Well I thought I'd give it a shot at a high quality build after being inspired by some others I've seen, mainly Milky's Black/Blue project.
The planned build is a watercooled Sandybridge system with a Black and Blue theme.
The parts (at the moment) are as followed:
CPU: Intel Sandybridge Core i7-2600k *Arrived
Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 PRO *Arrived
RAM: G.Skill DDR3 Dual Channel 8Gb (4x2Gb) 1600MHz, 2 black 2 blue *Arrived
Graphics: Nvidia GTX 570 *Arrived
SSD: Intel series 510 250gb *Arrived
PSU: Corsair HX 1kW *Arrived
Case: Corsair Obsidian 800D *Arrived
Watercooling: [url=http://www.scan.co.uk/products/ek-kit-h3o-supreme-hf-360-water-cooling-kit]This kit[/url] or something along the lines as I haven't worked with watercooling before
#1: Motherboard and case
Installed the motherboard in the case just to get a preview of what the general thing will look like. Impressed on the motherboard but not so much the tops of the capacitors, was expecting blue info on the top of them not grey. The first bit of 'modding' I plan to do is to coat the top of them (all of them) in a blue metallic paint similar to that of the motherboard's heatsinks which can be seen [url=http://overclockers.co.uk/pimg/MB-443-AS_400.jpg]here.[/url]
Motherboard:
[img]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-10200643.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-10200656.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-10200727.jpg[/img]
Applying the first layer of paint, looks better now it's fully dried:
[img]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-10201545.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-10201603.jpg[/img][IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-10204214.jpg[/IMG]
This is the first coat on the caps, so it's not that smooth, it is now they has been repainted.
I will have to make do with these lower quality photos for now as I don't have my DSLR with me, or any proper camera. So be patient and I'll re-shoot all of them as soon as I get it down here.
Any constructive criticism is very welcome whether it be on the build or how the build log is presented, just keep in mind that this is my first attempt at a build like this, other builds I've done I pretty much threw together.
There's not much to say right now, but remove the sticker on the etherport, and try to do a thinner layer of paint.
Buy something like a Warhammer brush maybe, as you can't just spray them.
Hello PyroCF! great list of hardware you have, I'm jealous for your SSD! :smile: And that seems like a nice water cooling bundle you have found too, looking forward to more.
[QUOTE=PyroCF;28667157]OP[/QUOTE]
Well, that mobo looks very familar!
I got one of those only the other day! :buddy:
How much did it cost without shipping?
Hmm.
I'll have to total it up later properly but as an estimate it'll cost about £1500
#2 Fan Painting 101
Never done this before so I had a little Google search to make sure I didn't end up breaking the fans when dismantling them! My first attempt was to do one with a paint brush and normal paint, this went horribly wrong so I'll just let the pictures do the talking:
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-12134523.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-12153059.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-12153050.jpg[/IMG]
As you can probably see it's uneven, flaking and just generally a horrible finish. So off I went to the closest DIY store and bought myself some spray paint, why I didn't do this in the first place is beyond me. After a frantic 30 minutes of peeling and scraping this was the end result which I am a hell of a lot more happy with!
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-13152959.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-13201030.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-13201018.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-13201000.jpg[/IMG]
Once again sorry for the damn awful pictures.
Next post will be on the SSD and PSU. Little spoiler below.
[img]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-14101357.jpg[/img]
:gizz:
does painting fans make them perform lesser?
[QUOTE=Armotekma;28705503]does painting fans make them perform lesser?[/QUOTE]
Using a paint brush probably wasn't the best idea, they would have been more noisy and might have been off balance. but if you use a spray can and lots of thin coats then they will be fine.
Great job on the finished fans Pyro!
I don't think it was a great idea to pain the capacitors, especially since you only painted some and not others. Also the fact that you only painted the heads of the capacitors, makes it look like there was something wrong with the board that was covered up.
I suggest peeling the paint off of them and leave them bare like they were originally. If you had some soldering skill, you could buy an entire batch of new capacitors and spraypaint them beforehand and replace the ones on the board with them, though that would definitely void the warranty.
Your fan is now made of wood.
:aaa:
[QUOTE=bohb;28706294]I don't think it was a great idea to pain the capacitors, especially since you only painted some and not others. Also the fact that you only painted the heads of the capacitors, makes it look like there was something wrong with the board that was covered up.
I suggest peeling the paint off of them and leave them bare like they were originally. If you had some soldering skill, you could buy an entire batch of new capacitors and spraypaint them beforehand and replace the ones on the board with them, though that would definitely void the warranty.[/QUOTE]
All are painted now and I'm not bothered if it looks like something is being covered up as it's a personal build.
As for the fans looking like wood we have a pro tip :v:
don't use brushes for them.
[QUOTE=PyroCF;28707143]All are painted now and I'm not bothered if it looks like something is being covered up as it's a personal build.
As for the fans looking like wood we have a pro tip :v:
don't use brushes for them.[/QUOTE]
You should have used something like Warhammer paint and brushes.
Yeah I may have to consider that for future components. I might have some laying around hopefully.
last of the components arrive tomorrow! Well, apart from the water cooling which will arrive next month. In the mean time I'll install everything and put a temporary cooler on the CPU so I can get benchmarking.
I'm concerned that painting the capacitors could affect heat dissipation. This could shorten the life-span of your motherboard.
A better solution would have been to use the acetone to simple wipe away the existing print leaving a shiny, bare cap. The best solution would have been to leave the capacitors as they are so you don't void the warranty or damage the board; the grey lettering of the capacitors is barely noticeable as it is, so painting them is rather silly.
[QUOTE=ChristopherB;28714471]I'm concerned that painting the capacitors could affect heat dissipation. This could shorten the life-span of your motherboard.[/QUOTE]
I highly doubt it would make any effect, a guy on another forum I frequent used screw caps on top of his capacitors and measured the difference in temps before and after and it was a fraction of a degree.
Looks good so far. I'd suggest getting better lighting for when you take the pictures.
The best part of reading Milky's build logs was the sexy photos.
Can't wait to see the SSD
I shall be finishing the build after work. Just remember it'll be a while until I get the watercooling loop.
the caps are rated at a high enough temperature and the case will have plenty of air flow I did my research before hand as I had my doubts.
#3 Power and Speed
As pictured above the order arrived with the SSD and and PSU, time for a bit of unpacking! The SSD first.
Luckily it came with a simple 2.5" to 3.5" converter which worked well with the case.
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-14101507.jpg[/IMG]
The actual SSD itself, loving the build quality.
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-14101552.jpg[/IMG]
And it in the mounting bracket.
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-14102021.jpg[/IMG]
Installation in the case was a doddle, just clip some things on the side of the bracket and slide it in.
And on to the PSU. I've always liked Corsair's packaging and general quality of anything they make.
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-14123606.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-14123742.jpg[/IMG]
Unfortunately the 24-pin, 8-pin and 2 x 6+2 pin cables aren't modular but I have away round it!
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-14123641.jpg[/IMG]
Again installation was easy, brilliant case.
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-14124303.jpg[/IMG]
Will update later!
Nice build! I like your PSU, but it looks like it has a small fan
it's just a longer PSU
Here's a little teaser of the finished thing:
[img]http://i.imgur.com/hhcyG.png[/img]
I like the blue and black colour scheme you have going on.
Nice update PyroCF, but if I remember correctly from the brief period I had a 700D the drive caddy's have holes ready cut to mount a SSD straight to them no adapter required!
yeah these days pretty much every decent case has 2.5" mounting holes on the base
#4 Everything is coming together
With the last order in, watercooling still yet to be decided, it's time to get on with the final push.
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-21101458.jpg[/IMG]
I'm very impressed with the RAM and how the colours match perfectly with the theme.
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-21123441.jpg[/IMG]
It looks even better when installed, here you can also see the black braided cables I [i]ordered[/i] because I'm lazy. Trying to improve on my shooting skills too :v:
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-21123647.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-21123656.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-21123705.jpg[/IMG]
I ordered a OcUK branded GTX 570 so they pretty much send anything for that price, I ended with this Palit thing. It's pretty ugly IMO but it'll be replaced in the future with a waterblock!
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-21101516.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-21124038.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-21124155.jpg[/IMG]
And of course the powerhouse installed.
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-21125650.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-21125656.jpg[/IMG]
Finally a cheap heatsink is installed just to keep it cool for a few weeks until I decide upon the watercooling!
[IMG]http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc376/Flavell36/Computer/2011-03-21140945.jpg[/IMG]
Things on the to do list:
Watercooling
Braided 6+2 Pin cables
Final touches
Shoot pictures with decent camera
Overclocking
Array of benchmarks
Noo NZXT pre-braided extentions :devil: Have a go at doing it yourself!
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