There’s no cause why a Plex server needs to be the same old unassuming field within the nook of the lounge. Chris Marsh wished his one to wow individuals on their means via the entrance door, and it has an extravagant design. It includes a customized MDF flat chassis, which could possibly be wall-mounted, together with a 480mm radiator and a water-cooling loop with arduous tubing.
Because of our quickly rising PC constructing Fb web page, we’ve seen many customized gaming PCs, from mods primarily based on current case designs to scratch PC builds. You possibly can even submit yours for consideration proper right here. Now let’s discuss to Chris about how he made this wall-mountable construct.
: How did this mission begin?
Chris: I’m a complete geek, and I wished to promote this reality to individuals the second they walked into my residence. Me and my associate moved into our first residence collectively a few years in the past, which is a typical suburban townhouse.
I’d all the time run a Plex server in my outdated residence, and when it got here time to arrange one up for our new residence, I made a decision to make it particular and exhibit my abilities. I’d solely not too long ago modified my primary gaming PC’s water-cooling loop to arduous tubing, and had a number of components left over. The general look was impressed by among the early pictures of wall-mounted PCs I noticed over a decade in the past.
What are the advantages of working any such machine as a Plex server? Is it additionally used for TV gaming?
I wished the liberty to run a standard PC in addition to a Plex server. It runs Home windows 10, and I not solely use it for Plex, but additionally for downloading and as a Steam cache. The preliminary thought was to make use of it as a distant gaming station with a Steam Hyperlink in one other room, however my pals are likely to play on-line as an alternative of visiting. In the future I’ll have a barbecue and end it off with an impromptu LAN sport.
What’s the spec?
It’s my primarily my outdated gaming PC. The processor is an Intel Core i7-950 working at 4.2GHz, plus an Asus Sabertooth X58 motherboard with six sticks of Corsair Dominator GT RAM working at 2133MHz. The graphics card is a reference Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 and, except for the radiator and followers, all of the cooling components are EK. Because it was all from my outdated gaming machine, the primary system {hardware} would have ended up staying in my cabinet for years till it was e-waste – solely the cooling and ancillaries have been bought particularly for this construct.
Did you make the chassis your self from scratch?
The chassis was constructed from scratch aside from the ft (they have been an affordable buy from Amazon as an afterthought). I couldn’t deliver myself to purchase a case once I knew {that a} piece of MDF would do the job and match all my components completely(ish).
How did you go about designing and developing the chassis?
The design course of was pretty easy. After I was figuring out the way to place the elements, I laid them out on my carpet and took an image from above. I moved them round a number of occasions, taking a snap every time. This enabled me to assessment the pictures and determine on the structure.
As soon as I used to be sure of the structure, I marked out the elements on a chunk of MDF and drilled holes the place they wanted to be screwed down. I took out my jigsaw and minimize the related holes underneath the elements, so I had someplace to route the cables, and I minimize holes for the radiator and PSU.
As soon as I had the fundamental body prepared, I prepped it with MDF sealant, sanded it down with 800-grit sandpaper and gave it a number of coats of satin black paint. After each second coat had dried, I sanded it down and sprayed it once more. I bought via eight cans of spray paint, which was complete overkill, however the end is sweet and clean – it really appears like coated plastic. I then assembled the ft, screwed them to the again and stood it up.
I then took a chunk of Plexiglas to which I might mount the arduous drives. I marked out the place the drives would go, and drilled out the holes wanted to may fasten them. They’re mounted to the Plexiglas with rubber grommets to make sure no vibrations. For any components that have to be screwed into place, such because the motherboard, I hooked up a double feminine standoff, which I secured from the again. Mounting the elements just about concerned the identical course of as any PC construct from that time.
It seems to be very neat from the entrance. How did you propose the cable routing?
It seems to be a little bit of a large number from the again! I managed the cables as greatest I can, however my main focus was ensuring they weren’t seen from the entrance if in any respect potential. After I minimize the pass-through holes within the entrance, I made certain the cables can be coated by elements. Additionally, when it got here to the followers on the radiator, I eliminated the shroud across the core and pulled the cables via there. The routing on the again was very a lot a utilitarian affair – I did what wanted to be performed!
How did you mount the graphics card vertically?
I used a 40cm PCIe 3 riser cable made by an organization referred to as LinkUp. I selected that individual one as a result of it was lengthy sufficient, it had a right-angled PCB for the feminine slot (this gave me the flexibility to mount it) and it’s shielded. It’s really the second model I attempted, as the primary wasn’t shielded and didn’t work. I mounted it by gluing and screwing a strip of MDF to the chassis, and attaching the riser through standoffs.
Take us via the water-cooling loop. How large is that radiator?
The radiator is an XSPC AX480 Premium – it measures 128 x 40 x 526mm (W x D x H) with 4 120mm Phanteks followers. I selected the radiator for the construct high quality and total look, and the followers as a result of they’re near-silent. The remainder of loop consists of EK fittings and elements with a D5 Pump. The loop is crammed with EK Cryofuel Neon coolant, which has held up for a 12 months up to now with no points.
Essentially the most attention-grabbing half to do (after discovering a second-hand EK waterblock for my outdated GPU) was mounting a CPU block to an LGA1366 socket. I couldn’t discover any blocks that have been formally appropriate, and the one I had fouled the metallic cage surrounding the CPU socket.
To get round this downside, I merely eliminated all the metallic components across the CPU socket, leaving simply the LGA pins, so the CPU is now held in place by the waterblock – you solely stay as soon as! My pondering was that if it’s ok for high-end server gear then it’s additionally ok for my outdated Plex server.
How did you go about reducing and bending the tubing to form?
I used EK-HD PETG tubing with a 10mm interior and 12mm outer diameter. The toughest a part of making a tough tube loop is doing double bends. You warmth up the tube with a warmth gun after which bend it to form. The difficult half is getting the second bend to line up with the primary. I used three 1m lengths to do all of the tubing, and 1m was wasted as part of the method.
What are the advantages of the water-cooling system?
I run the CPU at 4.2GHz, which is a 37% overclock, and it’s near-silent. In regular use, it idles at room temperature and peaks at round 45°C – it’ll go as much as round 65°C if I hit it with stress exams, however not in real-world use. The one audible a part of the system is the PSU, which I could swap out.
The place are the arduous drives, and what’s the blue display screen underneath the SSD?
I used to be initially going to have the drives on show, however they’re primarily unmatched, so they might look ugly, and the construct was taking on a great deal of house already! As a substitute, I made a decision to mount them to Plexiglas, hooked up to the rear of the chassis with standoffs the place the radiator air blows.
This not solely hides the drives but additionally cools them. The LCD is a 3.5-inch WaveShare display screen designed for a Raspberry Pi. It’s linked through HDMI, so if ever I’ve points, I solely should plug in a keyboard, and I can see what’s happening with no need to hook up a separate monitor.
Do you ever get any issues with mud build up on the elements?
Surprisingly no – all of the mud will get sucked into the followers, so it doesn’t have an opportunity to choose the opposite elements. I’ve to take away the followers and provides the radiator a clear each couple of months, nevertheless it’s nothing too tedious. When it’s switched off, I give it a fast blast with my CompuCleaner, however cleansing isn’t typically an issue.
Did you come throughout any difficulties?
All of it went comparatively easily, besides the PSU, which is barely mounted with friction. The opening via which it suits is so cosy that, after all of the coats of paint, it was a bit too cosy, and the PSU wouldn’t match any extra.
Just like the Neanderthal I’m, I made a decision to treatment this downside utilizing a rubber mallet. It was going nicely till I misplaced my endurance and began whacking it as an alternative of tapping it across the edges. The PSU case is now dented on the again, and there’s a crack within the chassis there – nobody ever notices it, however I do know it’s there and it annoys me one thing rotten.
Are you utterly proud of the top end result?
My solely remorse is you possibly can’t actually see the fluid flowing via the loop, I used to be actually hoping a brand new present fluid that’s usable over lengthy durations would have come out by now, however sadly not.
Wall-mounted Plex server specs
- CPU: Intel Core i7-950 overclocked to 4.2GHz
- GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 reference
- Storage: PNY CS900 120GB SSD boot drive, 4 x Seagate BarraCuda 3TB arduous drives, Seagate BarraCuda 8TB arduous drive, WD Purple 4TB arduous drive
- Reminiscence: 24GB Corsair Dominator GT 2133MHz
- Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth X58
- PSU: Aerocool Integrator 600W
- Cooling: EK-XRES 250 reservoir, Laing D5 Pump, EK-HD tubing, EK-AF Black Nickel fittings, EK FC970 GPU waterblock, EK-Supremacy Evo CPU waterblock, XSPC AX480 Premium Quad 120mm Fan Radiator V2 White, Noctua NF-A4x10 FLX fan, 4 x Phanteks PH-F120MP PWM followers
We actually admire your dedication to creating an over-the-top Plex server, Chris – you would have hidden a small type issue PC underneath your TV, however you’ve gone all out with this great-looking water-cooled system. If you happen to’re new to the world of water-cooling and wish to have go your self, then be sure you additionally learn our full information on the way to water-cool your PC.
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