Custom case building help

Im thinking about making my own pc case but before I even start down the road of planning my design out i want to know if there is anyware I can buy the front panel usb, audio and headphone jack, and power buttons. If any of u who have made your own case have any suggestions send them my way i want to make a the case so i can have good water cooling support
I don't want to be restricted by size on water cooling so i can use any brand.

Cooler Master used to sell replacement panels (just switches and USB) on their web site. Included USB3 upgrade modules. Have not been there in years.

At somewhere like www.performance-pcs.com, www.frozencpu.com (or another enthusiast mod shop), you can buy the components to make the front panel layout the way you want. For instance, Vandal buttons/switches are popular power/reset buttons. It all depends on exactly how much you want to spend and how much work you want done. For instance, you can buy a pair of Vandal switches but they come basically bare - you may need to solder wires onto them and power/reset connectors, sleeve them yourself, heatshrink etc... but vendors like PerformancePCs also offer the service doing it for you for a nominal fee. Some examples - http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=MMT-SW22 . As for USB and audio, there are bay devices that offer those connections for you; you can also find them at PerformancePCs, FrozenCPU, or any of the other enthusiast modding shops. FOr all your items, don't forget to check Newegg and Amazon once you find the hardware you're looking for - you may be able to get some items from the big stores as well, but others will be exclusive to the modder specialty shops so check there first.

I should mention that if you're looking to make your own case, you'll likely want to talk to a few of the veterans who have done it here, as well as the "projects" to design a case for manufacture such as the NCASE N1 etc... it can take a ton of planning, refining, manufacturing (and the tools to do so etc..), materials and more - and that is even for veterans with the know-how and experience with a similar grade of project. If you're doing it for the fun of it and to bolster your already-considerable metal/acrylic working skills that's one thing, but from your comment it seems you want to have good water cooling support / flexibility. If that is your objective, there are plenty of cases and manufacturers to check first before you decide that nothing fits your plans!

For instance, check out www.caselabs-store.com . CaseLabs is notable for making ultra high end (made in USA) custom cases. If you're prepared to spend more than $300, in my opinion they are one of the places to go to get the most for your money. One of the great things about CaseLabs is that all of their cases are modular and supported nearly forever. Bought a radiator mount for 2x 120mm fans and now you need one for 2x 140mm? Just buy a new compatible mount for your case! They support their products for quite a long time offering new compatible parts, upgrades and more. If you were really planning to build a high quality case from scratch, I expect you'd end up spending close to if not more than most of CaseLabs cases by the time you were done , so give them a look. Don't forget to check out the Gallery for each of their models to showcase what can be done with them by builders; some of our own forum goers have their builds pictured there!

Hope this helps a bit.

P.S - CaseLabs also offers front panels, mounting plates, and sleeved switches made for their cases. If you decide you wanted to build your own, you could buy one of these and then integrate it into your design.

If I can find front panel ie usb 3.0, audio out, mic, and possibly e sata then i I will get a case from this post Atx full tower case suggestions

Xaeos said:

At somewhere like www.performance-pcs.com, www.frozencpu.com (or another enthusiast mod shop), you can buy the components to make the front panel layout the way you want.

For instance, check out www.caselabs-store.com . CaseLabs is notable for making ultra high end (made in USA) custom cases. If you're prepared to spend more than $300, in my opinion they are one of the places to go to get the most for your money.
P.S - CaseLabs also offers front panels, mounting plates, and sleeved switches made for their cases. If you decide you wanted to build your own, you could buy one of these and then integrate it into your design.

Click to expand...

Xaeos is right about getting parts from Performance-PCs, as well as the build quality of the CaseLabs cases. Two caveats, however, about building your own case:

1. There is a lot of design that goes into getting your components to all line up. I would argue that switches and the like are some of the easiest components to add. Good airflow, a motherboard tray that fits proper... these things are way easier to screw up.
2. Building a case out of pieces and parts can run up the cost, fast. It's easy to balk at the cost of a Caselabs case, but when you start to add up the bits and pieces of a completely scratch build, it doesn't seem so bad.

That said, I'm a little biased. I'm picking up my second Caselabs case today. But that also won't stop me from trying to keep building my own along the way. My last piece of advice, whether you still plan on building your own case, or buying one: PLAN the hell out of it. You'll be glad you did.