Naturally I build computers from time to time. I built This Man O' War to be a devastating vessel. Heavily equipped to handle some of the most treacherous regions the Internet has to offer. She carries me safely through the shark infested Cyber Seas of the Internet. When powered by the Westerly currents known as Windows , I sail her under the name of The Pale Queen, and by the Easterly currents of Linux, she's known by the Grey Raven. Just take a look at her specs.
Core Processor/CPU: AMD RaYZEN 7 1800X 8-Core 3.6 GHz Over Clocked to 4.0 GHz
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X62 280mm - All-In-One RGB CPU Liquid Cooler
System Board: ASUS TUF B350M-Plus Gaming AM4 Socket Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Memory: G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series 64GB (4 x 16GB) 3200 DDR4 SDRAM
Storage/Linux OS: Samsung 960 PRO M.2 512GB NVMe PCI-Express 3.0 x4 Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Storage/Windows OS: Samsung 850 EVO 500GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD
Storage/Files: Seagate Constellation 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 2.5" Enterprise-class Internal Hard Drive
Video: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti FTW3, 11GB GDDR5X, iCX Technology - 9 Thermal Sensors & RGB LED G/P/M
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Evolv Anthracite Gray Aluminum, Tempered Glass, Steel Chassis Micro ATX Tower
Power supply/PSU: SilverStone Strider 800W, 80 Plus Titanium Certified Full Modular Active PFC
Of course, when building such a vessel, you start with the hull (Computer Case). Introducing the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv. A fully steel chassis accented with 3mm Aluminum plating wrapped in tempered glass.
This beautiful minimalist design comes with one enormous issue. Ventilation. This offered me an opportunity to design something unique. So, after going to several machine shops in town, I found there was only two in town equipped to make the modifications I needed. Unfortunately, I chose the wrong one. I went to our local tech college, who agreed to do it for free, provided I was patient and could wait a while. Six months later, I received the modded panel you see below. Although this closely resembles my design, it's way off spec. I do NOT recommend going there.
That being said, I than added a grill to the newly created cavity. I purchased two of these panels from Cooler Masters web site for $7.00 for the pair. After some slight modification, it works great.
Next, a little added detail, because you just can't sail without a compass.
I glued a magnet to the bottom of it, allowing it to be removable in the event I must display my true intentions.
Next, I needed to add the Armored Plating. For this I found the best materials at the Hobby Lobby.
Using this black foam, Some white poster board and several HP Compaq Tower Case Screws I had collected a few years ago (like over 10)...
I was able to create the first part of the Armor.
I made sure I added two magnets inside the plating. This would allow the Armor to be mounted and aligned correctly, guaranteeing successful placement. I then picked up a few more details.
Naturally, I got them both at half price. First I cut the back of the Anchor to fit, and later, when I finally decided, I painted it flat black to match the Armor. Then removing the steampunk style gears and copper chain from the Sea Pendent, I was able to mount that with just two small map pins. The final result as shown below.
Satisfied I had created stout Armor for my vessel. I went to work on applying her true colors.
This Jolly Roger I designed was to be painted on the front of the case. So, naturally I printed it up on self adhesive paper. Then cut out the design, creating a stencil.
Thus her true colors were given and known to her Captain.
The Armor plating really adds to the personality of The Man O' War. Of course, the engine room had to be looked after next. And such a powerful eight core processor can only be cooled by The Kraken!
An AIO (All in One) Water Cooler ready to meet the needs of this engine... And it has pretty lights too. AAAARRRGGGHHH!!!.
Lights, after some disassembly, were ready for modification.
Armed with 64 Gig of RAM, The Engine comes to life and The Kraken awakens!
The Main Compartment isn't the only clean part of her. The Bilge and Hold are well cable managed.
