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[Build Log] Project Stalker - [Complete]

MEC-777

Haven't done a build in a few weeks, so time to start another! :P I need help... 

 

Prelude and rationale behind the build:

 

My last custom build, which you can find here: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/321095-build-log-project-acebox-ultra-low-budget-portable-gaming-rig-aka-frankenputer/?p=4364283  didn't turn out the way I had planned and ended up just being a "Frankenputer" build made up of old and new parts. It served the project well in terms of being a really cheap, yet powerful gaming PC, but it lacked the "portable" and smaller form-factor aspects I was also going for with that build. I promise, this build will be more interesting and not just turn into another "regular build" like project Acebox did. ;)

 

@AlwaysFSX @tmcclelland455 @dragoon20005 - Thought you guys might be interested...

 

Recently my grandfather gave me two computers from a friend of his that recently passed away; an Acer Aspire 15.6" laptop and an even older HP desktop PC. He wanted me to check them out, wipe them and see what I could salvage or sell them for. The laptop, believe it or not, actually cleaned up well (despite what it looks like in the pic below) and has decent specs, so I've cleaned it up and put it up for sale. The HP desktop, on the other hand, has some kind of hardware issue(s) where it locks up randomly and you have to do a hard reset. I installed Linux on it and now it won't even boot into the OS, gives some kind of error. Regardless, it's old and it's specs are pretty weak. The only thing I could possibly re-use is the Hitachi 7200rpm 400GB HDD and the case. :)

 

As you may recall from Project Acebox, the motherboard I bought on a budget was full ATX yet the case was for mATX and it was going to need some cutting and fabricating - but then I caved, got lazy and bought a case that would fit the ATX board without modding. Well now that I've upgraded to an ATX board in my main gaming rig, I now have a mini-ITX board I can use with this case. :D

 

Thus, this is going to be a build using parts from my old Node 304 gaming rig (motherboard, 3-speed fan controller and the 92mm fans), plus parts from Frankenputer (graphics card, ram, H55 AIO cooler and maybe some fans) and the old HP desktop (case, 400GB HDD). The only other part I'm missing and would have to buy is a processor.  

 

TL;DR - This is going to be the build project Acebox was supposed to be; cheap, portable, high/ultra 1080p sleeper gaming rig.

 

The case is smaller in every way compared to the Acer case I was initially going to use in project Acebox which is perfect. For anything intended to be "portable", the smaller the better and this one is about the size of a briefcase. It's mATX form factor as well, but has a better internal layout that will allow the full sized GPU to fit without cutting or moving anything, yet very little space is wasted. It already has an optical drive installed, but I'm not sure if I'll keep it because I may need the room for cable management etc. It's all black, discreet and rather plain-looking, perfect for the "sleeper" image. Air flow may be an issue but will have to see how it's all going to fit. Might have to drill a few extra holes or get creative... 

 

This is the only pic I have as of right now, more to come soon. 

IMG_20150330_183753_zpsm3zek8fb.jpg

 

 

Full parts list breakdown:

 

CPU: Not sure yet, probably a Pentium G3258

 

Cooler: Corsair H55 AIO (hopefully it will fit...)

 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87N Wifi (might be able to OC the Pentium with a BIOS tweak)

 

RAM: AData XPG 2x4GB 1600

 

PSU: Enermax Infiniti 720w 80+ semi-modular

 

GPU: MSI Twin-Frozr GTX 760 2GB

 

Storage: Hitachi 400GB 7200 3.5" and/or WD 500GB 5400 2.5"

 

 

First thing I gotta do is gut the HP chassis, clean it up and start pulling what I need from Frankenputer and the Node 304. More pics and updates coming soon... :)

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Update** - Nov 08/2015 - Project Stalker version 2.0 is coming. Check out the teaser post on page 3 for more info. ;)

My Systems:

Main - Work + Gaming:

Spoiler

Woodland Raven: Ryzen 2700X // AMD Wraith RGB // Asus Prime X570-P // G.Skill 2x 8GB 3600MHz DDR4 // Radeon RX Vega 56 // Crucial P1 NVMe 1TB M.2 SSD // Deepcool DQ650-M // chassis build in progress // Windows 10 // Thrustmaster TMX + G27 pedals & shifter

F@H Rig:

Spoiler

FX-8350 // Deepcool Neptwin // MSI 970 Gaming // AData 2x 4GB 1600 DDR3 // 2x Gigabyte RX-570 4G's // Samsung 840 120GB SSD // Cooler Master V650 // Windows 10

 

HTPC:

Spoiler

SNES PC (HTPC): i3-4150 @3.5 // Gigabyte GA-H87N-Wifi // G.Skill 2x 4GB DDR3 1600 // Asus Dual GTX 1050Ti 4GB OC // AData SP600 128GB SSD // Pico 160XT PSU // Custom SNES Enclosure // 55" LG LED 1080p TV  // Logitech wireless touchpad-keyboard // Windows 10 // Build Log

Laptops:

Spoiler

MY DAILY: Lenovo ThinkPad T410 // 14" 1440x900 // i5-540M 2.5GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD iGPU + Quadro NVS 3100M 512MB dGPU // 2x4GB DDR3L 1066 // Mushkin Triactor 480GB SSD // Windows 10

 

WIFE'S: Dell Latitude E5450 // 14" 1366x768 // i5-5300U 2.3GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD5500 // 2x4GB RAM DDR3L 1600 // 500GB 7200 HDD // Linux Mint 19.3 Cinnamon

 

EXPERIMENTAL: Pinebook // 11.6" 1080p // Manjaro KDE (ARM)

NAS:

Spoiler

Home NAS: Pentium G4400 @3.3 // Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 // 2x 4GB DDR4 2400 // Intel HD Graphics // Kingston A400 120GB SSD // 3x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200 HDDs in RAID-Z // Cooler Master Silent Pro M 1000w PSU // Antec Performance Plus 1080AMG // FreeNAS OS

 

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Eh. I guess I'll follow this. :P

Main rig on profile

VAULT - File Server

Spoiler

Intel Core i5 11400 w/ Shadow Rock LP, 2x16GB SP GAMING 3200MHz CL16, ASUS PRIME Z590-A, 2x LSI 9211-8i, Fractal Define 7, 256GB Team MP33, 3x 6TB WD Red Pro (general storage), 3x 1TB Seagate Barracuda (dumping ground), 3x 8TB WD White-Label (Plex) (all 3 arrays in their respective Windows Parity storage spaces), Corsair RM750x, Windows 11 Education

Sleeper HP Pavilion A6137C

Spoiler

Intel Core i7 6700K @ 4.4GHz, 4x8GB G.SKILL Ares 1800MHz CL10, ASUS Z170M-E D3, 128GB Team MP33, 1TB Seagate Barracuda, 320GB Samsung Spinpoint (for video capture), MSI GTX 970 100ME, EVGA 650G1, Windows 10 Pro

Mac Mini (Late 2020)

Spoiler

Apple M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB, macOS Sonoma

Consoles: Softmodded 1.4 Xbox w/ 500GB HDD, Xbox 360 Elite 120GB Falcon, XB1X w/2TB MX500, Xbox Series X, PS1 1001, PS2 Slim 70000 w/ FreeMcBoot, PS4 Pro 7015B 1TB (retired), PS5 Digital, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo Wii RVL-001 (black)

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Noice!

Will there be a water cooled 290? :P

"an obvious supporter of privacy"

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Eh. I guess I'll follow this. :P

 

Hey, I ain't twisting your arm... :P

 

Noice!

Will there be a water cooled 290? :P

 

If I end up upgrading my main rig with a 390x or 980Ti, the 290 will need a new home. And I do have a Kraken G10 I could slap onto it. hehe ;)

My Systems:

Main - Work + Gaming:

Spoiler

Woodland Raven: Ryzen 2700X // AMD Wraith RGB // Asus Prime X570-P // G.Skill 2x 8GB 3600MHz DDR4 // Radeon RX Vega 56 // Crucial P1 NVMe 1TB M.2 SSD // Deepcool DQ650-M // chassis build in progress // Windows 10 // Thrustmaster TMX + G27 pedals & shifter

F@H Rig:

Spoiler

FX-8350 // Deepcool Neptwin // MSI 970 Gaming // AData 2x 4GB 1600 DDR3 // 2x Gigabyte RX-570 4G's // Samsung 840 120GB SSD // Cooler Master V650 // Windows 10

 

HTPC:

Spoiler

SNES PC (HTPC): i3-4150 @3.5 // Gigabyte GA-H87N-Wifi // G.Skill 2x 4GB DDR3 1600 // Asus Dual GTX 1050Ti 4GB OC // AData SP600 128GB SSD // Pico 160XT PSU // Custom SNES Enclosure // 55" LG LED 1080p TV  // Logitech wireless touchpad-keyboard // Windows 10 // Build Log

Laptops:

Spoiler

MY DAILY: Lenovo ThinkPad T410 // 14" 1440x900 // i5-540M 2.5GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD iGPU + Quadro NVS 3100M 512MB dGPU // 2x4GB DDR3L 1066 // Mushkin Triactor 480GB SSD // Windows 10

 

WIFE'S: Dell Latitude E5450 // 14" 1366x768 // i5-5300U 2.3GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD5500 // 2x4GB RAM DDR3L 1600 // 500GB 7200 HDD // Linux Mint 19.3 Cinnamon

 

EXPERIMENTAL: Pinebook // 11.6" 1080p // Manjaro KDE (ARM)

NAS:

Spoiler

Home NAS: Pentium G4400 @3.3 // Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 // 2x 4GB DDR4 2400 // Intel HD Graphics // Kingston A400 120GB SSD // 3x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200 HDDs in RAID-Z // Cooler Master Silent Pro M 1000w PSU // Antec Performance Plus 1080AMG // FreeNAS OS

 

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Hey, I ain't twisting your arm... :P

 

 

If I end up upgrading my main rig with a 390x or 980Ti, the 290 will need a new home. And I do have a Kraken G10 I could slap onto it. hehe ;)

I'm not twisting your arm to follow all of mine... Or maybe I am...

Main rig on profile

VAULT - File Server

Spoiler

Intel Core i5 11400 w/ Shadow Rock LP, 2x16GB SP GAMING 3200MHz CL16, ASUS PRIME Z590-A, 2x LSI 9211-8i, Fractal Define 7, 256GB Team MP33, 3x 6TB WD Red Pro (general storage), 3x 1TB Seagate Barracuda (dumping ground), 3x 8TB WD White-Label (Plex) (all 3 arrays in their respective Windows Parity storage spaces), Corsair RM750x, Windows 11 Education

Sleeper HP Pavilion A6137C

Spoiler

Intel Core i7 6700K @ 4.4GHz, 4x8GB G.SKILL Ares 1800MHz CL10, ASUS Z170M-E D3, 128GB Team MP33, 1TB Seagate Barracuda, 320GB Samsung Spinpoint (for video capture), MSI GTX 970 100ME, EVGA 650G1, Windows 10 Pro

Mac Mini (Late 2020)

Spoiler

Apple M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB, macOS Sonoma

Consoles: Softmodded 1.4 Xbox w/ 500GB HDD, Xbox 360 Elite 120GB Falcon, XB1X w/2TB MX500, Xbox Series X, PS1 1001, PS2 Slim 70000 w/ FreeMcBoot, PS4 Pro 7015B 1TB (retired), PS5 Digital, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo Wii RVL-001 (black)

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I see this idea going places

3 tips to have a good time on the LTT forums | 1. When you reply to someone please quote them | 2. Please follow your threads | 3. Follow the C.o.C 

If you follow these 3 tips you should have a blast.

i'm rather proud of this for some reason. http://imgur.com/6ttS5XZ

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If I end up upgrading my main rig with a 390x or 980Ti, the 290 will need a new home. And I do have a Kraken G10 I could slap onto it. hehe ;)

 

That's why I asked :P

"an obvious supporter of privacy"

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Alright, got the old HP chassis gutted and cleaned out last night... (don't mind all the dog toys in the background. lol)

 

First off, full system specs:

IMG_20150513_203822_zpse7genav4.jpg

 

And now, the tear-down:

IMG_20150513_200413_zpsllk9tkn1.jpg   

The Wifi card:

IMG_20150513_200836_zpsc99gdhqs.jpg

 

Phone modem, anyone? :P

IMG_20150513_201110_zps3kqnxedw.jpg

 

Really like the layout of this case. Looks much easier to work in compared to the Frankenputer's TC-102. There's a nice convenient open space for big GPUs just in the right spot. :)

IMG_20150513_201236_zpse66ikpvl.jpg

 

Interesting feature, the HDD cage (which can hold 2), is removed very easily with just two screws and simply slides up and out:

IMG_20150513_201313_zpszpuwzzld.jpg

IMG_20150513_201321_zpswpifulen.jpg

 

The "HP Pocket Media Drive Bay". Never heard of this and have no idea what it is:

IMG_20150513_201648_zpsdvunw8vx.jpg

 

Ye old motherboard with Athlon 64 x2 4400+ and some odd-ball Nvidia integrated GPU:

IMG_20150513_202111_zps4jfvs4gy.jpg

 

 

Le super-sketchy PSU. 14 amps on the 12v rail for a whopping ~170watts! lol

IMG_20150513_203710_zpsywjdzm0w.jpg

 

The Optical drive (thankfully it's SATA):

IMG_20150513_204445_zpss27yoto9.jpg

 

Finally, a good look at the empty chassis. As mentioned earlier, this looks like it will be pretty easy to work in. Not much in the way of cooling/fan options. Looks like there's only a mounting place for a single 92mm exhaust fan. Will definitely have to get creative with cooling and fan mounting solutions (but that's part of the fun :) ). The top, side and bottom panels are all one piece which makes for a more rigid structure. Glad to see this as it's going to be carried around with a handle attached to the top:

IMG_20150513_203855_zpsoenbp9w3.jpg

IMG_20150513_203947_zpszp2ec4ka.jpg

IMG_20150513_204434_zpsr32vsicq.jpg

 

The 3 donor machines. Can see the size difference between Frankenputer and the HP case. Not a significant difference, but it's enough to make it that much more portable. Would have been cool to use the Node 304 and attach a handle to it but the whole outer shell of the Node comes off and I don't trust it to be strong enough. All it would take is for the front edge of the cover to pop out and the whole thing would crash to the ground. Much rather like the idea of a briefcase-sized PC that I know has no chance to split open while carrying it. ;)

IMG_20150513_224851_zpszq4z7aaj.jpg

IMG_20150513_224905_zps3q5rwzhb.jpg

 

And of course, the easy-on-the-eyes, MSI TF GTX 760: 

IMG_20150513_230638_zpstxsljzmv.jpg

 

 

More updates and pics to come...

My Systems:

Main - Work + Gaming:

Spoiler

Woodland Raven: Ryzen 2700X // AMD Wraith RGB // Asus Prime X570-P // G.Skill 2x 8GB 3600MHz DDR4 // Radeon RX Vega 56 // Crucial P1 NVMe 1TB M.2 SSD // Deepcool DQ650-M // chassis build in progress // Windows 10 // Thrustmaster TMX + G27 pedals & shifter

F@H Rig:

Spoiler

FX-8350 // Deepcool Neptwin // MSI 970 Gaming // AData 2x 4GB 1600 DDR3 // 2x Gigabyte RX-570 4G's // Samsung 840 120GB SSD // Cooler Master V650 // Windows 10

 

HTPC:

Spoiler

SNES PC (HTPC): i3-4150 @3.5 // Gigabyte GA-H87N-Wifi // G.Skill 2x 4GB DDR3 1600 // Asus Dual GTX 1050Ti 4GB OC // AData SP600 128GB SSD // Pico 160XT PSU // Custom SNES Enclosure // 55" LG LED 1080p TV  // Logitech wireless touchpad-keyboard // Windows 10 // Build Log

Laptops:

Spoiler

MY DAILY: Lenovo ThinkPad T410 // 14" 1440x900 // i5-540M 2.5GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD iGPU + Quadro NVS 3100M 512MB dGPU // 2x4GB DDR3L 1066 // Mushkin Triactor 480GB SSD // Windows 10

 

WIFE'S: Dell Latitude E5450 // 14" 1366x768 // i5-5300U 2.3GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD5500 // 2x4GB RAM DDR3L 1600 // 500GB 7200 HDD // Linux Mint 19.3 Cinnamon

 

EXPERIMENTAL: Pinebook // 11.6" 1080p // Manjaro KDE (ARM)

NAS:

Spoiler

Home NAS: Pentium G4400 @3.3 // Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 // 2x 4GB DDR4 2400 // Intel HD Graphics // Kingston A400 120GB SSD // 3x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200 HDDs in RAID-Z // Cooler Master Silent Pro M 1000w PSU // Antec Performance Plus 1080AMG // FreeNAS OS

 

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There's the almighty Node :D

 

Which is now an empty Node. :P 

My Systems:

Main - Work + Gaming:

Spoiler

Woodland Raven: Ryzen 2700X // AMD Wraith RGB // Asus Prime X570-P // G.Skill 2x 8GB 3600MHz DDR4 // Radeon RX Vega 56 // Crucial P1 NVMe 1TB M.2 SSD // Deepcool DQ650-M // chassis build in progress // Windows 10 // Thrustmaster TMX + G27 pedals & shifter

F@H Rig:

Spoiler

FX-8350 // Deepcool Neptwin // MSI 970 Gaming // AData 2x 4GB 1600 DDR3 // 2x Gigabyte RX-570 4G's // Samsung 840 120GB SSD // Cooler Master V650 // Windows 10

 

HTPC:

Spoiler

SNES PC (HTPC): i3-4150 @3.5 // Gigabyte GA-H87N-Wifi // G.Skill 2x 4GB DDR3 1600 // Asus Dual GTX 1050Ti 4GB OC // AData SP600 128GB SSD // Pico 160XT PSU // Custom SNES Enclosure // 55" LG LED 1080p TV  // Logitech wireless touchpad-keyboard // Windows 10 // Build Log

Laptops:

Spoiler

MY DAILY: Lenovo ThinkPad T410 // 14" 1440x900 // i5-540M 2.5GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD iGPU + Quadro NVS 3100M 512MB dGPU // 2x4GB DDR3L 1066 // Mushkin Triactor 480GB SSD // Windows 10

 

WIFE'S: Dell Latitude E5450 // 14" 1366x768 // i5-5300U 2.3GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD5500 // 2x4GB RAM DDR3L 1600 // 500GB 7200 HDD // Linux Mint 19.3 Cinnamon

 

EXPERIMENTAL: Pinebook // 11.6" 1080p // Manjaro KDE (ARM)

NAS:

Spoiler

Home NAS: Pentium G4400 @3.3 // Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 // 2x 4GB DDR4 2400 // Intel HD Graphics // Kingston A400 120GB SSD // 3x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200 HDDs in RAID-Z // Cooler Master Silent Pro M 1000w PSU // Antec Performance Plus 1080AMG // FreeNAS OS

 

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Which is now an empty Node. :P

D:

Why?

I cri...

"an obvious supporter of privacy"

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D:

Why?

I cri...

 

Why? Because upgrades: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/b/wjkTwP ;)

 

Don't you miss the Node? 

 

Still kinda regret selling mine 

 

Do I miss the Node? Yes and no. I miss the small size, practical layout and clean design. But I don't miss the poor airflow and high temps. It was great for my first "modern" gaming PC and has suited me well for the past 1.5 years, but as new hardware is on the horizon, I've realized the Node (or any mini-ITX system) really limits your options. That's one of the main reasons I decided to upgrade to ATX with Crossfire/SLI support. That and everything runs 10+ degrees cooler in the S340. lol ;) 

 

Can't really sell it as I've removed the fans to use in other builds and also "customized" it by adding an extra vent near the back at the top with an 80mm blue LED fan, just above the GPU. Might use it again one day. Never know...

My Systems:

Main - Work + Gaming:

Spoiler

Woodland Raven: Ryzen 2700X // AMD Wraith RGB // Asus Prime X570-P // G.Skill 2x 8GB 3600MHz DDR4 // Radeon RX Vega 56 // Crucial P1 NVMe 1TB M.2 SSD // Deepcool DQ650-M // chassis build in progress // Windows 10 // Thrustmaster TMX + G27 pedals & shifter

F@H Rig:

Spoiler

FX-8350 // Deepcool Neptwin // MSI 970 Gaming // AData 2x 4GB 1600 DDR3 // 2x Gigabyte RX-570 4G's // Samsung 840 120GB SSD // Cooler Master V650 // Windows 10

 

HTPC:

Spoiler

SNES PC (HTPC): i3-4150 @3.5 // Gigabyte GA-H87N-Wifi // G.Skill 2x 4GB DDR3 1600 // Asus Dual GTX 1050Ti 4GB OC // AData SP600 128GB SSD // Pico 160XT PSU // Custom SNES Enclosure // 55" LG LED 1080p TV  // Logitech wireless touchpad-keyboard // Windows 10 // Build Log

Laptops:

Spoiler

MY DAILY: Lenovo ThinkPad T410 // 14" 1440x900 // i5-540M 2.5GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD iGPU + Quadro NVS 3100M 512MB dGPU // 2x4GB DDR3L 1066 // Mushkin Triactor 480GB SSD // Windows 10

 

WIFE'S: Dell Latitude E5450 // 14" 1366x768 // i5-5300U 2.3GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD5500 // 2x4GB RAM DDR3L 1600 // 500GB 7200 HDD // Linux Mint 19.3 Cinnamon

 

EXPERIMENTAL: Pinebook // 11.6" 1080p // Manjaro KDE (ARM)

NAS:

Spoiler

Home NAS: Pentium G4400 @3.3 // Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 // 2x 4GB DDR4 2400 // Intel HD Graphics // Kingston A400 120GB SSD // 3x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200 HDDs in RAID-Z // Cooler Master Silent Pro M 1000w PSU // Antec Performance Plus 1080AMG // FreeNAS OS

 

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To make it a real sleeper why not just hollow out an old Gateway CRT monitor, remove the bezel of you current monitor, and call it an all-in-one?

Future build log anyone?

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I see this idea going places

i-see-what-you-did-there.png

My Systems:

Main - Work + Gaming:

Spoiler

Woodland Raven: Ryzen 2700X // AMD Wraith RGB // Asus Prime X570-P // G.Skill 2x 8GB 3600MHz DDR4 // Radeon RX Vega 56 // Crucial P1 NVMe 1TB M.2 SSD // Deepcool DQ650-M // chassis build in progress // Windows 10 // Thrustmaster TMX + G27 pedals & shifter

F@H Rig:

Spoiler

FX-8350 // Deepcool Neptwin // MSI 970 Gaming // AData 2x 4GB 1600 DDR3 // 2x Gigabyte RX-570 4G's // Samsung 840 120GB SSD // Cooler Master V650 // Windows 10

 

HTPC:

Spoiler

SNES PC (HTPC): i3-4150 @3.5 // Gigabyte GA-H87N-Wifi // G.Skill 2x 4GB DDR3 1600 // Asus Dual GTX 1050Ti 4GB OC // AData SP600 128GB SSD // Pico 160XT PSU // Custom SNES Enclosure // 55" LG LED 1080p TV  // Logitech wireless touchpad-keyboard // Windows 10 // Build Log

Laptops:

Spoiler

MY DAILY: Lenovo ThinkPad T410 // 14" 1440x900 // i5-540M 2.5GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD iGPU + Quadro NVS 3100M 512MB dGPU // 2x4GB DDR3L 1066 // Mushkin Triactor 480GB SSD // Windows 10

 

WIFE'S: Dell Latitude E5450 // 14" 1366x768 // i5-5300U 2.3GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD5500 // 2x4GB RAM DDR3L 1600 // 500GB 7200 HDD // Linux Mint 19.3 Cinnamon

 

EXPERIMENTAL: Pinebook // 11.6" 1080p // Manjaro KDE (ARM)

NAS:

Spoiler

Home NAS: Pentium G4400 @3.3 // Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 // 2x 4GB DDR4 2400 // Intel HD Graphics // Kingston A400 120GB SSD // 3x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200 HDDs in RAID-Z // Cooler Master Silent Pro M 1000w PSU // Antec Performance Plus 1080AMG // FreeNAS OS

 

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Started test-fitting all the components last night. Everything fits pretty well with the exception of two cables; the front panel USB 2.0 and the PWRSW/PWRLED/HDDLED header cable - both of which I'll have to get extensions for. I partially blame the mini-ITX motherboard and it's odd layout for all the headers. No biggy. 

 

Got everything in and decided to move the HDD mounting location. The standard mounting has it in that removable 'cage' which takes up a good chunk of the interior space and could make airflow a problem as it blocks the possibility of mounting an intake fan or rad at the front. So I removed the "HP pocket media drive bay" apparatus and slid the HDD in there. Made everything look much cleaner and easier to work with.

 

After that I started planning out the cable routing/management. I know some people hate doing cable management, but I actually really enjoy it. It's one of my favorite parts of building a PC as it can have a huge impact on how the final assembly looks and can make it much easier to work with. I've figured out where to route the CPU 12v cable, 24-pin main cable and PCIe cables for the GPU, thus far, to keep everything looking nice and tidy, but that's as far as I've gone at this point. I'm taking my time with this to try and make it as clean as possible.

 

Still need to figure out where all the fans could be mounted and how many. Already mounted the Fractal 92mm for exhaust. I will be customizing the lower front of the frame to mount a 120mm fan/rad for the H55, but the PSU and GPU still need fresh air from somewhere. Might try and figure out how to mount another fan inside the dual optical drive bays, directing air down in between the PSU and GPU, but unless the drive bay doors can be cracked open a bit, it may starve a little... hmmm... 

 

Anyways, for now, I've pulled everything back out to prep for the next step which you'll just have to wait and see (not giving any hints ;) ).

 

Pics:

IMG_20150514_215446_zpslpi6ucbn.jpg

IMG_20150514_215645_zpsdcuqhmkl.jpg

 

I could stare at this GPU all day. One of the best looking GPU cooler designs of all-time, IMO:

IMG_20150514_215652_zpsk6brstj8.jpg

IMG_20150514_215700_zpshaftdfit.jpg

 

So close....

IMG_20150514_221701_zpswmotxf0b.jpg

 

The cable clutter... it bothers me so. :P

IMG_20150514_222150_zpsrnrbpuyy.jpg

IMG_20150514_222207_zpshiolhas0.jpg

 

(Marley snoozing in the background...)

IMG_20150514_222434_zpsjoz778qn.jpg

 

Commander Riker approves of the PCIe cable clearance. :P

IMG_20150514_222506_zpstvjxurma.jpg

IMG_20150514_223350_zpsn0w7mnic.jpg

 

Starting to look like something... and June wanted to see what I was up to. "Why you sitting on the floor, dad?" :P

IMG_20150514_223516_zpsnjpc3pw3.jpg

 

Didn't like the HDD cage and cable clutter, so out came the cage and moved the HDD to it's new home:

IMG_20150514_230606_zpsh0kqwt9v.jpg

IMG_20150514_233503_zpsp3wvi2v8.jpg

 

CPU power cable routing:

IMG_20150514_235644_zpszgob7rou.jpg

 

GPU PCIe cable routing (not finished):

IMG_20150514_235650_zps6q6fuze9.jpg

 

 

Definitely much better with that HDD cage removed:

IMG_20150514_235701_zpssfvfiran.jpg

 

Shot of work in progress and desk area. Watching the Awesome Hardware show with Kyle & Paul while working:

IMG_20150515_000010_zpsektvbpjt.jpg

 

Much more to come... Thanks for following. :)

My Systems:

Main - Work + Gaming:

Spoiler

Woodland Raven: Ryzen 2700X // AMD Wraith RGB // Asus Prime X570-P // G.Skill 2x 8GB 3600MHz DDR4 // Radeon RX Vega 56 // Crucial P1 NVMe 1TB M.2 SSD // Deepcool DQ650-M // chassis build in progress // Windows 10 // Thrustmaster TMX + G27 pedals & shifter

F@H Rig:

Spoiler

FX-8350 // Deepcool Neptwin // MSI 970 Gaming // AData 2x 4GB 1600 DDR3 // 2x Gigabyte RX-570 4G's // Samsung 840 120GB SSD // Cooler Master V650 // Windows 10

 

HTPC:

Spoiler

SNES PC (HTPC): i3-4150 @3.5 // Gigabyte GA-H87N-Wifi // G.Skill 2x 4GB DDR3 1600 // Asus Dual GTX 1050Ti 4GB OC // AData SP600 128GB SSD // Pico 160XT PSU // Custom SNES Enclosure // 55" LG LED 1080p TV  // Logitech wireless touchpad-keyboard // Windows 10 // Build Log

Laptops:

Spoiler

MY DAILY: Lenovo ThinkPad T410 // 14" 1440x900 // i5-540M 2.5GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD iGPU + Quadro NVS 3100M 512MB dGPU // 2x4GB DDR3L 1066 // Mushkin Triactor 480GB SSD // Windows 10

 

WIFE'S: Dell Latitude E5450 // 14" 1366x768 // i5-5300U 2.3GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD5500 // 2x4GB RAM DDR3L 1600 // 500GB 7200 HDD // Linux Mint 19.3 Cinnamon

 

EXPERIMENTAL: Pinebook // 11.6" 1080p // Manjaro KDE (ARM)

NAS:

Spoiler

Home NAS: Pentium G4400 @3.3 // Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 // 2x 4GB DDR4 2400 // Intel HD Graphics // Kingston A400 120GB SSD // 3x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200 HDDs in RAID-Z // Cooler Master Silent Pro M 1000w PSU // Antec Performance Plus 1080AMG // FreeNAS OS

 

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Hnnng, G27. I can not get my paycheck and then get it put into PayPal fast enough.

Main rig on profile

VAULT - File Server

Spoiler

Intel Core i5 11400 w/ Shadow Rock LP, 2x16GB SP GAMING 3200MHz CL16, ASUS PRIME Z590-A, 2x LSI 9211-8i, Fractal Define 7, 256GB Team MP33, 3x 6TB WD Red Pro (general storage), 3x 1TB Seagate Barracuda (dumping ground), 3x 8TB WD White-Label (Plex) (all 3 arrays in their respective Windows Parity storage spaces), Corsair RM750x, Windows 11 Education

Sleeper HP Pavilion A6137C

Spoiler

Intel Core i7 6700K @ 4.4GHz, 4x8GB G.SKILL Ares 1800MHz CL10, ASUS Z170M-E D3, 128GB Team MP33, 1TB Seagate Barracuda, 320GB Samsung Spinpoint (for video capture), MSI GTX 970 100ME, EVGA 650G1, Windows 10 Pro

Mac Mini (Late 2020)

Spoiler

Apple M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB, macOS Sonoma

Consoles: Softmodded 1.4 Xbox w/ 500GB HDD, Xbox 360 Elite 120GB Falcon, XB1X w/2TB MX500, Xbox Series X, PS1 1001, PS2 Slim 70000 w/ FreeMcBoot, PS4 Pro 7015B 1TB (retired), PS5 Digital, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo Wii RVL-001 (black)

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ok this thread has just inspired me to take apart my grandmas and soon my parents (same exact computer as this) and make a sleeper out of them! this is a really cool project! and one question, what power supply is that? it looks badass keep it up!

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ok this thread has just inspired me to take apart my grandmas and soon my parents (same exact computer as this) and make a sleeper out of them! this is a really cool project! and one question, what power supply is that? it looks badass keep it up!

 

Thanks. :) And yeah, you should totally do it! :D I'm a car guy through and through and love the idea of "sleepers" (crappy/slow looking cars that are much faster than they look). Just the same with PCs. ;)

 

Full system spec list is in the first post. The PSU is an Enermax Infiniti 720w 80+ semi-modular. Picked it up for $40 a few months ago. Little bit over-kill, but meh. :P 

My Systems:

Main - Work + Gaming:

Spoiler

Woodland Raven: Ryzen 2700X // AMD Wraith RGB // Asus Prime X570-P // G.Skill 2x 8GB 3600MHz DDR4 // Radeon RX Vega 56 // Crucial P1 NVMe 1TB M.2 SSD // Deepcool DQ650-M // chassis build in progress // Windows 10 // Thrustmaster TMX + G27 pedals & shifter

F@H Rig:

Spoiler

FX-8350 // Deepcool Neptwin // MSI 970 Gaming // AData 2x 4GB 1600 DDR3 // 2x Gigabyte RX-570 4G's // Samsung 840 120GB SSD // Cooler Master V650 // Windows 10

 

HTPC:

Spoiler

SNES PC (HTPC): i3-4150 @3.5 // Gigabyte GA-H87N-Wifi // G.Skill 2x 4GB DDR3 1600 // Asus Dual GTX 1050Ti 4GB OC // AData SP600 128GB SSD // Pico 160XT PSU // Custom SNES Enclosure // 55" LG LED 1080p TV  // Logitech wireless touchpad-keyboard // Windows 10 // Build Log

Laptops:

Spoiler

MY DAILY: Lenovo ThinkPad T410 // 14" 1440x900 // i5-540M 2.5GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD iGPU + Quadro NVS 3100M 512MB dGPU // 2x4GB DDR3L 1066 // Mushkin Triactor 480GB SSD // Windows 10

 

WIFE'S: Dell Latitude E5450 // 14" 1366x768 // i5-5300U 2.3GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD5500 // 2x4GB RAM DDR3L 1600 // 500GB 7200 HDD // Linux Mint 19.3 Cinnamon

 

EXPERIMENTAL: Pinebook // 11.6" 1080p // Manjaro KDE (ARM)

NAS:

Spoiler

Home NAS: Pentium G4400 @3.3 // Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 // 2x 4GB DDR4 2400 // Intel HD Graphics // Kingston A400 120GB SSD // 3x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200 HDDs in RAID-Z // Cooler Master Silent Pro M 1000w PSU // Antec Performance Plus 1080AMG // FreeNAS OS

 

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Picked up a few things today...

 

IMG_20150515_130228_zpshskzexj1.jpg

 

IMG_20150515_130526_zpse0ctijid.jpg

My Systems:

Main - Work + Gaming:

Spoiler

Woodland Raven: Ryzen 2700X // AMD Wraith RGB // Asus Prime X570-P // G.Skill 2x 8GB 3600MHz DDR4 // Radeon RX Vega 56 // Crucial P1 NVMe 1TB M.2 SSD // Deepcool DQ650-M // chassis build in progress // Windows 10 // Thrustmaster TMX + G27 pedals & shifter

F@H Rig:

Spoiler

FX-8350 // Deepcool Neptwin // MSI 970 Gaming // AData 2x 4GB 1600 DDR3 // 2x Gigabyte RX-570 4G's // Samsung 840 120GB SSD // Cooler Master V650 // Windows 10

 

HTPC:

Spoiler

SNES PC (HTPC): i3-4150 @3.5 // Gigabyte GA-H87N-Wifi // G.Skill 2x 4GB DDR3 1600 // Asus Dual GTX 1050Ti 4GB OC // AData SP600 128GB SSD // Pico 160XT PSU // Custom SNES Enclosure // 55" LG LED 1080p TV  // Logitech wireless touchpad-keyboard // Windows 10 // Build Log

Laptops:

Spoiler

MY DAILY: Lenovo ThinkPad T410 // 14" 1440x900 // i5-540M 2.5GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD iGPU + Quadro NVS 3100M 512MB dGPU // 2x4GB DDR3L 1066 // Mushkin Triactor 480GB SSD // Windows 10

 

WIFE'S: Dell Latitude E5450 // 14" 1366x768 // i5-5300U 2.3GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD5500 // 2x4GB RAM DDR3L 1600 // 500GB 7200 HDD // Linux Mint 19.3 Cinnamon

 

EXPERIMENTAL: Pinebook // 11.6" 1080p // Manjaro KDE (ARM)

NAS:

Spoiler

Home NAS: Pentium G4400 @3.3 // Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 // 2x 4GB DDR4 2400 // Intel HD Graphics // Kingston A400 120GB SSD // 3x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200 HDDs in RAID-Z // Cooler Master Silent Pro M 1000w PSU // Antec Performance Plus 1080AMG // FreeNAS OS

 

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Nooooo not a handle >< Hate the look of them sorry ;p, but it wouldn't be portable otherwise xD 

 

You know what? I agree with you on the look of handles. :P

 

I need to be able to carry it around easily, but now you've got me thinking... Thinking of other ways I could incorporate a handle or two with out compromising the overall "look" of the build.... hmmm... *sound of gears grinding*  

My Systems:

Main - Work + Gaming:

Spoiler

Woodland Raven: Ryzen 2700X // AMD Wraith RGB // Asus Prime X570-P // G.Skill 2x 8GB 3600MHz DDR4 // Radeon RX Vega 56 // Crucial P1 NVMe 1TB M.2 SSD // Deepcool DQ650-M // chassis build in progress // Windows 10 // Thrustmaster TMX + G27 pedals & shifter

F@H Rig:

Spoiler

FX-8350 // Deepcool Neptwin // MSI 970 Gaming // AData 2x 4GB 1600 DDR3 // 2x Gigabyte RX-570 4G's // Samsung 840 120GB SSD // Cooler Master V650 // Windows 10

 

HTPC:

Spoiler

SNES PC (HTPC): i3-4150 @3.5 // Gigabyte GA-H87N-Wifi // G.Skill 2x 4GB DDR3 1600 // Asus Dual GTX 1050Ti 4GB OC // AData SP600 128GB SSD // Pico 160XT PSU // Custom SNES Enclosure // 55" LG LED 1080p TV  // Logitech wireless touchpad-keyboard // Windows 10 // Build Log

Laptops:

Spoiler

MY DAILY: Lenovo ThinkPad T410 // 14" 1440x900 // i5-540M 2.5GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD iGPU + Quadro NVS 3100M 512MB dGPU // 2x4GB DDR3L 1066 // Mushkin Triactor 480GB SSD // Windows 10

 

WIFE'S: Dell Latitude E5450 // 14" 1366x768 // i5-5300U 2.3GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD5500 // 2x4GB RAM DDR3L 1600 // 500GB 7200 HDD // Linux Mint 19.3 Cinnamon

 

EXPERIMENTAL: Pinebook // 11.6" 1080p // Manjaro KDE (ARM)

NAS:

Spoiler

Home NAS: Pentium G4400 @3.3 // Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 // 2x 4GB DDR4 2400 // Intel HD Graphics // Kingston A400 120GB SSD // 3x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200 HDDs in RAID-Z // Cooler Master Silent Pro M 1000w PSU // Antec Performance Plus 1080AMG // FreeNAS OS

 

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You know what? I agree with you on the look of handles. :P

 

I need to be able to carry it around easily, but now you've got me thinking... Thinking of other ways I could incorporate a handle or two with out compromising the overall "look" of the build.... hmmm... *sound of gears grinding*  

 

Why don't you make a handle like you find on beer crates (just plain translated it from dutch ^^) like this

product%20grolschkrat.jpg

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Why don't you make a handle like you find on beer crates (just plain translated it from dutch ^^) like this

product%20grolschkrat.jpg

 

Yeah, I was thinking of doing something like that, but I might do it in the top because I want to be able to carry it with one hand. 

My Systems:

Main - Work + Gaming:

Spoiler

Woodland Raven: Ryzen 2700X // AMD Wraith RGB // Asus Prime X570-P // G.Skill 2x 8GB 3600MHz DDR4 // Radeon RX Vega 56 // Crucial P1 NVMe 1TB M.2 SSD // Deepcool DQ650-M // chassis build in progress // Windows 10 // Thrustmaster TMX + G27 pedals & shifter

F@H Rig:

Spoiler

FX-8350 // Deepcool Neptwin // MSI 970 Gaming // AData 2x 4GB 1600 DDR3 // 2x Gigabyte RX-570 4G's // Samsung 840 120GB SSD // Cooler Master V650 // Windows 10

 

HTPC:

Spoiler

SNES PC (HTPC): i3-4150 @3.5 // Gigabyte GA-H87N-Wifi // G.Skill 2x 4GB DDR3 1600 // Asus Dual GTX 1050Ti 4GB OC // AData SP600 128GB SSD // Pico 160XT PSU // Custom SNES Enclosure // 55" LG LED 1080p TV  // Logitech wireless touchpad-keyboard // Windows 10 // Build Log

Laptops:

Spoiler

MY DAILY: Lenovo ThinkPad T410 // 14" 1440x900 // i5-540M 2.5GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD iGPU + Quadro NVS 3100M 512MB dGPU // 2x4GB DDR3L 1066 // Mushkin Triactor 480GB SSD // Windows 10

 

WIFE'S: Dell Latitude E5450 // 14" 1366x768 // i5-5300U 2.3GHz Dual-Core HT // Intel HD5500 // 2x4GB RAM DDR3L 1600 // 500GB 7200 HDD // Linux Mint 19.3 Cinnamon

 

EXPERIMENTAL: Pinebook // 11.6" 1080p // Manjaro KDE (ARM)

NAS:

Spoiler

Home NAS: Pentium G4400 @3.3 // Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 // 2x 4GB DDR4 2400 // Intel HD Graphics // Kingston A400 120GB SSD // 3x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200 HDDs in RAID-Z // Cooler Master Silent Pro M 1000w PSU // Antec Performance Plus 1080AMG // FreeNAS OS

 

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