Towers of power

Posted at: Thursday 24th January 2008

Daniel Costin's massive Project Gemini mod includes two water-cooling loops, separate thermal zones for hot-running components and uses geometry's golden ratio to keep everything balanced.

CPC: What sort of response have you had? And are you pleased with the end result?

Daniel: For the most part, people who see the case are pleased with the result. I'm pleased with the final outcome too, but there's room for improvement. The passive intakes look awesome, but they don't allow for enough airflow. I'll be removing the window and making a new panel that houses two 120mm fans for active intake fans. I'm also rather pleased with the balanced appearance of this case project.

CPC: Now that Gemini is built, what do you use the PC for?

Daniel: Gemini is my primary system. I use it daily for mundane tasks such as web browsing, email and playing music. I'm also an avid FPS gamer, and that was its primary purpose - to run current releases such as Crysis and BioShock at full settings with both AA and AF, while maintaining a smooth frame rate.

CPC: Do you have another project planned?

Daniel: I've already started to redesign this case. My objective is to scale down its size by 10-15 per cent. I need to be able to work inside of it, so the golden ratio may have to be left by the wayside, as the towers don't need to be as large, but the motherboard module dimensions will be roughly the same. My next project after I finish rebuilding Gemini will be another dual-loop case, but in a different configuration.

CPC: Finally, what tips would you have for anyone working on a mod such as Project Gemini?

Daniel: Patience is a virtue and planning is paramount. No plan survives contact with the enemy, and in this instance, the enemy is Murphy's Law. Also, try not to sacrifice 'Go' for 'Show' - performance is the master, and the aesthetics of the mod should take a back seat.