question about building a HTPC case.. (very basic.. im a newb)

J

jcmuse

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 10, 2006
Messages
329
hi all,
i want to build a very basic HTPC case for a 780g motherboard. specifically, the GA-MA78GM-S2H.
the motherboard is 9.6x9.6 inches according to newegg, so i plan to build the case around that.

i plan on using:
GA-MA78GM-S2H (as mentioned)
some low power amd processor
5400rpm notebook harddrive
seasonic psu 330w

my goal here is minimal heat/minimal noise.

Here is what i got so far (cad layout):
http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/qq275/jcmuse/CASE.jpg

i'm planning on building this case out of stainless steel. i have a friend that owns a stainless steel fabrication warehouse so i plan on taking advantage of that to have the case built there. I figure the thicker steel i use the quieter it will be. I don't really care how much it weighs. is there any reason against using stainless steel? i dont know anything about gauges/grades etc but the stuff he builds is for restaurant counters/tables and shit so i imagine its pretty high grade

the powersupply will sit on its side in case you can't make that out.

i've never built a case before so i still need to learn how to wire up the LEDs, and power switch (f that reset switch, don't use it).

i'm not set on any of these components or the design for that matter, so im open to suggestions..
 
Hey jcmuse,
I don't think there is any real advantage/disadvantage to using stainless steel over aluminium besides the weight factor. Everything else should be pretty much the same, I guess you are going to get it painted as well. I recommend powder coating if you can afford it, it will save you some time, effort and will probably look better and last longer than doing it yourself.

If you want advise on a low power processor, I would recommend the 4850e.

Are you planning on storing all of your media on one notebook hard drive? Don't forget to take expandability into account when making the case. You don't want to run out of room to put other hard drives etc.

Also pick your CPU cooler before hand so you can know what height to make the case. A scythe mini ninja will keep the profile low while also keeping it cool. You are also going to want to have some exhaust going in/out. I would recommend maybe adding one on the bottom as intake and the top being exhaust or sides.

As for the LEDs, it shouldn't be too hard. If you are looking for LEDs just to display power, why not get a vandal bulgin switch with ring or dot illumination. One hole to drill, one switch to mount and just grab the wires the same time that just plug on the back and into your motherboard:

Bulgin Switches and Cables

Everything else looks fine although I would go to the GA-MA78GPM-DS2H which as 128MB sideport DDR3 memory. A standard square case will work just fine, no need for anything fancy.

If you want anymore suggestions, just let me know!
 
Steel absorbs noise better than Aluminum - I trust the "analistic [to sound]" guys over at SilentPC over much of anyone on the issue of noise.

In fact, I have experienced this myself: had a CM Cosmos w/ a drive that kept producing a whirring sound that you could feel if you put your hand on the case. Switching to a Steel-based Lanbox, the "whirrring" noise basically disappeared. Now I switched to an Aluminum Qmicra and the noise sometimes comes back again.
 
awesome thanks for the advice.

yeah ill probably go with a single switch/light and ditch the hdd led.

not going to worry about painting it until down the road.

ill also probably end up going w/ the ninja mini which is 4.53 inches tall. Add another inch for a 140mm exhaust fan i plan on mounting over it.. so case will be about 6inches tall inside... pretty much exactly how tall it needs to be for the psu (5.9 inches).

heres a revised design: http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/qq275/jcmuse/case2.jpg
 
The power switch is quite simple. All it does is create an extended circuit to the button, which only closes the circuit when pressed. You can recreate this by shorting the two power switch pins on the motherboard with a screw driver tip. Touch it, computer goes on. Touch it again, it goes off. Hold it, it'll go on and off.

I recommend basing your design on the Antec NSK2480, or at least take some design elements. The 120mm side fans allow you to cool the Ninja effectively with minimal noise compared to 92s or 80s. Maybe a FSP Zen for a power supply, and manage to get some air flow over that too. I wouldn't worry too much about anything else.
 
Get a large 200cm or 250cm fan for the top of the case. Put it beneath some modder mesh, or something. This will be a low noise, high volume fan to cool everything inside the case. Then on the back or sides, throw some low dba exhaust fans. I would look into having enough room for PCI cards to stick up. You will want a TV card, and sound card.
 
well if u look at the design i have the 100mm side intake. a 120mm would require me to make the case bigger than it needs to be. 100mm fits perfect. for exhaust i could use another 100mm for rear exhaust, but i feel like using a larger fan like 140mm or 250mm and mount it exhausting out the top would be better. i could always do both since the 100mm slim scythes are so tiny.

i dont care about pci cards
 
A HTPC without a TV-card :confused:
that will be fun


what's wrong with a m-ATX case, there are a lot of possibilities

I started out with a m-ATX case ,a cheap yeon-yang case
eventually ended up with a Silverstone LC-20 case
pro's are the standard size so it doesn't stick out in a audio/video rack
secondly, with some careful parts selection, mine is dead silent
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top