Corsair Obsidian 800D Case Project - Ars Technica OpenForum

7/28/2019 Corsair Obsidian 800D Case Project - Ars Technica OpenForum

1/87

Posting Guidelines | Contact Moderators

Ars Technica > Forums > Hardware & Tweaking > Case and Cooling Fetish Jump to:

70 posts 1 2 Next

Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 4:48 pm

Corsair Obsidian 800D Case Project

mnpctechArs Tribunus Militum

Tribus: mnpctech.comRegistered: Jun 25, 2002Posts: 2635

This custom Corsair Obsidian case project is for Canada's premiere hardware review site, "Hardware Canucks"

Ok, lets take a closer look at this Beast.

Welcome to the Ars OpenForum.

Register Login

sair Obsidian 800D Case Project - Ars Technica OpenForum http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=41070

51 2013-06-08 14:35
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=41070http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=41070


2/87


51 2013-06-08 14:35


3/87

Hmmmm.... debating about the factory feet

Sorry, these factory feet MUST GO!


51 2013-06-08 14:35


4/87

I just wanted to see how this rad grill looked on the Obsidian, thats all

I see some Chieftec cues in the manufacturing. The Obsidian reminded me of the old Alienware ALX chassis. The

texture of the Matte Black finish as well


51 2013-06-08 14:35


5/87

The front bezel assembly comes off easily

SATA Hot swappable HD bays

I'm not a fan of the Corsair "sail" window design, I'll take it Squared for this one..


51 2013-06-08 14:35


6/87

After a quick alteration! Square is better in this case.


51 2013-06-08 14:35


7/87

The Motherboard tray will slide out, but you must remove 3x screws and drill out 3x pop rivets, located in the rear

(shown in photo) It would have been nice if the rivets were screws instead.

Maybe you've debated about painting your Obsidian chassis. This is how I remove the plastic "Tool-less" 5.25

bay sliders without breaking the tiny plastic tabs inside. These tabs hold the slider onto the bay. You will need to

bend the metal tabs as I illustrate here. You need to first file down the sides of the metal tab, so it will sit flush

when you flatten it (not shown). I will then tap the metal tab with a flat head screw driver using a rubber mallet.

Keep in mind if you're painting your chassis, you will need to bend the metal tabs back into place after

re-installing the sliders. Doing this will likely chip your new paint! so you'll have to re-touch these tabs again. After

considering this thought, I've decided to eliminate the sliders altogether. Corsair has left the option of fastening in

your optical drive the traditional way with screws. Only 2 screws per side, but thats sufficient enough!


51 2013-06-08 14:35


8/87


51 2013-06-08 14:35


9/87

I just barely cleared this flattened tab. Because of the thick factory paint finish, you should file down the sides of

the metal tabs first, so they will sit flush when you flatten them.

If you decide to paint your Obsidian chassis, remove these plastic tabs in the Hot swap drive bay, poke in with

your micro flat head while pulling it out from beneath.


51 2013-06-08 14:35


10/87

The Obsidian's four-drive SATA hot-swap drive bay has 4x screws, which leads the user to believe it's removable

without disrupting everything. Wedged beneath it is vibration dampening material with 4 positioning tabs which has

solid grip on the HD bay. The only means I see in removing this bay is by spreading side walls apart, then pulling

it out from either left or right side. You can't pull it out toward the rear of the chassis, becuase the upper 5.25 bay

has a fold that prevents this, so you have to BEND the side walls of the HD cage to pull it out. I didn't like this

thought, I opted to remove the both the 5.25 & HD bays by drilling out the pop rivets.

1/4" thick rubber beneath the HD bay for isolating vibration. Nice one Corsair!

Upper 5.25 and Hot swap bay removed.


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


11/87

The Obsidian window fastened onto these threaded inserts with machine nuts.

The threaded inserts will be in my way of progress, I'm removing them with my rotary tool and 1.5" cutting wheelhttp://www.mnpctech.com/DremelDisc.html


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35
http://www.mnpctech.com/DremelDisc.htmlhttp://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=41070http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=41070http://www.mnpctech.com/DremelDisc.html


12/87

Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 7:53 pm

Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 12:52 pm

More to come!

coconutboyArs Tribunus Militum

Tribus: riding my bikearound the City of AngelsRegistered: May 14, 2002Posts: 2451

Nice Bill. These cases are on sale (if you can call any case that costs over $200 "on sale" lol) at Newegg for

$249 which, AFAIK, is the lowest it has been since a Microcenter special back in Oct. Some people think it's

overpriced, too big (it's freakin' 2 feet tall by 2 feet deep!) etc, but for a fully internal watercooling rig, this thing is

pretty badass.


Tribus: mnpctech.com

Registered: Jun 25, 2002Posts: 2635

Yes, it's a heavy steel Monster, but agreed for internal watercooling, it is KING. I've talked with Corsair, sales

have been very good, even at the suggested retail!

Installing Hardware lab's Black Ice 420 GTX (3x 140mm) Radiator in the top of the Obsidian requires altering the

5.25 Opt ical drive bay. You must remove the 5.25 bay by dr illing out all of the pop rivets on the f ront of the

Obsidian chassis.

Supplies & Tools I used for this "photo illustrated" installation

Mnpctech 420 Radiator Grill from performance-pcs used for measuring the location.

You can also use these Radiator Mounting Templates

Masking Tape


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


13/87

Any Rotary tool like a Dremel

Jigsaw with 18 TPI or higher metal cutting blade

Center punch

Power Drill with 3/16" drill bit

12" Measuring Square

12x M4 x 35mm size socket head machine screws length of mounting screws on what fan/rad set-up works best

for your system.

3x ??????? brand 140mm cooling fans (to be announced)


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


14/87


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


15/87


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


16/87

Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 5:11 pm

more to come!

GlassyArs Tribunus Militumet Subscriptor

Tribus: Pensacola, FLRegistered: Apr 17, 2008Posts: 2313

Bill, that radiator is a monster! I hope you're throwing some serious, serious kit in there to make use of all that

Wink

As for the SATA hotswap, how is it at tached to the upper drive bay? Metal/Metal? and to the front? If any of

those are metal/metal, the purpose of that rubber dampening at the bottom is moot, or at least highly degraded.It would seem to me once you had the pop rivets out you could replace them with dampened screws/bolts to

actually muffle the vibrations from the dr ives!

I don't get why the window shows the bottom wall and "some" of the PSU zone, it would seem to me that having


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


17/87

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 2:03 pm



Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:24 am

the window end at the low wall would go a long way to cleaning up the aesthetics of that panel. Along the same

line - does that wall end at the drive bays? it appears to have a gap along the window-panel side of the drive

bays, which certainly decreases the thermal utility of isolating the PSU.

Where are you headed with the build?


Tribus: riding my bikearound the City of Angels

Registered: May 14, 2002Posts: 2451

quote:

Originally posted by Glassy:

I don't get why the window shows the bottom wall and "some" of the PSU zone, it would

seem to me that having the window end at the low wall would go a long way to cleaning

up the aesthetics of that panel. Along the same line - does that wall end at the drive

bays? it appears to have a gap along the window-panel side of the drive bays, which

certainly decreases the thermal utility of isolating the PSU.

Bill's pics don't show it, but normally that 14cm fan that faces the upper hdd bay (the one w/ the hot swaps) is

covered by a shroud that ducts air to the 14cm fan from the airspace below. I'm not sure that this creates a

complete seal between the two airspaces, but it's pretty close AFAIK.

Glassy

Ars Tribunus Militumet Subscriptor


That just doesn't sound like it works very well to me. Let me see if I have this right.

1. Air comes in- bottom rear (below PSU? I'm sure it's elevated).

2. Air moves forward towards fan in middle of wall.

3. Some air that doesn't get pulled through that fan continues forward (?) to front drive cage (?).

4. Some of that air gets pulled up alongside the window panel to enter the hotswap fan at a bizarre angle (?)

5. Cooling is affected???

I'm kind of sad you described it like that, because it previously sounded like it sort-of barely made sense. The

way to fix the setup I described (which can't be accurate or it would ramp HDD temps WAY up and wear the front

fan down at lightspeed) would be to put that side-facing fan between the two drive cages and cover the middle

vent. That way, air's drawn in at the rear, pulled forward, up, and then into the main compartment.

Still fighting the PSU fan, but I suppose that's not a huge deal.

GoofazoidArs Scholae Palatinae


It looks to me like the PSU would intake cool air from the vent in the bottom of the case, then exhaust it out the

rear of the case and that the fan on the HDD bays would draw cool air up from the part of the vent in the bottom

that the PSU does not cover... but since I have only seen the case in photos I could be wrong. Smile



The 140mm fan mounted on the HD hot swap bay relies on air drawn up to the mid section of the chassis by the

other 140mm fan AND perforated chassis floor.

A better solution would be perforated holes in the side panel over the fan's location. Draw in more cool air and

eliminate the plastic "duct-like" enclosure altogether. Corsair should have taken notes from Addtronics.

Addtronics was one of the first to implement "cross flow" drive bay cooling. They gave you the option to mount

fans on both sides of the bay. Both side panels were perforated over these fans. It was great way to isolate

cooling for your HDs.


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


18/87

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:37 am

Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 6:36 pm

@ Glassy, The top of the SATA bay attaches to the 5.25 bay w ith folded edges that utilize removable oval rubber

grommets. Apologies for not posting photo of this.

Red_Chaos1Ars TribunusAngusticlavius

Tribus: Austin, TXRegistered: Dec 19, 1999Posts: 7534

quote:


That just doesn't sound like it works very well to me. Let me see if I have this right.

1. Air comes in- bottom rear (below PSU? I'm sure it's elevated).

2. Air moves forward towards fan in middle of wall.

3. Some air that doesn't get pulled through that fan continues forward (?) to front drive

cage (?).

4. Some of that air gets pulled up alongside the window panel to enter the hotswap fan ata bizarre angle (?)

5. Cooling is affected???

I'm kind of sad you described it like that, because it previously sounded like it sort-of

barely made sense. The way to fix the setup I described (which can't be accurate or it

would ramp HDD temps WAY up and wear the front fan down at lightspeed) would be to

put that side-facing fan between the two drive cages and cover the middle vent. That way,

air's drawn in at the rear, pulled forward, up, and then into the main compartment.

Still fighting the PSU fan, but I suppose that's not a huge deal.

If I'm seeing it all properly, your best bet is a PSU with a 120mm bottom mount fan so it sucks air directly up

through the filter and blows out the back. The mid mount fan pulls cool air up into the main bay. The drive cagesystem pulls air around the bottom mount HDDs, blows it across the swap bays, and then vents into the area

behind the mobo where the cables get routed. Tat cover that covers up the back-plane seems to be what will

direct the exhaust air that way.

Overall, this case looks really good to me. I've been wondering for a few years now when someone would "get it"

and create a system that routed all cabling behind so that the only thing showing was the short run to connectors

and the connectors themselves. This case is a bit bigger than the P180 I have, and that cabling system paired

with the HS back-plate makes it bonerific.

I wish I had the cash, I need to update my rig,and a new case would be a great part of that. Sadly I have bills to

pay, and no fun money really.



Time to get the rad fitted properly, so I can get everything off to paint soon.


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


19/87

The rad gr ill pictured here is a 420 (3x140mm) it's machined from 3/16" 6061 aluminum, and anodized Black. It

has fully adjustable inserts.

Different sizes and finishes of these rad gr ills are available from performance-pcs and they ship worldwide!


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


20/87


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


21/87

Using 3/16" drill bit to make mounting screw holes.

This is how my initial cut out for the radiator looked.

I attempted to install the grill/rad/fans, but the remaining "recessed" material wouldn't everything to fit together

flush without using different size screws. I then decided to modify the panel further by removing the remaining

honeycomb perforation and flatten the lip.

The recessed center portion of the top panel helps reinforce rigidity. However, the chassis is steel, so I don't

believe it was too detrimental to do this. I think it would have been fine to have left the panel flat. I would consider

designing the panel perforations in a Obsidian 2.0 with optional for both 360 or 420 size radiators.


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


22/87

Flattening the fold was done by turning the chassis upside down on the bench, and flattening the folds with a

rubber mallet. Now I could use M4 x 30mm length machine screws to attach everything together.


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


23/87


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


24/87

Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 11:34 am

Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 11:47 am

Posted:

I installed the three included 140mm fans from Corsair to pre-fit everything.

All of the 140mm fans will be replaced by another brand to be announced.

Glassy

Ars Tribunus Militumet Subscriptor


That grill really pops on the top of the case. Good eye as usual, Bill Wink. I guess since the cooling sounds good

to everyone else I'll just zip up and smile'n'nod, because apparently I'm the only one not getting it Wink.

And yeah, Bill, when I saw that side fan I immediately looked for per forations in the side panel, and when I didn't

see any is when I got confused.



quote:


That grill really pops on the top of the case. Good eye as usual, Bill Wink. I guess since

the cooling sounds good to everyone else I'll just zip up and smile'n'nod, because

apparently I'm the only one not gett ing it Wink.

And yeah, Bill, when I saw that side fan I immediately looked for perforations in the side

panel, and when I didn't see any is when I got confused.

Well, I'm not sure you're explaining your concerns very well. From what I'm getting, you seem to feel that cool air

should be for the PSU and HDDS only, take that side facing fan, sandwich it between 2 HDDs, and let the main

cabin suck hot air... I don't see how that is beneficial, or a "fix" at all...

Sandwiching the fan makes it inefficient since there will now be all kinds of resistance to the air that got drawn in.

You're blowing hot air into the main area. That's just bad all around.

I can't really think of better way to explain the system than I already have, short of a nice 3D video showing

airflow paths and all that (which I can't do because I don't know how to use an 3D apps).



Here is the multi pane window frame design based on the fan grill I'm working on. This could be cnc milled with beveled ed

aluminum. Lower left was sketched as after thought, the final design will be draw in cad to match.


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


25/87

Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 5:24 pmGlassyArs Tribunus Militumet Subscriptor


quote:

Originally posted by Red_Chaos1:

quote:


That grill really pops on the top of the case. Good eye as usual,

Bill Wink. I guess since the cooling sounds good to everyone else

I'll just zip up and smile'n'nod, because apparently I'm the only one

not getting it Wink.

And yeah, Bill, when I saw that side fan I immediately looked for

perforations in the side panel, and when I didn't see any is when I

got confused.

Well, I'm not sure you're explaining your concerns very well. From what I'm getting, you

seem to feel that cool air should be for the PSU and HDDS only, take that side facing fan,

sandwich it between 2 HDDs, and let the main cabin suck hot air... I don't see how that is

beneficial, or a "fix" at all...

Sandwiching the fan makes it inefficient since there will now be all kinds of resistance to

the air that got drawn in. You're blowing hot air into the main area. That's just bad all

around.

I can't really think of better way to explain the system than I already have, short of a nice

3D video showing airflow paths and all that (which I can't do because I don't know how to

use an 3D apps).

I guess what I'm not getting is that the case doesn't appear to have any front intakes at all. I wrote my initial post


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


26/87

Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 5:08 pm

thinking of it kind of like a scaled up P182, w ith two "zones" of cooling. In that situation, having a fan between the

lower and upper zones makes little sense (hence why SPCR/Antec didn't do it) . Possibly I'm hung up on

traditional "in at bottom front out at top back" design.

I guess if the only intake is at the bottom rear->mid, then it makes sense to have that fan in the lower wall. In

such a case though, it makes more sense to me to get rid of the wall entirely, but again, I'm a traditionalist Wink.

The fan at the front along the side just straight up doesn't make any sense to me, and I've come to accept that.

I'm not a designer, so I bet they planned it all out and it works. I just can't think of any case I've ever seen set up

like that (aside from HTPC boxes).

EDIT: Bill: OH CANADAAAAA/denmark?



The HD fan was interesting idea that could be improved upon. Hopefully Corsair addresses it in future revisions.

We finished the HC logo inspired window f rame today. This was made from 1/8" thick aluminum.


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


27/87


Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2010 10:49 am



Bill, what is that design? It looks like Canada's flag spliced with a Scandanavian flag (Denmark? Norway?). It

looks pretty cool, whatever it is.



Canadian Maple Leaf with banner for Hardware Canucks text logo, to be painted later Smile

We finished the custom HC logo 3x140mm rad grill last night.. each of the grill are 360 degree adjustable...just for

fun


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


28/87


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


29/87

Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 4:19 am




ooooh. Shiny!



indeed! Smile

Sometimes it's just easier to remove parts like the switches and led lenses instead of taping them off before we

prep for custom paint. The Obsidian power and reset switches can be removed with a soldering iron.


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


30/87


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


31/87

Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 6:23 pmmnpctechArs Tribunus Militum


The power switch bay all taped up, ready for prep and paint. Now I just need to decide what paint color I will do.

Taping off the inside wall of the side panels from over spray.


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


32/87

Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 6:53 ammnpctechArs Tribunus Militum


Anything you can remove instead of masking off, makes a custom paint job much more professional looking. If

you decide to paint your Obsidian, you may or may not consider removing the panel release button and rod

assembly.


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


33/87

To remove the button, you'll need to poke in 4, release tabs with a small screw driver from the inside of the case.

Red arrow shows location of one of the 4, plastic tabs

Remove the release button trim ring in the same manner


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


34/87

Then you can remove the 4, tiny black screws. The rod is attached to the front of the chassis in the same

manner, but without the button assembly.

Each rod has one spring one the button side.

Store these springs and fasteners in a plastic bag so they don't get lost!

Obsidian chassis awaits sand blasting.


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


35/87

Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 3:01 pmmnpctechArs Tribunus Militum


The color sample book of the Paint Gods, HOUSE OF KOLOR

Staying faithful to the Maple Leaf tied into design, I decided on Candy Apple Red.


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


36/87

This mini "skull" was painted w ith the Candy Apple Red... .. Imagine the Obsidian painted this color!


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


37/87

Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 9:57 ammnpctechArs Tribunus Militum


Here is some photos taken while we sandblasted the chassis. The factory finish on the 800D is very thick and

coarse, so it required 80 grit blasting sand


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


38/87


Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 5:11 pm



I think I just wet myself w/ anticipation. GO GO CANUCK POWA!



Okay, here is live update from Brad's booth of the Obsidian chassis drying after final application of HoK Kandy

Apple Red automotive paint.


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


39/87


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


40/87

Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 5:15 pm

Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 10:31 am


Tribus: Austin, TX

Registered: Dec 19, 1999Posts: 7534

Pretty swank. Now the trick is to not scratch it. :x



heh, we're clearing it w ith PPG urethane automotive paint to give the surface some resilience to scratches.


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


41/87


Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 1:21 pm


Doomlord_uk"Unleashed"Ars Legatus Legioniset Subscriptor

Tribus: ExCathedra , Dar al -Har bRegistered: Nov 16, 2000Posts: 21270

Addtronics lives on Smile

Beautiful paintjob. Yeah, protect ing it from scratches, flaking etc is important. My Bluefire paint is def initely

showing it's age, and another case I recently bought that I thought was manufactured black turned out to be a

custom job, and a bad one that - paint flaking off everywere =/

Is it terribly expensive to get it painted for you? Perhaps what I mean is, is it economic in general for a case mod

project?

LordJosh

"Down with Pants! Upwith Skirts!"Ars TribunusAngusticlaviuset Subscriptor

Tribus: Nashua, NH, USARegistered: Jul 11, 2003Posts: 9846

That looks like a very pretty color.



@ Doom, this job would run somebody $1000. (includes dismantle / assembly)

@ Lord, I like it too!

Fresh coat of clear on the Red Candy Apple on the chassis.


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


42/87

Yes, and the backside of the bezel was painted too!


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


43/87


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


44/87

Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 5:30 pm

Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 9:54 pm

Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 12:09 am

Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 12:16 pm



quote:

this job would run somebody $1000.

For the whole job, or just the paintwork???

bwoody2016Smack-Fu Master, intraining

Tribus: Bay Area, CARegistered: Jul 25, 2007Posts: 88

Wow I'm in aww.. Simply amazing

AsheArs Scholae Palatinaeet Subscriptor

Registered: Aug 15, 2005Posts: 1469

Nice.



@ Doom, The paint job.

@ bwoody2016, Thank you for kind words!

@ Ashe, Thank you for the post!

Thank you to NCIX.com! for sponsoring this Hardware Canucks build with Xigmatek XLF-F1455 140mm coolingfans The 1455 fan is 1000 RPM, 63.5 CFM @ 16 dBA


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


45/87


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


46/87


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


47/87

Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 5:02 pm

Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 6:09 pm

Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 6:21 am



The 420 rad grill frame painted Candy Apple Red



As always, nice detail shots. Very good for the eyes Smile


Tribus: mnpctech.com


Thank you Doom! The Obsidian feet were given fresh coat of HoK paint as well.


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


48/87

The plastic 5.25 bay Power / Reset Switch plate


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


49/87


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


50/87

Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 12:37 pm

Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 7:48 pm

Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 5:55 pm



Man oh man, I can already tell this is going to be one swank machine. I like how the black and red are going

together so far (my fav colors).



Aye, really looking forward to seeing the final product. That maple leaf grille is freakin' hot!



It's gonna be real hard to watch this one leave...lol

5.25 bay covers are finished!

Hot Swappable bay door Cool


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


51/87

70 posts 1 2 Next

Ars Technica > Forums > Hardware & Tweaking > Case and Cooling Fetish

Jump to:

Google may not like it,

but facial recognition is

coming soon to Glass

E-PACK YOUR BAGS

Airbus smartbaggage tracksitself on planetrips

The RFID-enabled

luggage will make sure

you're ready to jet-setThis week in Android

apps: Facebook Home

adds a dock and Gmail

gets a new UI

Out with the old: the

best Ultrabooks and

convertibles from

Computex

I'LL GET YOU NEXT

TIME, GADGET

Passengers canchallenge govtGPS tracking,court finds

In Massachusetts case,

both driver and passenger

challenged GPS tracking

warrant.

Latest stories from Ars Technica

Contact Us |Ars Technica

Ars Technica 1998-2013

Powered by phpBB and...

2013 Cond Nast. All rights reserved

Use of this Site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (effective 3/21/12) and Privacy Policy (effective 3/21/12), and Ars Technica Addendum (effective 5/17/2012)

Your California Privacy Rights

The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast.

Ad Choices


f 51 2013-06-08 14:35


52/87

Posting Guidelines | Contact Moderators

Ars Technica > Forums > Hardware & Tweaking > Case and Cooling FetishJump to:

70 posts Previous 1 2


Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2

Corsair Obsidian 800D Case Project



I want that color on my car


53/87

The Hot Swappable bay

sair Obsidian 800D Case Project - Ars Technica OpenForum http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=41070&sid=e9b6a5 ...

36 2013-06-08 14:36
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=41070&sid=e9b6a5http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=41070&sid=e9b6a5


54/87



Installed 140mm Xigmatek XLF-F1455 140mm cooling fan (1000 RPM, 63.5 CFM @ 16 dB

grill mounted on the Hot Swappable bay.


36 2013-06-08 14:36


55/87


36 2013-06-08 14:36


56/87


57/87


36 2013-06-08 14:36


58/87


36 2013-06-08 14:36


59/87


60/87


36 2013-06-08 14:36


61/87


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


62/87



Photos of the 140mm Xigmatek fans powered.


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


63/87


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


64/87


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


65/87




Doomlord_uk"Unleashed"

Ars Legatus Legioniset Subscriptor


If Mercedes made cases...

...they'd be taking notes.

CostanzaSmack-Fu Master, intraining

Registered: Sep 18, 2009Posts: 80

Those screws are awesome did you use them all over the case. What kind of

screwdriver head do you use for that. I am the noob!

Doomlord_uk"Unleashed"


Tribus: ExCathedra , Dar al -Har bRegistered: Nov 16, 2000

Posts: 21270

Those are allen-head bolts Smile They do look good.

mnpctech


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


66/87

Ars Tribunus Militum


I like them too, very clean looking. The Maple Leaf portion of the window frame was painte

coated.


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


67/87


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


68/87


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


69/87

Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2010 6:52 pmRed_Chaos1Ars TribunusAngusticlavius


You know, I can't help but see a stylized drawing of Texas when I see that maple

leaf.



Agree, didn't think of it that way, but yeah. Thank you for tuning in and commenting Red Sm


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


70/87


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


71/87



Installed the window in the side panel. The window is 1/8" cast acrylic. I threaded the wind

machined screws.


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


72/87


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


73/87


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


74/87

Hardware Canucks logo is made from Red & White Vinyl Film.


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


75/87


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


76/87


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


77/87

Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2010 9:12 amLordJoshArs TribunusAngusticlaviuset Subscriptor

Tribus: Nashua, NH, USARegistered: Jul 11, 2003Posts: 9846

Looks gorgeous.



Thank you Josh!

Ok, that first logo belonged on a WONDER Bread bag.. We were about to redo it with carb

frosted vinyl for another project window. This is the film resellers use for Window Appliques

now.


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


78/87


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


79/87


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


80/87


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


81/87


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


82/87

Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2010 6:51 pm


Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 6:40 am


BlacktreeArs TribunusAngusticlavius

Tribus: Central FloridaRegistered: May 5, 1999Posts: 6677

I agree, the new lettering looks much better.

Doomlord_ukArs Legatus Legioniset Subscriptor


much better++

ArasirsulArs Tribunus Militumet Subscriptor

Tribus: Southernertransplanted to Seabrook,MD, USARegistered: Feb 20, 2006

Posts: 2748

Agreed. In fact, the half-maple leaf, IMHO, should also be done in that silvery

shade. While white-and-red is traditional for the Canadian flag, the metal-flake in the

red means that some metal-flake in the white (turning it silver) is called for.

Beautiful work, though. Next time I score me a lottery (or have the company payingfor it, which is much the same thing), I may have to hire you.

SDplus


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


83/87

Ars TribunusAngusticlaviuset Subscriptor

Tribus: Danderyd,Stockholm, SwedenRegistered: Feb 12, 2002Posts: 8633

You know, absolutely every single frosted film I ever applied to a window (LOADS!)

was made to be attached on the inside of the window for the best effect. The glue

is the trick that attaches like crystals and makes tha glass actually look etched on

the inside. The frosty film is just there to give the right light-transparency. However. I

have heard of cheaper outside mounted stuff before. Just never ever handled one.



@Arasirsul, I agree, Silver would have looked great as well

@SDplus, Yes, I've applied it to the backside as well. I just wanted it to be more prominent

I never had time to try the lighting, sorry! Here is some photos I took before the case shipp

as soon as I can get to it. That showed off the metal flake much better than the photos.


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


84/87

Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2010 3:18 pmDoomlord_uk


Tribus: ExCathedra , Dar al -Har bRegistered: Nov 16, 2000

That looks f'n gorgeous Especially those top three fan vents, and the colour is

perfect. And the plainness of the rest of the case just shows the maple-leaf logo to


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36


85/87

Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2010 10:53 am

Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 6:03 am

Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 8:30 am

Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 11:28 am

Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 12:43 pm

Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 2:27 pm

Posted: Sat May 29, 2010 9:05 am

Posts: 21270 perfect effect.



Doomlord_uk wrote:

That looks f'n gorgeous Especially those top three fan vents, and the

colour is perfect. And the plainness of the rest of the case just shows the

maple-leaf logo to perfect effect.

Couldn't agree more.



Thank you gang! The video came out crappy, the sun's reflection was too bright.

Hardware Canucks plan to do a video in their studio. They're giving the case away,

but I haven't heard or when exactly yet..



Hardware Canucks has posted HD video of case. I was really honored to see this.

They invest a lot of time into the production of their hardware review videos on

YouTube and it shows!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIlQvu2F0KA

continuumModeratoret Subscriptor

Tribus: CaliforniaRegistered: Jul 1, 1999Posts: 70208

Wow... impressive!!!

Bob SquadArs Scholae Palatinae

Tribus: Cincinnati, OHRegistered: Dec 16, 1999Posts: 1275

Looks beautiful.

Question:

The area under where the bolts are attached - how do you deal with the paint?

Does the paint crack when you tighten down the bolts? Because in this picture -

http://www.mnpctech.3dpixelnet.com/pict ... z9z9z8.jpg - I would imagine the paintis going to interfere with the bolt. Do you remove the portion of paint where the

back of the bolt head comes in contact?

MatricesArs Legatus Legioniset Subscriptor

Tribus: NYCRegistered: Aug 9, 2003Posts: 13573

Mmm that color red is so rich and awesome.



Thank you for kind words guys!


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIlQvu2F0KAhttp://www.mnpctech.3dpixelnet.com/picthttp://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=41070&sid=e9b6a5http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=41070&sid=e9b6a5http://www.mnpctech.3dpixelnet.com/picthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIlQvu2F0KA


86/87

Posted: Sat May 29, 2010 5:11 pm

70 posts Previous 1 2

Ars Technica > Forums > Hardware & Tweaking > Case and Cooling Fetish

Jump to:

Google may not like it,

but facial recognition is

coming soon to Glass

E-PACK YOUR BAGS

Airbus smartbaggage tracksitself on planetrips

The RFID-enabled

luggage will make sure

you're ready to jet-set

This week in Android

apps: Facebook Home

adds a dock and Gmailgets a new UI

Out with the old: the

best Ultrabooks and

convertibles fromComputex

I'LL GET Y

TIME, GAD

PassengchallengGPS traccourt fin

In Massachu

both driver a

challenged

warrant.

Bob Squad wrote:

Looks beautiful.

Question:

The area under where the bolts are attached - how do you deal with the

paint? Does the paint crack when you tighten down the bolts? Because in

this picture - http://www.mnpctech.3dpixelnet.com/pict ... z9z9z8.jpg - I

would imagine the paint is going to interfere with the bolt. Do you remove

the portion of paint where the back of the bolt head comes in contact?

It's not necessary to remove the paint, because we apply a Polyurethane Clear over

it, so the top coat is very durable.. same grade as a new automotive finish

ThalliumArs Legatus Legioniset Subscriptor

Tribus: San Diego, CA


Man, your stuff is just so damned good. I'm jealous.

Latest stories from Ars Technica

Contact Us |Ars Technica

Ars Technica 1998-2013

Powered by phpBB and...

2013 Cond Nast. All rights reserved


f 36 2013-06-08 14:36
http://www.mnpctech.3dpixelnet.com/picthttp://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=41070&sid=e9b6a5http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=41070&sid=e9b6a5http://www.mnpctech.3dpixelnet.com/pict


87/87

Use of this Site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (effective 3/21/12) and Privacy Policy (effective 3/21/12), and Ars Technica Addendum

(effective 5/17/2012)

Your Cali fornia Privacy Rights

The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast.

Ad Choices


Documents

Corsair Obsidian 800D Case Project - Ars Technica OpenForum