Rig of the Month: Chris Cook's Phase III

Posted 02/27/2008 at 5:21pm | by Tom Edwards

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The third time truly is the charm, at least for Chris Cook. The Phase III is the final iteration of a hybrid cage and test bench that he calls “the perfect cage design.”

Chris used his skills as a 3D design engineer to create this rig, using Lightwave 3D for the design, cutting the case elements with a waterjet CNC system, and then assembling the components in his workshop.

Four months after starting the project (including time spent replacing the original steel case with a lighter aluminum one), Chris has created one of the finest test beds we’ve ever seen.

The top side hosts the motherboard; below deck are the optical drive, hard drive, cooling system, power supply, and system monitors.

The front panel includes a Thermaltake reservoir and flow meter, as well as a fan and temperature monitor LCD that tracks the temps of both the coolant and the area directly below the motherboard.

A transparent cover, made from a single piece of Plexiglas that was bent using heat and pressure, makes it easy to view the motherboard layer of the rig while the system is in action.

For his winning entry, Chris wins a $500 gift certificate for eWiz.com to fund his modding madness!