Project: iTX 690

[Kasucode]

Project: iTX 690
warning lots of pictures

I wanted to mod a new ITX system and my friend wanted a new badass computer, so we compromised.


3 things I wanted to do for this build:

1. Allot of power in an ITX form factor
2. Make it pretty
3. keep it around $2000


I have lots of ideas in store to make this a one of a kind PC. I am trying to get most of it done over the weekend so check back daily for updates.


Lets get started.

At first we did want to put a nice watercooling setup in this rig but thats $500+ we could put back into hardware. The best way to get the most performance out of this itx platform is a powerful video card. Because we are limited to a single slot the best option is the single most fastest video card we could get.

The GTX 690

That left $1k for everything else.

Case: SG-07
Motherboard: Asus P8H77-I
Memory: 16GB G-Skill Ripjaws X series 1333
CPU: i5-3570K
Cooler: Noctua NH-C12P SE14
HDD: 240GB Corsair Force GT
HDD: 1TB Spinpoint F3

The breakdown

Because the front panel is plastic I will not be able to powder coat it. So I will make a cover for it.

hang with me now.

A very basic idea of what im going for.

more updates later today. wait tell you see it come together.

 

[Tobit]

Definitely watching this, I want to do a fully internal mITX water build this fall. Good start brother.

 

[Kasucode]

Definitely watching this, I want to do a fully internal mITX water build this fall. Good start brother.

thanks




its time to eat so small update ill be working on it into the AM

just to sit it in front of the case and see what it would look like

now for window mods.

more updates soon

 

[Kty]

Subbed for the perfectness.

 

[Kasucode]

Starting to strip the paint.

 

[Kasucode]

too tired to explain so ill just post pictures for now.

I know theres a few spots I need to touch up. will get that next day i work on it.

 

[PureQuaternion]

Baking it, interesting. Any concerns with it damaging the oven or making food smell funny after?

 

[Kasucode]

Baking it, interesting. Any concerns with it damaging the oven or making food smell funny after?

the oven will not damage. Do not use the same oven for food. This is out in the garage. im building a custom 7x4x3ft oven for bigger projects. and powder coating requires baking at 400degrees. you can use $15 toaster for small parts though.

 

[DarkAngel_ZERO]

I've got a similar setup to this, but without the incredibly awesome paint job and case redesign. I'm just wondering, but on the back end of the 690, did you add any "ducting" to vent the hot air directly out of the case? I was planning on using some leftover ceramic tile to do just that, but I just haven't gotten around to it.

 

[Kasucode]

I've got a similar setup to this, but without the incredibly awesome paint job and case redesign. I'm just wondering, but on the back end of the 690, did you add any "ducting" to vent the hot air directly out of the case? I was planning on using some leftover ceramic tile to do just that, but I just haven't gotten around to it.

Awesome its a great case for this card. I dont have have the ducting finished but yes that was the idea of putting that "vent" on the side beside the window. there is 3 screw holes on the 690 back side im going to see if i can use them and mount a custom aluminum duct. Ill have pictures of that after this next batch.

 

[babochee]

And i thought I was a beast when I put a 6970 into my shuttle. Nice job!

 

[Kasucode]

thanks guys.


so I started putting it together and immediately realized the heatsink wasn’t going to allow the video card to fit. Thought about getting a different heat sink but realized its just the horrible cpu positioning on the motherboard that would prevent me from running the big coolers I liked. Thought about getting a different board but instead figured I would just "persuade" the heatsink to fit.

 

[Kasucode]

We came to an agreement and it seen things fit my way.



Made this to help channel the heat directly out of the case.

 

[Kasucode]

after extending the card another inch putting it back in proved a challenge but took my time and got it.

Clearance between the video card and cpu heatsink

 

[Kasucode]

And thank you for the mod of the day

 

[omegatotal]

awesome!

 

[thedocta45]

Great work really cool mod.
That being said work on your finishing skills, and your mods will be perfect.
I know how hard it can be to file metal around a curve.
Better than I could have ever done for sure.

 

[Kasucode]

thank you very much. if you dont mind me asking what needs to be filed? i used a table belt sander, hand grinder, and small file on everything that i felt needed to be filed. i know its not perfect but what i think your talking about is the back side of the front plate missing some paint. the powder didnt get to the back side of it and made it stand out in the pictures. ( you dont see it all at in person.) I need to put a second coat of powder on it to touch it up.

 

[thedocta45]

From what I can see in the picture the red bezzel for the gfx card cutout is a bit uneven.

Specificaly on the C shaped part.

The bottom inside looks wider and at a different angle from the rest of the curve.

There is also a slight dip on the outside curve.

It would be a good idea to invest in somthing to assist in marking curves, you seem to do most of it by freehand.

But given the time frame you were working on a great job.

 

[DraginDime]

Nice little mod. Really cool to see a 690 crammed in that small case. Great work on the cpu cooler, I was worried the heatpipe was too close to get the room you needed, but looks like it was just right.

The one part of the finish that smacks me in the face is the gap between the plexi and red air vent. It doesn't match up perfect. I would probably just sand the upper and lower parts to make the gap even all the way down. But that's just me. It's still a cool build. I'd give half my left nut for the video card alone.

 

[Kasucode]

From what I can see in the picture the red bezzel for the gfx card cutout is a bit uneven.

Specificaly on the C shaped part.

The bottom inside looks wider and at a different angle from the rest of the curve.

There is also a slight dip on the outside curve.

It would be a good idea to invest in somthing to assist in marking curves, you seem to do most of it by freehand.

But given the time frame you were working on a great job.

the top being smaller is intentional. the bottom was going to line up with a back plate i was going to make for the lexan and hide some of the bottom of the card as more of the bottom of the card is shown. however i ran out of time and it was already painted.

and yep everything was 100% freehand. no measuring at all. was a 3 day build with no prior design time invested. with more time i usualy design all my paturns in photoshop and print them out so they are always perfect. but that alone usually takes a day or more.

in person it looks very nice and is very functional. temps are quite low as the vent works perfect taking all the hot air out of the case.

Nice little mod. Really cool to see a 690 crammed in that small case. Great work on the cpu cooler, I was worried the heatpipe was too close to get the room you needed, but looks like it was just right.

The one part of the finish that smacks me in the face is the gap between the plexi and red air vent. It doesn't match up perfect. I would probably just sand the upper and lower parts to make the gap even all the way down. But that's just me. It's still a cool build. I'd give half my left nut for the video card alone.

Yea i was real worry about the heatsink fitting past that heatpipe too. i got lucky. if it didnt next i was going to cut a line thrugh evenly between the two pipes and stagger it slightly until it did fit. but it works great so im happy.

what actually happened was it did line up perfect. but i was 17 hours stright into it and at 7am in the morning I put the window on backwards when i drilled the mounting holes. lol that was my last piece of lexan big enough to fit. the best way to fix this is get a new piece of lexan retrace and put the holes on the correct side.

 

[KrAzYaZnFLiP808]

Hey kasucode. I very like your mod. I am interested in building a SG08, with a gtx 680. I was wondering how much would it cost if you cut out the whole in the case of both sides. I would like it to vent just as you did externally, through that fan shroud you custom made. With clear plexi and all. Also the other side just a window to peer in. Thanks, maybe we can work something out. Have a good day.

 

[Kasucode]

sent pm

 

[K1tty]

Blarrggg, yet another awesome mod to further help convince me to go SFF
I love the front panel!

 

[HaX]

tis the beast

 

[xyexz]

Nice looking build, love seeing power in small footprints - awesome ideas utilized in your design on such a short time frame - reminds me of scales or something, kind of like the fins on the alien ware cases almost but more industrial.

 

[Magnus042]

Awesome!

 

[dimazz]

Awesome! Not a huge fan of the front but nice work!!

 

[ccityinstaller]

Awesome! Not a huge fan of the front but nice work!!

I agree on both points. The front, for all the hard work you put into it, simply looks like what it is, an over-sized, ill fitting cover..It protrudes too far above the top and is a bit too wide. That being said, it is an awesome build considering the small amount of time from beginning to end, and with no prior planning/design!

 

[Copyright]

Old post.. I know... but how in the hell did you get that cooler to work with that motherboard? It is impossible to use the back plate because of the way Asus put components on the back of the board. I really want to use that same heatsink and I can get it cut down like you did.. but the back plate issue has me stumped.

 

[Kasucode]

I dont remember quite well this was a quick build for a friend. But im pretty sure I still used the back plate and put it over the components. not 100% sure but I don't remember that being a problem.

 

[Copyright]

I dont remember quite well this was a quick build for a friend. But im pretty sure I still used the back plate and put it over the components. not 100% sure but I don't remember that being a problem.

Believe me its a huge problem. Even the Noctua website says for that heatsink it will not work because it hits the components on the back. If you were to just lay it on top anyways you would be smashing components for sure. I wish I knew how you did it!

You can see in the pic how much the components are in the way. I have seen a few guys not use the back plate and so far no issues for htem.

 

[Kasucode]

Pretty sure it had like 5+mm pads on the back of the backplate and it only sat on maybe 1 component. nothing to risk shorting it works awesome. i didn't do anything special for the backplate thats all i remember. id still be very careful between the heatsink and video card. even after cutting it down the heatpipe is still in the way