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So it’s been awhile since I’ve last updated my computer specs. It has actually been quite a while since I’ve updated, but I’ve also been so busy I didn’t get to update on my last build.

Last time I updated my rig was rocking a Q9650 Intel Quad Core running at just over 4Ghz. About a year and a half ago I updated to the new (at the time) Core i7 2600K, new motherboard, and bumped up to 16GB of RAM. I swapped out the Prolimatech Megahalems for a Corsair H100 water cooler. The rest of the rig stayed the same at that time. Then, as is my habit, I tweaked a little here and there by adding SSDs to the system over the past year.

Read on to see the pics :)

To start, I choose to go with a water cooling system instead of air cooling this time. Nothing against the Prolimatech Megahalems -at all- it really is a monster of a cooler. I have wanted to try water cooling for a long time and the Corsair Hydro Series H100 CPU Cooler (CWCH100) is a nice, easy, all-in-one kit which made the learning curve practically zero. The only downside is that I had to mod the case a little to allow the water loop hoses of the Corsair H100 to pass through. I ended up removing the fan grilles and cutting into the case a little. It was easy to do with a dremel and took maybe about 15mins total.

Case mod with dremel
Using a Dremel to mod the Antec 1200 case to fit a Corsair H100

Below is a pic of the empty case. You can see the missing fan grilles, and right below the bottom fan “hole” are the two slots I cut into the case to allow the hoses to pass through.

Antec 1200 case mod
Antec 1200 after modding the case to remove the fan grilles and make room for the water loops

The H100 was easy to install. It plugs in just like the stock Intel cooler. You can orient the hoses to exit out in any of four directions and have a right-angle junction so it should have no problems fitting into any motherboard layout. There are a few more pics in the slideshow below.

The finished product. I spent a fair bit of time with cable management and finally got it the way I like. Airflow is excellent and it has a nice tidy look. The accent lights from the H100 and the motherboard light up the case interior nicely when the room is dark and the computer is powered on.

Interior of the Antec 1200 with all components installed and cables nicely tucked away.
Interior of the Antec 1200 with all components installed and cables nicely tucked away.

Here is the final parts list:

  • CPU: Intel Core i7 2600k
  • CPU Cooler: Corsair H100
  • Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-V Pro
  • RAM: 16GB DDR3 1600 G.Skill RipJaws F3-12800CL9Q-16GBRL
  • Blu-Ray: Sony Blu-Ray Burner BD-5300S-0B
  • Video Card: Powercolor AX6850 ATI Radeon 6850 w/1GB VRAM
  • HDD1: Samsung 830 256GB SSD (OS/Programs)
  • HDD2: Samsung 830 128GB SSD (Games/Scratch)
  • HDD3: Western Digital Black 1TB WD1001FALS (Storage)
  • HDD4: Western Digital Black 1.5TB WD1502FAEX (Storage)
  • Power Supply: Corsair TX650W
  • Case: Antec 1200

Below is a slideshow with more pics, I hope you enjoy!

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