Starting my SFF build

W

wwischerath

Gawd
Joined
Oct 18, 2010
Messages
679
Well, I finally have started. I dont have all the components yet, because I am waiting for SB, but I got the case, ODD, and HDD.

2outofthebox.jpg


Yes, its a red PC Q07. I think it looks great. Plan is for all purpose with gaming capability.
I started to install the ODD and didnt like the look. That is going to have to change

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Other plans are for removing the 3.5 HDD to make room for the graphics card and make mounting for two 2.5 HDDs. I have the storage 500GB, but am getting an SSD for bootinig the system.
 
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*psst* you put it in upside down. ;)

Unless you didn't. I've just never seen a drive with the button on top of the drawer. makes sense to be there really when you think about it.

If i had a serious reccomendation. I'd either get a beige drive and paint it red to match. Or, although more difficult because it's black, paint that drive red to match. That way you can ditch the Lian-Li door.
 
LOL, its not in upside down, but the cover might be. If you look close you can see a shadow under it. The cover is just sitting on the case. I already have modded the ODD to improve the looks. I figured paint would be to damn hard to match. Besides, I am stationed in Iraq-no paint stores!

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Sorry about the messy desk. :(

The Q07 doesnt have the door-just a blank plate. The plate is now the ODD cover
 
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Heh that's one way to make the drive match
Posted via [H] Mobile Device
 
as an owner of a q11.. I can say I would definitly not want to try to make the door work in another case.. Kind of over complicated if you ask me.
 
Ok, PSU arrived and after a trial fit realized that bastage has a point with is insistance that the Silverstone Modular with short cables be used. But since I kinda expected the wires to be too long, as well as too many, and I am experienced at soldering/wiring, I decided to save some money and mod the PSU
Here it is in original state
dsc00408fx.jpg


Opened up and offending wires removed
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[/IMG]

Removal finished. I have removed the molex wires and the 8 plug connector.
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[/IMG]

Now I just need to shrink wrap the ends and close up till I get the mobo and shorten whats left

The plus is now I can use the leftover sheathing on other things!
 
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Yea for someone who doesnt mind customizing the cables on there PSU themselves the Short cable kit is not a good buy.. Infact cutting & re-soldering everything to length inside of the PSU makes the transition from the PSU easier as the plug on modular cables adds length..

Myself however, I know I can solder & I can wire shit, but my faith in my abilities is smaller then my wallet when it comes to risking my system to it.
 
bastage said:
Yea for someone who doesnt mind customizing the cables on there PSU themselves the Short cable kit is not a good buy.. Infact cutting & re-soldering everything to length inside of the PSU makes the transition from the PSU easier as the plug on modular cables adds length..

Myself however, I know I can solder & I can wire shit, but my faith in my abilities is smaller then my wallet when it comes to risking my system to it.
Click to expand...

As a precaution I did install it in another case and do a 24hr prime95 run. Dual purpose test:First to confirm PSU would run the whole time, Second I covered most of the vents, disabled & covered the exhaust fan, and used the PSU as the only fan besides CPU. PSU and CPU came thru unscathed. CPU hit 53C. I feel a lot better about using the PSU as the case fan in my small case now.
 
I dont have much else to do here. Besides, I was using the company's desktop for the guniea pig. (hehe) leaving my laptop available for continued entertainment.
 
A few more pics on the PSU mods. I may not be able to do all the cables till I get the mobo, but since I do have the HDD and ODD, I figured I could get those wires prepared.
This pic shows the how long the cables are compared to the case.
dsc00411yj.jpg


And heres how tight the HDDs fit together-that isnt going to fly. You cant see it, but the wires are pushing the connectors apart.
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The power connectors in the middle of the run are just pressed on-so I removed and moved.
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Fits much better now!
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Did the same thing for the ODD, except I removed all the other connectors. The ODD is the only accessory on this line.
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This is the PSU after the current stage of change. the top two cables are the ones I modded.
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And so far no soldering needed!
 
Loving how you make it seem so easy in modding the cables. What did you do once you cut off the molex? Did you heatshrink each wire or what? Because mine comes with 6 molexs and I don't need any of them. I'm going to cut them all off as well as one SATA connector off.
 
Thanks for fthe compliment. Trust me, when I made the first cut it was a "are you sure you want to do this" moment! After that I was commited.
Yeah, I shrink wrapped them, but in groups. All grounds in one group, 12+ in another group, etc. Made it simpler. Plus, you wouldnt believe how hard it was to find shrink wrap on a small base, so I had to minimize use.
 
Well I ain't too good with electricals, not sure what I'll do yet haha. But if I'm only cutting off the molex cables then there shouldn't be too many wires. I'm thinking of just heatshrinking them and then using a cable tie or something to tie them together.
 
Well, today I ordered the i5 2500k from MC. They have 10 days to get it to my house ahead of me. I couldnt pass up the price. Even with shipping and tax its under 200. Now I just need a mobo.
 
I got a little concerned when I got the backorder notice for the 2500K, but they must have gotten another shipment in, cuz its on the way! Now someone needs to release a mobo for it. Preferably Asus. Hopefully all the comments about being available at the end of month are true.
 
Ulti said:
Well I ain't too good with electricals, not sure what I'll do yet haha. But if I'm only cutting off the molex cables then there shouldn't be too many wires. I'm thinking of just heatshrinking them and then using a cable tie or something to tie them together.
Click to expand...

something to keep in mind is that some heatshrinks lose their malleability when you shrink them, so either keep them bent the way you want while shrinking or zip tie them to keep the routing the way you want it :)

Also, after modding a couple PSUs I've found that it's easier to just take the connectors off and cut the cable to size rather than solder everything (heck, you don't even need a soldering iron if you're just cutting/resizing since the female pins in the plugs just bend on to the end of the stripped wire with a leatherman or pliers). Don't forget to have spare connectors around just in case, too, LOL ;)
 
I tried to shrink them in the position I wanted. I am well aware of how they lose flexibilty. Up to this point I havent soldered anything. Been cut and reconnect. The heatshrink the sleeving back into place. Till I have the mobo and GPU any more cutting would just be an EWAG (educated wild ass guess) Before that I will try to get tool to remove pins from connectors.
 
I now have a dilema. I was given a 256GB SSD and now want to have it and 2 500GB drives for media storage. I already have the 500GB drives. Originally I was going to use a small SSD and one 500GB. The SSD for the boot, system, and maybe a game or two and the 500 for everything else. With the offer of the 256GB SSD plans have changed. Problem is: Where to mount the third drive. The storage drives are being mounted on the front inside of case. I dont want to put the SSD on top of the ODD, even tho it fits there because I dont want it to rattle when ODD is being used & I dont want to have to disassemble entire case for access. I also want to leave the bottom of the case clear just in case I need to cut in a vent for the GPU.

Any ideas?
 
wwischerath said:
I now have a dilema. I was given a 256GB SSD and now want to have it and 2 500GB drives for media storage. I already have the 500GB drives. Originally I was going to use a small SSD and one 500GB. The SSD for the boot, system, and maybe a game or two and the 500 for everything else. With the offer of the 256GB SSD plans have changed. Problem is: Where to mount the third drive. The storage drives are being mounted on the front inside of case. I dont want to put the SSD on top of the ODD, even tho it fits there because I dont want it to rattle when ODD is being used & I dont want to have to disassemble entire case for access. I also want to leave the bottom of the case clear just in case I need to cut in a vent for the GPU.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

I assume that all drives are 2.5"??

If so I would remove the drive cage & then drill a new set of holes for the 3rd drive top center. That way it wouldnt interfere with anything else & you could always go back to useing all stock locations if you wanted to.
 
Since I am heading for my R&R, I started to pack thing for travelling. Puttting the case together, I noticed a spot that should work for the SSD. Since, AFAIK, its not affected by vibration and heat, how about on the end of the PSU? (since I modded the PSU, its out of warrant anyway)
 
wwischerath said:
Yeah, all drives are 2.5 Its what I had. Are you saying to drill holes in the top of the case?
Click to expand...

No I am talking about the top of the hard drive rack.. Basically you have the 2 drives spaced on the bottom of it now. Add the 3rd to the top.
 
No, none of the hard drives are on the bottom. Thr original two are mounted on the inside front face of the case. Kinda like Jen did with her 3.5 hard drive.
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I wanted to leave the bottom clear, just in case I needed to open it up for cooling the GPU
 
I have decided to put the SSD on the PSU. I took a leg bracket off a broken foosball table and fabricated the mounts and using one of the 500gb drives for the mock up, here is what I came up with

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And Fri, Wed at latest, the modo should be avail, so maybe by next weekend I will have this thing functioning
 
there is a little bit of space above the optical drive that a ssd can fit in to , i had mine there at one time.

then i mounted the 3.5 drive as you have with some brackets i made ,

i look forward to watching your build

Jen
 
Thanks for the input. I considered the space over the ODD, but didnt want to risk vibration/rattling when using the ODD. I do appreciate everyones input.

Project is currently on hold till I get a motherboard. Preferably Asus, but I would be ok with ECS, ASRock, and myabe (gasp) Zotac.

I keep hearing mid Feb before these boards are released-and that would ruin me getting it done before returning to the Mid East.
 
wwischerath said:
Ok, PSU arrived and after a trial fit realized that bastage has a point with is insistance that the Silverstone Modular with short cables be used. But since I kinda expected the wires to be too long, as well as too many, and I am experienced at soldering/wiring, I decided to save some money and mod the PSU
Here it is in original state
dsc00408fx.jpg


Opened up and offending wires removed
dsc00409lw.jpg
[/IMG]

Removal finished. I have removed the molex wires and the 8 plug connector.
dsc00410o.jpg
[/IMG]

Now I just need to shrink wrap the ends and close up till I get the mobo and shorten whats left

The plus is now I can use the leftover sheathing on other things!
Click to expand...
Wow I have never thoughts about can remove some cables from PSU.

SO You are born with creative genius! ;)
 
Well, Once I find a mobo to get this build into high gear, I have found my GPU-the Palit GTX 560 Ti. ITs only 7.5 inches long! as a plus it has dual cooling fans. Perfect!
 
Project on hold till a motherboard comes available. Cant describe how disappointed I am. Had 30 days home and couldnt finish my project. And to top it off, my laptop is now dying. Trying to look on the bright side-maybe a Z68 or P67 mini ITX will be available soon.
 
Thanks to Bruuce I now have a motherboard, the ASRock H67M-ITX/HT
motherboardmounted.jpg


Installed in the case
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routing cables around memory and HDD
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clearance between the PSU and CPU
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All the work to shorten and remove the extra PSU cables has paid off!
cablerouting2.jpg


And the final shot- it sitting on my desk, ready for use!
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WEI 5.9
CPU 7.5
RAM 5.9
GPU 5.9
Gaming GPU 6.4
HDD 6.9

PCMark 7 score 4723 (with IGP overclocked to 1850Mhz)

All in all I am very happy with how it turned out. All I need now is a dedicated graphics card.
 
And now I have a Galaxy GTX 550Ti installed. After installation I noticed the CPU cooling fan was running much faster and making noise. As a temporary fix, I strategically placed a piece of paper over the PSU fan just above the cooler. It helped the noise, but the fan was still running faster. Enter the Samuel 17 Cooler.
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I played with two ways to install it. First way was the way you normally see it installed, with the fan opening over the memory
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Then with the opening toward the top
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Since I had heard that CPU coolers work best with the heat tubes running horizontally when the mobo is mounted vertical, I chose option #2.

It cleared the PCI slot and GPU without any issue.
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One word of warning. If you are using the ASRock itx motherboard, like me, then the cooler covers the 4 pin connection for the mobo. Man was it a pain to get it plugged in. dis-assembly with require cutting the wires or removing the cooler. I will likely cut and and install a connector.
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After reassembling the CPU is running slightly cooler, but more importantly, much quieter. Now the only fan making noise is the GPU. I need to address its airflow next.
 
I noticed that I never posted a pic showing how the PSU mods eliminated the cable mess that most Q07s have.

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