HELIOS - ASSEMBLED 2015-SEP-06 - (Caselabs SMH10 | Black/Copper | EVGA SR-2 )

[Nicktrance]

I think I like the idea of black fittings to avoid having too much copper

[alpenwasser]

I kind of like the idea of the black ones to give some contrast.

 

P.S. FINALLY ANOTHER UPDATE RELATING TO THE BUILD!!!

 

Yes, I've been thinking the same thing.

 

I'd go with black fittings. Think it would look better.

 

I don't like the bitspower ones, though... I'd search for completely black fitting (without a label on them)

 

It might be possible to wipe off the logo, it is with Alphacool fittings (their angles have

a logo on them as well). But Leaving aside the logo, I'm not sure where else I'll be able

to find a fitting that actually fits my needs with regards to dual-male threads, color and

build quality.

Also, BP quality is second to none, so if the price I need to pay for that (besides lots

of monies :lol: ) is a logo, I can probably live with that (plus, it might not look so bad in

combo with the copper pipes, who knows).

 

I would choose the black fittings. I think the contrast would make it look more amazeballs

 

Agreed with everyone else. Copper is great but contrast would help tremendously IMO

 

Noted, and thank you!

 

Black, but not betfenix ones! Unles you can get rid off that logo. I dislike that personally.

 

*Bitspower, not Bitfenix

As for the logo, see above, but thank you.

 

That matte black look of those fittings would look awesome with some shiny copper tube! I say go with the Bitspower fittings As you and everyone else has said, the contrast would be very nice

 

I've been leaning in that direction as well, thanks!

 

You had me at nipples... BLACK FITTINGS!

 

Oh, you! :rolleyes:

 

Black fittings. Black is the new black

 

Yes it is. And it always will be.

 

Use black fittings. if you make everything is your build one color there will be no contrast. Black + Copper =

 

Noted.

 

I think I like the idea of black fittings to avoid having too much copper

As do I, more and more.

OK then, folks, I think we all know how that went.

People on other forums have been heavily leaning towards black fittings as well,

and so am I at the moment. I will however need to pay some rather significant bills

in October and November, so it will likely be end of year (if not later) until I've saved

up enough money to buy the fittings. Plus, I need to actually be able to get me

those BP fittings (no reseller carries the ones I need, so I'll need to get them from

BP directly, hoping that will work).

Thanks for the input, it is very much appreciated!

[Raboo]

I would go for the black fittings.

[alpenwasser]

I like the idea of the black fittings with copper tubing man, it would go along well with the rest of your build..in terms of cables. You need different colors to break up the lines. To much of anything as they say doesn't work sometimes. I dont know how you feel about the bitspower logo, will the affect your look or you like it? Just do a mock up maybe. Put a small bit of copper tube up, put a black fitting at either end and see, than a copper fitting at either end, and pick which one you like the most

 

Yes, I'm thinking black fittings would provide a nice bit of contrast, thanks! 

 

I would go for the black fittings.

 

That's where I'm headed as it looks at the moment, thanks! 

[Kiwiandapple]

So uhm, I think you should really go for those black bitfenix fittings! Their logo is pretty awesome to be fair. 

 

Ok, not that funny.. anyway: after you said that the logo would maybe even not look that bad.. I looked at them again and have to agree, the gold small accents.. with copper won't be that bad. Ofcourse I still have to see. Maybe do a test fit? Get 2 fittings and a piece off scrap copper that you have left and do a test fit and see how it looks? 

[alpenwasser]

So uhm, I think you should really go for those black bitfenix fittings! Their logo is pretty awesome to be fair.

:rolleyes:

Ok, not that funny.. anyway: after you said that the logo would maybe even not look that bad.. I looked at them again and have to agree, the gold small accents.. with copper won't be that bad. Ofcourse I still have to see. Maybe do a test fit? Get 2 fittings and a piece off scrap copper that you have left and do a test fit and see how it looks?

Not sure about test ordering. It would be nice of course, but since I'll most likely

need to order directly from BP and they're based out of Taiwan shipping costs for such

a venture would probably be disproportionately high, so I think I'll order it all at

once when I've made a final decision.

[alpenwasser]

Colour-Coordinating the RAM Blocks

We all know copper is goodness. But, like so many treasures on this planet, it should not occur

in overabundance so as to keep its specialness. While I do really like the Alphacool RAM blocks,

I was never perfectly happy with either version available. The POM top is just too much black

with not enough copper, while the plexi top puts so much copper on show that it renders it less

effective in the overall effect IMO.

So, over the past ten days or so, I've been working on fixing that. I forgot to buy normal primer,

so I just did three coats of etch primer. Not exactly by the book, but such is life. If this

had been a really prominend piece with a large surface area I would have gone out and bought

some normal primer, but for such a small piece this was adequate.

After that, I gave it five coats of black, sanding it down with various grits between 1200 and

5000 after each coat, depending on how bumpy the most recent surface was (it's been rather rainy

and cold here, not at all optimal conditions for painting, and I can't do it in the apartment

because we have clients coming by here, so it can't smell like paint :lol: ). Anyway, eventually

I got a nice and smooth black surface, to which I then added two layers of clear coat, sanding

and polishing them down as well. Unfortunately, one of the pieces slipped off the table today

and got its paint job banged up, so I need to redo the last stages on that. Hence, only one

piece in the last few shots.

Anyway, this is what the RAM blocks look stock, and with black screws I swapped out to reduce

the amount of copper:

(click image for full res)

Masking the blocks:

(click image for full res)

And in black, without the clear coat yet:

(click image for full res)

Right after taking off the masking tape, you can see the edges are still very raw:

(click image for full res)

Interestingly, the plexi tops are polished on the sides and the top side, but not the side

which comes into contact with the water, giving it a slightly milky appearance. Can't have

that of course. Left is the polished block (5000 grit paper, wet, then 10 000 polishing compound

and my trusty random orbital sander with a felt pad).

(click image for full res)

The cold plate, clear coated and polished:

(click image for full res)

And from another angle...

(click image for full res)

And assembled:

(click image for full res)

(click image for full res)

The finish is not absolutely perfect. Part of that is simply due to the geometry of the

cold plate, which won't really allow proper sanding without taking off too much paint in

some parts, so no matter how many coats you apply, you're always going to take off just a

little too much at some corner or edge if you want it to be perfect everywhere else, meaning

you need to apply another coat and so on. If it were a huge flat panel it would probably

have been simpler in that regard.

Other reasons for imperfections are the rather cold and damp weather we've been having here,

which has just not really allowed the paint to flow ideally. Unfortunately, my dad has part

of his business at home, so there are clients coming by from time to time, which means I can't

paint in the comparably warm and dry apartment.

And lastly, of course, is simply my inexperience. I have done a bit of painting before, but

this was my first attempt at a proper flat gloss job. The bracket for the GPU block was a bit

of a different beast since I wanted to get that powder coat-like finish, which didn't require

as much sanding and polishing, obviously (but still took be a bit to get right, the droplets

had a tendency to be of very varying sizes, which was of no use of course).

But overall I'm still very happy with it considering it's the first time I've done something

like this. The imperfections are there, but you can't really see them unless there's really

good lighing coming in just from the right angle. I'm definitely looking forward to doing

some more of this in the future and honing my skills (yes, yes, I'm aware I could just give

it to a body shop or something like that, but where would the fun in that be).

[Kiwiandapple]

:rolleyes:

Not sure about test ordering. It would be nice of course, but since I'll most likely

need to order directly from BP and they're based out of Taiwan shipping costs for such

a venture would probably be disproportionately high, so I think I'll order it all at

once when I've made a final decision.

 

Ow yes, woops - completely forgot about that. Uhm, I assume you have looked around for those things in out countrys around Germany? 

[alpenwasser]

Ow yes, woops - completely forgot about that. Uhm, I assume you have looked around for those things in out countrys around Germany?

Yup, I have, but the ones I need are not available locally (or at any reseller

I've found, for that matter). Besides, I've heard that ordering from BP directly

prices are a bit better, which might save me a bit of money for a large order

where shipping costs are no longer such a proportionally large factor.

[Kiwiandapple]

Yup, I have, but the ones I need are not available locally (or at any reseller

I've found, for that matter). Besides, I've heard that ordering from BP directly

prices are a bit better, which might save me a bit of money for a large order

where shipping costs are no longer such a proportionally large factor.

 

Just be sure it works and you are happy with it! That's all that mathers in the end. Would suck if you spend.. a boatload off money and then get them and have to send them back because they just dont fit! Dog consultant told you so ..it wasn't 3/4" ! 

[onevoicewild]

There you go again! showing off with the 5000 grit - he he he that is just beautiful and much improved from the original. It's amazing how the contrast improves something that looks great to start with! Your good Boy!

[TheYoungEnthusiast]

My god... Those are beautiful!

[Raboo]

OMG Ram blocks 

[AxelPeeters]

I love ramblocks cause they are so unnesessary and overkill but they look awesome though

[alpenwasser]

Just be sure it works and you are happy with it! That's all that mathers in the end. Would suck if you spend.. a boatload off money and then get them and have to send them back because they just dont fit! Dog consultant told you so ..it wasn't 3/4" !

 

Haha, yeah that would be a bit of a bummer... :rolleyes:

 

There you go again! showing off with the 5000 grit - he he he that is just beautiful and much improved from the original. It's amazing how the contrast improves something that looks great to start with! Your good Boy!

Yeah I'm really pretty happy with the result. I'm probably going to order some copper

screws and see how they look on it though, might be better now with the black paint.

Can't use the ones that came with the blocks as they have been repurposed for the

res and GPU block (and shortened).

What I really like about this is that now the copper on show also has nice round

corners just like the Raystorm blocks, which gives a neat and consistent look IMO.

 

My god... Those are beautiful!

 

 

OMG Ram blocks 

 

Thanks guys!

 

I love ramblocks cause they are so unnesessary and overkill but they look awesome though

Haha, yes they're definitely unnecessary. But I do like the look of them.

[flibberdipper]

Bet AW can't wait to start using this.

[alpenwasser]

Bet AW can't wait to start using this.

Don't get me started...

I might have to put it together in a temporary state until I can order the fittings,

once I've rewired the fans and done the last few cables all I'd really need to do is

order some tubing; I already have quite a few 16/10 mm fittings which I was going

to use originally. But first: bills

Although I must admit I can't really complain at the moment, ZEUS is doing great

as my personal rig. However, the rest of the household would really like to have

it connected to the multimedia setup in our living room so that they can finally

watch some proper TV and not the crap that is usually on.

[Kiwiandapple]

Those ram blocks are very cool, the amount off detail you put into these things is amazing. 

 

Don't get me started... But first: bills

Although I must admit I can't really complain at the moment, ZEUS is doing great
as my personal rig. However, the rest of the household would really like to have
it connected to the multimedia setup in our living room so that they can finally
watch some proper TV and not the crap that is usually on.

 

Well, bills are indeed anoying haha. 

 

Lol, household should not complain! And be happy with what they got! 

[flibberdipper]

Don't get me started...

I might have to put it together in a temporary state until I can order the fittings,

once I've rewired the fans and done the last few cables all I'd really need to do is

order some tubing; I already have quite a few 16/10 mm fittings which I was going

to use originally. But first: bills

Although I must admit I can't really complain at the moment, ZEUS is doing great

as my personal rig. However, the rest of the household would really like to have

it connected to the multimedia setup in our living room so that they can finally

watch some proper TV and not the crap that is usually on.

I was starting to wonder what you were using to give us updates. And I agree, I had to watch regular TV before we got Comcast, and it was horrible. HD, but horrible. We had an antenna so the channels sucked and whenever there was a storm the TV went out.

[alpenwasser]

Those ram blocks are very cool, the amount off detail you put into these things is amazing.

It's all about the details, and it's nice when one's efforts are noticed and

appreciated, thanks!  

 

Well, bills are indeed anoying haha.

I can't really complain too much, such is life and all that. Just need to be

a little more patient.

 

Lol, household should not complain! And be happy with what they got!

Well, since ZEUS will be used by our entire household, my dad has put some of

his own money into it for the new parts this spring (I think all things considered

I probably paid for a bit more than half of it, but I'm really not sure at the moment).

 

So of course the argument could be made that I've been hogging it long enough

and that the rest of my co-habitants should be allowed to start using it by now.

He's not that kind of guy to ever do that though, but that just makes me feel a

bit more obligated to actually make ZEUS available to the family.

 

I was starting to wonder what you were using to give us updates. And I agree, I had to watch regular TV before we got Comcast, and it was horrible. HD, but horrible. We had an antenna so the channels sucked and whenever there was a storm the TV went out.

Well, there would still be my laptop, but doing image processing on ZEUS is much

less stressful. Those 8 threads are much quicker than the two my laptop can provide.

I never watch regular TV these days. I just, ahem, acquire, *cough*, whatever

programming I deem interesting and then watch that via PC. It's not so much that

there are absolutely zero good shows on, but for one thing I cannot stand dubbed

stuff, I need the original English version, and secondly, many American or British TV

shows are simply not available where I live (not even via something like Netflix), and

certainly not in their original language.

 

Plus, I kind of need my BBC nature docs to be narrated by David Attenborough and not

some German narrator, even if in that case the difference isn't really that significant

if we're being pragmatic (yes, I watch lots of documentaries, geekdom be praised :lol: ).

[Razbit]

This seems like a very interesting project! You clearly have the eye for perfection (are you diagnosed with OCD? ;D )

I see you really have time and money for your projects, not to mention your incredible skills!

Keep up the good work!

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

[alpenwasser]

This seems like a very interesting project! You clearly have the eye for perfection (are you diagnosed with OCD? ;D )

I see you really have time and money for your projects, not to mention your incredible skills!

Keep up the good work!

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

Thanks man! No, I'm not diagnosed with OCD, and I doubt I will be. It's not so

much that I feel compelled to go this far, it's just that after this project is

done it will be quite a while before I can ever do anything on this scale again,

and since I've been dreaming about this and planning it for two and a half years

I just want to savour it as long as I can and scratch every possible itch I can.

Money... is a bit low at the moment, but I was able to save up for quite a while

and do some web dev work last winter, from which this rig mostly got financed,

but now I need to wait a bit until I can continue. I don't have that many college

courses at the moment, so yes, I still have a bit of time here and there to mod

(plus, I don't really have many other hobbies at the moment, although I'll soon

finally be able to take up sports again, keeping in shape and all that stuff).

Thanks!

[flibberdipper]

You know, this had better get Build of the Somethingorother.

[alpenwasser]

You know, this had better get Build of the Somethingorother.

Oh I'm not making any demands. It would be cool to break 1000 posts on this thread

though (not with spam, just like it's been so far).

[MG2R]

although I'll soon finally be able to take up sports again, keeping in shape and all that stuff).

What is this thing you speak of? Sports?