Project: Lian Li PC7²

[Azza]

So im going watercooling again and I thought I would make a log of how everything goes, with lots and lots of pics inc my very special case thats in the works.

Any way onto business.


PC Hardware:



CPU - Intel Q6600 G0






Motherboard - DFI Lanparty LT X48-T2R






RAM - 4Gb OCZ 6400






Graphics card - BFG 8800 GTS 512mb OC (may be changed to a PNY 9800GTX soon)






Hard drives - 250Gb Seagate, 500Gb Samsung, 2 x 60gb 2.5inch (Fujitsu & Seagate)


PSU - Corsair 620W


Watercooling gear:


CPU block - EK Supreme Acrylic











Pumps - D5 Vario, D-Tek dB-1





Rads - 1 * Thermochill PA120.2 & 1 * Thermochill PA120.3


Res - 2 * Swiftech MCRES-Micro

The bottom of the res have been modded so the out let of the res is at the bottom. Can then put the pumps directly below the res, makes everything alot easier.


Coolant - Feser One (Yellow & Purple)






Case - Lian Li PC7²


Some latest pics of the case...








Custom ChilledPC PA120.2 backplate goodness.





Second rad will go in the top panel of case.


Right case for PC and left for watercooling etc.


Cases are attached together using some metal spacers so that both front panels can still fit on.




Thats all for now folks.

[vicar]

Have fun

[j.o.s.h.1408]

you have two cases? wow

[Azza]

A few changes...

Going for a PA120.3 (bottom) and a PA120.2 (top) and getting two Swiftech MCRES as it will be easy to find a decent a place them.

[shaffaaf27]

how much did the backplate cost?

[Azza]

Case is all done for the time being.

Here are some pics.





PA120.3 in the back with a Chilled PC Anodised 120.3 Rad Grill. Custom back plate was made to fit the PA120.3 in the back.







PA120.2 in the roof with a Chilled PC Anodised 120.2 Rad Grill.







Custom acrylic window cut into the side panel.







A couple of shots of the insides. You can see the modifed reservoirs here.








More pics to come once i start the build.


Big thanks to Tom at Chilled PC for making all this possible and everything he has done so far and for everything that is still to come with this build. You're a star mate


More updates soon.

[Azza]

This is a guide on how the window was done.


First of all, the tools needed :-

1) Pen
2) Masking tape
3) Ruler
4) Jigsaw/dremel
5) Knife
6) Sandpaper 400 grit will do. upto 2000 is nice to have


First of all, mask off your side panel - this will avoid you damaging or scratching your panel and allow you to draw all over it.





Next, draw your design - keep it simple if you arent experienced with this or want a nice clean look! Be aware of features such as the grills built into Lian Li panels. These may affect where your windows can go.





After you are happy with your design, drill a small pilot hole to start off your cut (this isnt neccessary for dremels).





My weapon of choice everytime. Jigsaws are far superior to dremels in my opinion.





Cut straight up the line you drew with the dremel :-





I like to stick 1 or 2mm away from the line (on the inside of the cut) which allows for small errors and can then be filed down at the end. Going to close to the cut allows for no errors and you will end up adjusting your window and causing grief. The better you are with the jigsaw the closer you can get - this comes with confidence and practise.

1mm is close enough for me





Next step is to repeat the process on the opposite corner to where you first drilled so as to do the other two edges.
Once this is done and you have cleaned up all the edges as much as you can with the jigsaw you can start filing. Any file will do. A nice large flat edge will give you a better chance of not messing up.





Then file down to the line you drew - I tend to file just down to the line so there is a slither of white masking tape visible. This stops you from creating an uneven line. As if you file into the black line you drew you may file into it more in one place than the other as that line is 1mm thick.
1mm doesnt sound like much, but it may be noticeable and why take that chance?





It should now look something like this :-





Now I like sand all the edges while the tape is still on, to avoid sanding off the black anodising on the panel. I start with some 400 and then polish up to 1500-2000 just to make it smooth.





Once thats done and you are happy with the results, you can start measuring up the perspex. Anything from 2-4mm is ok. I only have 4mm in stock at the moment so that will have to do. The thicker it is the more rigidity it puts back into the panel which is nice to have when a huge chunk of it has been cut out.





Cut that using a sharp stanley knife and a straight edge. Score a few lines along the edge then the perspex should snap cleanly on the edge of a table. You can sand the edges with a file and paper if you want. Its not going to be seen so it doesnt really matter.


My choice of fixings is double sided tape. Its strong but not too strong that it cant be removed at a later date. (It will need to be removed in a couple of months )





Once you have stuck your panel down (remember to peel off the protective backing on the perspex prior to sticking it down), you should then be finished and have something like this :-









And thats how the window was done.


Thanks to Tom again for that, god knows how it would of looked if I tried it with my hands on the jigaw.

[j.o.s.h.1408]

i did my own window on a chieftec matrix full tower using a jigsaw like yours when otehrs recomenede a bloody dremel which was next to useless lol.


other then that you did an impressive job

[Ommid]

surely wudda been easier to buy a pc343?

[Azza]

surely wudda been easier to buy a pc343?

Well that would have cost £180+ for the case plus this is like 100x cooler.

[merple]

Well that would have cost £180+ for the case plus this is like 100x cooler.

+1 very cool way of getting the space of one of those cube cases without the massive price hike.
Nice job so far Look forward to seeing more.

[Pob255]

Very nice so far
Must say I'd agree with you on the jigsaw for cutting window pannels.
Drimmels are great for cutting small bits and trimming things down to size not for cutting long stright lines. although with the right head they are great for sanding

Tip for you if you've not done this. to hide the silvery colour of the edge of the hole you just cut.
Black Marker pen get a fairly chunky one and just run it around the inside edge and it should hide it well.

[Azza]

Decided to put together a loop for the CPU.

Ek block on board.





Now dought I will re-route all the tubing once I do the second loop.

[tigerboyce]

Just noticed this, Its looking real nice. Cant wait to see more!

[shadowmaster]

This is quite cool Keep up the good work.

I would love to try something like this one day but I'll probably hurt myself in the process and unfortunately I don’t have the spare time (yet).

[SiM]

hmm, very original PC case... hardcore

So how much did this all cost you?