So what are some other beginner case mods?

I

InorganicMatter

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Oct 19, 2004
Messages
15,461
Using an Antec P180. I added the second fan up front, and am thirsty for more modding. Next week, my sleeving kit arrives. I plan to sleeve my PSU cables, front pannel cables, and fan cables. Next I plan to change all the connctors on my case fans to 3-pin ones, and then discreetly run them all up to a fan controller. Some of the fan wires will need to be extended so I plan on splicing the cables, putting a drop of solder on the connection, wrapping the mess in electric tape, then hiding it with the cable sleeves. What are some other good mods?
 
while not really a "mod" in the case modding sense, I think watercooling setups look good and have function too!

trying to convert another :D
 
The last thing I would be doing is practicing doing case mods on a P180 case. I started my mods years ago on a cheap Enlight 7237 case
 
the p180 isn't really a case you're going to want to be doing serious mods on, or water cooling..
 
IceWind said:
The last thing I would be doing is learning case mods on a P180 case. I started my mods years ago on a cheap Enlight 7237 case
Click to expand...
Fixed :D

I don't know about the blowhole, I've used my Dremel all of 3 times.

Water cooling is a little out of my budget. I'm trying to be conservative here, I've only got $40 in this care (Sleeving kit, Fans, Fan Grills).

On a side note, would Vantec Stealths be good to replace the stock Tri-Cools with?
 
sac_tagg said:
Fixed :D

I don't know about the blowhole, I've used my Dremel all of 3 times.

Water cooling is a little out of my budget. I'm trying to be conservative here, I've only got $40 in this care (Sleeving kit, Fans, Fan Grills).

On a side note, would Vantec Stealths be good to replace the stock Tri-Cools with?
Click to expand...

NOOO!!!! Vantec stealths suck a huge monkey cock ball. Get Panflo's or even some coolermaster's are good for the price.
 
IceWind said:
NOOO!!!! Vantec stealths suck a huge monkey cock ball. Get Panflo's or even some coolermaster's are good for the price.
Click to expand...
I bought a Panaflo, and it was a complete waste of $20. The one I got operated at 35.5dBA. It was obnoxiously loud, my mom eventually made me remove it. What makes you say the Stealths suck?
 
Isin't 35.5db right above the "barely audible" mark?
Just curious; I've got four 45.4db fans in mine and it hums pretty loud so I'm wondering.
 
Really depends.
For quietness, you'll want to use a 120 fan with a lowered RPM so it equals the CFM of a 80 mm fan. Use something else to mod than the P180. P180 is sort of something you keep due to its beauty. You case mod no-name cases first, then move up to something like a Lian-Li, which although a pretty case, can easily be modded too.
 
daedal said:
Isin't 35.5db right above the "barely audible" mark?
Just curious; I've got four 45.4db fans in mine and it hums pretty loud so I'm wondering.
Click to expand...
Nah, most people can perceive sound levels much lower than that. The buzz of a mosquito, or
a ticking wrist watch are roughly between 15-20dBa for instance.

The frequency of the sound also has a lot to do with that too.

Note:
the dBa scale is not linear but logarithmic & doubles in "strength" every 3 dBa.
In other words 33dBa is twice as loud as 30dBa & so on.

Back to case mods ... how about a side window? That should step your Dremel skillz up a bit.
 
Use heatshrink or something on the solder points, not electrical tape. Electrical tape is a godsend but best used for temporary jobs only.

Mod a keyboard/mouse, make your own fan controller, swap out LEDs...
 
For a little more elaboration on the decibel scale... 1dB = 1/10 of a bel. Loudness of something is calculated using a factor of 10^(# of Bels), so, with every ten decibels added, the loudness of something goes up by one order of magnitude. Something that is 20dB is ten times louder than something that is 10dB. Something that is 50db is ten times louder than something that is 40dB, but is 1,000 times louder than something that is 10dB. A jet engine, which is around 120dB, I believe, would be 100 billion times louder than something that is 10dB from the same distance.

None of that takes into consideration the frequency of the sound, which can have a great impact on how loud we perceive something to be. For instance, I find a low, buzzing sound to be a lot more tolerable than a high-pitched whining sound. There's a unit of measure called a "sone" which is "a unit of perceived loudness equal to the loudness of a 1000-hertz tone at 40 dB above threshold," meaning, it takes frequency into account.

As for other "beginner" case mods... you seem to be on the right track. Wiring is the main thing, at least in my opinion. Get that Dremel going if you're looking to get more experience, although windows and lights and the like are definitely out of style these days. Case modding at its purest is more of an art form than anything else, I think, so once you've got the basics down, it's up to whatever your imagination and your fabrication skills can do. :cool:
 
Here is the Panaflo I bought that was obnoxiously loud:

http://www.directron.com/fba12g12u1c.html

Low noise my ass! This thing was so loud! I found out that my mom was shutting off my computer when I was out of the house, that's how loud this fan was. Crazy. Would this be any better:

http://www.directron.com/fba12g12h1bx.html

I see it is only 3dB quiter, but according to you guys that should equate out to half as loud, correct?
 
an m1c (medium) or l1c (low) would have given you a lower noise & airflow fan. buying the "ultra" speed isn't directed towards low noise. and now that that is seen as a selling point, please expect all marketing to include "quiet" "silent" or "low noise" without regards to actual meaning.

i'm currently running an old ball-bearing panaflo (the "hutter" oem one, found via spcr) it's not silent at all at 12v, but drop it to 5v and it's a damn whisper. airflow, ofc, drops proportionally.

a fanmate (omg potentiometer) could do you wonders here. or just switching rails altogether.
 
mpgalvin said:
now that that is seen as a selling point, please expect all marketing to include "quiet" "silent" or "low noise" without regards to actual meaning.
Click to expand...
Man, now I feel like an idiot for not thinking of that. The description said "Ultra High-Speed and Low Noise!" and I kind of thought that it would be...you know...quiet. Darn marketing scemes. You say a medium or low Panaflo? Hmmm....might pick one or 2 up.
 
Drawer for one of the bays you use for DVD, CD, drives and Light, Fan control...
Good for carrying a manual, Handheld system, Keys, pron, DVD, Game, Wallet, marbles, chain, More pron, mouse, AOL Disc, ALOT OF STUFF!!!!
 
sac_tagg said:
What makes you say the Stealths suck?
Click to expand...

I bought one thinking it would be a quiet fan. It is louder than the stock fan that came with my Antec case... so I ended up going back to the old fan. I agree with IceWind...Vantec stealths suck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top