Twin Core X9's - Name TBD (updated)

[Exotath]

So...bear with me on this one. I started this project nearly two years ago and then a bunch of life stuff happened and I dumped it in a corner and then struggled to pick it back up. Now that I have gotten back into it I feel like I am rediscovering my love for enthusiast computing, and it has been a great feeling and a big help in getting through some stuff. Since I was a teenager and built my first computer I've always wanted to do a crazy over the top custom loop build. I've done many water cooled builds over the years but they were pretty generic. Now, in my thirties, I have the resources and some know how to make that "dream" become a reality.

 

This is the first time I've ever done a customized case project of this scale, and I am learning A LOT as I go. I've made some mistakes, some uneven cuts, and even redone some stuff. It won't be perfect but I'm trying my best to get as close to perfect as I can within my abilities. Somethings I kinda was like...well I'm not perfect so this is a good reflection of that. 

The general plan is to stack two gutted Thermaltake Core X9's on top of eachother and make a dual loop hardline system in it. The lowest level will house the radiators, pumps, and some reservoirs, while the top will house the hardware and the cooling will pass up to it. The top will have a glass window front, top, and sides. 

In terms of practicality....well....it isn't. This is just what I thought would look cool and I've got a vision in my head that I tweak as I go. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Here are some pictures of where I started about two years ago and my next post will show my recent progress and changes.

Working on the next post/batch of pics.

[Exotath]

Originally I thought I wanted to do a black/green/purple build but I've since scrapped that idea and want to do a white/silver/black build.
I've done lots of cutting and filing of all the edges and cut areas getting ready for primer.

These next few images should give a good idea of what I am looking to accomplish.
______

Ordered a custom cut glass top for the case.

 

The system will ride on casters for easy moving.


Plotting out where to punch the pipe pass throughs to the top from the lower deck.

 

Annnnd drilled out.



Reservoirs from the lower deck under the top deck. Lots of reservoirs in this.



Front window cutout.



Planning the radiators/pumps layout.


Bitspower brackets for the Bitspower reservoirs.


More pics on the way.

[TheGlenlivet]

Wow.  That thing has to be 4 feet tall and weigh 50 lbs, before you put any hardware it it.  This looks interesting...

[NoxiousOdor]

This is looking to be a pretty sweet build, I am looking forward to seeing more

 

[Exotath]

The top reservoirs will need support so they don't move when I roll/move the case so I cut/bent some by hand out of sheet aluminum. Not bad for a dremmel and a hammer.
 

I punched the pass throughs for the bottom decks. EK fittings.


Res to res.



What looking through the front window will be like.


2x Thermaltake Core X9 tempered glass side panels to replace the standard ones.


Loving how that looks. More to come as I head into painting.

[Exotath]

And now we are caught up to this past weekend and where I will make continued progress to finish this summer.

This past weekend I sanded, washed, wiped, and then primed the parts.

All washed and drying in the sun.


Learning the hard way that if I plan to do more projects like this I should invest in a good paint system. 


Forgot to mention I cut the top portion of the side case panels out for the bottom deck so that the bottom reservoirs will be visible. 


More priming..



All done with primer.




Next weekend I will move on to wet sanding and then start on the first coat for the final color. I want to do like a pearlescent white.

Thank you for visiting and sharing with me!

[TheGlenlivet]

2 minutes ago, Valermos said:

Next weekend I will move on to wet sanding and then start on the first coat for the final color. I want to do like a pearlescent white.

What about the system specs?

[Christophe Corazza]

That looks insane! I like it though 

 

Indeed, what kind of hardware are you planning to install in this beast?

[Exotath]

12 minutes ago, TheGlenlivet said:

What about the system specs?

Great question haha! So far I think I may just stick my existing X99 system in there. I think it still has plenty of life and power. I was hoping the new 8 core coffee lakes would be out by now but...they aren't so I'll prob stick with my system.

5820K, does 4.5Ghz
Asus X99 Deluxe
32GB DDR 2666Mhz
960 Evo
Titan X (Pascal 2016)

I also already have blocks for the X99 mosfet and the cpu/gpu.

[Christophe Corazza]

41 minutes ago, Valermos said:

In terms of practicality....well....it isn't. This is just what I thought would look cool and I've got a vision in my head that I tweak as I go. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Is there any other reasoning to this madness rather than you thought it would look cool? 

[Exotath]

2 minutes ago, Christophe Corazza said:

 

Is there any other reasoning to this madness rather than you thought it would look cool? 

I suppose the desire to create something personal. I've built so many computers in cases and it never felt like "mine" or satisfactory. I put hardware in a case and threw in a loop. I wanted to do something more and create something that I felt was mine. If that makes any sense. I always wanted to do hardline tubing and stuff like cutting my own windows etc so this is like checking off a bucket list of things I always wanted to do in one big project lol. 

[Christophe Corazza]

2 minutes ago, Valermos said:

I suppose the desire to create something personal. I've built so many computers in cases and it never felt like "mine" or satisfactory. I put hardware in a case and threw in a loop. I wanted to do something more and create something that I felt was mine. If that makes any sense. I always wanted to do hardline tubing and stuff like cutting my own windows etc so this is like checking off a bucket list of things I always wanted to do in one big project lol. 

 

It's indeed a lot of custom work that is required. However, from the pictures that you've uploaded I can imagine that the final result will definitely look incredible and unique. I'm quite interested to see how it evolves 

[Exotath]

Going to wet sand the primer this weekend and hopefully start on the base color coat if time permits. 

 

I messaged Thermaltake to ask about the tint percent/color of their side panels so I can hopefully buy matching tinted glass for the other windows I cut. Or tint them myself somehow if I need to.

[Christophe Corazza]

44 minutes ago, Valermos said:

Going to wet sand the primer this weekend and hopefully start on the base color coat if time permits. 

 

I messaged Thermaltake to ask about the tint percent/color of their side panels so I can hopefully buy matching tinted glass for the other windows I cut. Or tint them myself somehow if I need to.

 

Do you have an isolated area to paint these panels? I’m definitely no expert, but if you want them in a whitish colour, you’ll easily see all the dust that settles on the freshly painted surfaces.

[Exotath]

17 minutes ago, Christophe Corazza said:

 

Do you have an isolated area to paint these panels? I’m definitely no expert, but if you want them in a whitish colour, you’ll easily see all the dust that settles on the freshly painted surfaces.

Painting them in my garage is about the best I can do, not too worried about dust as I'll bring them in to cure and will be doing a clear coat with a wet sand and polish on the finish too. Should take care of any imperfections.

[Exotath]

So....an update.... 

 

I did the final paint over the weekend, and I am not sure what happened. But the white ended up with a yellowish dirty like tint. I don't want to talk about it much more than that.

 

Overwhelming disappointment right now considering how much I just put into this to have to redo it.

 

I have to repaint it. 

[TekRed]

9 hours ago, Valermos said:

So....an update.... 

 

I did the final paint over the weekend, and I am not sure what happened. But the white ended up with a yellowish dirty like tint. I don't want to talk about it much more than that.

 

Overwhelming disappointment right now considering how much I just put into this to have to redo it.

 

I have to repaint it. 

White is the least forgiven color to paint you have to be in a really clean environment, best to have concrete floors and wet the floor before painting to keep any dust from coming up. Gloss Black is also a pain to paint as any imperfection in the clear shows up like a sore thumb, I use to have a paint shop so if you want any advise let me know 

[Exotath]

1 hour ago, TekRed said:

White is the least forgiven color to paint you have to be in a really clean environment, best to have concrete floors and wet the floor before painting to keep any dust from coming up. Gloss Black is also a pain to paint as any imperfection in the clear shows up like a sore thumb, I use to have a paint shop so if you want any advise let me know 

It went wrong somewhere with the clear coat I am guessing. But yes white took an insane amount of care and still wasn't a great finnish. I think I am just going to sand it this weekend and do a type satin grey. 

[TekRed]

2 minutes ago, Valermos said:

It went wrong somewhere with the clear coat I am guessing. But yes white took an insane amount of care and still wasn't a great finnish. I think I am just going to sand it this weekend and do a type satin grey. 

You said you took them inside after painting? Dramatic temperature changes will also affect the paint, also not all clear coats work with all paints so make sure they are compatible. If you are clear coating them with spray cans I would highly recommend getting a cheap spray gun and some automotive clear as they are usually self leveling and are a lot more forgiving than spray can clear. 

[Exotath]

20 minutes ago, TekRed said:

You said you took them inside after painting? Dramatic temperature changes will also affect the paint, also not all clear coats work with all paints so make sure they are compatible. If you are clear coating them with spray cans I would highly recommend getting a cheap spray gun and some automotive clear as they are usually self leveling and are a lot more forgiving than spray can clear. 

Yea I brought them in after about an hour, wanted to avoid as many contaminants as possible since I am pretty far from having anything professional for it. My brother in law has an air compressor and spray gun, gonna see if he will help me out. Any recommendations on paint would be much appreciated. I'd been watching youtube paint tip vids for about a month, everything went fine until this last coat. 

 

Temperature outside was high 80's inside was 74ish (fahrenheit).

[TekRed]

26 minutes ago, Valermos said:

Yea I brought them in after about an hour, wanted to avoid as many contaminants as possible since I am pretty far from having anything professional for it. My brother in law has an air compressor and spray gun, gonna see if he will help me out. Any recommendations on paint would be much appreciated. I'd been watching youtube paint tip vids for about a month, everything went fine until this last coat. 

 

Temperature outside was high 80's inside was 74ish (fahrenheit).

I always used Nason 2 part clear, meaning base color is separate, it's a 2k urathene clear coat. Make sure if you use it to mix the right amount of thinner and activator, it's says it on the can. You can get it at oriellys, and for your base I would recommend the rustoleum from Walmart as I always had great results with that spray paint with the nason clear coat when painting smaller objects and didn't want to mix up any paint. Do not let the clear coat completely dry before adding additional coats cause then you will need to wait at least 24 hours before applying additional coats. I would always test my spray on a scrap piece then I could use that to check the tac before adding more coats, 15 mintues between coats is ideal. Also I would highly recommend getting some tac rags and wipe everything down before painting. Hope this helps and good luck

 

Edit, added some pics of what I recommend as I had great results with these products

[Exotath]

Thank you for the recommendations @TekRed! 

[Voxels-Box]

How fine of a grit did you wet sand down to?  When I was painting some case panels I did, I ended up sanding down to 3000 grit, and when I did the clear coat, it crinkled up like cellophane wrapping in some areas.  Did you use any isopropyl alcohol or mentholated spirits before clear coating?

[Christophe Corazza]

6 hours ago, TekRed said:

White is the least forgiven color to paint

 

Says the guy that decided to paint his case completely white  

[Christophe Corazza]

15 hours ago, Valermos said:

So....an update.... 

 

I did the final paint over the weekend, and I am not sure what happened. But the white ended up with a yellowish dirty like tint. I don't want to talk about it much more than that.

 

Overwhelming disappointment right now considering how much I just put into this to have to redo it.

 

I have to repaint it. 

 

I'm sorry to hear that. Progress was going so well!

I don't have sufficient experience to give you any advice about what you could do to solve the problem. (You might even reck your build when listening to my "painting advice" )

However, @TekRed should know a thing or two about painting , so I highly suggest considering his advice.