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Project:
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SINGED Gaming Rig 2 - Scorpio TA-10BD Full-Tower Case Project |
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Author:
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Hi-TEK
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Date:
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February 24th, 2003
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Introduction:
It is well known that concepts and ideas tend to change over time. The original Singed Gaming Rig started off
as a three month project with a common goal to design a great modified computer case. Part of the problem with
the original project, was while most of the focus was towards aesthetics and appearance, little was spent in
terms of performance. The system components were under powered by today's standards and overall the system really
didn't feel like a powerful gaming rig. Towards the end of 2002, I worked on a budget and started assembling
various system components that I knew would work well for this new project. One of the goals that I adapted from the
previous article was not to deviate away from the original design. I wanted the same colour scheme and to migrate
away from an air cooled system to a complete water cooled system. I also settled on a small list of new
modifications that I wanted present in this project and tried not to duplicate ideas that were previously done.
As with all my previous articles I always set out a list of objectives and here they are in no particular order:
- Black and red combination based theme.
- Complete water cooled system
- RAID5 SCSI based drive system
- Red LED and aluminum knob modification to a standard PCMods Rheobus v2.0. (2 x 80mm Quad LED fans for rear
exhaust and 2 x 120mm Adda high speed fans for radiator, and 1 x 80mm Sunnon fan for front intake)
- Dual custom built acrylic windows on the side and top panel using black trim and locking strap
- Aesthetics: 2 x 12' UV cold cathode tubes
- Custom window applique design
- Black vinyl dye all CDROM's
- PCRider+ LED display
- Clear UV shielded IDE cables
- Integrated Logitech Quickcam
- Install 3.5" USB/Firewire Internal Hub
- Replace all stock leds with high intensity ultra clear blue and red leds.
NOTE: Proper precautions should be taken when attempting your own case mod project and as with all warnings,
you are responsible for your own actions.
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Scorpio TA-10BD Full-Tower ATX Case - Key Specifications:
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| Scorpio TA-10BD Full-Tower ATX Case: Manufactured by Directron |
| Case Dimensions: 18.75"(D) x 8.13"(W) x 25.63"(H) or 470 x 205 x 670mm(DxWxH) |
| Drive Bays: 14 drive bays (6 x 5.25" external, 2 x 3.5" FDD external, 6 x 3.5" HDD internal) |
| Expansion Slots: 7 |
| Fan Accomodation: 6 total fans (3 x 80mm front, 2 x 80mm rear, 1 x 120mm rear) |
| Form Factors: ATX, Extended ATX, Pentium IV or AMD |
| Power Supply: Not included |
| Universal ATX I/O Shield included |
| Special Features: Heavy Duty Steel construction, removeable drive cages, charcoal colour coated |
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System Specifications:
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| MSI KT3 Ultra 2 Motherboard (Socket A/333MHz FSB) |
| AMD Athlon XP 1800+ CPU |
| 2 x KingMax 256MB PC-2700 DDR333 SDRAM |
| 4 x Quantum Atlas 10K III 36GB SCSI Hard Drives (RAID5) |
| NetRaid-1M RAID controller card |
| MSI GeForce4 Ti4200 8X 128MB DDR VIVO |
| D-Link 530TX NIC |
| SB Live Audigy Sound Card |
| Panasonic 1.44MB FDD |
| Enermax 430W EG465P-VE Dual Fan ATX Switching Power Supply |
| Pioneer 106S 16X DVD IDE |
| Lite-On LTR-40125S 40x12x48x CD-Rewriter |
| Cambridge Soundworks Slim 500 Speakers |
| Logitech Optical Wheel Mouse w/Ratpadz Mouse Pad |
| Logitech QuickCAM VC (USB version) |
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Tools and Material Used:
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| Makita 10mm (3/8") drill model#6410 |
| Mastercraft saw mandrel (1 1/4" to 6") |
| 25 piece H.S.S drillbit set |
| Dremel Multipro 5 w/50 accessories |
| Solder gun w/lead free hi-tech electronic rosin core solder |
| Marr UV Black cable ties |
| Black wire split loom |
| Safety googles |
| MG Computing Products super compressed dust buster |
| PCMods Rheostats Baybus Kit |
| 2 x 120mm Chrome grills, 3 x 80mm chrome grills |
| 2 x 12" UV Cold Cathode Light kits |
| 2 x Adda 120mm high speed fans |
| 2 x Quad LED 80mm fans |
| Black heat shrink tubing |
| Black and red 22AWG wiring |
| 10 x LED Chrome Holders |
| 1 SPST mini switch |
| PCRider+ LED Kit |
| PCMods Rheobus v2.0 |
| Logitech Quickcam VC USB |
| 1 x 3.5" USB/Firewire Internal Hub |
| 1 x high intensity ultra clear blue led, 1 x high intensity ultra clear red led |
| 8 x 5mm red leds (rated at 5v) |
| 2 x Lucite-Tuf acrylic sheets |
| 2 x 10ft" window moulding and locking strap |
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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In the previous Singed Gaming Rig article, I utilized an
Antec SX1030B Mid-Tower case as the basis for the first project. For this new article, I spent a good
deal of time deciding on the perfect case chassis to cover all the hardware components that needed to
be assembled. The chassis had to be big, well built and accommodating for a complete water cooling
setup. In the end, I decided on using the Scorpio TA-10BD Full-Tower Case
from Directron, which was featured on MTB in April 2002. The case measures approximately 470mm x 205mm
x 670mm (DxWxH) and quite possibly can be ranked as one of the tallest server cases available. The front
bezel is accented with sleek indented curves which gives the case an overall futuristic type appearance.
The back portion of the case features a 92mm rear exhaust mount, dual 80mm rear exhaust mounts, an ATX
I/O back plate and 7 PCI/AGP slots ready for use.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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The inside portion of the Scorpio TA-10BD Full-Tower is where the case really shines in terms of options and features.
No slide out motherboard tray is available but at the same time is really not needed since the case has plenty of room to spare.
Some of the highlights for this particular case include a PSU support bar which aids in providing extra support for larger sized
PSU's such as the Enermax models, removable drive cages, and an impressive 14 drive bays (6 x 5.25" external, 2 x 3.5" FDD external,
6 x 3.5" HDD internal).
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