Whats up guys! So this is the start of project Desire!
So this project is going to be based around a Corsair 300r. Yes, a small 'budget' case. But my mission is to take a lower end case and fit all the things a high end build would have, and still look tasteful. This build will, eventually, be cooled by a custom water loop. Emphasise on the eventually. I am only a student, therefore rely on earning my money from a part time job: but i am on summer holiday therefore i can work loads and earn the money i need. At least thats the plan.
So as mentioned above, funds are limited. Therefore this project log may stretch for a while. Not years, but maybe months. I am going to start by performing the case mods, because they're the cheapest, and most fun. But i also already have a system for the time being. So at the moment, expect lots of mod updates, and in the future lots of hardware updates.
Below i have put together a list of the components that I plan to use. But this list is subject to change.
The Parts: Case - Corsair 300R Motherboard: Gigabyte z87-UD3H or Asus z87 Sabertooth CPU - Intel Haswell i5 4670K RAM - Corsair Vengeance Pro (So Sexy) PSU - Anything above 700W GPU - Either a 770 or a 670 Storage - Already own a 60gb ocz SSD, either 2x samsunjg 840 120gb pro's or 1x kingston 240gb
Cooling: Cpu Block: EK Supreme LTX Copper Acetal WB GPU Block: EK FC670 CSQ Copper Acetal WB & EK FC670 CSQ Backplate Reservoir: Bitspower Z-Multi 250mm Water Tank Res : Clear Pump: 12V DDC Pump Radiator: XSPC RS360 360mm Rad & XSPC RS240 240mm Rad Tubing: Chromed Copper Pipes
These parts will change, especially the cooling parts, as i cant predict where i will be funds wise and what will best suit my needs.
The original Case: This is a picture of the stock 300R, just incase you havent come across it before.
Overall its a pretty nice case. For £60 you get what you pay for and a little more. When I first bought this case i was like woah £60 is a little dear. I've never paid more than 30. But i don't regret the spend and definitely wouldn't spend a dime less in the future.
I'm not going to write a full review cause theres plenty out there, but its a pretty solid case as far as features go.
The Vision: Now, i'm no sketchup pro, therefore i stayed as far away as possible. Instead i went to what i know, Photoshop. Some of these renders are a little sketchy but they are only to give you an idea of my vision. So here are a couple sketches i've put together of what i intend to do, and a little description to help explain my ideas.
The Front Panel:
So this is my proposed front panel. I am going to use a piece of aluminum to cover the original front panel. There is going to be alot of rounded corners in this build, hence the rounded triangles. So for the mesh im going to use the original front panel mesh on the 300R, because i like the silver corsair logo and want to keep it. For the black acrylic, you guessed it, im going to use an opaque black acrylic. I dont really want this to act as a window, hence the opaque acrylic rather than smoked. Also i am relocating the usb and headphone ports, just because i think they look better on the side.
Side Panel -
So again with the rounded corners. Ive split the window into 2 sections, just because i think it makes it look a bit cooler. Unlike the front acrylic this is going to be smoked. So when the system is off, you cant see in, but when lights are on you can. Up top your probably wondering what is protruding out. Unfortunately, corsair didnt really design this chasis to fit a H100/radiator up top. So instead of just having fans or a rad planted on top, i thought id make a feature out of it. So im going to be using metal spacers to elevate a piece of black acrylic up, and then extend the roof section to accomodate a 360 radiator, currently only holes and space for a 240mm. This elevation technique will also be used on the side panel windows, dont ask why i just think it will look cool.
Theres also some other features that im going to be vague about until actually doing, just because im not 100% on the design yet.
Inside -
So this is ,obviously by far, the most vague render. I couldnt really envision it in photoshop so i thought id go barbones and just show a vague layout. The res placing is almost definite. Unless i come across problems down the line. But the loop, flow etc is all just ideas. I am going to use alu or acrylic to section off the bottom and front, removing the drive cages and 5.25" bays. This will make room for a 240 in the front.
So those are the main ideas and things that i am going to do. I hope you like! If anyone has any ideas/improvements, please feel free to leave your suggestions down below!
I have already made a start on the front panel and the sectioning of the internals, so expect an update soon!
And heres a rough little render of it all put together:
