Just bought my First X99 Micro mb and wanted to do something special for this Little Board


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For this Build i will be using:
EVGA x99 Micro 2 mb
Samsung 950 PRO m.2 512 ghz
EVGA NEX1500 Power Supply
EVGA 980ti Classy W 780 ti HYDRO copper
GSkil Trydent "Z" 32GB 3200 DDR4 @ 3200 1.35V
Intel 5820K @ 3.8  1.175V
2 Black Ice Nemesis 280GTX® Dual-Core Radiator - Black Carbon
Bitspower CPU waterblock and RES
Bitpower Misc. Fittings
Swiftech DDC pump 35X
Silverstone Micro atx aluminum Case for parts
NZXT Manta Mini itx case
Corsair PMW Red Led 140mm fans, Red led's throughout
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I'm calling this Build the "Manta "X"
 
The NZXT "Manta" is a Mini itx Case That I fell in love with 
When I saw it in person at A Microcenter near me...................
 
The structure of the case is of normal aluminum framing
But the All Plastic sides, Front, Top and feet are made of a Super thick Plastic
Almost feels like it's made of Delrin or "ABS" (Very heavy)
 

 
So here we go !!!!!!!
 
I have an old "Silverstone" Micro ATX  SG01 Evolution SFF Case laying around
That i'll strip for some spare parts for this build ..............................
 

 

 
Time to strip the NZXT Manta Case
I drilled out all the rivets that hold the mother Board and Hard Drive brackets
 
 

Dremel Time.............
 

Chopping up the Silverstone Aluminum Case is the next part
The Mother Board Bracket of the SilverStone aluminum case is about an 1/8" short
so some custom bending will be involved in the fitment.............
I also need to cut shorter the silverstone chassis
Cutting the PCI card brackets so that there's only 2 for the EVGA Classy 980ti Card and utilizing
as much of the stock case that I can for a Stealthy look
Im going to be using the Original Hard Drive Brackets to keep this build looking as stock as possible!!!!!
 

 

 

Now to see if my Plan works !! 
The Motherboard will have to be able to slide be hind the Power Supply in order to
keep the stock Look..................
 
I bolted the Silverstone mb Bracket to the inside of the "Manta" Chassis for a perfect fit
I had to Dremel out the mb Back plate to accommodate for the new location but
as you can see it hides well !!!!!
 
 
 

 
 
My Plan Worked !!!!!!
The Motherboard Slides Nicely behind the Power Supply with a 1/16th" of room to spare
 



 
 

Paint Time !!!!
 
Well everything fits nicely and I have everything bolted down in place
so now it's time to take all of my lovely EVGA parts out and give her a coat of paint !!!!
I found a real close match to the same finish of the original case paint
the fine texture hides any  mismatch 
 

 

 

Results !!!!!!
 
Im still waiting on the G Skill "Trident Z" 32gb DDR4 ram and the "Corsair H100i" water cooler
but as you can see it's coming along Nicely...............
Fitment is better than I expected and I will challenge you to look closely to see
that this case wasn't made for a "MICRO" mother Board ;-) 
 




 
 

Impressive

sinned.
Impressive

 
Thank you !!!
 
Coming form you that means a lot !!!!
 
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OK so I have it all built
Two, Intel 240gb in Raid stripe 0
 
I am over clocking the 5820K at 4.0 Ghz and the ram is clock at 3200mhz
 
As I suspected, with this Mini itx case all closed up and the h100i at the top,
I am getting temps of 62C degrees in game and idle temps of 52C degrees
When I remove the lid of the case, my temps drop by 10C degrees
I need to add a 140mm rear fan....................
and since this mod pushed the motheboard back 3/4 of an inch, the case will now except a 140mm rear fan
Also I'm going to swap out the H100i for a H115i
ThenI will  cut the top of the lid and insert a custom grill to allow for more air flow from the top
These three things should bring my temps down to around 45C Degrees In Game
 

 
 

Let the Heat out !!!!!
 
Today I cut the top out  and to my suprise the Lid is made of 2 seperate pieces (Aluminum and Plastic)
I am in the process of finding some matching Honeycomb Mesh metal screen to mold into the new air vent
After cutting the lid I have dropped my CPU temp by 10C degrees and am now idling at 42C (OC at 4.0ghz)
 

 
Can't be bad with an "X" in it. LOL.  Nice job.