Project UBER CUBE!

U

umbra

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jul 27, 2004
Messages
1,809
For the last few years I have been using a thermaltake xaser III and I learned how to mod on it. It just hasn't cut the mustard for me though. I had to pull out the hard drive bays so I could install my dual 120mm rad and the pump is really close to both the video card and the mother board. I have a dual 120 WD raid o array that I have mounted on top of my dual bay reservoir. So essentially all my 5.25 bays are used and also my floppy drives had to go with the internal hard drive bays due to radiator as well. So I have my dvd burner sitting on top of my case while I have a 320 gig WD sitting on my floor in the removed hard drive rack. I have too much hardware to fit into it and for some reason I have always loved server cubes. Last year I bought a yeong yang server cube but I felt that was too small as well. I like huge cases as my hands are very very large and I have always hated trying to push my fingers into those small spaces in cases where I usually end up getting cut. So I decided to look around for a case that would be big enough to keep me happy and something that I could mod into a monster tower. Then I remembered back to when I worked in a local computer store and they had this absolutely huge and ancient server cube sitting in the front of the store. I went back there and asked them how much for the case. they told me $135 because I was a former employee. I took it. This thing is huge. It's 18 7/8" wide 16 1/8" deep 21 1/2" tall and it has 10 5.25 bays on the right side and 4 5.25 bays on the left side. It has no external 3.5 bays. I am planning on using the hard drive racks from my thermaltake and several other cases I have laying around inside of it.

Here are some pics of the case before anything was done to it






I have already taken some steps in preparing the case for modding. The case has been sand blasted by me and a friend in his cabinet with glass bead. we primed it with sandable automtive primer. We were forced to use gray and white due to the supplies we had available. I will take some pictures asap to help people visualize just how big this case is and maybe make some suggestions on what to do with it. As I want to cut the windows before I start painting it and wreck all that work with cutting the case. Also if anybody from Long Island NY wants to help out with this feel free to pm me and maybe we can work on it together.
 
First post needs pics. Worklog rule :D Might want to get on that asap.
 
Qtip42 said:
First post needs pics. Worklog rule :D Might want to get on that asap.
Click to expand...
What happened to not so much rules as guidelines? But who am i to question the all migthy Qtip42 :p
I Agree.
 
Same here. That case sounds really interesting, I'd love to get a look at it.
 
added some pics from a website I found a review on for reference here it is http://www.dansdata.com/tp1400.htm these are his pics but as soon as I get some free time I will get some of my own as mine are of the case primed and ready for paint.
 
I hate to give you a hard time but you know not to gank other people's bandwidth right? Put the pictures on imageshack or something.
 
alright images rehosted. I'm going to start cutting the windows on the top and sides now and was wondering if anybody had any suggestions for a sick window design like 4 little windows 2 big rectangular ones cus right now I'm just thinking about what would be best and I'm not really sure where I want to go with it yet.
 
umbra said:
I'm going to start cutting the windows on the top and sides now.... I'm not really sure where I want to go with it yet.
Click to expand...
Put down the power tools and back away slowly.

How can you possibly be ready to cut out an unknown design?
For goodness sakes, go get some posterboard and mock up the whole case design before firing up the plasma cutter.

Remember: Holes Are Forever.
 
I know that was why I was asking for suggestions. right now I don't know what kind of window design I want to throw in the top so I was asking for suggestions if anybody had any about what worked well on a cube case. Also the best welder I have acccess to is a mig welder and I don't know how to use it yet and I ain't learnin on this case.

I don't think I'm going to put any fans in the top of the case as the back already has 4 80's on the top and I am going to mount my rad where the powersupply used to be. and mount the power supply in the back right corner of the case on some mounts I'm planning to mock up.

Also I'm planning on blue themeing the case and was wondering if anybody had any thoughts about whether it's better to have colored windows or clear windows. I'm thinking about throwing something similar to this http://www.frozencpu.com/products/3926/win-40/Clear_Top_Mount_Window_Kit.html?tl=g42c215s496 on either side of the top of the case which will still give me penty of cable rounting toom but let me see to the inside of the case and should line up with the drive bays too unfortunately these are a little long for this case.
 
Those windows have really big molding which looks kind of fugly/ameture imo. You can purchase the kit for the precut acrylic (minus the fact that it's going to be a lot tinner than the top of that case considering it's more of a cube) but, I would think of finding some other means for actually mounting it on the case.
 
I could use those little screws that have flat caps on top and have little nuts on the bottom to lock them in place like most cases do from the factory but I don't know where to get those as I've only seen that type of edge molding before. Also I was thinking about sleeving my powersupply cables in shower tubing so they look shiny and neat.
 
hmm, shower tubing, that's an idea, I kinda like the mini bling factor involved
 
yeah I want this case to be ridiculous when I'm done with it. At one point I was considering mounting at least one 15" lcd screen on it. Then I thought that would be a little much. If I can't pick one type of window design in the end I may do that in the top of the case as I would have it on my floor.
I'm going to update this post with the types of wire covering things I might use
http://www.paragonperformance.com/Techflex.html
 
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