ZOTAC Mod Box

[coolmiester]

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac-670-logo.jpg

If this one comes off as good as it currently looks in my head I’ll struggle to hand it over to Zotac once its finished tbh.

A little background.

While out at CeBIT I was shown the new logo and livery for Zotac which to be fair hasn’t changed a great deal but is now more pleasing on the eye by softening the actual logo font but the main difference is the addition of honeycomb effect which can be seen on the large image on the new GTX295 retail box.

I instantly knew what I wanted to do but actually doing it is another matter.
The basic plan is to turn a ATCs 840 into a giant retail Zotac box without all the smaller logos or specific card branding so newer cards can be added as they evolve without having to re-brand the entire case and also to incorporate the Zotac Nitro so the cards can be instantly overclocked on the fly.

The main problem is I can’t airbrush so have managed to get Pete from DP Custompaint
(http://www.dpcustompaint.co.uk/index.htm) to take care of the paintwork.

Before I’m able to get the case to Pete its down to me to get the chassis stripped and chopped to mount a GTX240 in the base and also to get the Nitro hard mounted into the alu front section then its all off for powder coating followed by wet sanding to get a nice base for Pete to work his magic.

Anyway a few images for now……….


http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_1.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_2.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_3.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_4.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_5.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_6.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_7.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_8.jpg

[Silverion77]

:woot:

Another amazing Coolmiester build!!!

Sub'd

[just a noob]

interesting concept, guess i'm subscribed

[ballz0r]

sweet!!!... mounting a nitro in my current build, so ill be very interested to see how you tackle it.

[coolmiester]

sweet!!!... mounting a nitro in my current build, so ill be very interested to see how you tackle it.

Its a bit more tricky than i first thought i must admit.

The front alu bit on the 840 is 5mm thick and i wanted the Nitro screen to be flush but there is some caps on the Nitro pcb that don't allow it to drop into the recess so i got to cut a 4mm thick piece of Perspex the exact same size as the screen then add the 1mm thick orange Perspex that comes with the Nitro so it mounts flush.

Sorry, bit hard to explain but i should have some pictures soon that will make it more clear.

The buttons are another issue lol

[ballz0r]

Its a bit more tricky than i first thought i must admit.

The front alu bit on the 840 is 5mm thick and i wanted the Nitro screen to be flush but there is some caps on the Nitro pcb that don't allow it to drop into the recess so i got to cut a 4mm thick piece of Perspex the exact same size as the screen then add the 1mm thick orange Perspex that comes with the Nitro so it mounts flush.

Sorry, bit hard to explain but i should have some pictures soon that will make it more clear.

The buttons are another issue lol

I was thinking of mounting mine behind some tinted acrylic sheet like you did with the kazemaster in your ATCS 840 build

[Chicken Patty]

subscribed :up:

[Odin Eidolon]

subsd!

[Septim]

nice! another masterpiece in the making...
unfortunately this one ain't gonna be RED... hehehe...

[coolmiester]

Hey, cheers for all the encouragement even though i've not got a lot to show just yet :)

........and not to get anyone too exited under false pretences as even though its been a long day, all i seemed to accomplish was do the 550miles to pick up the mods that were out at CeBIT and i'm happy to report no damage.

On a brighter note though i have got some new toys to play with in the shape of a new Skulltrail board and a couple of CPU's which i'm over the moon with tbh as they are a bit special, plus the fact i just love Skulltrail.

Anyway, should have some modding to add in a few days.

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_9.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_10.jpg

[coolmiester]

After the great success with the Delrin top i7 block (http://www.coolercases.co.uk/atcs_840/i7_block_16.jpg) using the DD MCP Chipset block i decided to make a couple more for the Skulltrail but this tim i'm using the D-Tek Quick Mount.

I'll get them both finished but may swap the Quick mount for Pro Mount so a back plate can be used but for the time being it should be fine and it doesn't see, to be causing the board to warp too much.

I'll also flame polish them like the i7 ones to make them shiny black once i get them both finished.

Some pictures.........

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/skull_block_2.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/skull_block_3.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/skull_block_4.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/skull_block_5.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/skull_block_6.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/skull_block_7.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/skull_block_8.jpg

[coolmiester]

And then there were two.........flame grilled and polished.

I like them, just hope they work as well as on i7

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/skull_block_9.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/skull_block_10.jpg

[coolmiester]

First things first......

I got the Skulltrail installed on the bench (well telly room table) to see what's what and glad to report my trusty new CPU blocks work a treat when hooked up to my mini H20 Cosmos.

Unfortunately though i had to pull the PSU from the other Skulltrail machine to get the new one running as neither the CM Real Power 1000 or Tagan 1300 have two 8pin 12v connectors but i've got another Ultimate coming which will sort that out but never-the-less, a bit annoying.

Anyway, the board had an old Alpha BIOS which wouldn't handle Tri-Sli so i grabbed the Intel® Desktop Board D5400XS BIOS Update [XS54010J.86A] (http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&Inst=Yes&ProductID=2864&DwnldID=15962&strOSs=150&OSFullName=Windows%20Vista*%2064&lang=eng) which enables Tri-Sli and flashed with that so i'm all good to go for my first venture at 3 cards.

Full Skulltrail - XFX GTX 280 XXX 3-Way SLi /4870X2 CFx article by Zardon of DH

In the mean time i've been messing around with a Zotac GTX9800 and their Nitro basically running bench test just to make sure the Skulltrail is nice and stable which touch wood it seems to be so far so will crank up the volts and see what can be had.

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/trisli_1.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/trisli_2.jpg

[coolmiester]

Just had a bit play with a Zotac NITRO and 9800GTX :)

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/yt.jpg

[bentleya]

Great Video Paul :), the rest of the build also looking pretty good :)

[just a noob]

i like the video, and if you don't mind me asking/won't get your legs broken for telling, are those chips the es type?

[coolmiester]

i like the video, and if you don't mind me asking/won't get your legs broken for telling, are those chips the es type?

LOL, QX9775 and i'll be more than happy if they can cope with an intense session of minesweeper :D

[ballz0r]

SACRILEGE!!!!

ROFL

Nice start mate :up:

[bentleya]

ermm why has there all been removed?

[LowBrowser]

They're still up at slizone and bit-tech. So that is a little strange. Your guess is as good as mine.

Edit: Back, so it doesn't really matter.

[Septim]

CM has been busy redoing some pictures. i hope he puts them back up soon.

i am liking zotac products because of their ingenuity and nice product lineup. i just hope local availability could be better here.

[RedRaider]

Another STELLAR Build and Great Video...:slobber:

[coolmiester]

At long last i had a couple of Coolermaster ATCs 840's tune up this morning so its all stations go.

I first got to get the ZOTAC Nitro installed into the front bezel so it was dismantle the Nitro and use the casing as a template for the screen and three white buttons.

Marked it out then drilled pilot holes to feed the fret saw blade through followed by a little filing and bobs you uncle.....sorted

I still got to cut a bit of 3mm plexi and add black out film to it so the whole screen sits flush to the rest of the bezel and disappears when the screen is not illuminated but this is how it looks right now.

I've also got to de-rivet and strip the rest of the chassis and cut the base for the 240 rad then the whole thing is off to powder coat before Rick starts his airbrushing :)

Pictures....


http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_12.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_14.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_15.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_16.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_17.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_18.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_19.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_20.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_21.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_22.JPG

[Schlosser]

Freaky... You're too damn good man! :D

[Timlander]

nicely done. Looks great!

[HESmelaugh]

I'm impressed. The idea behind this build is great and no doubt the execution will be brilliant.

Loving those self-made tops. Really simple but strikingly good looking, IMO. :up:

[ballz0r]

man... im always impressed with your precise cutouts... what saw is that?

[coolmiester]

I'm on a roll.........and cheers guys for the nice comments :)

Basically couldn't wait till morning to cut the plexi because i wanted to see what it looked like

Cut the plexi to size and used Black Out Privacy film on on side.

Obviously not all mounted but shows how it will end up looking....ish

I'll sleep happy with that thank you very much.

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_28.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_29.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_30.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_31.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_32.JPG

[ballz0r]

hell yeah... thats gona look frikin sweet

[Chicken Patty]

coolmiester

that looks awesome dude :cheers:

[voklskier4452]

you always do great work, and this one is shaping up to be another great build

[knightmaric]

What'e you doing to fill in the gap on the buttons coolmiester?
That looks stunning =]
I love the black out look it looks awsome.

[coolmiester]

What'e you doing to fill in the gap on the buttons coolmiester?
That looks stunning =]
I love the black out look it looks awsome.

Don't worry about that bud, i had to go very slightly oversize as there is powder coat to go on there followed by paint and clear coat plus the buttons will be painted and clear coated.

I sat down with the painter today and he said i best make the openings even bigger otherwise the buttons could stick ;)

[ILikeCosmosS]

so cm when powder coated all your cases you got the clear coat to make it shiny again?

(i know i am asking this again but for the plastic parts did you do flat black+ clear coat?)
(which is better to get powder coat or andonizing?)

[coolmiester]

so cm when powder coated all your cases you got the clear coat to make it shiny again?

(i know i am asking this again but for the plastic parts did you do flat black+ clear coat?)
(which is better to get powder coat or andonizing?)

Let me try and explain the process...

A stock Coolermaster case comes anodised with a brushed effect which essentially are score marks into the aluminium so painting directly on top of that is a total waste of time and money as the brushed effect will show through the paint.

A couple of options really - the cheapest would be to sand the panels down which would get rid of the brushed effect then etch primer can be used followed by paint and clear coat.

An alternative is to strip the case down and have it powder coated which basically fills the brushed effect so no need to sand down the panels first and the powder coat gives a nice strong base to apply paint.

Powder coat and anodising are two completely different finishes and neither is any better than the other - its simply all depends on what type of overall finish you're after.

Powder coat is exactly that, a coating which is very robust and hard to scratch where as anodising literally opens the pores of the metal and adds a dye so its not really a coating as such and wouldn't fill the brushed effect like powder coat will.

[ILikeCosmosS]

alright i get it know

which will i have the same finsih as your skull trail system?

and the plastic parts are just primer+ flat black+ clear coat?
know i was thinking of getting a powder coat and something to make it shiny but i heard that when powdercoating its thicker then andonizing which may cause problem in putting the case back to together
when andonizing is the finish shiny? and in the powder coating its the not shiny or just dull?



and just for the side panels i have to sand it down and then andonize and when powdercoating i dont have to?

[coolmiester]

OK, see if you can follow this...

First of all the holes were cut into the side panels for the vents then the panels were powder coated satin black
http://www.coolercases.co.uk/skull/skull_41.jpg

Once the side panels were powder coated the vents were stuck into place
http://www.coolercases.co.uk/skull/skull_48.jpg

Then the vents were smoothed and blended into the side panel using bodge / bondo
http://www.coolercases.co.uk/skull/skull_51.jpg

.....followed by wet sanding with 1000grit
http://www.coolercases.co.uk/skull/skull_53.jpg

and put into primer and wet sanded once again with 1500grit
http://www.coolercases.co.uk/skull/skull_66.jpg

And finally painted gloss black and clear coated and oven backed to cure in a couple of hours
http://www.coolercases.co.uk/skull/skull_58.jpg

The plasic bits were simply primed, painted and clear coated
http://www.coolercases.co.uk/skull/skull_67.jpg

The actual chassis was de-rivited anodised satin black and re-assembled. (there is two chassis in this picture - the satin black is the Skulltrail)
http://www.coolercases.co.uk/skull/skull_72.jpg

[Cutless009]

beautiful as always man, lots of work, and well done.

What are you gonna do about the white buttons on the modded zotac box you stuck on the front?

[knightmaric]

What's the red one then O:

CM just wondering but why do you powder coat the side panels black then sand them down and spray them?
Jw because I can't seem to get my head around it.

Looks bloody brilliant though =]
I really like all the car parts you add to your builds.

[coolmiester]

@ knightmaric - please read post #35 above (http://www.realredraider.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=36294&postcount=35) ;)

Red chassis was for this Cosmos (http://www.coolercases.co.uk/i34/i34_2.jpg) that my buddy did

@ Cutless009 - any chance you could read post #33 (http://www.realredraider.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=36267&postcount=33)

[ILikeCosmosS]

ok so the chassis was simply andonized ( and de riveted)
the plastic parts were simply primed -painted-clear coated

know the side panel was cut with holes - powder coated- vents attached and blended- wet sanding with 1000 grit-primer - wet sanded 1500grit - was it spray painted gloss black and clear coated and then put into a oven to cure faster?
(i am guessing the oven thing is optional)
the plastic parts were spray painted gloss black or flat black?

since i am going to just put a acrylic panel i dont have to blend the vents but i still have to do 1000 grit and 1500 grit correct?

thx for the help CM

[knightmaric]

Sorry CM lol
My browser had lagged so badly that some of the posts hadn't shown up so I missed them.
Just read them so I do apologise

Ooh THAT cosmos =]
Very good looking :3

[coolmiester]

Wish i had more to show you guys but they say, the hard work is in the preparation and in this case it was.

Decided to make the top grill for this Zotac 840 out of a piece of 4mm sheet of aluminium which will make the whole top section of the case pretty much flush, more in keeping of an actual Zotac retail box which i'm trying to replicate.

Not really much different from the top grill i did on the previous Smackover 840 (http://www.coolercases.co.uk/atcs_840/atc_93.jpg) but this time it was the full width of the case and rather than a curved edge, it was more of a bevel finish to match the front bit.

Anyway, no doubt it wouldn't of taken long on a CNC but i dunno, i just love doing this type of stuff by hand so here it is, all ready to go to powder coat with the rest of the chassis then Honeycomb mesh mounted underneath on its return.

Sorry for loads of pictures that might not really mean that much but to me they kinnda justify a day in the garden doing what i love doing.......and a little Youtube showing power file, draw filing and block sanding to finish :)

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_grill_1.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_grill_2.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_grill_3.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_grill_4.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_grill_5.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_grill_6.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_grill_7.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_grill_8.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_grill_9.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_grill_10.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_grill_11.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_grill_12.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_grill_14.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_grill_15.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_grill_16.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_grill_17.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_grill_18.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqAZUQ5T7X0

[MomijiTMO]

Nice craftsmanship.

[Chicken Patty]

Nice craftsmanship.

I agree :cheers:

[LowBrowser]

Hand > CNC anyday. Beautiful work.

[subset7]

+1,always more satisfying when you've done it be hand rather than pull it out of a machine and a nice even finish ;)

[Worthy]

That youtube vid was very soothing.

[coolmiester]

That youtube vid was very soothing.

Its always nice to watch someone else working lol - not the best but was just trying out me new camera and i know mcoffey likes to see how things are done :)

[Schlosser]

hahaha yeah nothing better than labour which ain't performed by yourself :popcorn:
btw I just realized that Zotac, instead of selling that ugly Toys'R'Us Nitro tweek dohiggy, would be way better off by mass producing your mod box - much better perfomance, all-round package + looks at an incredibly higher price, who could refuse? I know I couldn't :D
At least they could make it black or sumthin' it's so ugly in those colours and doesn't match any theme than .. orange...

When do you start your own company? :rolleyes:

[coolmiester]

Just a few finishing touches before everything goes to powder coat tomorrow.

Tapped 6 holes in the top grill and added some threaded bar which will be used with small spacers to mount it to the chassis where i drilled holes (red arrows) so there is a small gap between the chassis and the vent which will help with airflow but the main reason is so it ends up mounted flush with the front bit.

Also de-riveted the hard drive caddy and chopped out a section out so the rad can fit and also cut the base to accept a dual radiator then riveted it back together.

BTW, i'll be using a GTX240 radiator in the base but just used the only 240 i had for pictures.

Pictures....

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_33.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_34.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_35.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_36.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_37.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_38.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_39.jpg

[coolmiester]

Just been and collected the chassis from the powder coaters and it looks nice in satin black and i'm well happy the way the top grill turned out.

Next up is to wet sand the whole exterior then riveted back together ready for Rick to start working his airbrush magic.

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_powdercoat_1.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_powdercoat_2.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_powdercoat_3.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_powdercoat_4.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_powdercoat_5.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_powdercoat_6.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_powdercoat_7.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_powdercoat_8.jpg

[Baleful]

Damn that looks sharp, I love that satin black :slobber:

[Snyxxx]

Awesome work coolmiester. I like the satin finish as well.

[trfnj74]

One day I hope to be as good as you....:D Awsome Job....

[coolmiester]

cheers fella's :cheers:

[knightmaric]

Paul that looks awsome!
Really concidering going satin black now instead of matt :P

Jw but how much would that cost the average person like myelf to have done?
Just as a price comparisson for the place up by me.

[p0Pe]

oh my GOD thats pritty:D

[coolmiester]

Paul that looks awsome!
Really concidering going satin black now instead of matt :P

Jw but how much would that cost the average person like myelf to have done?
Just as a price comparisson for the place up by me.

There is usually matt, satin and gloss and i just think satin is more appealing than matt but its all personal taste tbh

Think it would be round about £75 but i went through 3 coaters when sourcing the one we use now and what i will say is there are plenty coaters around but ask to see their work first and get some kind of guarantee that the finish they show you is the finish you will get as i've seen some horrendous industrial stuff that you wouldn't want on your case ;)

[subset7]

Looks great,nice finish with the satin powder,what are you getting airbrushed on to it ?

[coolmiester]

Looks great,nice finish with the satin powder,what are you getting airbrushed on to it ?

Hopefully it might look a little like the Zotac retail box (without that strange dude on there) but with the underlying honeycomb effect :)

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_2.jpg

[Chicken Patty]

coolmiester, that powder coating came out amazing. This build is looking great so far!

[bianco]

amazing work as usual CM
btw, would you be sitting through the airbrushing session and have a series of photos of the process? it might be asking too much of your time, but it would be quite interesting to see the 'growth' of the final skin of this project.

[coolmiester]

amazing work as usual CM
btw, would you be sitting through the airbrushing session and have a series of photos of the process? it might be asking too much of your time, but it would be quite interesting to see the 'growth' of the final skin of this project.

Cheers bianco, yeah Rick plans to do his own work log of the painting and he said i can sit in while he's working so i should be able to get pictures and maybe some video as i'm interested in how its done myself :)

[bianco]

that's great! looking forward to your series of pictures/video on this one. :D
thanks CM

[RedRaider]

:welcome2: to RedRaider Technology...

Your work is exquisite...

Looks like I need to send a MM Case to Paul for a little loving...:crack:

[bianco]

very interesting Rick, good pics and informative
must commend the great patience your gf has as well

[HESmelaugh]

Holy crap! I salute the effort you put into making that honeycomb-effect. The result is looking great, so far! :up:

[acadiancrusader]

hey coolmeister, i love seeing the details and processes of an airbrush artist.

i'm hoping you can also make a post outlining how one can get into airbrushing. do's and don'ts. good products and bad products, outlined in different price brackets.

ps, your masking is amazing!

[p0Pe]

that was simply amazing! extreme work on that. cant even begin to think how that painjob is going to look!
WICKED xD

[Septim]

very nice.

[Snyxxx]

Welcome Rick. I admire your work and it takes real talent to pull this off.

[knightmaric]

I've seen your stuff before rick and I am always impressed with it.
Good luck with this =D

I can't wait to see the result.

[coolmiester]

Update time :)

I got a new painter involved called Pete at DP Customs and no doubting the boy can paint but unfortunately his better half struggles a little in the old camera department but she's trying her best and no doubt will give me grief for posting that LOL

Anyway, its all starting to come together nice and the dragon is looking fantastic but still a long way to go.

Updates are coming thick and fast now so i should be back on track to have this complete for Multiplay i37 in August.

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_101.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_102.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_103.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_104.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_105.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_106.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_107.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_108.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_109.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_110.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_111.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_112.jpg

[Worthy]

Rrrrroooooaaaaarrrrrr!!!!!!!

[Odin Eidolon]

Rrrrroooooaaaaarrrrrr!!!!!!!

thanks, that made me ROFL

[just a noob]

looks nice, still not a fan of zotac's box art :P

[Schlosser]

:omg: Awesome paint job!!

But wait, is there something I missed or why did you cut out the holes in the sidepanels? and for what reason when you were going to cover 'em up with a dragon in the end?

[coolmiester]

Yeah the original plan was to go without the dragon and have windows either side like the Smackover mod but then decided to go with the dragons and the holes were already cut so rather than wait for a new case to turn up decided to fill the holes with alu sheet.

It still gives the impression of a window like the original retail box but they aren't.......if that makes sense LOL

[RedRaider]

Loving the Dragons Coolmiester...:slobber:

This is one siiiiick ass build...:crack:

[Snyxxx]

Loving the Dragons Coolmiester...:slobber:

This is one siiiiick ass build...:crack:

Hey bud, that looks more like a dinosaur than a dragon. I think someone has been puffing on a dragon.:D

[Schlosser]

Yeah the original plan was to go without the dragon and have windows either side like the Smackover mod but then decided to go with the dragons and the holes were already cut so rather than wait for a new case to turn up decided to fill the holes with alu sheet.

It still gives the impression of a window like the original retail box but they aren't.......if that makes sense LOL

It actually gives it some kind of depth, I dunno it just looks more interesting with more edges to it ;)

[coolmiester]

Well i got a relative picture fest going on today and won't even begin to attempt to explain what's going on as i have absolutely no clue what so ever and all i can really say is, i'm glad Pete knows what he's doing :D

Anyway, this is how things look as of last night complete with hexagons...

Oh yeah, and where's my poor little dragon gone :(

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_120.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_121.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_122.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_123.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_124.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_125.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_126.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_127.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_128.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_129.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_130.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_131.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_132.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_133.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_134.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_135.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_136.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_137.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_138.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_139.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_140.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_141.jpg

[LowBrowser]

Well fuck me. I don't know how you're going to improve on the next build. :up:

[Septim]

Awesomeness!

[scraps]

Thats a sick ass paint job

[Worthy]

Wow man...all those cuts in the masking film.
I don't think many realize how much work goes in to a paintjob like that.

I hope people appreciate it. It's looking good so far.

[mcoffey]

Never ends with CM...the premier builder of high end rigs. The best in the business, plain and simple.

The guy should write a howto book for designing and modding builds. I remember back when I got into the hobby and came across one of his build logs. I made everybody in the house run upstairs to my office so they could see what's possible and how incredible his builds looked.

True story:up:

andyc

[coolmiester]

You know Andy i've never classed myself at the best in business and never will but comments like that make what i do all the more worth while thinking you dragged the family upstairs to check my stuff and then took the time out to post nice stuff like that is more than appreciated :topofmorn:

I think i might of opened a can of worms with this one as i've a couple of email requests for similar branded mods so looks like this could be the first of many :woot:

[Odin Eidolon]

You know Andy i've never classed myself at the best in business and never will but comments like that make what i do all the more worth while thinking you dragged the family upstairs to check my stuff and then took the time out to post nice stuff like that is more than appreciated :topofmorn:

I think i might of opened a can of worms with this one as i've a couple of email requests for similar branded mods so looks like this could be the first of many :woot:

gratz CM

[Gazmtk]

CM you might not consider yourself one of the best in the business but I know I sure do, I look to your builds for inspiration more often than not to be very honest, I haven't really followed this build as I haven't been around much, but now im back I will be back following like a HAWK ;)
I love your modesty too, its that of a true champion!

Ohhh and I love the build, looks like sex only im having it... HAHAHA! :rolleyes:

[coolmiester]

I don't know what i've done to deserve all this praise but i'm not complaining - seriously though its always nice to get a few pats on the back so thanks guys, i'm humbled :)

WOW, the paint hadn't even dried on the last lot of pictures and they sent me more.

Apparently there's not much more to do before the blue flames are added and the masks start to come off so we should start to come together so i'm pretty excited about that as its hard to tell at present.

Once thats done its clear coat time so things should start to really "pop"

Great job DP CustomPaints (http://www.dpcustompaint.co.uk/).........thanks for the pictures and keep em coming :thumb:

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_142.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_143.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_144.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_145.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_146.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_147.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_148.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_149.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_150.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_151.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_152.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_153.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_154.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_155.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_156.jpg

[LowBrowser]

There ain't enough emoticons to describe it. But I'll try anyway.
:coke::crack:
:youtheman::boobies::dick:
Edit: Just to be sure, I'm not dickriding. It's just looking really nice.

[coolmiester]

Man i wish i could take credit for it but alas this type of painting is out of my league though i'm going to give it a go at some point :)

[Worthy]

cant wait to see the dragon.

[coolmiester]

cant wait to see the dragon.

Your wish is my command :)

I must admit, i'm one of those that can't really see the big picture until it all starts coming together and DP CustomPaint (http://www.dpcustompaint.co.uk/) have been great keeping me up to date on each stage.

The dragons back and i think Pete now shoots the blue flames and highlights the hexagons.........i think anyway.

It just keeps getting better and better IMO

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_160.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_161.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_162.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_163.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_164.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_165.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_166.jpg

[Odin Eidolon]

:coke:

[funkysnair]

that look really impressive...

round of applause!!

[ILikeCosmosS]

its so cool :D
i love the paint job, the dragon sure looks detailed

[Worthy]

Wow, that's pretty good! With the flames and clear it's going to be great.

[ballz0r]

wow that looks slick :up:

[coolmiester]

Updates coming thick and fast now and at this rate it looks like i should be getting the case back this week so i'm going to have to get my skates on and secure some hardware to fill it up :)

I was hoping to go tri-sli 285's but with the new single pcb 295's on the horizon i'm hoping we can maybe get those in time and i also have the new SR-1 (Silent Revision) rads on route from HardwareLabs (http://www.hwlabs.com/index) which should be here early this week so looking forward to getting a system installed.

Anyway.....we have a blue flame throwing dragon...

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_168.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_169.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_170.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_171.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_172.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_173.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_174.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_175.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_176.jpg

[Odin Eidolon]

awesome! whats up with the silent revision of HWLabs rads? lower FPI? That would be great!

[p0Pe]

the flame looks great. a little fake IMO but great.

the dragon could use a dentist though.

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_171.jpg

the paintjob is amazing man. they really know what they are doing.

[bianco]

great update... and remarkable paint job!
not much of a fan of the flames though...

[coolmiester]

Just about done now and ready to go to clear coat and polish when apparently it really comes to life so looking forward to that but i'm pretty happy with it so far and looking forward to getting a system in there with the Nitro in the front :)

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_177.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_178.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_179.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_180.jpg

[Baleful]

Very nice, I like it :up:

[LowBrowser]

I was wondering about how you're going to show off the goods inside without a side window. I guess you don't really need to see anything more then the paintwork, but still, where's your glory CM? :p

PS, keep us updated on the HWLabs radiator. I'd prefer to pay a little more (maybe not TC money) for a quality, thin low FPI rad.

[Silverion77]

Awesome case :up:

(just need new updates...)

[coolmiester]

Picked the finished Zotac mod box back up late tonight from DP CustomPaint and i was going to wait till daylight tomorrow to get some decent pictures but i couldn't wait tbh as it looks absolutely stunning so did the best i could with what i got.

These guys really did a fantastic job, i got to hand it to them its just a shame i can't do the 16 coats of deep gloss clear coat justice but hopefully it gives a good idea.........and i'll try for better soon.

Time to start adding some hardware i guess :)

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_507.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_500.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_501.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_502.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_503.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_504.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_505.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_506.jpg

[becandl]

Nice! Looks amazing! I can't wait to see the hardware portion of this build!

[slpdLoad]

16 coats of gloss!! :eek:

That's a helluva paint job.

[RedRaider]

That is fucking amazing...:slobber:

[coolmiester]

I probably should of done this before having the case painted but i love living dangerously and if Pete the painter is watching its probably best he skips this post :lol:

The mini USB jack that powers the Nitro was just interfering with the front bezel so harsh measures were needed in the shape of a power file just to remove a small channel for it to rest in..........anyway, it worked a treat and no damage done to the paintwork, plus you can't see it once the front bit is on there so job well done. And got the black plexi window for the Nitro but still to mount the 3 buttons.

Also got the top HWLabs 360 X-Flow rad mounted and also so a honeycomb mesh which looks just the ticket so all in all.......happy days :)

You also see the underlying honeycomb in the paint much better when pictured outdoors.

Lots of pictures as usual.....

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_510.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_511.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_512.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_514.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_515.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_516.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_517.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_518.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_519.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_520.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_521.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/mod_box_522.jpg

[p0Pe]

dayhaaaaamn.... i think thats the best paintjob i have yet seen on a case! GREAT job! it really shows its true colours in the open!

but plz tell me that that white wire goes into the case and dont have to go out there the whole time :S

[Odin Eidolon]

its.... shiny! :D
loving the top grill, fits perfectly the honeycomb theme

[ILikeCosmosS]

amazing painting skills coolermiester

i like it so shiny

[becandl]

I love it! Amazing. You really made that Nitro fit in well there.

[Odin Eidolon]

amazing painting skills coolermiester

i like it so shiny

ehm... he didnt do it, DP Custom Paints did it for him. ;)

[coolmiester]

LOL, i'd give both arms to be able to paint like that :D

[coolmiester]

I know i shouldn't but just thought i'd show what was going on in my head with this one and i got to say i'm pretty proud with the outcome tbh :crack:

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac-670-logo.jpg

[Lollerskater69]

I know i shouldn't but just thought i'd show what was going on in my head with this one and i got to say i'm pretty proud with the outcome tbh :crack:

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac-670-logo.jpg

:omg::omg::omg::htk:

[bianco]

amazing job cm! a good copy of the retail box. :D

[trfnj74]

Awesome work again Paul :champ:....I dont think you could build a bad rig if you tried....

[LowBrowser]

Wow, great work Pete and Paul. An almost perfect mirror image.

[Worthy]

I knew once that clearcoat went on that it was going to tie together well.
Excellent job Paul.

[ballz0r]

Awesome work mate :up:

[Septim]

Perfect! and very nice finish.

[nicky.82uk]

nice work yet again good on u mate

[subset7]

Nice job Paul,can't wait to see it full of hardware :drinkonme:

[coolmiester]

All the support is always appreciated thanks :)

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/primochill_logo.gif
click it.......you know you want to (http://www.primochill.com/)

Took onboard a new sponsor that i've not worked with in the past so big shout out to Primochill (http://www.primochill.com/) for getting me a stack of gear over today including a couple of their new Typhoon III res/pump combos which i got to say look great though i would of preferred a more clean look on the front end for this mod but i'm certainly not complaining and lets give them a chance and see how they look once they got coloured liquid in (orange in the top and black in the lower one)

Quality seems great and the D5's mount perfectly and have no doubt they will bleed just as good as the DDC ones i made a while back so looking forward to getting these filled up.

Anyway, still waiting on fittings to get any further on but here's a few pictures of Typhoon III's both in and out the case...

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/primochill_1.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/primochill_2.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/primochill_4.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/primochill_7.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/primochill_6.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/primochill_8.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/primochill_9.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/primochill_10.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/primochill_11.jpg

[Odin Eidolon]

cant wait to see them filled...

[bianco]

nice choice of coolant colors... can't wait to see it filled!

[BDW88]

All I can say is WOW!

[p0Pe]

did i miss the part where you says what coolant colors your gonna use?

if not, then i hop that you put orange in the top, and black in the bottom to match the color scheme of the box:P

[Odin Eidolon]

did i miss the part where you says what coolant colors your gonna use?

if not, then i hop that you put orange in the top, and black in the bottom to match the color scheme of the box:P

he will. he said that some posts above ;)

[coolmiester]

I love the T3's but for this mod the fronts need to be flush with the case (i think) so decided to try and mod the fronts with orange and smoked black plexi to see how it looks and i got to say i'm liking how they look so for tbh.

Basically just used the T3 as a template and cut out two pieces of plexi - drilled out a small hole in one end so i'm still able to remove one of the fill plugs then polished the edges and that basically it.

If i decide to use them (which i think i will be) i'll need to trim the edge on the T3's so they slide into the bay slightly more and also glue them on with clear liquid adhesive.

I think it fits in with the case a little better even though they are just stuck on with blutac at present :).....

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/primochill_12.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/primochill_14.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/primochill_15.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/primochill_16.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/primochill_17.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/primochill_18.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/primochill_19.jpg

[becandl]

Looks pretty nice, a very good idea.

[bianco]

would it be possible to have the hex pattern spill over the black acrylic res cover though? it could have a better effect on the continuity of the theme.

[dingdong555]

Nice work Paul.

Why not thread those holes and put a BP stop fitting on there for looks? The whole looks pretty stupid IMO as there's nothing there?

Fitting (I think this is the one with the DRAGON etching on the front which suits your theme?) - http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/bishsistfig1.html

[coolmiester]

I really wanted to hang fire and go Tri-Sli 285's but had a whole bunch of 7/16" Bitspower fittings and some Tygon hose here and basically couldn't wait any longer to get things started so ended up going with Skulltrail and pulled the 295 Infinity's from a previous mod which is a bit of a shame but at least it should be up and running tonight :)

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_1002.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_1001.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_1000.jpg

[Cutless009]

sexy! Can we see what your photography setup looks like by any chance?

[coolmiester]

sexy! Can we see what your photography setup looks like by any chance?

Not much to see mate, 2m square projector screen and my camera of choice is a Canon Ixus i because i can't use my 400D :D

[Cutless009]

What are you using for the white backdrop?

[coolmiester]

2m square projector screen :)

[Cutless009]

ah right sorry I missed that :up: Thanks coolmeister! Again man, quality build, your skills make me SO jealous.

[Worthy]

Paul that is fucking awesome! Are those BP fittings you're wearing?

[coolmiester]

Paul that is fucking awesome! Are those BP fittings you're wearing?

Yeah man......i lost my BP cherry today and i got to say i'm impressed :D

[Cutless009]

*looks over at container full of hundreds of BP fittings* Im a BP whore.... When I lost my BP cherry, I let it rape me like a cheap slut, and I've never settled for less again.

[rubidium]

This is an absolutely exquisite build - crisp in every detail. Sheer pleasure watching it come about. :worship:

[coolmiester]

You guys are probably sick of seeing this shit and i wasn't going to post this but its something a little different this time.......honest :)

I used 1mm aluminium epoxied to 3mm plexi then cut the letters out with my trusty fret saw then sanded down the edges and polished the fronts which gives the whole thing a different dimension.

I just got to figure out how to LED these things up to get a nice glow coming from the edges just like the ZOTAC logo so i'm off to try a few things.

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_plexi_1.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_plexi_2.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_plexi_3.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_plexi_4.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_plexi_5.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_plexi_6.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_plexi_7.jpg

[Worthy]

That looks phenomenal paul.

I guess drill straight up into the back of each one and glue in an LED?
Or maybe 2 smaller LEDS per letter to keep it uniform?

[coolmiester]

Cheers bud, yeah i'll fart about tomorrow daisy chaining some LED's and see what i can come up with.

I was just told today that Mr ZOTAC himself is watching............so no pressure there then :D

[EIGHTLUG]

Cheers bud, yeah i'll fart about tomorrow daisy chaining some LED's and see what i can come up with.

I was just told today that Mr ZOTAC himself is watching............so no pressure there then :D

Paul I know how you feel. But I think you have totally exceeded any of His expectations! Great build man.

[bianco]

that is awesome... always an amazing job cm! :up:

[Odin Eidolon]

I was just told today that Mr ZOTAC himself is watching

yeah, i didnt tell ya but its me. my pc sucks and i have an HIS videocard, but thats just because i like to be different. Now get back to work, you useless modder! :D:D:D

no joke CM, your work is amazing. every time i see one of your worklogs i notice some improvements over the previous ones... good job!

[Worthy]

Cheers bud, yeah i'll fart about tomorrow daisy chaining some LED's and see what i can come up with.

I was just told today that Mr ZOTAC himself is watching............so no pressure there then :D

We will have to talk about how you do these letters so nicely with the fret saw. A lot of patience I am sure. I want to do some letters like this to put my name on my machine. they come out awesome. I need to buy a narrow detail sander.

[Septim]

does that Z have a nice balance... i suddenly have the urge to make a ninja star out of it...

very nice polished letters. i like them.

[rubidium]

That lettering is purely outrageous.

[coolmiester]

Got some LED's hooked up to light them there ZOTAC letters up :)

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_led_2.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_led_3.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_led_4.jpg

[slpdLoad]

:slobber:

That's awesome :worship:

[Floyd]

Looking good man

[Lu(ky]

You guys are probably sick of seeing this shit and i wasn't going to post this but its something a little different this time.......honest :)

I used 1mm aluminium epoxied to 3mm plexi then cut the letters out with my trusty fret saw then sanded down the edges and polished the fronts which gives the whole thing a different dimension.

I just got to figure out how to LED these things up to get a nice glow coming from the edges just like the ZOTAC logo so i'm off to try a few things.

Any video with you on your Fret Saw? Nice to see you in action doing this.. ;)

[rubidium]

Stunning - absolutely stunning. :oscar:

[trfnj74]

Thats fucking sick great job....Paul you are my idle...lol:D

[Worthy]

PAUL!!!!:guitarhero:

[EIGHTLUG]

That definitely makes the 'ole stecker pick out!

[Oli4v]

I like :)

[coolmiester]

Eventually added all the final touches and got some pictures before it gets boxed up to start its journey to Multiplay

.....quite a few pictures BTW but thats it done.

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_infinity_1.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_infinity_2.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_infinity_3.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_infinity_4.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_infinity_5.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_infinity_6.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_infinity_7.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_infinity_8.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_infinity_9.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_infinity_10.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_infinity_11.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_infinity_12.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_infinity_14.JPG

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/zotac_infinity_16.JPG

[Worthy]

Man, that's classic. Awesome rig paul.
Got crunch???? :)

[RedRaider]

fucking sweet as hell...:slobber:

[Lu(ky]

Man coolmiester you have some bad ass mod skills.... :worship:

[Worthy]

I love the lettering, and I am inclined to try something like this on my own.
I also want to get a fret saw. I can see why he likes using it. You get a lot better control over your cuts. Takes a while, but nothing good comes easy.

[Baleful]

Top notch job as usual Paul :up:

[trfnj74]

Were-Not-Worthy.....Man You Kick Arse....

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/tffz74/were-not-worthy.jpg

[Worthy]

Were-Not-Worthy.....Man You Kick Arse....

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h201/tffz74/were-not-worthy.jpg

They are definitely NOT Worthy. That's for sure.:D

[ballz0r]

fuck man... i still cant get over how well this one turned out Paul.

Definately your best work to date.

:youtheman:

[coolmiester]

The mod was recently shipped to Denmark for an Nvidia seminar but courtesy of UPS shipping skillz the 295's broke loose in transit even though the whole interior of the case was padded out with packing.

Anyway, the result was that 1ltr of liquid was dumped onto the two cards which i've still yet to test but while the cards were loose they knocked a CAP off the motherboard.

I'm just wondering if anyone knows if this is fixable or what those CAP's actually do and if by a slim chance the board might still work :)

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/skull_bust_1.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/skull_bust_2.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/skull_bust_3.jpg

[coolmiester]

Just had a chance to unpack the 295's which were sent back seperately and i think its safe to say they are toast :wth:

Good job UPS :jackoff:

(still wouln't mind any info on the above post though)

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/skull_bust_4.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/skull_bust_5.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/skull_bust_6.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/skull_bust_7.jpg

[Floyd]

Wow id kill them!
And yes that cap is repairable, just get a new one and install it.

[scraps]

I don't understand how that happened? It looks like they beat them witha hammer or something????

[Xilikon]

Your mistake was using UPS to ship it... Remind me of CyberDruid problem with a custom built shipping.

[just a noob]

jesus fuck! :omg: how the hell could they have managed to do that? i sure as hell hope you had it insured...

[p0Pe]

to denmark huh? what the hell happened in denmark:D i would have loved to see this thing irl, even if the 295´s is fucked. does ups pay the bill?

still a wonder how they managed to do that... if you want something done probertly, do it yourself.. sad but true when it comes to shipping... no respect from thoose companys

[coolmiester]

Incredible...........just put the stock cooler back on one of those 295's and unbelievably it works \o/

Lucky really as i was just going to skip both of them so i may as well try the other one though it was a bit more worse for wear than this one.

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/skull_bust_8.jpg

http://www.coolercases.co.uk/zotac_mod_box/skull_bust_9.jpg

[nicky.82uk]

lucky sob about the 295

[Schlosser]

omfg. And I thought that Post Danmark was rough :whoa: jebus fucking christ! I sure as hell hope that your gonna sue their scrawny arses and make them cough up some money for a replacement!

What the hell did they do? Throw around 20 kg of hardware?! what about the case?! :scared:

[THP Dan]

Caps dont realy do a lot tbh.
A lot of the caps on there are to make the mobo use less power (well the same amout of power but makes it cheaper to run, caps and inductor stuff.)

Looking good btw :)

[cheapskate]

Airport baggage handling...
It must dive you nuts to know you have to hand something you spent months on to an underpaid thug with a 4th grade education.
To make matters worse, If you pack it really well there's a high chance someone in customs will inspect it. When they are done they jam it back in the box half-assed and with a little force.

My condolences on your loss.

[Crow]

Oh holy crap, I'm going to need to use UPS to ship my Black Pearl...

Sucks that that happened meister.

[Marne]

im late to this build i know. bad ass build. what ever happened. did ups pay for the shit? oh and btw im buying one of these cases cuz of you :D

[coolmiester]

Cheers Marne and good luck with your build.

The system is alive and well - new board and new cards and its as good as new and just waiting to hear if its going ot to CeBit computer show in Germany next month :)

[jar032]

i like the water blocks good job

[Oli4v]

That's even more worse than terrible, FUFUFU@UPS

[Overclocking101]

did you ever ined up getting that board working m8?? that cap shouldnt do much but if the board doesnt post without it a little dap of solder should fix it no prob

[jar032]

the same thing happened to me when i shipped my computer to my cousin using ups:(