Topic: [pics inside] custom built 8-card rack - page 3. (Read 11848 times)

problems i ran into:

1) stock CPU cooler is too tall. i originally used a socket 775 board with the stock cooler to do all my measurements, and the height i cut the rack into was a perfect fit. however, i didn't realize that a stock s1366 cooler was considerably taller. The pci-e extension cables didn't have enough clearance because the cooler blocks it.

2) the bar that holds up the rear end of the GPUs were about 6 millimeters short because the little PCB "hook" towards the end of the pci-e pins of the video card, got in the way of this bar.

here you can see how the video card's pci-e pins are very close to the cooler, and this is not enough room to plug in the extension cables. these cables take up a few centimeters of space below the video card's pins.


solution: i bought a 1U low profile s1366 cooler. it just came in, here's what it looks like installed on the motherboard.


ahh, perfect...


now the second problem, the bar holding the video card is too close, so the video doesn't have enough clearance to be mounted properly. solution: i drilled out rivets on both sides, made 2 new holes to move two bars back about 6mm, which is just enough clearance.


that PCB "hook" now has enough clearance


a few more mods to come before it's finished

Did you name the frog Mr. "Rig Marshall"?

here are some closeup shots of little details you might want to see

the top bar is tapped with threads to fit the regular computer screws. this is to secure down the cards from moving around. i just measured and drilled holes into the bars, then just used the actual screws to make the threads directly into the aluminum. this freakin took like 2 hours  




here's what i used as motherboard standoffs to raise the motherboard from the aluminum frame. drilled a hole in the frame, then put a long screw from the bottom up. a washer and nut was put on top to secure the screw, and also act to raise the motherboard up.


the excess end of the screw sticking up through the motherboard holes prevents the motherboard from moving around.


pic is a little blurry, but it's just to show that an optional nut can be added on top of everything to bolt down the motherboard. i won't be adding this extra nut in the final build since the screw is long enough


here's a random nice little froggy in my back yard watching me when i was building this rack



so i ran into a couple problems when doing this build, and i'll post that next time i have pics up

that's crazy, you bought a $400 motherboard for this? it would have been cheaper (including other components like CPU, PSU, etc) if you got 2 separate rigs instead of this one 8-slot motherboard setup.

and just a heads if when you build something like this, you won't be able to fit all 8 GPUs on top when using a standard 17cm riser/extension cable. it's not long enough to reach the two cards and the ends if you leave a slot for cooling between each card. you'll need to break it down to 6-7 cards on top and 1-2 cards on bottom, unless you connect two extension cables together to make them longer.

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I totalled up all the costs and it's not actually that much dearer in total, it is more expensive but for the amount i'd save i'd rather have it all in one system and not have to spend an entire day building a rack lol.

I have some spare riser cables so i can fit 8 cards on the top length with an inch between each

Sure

I want to make it suitable for 2 motherboards in line and up to 12 gfx cards, so just longer (aproxx. 1- 1.2m lenght), with a closed bottom (another L shaped alu bar at the bottom back for stability) and a bottom plexiglass plate where the psu's can rest on. all this will make a stable skeleton structure where i will build a simple encasing around (probably made of cheap wood) with included fans for proper air exchange to put it on my balcony (also my balcony has good weather protection, the casing still must be wind and rain proof)

Awesome, would definitely be interested in dimensions of build you made.

lol right? the naming of the motherboard is pretty lame haha. "BIG BANG KABOOM" will be the new x79 socket LGA2011 for MSI. it will have 12 pci-e slots  . /sarcasm



it's copyright, there won't be any copying unless you pay me fees. jk. copy all u want, i'm interested to see what variation you come up with. what did you plan to change from the design? be sure to post pics when you have them!



that's crazy, you bought a $400 motherboard for this? it would have been cheaper (including other components like CPU, PSU, etc) if you got 2 separate rigs instead of this one 8-slot motherboard setup.

and just a heads if when you build something like this, you won't be able to fit all 8 GPUs on top when using a standard 17cm riser/extension cable. it's not long enough to reach the two cards and the ends if you leave a slot for cooling between each card. you'll need to break it down to 6-7 cards on top and 1-2 cards on bottom, unless you connect two extension cables together to make them longer.



nope, doesn't flex too much. it might be a problem if the video cards are directly on the motherboard and weighing it down, but since i'm using extension cables, they hardly weigh anything. the CPU cooler weighs the most, but i'm not using a huge tower cooler or anything. there's nothing else on the motherboard to push it down, so flex won't be a problem. haha it doesn't take hercules to plug in the extension cables, so that won't be a problem either


ps- this forum needs a multi-quote button. i just had to manually quote everyone in this one post

x1 extenders don't really require that much force to plug in.

Looks nice.  But wouldn't the motherboard flex too much in the middle when you plugin/unplug pcie extenders, for example.  I might like to see more support for the motherboard middle (like plywood, that might ruin the look though), but if you're careful maybe wont be an issue.

Just had my Big Band Marshal arrive so i'll be doing something similar to this

I'm going out to get 7.2m of Angle in the next couple of days so i can build it (I only need 5.25 but can only buy it in strips of 2.4m each lol).

I am not impressed until you put 7 - 6990s in there.  Just kidding, looks awesome!

do you have the dimensions for the rack? 

i will probably copy your design and modify it to fit my needs

Nice! Any nicer and the Sheetmetal Workers Union will be after you for dues ;-)

holy fuck

Great build... Looks very good and clean.

You should upgrade to the MSI bing bang boom x58, which has 8 pci-e slots.

ya i planned the PSU to pull air facing up. there's a few inches of clearance between the PSU and mobo, so that should be enough room for it to breathe. i haven't drilled screw holes in the frame for the PSU mount yet, so i could always just flip it upside down and let it intake from the very bottom, but then that means i'll have to somehow lift the whole rig an inch so it has breathing room on the bottom. i'm probably not going to do that because that will raise the overall height even more, which i wanted to avoid. i measured everything to be as short as possible.

as for the rivets, i used steel rivets instead of aluminum rivets. a single one at each joint is more than enough to hold everything together. if i used aluminum rivets instead, then i'll have some doubts because i test-lifted the whole frame with 2 PSU, mobo, and 7 GPU's and it's pretty dam heavy.

It looks like there's plenty of room between them.  The PSUs can handle quite a lot of heat as well, I think they'll be nice and happy there.

Nice setup! I know what you mean about "this should only take a couple of hours..." 

Do the PSUs draw air in from the top? If so does the motherboard block air flow to them?

Did you find a single rivet strong enough to hold the aluminum angle stock together?