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The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 01 Jan 2011, 20:53
by Smilodon111
Hey Guys
So this is it...my first shot @ modding...wish me luck
Plans:
1.) Strip case down completly
2.) clean & sand all marks ; glue residue (sound proof foam) ; scratches etc
3.) Powder coat interior black
4.) Paint exterior (light) glossy black
5.) replace mesh on side ; top ; bottom panels with dark plexi & attach with stainless steel bolts
6.) replace stock drive bays (4-in-3 module bay with newer model)
7.) cable management (duh)
8.) add red LEDS & fans into the case
Later on i plan on an H20 kit - but post christmass my budget is a bit limited lol for the mean time i thought i'd share my progress with you guys...
first off..photos of the case stripped down
...as you can see...between lian li's sound proof foam & scratches - my case is in terrible condition ATM...but thats
all gonna change.
After an entire day of cleaning the case & lightly sanding it - the end result looks pretty good IMO...i can officialy say
the i have put my blood ; sweat & tears litrelly into the case,my hands were full of cuts from the cleaning (not really the best way to spend new years day LOL)
Now i wait for everyone to open after the festive season... (frustration lol)
stay tuned...
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 13 Jan 2011, 18:27
by The_Jelly
Hey smiley!!!! im gona be following your case mod, pretty keen to see how it all pans out!!! what did you use to get the glue off?
pretty good finish u ended up with there! job well done!!!
here's a painting tutorial, hope it helps you...
http://www.overclock.net/case-mods-gene ... guide.html
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 13 Jan 2011, 19:23
by Smilodon111
hey man, thanx for the thumbs up - good to see ya back in da forums....
between the foam & scratches my case looked like it had been though a nuke, but i spent the entire day (1st jan - bigest hangover eva) sanding it down, and afterwards i saw how off the grain i was lol,the finish however looked really shiny
thanx for the link there buddy - i kinda need it cuz no body in my town can do a paint job for me - i went to industrial areas, car shops , panelbeaters..you name it....i really wanted a powder coat because it professional & even but yea...small town ppl.
im moving into a new house end of next month so for the time being it looks neglected, but it'll be back - better than ever
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 13 Jan 2011, 20:59
by The_Jelly
its good to be back bro! had a busy december and my internet was down due to downloading and reaching my cap.... but im back thats what counts!
its gona be quite a hectic rebuild but i rate its gona be smart... jus dont rush it and get things perfect!
hahahahahaha thats dedication for u! new year hangover but still sorting out the pc!
hope all goes well with the paint job! im shocked that nobody could do it for u! but might be fun doing it yourself.....
goodluck with the house moving! always a mission but least it shows you how much junk you have and gives the new place a bit of a spring clean......
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 19 Jan 2011, 14:31
by Smilodon111
hey guys...just an update..
i finally found someone to do my powder coating
- i'll be sending my case in either tomorrow or latest friday.im gonna do a satin black finish, then gonna stop off @ mica & grab some stainless steel bolts to use to put the case together again...
Will post pics as soon as i have the case back...
all the best & hold thumbs for me that its comes out awesome
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 19 Jan 2011, 22:17
by The_Jelly
Holding thumbs bro!
i rate its gona look hot! satin black is an awesome finish! keen to see the end product!!!
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 19 Jan 2011, 23:07
by DAE_JA_VOO
Good luck dude! I hope the powder coaters treat you better than the last powder coaters I used treat me!
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 20 Jan 2011, 11:31
by Smilodon111
DAE_JA_VOO wrote:Good luck dude! I hope the powder coaters treat you better than the last powder coaters I used treat me!
dont say that
im already stressing!
so i took it in, gonna do a satin black interior with a gloss black exterior, only thing is i have to tap new threads after the coat but thats all good,it gives me something to do
next on the list - have to find a plastic company for the dark perspex & pick up new bolts for everything
will post some pics when i get it back...
all the best guys!
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 20 Jan 2011, 12:21
by DAE_JA_VOO
Smilodon111 wrote:only thing is i have to tap new threads after the coat but thats all good,it gives me something to do
That's not the end of the world, though. And you don't actually have to tap "new" threads. The old thread is still there, it's just full of junk now. When you re-thread, it'll just clean out the powder
Smilodon111 wrote:next on the list - have to find a plastic company for the dark perspex & pick up new bolts for everything
Maizey Plastics.
Good luck!
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 23 Jan 2011, 18:04
by Smilodon111
Hey guys
while waiting for the powder coating i figured im gonna spray the fan tray aswell...i used a flat black finish on it and bought 4 coolermaster sickle flow red led fans on with lian li black fan grills...
now i jus need my case back
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 24 Jan 2011, 16:57
by cyberfox271
Dude, I wanna start case modding. Just need a starting point and alot of time. school sucks in the week, weekends stink from socializing. How much money have you spent on modding your case so far?
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 24 Jan 2011, 19:31
by Smilodon111
cyberfox271 wrote:Dude, I wanna start case modding. Just need a starting point and alot of time. school sucks in the week, weekends stink from socializing. How much money have you spent on modding your case so far?
hey man - case modding is really an art man & makes your case unique from everyone else's, i got a lot of inspiration from DJV & thats pretty much why i started this project...my modding skills are beginner @ best but im learning things along the way
...price wise - im looking at about R5000 / R6000 for all the mods including the h20 kit.....
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 24 Jan 2011, 22:59
by DAE_JA_VOO
Smilodon111 wrote:cyberfox271 wrote:Dude, I wanna start case modding. Just need a starting point and alot of time. school sucks in the week, weekends stink from socializing. How much money have you spent on modding your case so far?
hey man - case modding is really an art man & makes your case unique from everyone else's, i got a lot of inspiration from DJV & thats pretty much why i started this project...my modding skills are beginner @ best but im learning things along the way
...price wise - im looking at about R5000 / R6000 for all the mods including the h20 kit.....
Aah thanks dude, I appreciate that!
Yeah, case modding is just something you start doing, hey. I started because I was inspired by someone else, and Smilodon apparently started because of me, and I guarantee you, someone else will start because of Smilodon. That's just the way the wheel turns in the case modding world.
Cyberfox, I'm actually writing an article at the moment for
the other South African gaming magazine, that'll cover your question quite well. If you're a reader, check it out in about a month or so
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 25 Jan 2011, 15:13
by cyberfox271
lol thanks for the advice. I'd probably start case modding as a hobby. Start the metal work at a later stage. When i know what i'm doing...i'll just * it up if i start metal work on it.
@DJV: Are you talking about the magazine that's a type of moan?
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 25 Jan 2011, 17:29
by DAE_JA_VOO
LOL! Yes, that's the one
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 25 Jan 2011, 20:14
by Smilodon111
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 25 Jan 2011, 22:24
by The_Jelly
wowza!!!! awesome job smiley that thing looks amazing amazing amazing!!!! how much did the powder coat cost you? so keen to see the end product.....
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 25 Jan 2011, 22:29
by DAE_JA_VOO
Yeah, that looks good. I just don't like the wheels
Otherwise, it looks good! What are the rest of your plans?
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 26 Jan 2011, 08:03
by Smilodon111
The_Jelly wrote:wowza!!!! awesome job smiley that thing looks amazing amazing amazing!!!! how much did the powder coat cost you? so keen to see the end product.....
Hey man! Thanx buddy - it costed R700 - which aint to bad considering how amazing it came out, my camera is only a 5mp so the pics jus dont do justice
DAE_JA_VOO wrote:Yeah, that looks good. I just don't like the wheels
Otherwise, it looks good! What are the rest of your plans?
Thanx DJV - i agree the wheels killed the shot but yea, it makes the case a lot easier to move around
my plans now is to get the perpex made for both side panels & then the h20 kit - i was thinking of going for a 240 rad cuz i hate that mesh by the under side of the case,as you said to me it'll fit nice & snug & i think it'll cope with my i7 + HD5870...plus i can then run all the tubing inside the case.
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 26 Jan 2011, 09:09
by Samaya
Really nice. I like the way it looks - even with your bad camera lol
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 26 Jan 2011, 10:21
by Smilodon111
Samaya wrote:Really nice. I like the way it looks - even with your bad camera lol
Thanx man - much appreciated
i promise when its more or less done, ill borrow a camera from work & take good shots
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 26 Jan 2011, 10:39
by DAE_JA_VOO
Yeah, the stacker fits a radiator in the bottom like a glove. I helped a buddy install a 3x120 and it was a perfect fit, so you'd be fine doing that
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 26 Jan 2011, 22:52
by The_Jelly
DAE_JA_VOO wrote:Yeah, that looks good. I just don't like the wheels
Otherwise, it looks good! What are the rest of your plans?
agreed on the wheels but the rest of it is stunning.... u have a case there with so much potential.....
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 26 Jan 2011, 23:19
by Slimshaedy
That case is amazing! Words don't do it justice,case modding is inspirational and addictive by the looks of it!
AWESOME job smiley!
Re: The Nehalem GT - Stacker 830
Posted: 27 Jan 2011, 09:57
by Smilodon111
Thanx guys - i appreciate the positive feedback
so i took off the wheels (
) & busy installing the system to use for the mean time while im saving for the H20
i grabbed a camera from the work so ill take photos by latest the weekend & post it up, only prob is im running stock cooler now since i sold my v10 - bleh!
oh well, that thing was jus big & clunky
all the best guys!