Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Leftovers

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Leftovers

    I don't know about you, but I still have some leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner on Monday. It got me thinking that I have a bunch of hardware leftovers too! From old builds, ones where I changed my plans, stuff I bought but never got around to using... Plus a few years ago I bought a big box of someone else's leftovers on Kijiji. So it isn't necessarily done exactly the way I might usually proceed, but it's fun to make the best of the parts I have on hand!

    The one new item in the lot, I think of it as a tempered glass serving dish for my leftovers. I'll do some minor tasteful mods on the case to improve the looks and performance.

    Components:

    EVGA DG-77 Case (N00B!)
    Asus X99-A II
    I7-5930k
    16gb Corsair Vengeance LPX 2666
    XFX R9 390X 8GB
    EVGA 750G2
    Seagate 2TB 7200RPM
    Sandisk 128GB SSD

    Cooling et cetera:

    Swiftech MCR220
    EKWB Coolstream SE 120
    EKWB Coolstream XTX 120
    EKWB Supremacy with EVO upgrade
    EKWB 290X full cover GPU block
    Liang D5 strong pump with Bitpower "S" type D5 top
    BP acrylic 250mm reservoir
    3/8ID clear soft tubing and Feser nickle plated fittings
    DEEPCOOL RF120 RGB fans
    DEEPCOOL RGB 200EX
    RGB strips from EVO RGB, Heatkiller GPU block

    Mods:

    Offset front tempered glass to allow better air flow
    Modify 290X waterblock to fit 390X
    Allow top mount rad
    Remove paint and decal from tempered glass case side panel
    Custom bracket for CPU block lighting strip
    Custom bracket to adapt Heatkiller RGB strip to BP pump top
    Pump and reservoir mounts
    Custom reservoir RGB trim/bracket

    Leftover leftovers (stuff I was considering using on this build, but didn't!):

    3x Bitfenix orange LED fans
    140mm Tt orange LED fan
    XSPC Raystorm CPU block
    Seagate 3TB 7200RPM (had a sporadic issue so replaced it with the 2TB)
    1 Deep Cool RGB strip (tried 2 on the res but 1 looked better)
    Last edited by Grinder; 12-05-2020, 01:02 AM.

  • #2
    I hadn't planned to enter this year, but I couldn't stand letting everyone else have all the fun! I started this thread in Post Your Build Pics, and had it transferred over to enter the contest just before the deadline (in the process somehow losing the ability to edit post #1 ). It looks like a great field this year, lots of us are cooped up at home Thanks to everyone involved for making this happen again.


    As always, I will be channeling my inner MacGyver to make the most of what I have with simple tools. But this year I will only be using leftovers, buying nothing for the build. More than that, as much as possible I'm using leftover odds and sods, bits and pieces.


    Usually when I do a build, I want it to be an eye catcher, a conversation piece (case in point, a jet engine and a retro IBM PC tribute in years past, both strongly themed with massive mods). But sometimes I just want it to be sleek and subtle. This reminds me of my early modding days, working to live up to the potential of the parts to look and perform better than stock using creativity and whatever was available.
    Last edited by Grinder; 12-11-2020, 01:04 AM.

    Comment


    • #3
      I bought the EVGA DG-77 case in April for a project that never happened. Technically new in box, but also leftover!

      Its a nice tempered glass case, but it has some minor flaws that can be remedied. Here is a shot with the plastic still applied. I'll remove it, then take a razor blade to the white trim and lettering. It's way too much clutter!




      The biggest flaw with this case is that it doesn't breath really well. There is tempered glass on the sides and front, and the front panel is quite flush with only a vented area on the right edge for intake. Underneath there is a removeable filter. Some washers should help to offset the tempered glass from the front of the case to improve airflow.







      Last edited by Grinder; 12-05-2020, 02:04 AM.

      Comment


      • #4
        Great theme.
        Looking forward to the build log.
        Blue Dragon CM690 II an i7 - 960 x58 build
        OverKill HTPC - Red Team Build an AMD FX6100 with dual HD 5870's in crossfire.
        Canadian Amateur Modding Competition

        Comment


        • #5
          Thanks Hooded, I appreciate that. I do enjoy the build logs and the modding, but have had too many other things to do to tackle one lately. I still haven't even finished the IBM PC build from the 2019 modding contest! Perhaps I'll do that and put it into BOTM if it's permitted. TPB needs some competition there that isn't from himself

          Here's shots of components and cooling stuff:



          Last edited by Grinder; 10-17-2020, 04:58 PM. Reason: Can't write properly...

          Comment


          • #6
            I had a R9 290X EK full cover waterblock in the big box of leftovers I bought a while back. While my XFX R9 390X 8GB has a component that is too high to fit, a small mod will take care of that. I used a drill bit on the two corners, a hacksaw on the straight cuts from the exterior, and a dremel to clean up both the metal and plastic.

            Comment


            • #7
              Another flaw of the case is that you can't mount rads up top. I drilled 5 holes and utilized part of the 140mm fan mount slots (any closer to the right side of the case and the fans would hit the top mobo heatsink) to get a 2x120 AIO up there, just to get me up and running in limp mode until I have a chance to get the custom loop sorted out. Forgive the dust and hair, the dog came into my office and shook on it!

              Last edited by Grinder; 10-17-2020, 08:43 PM.

              Comment


              • #8
                The case looks much nicer with the white model number decal and trim paint removed.

                Comment


                • #9
                  I wasn't totally happy with the washer mod to offset the front glass, so I improved it (actually it has been done in the pic above, but I'll repeat it below after showing how the mod was done). The washers were a bit big and too easy to see, plus had no give.

                  So I used some mobo standoffs to screw into the holes where the thumbscrews go. I had a bit of plastic hose, and a plastic tube that had dog poop bags spooled around it. I cut a piece of tube and fit it around the standoff using a bit of electrical tape, this fits right through the holes in the glass. I cut and slipped a piece of hose on over it, it acts as a cushion in behind the glass. The thumbscrews screw right into the mobo standoffs.

                  This looks better, gives a bit bigger offset, and is softer.











                  Last edited by Grinder; 10-18-2020, 02:13 PM.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Nice mod to the glass panel mounts. should greatly improve your cases airflow.
                    A most excellent build from leftovers.
                    Blue Dragon CM690 II an i7 - 960 x58 build
                    OverKill HTPC - Red Team Build an AMD FX6100 with dual HD 5870's in crossfire.
                    Canadian Amateur Modding Competition

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Thanks Hooded!

                      I'm thinking of orange and white as accent colours. I figure that orange definitely has an autumn, thanksgiving feel. I've got 3 orange LED fans, some orange coolant and dye, an orange Tt 140mm fan (not sure yet if I have room but we'll see), and finally I just found some old PSU cable extensions. If I adopt orange (leaves and pumpkins) and white (mashed potatoes? white turkey? ) then I should have enough wire laying around to do extensions for the 24 pin, 8 and 6 pin GPU, and hopefully 8 and 4 pin CPU as well. Plus I think I have some white LEDs that will fit the XSPC Raystorm.


                      Last edited by Grinder; 10-18-2020, 02:34 PM. Reason: added pic

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        So, I tried the Orange LED Bitfenix fans. And I was... underwhelmed. They aren't that bright, don't move that much air, and the colour tends more towards yellow than orange. Luckily, I bought some Deepcool RGB fans 6 months ago and haven't used them, so I'll give those a go. It's probably just as well, since the case has an RGB board and two RGB "EVGA" logos. I might have to rethink some of the other components if I'm moving to RGB, but I'll probably stick with the orange coolant and orange/white sleeved cables.





                        Here you can really see the difference in brightness.



                        Comment


                        • #13
                          If I'm going RGB, I need to add more leftovers to do that more fully (so far I haven't bought any new components to stick with the leftovers theme). The only lights I have for the Raystorm CPU block are white, I tried them with the RGB fans installed on temporarily mocked up top and rear rads and wasn't happy with them.

                          I do have an old leftover that I'll use instead, an EK Supremacy that I upgraded to EVO:



                          I bought a used EK Supremacy EVO RGB a while back but I'll save it for another project. The owner had replaced the 4 pin 12V RGB with an addressable 3 pin, so I'll steal the 12V and adapt it to the old Supremacy. I'll have to make a bracket to go around it, probably a hunk of old computer case with a piece of a rubber vacuum power nozzle drive belt added to create the gap where the lights will sit (the newer RGB version has a lip/recess to accommodate the light strip).





                          Also, I have an RGB strip from a Heatkiller GPU block. I won't be going RGB with that block, so I'll use the strip on the Bitspower pump top.


                          Comment


                          • #14
                            I never had any Heatkiller stuff. But as far as leftovers go, this would be a steak sandwhich.
                            HAF932 Mods
                            C70 Mods

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              The only Heatkiller block I've had, I still haven't installed it (IBM PC tribute build, still unfinished )! Hmmm, I love horseradish on my steak sandwiches, perhaps I should try it as thermal paste

                              I finally had some time to do a bit more on this build. I cut a strip from an old Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 with my jigsaw, then filed and sanded it. Since it had some sound insulation applied, I'll use that to create a recess for the RGB LED strip (rather than the vacuum power nozzle drive belt ).






                              I hand bent it around the EK Supremacy, then cut away some of the insulation, painted it, and installed the lights. I also fashioned a clip to hold the bracket together.


                              Last edited by Grinder; 11-12-2020, 02:03 AM.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X