Hard Light Productions Forums

Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Fineus on December 26, 2002, 05:42:04 am

Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Fineus on December 26, 2002, 05:42:04 am
Hey all... I've decided I want to spruce up my beige box a tad but don't know where to start. Extra fans, interior lighting and a window seem a good beginning but again I've no idea how to begin. Can anyone give me some tips on what I want to look at.. I know it's down to personal taste but this is just to "fuel my fire".

Also, I want to put a hole at the front of the case for a fan but the front of the case is a curved plastic arrangement. Can I mount a fan on this, will it be safe etc...? Pictures can be provided if needed but for the time being these are good shots of it...

http://www.3dap.com/hlp/hosted/col/files/misc_desk01.jpg

http://www.3dap.com/hlp/hosted/col/files/misc_desk02.jpg

Any more detail can be done though like I said...
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Styxx on December 26, 2002, 05:56:20 am
A shotgun or an axe is everything you need. :D
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Sesquipedalian on December 26, 2002, 06:02:11 am
I notice you also leave the side covers off your PC.  Mine tends to overheat and give weird errors if I have the covers on.

Anyway, I am personally all in favour of a custom paint job.  One can never go wrong with a unique work of art on one's computer case.
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Fineus on December 26, 2002, 06:43:38 am
Yeah, I'd like to put the cover back on if I end up modding it though... as in have a clean window in the side of it and some lights inside. As you say though the cover is off to prevent heat buildup but I just rearranged my room so I might have to reevaluate how much of a problem heat is.

Right now though, assume both covers will be on in some form - even if there are large holes in them.
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Fetty on December 26, 2002, 08:45:43 am
if you put the covers back up should stick 1 or 2 fans init

and what would help is ether airing out the room or cleaning the cam lense :D
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: an0n on December 26, 2002, 09:05:44 am
Get a good fan with some good grease. ****ty fans = Overheating. You should be looking to pay about $10 for a half-decent fan.

As for case modding, I suggest carefully unscrewing everything from inside yer computer (making sure to maintain all connections, or maybe using come kind of Sticker-A to Sticker-A thing to reattatch everything). Then just get some power-tools.

A good start is to buy loads of high-intensity LED lights, the kind of faded-source ones so the light looks more atmospheric than projected.

Get tons of fibre-optic cables (the see-through kind, not the data-carrying kind) and loads of sticky-tape.

Install a seperate battery and switch for all your lights and ****.

Hack **** out of yer case using the powertools and cut some holes in it all over.

Spray-paint it with a vynil or some plastic-based, tough-wearing, heat resistant paint. Install all the lights using the battery and the stick-tape.

Re-install all your components.

Wrap some fibre-optic cable around all the edges of all the holes you make and set some up so it looks like glowing circuitry if you want. And get some rubber-edging as well so there are no sharp-edges exposed. Then get some high-quality perspex and glue/screw/bash it over the hole from the inside.

Turn it all on and make sure it works.

Be happy.

Take pictures.

Post pictures on HLP.
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Fineus on December 26, 2002, 10:29:29 am
Sounds good... I think I need to do a lot of reading and stuff and just see what I want to do with it. Methinks planning is the key here.

I might stick with the standard beige for the time being, painting = daunting.
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Nico on December 26, 2002, 10:39:56 am
you should... keep your money for something more useful? I guess it's none of my business anyway.
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Styxx on December 26, 2002, 10:42:45 am
Quote
Originally posted by venom2506
you should... keep your money for something more useful? I guess it's none of my business anyway.


Ditto, I'd say. What good is it to have a different-looking case anyway? :D :p
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: CP5670 on December 26, 2002, 10:49:55 am
I agree on that point too; buy some hardware or games instead. :D The fans are a good idea, though.
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Fineus on December 26, 2002, 11:01:05 am
Thats just it, I took a look at what was involved and it's suprisingly cheap!

I mean a good fan with LEDs is around $10, cutting holes is free... paint costs very little and the extra lighting isn't to much either. Perhaps the most expensive thing is the perspex windows but that again shouldn't prove a problem.

Besides, I'm bored with my case - I can remake it all for the price of a game.
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Levyathan on December 26, 2002, 11:34:36 am
Why do you even look at your case?
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Fetty on December 26, 2002, 11:38:13 am
btw howcome u got ur subwoofer on your desk ?
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Levyathan on December 26, 2002, 11:41:38 am
I got one exactly like that! But it's on the case, not on the desk.
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Redfang on December 26, 2002, 11:42:02 am
Fans add more noise. :p
 
Quote
Originally posted by Levyathan
Why do you even look at your case?
Yeah. I don't either.
 
But, if you go to some big LAN-parties, maybe then, if you want to be different from the lot (though many people on LAN parties have modded cases already).
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Fineus on December 26, 2002, 11:42:43 am
I look at the case because it's huge and beige... and therefore hard to avoid. It needs sprucing up :)

The Subwoofer is no longer on the desk... I've changed my room around a fair bit since then.... will try and get a shot up of it later.
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Levyathan on December 26, 2002, 11:44:48 am
Quote
Originally posted by Thunder
I look at the case because it's huge and beige... and therefore hard to avoid. It needs sprucing up :)


Well, I have the monitor to the right, a pile of CDs to the left, the desk under it and a subwoofer above it. There's not much to look at, really.
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Warlock on December 26, 2002, 12:50:52 pm
*shrug*

Personally I invested in an new case. Antec full server SoHo styles,....gave me assloads of room to work in when I'm upgrading componants,...I've got a total of about 8 fans and aside from starting up barely hear a sound out of it ;)
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Stealth on December 26, 2002, 12:53:33 pm
Quote
Originally posted by an0n
As for case modding, I suggest carefully unscrewing everything from inside yer computer (making sure to maintain all connections, or maybe using come kind of Sticker-A to Sticker-A thing to reattatch everything). Then just get some power-tools.


whatever you do be sure to screw everything back to the case before you turn it on, since screws are there for a reason... not only to hold everything in place, but also to ground the system.
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Fineus on December 26, 2002, 01:20:55 pm
Gotcha... I'll stick with my current case I think and look at modding it in other ways...

Can anyone tell me what the average temperature (standard running) for a 1.4GHz AMD Athlon T-Bird is? I'd like to know how mine fairs against others and what I should be aiming for....
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Styxx on December 26, 2002, 01:29:56 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Thunder
Gotcha... I'll stick with my current case I think and look at modding it in other ways...

Can anyone tell me what the average temperature (standard running) for a 1.4GHz AMD Athlon T-Bird is? I'd like to know how mine fairs against others and what I should be aiming for....


Average is around 50 celsius, I'd think. I have mine adjusted to set off an alarm when it reaches 60, and it only does that on really hot days when I'm rendering stuff. The specs for the processor allow it to run under temperatures of up to 90 degrees, though, if I remember right.
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Fineus on December 26, 2002, 01:33:25 pm
Really? That's reassuring... mine sits at 49 idle and up to 55 after gaming. I'll try it with the side back on and see if there's a difference in that...
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: diamondgeezer on December 26, 2002, 01:52:39 pm
My big fat heat sink and fan combo keeps my AMD XP 1.53 below a frosty-cold 40c whilst cruising and little more than 45 during games. Chilly!

Now I just need to rig up some sort of uber-sink on me GF4...
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Fineus on December 26, 2002, 02:10:47 pm
Eek, I tried putting the side back on during a gaming session and the temp went up to a desert like 70.... I need more cooling...
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: 01010 on December 26, 2002, 02:12:07 pm
Quote
Originally posted by diamondgeezer
My big fat heat sink and fan combo keeps my AMD XP 1.53 below a frosty-cold 40c whilst cruising and little more than 45 during games. Chilly!

Now I just need to rig up some sort of uber-sink on me GF4...


My friends PC has a duron 800 that had the temperature alarm set to 80 degrees. Needless to say the alarm was a right pain in the arse so we disabled it, checked the bios and it was running at nearly 90.

How we laughed, what's especially interesting is how this was nearly 6 months ago and it's still running a-ok.
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Stealth on December 26, 2002, 02:31:21 pm
Thunder:  just stick with the side off :D  you don't have to have it on, if if allows ventilation for the system, then leave it off.  won't do any harm! just clean the fans with a vacuum cleaner every few weeks to get rid of dust.

remember, if you get fans, some people think having 6 fans blowing air into the case is going to help... you need an out too, have a few blowing in, in say the front, and a few blowing out in the back... that helps :nod :)
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Dark_4ce on December 26, 2002, 03:57:21 pm
I've actually been in the process of modding my case for the past week! I hated that beige piece of metal sitting ontop of my desk, so in the end I decided to also spruce it up a bit. So what I did was first cut a hole into the front of my box to allow good air ventilation using a 80mm iceblue LED fan (works great btw) with a lovely metallic Biohazard fingerguard ontop of that to make it look really sweet. I also added another 80mm fan attached to a addapter that I've attached to the outside of my box, making it look more like a turbine, to increase the suction of air from inside my box. I've rounded my IDE cables to allow a better airflow and having a Enermax PSU, it also suck air from around my processor, so I have a lovely constant 45 degree temp. Then for aesthetic reasons, I've cut a big hole into the side of my comp for a plexi window, looking into my box, with a really bright blue cold cathode light. I also addeda view port under my floppy drive to look inside. But most probably will change that. Then next week, I'm gonna spray paint it a cold metallic blue. And that should be it. I'll post some pics of it when its finnished. Happy modding Thunder!
Title: Case Modding... some questions...
Post by: Fineus on December 26, 2002, 05:36:19 pm
Good luck Dark that sounds really good.. I've found various tutorials and stuff so now I know what I need to do. Cooling really is the order of the day so I'll be cutting holes and stuff and seeing how I go.

Thanks everyone else for the opinions, info and stuff. I've got a good idea of what I want to do with it now so I should be able to look more seriously at it all later. Untill then!