Project : Xtreme WaveMaster

[Xilikon]

After some planning and previous discussions/brainstorming, here's the official worklog of my new watercooling and case modding project.

First, some background info : I own a silver CoolerMaster WaveMaster silver case, limited edition sold by CoolerMaster as excess stock from the Compaq X07 and X09 gaming computers. The main difference with the normal WaveMaster is the added side hole to feed cool air to the CPU area. Since the case is so unique, I wanted to keep it for a long time, till the industry decide ATX is too prehistoric, which mean it would be a hell of a long time.

However, as everyone know already, the airflow is pretty poor with only 80mm fans (2 on the front and 1 on the back with the possibility to add a 4th on the top hole by removing the media panel). 80mm make it really noisy if we pick stronger fans so a lot of people ditched it for newer cases with 120mm fans. But, the case is very well built with very thick aluminium panels and guts so it would be a robust case who can see lots of upgrades before showing signs of wear.

To combat the poor airflow, the best way would be to go to watercooling to get rid of most of the heat so when it's done, all it remain is to keep just light airflow to cool the motherboard and avoid the heat rising. As the name imply, it would be a natural marriage But there is no a lot of room to install the radiator internally, especially the triple fans version so the only place would be to install it externally on the top. This would work but it will not be pretty and it would break the lovely lines of the WaveMaster as Coolermeister himself said.

It's with this background infos that I will introduce my project Xtreme WaveMaster !

First of all, here's what the project will house :

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 (L723A765), the same one as XtremeTiramisu with a expected overclocking goal of 3.6 GHz 24/7 for folding.
Asus P5K-E/Wifi-AP
Mushkin HP2-6400 (996576) 1Gb x 4 for a total of 4 Gb.
BFG GeForce 8800GTS OC 640MB
WD Raptor 74Gb AFDF
WD Caviar 320Gb AAKS
Samsung SH-203B SATA DVD-RW
Pioneer DVR-212 SATA DVD-RW
Seasonic S12-500HT powersupply

Watercooling and aircooling components :

Thermochill PA120.3 radiator with G3/8" -> G1/4" adapter from McMaster (4860K657)
D-Tek Fuzion CPU with nozzles kit
Swiftech MCP355 with Petra's DDCT-01S
EK FC8800 GTS with acetal top
Swiftect MicroRes
D-Tek 3/8" barbs x 10
Nylon hose clamps x 10
Corsair Dominator Airflow fan for memory
3x Silverstone FM121 fans (might replace it with Scythe Kaze Jyuni 1600rpm version)
Asus heatpipe fan (ordered separately from ebay since the P5K-E doesn't come with one)
3/8" ID 5/8" OD Excelon RNT tubing


You will surely say there is a lot of stuff to put in such a small WaveMaster without going external. Here's what make the project special : Why not buy a identical WaveMaster case, chop the top 8-10 inches off then extend my original WaveMaster height and use the extra room to house the radiator while keeping the case lines intact. The extra room will let me add another 120mm radiator to cool the chipset/mosfets in the future along with the 2nd loop hardware.

Now for some pics as a teaser :

Original WaveMaster currently running my setup :

The long lost twin :

Watercooling parts (missing EK FC8800 GTS and nozzles kit) :

Preliminary loop testing and cleaning :

Have questions or comments ? Feel free to post here and I'll answer all of them with pleasure. Keep in mind this would be my first watercooling experience and first case modding experience so I would take some time to complete it

Please note this is a mirror of the same thread I have on XS at http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=165596 since the project started there.

 

[tmaxxking1]

Subscribed

Cant wait to see what happens to the twin since it use to be mine

 

[Xilikon]

For tonight, I just started to strip the case to the strict minimum before modding so here's what it looks almost naked :

Tomorrow, I'll start putting tape all over the top and the 4 corners for measuring and cutting. The green tape you see here is the reference line I used (it's the bottom line of the 3rd 5 1/4" bay so when it's fully installed, it should look stock instead of messing with a partial bay cut. This will give me 5 1/2" of height and add 3 extra bays for easy access to the radiator barbs.

And I would like to thank tmaxxking1 for selling the case you see being modded here

 

[hazexban]

This sounds awesome! Good Luck!

My only question is how are you going to attach the "new" top to the case? You have given me an idea and I am very interested in how you pull this off so that maybe I can do something similar one day.

/subscribed

 

[Xilikon]

This sounds awesome! Good Luck!

My only question is how are you going to attach the "new" top to the case? You have given me an idea and I am very interested in how you pull this off so that maybe I can do something similar one day.

/subscribed

That's a good question... I have thought about 2 options :

1- Cut the top a bit higher than the final size then fold the corners to act as a L bracket. This would be the most robust but the main problem is to be able to fold the corners accurately so it's the same height all around.

or

2-Cut the top exactly where you want it to sit on the other case and use L brackets (the PSU cage is a series of L brackets so I would take them, cut to the right size then install it. The main advantage of this method is to be able to remove the top part if you need some better access to the internals and it would be accurate.

I decided to pick the second option as this would give me the least headache.

 

[Xilikon]

I finished removing the excess parts from the case then masked all the visible areas to avoid any scratching then I measured and marked where the cuts would be done. I need to take care of the top aluminium billet which act as a door holder, which is 6 mm thick. I outlined so it would follow the lines of the original case top.

Here is the now decapitated twin :

Test fitting on the original case, which works great. Remain to do some final filing and perfect fitting so the height would be the same from all 4 corners :

That's all for now, folks

 

[digital_exhaust]

Cool concept, and those are really nice, solid cases.

There was a guy that did basically the same thing with a couple old Antec Dragons.... I don't think he ever finished it though....

I'll be watching.......

 

[Xilikon]

Cool concept, and those are really nice, solid cases.

There was a guy that did basically the same thing with a couple old Antec Dragons.... I don't think he ever finished it though....

I'll be watching.......

Don't worry, I will finish it for sure since not done = no watercooling.

I'm currently in the process of making sure all 4 corners is even and file the edges to make it soft. Next will be to build some mounting brackets to attach both together (after stripping my original case of the hardware).

 

[tmaxxking1]

maybe leave the side panels longer fold them in an L shape and screw from the inside

 

[digital_exhaust]

Don't worry, I will finish it for sure since not done = no watercooling.

I'm currently in the process of making sure all 4 corners is even and file the edges to make it soft. Next will be to build some mounting brackets to attach both together (after stripping my original case of the hardware).

Oh, I didn't mean to imply that you wouldn't finish.... I just remember following the work log the other guy had for ever, and he didn't finish.....

As far as attaching the top, do you know anyone in the auto body biz? Ten minutes with a tig and you could have the top nicely welded to the lower case... just a thought.

 

[Darkstofknightz]

Don't worry, I will finish it for sure since not done = no watercooling.

I'm currently in the process of making sure all 4 corners is even and file the edges to make it soft. Next will be to build some mounting brackets to attach both together (after stripping my original case of the hardware).

Haha, yeah I was going to say, you might want to take your stuff out before you go any further.....anyway looks good. Are you planning any windows? I bet a window on the bottom, and one on the top to show off your liquid cooling goodies would look pretty cool.

 

[Xilikon]

Don't worry about removing the stuff before I continue the modding. It's just because the pc you see is my main PC folding 24/7 so I don't want to stop unless absolutely necessary.

digital_exhaust : Welding is not a option and if you read a bit above, you will see I already have a way to install it with custom L brackets so I can remove it if I need some room to work in the future.

tmaxxking1 : I want to keep the top side panels removable so I will not screw it with the other case, just do a clean straight cut and use the side notches to lock it in place and use 2 screws, which make it robust and easily removed for maintenance.

I will plan a side window for sure to show the watercooling guts (mainly the reservoir to make sure it's still flowing) or even a big acrylic panel screwed using pan head screws. On the top side panels, I will install modders mesh to let airflow circulate to feed the radiator but I'm not yet decided on how the holes would look.

For now, I'm faced with a small technical issue : The front corners has a bar to make it look clean. This bar is screwed with 3 button hex screws on each side. Since I want to cut it, I made sure there is at least 2 screws holding the bar. However, I found out after cutting that 2 screws on the middle is not fixed to anything, just there just for looks (one act as a door magnet holder). With those screws not holding on something, the bottom of the bars is moving a bit so I need to find a way to attach it without changing the screws.

 

[Xilikon]

I solved my small technical issue by using motherboards standoffs. I found 2 where the thread of the male edge is 6-32 and the female is finer to match the screw. I marked the hole on the other side, drilled it, tapped, installed the standoff then screwed the bar on it. It just entered (2-3 threads) but it's enough to make it robust for my needs.

I thought about a solution the whole day and night

With this technical issue solved, I will continue tomorrow with the installation of L brackets and drilling/tapping holes for assembly.

 

[Xilikon]

Too busy on the weekend with family duties... However, I started to do some precise fitting between the top of the original case and the new cutted top so it's 100% even all around with no trace of modding.

I also took some time to source the socket cap head screws in 6-32 thread and in lengths of 3/8" and 1 1/4" stainless steel for the radiator mounting (the 2 lengths is depending on what side the fans will be installed, short if the fan is pushing air thru the top and long if the fan is pushing down).

I expect to have some more pics tonight as I will start to attach them together with L brackets and tapped 6-32 holes.

 

[Xilikon]

After a weekend too busy with family (think xmas house decoration)...

I continued the project by tacking my first unexpected roadblock, which is the fake screw on the front corners. Since the corners is fastened to the WaveMaster from top to bottom with 3 screws each, CoolerMaster needed to add 2 screws to act as a door magnet holder so they put it in the middle of the top part but since there is no need to hold it, they just tapped and put the screw on nothing.

Since I cut the corners, I need at least 2 screws holding both corners but only the topmost screw is holding it. I need to find a way to extend the fake screws to reach the inner corner. I found a idea with a pair of motherboard standoffs (6-32 male end and 5-40 or 4-40 female end) so I drilled and tapped 2 holes directly on the other side (I used a nail to mark where to drill). The end result is a solid grip :

With the challenge solved, I proceeded to disassemble my main PC to be able to work with both cases. However, I fold so I wanted to be able to runj it still so I connected them on the table as-is (thank god for the motherboard tray) :

I then started to do some precision test fitting and filing. After 1 hour, it's pretty good so here is some pics of what it should look in the end :

I will fix both together with L brackets (there is a good one being used as a motherboard tray guide on the 2nd case). I will tap them with 6-32 holes to be able to use harddisk screws, which is the right size and the right tap.

 

[Xilikon]

First of all, I just received the EK FC8800 GTS waterblock and it's indeed a work of art I bought it used on XS and it was basically like new (previous owner bought it hoping it works well with a MCR220 and cpu block but he didn't like the temps so he sold it off for 80$ shipped. His loss = my gain).

Here is some pics :

Waterblock with both acrylic and acetal tops. I will use acetal in my setup.

Back of the waterblock (it's not dents, it's water droplets from condensation since it was sitting outside in the mailbox and this is just 30 mins after opening).

Block added to the loop for leaktesting (took me just 10 mins stopping pump, cutting the long tube, spill some water, plug the new block, refill the res and restart the pump).

Back to the modding project. It's now time to start the mounting system.

Here is the L brackets (taken from the upper motherboard tray guide, cut in two equal parts).

After using paint tape to place the brackets and adjusting with the top, I drilled the holes and tapped the holes. Here is the end result with countersunk stainless screws :

I also cut 2 L brackets for the rear posts and placed it to show how it looks :

This is where the brackets was cut off. Notice another challenge : the rear posts is C shaped but to be able to use L brackets, I need to cut it off so it become a L shape on 1 inch from the bottom :

Tomorrow, I'll finish the rear posts mounting before I remove the psu cage (it's still there to keep the stiffness of the assembly).

 

[tmaxxking1]

Looking good man

 

[Xilikon]

Thanks, it will look much better when it will be done

I did some bit of sanding to remove jaggies from the brackets edges and sanded the surface so it has the same brushed look (not that it matters after it's hidden but I wanted to experiment how to do this). This is what it looks after some work :

Fully assembled look :

Now that the brackets is installed and assembled, I can now remove the PSU cage so I drilled out rivets and slid it out of the way. Here is what it looks with the cage removed :

A look at how roomy the new addition is giving me for my WC setup :

If I have time tomorrow, I'll start measuring and tracing the outline for the PA120.3 radiator and cut it with a jigsaw. About the rear brackets a bit larger than necessary, this is because I wanted to put a back sheet flush with the corners.

 

[digital_exhaust]

That looks great man... those brackets came out really nice.

Nice attention to detail as well... Looking forward to more!

 

[Xilikon]

Thank you, I'm a perfectionnist myself so I would like to do things exactly as I wanted. It is also my first full case mod so I wanted to take it slow and easy

Today, I didn't do too much due to family duties but I finished doing the measuring and tracing on the top for the radiator cutout. I first tried on the green paint tape but the lead pencil is barely visible, which make it hard to follow so I decided to remove it and redo with a standard paint tape. I used the dimensions sheet from Thermochill (http://www.thermochill.com/guides/PA120-3.pdf) to mark out the fans holes, which must be very accurate since everything else will revolve around this. I also drawn the outline around the hole so it would not be blocking any airflow and to get a idea how big.

Here is the final result of the drawing. I used black ink to draw the final cutting outline and drilling holes (lead lines have some errors that I corrected but to avoid using the wrong lines by mistake, I used ink) :

Always measure twice or more and cut once

Tomorrow, If I have time, I will cut it with a jigsaw and I hope the end result is as good as my expectations (A bit afraid of cutting thru the top then realize some error, wasting 85$).

 

[Shmuckety]

I made a comment yesterday, but it never showed up. Here i go again. I really like this idea. Good work so far. When its done I'm sure it will look like it was made that way in the first place.

 

[Xilikon]

Shmuckety : Yeah, that's my main goal to have a full stock look when it's done

I cut the outline with a jigsaw and here's the end result (not 100% perfect but it doesn't matter too much since a fan grill will hide them) :

With the radiator hole done, it's time to go to the next thing to do. Since the radiator tubing will go thru the top blowhole, I see the edge will be pressed on the tubing and can cause a risk of failure down the road so I thought about making a smoother edge. For this, I need to mark 2 lines :

After marking, I cut them with the jigsaw then I used a pair of pliers and a hammer to shape it in a curve smooth enough to guide the tubing gently :

The next step would be to start measuring and cutting the side panels to fit the new spacing of the top. This might wait till sunday evening since I need to do some xmas shopping for gifts.

I also started doing some research and discussions about doing some custom lasercutting jobs to make the side vents grills and get a stainless steel version of the radgrill to match the overall look.

 

[[G]Ernesto]

I love your work man!

Wouldn't most CNC enabled workshops be able to do the cutouts for you with water? I am not 100% sure, but I think that you can make a drawing in autocad, go over to the boys at the workshop and pretty much just run it with minimum efforts from their part, so shouldn't cost all that overly much. If you go to some fancy schmancy place that specialise in custom cutting things for people, it might turn out expensive, but if you find, let's say, a place that builds rims for bandwaggons, or makes truck coolers, then you could get away with a firm handshake and a BLT sandwich in a paper bag.

 

[Xilikon]

Don't worry, I'm currently discussing with a lasercutter guy (ChilledPC.co.uk) since I'm ordering a Thermochill fan grill from them. I tossed at them a idea for a part they could add in their store so in exchange for a idea, I get some nice discount. I will let everyone known in a few days.

I will come out with some design with Google SketchUp (or AutoCAD if they want the DWG file ready to feed the machine).

But thank you anyway for your suggestions, I will give some calls (I have some contacts in the airplane building industry) around as well. However, so far, they either require a minimum order of 500$ or more or pay 100-125$ for the programming costs.

 

[Xilikon]

It's now time to work on the side panels. The biggest challenge here is to find a way to do a perfectly straight cut so it looks like it's cut with a hydraulic sheet cutter, all this with only the tools I have...

After some thinking during the weekend, I came with this idea : Measure the line where it should be cut, get a straight edge to act as a guide, add 37 mm to offset the jigsaw base edge from the blade, clamp the edge in place then cut it.

All measured and ready to be cut :

After cutting :

I was very pleased with the results and the only thing to do after this is to sand the rough edge so it's very smooth with a sandpaper. Here is some pics with all the side panels installed to see what it would look :

I'm now almost done with the case modding part, here's the remaining things to do :

-Cut and fit a panel to cover the rear hole and prepare it to receive a 120mm fan hole. This is where I would fit a single radiator (MCR120 only since a PA120.1 is too thick to fit internally) in the future and in the meanwhile, act as a exhaust vent for the air coming off the radiator.
-Determine what would be the best way to add side vents. At first, I thought about asking welshtom from ChilledPC to lasercut 2 side vents and use M4 bolts for a industrial look. However, the delay might be a slight issue so I might also draw a wavy pattern on a sheet of paper with SketchUp and place holes centers so it would be drilled with a 1/4" bit in a wave pattern (2 or 3 rows on either side).
-Check the radiator fitting and possibly trim the front top lip (it's inside so it won't matter, just there for rigidity).

Also, I just ordered from Performance-PCs 2 Lian Li mesh drive cover (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210&products_id=3904) and a rear 120mm fan mesh cover (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=92&products_id=2333) so it fit the overall look while adding more venting possibilities. I ordered just 2 drive covers only because the third would be useless as this will be a placeholder for the future Aquaero.

 

[digital_exhaust]

Hey man, you are doing a really good job on this... very impressive... and again, it's the details

 

[response99]

Looking good so far bro. Keep up the good work. Sub'd

 

[tmaxxking1]

Are you chopping the second door down for the top part

Looks great

 

[Xilikon]

Are you chopping the second door down for the top part

Looks great

Thanks for the comments

tmaxxking1, At first, I wanted to chop the front door but then I'm having second thoughts for 2 reasons : 1- I will put a Aquaero there later so putting a door will hide this display. 2- I need to keep the airflow from the radiator escape thru the 4 sides and since I bought the front mesh drive covers, putting a door will hinder the airflow. I think I might put the front door aside in the box with the rest of the decapitated twin and in the future, if I consider it again, I'll do it.

 

[Xilikon]

Did some work on the rear cover by using the rest of the cut side panel. It's a bit of a bitch to cut straight lines since the damn guide kept sliding due to the jigsaw vibrations and smooth surfaces but I finally managed to do it pretty good. Here's what it look during test fitting :

After doing some sanding on the edges to make it smooth and fit it (it was cut slighty oversized to take into account any mistakes, which is more easily corrected by filing than by redoing another one), I finished adding the top holder plate (also taken from the psu cage as well, great way to recycle the useless bottom half) :

After drilling, tapping and screwing it in place, here's the final (not quite final but let's say it's done for now) look :

Remain to drill a 4.5" hole (I need to find a hole saw for it, maybe from renting) but this will wait since I don't have the complete diagram for the MCR120 radiator since Swiftech didn't provide all the dimensions. When I will get the full dimensions, I will finish this later.

Now, I need to swap the front 120mm case fan from a FM121 to a FM122 since I need it to complete the radiator fans set (1 is coming from my SI-128 heatsink which will be retired when I will add the watercooling loop and 1 new in box that I bought from NCIX). Since the FM121 is a 25mm thick fan and the FM122 is 38mm thick, I need to make sure it still fit. Here's what it looks (it's a old mod I did last spring to replace the 2 80mm fans by a 120mm fan to improve airflow) :

Look from the rear, with the speed adjustement knob on the bottom right side of the fan (notice how nicely it fit and how it is helping cool the harddisks, especially the Raptor) :

Since the assembly cannot be done without getting the M4 socket cap head screws first and the top side panels cutting/drilling will wait till I finalize some talk with the lasercut guy, I will take a break and start working on the loop by replacing the EK FC8800 top place with the acetal one and adding the 4.5mm nozzle in the Fuzion cpu block before doing another leak test.

 

[Darkstofknightz]

Wow, really nice work. I envy those who can cut proper strait lines! When I cut it looks like a drunk person did it, oh wait maybe I was....... lol

 

[stryder2720]

That looks clean as hell man!

Keep us updated!

 

[HAF72]

Wow, really nice work. I envy those who can cut proper strait lines! When I cut it looks like a drunk person did it, oh wait maybe I was....... lol

yea he did a awesome job. Wait! or maybe he has hacks!!! hes a hacker at modding kidding asides

 

[Xilikon]

Honestly, the perfectly straight lines was only on the top side panels. the radiator cutour and the rear panel is a bit crooked if you look closely but since it's hidden places, it doesn't matter I didn't want crooked side lines to ruin a perfectly good stock look.

At least, I don't mod and drink at the same time

This afternoon will me day off so I will go to a specialised fasteners store to pick some M4 socket heat screws and hunt around for a M4 tap set. Like that, I will be able to finally assemble the loop in the case since the rest of the modding work can be done by removing the side/rear panels. About the top, it's just a matter of removing the screws, place the grill and replace them when I receive the grill (might be a few weeks since it will depend on my custom 3 1/2" DDC pump mount prototype, my own invention).

 

[Xilikon]

I finally got some time this afternoon to call a specialised distributor for some 6-32 socket head screws. I bought 2 cases of 100, one being 6-32 x 3/8" and another is 6-32 x 1 1/4" (for attaching the fans to the radiator). Here is a pic of the boxes and screws :

With the new screws in hand, it's time to start installing the watercooling parts in the new case, mostly for test fitting and drilling new holes. I first attached the 2 FM121 fans I have in hand (the third is being used with my SI-128 so I'll attach it later when it's time to move the parts in my case) then I tried to fit the radiator inside but the top lip is giving me some trouble as this push the radiator 1/4" back causing it to not line with the holes. After some dremeling and jigsaw work, here's the offending part gone :

With this fixed, I finally placed it to line up with the holes and started adding 3/8" screws but I just realized the holes doesn't all line up perfectly (some are 1 mm off) so after some thinking, I said to myself that since I will get a radiator grill, why bother using all 12 holes and just use 4 ?? I then proceeded to cut the 4 middle tabs and dremeled the 2 back holes a bit to make the holes line up with the radiator holes (sorry for some drunk cutting but a grill will hide it ) :

After attaching the radiator fully, here's what it look :

I looked at the front and I realized it's a tight fit so I picked the tubing I had from my leak test and installed it to see if there will be any kinks but there is none. See how tight all this fit inside (nevermind the whitish stuff in it, it's a mix of condensation and radiator flux remains) :

At least, everything will work as expected so the new top purpose is now filled Now, it's time for the reservoir installation so I picked the side of the 3 1/2" drive bays since it's the only place with enough wide to fit with the side panel installed. I marked the 3 holes with a big nail then drilled and tapped it. I used 3/8" hex screws too (it's a perfect screw since the hole can allow the hex key to be used) and here's how it looks installed (disregard the half blocked top hole since when I fill or drain, I will unscrew the reservoir) :

Next to do is the pump mount, which is a temporary solution till Tom from ChilledPC ship me the new DDC mount prototype made by lasercutting a sheet of either stainless or aluminium. This temporary mount was taked from a disassembled Zip100 drive and holes drilles to fit the pump and a 70mm fan (the new prototype will allow a 80mm fan to be bolted to the bottom to cool the pump if desired) :

With the pump bolted :

Pump installed in the 3 1/2" drive bay while allowing the bottom 2 to be used by my 2 harddisks :

That's all I did today, which is a lot more than usual Next time, I will do some cleanup of the case to get rid of dirt and fingerprints while making sure there is no aluminium dust left hidden.

 

[digital_exhaust]

It's coming along very nicely...enjoying your build

 

[bladeiai]

awesome job, the inside looks almost exactly the same as the inside of mine(because it is)

 

[DelRioTrio]

Now that's an extreme case! How much does that bad dude weigh? Better utilize a couple of pack mules while traveling with that computer monstrousity! Makes my back ache just thinking about it!

But I bet it's not that bad, right?

 

[Xilikon]

Now that's an extreme case! How much does that bad dude weigh? Better utilize a couple of pack mules while traveling with that computer monstrousity! Makes my back ache just thinking about it!

But I bet it's not that bad, right?

It's not that heavy since it's 100% aluminium fortunately However, with all the parts installed, I bet it will be heavy but since I almost never carry my computer around, it doesn't matter.

As a reference, the top part felt lighter than a harddisk.

Thanks for the comments

 

[Xilikon]

Today, I didn't do any work on the case yet because I was busy creating 2 DWG files for lasercutting, one for the DDC mount and one for the top side grills. Here is a look of the grill (exported in sketchup and saved as a 3d view) :

I will send those files to Tom then we'll see how it turn up