Mission

slipperyskip · Post by **slipperyskip** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 5:24 am

Here is my latest....

It is named after the mission-style of furniture that it is modeled after. Basically, it is a walnut table built around an aluminum ATX mid tower case. It is intended to sit next to my recliner and connect to my LCD HDTV so that I can game and watch Hulu and Blu Ray movies in a more relaxing setting than at my home office desk.

The Cooler Master case was converted to a bottom-to-top air flow pattern. With this design I could take advantage of natural circulation and also direct all incoming air thru a large bottom-mounted filter.

The case slides in and out to allow easy access to the filter which is a cut-down home AC filter. I change the PC filter when I change my home AC filter.

The design allows me to easily swap out the decorative side panels. I did this mainly because I wasn't sure how I wanted the final piece to look. A couple of versions....

I've taken a lot of heat for the bare optical drive's looks so I'm currently working on a solution there. The Sony Blu-Ray drive slides in and out with the case so stealthing it is slightly tricky. The inner ATX case is completely self-contained so things like the power switch are located on the back.

Cooling and noise tweaking is still going on. Currently I have two 120mm exhaust fans at the top blowing out into the space below the table top. It appears to be overkill because I have disconnected one of the fans with no adverse effects. This could change soon because I'm upgrading next week to a Core i7 from the current Core2Duo.

Current specs:

Intel E7400 C2D
Gigabyte EP43-UD3L motherboard
Palit GeForce GTX 280
4GB Crucial DDR2 1066
Silverstone Nitrogon NT06 HSF
Silverstone 600W Strider PSU
Seagate 400GB HDD
Sony Blu-Ray optical drive

Thanks for looking!

Spirit02 · Post by **Spirit02** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 6:22 am

That looks fantastic

Whoever is providing the heat re the optical drive is right though

Love the swappable panels

AuraAllan · Post by **AuraAllan** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 10:47 am

Another amazing build done by you.
Very well done. Except for the ODD ofcourse

I really like the idea of the swappable panels.
This is the best/nicest panels if you ask me:

mark19891989 · Post by **mark19891989** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 1:04 pm

Thats looks really cool!!

frenchie · Post by **frenchie** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 1:12 am

Hi,
cool build !!
Where did you get those bars in the back ? I really like the idea !!

RoGuE · Post by **RoGuE** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 1:23 am

Really cool build. Must have taken you a while.

You mentioned something about the dvd drive looking harsh against the nice finished wood. Might I suggest a slot load drive?

Since your going all custom, I've always thought a vertical slot drive (coming out of the surface of a desk for example) would be a really cool way to mount it.

Course, that would only be possible if you separated the drive from the computer. Easy to do with a long enough SATA cable..but maybe more of a pain in the ass than necessary. Just a thought.

Nice job with this.

mark19891989 · Post by **mark19891989** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 5:00 am

if you want to hide the cd drive a stealth panel can be made easily, just a piece of wood t he right size stuck to the front of the cd drive, with enough wiggle so that if you press down on it the button will get pressed making the drive open (bringing the wood panel forward with it). you mite have to raise part of the inside of the stealth panel by the button to get better contact on the button, but that should be easy enough.

(i hope that is explained clearly enough for you to get what i mean)

ntavlas · Post by **ntavlas** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 9:22 am

Another solution would be to attach a piece of metal or wood directly on the drive. Of course that would block access to the eject button so you would need to attach a separate switch.

This is what I`ve done in one of my builds:

Anyway, it`s a great piece of work. I don`t mind the optical drive that much, but with the rest of the case looking so perfect I think it`s worth trying to hide it.

Unless video encoding is involved, isn`t the core i7 a little overkill for an htpc?

psiu · Post by **psiu** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 3:02 pm

Awesome as usual, doesn't that C2D already outperform all the previous builds combined (poor Via)

You need to put your name in the topic titles from now on so I know to click on them right away.

Bottom filtering intake, wood panels, a very Bluefront reminiscent build.

aztec · Post by **aztec** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 5:01 pm

ditch the OD altogether or go the USB (external route), or networked if possible.

Incredible woodwork!

slipperyskip · Post by **slipperyskip** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 10:44 am

Thanks everybody! I appreciate all the comments and suggestions.

frenchie wrote:Hi,
cool build !!
Where did you get those bars in the back ? I really like the idea !!

Thanks! They are kitchen cabinet handles I got from Home Depot. I was looking for a shorter version of this stainless steel handle style when I found these long ones. They add a lot of strength to the aluminum case and they make an easy job of pulling the computer out of its shell.

RoGuE wrote:Really cool build. Must have taken you a while.

You mentioned something about the dvd drive looking harsh against the nice finished wood. Might I suggest a slot load drive?

Since your going all custom, I've always thought a vertical slot drive (coming out of the surface of a desk for example) would be a really cool way to mount it.

Course, that would only be possible if you separated the drive from the computer. Easy to do with a long enough SATA cable..but maybe more of a pain in the ass than necessary. Just a thought.

Nice job with this.

Thank you! The slimline slot-load Blu Ray drives are still crazy expensive compared to the "regular" drives. I can't see paying more for a single drive than I would pay for a stand-alone Blu Ray player. I paid $50 for this Sony Blu Ray I'm using.

I'm still working on the drive cover solution so hopefully it will be camera ready in the next few days. Stay tuned.

xan_user · Post by **xan_user** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 10:58 am

Beautiful! Be so rad if you had a monitor frame to match.

-dont really need a button to operate the opti, just use a desktop shortcut to eject and then push it closed with your finger.

new2spcr · Post by **new2spcr** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 10:59 am

slipperyskip wrote:Here is my latest....

Thanks for looking!

Totally awesome.
And also this one:

http://slipperyskip.com/page20.html

I'm in awe...

slipperyskip · Post by **slipperyskip** » Mon Nov 23, 2009 6:21 pm

Thanks guys!

Here's my new drive cover. It's a piece of black walnut with a thin frame around it. The flat black paint I first used on the frame looked really bad so instead I used a color called raw umber. The chrome button manipulates the eject switch. Duh.

Today, Mission was named a finalist in Intel's Core Challenge design contest. Check it out. I decided to go with the more conservative almond slate decorative panels instead of the red ones.

Cistron · Post by **Cistron** » Tue Nov 24, 2009 5:12 am

slipperyskip wrote:Today, Mission was named a finalist in Intel's Core Challenge design contest. Check it out. I decided to go with the more conservative almond slate decorative panels instead of the red ones.

Wow, you're one of a few contestants without LEDs and/or multiple arrays of fans. My fingers are crossed for you.

Meato · Post by **Meato** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 10:10 am

Top-notch design man. I voted for your mod on the challenge site.

My top 3 picks would be;
Mission
Murderbox 008
Blue-man

RoGuE · Post by **RoGuE** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 5:01 pm

yeah its hard to say. This build is by far the winner for uniqueness I think...murderbox is deffinatly going to be hard to beat...but as for uniqueness it's pretty much just a souped up gamer rig. Although, I tip my hat to that build becasue it obviously took a TON of work. I checked out the build log today.

Anyways good luck in the competition.

andyb · Post by **andyb** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 5:13 pm

Awsome work slippery.

I have just one question, and one bit of advice.

Q, Is that case one of the Elite 3xx range.? It looks familiar.

Adv, Cut a groove on the inside of the top of the cabinet so that any drips find their way to the edges, and I would also suggest some kind of splash screen - just like old speakers used to have (to me the only odd thing outstanding (now the ODD is invisible) is the huge whole near the top. I know its an exhaust, but maybe giving it a subduied covering will keep it authentic, and keep it protected from spilled drinks.

Regard Andy

slipperyskip · Post by **slipperyskip** » Mon Nov 30, 2009 10:16 am

Cistron wrote:
slipperyskip wrote:Today, Mission was named a finalist in Intel's Core Challenge design contest. Check it out. I decided to go with the more conservative almond slate decorative panels instead of the red ones.
Wow, you're one of a few contestants without LEDs and/or multiple arrays of fans. My fingers are crossed for you.

Thank you! Mission certainly does offer an alternative. I like mods with lighting but not in my living room while I'm trying to watch a movie.

Meato wrote:Top-notch design man. I voted for your mod on the challenge site.

My top 3 picks would be;
Mission
Murderbox 008
Blue-man

Thanks! I appreciate that.

RoGuE wrote:yeah its hard to say. This build is by far the winner for uniqueness I think...murderbox is deffinatly going to be hard to beat...but as for uniqueness it's pretty much just a souped up gamer rig. Although, I tip my hat to that build becasue it obviously took a TON of work. I checked out the build log today.

Anyways good luck in the competition.

Thanks! The Murderbox is cool but I think the OS XBox will also do well. His video (long version) is awesome. My best chance is the Lifestyle Innovation category. It has only ten competitors.

andyb wrote:Awsome work slippery.

I have just one question, and one bit of advice.

Q, Is that case one of the Elite 3xx range.? It looks familiar.

Adv, Cut a groove on the inside of the top of the cabinet so that any drips find their way to the edges, and I would also suggest some kind of splash screen - just like old speakers used to have (to me the only odd thing outstanding (now the ODD is invisible) is the huge whole near the top. I know its an exhaust, but maybe giving it a subduied covering will keep it authentic, and keep it protected from spilled drinks.

Regard Andy

Thanks for your comment Andy. It is a Cooler Master Mystique that I won in a contest in 2006.

There is no issue with accidental spillage. The exhaust vent has 3/8" frame around it so the probability of someone accidentally spilling anything into it is zero. Maybe this photo helps...

andyb · Post by **andyb** » Mon Nov 30, 2009 12:53 pm

It is a Cooler Master Mystique that I won in a contest in 2006.

I dont think my eyes were working at the time, they are quite different.

There is no issue with accidental spillage. The exhaust vent has 3/8" frame around it so the probability of someone accidentally spilling anything into it is zero. Maybe this photo helps...

Excelent, thats the one thing that I really dont like about many modern cases, the terifying thought of "what if" I trip over the cat and spill some liquid onto the top of my PC and straight through the hole on the roof. God to know that it is far from easy on your "wooden wonder".

Andy

slipperyskip · Post by **slipperyskip** » Tue Dec 15, 2009 11:48 pm

Mission just won the "Best for Digital Lifestyles" award in the Intel Core Challenge computer design contest! I suspect the "Best in Show" winner from Japan will be a topic of discussion. Congrats to all the winners.

http://www.intelcorechallenge.com/index.cfm

theycallmebruce · Post by **theycallmebruce** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 12:39 am

Congratulations, you definitely deserved it! Beautiful work.

aztec · Post by **aztec** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 12:45 am

congrats slippery! great work!

I actually liked Best USA, Mod Creativity, and Mission of all the mods.

Japan looks like your typical "ricer build" nothing really new or original.

piglover · Post by **piglover** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 9:36 am

Congratulations on a good win. The elegance of the Mission style is in its simplicity - and you captured that completely! A project in such a style would have to be amazingly beautiful to stand out and win an award in that den of lights, tubing, shiny steel/aluminum and open computer parts.

And yours is amazing. Well done!

akwok · Post by **akwok** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 11:37 pm

A lot of these winners (aside from the Mission, it rocks!) really aren't anything special... yeah they're crazy, but they're also ugly as sin and not very well executed.

Some of them (Belguim, People's Choice, for example) have almost no attention to detail. They're like, "hey, look at me! look at how many bright lights I can shove into this case!"

Don't even get me started on "Best in Show"... that thing is the epitome of fail. What's with the PSUs and SSD lying on the ground! I mean, it's great you can hit 5ghz on dry ice, but this is a modding competition, not an overclocking competition!

It's a major disappointment that the Murderbox didn't win anything.

slipperyskip · Post by **slipperyskip** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 12:37 pm

Thanks everyone!

I have to agree about the Best in Show. I'm fairly open minded but having the power supply and hard drive sitting out loose on the table is just wrong. I'm sorry. I too was surprised that the Murderbox got locked out. Being that it was from Canada it should have at least won Best from Canada. I'm guessing that it got disqualified for some reason.

Next up...Mod of The Year at bit-tech.net starting next week. Come watch the great mod Cygnus X1 hand everybody's ass back to them. It will be epic.

diver · Post by **diver** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 3:01 pm

Congratulations. That is one fancy way to hide a computer. Best in show looks like it is set up for Liquid N2 cooling.

Engineer · Post by **Engineer** » Sat Dec 19, 2009 8:39 pm

slipperyskip wrote:
Next up...Mod of The Year at bit-tech.net starting next week. Come watch the great mod Cygnus X1 hand everybody's ass back to them. It will be epic.

I watched that build for months. There is no doubt that it is one of the best that I've ever seen.

As for the one in this OP, it's absolutely stunning. Would love to have it in my home!

Fayd · Post by **Fayd** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 1:07 am

not at all a fan of the cygnus x1. looked way better before he stuck the wings on.

personally i prefer the one in the OP. it's a beautiful case.

btw, it looked better before you added the dvd blankout plate. i think it would have been appropriate to just paint the plate black to hide the badging...

slipperyskip · Post by **slipperyskip** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 5:18 am

Mission didn't make the cut for nomination to Mod of the Year at bit-tech.net. Instead, the case mod I call Ingraham did get nominated.

http://silentpcreview.com/forums/viewto ... highlight=

I should be happy but I can't help but feel disappointed. Ingraham is too old. Mission has proven itself with both the Cooler Master and Intel wins. Neither has a chance to win but I think the eventual winner would prefer to compete against the strongest competition.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Mission

Mission

Re: Mission