Case Modding

Sat Feb 07, 2015 10:16 am

Sounds like a cool system you had there

__

The parts hunt is nearly only need a protective cover / fan grill

Sun Feb 08, 2015 2:37 am

I wanted pictures to understand my project fully, so i have made some pictures of what i plan to do, and how i'll go about doing this mod.

The radiator is mounted on the inside to protect it, as they fragile, and then have the fans in pull config mounted on the out of the case's top. I'll mount it by cutting a square hole in the top my case and placing a steel fan grill to mount the radiator and fans to instead.

For optimal performance i have opted to use gaskets for to improve fans pressure and reduce vibrations.

Radiator / gasket / steel mounting grill / gasket / fans / fans grills

: Layout of my case + radiator mount + my future fan configuration

More or less where it will mount, but i don't have all parts yet, so i can't be sure it is the right same for it

: Top mounting for 240mm radiator

Update to follow when i get parts and start work on the mod. Need to get a Dremel cutting for this mod i think, a jigsaw would be a pain on floppy aluminium

__

Also to give my case new life for the next 4-5 years i might paint it black, because the current gray is boring and ugly, where as a black interior of this case looks epic. But it needs to be summer for me to be able to paint it out side and for the paint to cure right.

: Gray interior

: Black interior

But one thing at a time

Tue Feb 10, 2015 12:18 pm

Just the first parts of the project, the mount for the 240 radiator, gasket and fan grills for the top mounted fans

: parts

So now i just need to figure out how and where to cut the case

The cpu watercooler should come some time Thursday, by then i hope i can just install it quick and painlessly

Tue Feb 10, 2015 4:24 pm

Okay, minor set back, turns out my dad broke our old dremel, so i have to order a new one

So it'll be a Dremel 3000 with some cutting accessory.

And then i might finally be able to start working on my mod, the damn CPU better run cold after this .. or i'm popping it's lid

Website · Tue Feb 10, 2015 4:35 pm

One question, do you leave your MB etc in the case when you start to drill holes in it?

Maybe time consuming, but i strongly advise to remove the MB, GFX, PSU etc when you start modifying your PC Case.
Those tiny metal particles have a way to get in places you don't want them and can also cause electrical issues.

I have a Dremel kit somewhere. Got a great deal on it with a ton of accessories. Cool stuff.

Tue Feb 10, 2015 7:09 pm

Yes of cause i will, anything else would nuts! I'm taking every big parts out and only leave the tiny bits in that are safe from metal particles.

So i'm stripping the case to bare aluminium before i start to cut it to size, i also have lots of small side mods that i need to make small improvements on, so i might as well do those now while the pc has a 1-2 day (Friday and Saturday) downtime anyway

Going to start the measuring up where the things go, and where to cut it, better to do those measurements slowly as it needs to look good at the end.

Website · Wed Feb 11, 2015 7:30 am

Lots of building and rebuilding to do than. Will you spray paint it as well or keep that for the next casemod derby?
Edit; Summertime, paint time

Good luck with it and we are looking forward to the pics.

Wed Feb 11, 2015 10:23 am

It's to cold for the paint to dry outside, it would take forever for the paint to cure outside at about 4*c, yeah that's for summer, if I'm going to do it

I have just about figurred out where to cut now.

The last of the paera is in the 24 h postbox, so only waiting for the dremel to begin, it's being delivered tomorrow

And today I need to monitor the cpu temp to know the full impact of the cooler

YouTube · Wed Feb 11, 2015 10:38 am

I've been following this with interest as I have always wanted to build my own desktop PC some day.

I did want to build the PC I use now but at the time I just couldn't find the parts cheap enough to justify all of the work so I ended up having it custom built for not much more than I would of paid for the parts.

This brings me to my question, would it not be cheaper to just buy a new custom case that go to all this trouble and expense?

Wed Feb 11, 2015 10:59 am

I believe it would be cheaper to buy a new case that had all the features I need, but where is the fun in that

It all comes down to how passionate you are about your pc, and I love to build pc's.

And the way I see it is that rather then buying a new case every 3 years, then I would rather spend the money on upgrades for the case to make it fresh again, besides my case is one of the only designs I like, it still looks good after 4,5 years, i still like it just the same.