LAN case upgrade :)
 

Time to get rid of ol' reliable. I need something LAN-worthy, and a 26in tall steel case isn't gonna do it. So the plan was to get this:
http://texasoverclockers.com/modules...ormal_mine.jpg

into this:
http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggIma...112-099-14.jpg

Here's the case:
http://texasoverclockers.com/modules...ase_before.jpg

Fitting the heatercore with the power supply. Damn close fit! I measured before I bought and got this case specifically because it would fit my stuff in this manner.
http://texasoverclockers.com/modules...ad_fitment.jpg

I have a little trick up my sleeve that gets me 100% surface area usage without a shroud ;)
http://texasoverclockers.com/modules...rad_gasket.jpg

The block is...BLEEDING! Nope, it's a household acidic solution - ketchup! Cleans copper perfectly, as you can see from the fuzion block on the left, which was black and looking pretty rough beforehand.
http://texasoverclockers.com/modules...b_cleaning.jpg

Here is a picture of my 8800GT. Believe it or not the ram STILL gets warm. No wonder the ram on these cards fails if overclocked.
http://texasoverclockers.com/modules...gt_cooling.jpg

And the desk...poor desk. It went from this:
http://texasoverclockers.com/modules.../the_desk1.jpg

to THIS:
http://texasoverclockers.com/modules..._workspace.jpg

This is the finalized gasket install. Notice the ziptie? I used zipties under the rad to bridge the gap and hold it up, then 2 straps above to pull it down tight. What you end up with is a suspension that doesn't move AT ALL. Yes I could have drilled holes across the case, screwed in dowel rods, or any other oddball way of mounting this, but I chose this way because it required no modification to the inside of the case. Even the pump is taped down with double-sided tape, which works perfectly.
http://texasoverclockers.com/modules...ase_gasket.jpg

Here is a shot of the clearance between the top and the rad. It's less than 1cm. I would have liked it a bit lower so there was more clearance, but this is good because it keeps the foam gasket nice and tight.
http://texasoverclockers.com/modules...rad_clrnce.jpg

Here is a picture of the finalized system. I would like to clean up the wires a little more, but for now I am just glad to have my computer back in one piece haha. Tweaking, for me, comes with time ;)
http://texasoverclockers.com/modules...se_running.jpg

Shot from the front, with rheostats for the fans. It’s still restrictive at this point, and the CPU gets pretty warm.
http://texasoverclockers.com/modules...running_fr.jpg

Here we go, good temporary fix for my airflow woes.
http://texasoverclockers.com/modules...case_cm_fr.jpg

They are front panels off of my wife's coolermaster case haha. I glanced at her case, said "DAMN!" and started digging around in my parts drawers until I found them LOL.

This allows not only airflow at the bottom-front, but a little in the 3.5 and plenty in the 5.25 bays. This alone dropped my temp 4 degrees C. Now I am finally back to where I was before, with idle temps around 33C on the hottest core.

I swear they look better than the flash shows them to be.

Now I just need to find another 3.5 to match the other one and I might just make this permanent ;). Gotta figure out a way to make them sturdy too, since they are just barely staying on the bezel (self-clipping)