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Vault 111 by PEXON

pexon

Hello!

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Its time for me to begin another project. I am very excited for the next installment in the Fallout series. Fallout has been one of my favourite single player game franchises for a long while, next to BioShock. I have had the idea for a while of building a Fallout themed watercooled PC. With the announcement trailer and game-play videos of Fallout 4, the idea of a Vault 111 themed rig came about. The idea behind this project is to make a PC that has been sitting in the vault research facility or overseers office for while and has been upgraded overtime with scavenged parts from inside the vault and out in the wasteland; this idea will allow me to use a mixture of different components, fittings, sleeving styles and weather/ distress different components and watercooling parts to fit in with this idea. Having rusted radiators, add on case panels and sleeving will be really cool, as if a previous item or part had broken down and a new one was scavenged and replaced.

The case I will be using is something I've not seen many / if any watercooling projects with, the Phanteks Mini XL. Its a rather interesting case, allowing for a M-ATX build with a ton of room for radiator space and watercooling gear, or having an ITX  and M-ATX system in the same case; I will be going for an M-ATX build with lots of watercooling options. The case is made of steel, one of the main criteria for the build and imperative for the weathering/ distressing I have in mind. I first saw a Phanteks case at Overclockers UK and I was blown away by the build quality, accessories and options for watercooling support. Thanks to Chris for pointing them out to me! The case is pretty uncommon and again, the unusual styling will, I feel fit in with the overall premise behind the build.

I am still unsure of the other main components going in the build in regards to the CPU, board and GPU, I know for certain I will be going for a full loop with the CPU and GPU blocked up. I may wait and see whats going to be released by Intel for their next CPU iteration.

I plan to have the build done by the time Fallout 4 comes out and just in time for iSeries in December.

The first batch of updates will generally be the weathering and distressing of the case and some modding of the side panels and interior.

I will be updating the OP with a list of components when I have more fleshed out, same for watercooling gear.

Any sponsors or supports to the project will also be added here.

Right, lets get on with the build log with some of the work I have done so far. I will be taking lots of photos as I am mega excited for this build!

I did take some pics of the case, but they were corrupted after exporting the RAW files into Lightroom! D'oh!

The first job was to disassemble the case and figure out which parts were metal and which were aluminium. Most of the steel parts will be sanded down, either in patches or in full and weathered.

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The top panel is completely removable and every part can be unscrewed,  so epic that Phanteks do this, ideal if you want to paint the case or do some serious modding!

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I sanded the top down with some 160 Grit paper, down to the raw aluminium and applied tape to the areas I didn't want to get hit by spray paint when applying the safety stripes.

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Getting a perfect finish on the paint is not important. Flawlessly finished paint with a nice lacquer applied, simply will not work on this build!

Skipping forward 24 hours, the top layer of black spray was applied, the grill removed, sanded down to the bare steel and dipped in a solution of salt and water to encourage rust to develop. I was shocked when I came back into the workshop the next morning to find 5 years worth of rust in one night! Salt water rocks when rusting!

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To add a little more, subtle staining, I used some Warhammer/ Citadel paint (Nuln Oil) to add some nasty streaks onto the top

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This weathering will be subtle, as further staining will be adding down the line.

The top, side and bottom grills, which covered any intakes and pop out fan filters were removed, sanded and rusted with the salt water solution.

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The weathering came out amazing, I'm so happy with it. Some parts came out subtle whilst others came out really rusty, just as I'd hoped.

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Next up was the side panel. I continued the safety style stripes down on the side panel and began the weathering by sanding the paint down to allow some of the primer to show through. Additional deep scratches were added with the Dremel, files by running a screwdriver down the paint.

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The front panel was a nightmare to get the powder coating off, testament to the quality of the finish by Phanteks. After using sandpaper for while, I looked around for a sander, but we didn't have one in the workshop, I though I did, my sisters boyfriend had one and it made the job so much easier.

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The side panel was going to have a new window installed. The frosted acrylic side is just not for me, I prefer clear. I broke the dremel out again to remove the tabs.

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I used a large file to remove any slight bumps and then used a de-burring tool to remove any nasty sharp edges, these things are amazingly, super-epic and awesome.

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I did not protect the side panel whilst doing this, any metal flash or  dust would scratch the panel when I chopped off the tabs, adding to the damage, perfect.

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Quick and dirty chop up of some clear acrylic and the new window was sorted.

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Next, I drilled the holes for the side panel.

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Then the acrylic for the window was installed. I used some sockets, washers and nuts to affix the window. Big chunky sockets and washers will fit in with the aesthetic perfectly. I sanded the washers and bolts to remove the surface galvanizing to allow them to be weathered down the line.

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I had some ideas for the front panel, but I didn't know how to go about them. I could have got some insignia laser cut, but it would be too clean. After a little reflection, I did have some stickers for the build made up by my next door neighbor Andy.

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I decided to go for a cut out, illuminated front panel with 'VAULT 111' dremeled out.

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To get round the tiny edges and corners, I spent a few minutes in grinding a wheel down, super small to get into the hard to reach areas.

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Super happy with the outcome. I dinked some of the corners, added some scratches with the sandpaper and some needle point files.

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Mounted on the front, I was surprised how good it looked done by hand. It did take about 1 hour from start to finished, but I was pleased.

Some spare smoked acrylic came in handy from the side panel for the illumination of the front. The acrylic was sandwiched between the grill and front panel, the LED strips were applied to the grill with 3M  double sided mounting tape.

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Originally, I went for 2 small white LED strips, but it just wasn't bright enough or striking enough, so I replaced them with some more powerful blue strips, I also made them slightly longer for better 'lumination.

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That is basically all the work I have completed so far. Let me know what you think, I am always open to suggestions and changes. Obviously Fallout universe is set where the use of the silicon chip had never taken off, even though its set in the future and the course of events of history took a different arc, so all the gear we currently use in our PCs would not exist, but the build has to incorporate modern components,  with a twist.

I have also made a Fallout inspired 60% keyboard to accompany the build, as well as some bottlecaps, more to come with these, I will be doing some Quantum and Victory caps, as well as some Sasparilla caps too! :)

Additional pics here:- http://imgur.com/a/tEi8N

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Thanks so much for stopping by. As above, appreciate any feedback and suggestions! Until the next update. Pexon out!

/ / 6G V2 - MX Black / Choc Mini - MX Blue / HHKB Pro 2 (Anthracite) - Lubed and dental modded / Poker 2 - MX Black / Dell AT101W / Filco TKL(Beige) - MX Black / Filco TKL(Black) - MX Brown / V60- MX Red / V80 - MX Brown / Winkeyless B.Mini / RS84 / / 

@pexonpcs

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Nice, as a big Fallout fan, I love it. Though maybe a bit more blue and yellow.

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If you want my attention quote my post, or tag me. If you don't use PCPartPicker I will ignore your build.

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God damn, thats a nice looking case. Well, nice looking in that you want it to look worn, and it really does!

Really excited to see how this build plays out.

 

Saw your keyboard over on /r/mk, love it! Part of me really wants one, but my V60 that I got from you is too nice to mess with.

CPU: 6700k GPU: Zotac RTX 2070 S RAM: 16GB 3200MHz  SSD: 2x1TB M.2  Case: DAN Case A4

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Go with a dated build and throw in an ASUS Sabertooth X58.

 

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    KILLING IS HIS BUSINESS...

           AND BUSINESS

                IS GOOD!

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Nice, as a big Fallout fan, I love it. Though maybe a bit more blue and yellow.

 

I wanted to stay away from yellow and blue as its been done before. Perhaps some off yellow coolant would work well with the blue lighting as a little nod to the Vault-Tec colours would be a good idea. The idea with this build is for it to be pieced together, changed and modified over time. The rust will help in the idea that the PC is realllly old. This will not be the only Fallout  themed PC I will be working on, I have so many ideas for others, perhaps a shiny, new Vault-Tec rig in blue and yellow, Nuka Cola build or a small ITX build someone out in the wasteland takes around with them! :D

 

God damn, thats a nice looking case. Well, nice looking in that you want it to look worn, and it really does!

Really excited to see how this build plays out.

 

Saw your keyboard over on /r/mk, love it! Part of me really wants one, but my V60 that I got from you is too nice to mess with.

 

Thanks so much! :D I can't wait to get more work done on the case, if the reaction to the board is something to go off, hopefully a lot of people iwll be digging this build.

/ / 6G V2 - MX Black / Choc Mini - MX Blue / HHKB Pro 2 (Anthracite) - Lubed and dental modded / Poker 2 - MX Black / Dell AT101W / Filco TKL(Beige) - MX Black / Filco TKL(Black) - MX Brown / V60- MX Red / V80 - MX Brown / Winkeyless B.Mini / RS84 / / 

@pexonpcs

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Hmm. I'm not sure if I like this or not. Time will tell I guess.

 

Edit. Sorry if that sounds shit I'm just not sure how the colour scheme and so on fits with Vault Tec, who are always blue and yellow.

Area 51 2014. Intel 5820k@ 4.4ghz. MSI X99.16gb Quad channel ram. AMD Fury X.Asus RAIDR.OCZ ARC 480gb SSD. Velociraptor 600gb. 2tb WD.

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Hey guys, back with some more pics. This is the current state of the case, nearly complete, I just need to finish some of the weathering and decide what to do with the rear side panel. I am also going to be adding some stenciling, stickers and decals on the window and the rear side panel i think .

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Thanks for looking!
 

/ / 6G V2 - MX Black / Choc Mini - MX Blue / HHKB Pro 2 (Anthracite) - Lubed and dental modded / Poker 2 - MX Black / Dell AT101W / Filco TKL(Beige) - MX Black / Filco TKL(Black) - MX Brown / V60- MX Red / V80 - MX Brown / Winkeyless B.Mini / RS84 / / 

@pexonpcs

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Thanks so much Dami!

/ / 6G V2 - MX Black / Choc Mini - MX Blue / HHKB Pro 2 (Anthracite) - Lubed and dental modded / Poker 2 - MX Black / Dell AT101W / Filco TKL(Beige) - MX Black / Filco TKL(Black) - MX Brown / V60- MX Red / V80 - MX Brown / Winkeyless B.Mini / RS84 / / 

@pexonpcs

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Just brilliant !

|EVGA 850 P2| |1440p PG279Q| |X570 Aorus Extreme| |Ryzen 9 3950x WC| |FE 2080Ti WC|TridentZ Neo 64GB| |Samsung 970 EVO M.2 1TB x3

 |Logitech G900|K70 Cherry MX Speed|  |Logitech Z906 |  |HD650|  |CaseLabs SMA8 (one of the last ones made)

 

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Thanks guys! I need suggestions of what to do with the rear side panel :/ 

/ / 6G V2 - MX Black / Choc Mini - MX Blue / HHKB Pro 2 (Anthracite) - Lubed and dental modded / Poker 2 - MX Black / Dell AT101W / Filco TKL(Beige) - MX Black / Filco TKL(Black) - MX Brown / V60- MX Red / V80 - MX Brown / Winkeyless B.Mini / RS84 / / 

@pexonpcs

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What are you going to do for hardware and cooling? Maybe you could use copper pipe and for water cooling. That way you could make the pipes look rusty and aged.

Check out my YouTube channel here and don't forget to subscribe :D

Current build: Project Athena

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Not sure on the hardware side of things yet dude, will have to wait and see what Intel are coming out with. Alternatively, I could go back a few years and go for some 1156 stuff to tie in with the theme, again not sure yet, happy to be suggested stuff. 

 

I have a roll of copper pipe here and I plan to use push-in fittings. The copper, once immersed in salt water will go all horrible, perfect for this theme. The little bit of colour will also contrast against the case too! :) 

/ / 6G V2 - MX Black / Choc Mini - MX Blue / HHKB Pro 2 (Anthracite) - Lubed and dental modded / Poker 2 - MX Black / Dell AT101W / Filco TKL(Beige) - MX Black / Filco TKL(Black) - MX Brown / V60- MX Red / V80 - MX Brown / Winkeyless B.Mini / RS84 / / 

@pexonpcs

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Nice! I'm a huge fan of Phanteks cases as well, but I can't say I've ever seen anybody use a Mini XL before. Great job!

Main Rig "Melanie" (click!) -- AMD Ryzen7 1800X • Gigabyte Aorus X370-Gaming 5 • 3x G.SKILL TridentZ 3200 8GB • Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 Gaming • Corsair RM750x • Phanteks Enthoo Pro --

HTPC "Keira" -- AMD Sempron 2650 • MSI AM1I • 2x Kingston HyperX Fury DDR3 1866 8GB • ASUS ENGTX 560Ti • Corsair SF450 • Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV Shift --

Laptop "Abbey" -- AMD E-350 • HP 646982-001 • 1x Samsung DDR3 1333 4GB • AMD Radeon HD 6310 • HP MU06 Notebook Battery • HP 635 case --

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Nice! Subbed

[spoiler=Blue^3http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/388528-blue3/ I5 4690k | Asrock Z97 Pro4 mATX | RAM: Corsair Vengeance (2x4GB) Blue Edition and Corsair Vengeance (2x4GB) Black Edition | GPU: XFX DD R9 390x | PSU: Corsair AX760 | SSD: Samsung 840- 120GB | Hard Drives: 2x1TB WD Blue | Watercooling Kit: XSPC Raystorm 240 

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Thanks guys! The Phanteks cases are really awesome! 

/ / 6G V2 - MX Black / Choc Mini - MX Blue / HHKB Pro 2 (Anthracite) - Lubed and dental modded / Poker 2 - MX Black / Dell AT101W / Filco TKL(Beige) - MX Black / Filco TKL(Black) - MX Brown / V60- MX Red / V80 - MX Brown / Winkeyless B.Mini / RS84 / / 

@pexonpcs

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Hey guys!

Time for another update, albeit a small one. I did hint that I had been working on some ideas for the cables. I have used Teleios sleeving in Mid blue and Yellow and had a play about with some distressing ideas.

I have used a solution of strong coffee to stain the sleeving. First outcome was very successful. The coffee/ heat made some of the dye in the plastic material to leach out and the overall colour of the sleeving was dulled down, perfect! I have also burnt some of the sleeving away using a jet lighter and used some dye, ink and sharpie pen to mark some of the spots and burns to add some texture. Clear shrink is a nice idea as I can put some coffee underneath it before shrinking, for even more gnar.

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The photos were quickly snapped with my Note 4 so the quality isn't great!

On a side note, I have started to spray the panels and case with laquer to protect and ensure the weathering done so far will stay put!

Thanks for looking :)

/ / 6G V2 - MX Black / Choc Mini - MX Blue / HHKB Pro 2 (Anthracite) - Lubed and dental modded / Poker 2 - MX Black / Dell AT101W / Filco TKL(Beige) - MX Black / Filco TKL(Black) - MX Brown / V60- MX Red / V80 - MX Brown / Winkeyless B.Mini / RS84 / / 

@pexonpcs

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I am not a big Fallout fan, but I can appreciate the aesthetic of this particular build. Very thorough. Good job.

Current System: Corsair Graphite 760T White/ Asus X99-S / Intel Core i7 5820K / Corsair H100i GTX / EVGA Titan X SuperClocked / HyperX Fury 4x8GB 2666mhz DDR4/ Corsair AX1500i / Intel 750 PCIe SSD 400gb / Samsung Evo 840 500gb / WD Green 4TB x2 / WD Green 3TB /  OCZ Agility 3 120gb

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Thanks a lot! Means a lot that you are not a fan, but you like this :)

/ / 6G V2 - MX Black / Choc Mini - MX Blue / HHKB Pro 2 (Anthracite) - Lubed and dental modded / Poker 2 - MX Black / Dell AT101W / Filco TKL(Beige) - MX Black / Filco TKL(Black) - MX Brown / V60- MX Red / V80 - MX Brown / Winkeyless B.Mini / RS84 / / 

@pexonpcs

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Cheers! :D

/ / 6G V2 - MX Black / Choc Mini - MX Blue / HHKB Pro 2 (Anthracite) - Lubed and dental modded / Poker 2 - MX Black / Dell AT101W / Filco TKL(Beige) - MX Black / Filco TKL(Black) - MX Brown / V60- MX Red / V80 - MX Brown / Winkeyless B.Mini / RS84 / / 

@pexonpcs

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Hey guys. Time for another update. I managed to have a little play about this evening after some food and finishing up in the workshop.

Just got in and imported these pics. I had a go at messing up the acrylic on the side panel. I used a few methods to weather and create the damage. First off, I drilled out some random holes on the acrylic, a hammer was used to smash out the gaps in between the drills holes, this worked pretty damn well. There were some random cracks and even some parts of the acrylic that just came clean off.

I used a dremel to add some more cracks and dinks. I applied some solder cleaner/ IPA and lit aflame, this just smoothed over some of the sharp edges and the heat warped the panel a little bit. Nice!

I also managed to whip up a small LED strip to go along the bottom of the case to illuminate the panel. I may change the lighting in the case as you can see the strip if you look down on the case and into the main chamber, its just distracting, perhaps I can find a way to refract the light a little more.

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Thanks for looking! :D

/ / 6G V2 - MX Black / Choc Mini - MX Blue / HHKB Pro 2 (Anthracite) - Lubed and dental modded / Poker 2 - MX Black / Dell AT101W / Filco TKL(Beige) - MX Black / Filco TKL(Black) - MX Brown / V60- MX Red / V80 - MX Brown / Winkeyless B.Mini / RS84 / / 

@pexonpcs

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Looks really sweet!

Dis track?  Jesus christ why'd we even fight a war?  - Ron Cadillac

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