NavyChief Posted May 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2016 Here are some final shots of the build in it's current state. Contemplating some additional modifications to the mid-plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyChief Posted May 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2016 After listening to the Modders Inc video after QuakeCon, I am in agreement that my case interior did not match my theme of BAWLS. The exterior was good with the Candy Cobalt Blue and BAWLS logo, but the interior was lacking and too stock (i.e. flat black). I decided to disassemble the case and paint all the interior panels (except the back panel) a Pearl White color. The pearl color is a softer white and the sheen will emphasize the chrome nicely. After about 5 hours of draining both loops and disassembling all the components, the case is finally apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyChief Posted May 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2016 Here are the interior panels with that Pearl White color. The panels include the top and bottom shelves, the front fan bracket and the complete motherboard tray assembly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyChief Posted May 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2016 I was able to re-assemble the case with pretty much no effort at all. Here you can see all the panels have been installed and the motherboard mounted on the tray again. Definitely like the contrast that the white provides. Have replaced all the black mounting screws with chrome screws. You can see some of the screws on the bottom shelf on the left side and above the motherboard. Black screws would have broken up the white too much and the chrome actually complements the chrome tubing. One of the hardest things to reinstall was the rubber grommets on the backplate and shelves. Those things fit extremely snugly! It took some effort to get them back inside and lined up smoothly again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyChief Posted May 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2016 I now have the interior components mostly reassembled and mounted. As you can see, the reservoirs really stand out now with the white interior. I also mounted a BAWLS bottle into the interior. The hardest part was drilling a clean 1" diameter hole in the bottom of the bottle without breaking it. I found a nice 1" diamond tipped hole saw at Home Depot and cut cleanly through without too much problem. Now the chrome pipe runs through the bottle. That area was kind of empty previously. Also, it would not have been too noticeable with the original black background. The leak testing finished with not a single drop showing on any fitting. Now to work on the wiring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyChief Posted May 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2016 Received some Gosumodz Alliance Combs from MAINframe Customs. The items were shipped promptly and delivered on-time. These are some truly beautiful cable combs made out of a special aluminum alloy! I ordered the 24-pin, 12-pin, 8-pin and 4-pin versions in the natural color. I removed the clear plastic cable combs and these new combs will really complement the build more. They also have anodized versions in red and black. The sizes available are 4-pin, 6-pin, 8-pin, 12-pin, 14-pin, 16-pin and 24-pin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyChief Posted May 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2016 After examining the interior of the case more thoroughly, I decided that the stock memory heatsink covers were too dull compared to all the shiny chrome around them. Here is a shot of all 8 Corsair Dominator Platinum memory sticks with the light bar upgrades in their stock finish. That dull silver textured finish just couldn't do. After hours of sanding and prepping, it was time for chroming. Here is a shot of the stock and shined versions. Another shot contrasting the differences. All 8 finished pieces lined up and ready for installation. The first one is reassembled with the blue light bar insert. All complete and ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyChief Posted May 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2016 Finished installing the memory sticks onto the motherboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyChief Posted May 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2016 Finished up the build and here are some shots... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyChief Posted May 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2016 I took the case to Dreamhack Austin and entered it into the case mod contest held by CPU Magazine. The changes were apparently just what it needed and it took 1st place. I am in the June edition of CPU Magazine on page 46. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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