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First time modder, need opinions.

S

swanysto

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 3, 2005
Messages
340
OK guys, I have never done a full case mod yet, so this should be interesting. I got this old case from work the other day, and I wanna make a sleek looking performance case to replace my current POS.



I really want to put a front wind tunnel on the bottom front. Something similar to this:

http://www.mnpctech.com/120mm_FanDuct_Computer_Mod1.html

I haven't decided whether I want just one 120mm or a 120 and an 80mm. Most 80mm fans seem to be too loud for the actual amount of air they are producing. But let me know what you guys think.

As for the side, I want to put in this "little" mod:

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/5306/fan-260/250mm_Silent_LED_Case_Fan_-_Blue.html?tl=g36c15s566

I would do it without the window. I don't really have anything in my box worth showing off, so I would just cut a hole in the side and mount it. I think it would make the side of the case look a lot like a sub woofer.

For the back of the case, I am thinking about putting in a 120mm fan as exhaust parallel to the i/o ports. I don't know what I want to do with the top of the case, if anything. I also haven't decided what I should do with the front bezel above where the turbin mod will be. I was thinking a mesh bezel with a hidden optical drive.

As far as painting, I would like to do a gloss black, or maybe a glossy midnight blue. I would like to keep LED's to a minimum, basically the ones on the 250mm fan I think will do me just fine. If I could figure out how to switch the blue LED's out with clear ones, that would be even better.

I have already purchased all the tools and goodies I need to get the case prepped for my new fans. I would really appreciate comments and suggestions on things you might like to see added or changed. My idea is to create a high flow case that is not too crazy. I want a classy look to it. Noise is not a huge issue. The 250mm fan only gives off about 19db of noise, and I was planning on getting some scyithe 120mm fans for the rest. I know it will be a little loud, but shouldn't be too bad.

This mod may take a while, so bare with me on this. I wanna take my time, cause sometimes I like to hurry through stuff, and it turns out half-as*ed. I also plan on taking quite a few pictures, though I will probably keep them on photobucket and just link you guys to a gallery.

Thanks
Swany
 
OK guys, got some pics of the case put up. Let me know what you think, and your suggestions.

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I like the large fan on the side. With all that air moving into your case, you should not need many fans.

On the front, I think i would leave just one fan, centered. I like the little "chin" detail at the bottom, but fill it out so that it does not have a "hole" for a badge. Since you are already using bondo, you can also change the shape a bit, make it a trapezoid instead of a square. Finally, if you can, move the power button/LEDs somewhere else.

I also like the idea of the front mesh, I think it will go well with the shape of the front. You dont really need a fan to cool the HD.

I dont like holes on the top of a case, but I dont like plain tops either.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I will just do one fan in front then, one in back, and the side fan. I was planning on filling in the power and led holes with bondo, but I didnt quite have a plan yet for the power button. I am just going to get rid of the LED lights, and just have a power button.

Yeah, I didn't really want to put a fan on top, so I guess I will just leave it bare, maybe the paint job will give it more life.
 
I would fill in the badge part on the bottom, and the power and led area, and then put a bulgin power switch where the case badge was.
 
very nice, I haven't seen one of those. I think I will give that a whirl. Do you happen to know where I can get one for less than 30 bucks?

Thanks guys, keep em coming.
 
i agree one 1 fan in the front with the flav'r sav'r below it :D

i am not sure what you are looking for for less that $30 but harbor freight is usually a decent supplier of inexpensive hardware supplies..

maybe a hole saw?

oh and gl man and keep us updated with the good and the bad
 
Great Idea with the bulgin switch, not sure if i would put it in the badge hole (chin)

If the case will sit on the floor, it will be a pain in the a$$ to get to it. If on the other hand the case will always be on a desk, no problemo.

To be safe, I would center it between the fan intake and the mesh cages. If the floppy covers give you problems, then i would center it under the 3.5" openings.
 
Is that a HP BRIO Model 8000 something? The case looks exactly the same as my old one...
 
All it says on the front is aOpen Custom case. The place were I work had a couple aOpen computers in back. Basically I had to gut all the internals which were pretty old.

I should be getting a good deal of the case cutting done this weekend, so I should have pictures up within a couple days. Unfortunetely my 250mm fan isnt here yet, so I won't be able to cut and install that yet.
 
I agree with just one 120 in the front. I did an 80 in the front of my old case:
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Bondo and sandpaper. Love love love my bondo and sandpaper. GL with it.
 
Ok guys, I got some work done on the case today. I got the holes cut for my fans and a little bit of bondo work done. More to come tom.... btw the pics of the bondo aren't very good. It look a lot better in real life. Maybe it was the angles of the light, not sure.

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The 250mm fan should be here monday or tuesday, as well as the blue bulgin switch I ordered. I should be able to cut the holes for both of those. They wont be installed till after I paint this beast.

Let me know what ya think. oh yeah.... the holes for the turbine fan actually do linup perfectly, I just took the shot at a weird angle. :)
 
You seem quite experienced so far! I think this mod will turn out great. Are you gonna do a "turbine" style fan? I picked up at chrome one from mnpctech ($25!:eek: ) and stuck it in my Aeroengine 2.

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Well so far the process has been a lot easier than I thought. It is kind of a pain to bondo and sand though. I probably have a layer or two of bondo to go.

It is kind of a hybrid turbine mod.(yours looks really cool btw) I found this blue fan that looks really cool. So I am going to put that in there. It will basically look like a tunnel that ends at a blue swirl. Hard to explain, it will be easier to show once I am done. I decided that since I am putting the 250mm fan on the side, I wont need a great deal of intake air, so I scratched paying 24 bucks for a silenX fan. I am just getting a really cheap, really quiet blue LED fan.

I have decided for the paint, I am going to do a ridiculously dark blue with a clear coat. The only trouble I am having at this point is finding the right kind of mesh for the front 5.25" bezel.
 
Looks great to me. What are you looking for to do with the mesh? Cant seem to find where you mentioned that.
 
can i ask what that blue thing is that you've used for the inner wall of your front panel?
 
plastic flower pot from Lowe's. (if you haven't heard of Lowe's it is Home Depot's competitor in the atlanta area)
 
Thanks for the reply, but I got my LED Bulgin switch in last night along with my 250mm fan. I had time to install the 250mm fan(it was way more of a pain than I thought it would be), but I won't get to install the switch until tonight sometime.

There should be a couple pictures tonight to show some of my progress. I am actually thinking of getting the paint and primer after work today.
 
ok guys, I am having trouble installing the vandal/bulgin switch. Does anyone know of any tutorials around the internet? Or maybe an experience you had?

Thanks
swany
 
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