Original article: http://www.bit-tech.net/modding/2007/04/23/yuugou_by_greensabbath/1

Original worklog: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=109996&highlight=yuugou

Spec list:
Motherboard: Asus P5N32-E 680i
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E4300
Memory: Corsair Dominator DDR2 800
Graphics: BFG Tech 8800 GTX WC 756mb
Hard drive: 2x Seagate Barracuda 320gb

Concept and Inspiration:
This is my second case mod exhibiting influence from Asian furniture. I wanted to take my last mod “Sangaku” to the next level and perfect the wood framed case. I used a similar concept for the construction as “Sangaku” by using an internal frame made of aluminum and an external frame made of wood. I also wanted to expand upon the Asian influence and make it more modern. I did this by adding exotic materials and graceful curves that make give Yuugou a very humble but strong aura.

Mod Summary:
In total the case took over 800 hours of design and construction over the period of a year.

Exterior Wood Frame:
I built the wood frame first. The woods I used were Hard Rock Maple and Curly Koa which is only found in Hawaii. I started by milling all of the pieces to rough dimensions and then I used a surface planer to bring them to final dimensions. Once I cut them to length, I started with the joinery. The joinery for this case was very complex and I actually had to design the joints myself based on what I needed them to do. I needed a joint that could be taken a apart, was rock solid and self locking, and didn’t require any nails, glue or screws. It took three prototypes but eventually I go it. Doing eight of these joints was difficult but I only messed up once on them. After the Maple joinery was done, I moved on to the koa parts. The main koa pieces had to be set into the curved maple pieces which I did using a router table. The smaller koa pieces I steam bent using a microwave. The finish I used on the wood is a multi-step rubbed polyurethane to give the perfect balance of protection and sheen.

Internal Frame:
I decided to go with aluminum for the internal frame because it is a versitle and strong material that I hadn’t used before and I wanted the challenge. It also has the ability to take numerous finishes including anodizing, power coat and paint, of which I chose powder coat because of its durability.

The internal frame holds all of the computer hardware, including the water cooling system. In theory, it could be a computer by itself but I ensured that the design and curves over the interior played nicely with the design and curves of the exterior, melding the two parts into one whole.

I started out by cutting all of the main pieces of the case and attaching them with a system of screws and aluminum blocks. Later on, I would cut out more and more holes for the back plate, front plate, radiator, fans, etc. With the main aluminum shroud on the interior, I wanted to isolate the hardware that is less eye catching and show off the main hardware. I used a different mesh than most modders use, an oval mesh, to match the design of the case better and make it a little different and this turned out to be one of my favorite features of the case. Once the aluminum was done, I had it powder coated a textured black to contrast with the wood.

Watercooling:
To get the most out of the system, I decided to go with a high end watercooling system including the new Asetek Xtreme pump system, Black Ice Stealth GT 360 Rad and Swiftech water blocks, all with black Tygon tubing. The system is topped off visually with the DangerDen block on the BFG 8800GTX wc.

Lighting:
As a contrast to most modded systems, and to match the quite beauty of the case, I decided to go with minimal lighting. Two white 12 inch CCFLs light the interior.

Wiring:
To match the quality of the rest of the case, I decided to make the wiring as organized as possible. There are no wires that go across the components in the front since they all come out of a slot near the motherboard. This add the extra touch and helps show of the hardware even more.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, I feel this case significantly improved over the last one. I can honestly say I could take a picture of any single part in the case and be proud of it. For the paper this time, I just used a simple bamboo paper, backed with ivory acrylic for strength. The characters on the front, and the one covering the hard drives (that isn’t easily seen) add to the character of the case. In all, I think it’s a fitting follow-up to my last case, Sangaku.

Ultra Sweet is built from one of Ultra Products early Carbon Fiber chassis cases. I received the bare frame work for the chassis and moved forward from that point. I used smoked plexiglass in place of the carbon fiber panels. Converted it from the standard ATX layout to BTX inverting the motherboard and PSU. I accented the polished aluminum frame with MNPCTechs billet aluminum accessories, which I hand polished to match the frame. Removing the stock power buttons, front panel, 3.5” bay opening allowed me to give it more of a “Hot Rod” style to it. I then installed two DragonFire light bars from DragonModz with both lights being controlled from the same remote. Added a DragonMeter hard drive activity meter. The lower panel is cut from Polished aluminum diamond tread plating. The motherboard tray is plexi with a aluminum support bracket to give it a little more strength for installing and uninstalling hardware.

Specs:
Case – Ultra Carbon Fiber Chassis
Processor – AMD X64 AM2 5600+ @ 3.0 GHz
Cooling – Noctua NH-U12F
Case Fans – 3 120mm Ultra Glossy Fans modded with 4 red LEDs each.
Motherboard – ASUS M2N32 SLI-Deluxe Wifi Edition
RAM – 2.0 gigs DDR2 6400 OCZ SLI-Ready
Video – 2x XFX nVidia 8800GS 320MB
Sound – Integrated SoundMax
Operating System – Windows XP Pro / Windows Vista Ultimate
Hard Drive – 3 – 250gig WD, 1 200gig WD External
DVD-RW – Samsung DVD Burner w/Lightscribe
PSU – Ultra X3 1000 Watt