Description
This is my tribute to the Codemasters Dirt Rally 2.0 Game. I debated about making the build reflect a specific car from the game. Maybe the vintage Datsun 240Z or Subaru STi? I decided to not focus on a specific car and just do what feels right . The bone stock Cooler Master SL600M tower has a very minimalist look. It reminds me of a Tesla S. Very sleek. It's exterior panels are aluminum, so it's a great blank canvas for modding. I may use this case again for a future build, maybe Cyberpunk 2077 theme?
I'll start with the most conversational feature on the build, the GPU / RTX Hood Scoop Cooler.
Hood Scoop, [STAFF REMOVED]
Underneath the GPU Cooler Hood Scoop is a Cooler Master Fan, 76.8 CFM, 2000 rpm. The GPU Cooler Scoop on the PC side panel is held on with R/C Car Hood Pin & Posts. The GPU Cooler is connected to a Tachometer on top of the PC. NOTE: The tachometer gauge required a custom "one-off" circuit board to create and amplify signal from rpm wire on the Cooler Master fan. Connecting ANY automotive tachometer to ANY pc cooling fan WON'T do anything. If I can find time this year, I'll share details about the circuit in either a blog article or video on it.
The front aluminum bezel, top cover and chassis were powder coated with "Cherry Illusion" by Prismatic Powders. It was applied by Red Hot Icing in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Powder coat is great alternative to custom paint for your PC chassis. The process take less than an hour, after you have all of the parts stripped. It's more resilient to scratches than custom paint. I painted the remainder of the SL600M exterior panels with Flat Black and Satin Nickel Metallic with Rustoleum Rattle can paint. You can buy this paint from any Home Improvement or hardware store.
I modified the front bezel of the Cooler Master SL600M tower with large Hex Grill and 5" touchscreen LCD. The screen is great for monitoring system details like CPU & GPU temperatures with a GUI like Rainmaker. The front modified grill on the DiRt Rally 2.0 PC Case Mod was initially envisioned with Blossom ABS Plastic Racing Honeycomb Durable Mesh, 16" x 47" [STAFF REMOVED] but I didn't like the look, so I swapped to Modders Mesh because the scale of the mesh fit the scale of the PC much better, both aesthetically and visually.
The top panel Dirt Rally Car 2.0 Racing auto dash gauge pods, involved cutting openings into the Cooler Master SL 600M PC Case top panel mesh and aluminum plate. Here is Auto Meter 12 volt gauge and pods I ordered. You can wire any automotive VOLT gauge to your PSU with a Molex.
2x 2-1/6" Auto Gauge Dash Pod Holders, [STAFF REMOVED] 1x Auto Meter Pro-Comp VOLT Gauge, [STAFF REMOVED]
I purchased the 5" HDMI Touchscreen Display on Amazon. (800 x 480 Pixel) If you want to emulate the touchscreen LCD modification for your own PC Case Mod projects, here are all of the parts you'll need to order.
1x 5 Inch HDMI Touchscreen LCD, [STAFF REMOVED]
1x 270 degree right angle HDMI connector, hSTAFF REMOVED]
1x 6ft Long HDMI Cable, [STAFF REMOVED]
1x 5ft USB power cable, [STAFF REMOVED]
The Cooler Master SL600M vertically cools your system with two 200mm PWM Fan x 2 (Speed: 400~800RPM / Connector: 4Pin) in the floor as intakes. I love this cooling design. It's shame more case manufacturers don't embrace it. I think consumers are very slow to accepting case designs that are different than standard front to back cooling configuration on the market. The SL600M will also allow you to setup traditional front-to-back cooling configuration if you prefer.
The chassis design of the Cooler Master SL600M allows a great deal of places to hide cables, once you learn the layout. You can see my results of Cable Management job on back of the Cooler Master SLM 600 Gaming Tower. All factory cables, no custom cable extensions used. It worked out pretty clean n tidy!
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