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[Project]: Big Bro' Prodigy (Extreme BitFenix Prodigy mod)

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Hey, if i was you go buy licens on this mod and send it to BitFenix.
maybe they will buy it from you :p and let it go in production :D
 
Hey, nice mod..a mATX is quite a good idea..

two questions:
- with the PSU behind the board you are a bit limited what CPU coolers you can use, max height about 100mm ?
- with the board mounted 90 degrees to the left, will the boards´ heatpipe systems work stable? ..some boards dont like beeing installed upside down..

cheers
 
Hey, if i was you go buy licens on this mod and send it to BitFenix.
maybe they will buy it from you :p and let it go in production :D

Haha, good idea but I don't think it's worth the hassle, if it's even possible to do so ;)
But I guess that means you like my mod? :D In that case thank you!

Hey, nice mod..a mATX is quite a good idea..

two questions:
- with the PSU behind the board you are a bit limited what CPU coolers you can use, max height about 100mm ?
- with the board mounted 90 degrees to the left, will the boards´ heatpipe systems work stable? ..some boards dont like beeing installed upside down..

cheers

Thanks! If you missed it, this is E-ATX/ATX, not mATX :) Hehe,

I'll try to answer your questions!

1. You are correct about being limited with the CPU-cooler height. The case is 25cm wide and the PSU is around 9cm. Take off 2cm because of the motherboard tray + motherboard and another centimeter because of some restrains in the case and we are left with (25-9-2-1) = 13cm
About 12-13cm clearance for a CPU-cooler. But I will be water cooling so height is not an issue :) For someone who is going to air cool I guess you have to consider about the height of the cooler :)

2. That I can't answer I'm afraid, until I've tried it out. However, I've had this board mounted like that and there were no problems for what I saw. Then again, cooling the chips on the motherboard isn't really hard, they don't get too hot. But good question, I'll try it out once the mod is done!

LOOK BELOW FOR AN UPDATE! :D

updatexg.jpg


UPDAAAAAAATE! :D

Even more mesh! and AquaTuning is sponsoring - 10/07 -2013

UPDATE 10/07 - 2013

HIP HOPP TO THE TOP!

Hope you're all doing great! :)

I just got home from a 2 week vacation and I'm ready to share this update with you! I thought I'd get it out sooner than this but I didn't have the time required and who doesn't want to enoy their vacation while it lasts? :)
This update will be about something that's not new but still wonderful - even more mesh! I can't get enough of it and it will cover my build quite much. I'll let the pictures and text below talk for themselves so be sure to enjoy it! :)

______________________________________________________

Let's continue with the case-mod itself that will be about nothing less than even more mesh! :D (which makes me happy as I love it)
Here's the botton of the case itself where all the contacts will be reached. I have earlier sawn out some holes for the I/O- and PCI-contact and the PSU a like. I did this before I got the idea that I'd like to use the mesh I've gotten my hands on.
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Now at a later stage I've made the decision that I want this bottom part to be covered with nothing less than mesh, as well :D
I try to get the mesh piece inside but I notice that there's two raised parts in the tray (marked with red arrows) that will create some problem as the level won't be straight and smooth.
hl6v.jpg

0b5s.jpg


This is how I want it to look once it's done. With mesh on the inside of the case and then the motherboard tray and I/O on top of it :)
vt59.jpg


I could make two things at the same time - Put in even more mesh and remove those tiny "boulders", so I started masking it up and called upon my tools :)
h82j.jpg


I sawn a huge part of the bottom tray away - where I earlier had made holes for all the contacts. I will later on make the same holes in this mesh so I can reach all the contacts :) The hole thing about this was that I wanted to have visible mesh on the inside.
33xq.jpg


The rear/back part that I earlier cut some mesh for was to be fixed as well. Since I will have a covering mesh even in the back I had to get rid of what's there original, as the fan-mounting, holes and such stuff.
I mark what is to be sawn and I then saw the parts away, quite some parts got off :)
i3xa.jpg

q74e.jpg

ilsm.jpg


What is remain to do on these is to make all the cuts smoother and maybe paint the parts so you don't see any scracthes or proof that it has been sawn/modified - even tho the mesh will cove that up quite good :)

Since both the top, bottom and rear/back and the front have gotten a mesh-makeover I thought it was time to puzzle up the case to see what it looks like :) We've seen the parts a lone but not togheter as a case so it's time!
I myself think that it looks extremely wonderful and I'm very pleased with the result :D
5tuy.jpg


The inside:
wbgd.jpg


Seen from behind:
c1v7.jpg


And last but definately not least, seen from the front! Both with and without the motherboard I/O-tray. Looks very nice with the mesh and the contrast it makes to the black of the rest of the case :D
q8ry.jpg

nslu.jpg

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It feels like the modification of the case itself is starting to somehow come to an end and look good! :)
What remains to be done is to saw the holes in the bottom-tray to allow the contacts to be reachable and then attach all the mesh-parts with rivets and stuff a like. After the modification of the case itself is done there will of course be other moments I will work with, such as sleeving the PSU, mounting and constructing the water cooling loop etcetc.

There's however one thing on the case that I have an awesome idea about that I think will be really good. However I don't want to reveal it quite yet, haha :) I first want to try it out and see if it fits and such stuff. As a teaser I can reveal that it will be about somehow modifying/replacing the top handles with something that will look better and suit my style in this build even more :)

Please do comment, ask or give suggestions! I get happy when people write :)

Thank you for reading and following,
Best Regards
Nikkop
 
Haha, good idea but I don't think it's worth the hassle, if it's even possible to do so ;)
But I guess that means you like my mod? :D In that case thank you!

Yhe thats right :p

the new pictures are great, the case looks awsome :headbang:
 
Yhe thats right :p

the new pictures are great, the case looks awsome :headbang:


Thanks a lot! :) I hope the final product look as good! ;)
I just love the mesh! :D
 
I love custom case builds!!! :)

Seriously, your build's a great one to watch!! :headbang::D:thumbup:

Inspirational!!

Thanks a bunch mate! Sorry for my late reply though, but I really appreciate your kindness! :)
I hope you will like the final product as well! :) However, here's an update about a product that will be used in the final project! :)

updatexg.jpg


UPDATE! :D

Unboxing & Overview of the GIGABYTE GTX 780 OC - 06/08 -2013

UPDATE 06/08 - 2013

Hi there!


As you may have found out from the topic of this update is that GIGABYTE have supplied me with another great product.

This product will really give this project that big extra touch, namely nothing less than a - GTX 780 OC (GV-N780OC-3GD) graphics card!

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I'm very thankful and happy to have gotten the opportunity to feature this amazing GPU in my project and build and I think it will raise the awesome-factor even more!

So this update will be about the unboxing and an overview of the GPU that will take place in Big Bro' Prodigy. So for the moment what I'm pushing inside my poor (but lucky) Prodigy is an E-ATX motherboard (Z77X-UP7), a GTX 780, custom water loop with 2x 240rads + 25cm reservoir and more! Talk about compact ;)

I have made an unboxing and overview video that I would ask you to check out (thank you in advance! :) ).
I'm trying to create my own and new style in this video so please let me know what you think! Example the texts sliding in and such stuff.
I will however also put up pictures and additional text to support the pictures.

So let's go!
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Here's the unboxing and overview video uploaded on YouTube:
______________________________________________________________

Pictures and additional text:

Here's the box of the GIGABYTE GTX 780.

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The content of the box:
  • GIGABYTE GTX 780
  • 2x Molex to PCI adapters (6- and 8-pin) - in case you lack the cables from your power supply.
  • DVD with softwares (Drivers, OC GURU II etc.etc.)
  • Quick Quide - Useful if you are unsure how to install a graphics card.
1_zps98c9c137.jpg


Here's the beauty, the GTX 780 with the Windforce 3X 450W cooler. It performs as good as a GTX Titan but comes much cheaper, being a lot more "bang of the buck".
Example: In Sweden the GIGABYTE GTX 780 is 25% cheaper than the chepeast GTX Titan.

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Dimensions of the card:

  • L = 292mm
  • W = 129mm
  • H = 43mm
The height of only 2x PCI-E slots enables SLI-configs :)

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Since this is a factory overclocked graphics card the clock frequencies are higher than the regular GTX 780. It performs more or less like a GTX Titan thanks to the OC.
  • Core: 954Mhz - 11%~ higher than stock core.
  • Boost: 1006Mhz - 12% higher than stock boost.
5_zps44c63af0.jpg


The brand new Windforce 3X 450W cooling solution consists of:

  • "Triangle Cool" Technology (please check the video where I explain it @06:03)
  • 3x Ultra quiet fans - Quiet even under heavy load (yes I've tried it out myself! :) )
  • Two massive heatsinks
  • 6 copper heatpipes - 2x 8mm & 4x 6mm
  • Able to dissipate 450W of heat.
7_zpsd7ab5f87.jpg


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Two nice things on the back of the graphics card.
  1. "Anti-bend" mounting, a metal piece preventing the PCB from bending due to a heavy cooler. Not bad! (makes me feel safe :) )
  2. Black PCB! Finally black PCB on GIGABYTE cards, awesome for the color scheme - black goes with everything.
14_zps5f7dbf5c.jpg


Video outputs:

  • Displayport
  • HDMI
  • Dual-link DVI-D
  • Dual-link DVI-I
Four screens can be run on the same time on a single GPU! Also of course 120Hz screens and such.

11_zps2716e00d.jpg


Driven by two connectors. 6- & 8-pin.

15_zps3ba929a0.jpg


Additional photos:
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And finally up and running!
8_zpse350bbdc.jpg


______________________________________________________________

Please do take a look at the video I've posted as I would appreciate that a lot! Also I explain it all better and in more detail than with the pictures and text - the photos and texts are complementary for the video in case you don't have the possibility to watch it.

So this graphics card beast will be in this project, how awesome isn't that?! I look forward to try it out and do some benchmarks, try the cooling solution out, overclock the card and stuff a like!

Anything specific you're wondering about let me know and I'll try to answer it!

I’d love to hear what you think about the video and what you think of the GTX 780 inside of the Big Bro' Prodigy! ;)

Thanks in advance,
Best Regards
Nikkop
 
Hey, .... news, thay stole you idea (with the mATX version ) :O

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4d6R7SSJoM

I like yours more :D:headbang::p

Haha, yeah I've seen that. However, that's "only" mATX. Why won't they fit an ATX ? ;)

Thanks! :)

Dustin home is awesome! Great customer service!

Indeed, my favorite as well. Always ordering from them as long as they have the stuff I'm searching for :)

Shesh awesome work so far. Very much look forward to seeing the end result!

Thanks a bunch! Appreciate it.
Check below to see some progress! :)

updatexg.jpg


UPDAAAAAAATE! :D

Cut holes for I/O and assembly - 24/09 -2013

UPDATE 24/09 - 2013

Hiya all!

Here I am with an update that shows that this project is starting to come along! :)
I have recently test-assembled a lot around this build to see what and where everything will fit the best and I think I have found those spots! :)
When that was done I decided to get the parts in place and I also thought that it was time for the motherboard tray to be attached to the case so I can reach all required I/O.
So I thought I'd show you what I've done. Let's go! :)
__________________________________________________________

I started by putting the motherboard tray in spot of where I want it. Since I wanted to have as much place as possible in front of the tray I put the tray as close as possible to the other side where the PSU is.

Since the mesh in the bottom of the case doesn't have any holes it would be pretty hard to connect to all the I/O ports so I decided to make some cut ;)
wbgd.jpg


Whe the motherboard tray was in place I started to mark where I wanted to do the cuts.
4_zps8825750c.jpg


After the markings were done with some masking tape I brought the dremel.
I bought a pair of new discs that manages to do the job nicely :)
5_zps6bae14f2.jpg


Aaaand it's done! Took a while to get it done and the tool had to swet a little bit.
Here we can see how much I've cut and we see it does look like the shape of regular rear/back case :)
6_zps9cd9cbde.jpg


I turn the case upside down to put the I/O-piece to see if it fits, and it does.
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The question is; Does it fit and look good once the components are in pace? Let's find out!
8_zps27e3fadb.jpg


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I found this CD in a box at my mom's house (where I don't live any longer). This is a CD with 10 homemade tracks I made when I was about 10 years old.
I even sold a couple of copies to teachers at my school very cheap, haha. One of the track's are named "Titanic", I wonder if it has a good "drop", lol! :p
11_zps8d6dff25.jpg


It did look quite good with the motherboard tray and the components in place - I could reach all the ports from uder the case.
However, it's not everything that I need to be able to reach. The power supply cord is also going to be at the bottom, of course.
12_zps36e712e2.jpg


Masked I cut the piece off. I only cut a piece larg enough to be able to reach the required things.
Cutting more than this would affect the stability of the mesh.
13_zps39943770.jpg


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I also realized I had to make the mesh a bit smaller. The reason is that it buckled due to being slightly wider than the inside of the case.
I solved this by cutting a little on each side of the mesh and it now fit's perfect! :)
16_zpsea250547.jpg


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Motherboard tray with components and the PSU in place! - nothing is mounted with any screws tho, it's only temporary in place.
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I can't be satisfied with just letting it sit there without being mounted so I must mount it somehow with a screw or rivet.
I took a pen and started to mark where the holes of the tray was and where to put the screws. I also take the drill to make the holes big enough for a screw.
15_zps7a1752fd.jpg

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I then screw the mesh and the motherboard tray togheter to see what it looks like. I haven't put all the screws but it does look promising.
Also looks good inside the case :)
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Now the motherboard tray is attached to the mesh but the mesh isn't attached to the csae! I of course have to fix that.
I drill holes in the case and then mount the mesh with the case with a screw, as you can see in the right corner (will be replaced with a rivet later on).
25_zpscd3045d5.jpg

_________________________________________________________________

That was everything about this update! I was satisfied and I think it will be good in the end. I still have grinding and stuff a like to do which I will do when I'm done with all cuts.
With this update I also realized that the project is really beginning to take shape. As I've mentioned before about 80% of the time spent on this project is about planning and test-mounting it all. Since I have now decided where everything will fit I do not have very much left to do! :)
Another thing I realized was that I need to do a couple but small cuts here and there, for example cutting 5mm to be able to fit the radiator and stuff a like. I thought that I will collect all these small fixes in a larger update so they'll be easy to track.
After all the modification is done (so everything is assembled and in place) it will be time for the watercooling and the estethical part of the build.

As mentioned; It's starting to take shape and I look forward to be working with the water cooling soon which I think will be great in this build.
My goal is to be finished before the month of November. Let's see if I can make that deadline! :D

Thank you for reading and following
Best regards
nikkop
 
Your wife/girlfriend must really love you. There's no way in hell my wife would ever let me do any metal works in our kitchen. :D

I really can't describe how impressed I am by this project of yours. It's insanely cool. Your photos and explanations are also top-notch.
 
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