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The Macross - Super Dimensional Fortress Computer 1, SDFC-1 **UPGRADED**
- Thread starter jav6454
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I'm glad someone stepped up for this. You've even sold me on the case.![p182SE_open.jpg]()
![Corsair_Obsidian_800D_02.jpg]()
Obviously different scales but the things to look at here are the small but significant differences.
1) Obsidian has a triple fan exhaust on the top which will blow tons of air
2) Raised off the floor with a dust filter under the PSU
3) Hotswap sata docks that are accesible from the outside
4) Cable-routing holes with rubber covers for the unused holes
All together those points would really sell this case to me over the Antec, I like Antec but I have built too many PCs to NOT appreciate the extra little features the case has, features that really SHOULD be stock in all production cases imo.
Well, I have some bad news... my Corolla 95 decided it was time for its repairs and thus the following happened... discovered this yesterday.
Alternator and voltage regulator decided not to play nice and hence were pumping 18V into my car's system, mind you a car's system works at max load when 14V are pumped and 12V is normal. So I had an overage. Such overage caused my AC compressor to be damaged.
So, I have 3 damaged parts, AC compressor, Alternator and Voltage Regulator. All of which some up to ~$360 in new/used parts without labor. And to top it all off the Radiator decided to start leaking (it already leaked but not as bad as recently). Such leakage causes me to every morning pour in a couple of bottles of water into the radiator to keep me going during the day....
So, I'm afraid my whole savings have been squashed... will post pics of damage...
Alternator and voltage regulator decided not to play nice and hence were pumping 18V into my car's system, mind you a car's system works at max load when 14V are pumped and 12V is normal. So I had an overage. Such overage caused my AC compressor to be damaged.
So, I have 3 damaged parts, AC compressor, Alternator and Voltage Regulator. All of which some up to ~$360 in new/used parts without labor. And to top it all off the Radiator decided to start leaking (it already leaked but not as bad as recently). Such leakage causes me to every morning pour in a couple of bottles of water into the radiator to keep me going during the day....
So, I'm afraid my whole savings have been squashed... will post pics of damage...
Pictures of damage.... the cost are in also...
Ok here there are. First of all they are in no order, but I will describe them. First one. All that orange spill you see is actually Coolant/Anti-Freeze that spilled from my radiator. Apparently the leak is big enough that it causes a mini eruption with in my engine. That part you see is the exhaust cover which used to be full metal color, now it's orange. Here:
![img0009en.jpg]()
Second one. The top part of my radiator which shows signs of any liquid that was once in there is now gone. I wake up to this every morning now, but it used to be a little bit filled, now after the initial parts broke, I wake up to an empty radiator. I have to fill it as part of daily routine. Also, notice the orange color around the mouth. Here:
![img0010w.jpg]()
Third One. What you see there is the bottom cover of the radiator. You can see the well defined water "cascades". Clearly leaks are all over. Here:
![img0011dm.jpg]()
Fourth one. What you see is the markings my mechanic made. Those white marks are there to tell when were certain pieces changed. Also, that space there, its where the Washer fluid holder is supposed to be. Mind you it was taken out for easy access to the compressor which is on the bottom of the car:
![img0012on.jpg]()
Fifth one. As mentioned earlier, the Alternator and Voltage Regulators went bad. As a result overage through out the electric system. Needless to say my compressor was damaged. So, they fixed it. Bad part was the electrical wiring was damaged too. So damaged, that my mechanic decided to throw a new line from the switch box directly to the main AC switch inside my vehicle (original line was fried). That brown cable you see there is that line. Also, I failed to mention not only did that was damaged, tail lights lines were burned, 3 fuses for lights were burned and back windshield heater was fried also. All those lines had to be repaired. Luckily, those were easy access lines and bulbs are cheap. However, the other wires for AC were not easy to reach and thus why we decided to throw an alternate line for those. Here:
![img0013us.jpg]()
End results so far have costed my $659.67 with labor. I still have to fix the radiator. So far, Macross is not looking good for another 4 months at least. If the radiotor costs me $300 or more, it's looking more like a 6 month delay on this build... dam it..
Ok here there are. First of all they are in no order, but I will describe them. First one. All that orange spill you see is actually Coolant/Anti-Freeze that spilled from my radiator. Apparently the leak is big enough that it causes a mini eruption with in my engine. That part you see is the exhaust cover which used to be full metal color, now it's orange. Here:
Second one. The top part of my radiator which shows signs of any liquid that was once in there is now gone. I wake up to this every morning now, but it used to be a little bit filled, now after the initial parts broke, I wake up to an empty radiator. I have to fill it as part of daily routine. Also, notice the orange color around the mouth. Here:
Third One. What you see there is the bottom cover of the radiator. You can see the well defined water "cascades". Clearly leaks are all over. Here:
Fourth one. What you see is the markings my mechanic made. Those white marks are there to tell when were certain pieces changed. Also, that space there, its where the Washer fluid holder is supposed to be. Mind you it was taken out for easy access to the compressor which is on the bottom of the car:
Fifth one. As mentioned earlier, the Alternator and Voltage Regulators went bad. As a result overage through out the electric system. Needless to say my compressor was damaged. So, they fixed it. Bad part was the electrical wiring was damaged too. So damaged, that my mechanic decided to throw a new line from the switch box directly to the main AC switch inside my vehicle (original line was fried). That brown cable you see there is that line. Also, I failed to mention not only did that was damaged, tail lights lines were burned, 3 fuses for lights were burned and back windshield heater was fried also. All those lines had to be repaired. Luckily, those were easy access lines and bulbs are cheap. However, the other wires for AC were not easy to reach and thus why we decided to throw an alternate line for those. Here:
End results so far have costed my $659.67 with labor. I still have to fix the radiator. So far, Macross is not looking good for another 4 months at least. If the radiotor costs me $300 or more, it's looking more like a 6 month delay on this build... dam it..
The things I don't like about the Corsair case is not only it's massive size, but the simple fact that the hot-swap drives need screws to mount the drives in the sleds, and that there is ZERO cooling coming from the front of the case. It's all done from the bottom, which is quite stupid.
However, Antec still refuses to provide any tool-less cases or accessories for its cases. Currently I have an Antec 300 and wires are everywhere, thumbscrews galore, no tool-less drive bays, and since they've discontinued their P1xxx series, there's been NO hotswap HDD bays.
Unfortunately I'm going to have to learn how to actually build my own case if I'm ever going to be happy I think.
The closest that anyone has come is Cooler Master, but they can't seem to get all the features I want in one case, they always leave something out, put it in a lesser model and omit it from a higher end, etc.
However, Antec still refuses to provide any tool-less cases or accessories for its cases. Currently I have an Antec 300 and wires are everywhere, thumbscrews galore, no tool-less drive bays, and since they've discontinued their P1xxx series, there's been NO hotswap HDD bays.
Unfortunately I'm going to have to learn how to actually build my own case if I'm ever going to be happy I think.
The closest that anyone has come is Cooler Master, but they can't seem to get all the features I want in one case, they always leave something out, put it in a lesser model and omit it from a higher end, etc.
The Antec P1xx line still seems to be going strong. I've seen the number of P180s available drop though in favor the new P182 or 183.
The Solo line was toolless, but by and large you just won't find much of it since lets be honest: if you are putting a PC together you have a screwdriver, it's mandatory.
At least not so much with the Corsair. It is screw less with respects to the 5" drives, the side and front panels.
You only need a screw driver to insert the hot swappable drives.
Obviously you always need a screw driver for the motherboard installation, but now, not as much
Sorry to hear about your ride man those unexpected things always tend to cut into the budget I had the same thing happen once over a three month period first the radiator sprung a leak then the alternator went tits up, followed by the water pump, then the clutch plate exploded--that's the way things go dude.
Well, I have finalized the specs, but since the hold thing is on hold I think by the time I recover the $, it'll be time to re-choose new parts.
In any case, I have locked in the parts and the current parts listed are the ones that were going to be bought.
Also, the cost for my radiator will be $120 without labor. So, by my estimates the whole cost will be $200.
In any case, the hold will be for more or less 5 months.
In any case, I have locked in the parts and the current parts listed are the ones that were going to be bought.
Also, the cost for my radiator will be $120 without labor. So, by my estimates the whole cost will be $200.
In any case, the hold will be for more or less 5 months.
Ok, change in plans, I plan to build this against all odds. So, I have now come up with a better strategy that balances Macross and my other outstanding duties.
I plan to purchase by parts. In other words, purchasing parts per certain amount of time until I get them all together. This way, I'll spend only the $ I have and save the rest.
My plan starts with the stuff that has least chances of being updated and ending with those that if updated will bring more power to Macross.
For instance, I will buy the Liquid cooling units, fans and case first. The PSU and RAM will follow. After, I will concentrate on buying the Graphics ($550). Followed by the CPU and Motherboard. The last thing to be bought will be the SSD & HDDs; due to the fact that the more time the higher the storage capacity for less.
I plan to purchase by parts. In other words, purchasing parts per certain amount of time until I get them all together. This way, I'll spend only the $ I have and save the rest.
My plan starts with the stuff that has least chances of being updated and ending with those that if updated will bring more power to Macross.
For instance, I will buy the Liquid cooling units, fans and case first. The PSU and RAM will follow. After, I will concentrate on buying the Graphics ($550). Followed by the CPU and Motherboard. The last thing to be bought will be the SSD & HDDs; due to the fact that the more time the higher the storage capacity for less.
My recommendation, if you DO want to go water, buy it first as movement in the world of water is fairly slow and the parts last a LONG time(I haven't bought a radiator in over a year).
Everything else you should WAIT. Put the money into a savings where you can't touch it or won't be tempted, CPUs/GPUs/RAM changes far too fast(we haven't even seen nVidia's salvo!). The case is something else you can buy atm, as is the power supply simply because they really don't make great/fast strides or price adjustments in these markets.
Anyway, that's my $0.02, sorry to hear about the car
Edit: Read your first post, you are going to need VASTLY more radiator space than that wee little H50 provides, I would recommend in that price bracket to just go with air. This is a great little breakdown of most of the good 1366 coolers and their caveats/recommending features.
My recommendation, if you DO want to go water, buy it first as movement in the world of water is fairly slow and the parts last a LONG time(I haven't bought a radiator in over a year).
Everything else you should WAIT. Put the money into a savings where you can't touch it or won't be tempted, CPUs/GPUs/RAM changes far too fast(we haven't even seen nVidia's salvo!). The case is something else you can buy atm, as is the power supply simply because they really don't make great/fast strides or price adjustments in these markets.
Anyway, that's my $0.02, sorry to hear about the car
Edit: Read your first post, you are going to need VASTLY more radiator space than that wee little H50 provides, I would recommend in that price bracket to just go with air. This is a great little breakdown of most of the good 1366 coolers and their caveats/recommending features.
Liked the link, and then read and saw the video for their review of the Corsair Obsidian case. That confirmed me that the Corsair case (although pricey) is well worth it.
Also I found this link: Click Me Seems Corsair only states high-end Air Cooler. But still, the H50 does well according to many YouTube videos I've seen. Thing is, I don't want that big radiator on top of the i7. I want something cleaner and an Air Cooler is that, a big blob.
Edit - Forgot to mention car is going to the mechanic tomorrow to finally fix the radiator (I had the car parked for 3 days and had a friend car pool me). After all, that was the last part to be repaired.
Hmm, I've looked at some of the numbers for this thing and I really think some of them looks very suspect, don't worry too much about it though, if it doesn't perform up to par, drop $40 on an additional rad and it will improve no doubt.
I have nothing to add to this project other than the suggestion that the name be changed to "Macross, the Super-Dimension Desktop Computer."
I have nothing to add to this project other than the suggestion that the name be changed to "Macross, the Super-Dimension Desktop Computer."
This post is full of win! Chicks dig Super Dimension Fortresses.
In fact, my gaming tag that I've been using for 14 years (X9,X-Nine, or XNine) came from The X-9 Ghostfighter from Macross Plus. They only mention the full name once in the OAV, so not many people have ever caught it.
Water cooling has piqued my interest as of late. Murderbox uses water cooling exclusively and you can find their reservoirs here: http://www.murdermod.com/ Pretty spiffy if I do say so myself. I like their case, but again, no tool-less parts. Sorry, but anything that saves me time in putting a case together is favorable to me.
If I recall correctly the X-9 Ghostfighter was defeated by Guld in a suicidal move using his YF-21 (mental control driven). Also, the Ghost was controlled by AI Sharon Apple (see what I did there?) who also takes over the SDF-1 Macross. By the way, I did caught the name
ain any case I looked into that link and saw some quite pricey stuff. For example, that murderMOD case costs an astonishng $990.
Small update. I am doing some research on modding the internals. Adding some UV lights and UV reactive cooling for the chipset (SouthBridge) and the GPUs.
I plan to use that triple radiator space on the 800D, and the newly chosen UV fans will help a lot in that.
More to come.
I plan to use that triple radiator space on the 800D, and the newly chosen UV fans will help a lot in that.
More to come.
Liquid cooling has been updated to include a lot of new information and parts. Many parts are pricey, but within range if I buy as previously stated (by stages).
This is done to obtain a more stable build in temperature and at the same time build an internal mod that is worthy of the name Macross.
The mod is a UV reactive coolant with 1/4" transparent tubing (I asusme 1/4" is small and 1/2" is bigger) feeding north/south chipset block and the GPU blocks. This should keep everything relatively cool.
I don't worry about the CPU, since I want that to be independent of the whole thing. (No thermal contamination.)
This is done to obtain a more stable build in temperature and at the same time build an internal mod that is worthy of the name Macross.
The mod is a UV reactive coolant with 1/4" transparent tubing (I asusme 1/4" is small and 1/2" is bigger) feeding north/south chipset block and the GPU blocks. This should keep everything relatively cool.
I don't worry about the CPU, since I want that to be independent of the whole thing. (No thermal contamination.)
Are you going with UV LEDs or conventional gas tubes and ballasts? Dont make the mistake i did when hooking up to the power supply if using LEDs, use the 5 volt output rather than the 12v, I burned out 3 LEDs and resistors before I realized what the hell I did while wiring up the lights if you're using an old fashioned tube and ballast it shouldn't be an issue wiring it up to the 12v lead off the power supply though, but I recommend going the LED route to save power for the rest of the machine since a tube draws a bit more current.
^
It's a tube (Cold Cathode). I thought of LEDs, but not a single LED strip had UV lighting. If power becomes a problem, I'll just upgrade to 1000 W (I don't want to)
It's a tube (Cold Cathode). I thought of LEDs, but not a single LED strip had UV lighting. If power becomes a problem, I'll just upgrade to 1000 W (I don't want to)
Due to duties to my IP (intelectual property) I have to allocate some funds of this project to my IP protection. Some delay, but still everything is underway.
UV Reactive coolant is fairly bad, both in terms of the colour(often not as advertised) and it can break down and gunk up blocks(especially an impingement block like the Swiftech and a few others). For tubing I recommend something a bit bigger, not for performance just for looks, 1/4 tends to look really tiny and cheap and the kinds available are not particularly good(nobody really uses 1/4" tubing anymore. If you want low-impact tubing get a look at 3/8-1/2 or 5/8(3/8 is the inner diameter and 1/2 is the outer size).
Feser makes some tubing in these sizes, very good bend radius and easy to work with, as does Primochill(these tubes actually have built in anti-microbial agents to protect your loop). Failing that Tygon 3400 is good stuff, but quite a bit more expensive than is strictly necessary.
Now, onto a few more notes:
1) The radiator you chose is very good, but it requires very high speed/high static pressure fans. The fans you chose are not ideal for this.
2) Toss the CPU cooler and just build 1 loop with your GPUs/CPU, with the proper fans the rad you chose should be able to handle it no problem.
Didn't know that about UV coolants. Thanks, then I'll just change to regular dyed coolant to prevent gunk. Also, on the tubing, I work in the Chemistry department's Stockroom, so I'll be checking later on the types of cooling. I know 1/4" is small, but don't know how small. However, but by the sound of you post it seems its best to go with either 1/2" or 5/8".
Also, in respect of the fans, care to point me in the right direction? Also, I wish to keep 2 loops, not because I don't think the radiator won't handle, it's because I want optimal performance from the CPU. So if it shares the loop, some heat from the other blocks will make the heat dissipation lesser than what I want. Also, if anything happens (like a fail in the loops) I have one working. Say the second loop with GPUs and chipset fails, cooling keeps on with the CPU and vice-versa if the opposite happen.