• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

Help with Gaming Rig Custom Setup

P

phipple

n00b
Joined
Feb 23, 2008
Messages
28
Hi guys, I'm new to the forums here. I'm about to pitch a very loosely thrown together idea, so I'm sure you guys can help me out if my thinking is unreasonable.

I want to build an SLI gaming rig when the new Nvidia 9 series come out, but I want the rig to sit in my two shelved entertainment center, where my Wii, Xbox360, cable box, receiver and wireless router resides. I have an HDMI to DVI cable, so I would hook computer to my LCD TV. I want a small, sleek case that will fit alongside everything else. But therein lies the problem:

Small and sleek won't work given that it needs a lot of power and some decent airflow.

This got me thinking; Why do I have to house all of the parts in one system? Why can't I have the CPU,RAM, motherboard, X-FI sound card, and SLI setup in one box, hidden away, with everything else in another box (is there a mobo solution with built in surround sound that is as good as creative's X-FI cards?)? Or even disperse the parts in convenient areas if there was actually a way to extend the cables.

I would need immediate access to sound inputs/outputs, USB, optical drive, and a power button. Other than that, the rest can hide!

Fell free to help me expand on this idea, but it was all borne from the question: Why does everything have to be in one spot? Moreover, who wants to spend big bucks on a gaming rig and have it look like a big ugly square hunk of metal that sounds like an airplane taking off?
 
Lots of gaming rigs can be sexy and quiet, but they're never small, like a HTPC case.

SATA and USB cables have a length limit of 4m and about 8m before you start losing signal (from experience). IDE is limited to 36", so stay away from it.

Optical cables can go for miles, as can analog audio inputs...

Perhaps pick up a cheap DVD player, and modify it to house the CD rom, and a few RCA/Optical/HDMI inputs? Then stash the rest of the stuff in a regular case, and hide it somewhere in the entertainment cabinet?
 
Hmm, neat idea with the DVD player housing! Any suggestions on what to house the rest of it in?
 
I have no fabrication skills. My entertainment center is three tiers of black tempered glass, with a receiver, modem, and router on the bottom shelf, a small cable box, an xbox360, and a Wii on the second shelf, and my 52" LCD TV standing on the top shelf. I'll try to take pics later if I can.

Ideally, I would like everything to be modular. I'm trying to figure out if I can do what I want to do with existing parts/minimal-to-zero fabrication.

EDIT: I'm just wondering why no one has thought of building cases that house certain parts individually. Modularity rocks! :(
 
If I was to do this I'd go with a 19" 3-4U rack mount server case and mod it to look like it's supposed to be there.

-Net
 
phipple said:
EDIT: I'm just wondering why no one has thought of building cases that house certain parts individually. Modularity rocks! :(
Click to expand...

Would be helluva annoying to move around, disconnect and reconnecting everything. In addition as you introduce more components, you inherently add more points of failure.

Why don't you hide your computer case, and use an external DVD solution? Maybe you can find one with USB and audio ports :)
 
I have a small apartment and nowhere to really hide a computer case. I wish they would just manufacture parts that didn't get hot and get it over with ;) That way we could have everything in the palm of our hands.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top