[Fineus]

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...

[Styxx]

A shotgun or an axe is everything you need.

[Sesquipedalian]

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.

[Fineus]

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.

[Fetty]

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

[an0n]

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.

[Fineus]

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.

[Nico]

you should... keep your money for something more useful? I guess it's none of my business anyway.

[Styxx]

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?

[CP5670]

I agree on that point too; buy some hardware or games instead. The fans are a good idea, though.

[Fineus]

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.

[Levyathan]

Why do you even look at your case?

[Fetty]

btw howcome u got ur subwoofer on your desk ?

[Levyathan]

I got one exactly like that! But it's on the case, not on the desk.

[Redfang]

Fans add more noise.
 

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).

[Fineus]

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.

[Levyathan]

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.

[Warlock]

*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

[Stealth]

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.

[Fineus]

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....