Oxymoron

[fivecheebs]

Well this is my first real project, and i have to say its nothing special, especially compared to most of the logs around here. Its midway at the mo whilst i consider my options but here here is the start of the log as it stands. This is also my first watercooled PC and i will need some advice and opinions of my setup. Please dont be afraid to critisise where appropriate. all pics should be clickable for a larger version and if you want the full res one juist remove the "medium" folder part of the url

The name really came just because i like the word but even better the definition (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=oxymoron) reads... A rhetorical figure in which incongruous or contradictory terms are combined, as in a deafening silence... which is kind of appropriate as the reason for this project was the watercooling installation which replaced an SLK800 with a tt smart fan III at full speed. Incredibly noisy!

Well, unfortunately i forgot to take pics of the case before i started it. Its an Antec Plusview 1080, very similar to pugs hexadragon, but fortunately everyone knows what one looks like :). More dissapointingly, in my excitement i forgot to take any pics of the alphacool xtreme pro kit that i got from pug along with the Cape northbridge block before any installation... bummer :(

So the first thing to do was find a place to mount the huge BixII. The top was a little too small so, taking inspiration from hex, i decided to stick it at the front of the case.

First things first... make a cutting template for the BixII
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_bix_template.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_bix_template.jpg)
I borrowed one of my sons crayons to make a "bark rubbing" of the front of the rad :)
Then to transfer the template to the case and start cutting
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_bix_cut.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_bix_cut.jpg)
and the finished hole
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_bix_hole.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_bix_hole.jpg)
And the rad with fans mounted ready to mark the holes and test fit
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_bixnfans.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_bixnfans.jpg)
As i had some spare crappy mouse mats lying around i decided to make a gasket to separate the rad from the case to try and reduce noise. I didnt have a mousemat big enough so i made 2 strips for the sides of the rad instead of a full gasket.
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_mousemat_strips.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_mousemat_strips.jpg)
The mousemat actually made it all easier to install as well as i could put the screws into the mousemat then offer the rad up top the hole.
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_front_hole.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_front_hole.jpg)

http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_front_hole_2.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_front_hole_2.jpg)
Oops, just realised i dont have a pic of the rad mounted at this stage!:o

[mnpctech]

Looking good so far cheebs. Nice clean cuts.

I friggin love the name you gave it :D

[fivecheebs]

Next was to figure a way to mount the res. I wanted the system to fully internal as this case sits on the floor under my desk as i have nowhere else to put it at the moment. After considering plenty of options i decided to attach it to the back of the right hand side steel cross bar. Again i was a bit lax with my camera during this process but it basically consisted of making a plastic bracket to attach the mounting clips to.
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_file_plastic.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_file_plastic.jpg)

http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_res_mount_2.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_res_mount_2.jpg)

http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_res_mount_4.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_res_mount_4.jpg)
I didnt get all the holes lined up properly but this doesnt matter as there are some undecided plans for this bracket.
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_res_mount_5.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_res_mount_5.jpg)
and here is a blurry pic of the res and rad mounted
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_res_rad_front.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_res_rad_front.jpg)


time to get some work done now, more updates to come

[fivecheebs]

Looking good so far cheebs. Nice clean cuts.

I friggin love the name you gave it :D
wow :jawdrop: that means alot from you mate, thanks. One thing i hate is nicking my hands when working on the case so i made sure i ground all the cuts round before i went on to the next stage.

[Starbuck3733T]

Good show so far man, and it seems odd that I am reading this now as you've said 'deafening silence'. I think I lost a good portion of my hearing last night at the concert - lets hope its temporary or the world will be a very scary place for me. I can still hear some stuff, but the highs are all missing.

Case looks quite good!

[furious trout]

Nice work so far mate

@Star i was like that for 5 days after i saw Slayer in '92 :h34r:

[/offtopic]

[Starbuck3733T]

Last OT I will do, thanks for the assurance AngryFish...

[fivecheebs]

so you feelin better yet star? ;)

Had a chance to write up some more so here we go ...

OK, well with those 2 componants mounted, and i had worked out a position, in my head, for the pump and step up transformer it was time to look at the PSU mounting.

I bought a tagan 480w PSU, first impressions are excellent. Heavy, well finished quality unit to my eyes.
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_tagan_pack.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_tagan_pack.jpg)
The only disapointment was i was going to have to sleave most of the cables. A job i loath, but it had to be done. I ran out of the correct size sleaving unfortunately for the last 2 cables, but the bigger one will not be used, at least not yet, so thats been hidden away for now.
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_tagan_sleaved.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_tagan_sleaved.jpg)
The cable management inside this case is important that it is clean and as well organised (well, the stuff i can see at least) as possible to me. You might have noticed that the cables leave the PSU on the side closest to the window which is not ideal. The case has a removeable PSU mounting plate so i decided to mount the PSU upside down. The bracket needed a little bit of modding to let that happen as there are cutouts on the bottom 2 corners so that it can sit in between the back of the case and the ends of the reinforcing rails that the res is mounted to.
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_psu_mount_2.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_psu_mount_2.jpg)
Hides the ugly specs sticker where noone can see it too :)
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_tagan_specs.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_tagan_specs.jpg)
While i was sleaving the PSU (its such a tedious job i allways put it off so it takes forever) i had a chance to lay out the loop for initial testing.
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_res_rad_pump.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_res_rad_pump.jpg)

http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_loop_initial.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_loop_initial.jpg)
In this shot you can just see my string of LEDs inside the side rails. There are 6UV leds pointing at the res approximately and 2 red leds for the res mounting bracket.
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_initial_test_1.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_initial_test_1.jpg)
And you can see the wiring mess starting to build up on the backside of the mobo tray and the connectors for the cathode switches are hanging out the front just above the rad.
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_initial_test_2.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_initial_test_2.jpg)

[fivecheebs]

At about this point in the mod i went night fishing with a mate of mine. First time in 3 years, so it was a nice change. Id forgotton how heavy beer gewts when you carry lots of it a fair distance ^_^ but anyway here is the pictorial evidence that ended up with my modding pics and hence in this log lol
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_mid_mod_pike.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_mid_mod_pike.jpg)
Yes it was v early in the morning, yes i didnt get much sleep, yes i still felt pished and whathaveyou at this point in time. FWIW its just a smallish pike of 7.5 lbs and it was about 4.45am caught on a popped up roach no ... not that kind of roach

[Starbuck3733T]

I can hear, and nice fishy!

[fivecheebs]

hehe ty star :)

Well, satisfied with the initial leak test i dismantled the loop and strarted to install it on the hardware. For some reason the NexXxos XP didnt not want its picture taken, or the camera didnt want to take its picture. dunno what happened to thease really
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_XP_1.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_XP_1.jpg)


http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_XP_2.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_XP_2.jpg)

http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_XP_3.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_XP_3.jpg)

And the cape NB block that was a little, but only just, more obliging for a photo or 2
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_cape_1.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_cape_1.jpg)

http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_cape_XP_1.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_cape_XP_1.jpg)
And the tubing that goes between the 2
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_cape_XP_bend.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_cape_XP_bend.jpg)
Im suspicious that this is a to tight radius for this hose and is causing a restriction. I still need to remove this block to see how the performance of the CPU block is effected.

[fivecheebs]

Time to put the mobo back in and connect the hoses
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_mobo_in.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_mobo_in.jpg)
then leak test it again in situ
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_leak_test_1.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_leak_test_1.jpg)

http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_leak_test_3.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_leak_test_3.jpg)

In this one you can see the scratches i put in the nice matt black tagan due to taking so blooming long to sleave it :(
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_leak_test_4.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_leak_test_4.jpg)
and again from a slightly sifferent angle
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_leak_test_5.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_leak_test_5.jpg)
The bird's nest of hidden cables
http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/tiny/tn_messy_wires.jpg (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/medium/tn_messy_wires.jpg)

[Pug]

B) Hey hey! Shaping up nicely there m8.

I like how you mounted the pump (orientation-wise).
The bend radius looks passable from what I can see of the pic - no kinks or leaks at the join with the fitting. Where do you see a restriction? (Or was it me making you paranoid after our convo? :D )

[fivecheebs]

Thanks mate :) I was quite please with the whole rad, pump mounting also. The rad is offset like the original fans were and it leaves just enough room for the pump on its side without restricting any airflow (well maybe a little but it sticks out no more than 5mm across the face of the fan).

Hehe, there was possibly a little paranoia there but only a touch. I had allready thought it was a little suspect. At hte top of the bend the tubing is an eliptical shape rather than round. Not a major issue but its still there a bit. I think you can just see it with that pic. Maybe have a look at this (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/cape_XP_bend.jpg) full size version carefull its 1MBish. If you think its ok then thats good enough for me.

I was thinking of mounting the NB block on my Ti4400 for a looksee. I think ill have to make a new hold down for it as i doubt the holes will line up. There was i a week or 2 ago playing a clan match (Q3 CTFS) when my frame rate dropped dramatically. I played on wondering what the problem was and after the match i looked at the case and saw the HS hanging off the card by one mount! :eek: I think i didnt push one of the pins right home when i reseated it and i may have mangled one of the pins a little which didnt help.

On another note i took the door off the bezel yesterday to examine some possiblities (i have a cool idea for improving airflow whilst not leaving any large gaping holes, just depends if i have the skills to pull it off, and if my router will do what i wan tit too ;) ) and I broke the bloomin clip on the door that holds the pin on the bezel :( Still i think i have a good idea to fix it but i was disheartened for a bit.

[Pug]

Hehe, there was possibly a little paranoia there but only a touch. I had allready thought it was a little suspect. At hte top of the bend the tubing is an eliptical shape rather than round. Not a major issue but its still there a bit. I think you can just see it with that pic. Maybe have a look at this (http://www.cheebs.co.uk/images/moddingpics/cape_XP_bend.jpg) full size version carefull its 1MBish. If you think its ok then thats good enough for me.
/me clicks link...
*modem moans that everything else is watercooled when stressed, calls favouritism...*
/me ponders the advantage of giving a tech spiel on shore hardness and presenting multiple graphs of acceptable working pressure at a given temperature. - Nah, I'll leave that for the analyst-retentive sites. ;)

Pug's opinion - Could be ok. -_- However...
If I was going to cover our respective arses and give you a fit & forget solution... I'd send you a piece of my 10/7mm PUR PE to replace it and leave it at that.


If, on the other hand, I was going to do the above but also expand the knowledge base & make you jump through a couple of hoops to do so (sorry)
... I'd say do this -
(making sure you have a spare length of hose to replace the offending article after testing if necessary and protecting all electrickery from any potential exposure to escaping fluid)[/smallprint]



Drain the system and fill your loop/res with freshly boiled water.


Use the ATX adaptor (supplied with the kit) to run the pump independantly of the rig & rad fans to circulate the hot water around the loop (thus simulating a worst-case scenario).

Observe the stress point - any change?


Apply a bit of pressure betwixt finger & thumb to the stress point (not enough to squash it completely); firstly to top & bottom to see if it gets much worse; then to the sides to see if you can improve its profile.

- If it gets worse in the first instance (ie. progresses to a true kink), put your worrying cap on and let me know - I'll send you the PUR PE. (Fit your spare length in the meantime).
If it actually bursts* under 24V power, get a cloth etc. then follow "worrying cap" directions above. :unsure:
(*file under "if you hear a crunch, you've gone too far" ;))

- If it just squishes a bit more ('scuse the technical term ;)) but returns to a similarly acceptable profile when you squish it back by holding the sides; drain the rig (while still squishing the sides if poss) and run cold water through (still squishing) until you feel it's cooled back down. This should help retain a better profile at normal working temps.

Let go now (and run your fingers under the cold tap - the pain will subside after a while :D).
Flush with distilled and refill with coolant.
Be happy, you're freaking for nowt. B)



I was thinking of mounting the NB block on my Ti4400 for a looksee. I think ill have to make a new hold down for it as i doubt the holes will line up.
There are replacement hold-downs for varying GPU types (available again soon)

[fivecheebs]

Thanks Dude :) sorry for stressing your poor ickle modem ;)

I will don my leotard and jump through those hoops mate, however i dont think it will be for a couple of weeks. I have a system to build and install for a personal client and then the wife, son and i are off to the isle of white for a week the week after. With all of that and normal family commitmants etc im fairly sure i wont get to it before i go away.

Sounds like fun though .... mmm boiling water 2mm away from hot skin! hehe also sounds like i need a third hand hehe.

If it actually bursts* under 24V power, get a cloth etc. then follow "worrying cap" directions above. :unsure:
(*file under "if you hear a crunch, you've gone too far" ;))

:blink: hehe i hope to god it doesnt burst lol!

[/size] Let go now (and run your fingers under the cold tap - the pain will subside after a while :D). haha ... /me wonders how im gonna get back down the ladder from my loft with one burnt set of fingers. :h34r: hehe

There are replacement hold-downs for varying GPU types (available again soon) Cool, however i allready know that i can get away with running my GFX card for a little while wiht no HSF at all practically so i think ill try to make my own and see what happens. Again that wont be until later ... seeing as i have your attention though mate, can you tell me the diameter of the hole in the cape NB block if you have one around? If not ill measure mine when i do the fiddling mentioned above :)

Thanks again mate [_]D

btw mate ... I have sent the postie round to your place .. let me know if you dont recieve anything please ;)

[Pug]

... seeing as i have your attention though mate, can you tell me the diameter of the hole in the cape NB block if you have one around? If not ill measure mine when i do the fiddling mentioned above :) Umm, I'll take it you mean the hole in the hold-down? If so, 36mm

Thanks again mate [_]D

btw mate ... I have sent the postie round to your place .. let me know if you dont recieve anything please ;)
NP buddy, I'm hoping others'll find it useful too. :)

Postie? Coo, ta. Will do (tho' you shouldn't have, I'm sure :o ).

If you get stuck finding a place to get your hold down done, I'll swap you a Ti one for the one you have, eh?