Iz3D 22" widescreen monitor Thermaltake 7" 5.25 Bay LCD Razer Lachesis Mouse Razer Lycosa Keyboard 4 Black SATA II cables (right angled/straight) Pioneer BD Reader + DVD +/-R/RW SATA MS Windows Vista Ultimate
Brainstorming session for Mnpctech's project for AMD's launch
Project Phenom: Part 2 video segment, Mill-O-Matic!
Pre-Assembly before Plating
Final Video Installment
PROJECT: AMD PHENOM FX S P O N S E R S
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The case we're modifying is a pre-production sample of the new SwordM direct from Thermaltake's factory in Taiwan.
Fan Grill Designs by PCDesignlab.com (laser cut from 1/8" thick aluminum, then chrome plated)
That is just about the craziest case i've ever seen. I really like it!!! It's good to see that someone has created something very outside of the (computer) box. I've always thought that computer cases were getting stale in design. This is hopefully just the start. Love it!
Joined: Thu Dec 14, 2006 7:59 pm Posts: 791 Location: 26.7mi East of Ground Zero
Bill, I hate you. You do all the cool projects!!
When I first saw that case, a while ago when the announced it, it made me think about why we mod. Case Mods started out as functional improvements to the poorly designed, and bland, cases that were common at the time. People needed better cooling due to overclocking so they cut holes, added fans, etc. It wasn't until later on that someone decided that not only can you make the case perform better, but you can make it look better (and show off your bitchin hardware). And that is when windows, lights, etc started.
Eventually the manufacturers caught on and the pre-mod was born. We scoffed at their poor attempts. But they watched what we did, studied it, even hired some of us to help design new cases, and we now have some really great pre-mod cases. Then there is this SwordM.
From a functional standpoint there is little I would change based upon the photos (that opinion may change if I ever get my hands on one). The single biggest thing is the internal drive bays. Thermaltake needs to take a page from the CoolerMaster playbook and put swapable drive trays in there that connect to a SATA backplane that has short SATA cables coming out the back that can easily be connected to a mobo and hidden. Hopefully the front facing drive bays are toolless with nice rails as well. And they should have taken a page from Lian LI and put the PSU on the bottom (like the V2000 series).
But this all brings me to the question... what can Bill do to improve the functionality of this case? What can he do to improve the appearance (cause it is damn sweet looking as it is)?
One thing I have learned is that the better the case, the harder it is to do a good functionality-based mod. Though I am sure if anyone is up to it, Bill is.
_________________ "If stupidity is a disease, your case appears to be malignant. But don't worry, I've heard that the cure is easily administered via a delicate process involving a baseball bat..." - Lucas @ CAD
Joined: Wed Nov 29, 2006 1:55 am Posts: 790 Location: Rehovot, Israel
Man the sketches look sick. If all this will be made out of machined aluminum, this case is going to be MASSIVE. And I'm talking like PimpRig massive... maybe even Dark Blade massive
Other than that it's a good idea to drop the stock WC setup, Thermaltake never managed to impress me with their WC solutions, I'm sure you can come up with better alternatives
I've been looking at those sidepanels you planned and figured it could be nice if you could make them slide and not open like they do right now. That would be sick and go well with the theme you're planning. You could add some sound effects to it kinda like the DOOM 3 airlock doors. Depends on the deadline.
The TT case created some unique challenges and I was really happy with the plan that the team developed for the new shell theme. It's going to look like a futuristic container made by a super-secret government agency to transport something highly valuable, powerful and technologically advanced. Perfect for transporting the new Phenom CPU.
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-Thanks, from your friends at TMN!
Last edited by pcdlab on Sat Oct 27, 2007 7:57 pm, edited 2 times in total.
That's quite a case. I seem to remember that the prototype made quite an impression at CES last year. It's great to see it in competetent hands for modding even before its launch. And having the first system built in this case with the launching Phenom, well that's quite a coupe--- and quite a challenge no doubt. This has potential to generate quite a bit of interest, I think.
Joined: Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:44 am Posts: 299 Location: New Plymouth, New Zealand
Man you guys are so lucky, getting all this stuff before its released to the public,
Anyway...Awesome sketches I'm just blown away by the side panel.
I just thought I would tell you an idea I had. With the top part of the case that lifts up, why not mount that 7" LCD as a flip down monitor?
Theres not many words that can describe how excited i am about this mod. Also one last thing, Had any hints on the price of these new processors and motherboards?
Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2006 3:14 pm Posts: 4299 Location: Mpls, MN. USA
ssR wrote:
Other than that it's a good idea to drop the stock WC setup, Thermaltake never managed to impress me with their WC solutions, I'm sure you can come up with better alternatives
it would be awsome if amd used this case for all their demo systems.
Thats what we're setting our sites upon!
christopher3393 wrote:
having the first system built in this case with the launching Phenom, well that's quite a coupe--- and quite a challenge no doubt. This has potential to generate quite a bit of interest, I think.
We think so too Chris. I'm curious as to what type of opportunities it may open for Mnpctech at this level.
X-Mod wrote:
Theres not many words that can describe how excited i am about this mod.
The build team needs this excitement! Thank you all for posting. Your feedback and encouragement fuels everybody involved when the hours get long. Our biggest challenge is the deadline I've made. I want the case finished by Dec 24th. I want to enjoy my hollynog at home by the tree instead drinking Monster energy at the shop.
X-Mod wrote:
Had any hints on the price of these new processors and motherboards?
It's way too early to know... btw: the swordm case isn't available yet either.
Joined: Thu Dec 14, 2006 7:59 pm Posts: 791 Location: 26.7mi East of Ground Zero
I love the direction this is takin BIll, and as always, I have a few ideas to toss out at you that I think would be both cool, and challenging. I know someone mentioned a tight timeline, so I am not sure how feasible these ideas might be, but....
The door. I love it! Now let's make it even more wicked cool. You want the whole airlock thing, right? So whey not make the logo int he middle a button that when you press a circle of LEDs lights up (in sequence), you know, the circle of dots around the logo. And then have the doors open on their own. Powered doors. And of course, when they open a few green cathodes on the inside light up to show off the wicked cool hardware.
The Top. Similar to the doors, except that it already opens under it's own power. So you just need some type of button catch instead of those two screws in the back.
Oh, and that LCD y'all were drooling over. While it looks like it would fit in a standard 5.25" bay, it won't. And while those bays in the top fo the case look like std 5.25" bays, and can act like them, they aren't. That LCD is a little bigger than a 5.25" bay and Thermaltake had to make special bays in some of their cases to fit it. I know, I looked into getting one of those for my Megadeth case, but it would not fit in the standard Lian Li bays. So I got something else...
_________________ "If stupidity is a disease, your case appears to be malignant. But don't worry, I've heard that the cure is easily administered via a delicate process involving a baseball bat..." - Lucas @ CAD
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on the side panel design. Very nice, very sci-fi! I might add that I quite like the existing side panels, but hey, this is modding! 
