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Coder
Limp Gawd
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2004
- Messages
- 295
I used to have a very large computer case I called the Blue Marble. This is what it looked like before painting and the front fans were added:
It ended up looking like this:
Pardon my bald spot and the wrinkles in the contact paper. I eventually got everything to stick flat and the case served me well for several years. The problem with the case was with the interior:
The mid-rail that supported the power supply was always in the way and my Galaxy power supply blocked most of the access from the top part of the case to the bottom.
Sadly, I had to discard the case and went with an Ultra mid-tower as a replacement about 14-months ago. At that time I started my search for a new full-size tower case and finally found the perfect case for me. The Rocketfish Full Tower Aluminum case!
http://www.rocketfishproducts.com/pc-93-3-rocketfish-aluminum-full-tower-case-black.aspx
...which was no longer for sale. D'oh!!!
I could not find one new and no one who owned one wanted to sell theirs so I was kind of stuck ... until I was browsing Craigslist.com and found a guy who had bought 5 Rocketfish's about 9-months ago and was looking to unload them. Woot!
Okay, I had dec 24 through jan 4 off from work so I got this project done!
Step 1: Rip the case apart and prep the top for a dual fan (2x120) radiator. I removed the front door and drive cover as well. This is my first aluminum case I almost immediately notices how soft the metal is. ...I dropped the door on the floor and it bent like it was made of butter.
My workbench in the garage currently cluttered with my VHS ripping station. That computer will move into the existing Ultra case my gaming rig is in so it will be gutted during this process. MsCoder has about 25 VHS tapes that she wants moved to DVD. This will be the last of the VHS stuff in our house.
That white box on the left contains all the goodies that come with a Rocketfish. Each bag is labeled as to how the contents are to be used. It even includes a little wrench for tightening the motherboard mounts. Cool stuff.
Time to dremel out the top radiator mounts. Painters tape keeps me from scratching up the top and give a nice surface on which to layout the cuts. Aluminum cuts like warm butter.
Painter's tape removed and fans mounted. They are Stealths and even at full speed they are very quiet.
Same subject just a different angle.
Bolted down and ready to be installed back on the case after the dry-mount. Yes, I said dry-mount.
Same subject just a different angle.
The radiator. It had a leak issue at one of the nibs a while back to I applied some two-part waterproof compound and now it leaks no more!
Hummm, I don't really like that fan grill on the left. It is rough and unfinished so...
I will replace it with a standard 120mm grill that is not a knuckle-buster.
My Enermax Galaxy 850Watt Power Supply is HUGE so the first drive rack has to go to make room for the cables.
The case is large enough that it needs wheels.
Old case on the left and Rocketfish on the right. Finally some room to work in without bashing up my hands and bending cables at odd angles.
The old case was so small that the water cooling rig would not fit inside. That BFG power supply (850watt) was one I bought when I thought my CoD4 lockups might be sure to a bad power supply.
Dry mount complete.
The empty Ultra case. This is a great case and will now house my VHS ripping equipment.
Old "Beigey." Destined for the dump.
Watercooling running and leak tested.
Done! Well, some cable management issues to resolve but I think that will have to wait for the dual-bay reservoir to arrive. The single bay I am using now had a tendency to suck air no matter how full I try to make it.
I really like the case and even fully loaded it is pretty light. I would not hesitate to recommend the Rocketfish if you can find one.
It ended up looking like this:
Pardon my bald spot and the wrinkles in the contact paper. I eventually got everything to stick flat and the case served me well for several years. The problem with the case was with the interior:
The mid-rail that supported the power supply was always in the way and my Galaxy power supply blocked most of the access from the top part of the case to the bottom.
Sadly, I had to discard the case and went with an Ultra mid-tower as a replacement about 14-months ago. At that time I started my search for a new full-size tower case and finally found the perfect case for me. The Rocketfish Full Tower Aluminum case!
http://www.rocketfishproducts.com/pc-93-3-rocketfish-aluminum-full-tower-case-black.aspx
...which was no longer for sale. D'oh!!!
I could not find one new and no one who owned one wanted to sell theirs so I was kind of stuck ... until I was browsing Craigslist.com and found a guy who had bought 5 Rocketfish's about 9-months ago and was looking to unload them. Woot!
Okay, I had dec 24 through jan 4 off from work so I got this project done!
Step 1: Rip the case apart and prep the top for a dual fan (2x120) radiator. I removed the front door and drive cover as well. This is my first aluminum case I almost immediately notices how soft the metal is. ...I dropped the door on the floor and it bent like it was made of butter.
My workbench in the garage currently cluttered with my VHS ripping station. That computer will move into the existing Ultra case my gaming rig is in so it will be gutted during this process. MsCoder has about 25 VHS tapes that she wants moved to DVD. This will be the last of the VHS stuff in our house.
That white box on the left contains all the goodies that come with a Rocketfish. Each bag is labeled as to how the contents are to be used. It even includes a little wrench for tightening the motherboard mounts. Cool stuff.
Time to dremel out the top radiator mounts. Painters tape keeps me from scratching up the top and give a nice surface on which to layout the cuts. Aluminum cuts like warm butter.
Painter's tape removed and fans mounted. They are Stealths and even at full speed they are very quiet.
Same subject just a different angle.
Bolted down and ready to be installed back on the case after the dry-mount. Yes, I said dry-mount.
Same subject just a different angle.
The radiator. It had a leak issue at one of the nibs a while back to I applied some two-part waterproof compound and now it leaks no more!
Hummm, I don't really like that fan grill on the left. It is rough and unfinished so...
I will replace it with a standard 120mm grill that is not a knuckle-buster.
My Enermax Galaxy 850Watt Power Supply is HUGE so the first drive rack has to go to make room for the cables.
The case is large enough that it needs wheels.
Old case on the left and Rocketfish on the right. Finally some room to work in without bashing up my hands and bending cables at odd angles.
The old case was so small that the water cooling rig would not fit inside. That BFG power supply (850watt) was one I bought when I thought my CoD4 lockups might be sure to a bad power supply.
Dry mount complete.
The empty Ultra case. This is a great case and will now house my VHS ripping equipment.
Old "Beigey." Destined for the dump.
Watercooling running and leak tested.
Done! Well, some cable management issues to resolve but I think that will have to wait for the dual-bay reservoir to arrive. The single bay I am using now had a tendency to suck air no matter how full I try to make it.
I really like the case and even fully loaded it is pretty light. I would not hesitate to recommend the Rocketfish if you can find one.
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