Title: Worklog Update
Date: November 01, 2009
Status: The Cube returns to form!
Brief: Good evening everyone, work resumes full steam ahead as of right now. As many of you are aware. I did push my time tables back a bit due to the following reasons; I am still in the process of securing parts for Sestren. I am currently waiting for MNPCTech's graciously sorting my last order. And in the meantime I set up my temporary computer, Tower. Which was quite a jump from my previous Pentium 805D. To be completely honest, this Q9550, 4 gigs of Ram, 3870x2, F1 Raid 0, is mostly sufficient for most of my needs. I also had to endure a complete OS change and migration from Windows XP Pro 32x, to Windows 7 Ultimate x64. Tower is much faster than the previous Sestren, as the jump from Pentium 805D to Core 2 Quad, is pretty significant. In some areas, it exceeded my expectations, in some it lacked. However in the lacking I believe that is due to hardrive limitations, even in Raid 0. I will further investigate once I move to four SSD drives Raid 0.
However as humans, we need to progress. So one must push boundaries, test limits, and evolve, so with that said. Work resumes on Sestren at full speed ahead. The time tables still fall on this Month of November to December for Sestren to be ready. I may also possibly feature an article on my transition to Windows 7, its been mostly positive, and I can suggest everyone to upgrade should they need to, however it wasn't without its quirks, and there's still some software and compability issues, but overall It was one of my most pleasant OS transitions, and a fun ride. However that is for a later time, and possibly a different medium, right now the focus is on the worklog. So please enjoy this quadruple dose of updates, since I took a little while to format this one, and be prepared for alot of content coming your way. Especially if I can secure more parts soon. This is just getting the case ready, parts are already going in, and as soon as I have confirmation on more stuff coming. I will update. I am waiting to see how the Radeon 5890 stacks up vs. Fermi x2 to decide. More parts are coming in, so definitely check back these weeks as there are bound to be updates.
Left to come!
CPU
Motherboard
6x DDR3 Ram
PSU
4x 2.5 to 3.5 HDD converters
4x SSD's
2x Graphics Card x2
Water Cooling Fittings
Water Piping Cutter
Take care,
- PC1X1
Description: The great assembly had begun! Here you can start seeing how the colors will match and accent one another. Also note how all plastic parts are painted black, and the new 3 screws on the facade of the cube, are part of the removable motherboard tray mod. So indeed the tray is removable and looks pretty good in my humble opinion.
Description: Here's a profile shot that features the hardware side of the cube. The right side is where all the water cooling, and accessories, lights etc.. will reside. The top plate that holds pump #3, now has a carbon fiber trim. On the right side, left side of the bay you can see two silver screws, and some carbon fiber trim, that's part of the removable motherboard tray. It was quite difficult to counter sink the screws so they wouldn't scrape the actual bay hardware. However in the end it came out pretty good I think. The little carbon fiber guy in the bottom of the right side is there to help hold up the Power Supply Unit.
Description: Another shot of the the cube's skeleton, here is a front shot that portrays the cube in all its towering glory. Again check out the details and screws from the removable motherboard tray, and the painted plastic hinges, that hold the front panel.
Description: Here's an up shot of the cube. You can see its glossy red appearance, and its details. The black motherboard end plate contrasts really well.
Description: Here's a frontal shot of the motherboard side for the cube's skeleton. As you may have noticed, the cube is divided into two main compartments. I took advantage of this fact, and divided all working hardware in the Motherboard side, and all accessories and support hardware in the right side. The paint is nice and glossy, and again the black trim, and intentional use of blacks to contrast the red looks pretty cool. Notice how the wheels also join the form now.
Description: Here's a close shot of the back plate. The cube while not longer than a standard computer case, is indeed much wider. So you can see that while being a standard 7x End plate, the width from motherboard to actual computer window is pretty large. That gives me alot of room to play with the water cooling and cable routing. Again the end plate was made as a contrast, and looks pretty cool in my opinion, once hardware is installed, it should contrast and blend even better. It also serves as a focal point to draw your eyes.
Description: Here's is the back of the cube in all its naked glory. Luckily this post is safe for work. Here you can see that the PSU end plate is also powder coated black. And contrasts with the red of the cube. While the red is the main color of the skeleton, once the cube is fully assembled, all the pieces will make sense.
Description: Here's a close up shot of the 120mm Fan exhaust, and the opening for the tubing from the 2 main 360mm radiators. You can also see an upclose shot of the motherboard tray screws. I really like these screws. Also the metallic Lian Li screws also look very good, and when all the water cooling chrome fittings are in, everything will be themed and harmonious.