Sprocket's New Home

[clocker]

Today I went back to MicroCenter to study the Gigabyte 3D Cooler more closely.
I was hoping to get a better idea of how it is assembled and it's moddability potential.
Decided to pass for the moment...my Zalman is performing quite well and $50 for the GigaByte is a bit steep just to play.

On my way out I cruised thru the "scratch and dent" discount section and there, lying like a pearl among swine, was a ColerMaster Centurion case.
I was immediately intrigued.

I loved the sleek simplicity of the front bezel and the ( apparently) unhindered intake path for the front fan.
No irritating sidepanel window either.

The "flaw" in this (presumably returned) case is a slight mar on the roof about the size of a dime.

Getting it home, I began to study the potential for customizing this little ( and cheap...reduced from $59.95 to $29.95) beauty.

The method of assembly is unique in my experience...one knurled screw removes both sidepanels and the roof. Very handy.
Fit of the panels is excellent.

I also picked up aZalman fan control panel and a CoolerMaster HDD Cooler enclosure because I thought they would look good with the case design. Also, the drive enclosure should help quiet the drive noise ( not too bad to begin with really) and it allows me to mount the drive in the top optical bays.

This go round I'm going to do a bit more planning before I do anything...the idea is to minimize noise while still keeping temps reasonable.
Sprocket's current home was an exercise in high end air cooling...uberfannage and massive airflow...and is extremely successful- my load temps are in the mid-thirties.

That's all well and good, but I think I'd like to try to emphasize quiet over performance this time, just to see how that works out.
Naturally, this doesn't mean that I'm not going to hack around on this case, just that I hope to be more discreet.

Fortunately, having a few cases lying around ( 4 at the moment) means that I can play with the Centurion at my leisure and leave Sprocket intact in the Muffin case till all my mods are done.

Time to start dreaming...I'll post some pics as things develop...

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@15 April 2004 - 20:58
The method of assembly is unique in my experience...one knurled screw removes both sidepanels and the roof. Very handy.

what does knarled mean?

and can you post a pic so i can see?

[kaiweiler]

that's awesome, hope she feels comfortable in her new home
that's not a bad deal for that case....
lookin forward to seein some pics!
keep us posted B)

[clocker]

Rossco, these are knurled screws...no tools required.

K,
Happy birthday.

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@15 April 2004 - 21:27

Rossco, these are knurled screws...no tools required.

K,
Happy birthday.

oh theyre like thumb screws.

forgot, happy birthday K!!!i forgot to wish my friend a happy virthday too and i saw him so many times today too

[kaiweiler]

Originally posted by clocker@15 April 2004 - 22:27
K,
Happy birthday.

thanks!
when can we expect some pics of this machine? lol

[clocker]

K,

Not sure.
I may just assemble the case as is and see what happens.
Give myself some baseline data to deal with.

I have almost a full notebook that details the results of mods made to my Xaser case and my current case, so I'm trying to devise a strategy based on those.

In the past I've been quick to cut holes and mount fans...not so much with this case.
I like that the exterior is almost devoid of holes and would like to keep it that way if at all possible.

My target temps are 35c at idle and 40c under load.
This might be achievable using my Aquarius II H2O set up.

We'll see.

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@15 April 2004 - 22:05
K,

Not sure.
I may just assemble the case as is and see what happens.
Give myself some baseline data to deal with.

I have almost a full notebook that details the results of mods made to my Xaser case and my current case, so I'm trying to devise a strategy based on those.

In the past I've been quick to cut holes and mount fans...not so much with this case.
I like that the exterior is almost devoid of holes and would like to keep it that way if at all possible.

My target temps are 35c at idle and 40c under load.
This might be achievable using my Aquarius II H2O set up.

We'll see.

if u do use the water cooling system, try to orgaznise the pipes better to keep the case looking clean, if thats possible...

[clocker]

Oh please, Rossco...my cases are always paragons of organization.

Seriously.

It's a disease.

[tesco]

Originally posted by clocker@15 April 2004 - 22:12
Oh please, Rossco...my cases are always paragons of organization.

Seriously.

It's a disease.

i know urs are organised, so are mine, i know what its like...

but when i saw ur pics of ur watercooling, the water pipes were pretty messy in there...