WingmanImd

If you want, you can buy an used 7950/7970 (even tough that will draw quite a bit more power. I wouldn't recommend using something less than a good 450/500w power supply). I know it's used but It's twice the performance, just search some benchmarks. I bought a used 7950 for about $100(~70 pounds) and never had any problems with it. Just consider upgrading your CPU after that, the 860k will seriously bottleneck the system. I had a 760k and now a G3258 4,4GHz and my 7950 doesnt go above 50% usage in anything I used it in. hope this helps!

DON'T VACUUM you PC, you can brek it (also don't let you cat play inside it, I learned this the hard way). Find a air compressor and blow use it to blow the dust away.  

DON'T VACUUM you PC, you can brek it (also don't let you cat play inside it, I learned this the hard way). Find a air compressor and blow use it to blow the dust away.  

adobe premier
tho it aint 80$
 
http://store.steampowered.com/app/330070/
maybe this?

It's perfectly safe to use, and I highly recommend it over Notepad++. 

Nope, it doesnt shot the tick on my pc.  Still have to pay!

Hey guys! 
 
Team PEXON are at iSeries this weekend and I have bought Vault 111 along too. 
 
As I was not able to get the RAM before the final photos and videos, I will have to wait to take some proper shots after the weekend. 
 
BIG thanks to AVEXIR for providing the RAM for the build!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, well, well. What an absolutely crazy few days. I've been working like a trooper to get the project finished up.

I did have some issues with some of the EK blocks not fitting correctly, so to save messing about with any RMA, I just bought another and a backplate.

I have got some other in progress shots, however, I am eager to get onto Fallout 4 now as I've not had chance to play it yet! :'(

Without much furtherado... here are some pics























































Photographs were taken with a Canon 70D with a 17-50mm f/2.8 and Manfrotto BeFree tripod.

I also got some amazing help from my friend Tom, who helped me out with a lovely video of the build. We used an outdoor storage area, in an old school house. There was plenty of old tarp, cans, propane tanks, bottles of various cleaning fluids and general junk.

Be sure to watch the video, its pretty epic, even if I do say so myself!

ygFKgw8LEnk

Video shot on Panasonic GH4 @1080p 50fps

Final list of components used :-

Intel i5 6600K
MSI B150M Mortar    
Corsair Dominator DDR4 2866MHz (2x8GB)
MSI GTX980Ti
Kingston SSDNOW300 120GB
Seagate 500GB SSHD
SuperFlower Leadex 1000W GOLD PSU

Custom sleeved PSU cables
Blue and white LED strips

Alphacool Susurro 120mm fans (blue) x7
Nanoxia Deep Silence 120mm fans x2
Alphacool NexXxos XP3 CPU block
Alphacool 13-10mm compression fittings (black)
Mayhems 13-10mm tubing
Aquacomputer Double Protect Ultra Blue
EK GTX 980 Ti TF5 Full-Cover water block (Acetel)
EK GTX 980 TF5 Backplate (Acetel)
Alphacool VPP655 and plexi-top
Alphacool Cape Corp Coolplex Pro 15 LT


I just want to say thanks to the following people/ companies:-

Momma and mini pexon
Chris, Steven and everyone @Overclockers (overclockers.co.uk)
Tom @MSI UK   (uk.msi.com/)
Pas and Eddie @Aquatuning UK (https://www.aquatuning.co.uk/)

Hugggge thanks to my friends Tom (video magician) and Ryan for helping out with the set up and lighting and of course, to everyone who has been following the build, thanks for the kind words, comments and suggestions. Its been one hell of a ride!

.... lets go boy


 

Hey guys, time for another update!
 
@Aw27, thanks for the kind comments. I am dubious of making it look, too form over function. I did think about options for the GPU, but its done a fair amount nowadays and again, I don't want it to be too form over function.

The new board arrived on friday afternoon. The B150 is potentially an interim board as the z170M version has been delayed. If the Z170 doesn't come through, I will just stick with the B150. I plan on using the 6600K with it, even compared to my current 2500K and 280X, the 980ti and 6000K will blow it out the water, good job considering I am going 4K.











The awesome reinforced PCI-e slot



Going to test the board and the GPU before I go to town with the weathering on the heatsinks

























Thanks  for looking guys.

Again, a HUGE thank you to MSI for supporting this project

Hey guys! Time for another update and another very awesomely epic update.

I am very proud to announce that MSI have been so gracious been so gracious to offer support the project.





















HUGE thank you to Tom @ MSI UK for helping out with the project. I will be ordering the CPU immediately and the mobo should be in tomorrow. Once all the gear is tested, the watercooling and weathering can commence! Not going to enjoy weathering such nice expensive gear, but it has to be done to fit in with the theme.

Since the last update, I've been so busy with work, but I did manage to get a few things done, namely some accessories, Nuka Cola bottle and other items I am still working on/ wondering how to finish.







BIG thanks to Chris at Overclockers for sorting this awesome little 3-D printed Vault-Boy out too!



Thanks so much for looking, hopefully some more updates soon!

Well.. no response from either of the places I contact in regards to the brass plaque

Anyway, small update ahoy!

My toggle switch came in. It looks proper awesome! It came with a fighter pilot style missle switch, as well as an old school on/off faschia.





I also thought the front 5.25" bays would be a great place for one of the Vault 111 vinyl stickers.



and after some nice weathering...











Shame the font is not quite there to fit in with the style, its more Bioshock styled

I, personally prefer the fighter pilot style switch, so I weathered that first.







I also managed to get a plaque for the window side panel sorted out. There was a spare piece of steel that came off one of the panels of the case, I think it could have been on the front, but I have no idea, there is so much to the case!

I sanded the powder coating off and using a 9v battery, 2 wires (9v and ground), dipped the ground into a salt water solution and a cotton bud and starting randomly etching into the steel. There was some sweet grime coming off and after about 20 minutes, I got something I was happy with.



The vinyl stickers were applied before the etching and weathered once I was finished.





The white spots are from some 3M spray on contact adhesive which  was then light aflame using a Turbo lighter to create the burn marks and add some more gnar to the look of the plaque.

I used the same lighter to take off some of the shine of the vinyl sticker, I deliberately went too far on some of the edges, randomly to ensure a natural, weathered look!

Thanks for stopping by. I also got some work on wiring the bottom 4 fans too, will update tomorrow!

Cheers,

James

Hey guys, I'm back with another update.

I am very happy to say that I have my first sponsor for this build, Overclockers! They have very kindly supplied with a Super Flower Leadex 1000W Gold PSU. I have worked with Overclockers on various project utilizing these PSUs and they are truly epic units. The build quality is awesome, they are quiet and easy to make cables for. Just go and look at any review for these PSUs and you will see how well they fair!  

I was after a Leadex PSU for one reason, the fact that they have universal connectors for EPS, PCI, Molex and SATA, this means I can switch and swap the positining of connectors and not have to worry about the lengths. If I need to, I can do all the cables for the GPU and EPS connectors off just 2 PSU connectors, meaning I can run the pump, fans etc straight from the PSU, no need for Molex male and females, adapters and so on.

Thanks again to Mark, Steven and Chris at Overclockers!


www.overclockers.co.uk



Here are some pics of the beaut!





























I didn't waste much time on getting some cables made up! A simple Molex cable in a chain of 3 to power all the LED strips in the case



Got the cables and strips sleeved and terminated in the top left of the case.



Worked a treat!







I did actually remove the bottom LED strip and make a new one. The original one was stuck on the floor of the case, I actually installed the new one on the lip of the case, where the side panel goes on, so it cannot be seen, the glow is a little more subtle too.



Thats it for this update, I am so happy I got the PSU, now I can work on cables, even after I finished working on them for customers all day lol!

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.


































Thanks for looking!

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.











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

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 .









































Thanks for looking!
 

Hello!



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.



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!



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.







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!





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





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.











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.



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.

















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.





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.





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.



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.





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



Next, I drilled the holes for the side panel.



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.







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.



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



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.





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





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.







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.





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









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

Lets continue the trend!
http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/477593-i-linused-a-pc-fan/
http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/495037-i-linused-a-router/
 
This time it is the stand for a monitor in my garage.

 
It hangs upside down from the shelf above it.

 
I modified it so that the tension spring for the height adjust is upside down, and I also made it so the tilt works upside down. Swivel works as is.

 
This is where my F@H rig lives, for now. I will use it as a research PC and music player, but I need a cable to go to the stereo on the other side of the garage first.
 
Should I continue the trend of things being Linus'ed? What things have you Linus'ed?

I am thinking these should be come a thing. First I Linus'ed a PC fan: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/477593-i-linused-a-pc-fan/
 
And now I Linus'ed a router.
 
Story: My F@H rig needed a way to communicate with the series of tubes full of cats, also known as the internet. My newest WIFI card is officially supported with OSes up to windows XP. So obviously that will not work.
 
Two other machines in my house are using routers flashed with DDWRT which allows me to use them as wireless bridges. I thought I might as well do this for this PC, but I do not have any power supplies for this crappy old router. I thought I might as well use the PSU in the PC, but then I decided to just put the whole router in the PC. So I did. This PC has slots for screws to slide into for the optical drives, so I took my router apart, soldered wires to the power connector, and then here is the fun part:
 
I trimmed the PCB to match the width of the slot.

 
The PCB had about 1/2in of ground plane on each side without any power planes or other traces running through the middle (modern PCBs often have multiple layers of traces) so I just trimmed it with my tablesaw. Then I just slid it in like a disk drive. The front fan keeps it cooled down.
 
Another nice thing about this router is that its antennas are connected to a standard wireless card. So the antennas could be mounted in a place other than the back of the board.

 
Powering the router was easy enough, it runs on 5V at like 2A with a derpy power connector, which is why I did not have a power supply for it.

 
So how does this interface to the PC itself? The answer is very simple:

 

 
And it works! Would I suggest doing this on your PC? No, because it is stupid. But it works!

now mount it with a yoyo that has orange string

The case matches the MB perfectly. Great job!