSU, the foam strips allow scratch protection, as well as vibration resistance.
Velcro straps! Who'd a thunk it? They work perfectly in this situation. Easy removal, secure mounting, maximum clearance...
While I was out it, and had the case apart, I thought I'd take care of a previous problem. Namely, the bare aluminum that showed through the side of the case mesh. I could have easily painted it, but I thought using the carbon fiber film made for some pretty cool results...
Now finally, I've made a little more headway on the spacer for the faceplate. Here I've got it finished, and I sanded it to achieve an etched or cloudy look. Once in the case, it will be able to be lit via LED's.
Lastly, the spacer will be riveted to the face....
Here I have the radiator prepped for install. Since it will be mounted directly against the PSU, the foam strips allow scratch protection, as well as vibration resistance.
Velcro straps! Who'd a thunk it? They work perfectly in this situation. Easy removal, secure mounting, maximum clearance...
While I was out it, and had the case apart, I thought I'd take care of a previous problem. Namely, the bare aluminum that showed through the side of the case mesh. I could have easily painted it, but I thought using the carbon fiber film made for some pretty cool results...
Now finally, I've made a little more headway on the spacer for the faceplate. Here I've got it finished, and I sanded it to achieve an etched or cloudy look. Once in the case, it will be able to be lit via LED's.
Lastly, the spacer will be riveted to the face....