Mistress - Custom case

[DJ46]

*insert epic banner here*

Hi!

I would like to inform you that I am an extremely indecisive person. That's why a lot of things I want to do can change from "Yeah! Totally doing that!" to "Nuh uh, not at all" within minutes.

But one thing is for sure.

This build will be in a custom case.

Originally I wanted to build my first mITX system, and I did so. But the stock cooler was too loud and low profile coolers were expensive and not much better. So I moved my PSU to be able to install a tower heatsink into my Elite 130.

But the GPU cooler became an issue. I swapped the fans for low profile Silverstone 120's, but they still weren't good enough. I went for used Noctua NF-F12's. The did fit, but it was nearly impossible to get the sidepanel off.

Somehow things went on and now I'm here. No money, bunch of plywood and varnish at my house and some parts still coming. And I don't know what to do now.

 

Original post below:

Hey guys!

I've been thinking about making an m-ITX for quite long. My PC was on a local craigslist equivalent for months, I slowly lowered the price and after a while, my friend decided to buy it.

I spent quite a bit of time to make sure we will both be satisfied with the price.

Anyways, he gave me the money in advance so I can build a new PC, move my files and reset his.

 

So, let's start buildin'!

 

The obligatory "look at all mah boxes shot" Guess what card is it?

 

Specs:

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150

MB: Gigabyte B85N

RAM: Adata 4GB 1333MHz

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 500GB

GPU: Gigabyte Windforce HD7950 gen.2

PSU: Seasonic G-450

case: Coolermaster Elite 130

 

Really Intel?

 

This is the reason I chose this mobo over the H81N (WiFi card slot and these things):

 

CPU in:

 

Aaand the cooler follows (I hope you like the way I decided to route the cable):

 

It was time for the RAM:

 

And it's time for the case to come in! (after an on-the-mobo-box-testboot of course)

 

OMG I <3 YOU COOLERMASTER! BEST THING EVARR (especially when I build all the computers nearby):

 

Another nice touch (much better than those stupid metal punchouts IMO)

 

Mobo in da house:

 

Of course, I removed that fan holder to turn it around, but I didn't wait till I had the front panel conectors in... Tweezers to the rescue!

 

First cable management (making a tunnel of airflow to the CPU):

 

Not in the way, so dirty as hell. Also, I forgot to check the number of fan conectors on this mobo, thank Gaben for those bulky but useful adapters (btw, I don't know if you can see it, but I used 1 twist-tie to hold the loop of front panel cables, the USB 3.0 cables AND a SATA data cable):

 

And the most high-end component is inside:

 

So, we're at that point. You know that one? The one where the site won't accept 2 pictures? Yeah, that one.

1st - 1337 skillz in hiding unnecesarry lenght of power cables

2nd - PSU in, managed that big fat 24pin

 

And we can continue with more visual pleasure:

 

Another angle:

 

Just for you guys, I went through the hassle of removing the front fan to show you my succesful attempt of making an airflow tunnel:

 

Testing it (no side panel, for good luck)

 

And I think this is just appropriate...

*context - my old PC's name was My fiancée

 

And just so you know, I was happy to have my old PC still nearby. The HDD I bought of one guy (the GPU and RAM are also second hand) was set to dynamic mode... Grrrrrr. Luckily I was able to fix that quite easily.

The worse issue is that I will have to call Microsoft to fix my activation. Well, they probably aren't awake at 4 AM, so I will do that tomorrow.

 

That's about it.

 

For future upgrades, I want to replace the front fan with a Silverstone Air Penetrator (all about dem airflow tunnels man) and get a fan filter for the GPU sidepanel, maybe even for the PSU.

 

I hope you like it, the cable management was quite hard to do (I adore having small hands, I can't imagine it with larger).

That's all for tonight, I need to get some sleep. Tomorrow I have to call Microsoft, take apart my old PC and clean it completely and then reinstall the Windows on it.

[DIV1D3]

Nice build, I even guessed the GPU right 

[DJ46]

Waiting for you to motivate me enough to make progress...

[ChillKyle]

Nice little build. Do you have any future plans for an aftermarket cooler.

[DJ46]

Nice little build. Do you have any future plans for an aftermarket cooler.

Yes, I actually plan to mod the case in the not too distant future. I was just not inspired by the low profile CPU cooler market.

At first I actually planned to buy the NH-L9i, but the price didn't seem worth it (if even one review says a Noctua product wasn't much better than the stock cooler, I'm instantly not paying 40€).

I decided to mod the case (on the inside only) to be able to put a Gelid Tranquillo cooler inside. I picked this one because it's quite good and it doesn't cost a fortune + it seems to be the only CPU cooler that is not expensive, is less than 155mm tall and still fits a 120mm fan.

 

I'm actually just waiting for my DemciFlex filters and some (hardcore modding equipment) velcro to arrive. The CPU cooler will soon follow, but I don't have the funds to order it yet. I already have a 90 degree power cable and a crazy idea

[DJ46]

UPDATE!

At first I thought this was a big enough change to start a new build log, but I didn't want to spam you guys.

 

So, my fan filters finally arrived (they have stamps from South Africa and Germany, so it must've been one heck of a trip). I bought a used Gelid Tranquillo, a right angle power cord and some velcro. Only thing holding me back is that the cooler didn't arrive with any thermal paste, so I bought 8g of Arctic MX-2. (It also came with no fan clips, so I got some Noctua ones from a friend and made them work.) I'm going to the computer store to pick it up tomorrow.

 

After I get all the stuff needed, I'll wait for the weekend to come. School is just too crazy right now for me to disassemble, mod and build my PC on a school day afternoon. And, I don't want to stay too long without playing Far Cry 3 (I've recently started playing it again and I'm hooked).

 

So, there will be more big pics for you guys this weekend! I hope you'll like my solution (that I hope will work).

[DJ46]

Well, I couldn't wait any longer, so I decided to do it all today.

 

Worst. Decision. EVER.

 

I started after coming from school and I just finished at 22:35. I built the whole system because I knew all the parts work. And then, all of a sudden, the PC just won't start. I would press the button and it wouldn't do anything. Shorting the pins had the same result. After googling, I thought my PSU wasn't working. I found out that the motherboard lights don't necessarily mean that all the parts work. But, after ghetto-testing my PSU with my sister's PC, I found out it worked just fine. And also, that the motherboard wouldn't start even with my sister's PSU. So, I thought I did something wrong. I thought I tightened the CPU cooler too much. After taking the motherboard out of the case (boy was that fun!) and taking the cooler off, I checked the pins to see them in good condition. I put the cooler back on with some more thermal paste and booted it out of the case.

And it freaking worked.

I put it back into the PC and it's been running since.

 

tl,dr: PC didn't work, took apart, tested, added more paste, assembled, works fine

 

So far, I'm loving the tower cooler. The PC is SO MUCH quieter. The loudest thing is the hard drivem which is already in a silencing box.

I didn't check temps, but I don't even care. The main thing is how much quieter it is. (I still may get some Noctua fans tho... It will never be finished.)

[clarkmcc]

I have an i7 in my laptop and it is the only reason I get some lag in my games as my graphics card only runs on half load at 30fps. Hopefully that i3 will handle your graphics card.

[DJ46]

I have an i7 in my laptop and it is the only reason I get some lag in my games as my graphics card only runs on half load at 30fps. Hopefully that i3 will handle your graphics card.

I think it's fine. While playing Far Cry 3, I noticed it running better and on higher details than with my i5-2400 + HD7870 system I had before.

[clarkmcc]

I think it's fine. While playing Far Cry 3, I noticed it running better and on higher details than with my i5-2400 + HD7870 system I had before.

Okay sweet. Keep us posted!

[HellaflushMcSwaggins]

We have the exact ame GPU, we shall be GPU bros forever

[clarkmcc]

We have the exact ame GPU, we shall be GPU bros forever

I have to say that is the longest card I've ever seen.

[DJ46]

We have the exact ame GPU, we shall be GPU bros forever

I will try to remember to message you before upgrading so we can stay GPUbros

 

Also, a bit of an update - when playing Far Cry 3, the case got incredibly hot. The harddrive was about 45 degrees Celsius. I turned the PC off, took off the panel and let it cool down. I realised the CPU cooler orientation was the problem.

I turned it 90 degrees so it blows air out from the side, but it didn't help, the PC was running even louder and the HDD went to 49 degrees. I was literally scared. I turned it off, opened the case, started the PC and let it idle so the CPU and GPU coolers get cold again. Then I turned the PC off for the HDD to cool down as well.

I mounted the CPU cooler so it blows air out of the back and so far, the PC has been running great. It's a lot quieter than it was with any other cooler orientation.

But the HDD is still at around 42 degrees in-game. (I just checked idle temps - literally right now, mid-writing - and it's around 35, so at idle it's fine.)

Do you think it's ok for it to run like this in the long term? If not, I may have to make a different solution and I have literally zero ideas that could actually work.

 

I also forgot to mention that my plan for the PSU to exhaust from the front wouldn't work because of the power cable, so I mounted it sideways. Now, most of the outtake cooling is blocked by the GPU (and the PSU was getting quite hot when the CPU cooler was bklowing hot air into the case). It's seems fine, now that it's not getting heaten up by the CPU.

 

 

 

And, totally away from the topic I've been writing about so far...

Is there a way to fix a whining PSU? My problem seems to be an uncovered coil, is there anything I can coat it with? My warranty is probably void already, since I glued velcro strips to it and I plan to change the fan, too.

I want to know any kind of a solution, I'm studying at a school that has quite a lot of gear to work with electricity, so I should be able to do most tasks.

[DJ46]

It's been a while. I tried nail polish to silence the damn PSU, but it didn't do anything. I tried to learn to live with it, but it makes weird noises when I'm loading GTA IV and it makes me feel insecure. That's not something you want from a power supply.
The current plan is to get over the wasted money, put the PSU into my sister's PC (currently rocking an HP OEM piece of ...) and mount her HDD into a 5.25" to 3.5" adapter stuck to the case with velcro. I hope it will improve her system. I'm also thinking about modding my old HP case to enhance cooling (basically the same thing as her current case) and then put her PC in it. But that is a project for another day.
 
I took a picture of my PC not too long ago so my aunt can see it. I thought you guys may be interested. *BIG picture

You can see that I bought two FN123 fans from Silverstone for my GPU cooler and moved the CPU fan to the back to exhaust all the hot air. I also turned the PSU 90 degrees. (It used to blow hot air to the GPU and it's outtake was blocked by the PCB.)

 

 

I planned to get an SSD. Literally the only thing I planned.

I was too worried about the PSU, so I decided to replace it. I found what seems like a great deal (HX450 for 30€). But I still wanted an SSD. So guess what I'm buying?

That's right, Noctua fans.  :huh:

The current fans just won't go low enough to be quiet. I noticed that the HDD isn't the one making most noise. (Apart from the seeking noises - I will still have to buy an SSD so I don't need to hear those when doing basic stuff.)

And I had to get Noctua fans for the GPU cooler, because when I put a 25mm fan there, it touches the side panel and other fans don't have those little rubber pieces in the corners.

I looked at some used fans and found some guy selling 7 Noctuas, so I grabbed two F12's and an S12 for the exhaust. I will pick them up tomorrow.

 

So, there will be some updates soon. I will change my PSU, fans and I'll probably make a different thread for my sister's PC. (But only if I decide to mod it, if not, I'll just post it here.)

[Smooth Bunz]

Not everday you see a windforce or a tri fan gpu on a mini itx build I like it man

But if you could get another stick of ram

[DJ46]

Not everday you see a windforce or a tri fan gpu on a mini itx build I like it man

But if you could get another stick of ram

I'm not even using the stock fans I stuck two 120mm slim fans on it to make it quieter. And, since I'm crazy, I replaced those slim fans with Noctua F12's, because the little rubber corners isolate all vibrations. They barely fit, I don't even want to see how bent the GPU probably is inside, but I have to use about 10x too much force to close the case. 

 

I will get another 4GB soon, but I want to get a used 120GB SSD first (damn HDD seeking noises, so loud!). The next investment after that will be into RAM.

And with the current PSU, I can't even put another stick of RAM in, because the right angle power cord is blocking the slot! 

 

Today I thought about buying a tiny mATX case, getting something like the Prolimatech MK-26 and mounting the PSU somewhere in the case, but no case is planned out like this (apart from the Bitfenix ones, but even those are a bit too big).

I scrapped that idea, maybe one day, but not anytime soon. But I think the Windforce cooler with two F12's is enough for this GPU.

 

 

The new ("new") PSU will probably arrive tomorrow, so I will take a picture of everything in the PC, just so I never, ever again have to take the sidepanel off (until another upgrade).

[DJ46]

I'm terribly sorry guys. I just put it together, I just realised I didn't take any pictures.

 

The PSU scared me, it maybe even more noise than the original for a few minutes, and then it just got quiet. I turned the PC off, plugged my phone in (the old PSU was disgustingly loud during this) and it was again, louder than the original PSU.

I was totally ready to pack it up and send it back, but all of a sudden it went silent.

I plugged my phone in - nothing. Not even a beep. Quietness.

I was so happy I forgot to breathe.

 

The fan in the PSU is a bit on the louder side, but only when it randomly speeds up. The loudest part in my PC is the HDD, so an SSD is definetly the next upgrade.

[DJ46]

Well, things will probably get interesting.

Since GTA V for PC comes out after holidays, I have a lot of free time to spend.

 

You may have read that I thought about modding an mATX chassis, but I scrapped that idea because I don't have the money to buy one.

But today I remembered, that I actually own one! Yeah that's right, this piece of **** is still for some reason at my house (empty OFC):

 

I thought about it and it seems like the best starting point. I may end up ditching this project. But for now, I am too enthusiastic to be negative.

 

I plan to shorten the case and lower the top. I also need to mod a bulge into the side panel so my CPU cooler will fit.

I also might get some sound dampening material, but that will happen later, if ever. I will probably paint it, too. I'll definetly make new air intakes.

 

So, for a while my PC will be running like a test bench. I still have to do something with my PSU situation (the new one has even worse coil whine under load, but at least it is quiet when off) and get an SSD.

I will have to destroy the cable management, so that I can test fit parts.

 

It will be a fun few weeks, definetly stay tuned.

[Woody]

Why not the Pentium G3258? Would have been around the same price if not cheaper.

[DJ46]

Why not the Pentium G3258? Would have been around the same price if not cheaper.

To be honest I'm not sure. I believe it wasn't on sale back then, or I didn't want to spend money on a board that could oveclock. Maybe I decided I wanted hyperthreading. I don't know.

Originally I planned to use a low profile heatsink, too.

[DJ46]

Well, in case you guys want to see this... This is the current state of my rig. DON'T look at this if you've just eaten, that's why I put it into a spoiler.

 

The plan right now is to use the case it's in as a donor case and build a new one out of wood. It will have an interesting layout and hopefully enhance the cooling. I also want to be able to reuse the filter kit I bought for the Elite 130.

We shall see.

 

But one thing is 100% true: Mistress is changing and it will differ a lot from the original idea.

[DJ46]

/Well, I just wrote a lot of text about my build that my phone decided to not post anything.

//I wanted to browse the internet more comfortably, so I set my PC up. At least I can tell you more about my plans.

On the pictures below, you can see the panels from the donor case that I'll use. I will work on this with a friend of mine, who has the tools to make our work easier and the end result better.

I want the case to be as future-proof as possible. I want to have space for PSU's up to 160mm and GPU's up to 300mm. I also want to be able to use narrow mATX boards (those with 3 PCI-e slots) if I ever need to. I also want to put a 120mm fan in the back, which should give me enough room for many heatsinks.

 

I love the fact that by collaborating with a friend I have someone to discuss the design with. I'm currently making sure there will not be a straight path for noise to come out of the PSU and into my ear either when using the PC or when sleeping on my bed next to it. (I swapped my PSU with a friend that can't hear it. His PSU still makes these noises. I'm going to test the last option - another friend's PSU - during the weekend.)

I have to make sure the airflow to all components is excellent. That and overall size are the main reasons for a custom case.

 

I'm toying around with an idea of mounting the motherboard plate on some kind of a rail so I can pull it out of the back and have all panels fixed in place all the time. But these are just ideas, don't expect any of them to become true.

 

Currently I have to finalise the interior layout so that I can start measuring everything out, buy the wood and start with the work.
Some pics:

[DJ46]

Well, since I didn't want to make the case bigger in any way just to accommodate my HDD with it's cooler (and it's too loud without it), I have to use a 2.5" drive.

The plan was to get an SSD, but I need 240+ GB and currently my budget is wayyy too right. So, after a lot of searching I used XXClone to migrate to the drive from my Hitachi external HDD.

Everything works well. I'm currently running a HD Tune error scan. (No damaged blocks so far, I'll keep my fingers crossed.)

 

Tomorrow I'm going out to buy the wood and varnish. The screws I'll buy later once I know how many and what type I'll use.

 

/EDIT:

Well, the drive doesn't have any damaged blocks. That would be great news, if the HDD didn't whine every 5 seconds while doing the test. It's quiet now, the temperature is and was below 35°C and HD Tune says it's health is OK, but I'm not sure about using it as a main drive anymore.

 

//EDIT:

Back to my normal hard drive. I had an issue with the other drive where my PC didn't shut down for a really long time. I was also scared because it made ridiculous noises when shutting down / turning on.

But it was a lot quieter when running. I'm using my HDD without the cooling box and I'm definitely not regretting purchasing one. Once I build my case, I'll either ghetto mount the HDD box on top temporarily, or just use the 2.5" drive.

 

The migration took quite a bit of time, but at least I now have a full back-up (Windows and everything) that is easy to update (XXClone seems like a godsend). Also it's holidays, so I have a lot of time to spend, I don't mind wasting it.

 

One more thing:

If anyone debates the difference in speed between a 5400 RPM drive and a 7200 RPM one, I can tell you something - the boot times were a LOT longer (I think it took twice as much time to boot) and everything just took more time.

[DJ46]

I would love to have something to show you guys, but all I have is madman scribbles...

Hopefully I will make some progress tomorrow.

[DJ46]

I'm sorry that I didn't post any updates yesterday.

 

Today, I finished cutting the metal parts of the chassis. Now I have to measure everything and cut all the wood pieces I need.

I will have to wait for the stuff I oredered from Parvum Systems (don't get excited, it's just a basic but really helpful thing, not a case).

 

After that arrives, I can put my system together, check if everything fits and then varnish the wood.

 

I want to inform you that I don't have any fancy Dremel tools. Don't expect any perfect lines. This is the best I can do. All I have is a drill, a few saws, hammers, screwdrivers and a vice.