Pandoras Purple Box... (ooh-er)

[RegularLoop]

Amazing. Nice to see this kind of colour schemes. And I can't wait to see the watercooled build.

[davido_labido]

Amazing. Nice to see this kind of colour schemes. And I can't wait to see the watercooled build.

 

so a little bit of an update here! sorry its taking a little while, I am rather ill at the moment with face ache (no idea what the problem is, something to do with my teeth crushing a cluster of nerves... its painful, as in, it hurts the whole of my left side of my face)

 

So without further to do... I pulled the plastic bits from the case and started to spray them white, this will go with the purple mesh you can see above!

 

 

The buttons, i actually used plasti dip as i wasnt 100% sure that they would work with the extra coating of paint as they are quite tight.

 

This is what it looks like once it has all been painted.

 

 

 

The SSDS have been put back together, but not 100% finished yet, im not happy with them entirely. I want to paint the logo back on and the left one has a couple of speckles of paint on (its hard to see with the naked eye, but the camera picks it up)

 

 

Also, i have now made the whole case fit together again (thanks to BitFenixUK for sending me a second Pandora to take apart for spares).

 

so this was the main problem i was having with the front panel (look at my amazing paint skills)

 

 

Basically none of the holes fit anywhere where the lug holes were in the wrong places, so i re drilled and moved them about a bit!

 

 

Now the front panel fits perfectly!!!

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/M48krwul.jpg[/img]

 

and here is a little before and after!

 

 

 

I would also like to announce my new sponsors!

 

ASUS will be supplying my motherboard so thank you guys!

ekwb will be supplying my loop, it will be awesome to work with these guys

Mayhems will be filling it as per usual, so its awesome to have them back on board!

 

I will be sorting out the logos and such as the parts arrive!

[Tearass]

 

so a little bit of an update here! sorry its taking a little while, I am rather ill at the moment with face ache (no idea what the problem is, something to do with my teeth crushing a cluster of nerves... its painful, as in, it hurts the whole of my left side of my face)

 

So without further to do... I pulled the plastic bits from the case and started to spray them white, this will go with the purple mesh you can see above!

 

 

The buttons, i actually used plasti dip as i wasnt 100% sure that they would work with the extra coating of paint as they are quite tight.

 

This is what it looks like once it has all been painted.

 

 

 

The SSDS have been put back together, but not 100% finished yet, im not happy with them entirely. I want to paint the logo back on and the left one has a couple of speckles of paint on (its hard to see with the naked eye, but the camera picks it up)

 

 

Also, i have now made the whole case fit together again (thanks to BitFenixUK for sending me a second Pandora to take apart for spares).

 

so this was the main problem i was having with the front panel (look at my amazing paint skills)

 

 

Basically none of the holes fit anywhere where the lug holes were in the wrong places, so i re drilled and moved them about a bit!

 

 

Now the front panel fits perfectly!!!

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/M48krwul.jpg[/img]

 

and here is a little before and after!

 

 

 

I would also like to announce my new sponsors!

 

ASUS will be supplying my motherboard so thank you guys!

ekwb will be supplying my loop, it will be awesome to work with these guys

Mayhems will be filling it as per usual, so its awesome to have them back on board!

 

I will be sorting out the logos and such as the parts arrive!

 

So a reverse ATX mod isn't even that hard? I mean, I'll wait 'till you've finished, but it seems doable!

[davido_labido]

So a reverse ATX mod isn't even that hard? I mean, I'll wait 'till you've finished, but it seems doable!

 

It depends on the case, according to BitFenixUK this is the first Pandora they have seen thats been inverted.... I have inverted other cases which were easier, and ive tried to invert some cases which have failed spectacularly! its depends how the cases is made

[Clear17Mud]

Thanks buddy!

 

 

well, in that case then, I best post them up tonight hadnt i!?!

 

i did do similar in my H2Orange build log, but in white and orange

I liked that build, and this build is also great... not dissing on either of you I truly like both color schemes, and blue: also, I really like grey color schemes....

[davido_labido]

I liked that build, and this build is also great... not dissing on either of you I truly like both color schemes, and blue: also, I really like grey color schemes....

 

Thanks buddy i really like monochrome (grey) schemes too! i might do one this year

[colinmcr]

I'm stalking you around various forums Dave, hope you are feeling better mate. I know we discussed the use of purple before I think its an awesome choice, still hoping I can do white/purple one day. In a Parvum or Hexgear would be nice. But I have to get round to doing upgrading my Midas build before that.

 

Keep up the good work 

[Jimbillroo Digital]

That looks good.

[davido_labido]

I'm stalking you around various forums Dave, hope you are feeling better mate. I know we discussed the use of purple before I think its an awesome choice, still hoping I can do white/purple one day. In a Parvum or Hexgear would be nice. But I have to get round to doing upgrading my Midas build before that.

 

Keep up the good work 

 

haha, yeah, i want a Hexgear too, but unfortunately i don't think i will get one sponsored and i just cant afford to buy any cases at the moment when there are companies who are willing to help me out. (this isnt a dig at Hexgear btw, I would love to be able to support them with a purchase!!! its just I dont have the cash =(  - maybe in the future though!! )

 

That looks good.

 

Thanks man

 

 

well, I would like to say a massive thank you to my latest sponsor:

These guys have stepped up rather quickly for me, within 24 hours of confirming which motherboard I wanted, a UPS van turned up with it so I really cant fault them!

Lets see what they sent me:

Hmmmm, i'm loving the armour

wasn't this a BBC show? Im pretty sure I liked that too!

hmmm, maybe this should be "pandora edition"

Lets get HyperX in on this mobo action!!

hmmmm, I love this picture <3... reminds me of that ballad from the classical music group "Spice Girls - When 2 become 1" ... I heart you sponsors!

Unfortunately ASUS were unable to budget for a GPU for me at this moment in time, which is understandable! They are sponsoring some amazing builds at the moment from the likes of B N3GATIVE and montymole so I was more than happy to put my hand in my pocket for this!

Its my first AMD card.... Ever!

I really like this backplate too, ok, if i can get it to fit with the waterblock that should be on its way soon, then it certainly wont be staying black!

I will say a huge thank you to OCUK though as per usual who always step up and help me. Im rather thankful as the missus doesnt give me as much of a hard time and they really do go above and beyond in helping me. The amount of time the guys at OCUK have for me is amazing - Thanks Gents!

So, the next update will most certainly be spraying the motherboard armour and then having a look at how the cables are going to fit into this case. Then, its just waiting for my ekwb shipment and some colour matching from Mayhems coolant and we can really start on the build

 

[davido_labido]

noice build

 

Thanks buddy! its appreciated, not long until the plumbing arrives now! I have had confirmation from EK that it will be soon sent!

 

So, obviously the armour wasnt going to stay that colour for long!!! so here we go, into my state of the art spray booth it goes!!!

getting it optimally primed

and then sprayed

not forgetting the PCI-E covers (i set them into the cardboard so that the actual backs stayed plastic... i dont want flaking paint in my pci-e slots!)

and some shots of the (almost) finished product:

I am going to introduce some more purple to the armour.... I have an idea and the parts are on order for said idea to work

however, we are seeing some problems cropping up in this build... some major, some not so...

for example:

The biggest issue I have is the GPU is wider than the case, I did actually think this would happen, so it wasnt a total suprise, but its not going to be an easy problem to fix. I do have some bits on order that will help solve the issue though. I have 3 ideas so far that will hopefully make sure that everything will still go into the Pandora

The PSU wont fit at the top properly. This is due to the top of the case, so i will have to get the dremel onto that and teach it a lesson.

and the last little niggle is that the 24 pin slot is not in line with the holes, so I will have to get the dremel out, cut the hole then make a motherboard tray cover as well, which I have started to measure up

 

Using yet more really expensive equipment (its totally NOT a bit of cardboard box from OCUK!!!) I started to see where i needed to cover and what i needed to cut out.

This will be the rough shape of the cover. The good thing about this is i should be able to move it in slightly so that i have somewhere to route the cables also, but we will see how that works when i have made it.

I want to try and grab some matt white acrylic to make this out of... PARVUM?! where are you guys!!?!

[Guest]

Thanks buddy! its appreciated, not long until the plumbing arrives now! I have had confirmation from EK that it will be soon sent!

 

So, obviously the armour wasnt going to stay that colour for long!!! so here we go, into my state of the art spray booth it goes!!!

getting it optimally primed

and then sprayed

not forgetting the PCI-E covers (i set them into the cardboard so that the actual backs stayed plastic... i dont want flaking paint in my pci-e slots!)

and some shots of the (almost) finished product:

I am going to introduce some more purple to the armour.... I have an idea and the parts are on order for said idea to work

however, we are seeing some problems cropping up in this build... some major, some not so...

for example:

The biggest issue I have is the GPU is wider than the case, I did actually think this would happen, so it wasnt a total suprise, but its not going to be an easy problem to fix. I do have some bits on order that will help solve the issue though. I have 3 ideas so far that will hopefully make sure that everything will still go into the Pandora

The PSU wont fit at the top properly. This is due to the top of the case, so i will have to get the dremel onto that and teach it a lesson.

and the last little niggle is that the 24 pin slot is not in line with the holes, so I will have to get the dremel out, cut the hole then make a motherboard tray cover as well, which I have started to measure up

 

Using yet more really expensive equipment (its totally NOT a bit of cardboard box from OCUK!!!) I started to see where i needed to cover and what i needed to cut out.

This will be the rough shape of the cover. The good thing about this is i should be able to move it in slightly so that i have somewhere to route the cables also, but we will see how that works when i have made it.

I want to try and grab some matt white acrylic to make this out of... PARVUM?! where are you guys!!?!

What are you planning to do to fit the graphics card in to the case?

[GhostWindGamer]

it gets better every time

[Ralphington]

Isn't there supposed to be red on the DCUII cards normally? anyway i f*ing love purple so, subbed!

[davido_labido]

What are you planning to do to fit the graphics card in to the case?

 

Well, I have 3 options really (well, 4)

 

1) - angle the card 45 degrees so that its on an angle to show off the water block

2) - do the same but angle it at 90 degrees I think this is my favorite option, but it takes the most work.

3) re locate the GPU entirely, there is a possibility to put it at the bottom, but it would be a lot of work and im not sure what it would look like tbh... i will have to have a look at this when the waterblock arrives.

4) get a different GPU.... my least favorite option.

it gets better every time

 

Thank you sir

 

Isn't there supposed to be red on the DCUII cards normally? anyway i f*ing love purple so, subbed!

 

They come with both red and gold stickers so that you can colour match to your ASUS motherboard

 

[HellaflushMcSwaggins]

i love those high quality pictures, what camera are you using?

Can you please not quote all the pictures? Thanks.

[davido_labido]

i love those high quality pictures, what camera are you using?

Its only a 700d with a 17-55mm lens...one or two shots are with a 50mm I think also

[Albatross]

Oh, I like the idea of purple and white! It looks really smooth!

 

Can't wait to see what else you do.

[MODZERO]

I've said it elsewhere and I'll say it again here Dave, this is looking awesome! Can't wait to see it at LAN.

 

J.

[davido_labido]

Oh, I like the idea of purple and white! It looks really smooth!

 

Can't wait to see what else you do.

 

Thanks buddy, you dont have to wait long

 

I've said it elsewhere and I'll say it again here Dave, this is looking awesome! Can't wait to see it at LAN.

 

J.

 

Thanks man, I just hope I can get it finished in time, I have a lot of other work on before LAN so im trying to get as much done as and when I can. I might have to call in for some reinforcements from some friends to help me out with the loop if needs be, or just do what i did the day before l52... spend 28 hours building the computer before the event

 

So a little bit more work has been done!

This is the front panel to the Pandora.

as  you can see, its rather black and also has this:

This allows a little LCD screen to shine through the smoked acrylic.

 This means without masking the square I cant really just paint it. So, I had a slightly different idea and did this...

not very neat i know... but with a file and a bit of emery cloth I managed to get this:

not bad... not bad.

The front panel is still rather black though..... So, i took it apart (its 2 panels screwed together) and put them into my hi tech booth.

give them a couple of coats of primer

then sprayed the almost hidden one (you can see it a little bit from the front) white

and the main panel purple

I put the panels back together (the front panel is made up of 2 seperate ones, and it just didn't look right at all, because id cut the panel for the screen, it just looked like it was too far away from the front of the case, so i came up with the solution.

I had a little scrap of clear acrylic kicking about.

marked the hole onto it and filed it down

Then inlayed it into the front of the case panel.

its not perfect, but i was doing it at 22:30 on a sunday night in the kitchen!!! and all i used were these tools

So, whats it look like now?

Panels before and after (its awesome having a spare case, it means I can do shots like these so much easier!!!)

panels fitted

a really nice shot to show how the case has changed overall, you can really see the difference between my inverted case and the standard one

and one with the case panels on.  I need to get these painted/coated next. Ideally though I need to see what im doing with the hardware first! Hopefully then I  can progress!

Thanks for reading!

[colinmcr]

Looks really good Dave.

 

Quick question is that photographic background paper you are using for shots?

[davido_labido]

Looks really good Dave.

 

Quick question is that photographic background paper you are using for shots?

 

Thanks Colin!

No buddy, its actually a cheap roller blind from Ikea. I need to get a grey one also now though lol. The white on white shots are horrible so i have to put them on my kitchen counter (which the missus hates!!!)

[davido_labido]

So, a little tiny update as im really not sure about this, so i need to see if you guys think its a good idea or not... I wanted to add more purple to the ASUS motherboard armour... so i did this:









Good idea?
Bad idea?
Good idea, but implemented badly?
Too much?

Im not sure. I do like it, and a lot of the motherboard will get covered when the waterblocks/pipes get moved into the case, so i think this will work well, just having touches of purple showing through.

Anyway, let me know, be honest!

[Guest]

So, a little tiny update as im really not sure about this, so i need to see if you guys think its a good idea or not... I wanted to add more purple to the ASUS motherboard armour... so i did this:

Good idea?

Bad idea?

Good idea, but implemented badly?

Too much?

Im not sure. I do like it, and a lot of the motherboard will get covered when the waterblocks/pipes get moved into the case, so i think this will work well, just having touches of purple showing through.

Anyway, let me know, be honest!

I like it, though it could do with some cleaning up on the small lines.

[davido_labido]

I like it, though it could do with some cleaning up on the small lines.

Yeah, thats why im not too sure about it tbh... Because of the texture in of the motherboard armour, the paint seeps into it causing it to look a little wiggly. Im not sure how to stop that though, im afraid its an area of painting that im not experienced in!

[Valaris]

Have you considered using something like Warhammer paint?