[FINISHED!] [Thanks for 5k!] A budget build with custom cable management: Project [BBB], The Badass Bargain Build!

[Liamerzz]

one more day..

[Cheezzzus]

Wow guys... over TWO THOUSAND VIEWS! Thank you so much! And now It's time for a butload of pictures to finish this build log!

 

So one of the first things to do was to make sure to be able to attach the cable box to the case.

 

 

After this I got all my parts ready for assembly

 

 

Then I installed the PSU. (sorry for blurry pic)

 

Those cables... it hurts my eyes

 

And now it was time to start the harsh job of getting the boxes in place and getting the cables through the tubing. Some of the cable were such a pain to get through the tubing *ahum*24-pin*ahum* And the front panel connectors for the status LED's were to short to fit through the tubing. Also there was no more room in the tube to get the cable from the front 120 mm fan through.

 

 

I pulled the cables through the tubing using metal wire, as seen on this picture

 

 

 

After all this work i got the tubing out of the way to fit the motherboard in.

 

 

 

Then I could finally plug all the cables into the motherboard, damn those front panel connectors!

 

 

 

 

Now to see wether i connected all the cables correctly. The system booted but instead of going into windows it went to the BIOS where i saw this

 

fuck

 

I wasn't happy at all with this, cause i though I would have to remove one of the cable boxes to acces the SSD. Luckely i realised in time that there might be one other way to access it! Took off the front panel, and thank god that this case has a removable tray for a SSD or HDD up there...

 

 

After removing the tray the problem became evident.

 

 

The sata cable must have come loose during getting that damn 24-pin through the tubing. Anyway after reconnecting it and installing it back in place the system booted into windows 7.

 

a as-ghetto-as-it-gets test system

 

Ofcourse I had to play "wildlife in HD" one of the must-do's in windows 7!

 

 

This actually reminded me I still had to install most of the drivers. 

 

After this I noticed some of the paint on the tubing was missing (I did not use plastics paint, this is still a budget build ) So i just had to repaint it...

 

eww

 

that's better

 

The next day after I got home from university I did the photoshoot of the case in daylight (pictures further down the thread). Afterwards I closed everything off and installed the pc in my mothers "office".

 

[bBB] in its natural habitat

 

Oh and here's a picture of my mothers old pc:

 

 

After booting up I went into the BIOS to check if all the settings were as i desired. Ofcourse they weren't.

 

First off I had to change the fan profiles. 

 

 

This machine was running at almost ambient temps with the fans at max as you can see, after I changed the profile and waiting half an hour the temps became a bit higher and still very cool.

 

 

But then I checked the RAM, and it was only running at 1066 mhz THE HORROR!

 

 

Ofcourse I quickly changed this to 1600 and it's all working like a charm now.

 

After installing all the needed drivers and some needed software(CCleaner, auslogic disk defrag, malwarebytes etc) I decided to do some benchmarks. Sadly I'm having trouble with DirectX atm as it will simply not work. This apu should be able to run DirectX programs though. I'll try reinstalling drivers later. 

 

But before the results... ITS PICTURE TIME!

 

 

 

 

Just kidding here are the actual pictures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you enjoyed this build log and now the final three pictures are just a size comparisons with my htc One X to show how small this case actually is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the moment I'm still doing some benchmarks, I already completed a few runs for the SSD benchmark and I completed the passmark (performance test 8) I'll post the results once I get DirectX to work. If you guys want to see other benchmarks feel free to leave a reply!

 

 

Once again, thanks for all the support I've gotten and for the amazing amount of views this already has! I hope you enjoyed this build log and are happy with the end result. And maybe, just maybe I might do something like this again somewhere in the future

 

 

~Cheezzzus

[Cheezzzus]

Alright guys finally got the drivers to work. I couldnt get the drivers from the AMD website, I actually had to grab them from the Asrock website... lol Anyway will be doing some more benchmarks in a bit, right now I'm having one more problem and that's the memory. Its performing like ddr2-800 while it is ddr3 1600... anyone any clue on this one?

[Guest Kefuren]

Looks very nice, the cable tubes make it look neat and tidy.

[cliodude1]

Wow! That is a really clever build! I'm soo impressed  

[Homicidium]

It's just soooo weird!

I love it

[Cheezzzus]

Looks very nice, the cable tubes make it look neat and tidy.

 

 

Wow! That is a really clever build! I'm soo impressed

 

 

It's just soooo weird!

I love it

 

Haha thanks guys, really means a lot to me! I'll be posting some benchmark results tomorrow

 

And holy balls the great Alpenwasser liked this post! I feel so humbled

[Liamerzz]

great build, well done !

[JLCitadel]

Alright guys finally got the drivers to work. I couldnt get the drivers from the AMD website, I actually had to grab them from the Asrock website... lol Anyway will be doing some more benchmarks in a bit, right now I'm having one more problem and that's the memory. Its performing like ddr2-800 while it is ddr3 1600... anyone any clue on this one?

 

I had a little idea for you, for the white covers, doing a design in them to make it seem less blocky, like 3 horizontal lines spaced out a inch apart and half inch thick. you get the point, but this is a great clean build, i vote this for BL of the week.

[Cheezzzus]

I had a little idea for you, for the white covers, doing a design in them to make it seem less blocky, like 3 horizontal lines spaced out a inch apart and half inch thick. you get the point, but this is a great clean build, i vote this for BL of the week.

 

yes, I actually thought of that haha you know what they say "great minds think alike" But as this is a budget build that plan would have cost me more money. I would have had to buy some black paint for that and that would've cost me 15 extra euros. Plus If i wanted to make it really awesome I would have worked with aluminium and bought a dremel to make the inside even more streamlined.

 

Just wanted to test my creativity out on a pc (this is my first actual mod on a pc ) and prove that you can make a cheap and clean pc.

 

And thanks so much that you think this is BL of the week worthy, I would fanboy a bit if that were to happen...

[andrevautour]

Neat idea. I don't think I've ever seen this before! Good log

[Negraxen]

I hope this doesn't come off as invasive or aggressive, but this looks hideous to me. However, taking into account that it's a "bargain" build, I suppose it's not THAT bad. If it works for you and you're happy, it isn't a bad computer. I personally would've preferred to leave the cables as is if you're not sleeving, and maybe paint some things on the white boxes, whether they be geometric or more so artistic. Again, nice nonetheless if you're happy with it. 

[Cheezzzus]

I hope this doesn't come off as invasive or aggressive, but this looks hideous to me. However, taking into account that it's a "bargain" build, I suppose it's not THAT bad. If it works for you and you're happy, it isn't a bad computer. I personally would've preferred to leave the cables as is if you're not sleeving, and maybe paint some things on the white boxes, whether they be geometric or more so artistic. Again, nice nonetheless if you're happy with it.

Don't worry, I value every opinion and a spoken out one is much better than a simple like or dislike. Getting the same reaction from everyone doesn't help me forward, reactions like these help me evaluate better. Although I wouldnt use the term "hideous" its still the way you see it, wether I agree or not.

I personally like this and it looks cleaner (to me) than having all those cables loose. I choose to not paint anything on the boxes for reasons I explained a reply earlier. And I preferred the contrast between solid white and black. One thing is hideous to me and that is the brown pcb (my eyes! It burns!) But the other boards in this price range with the features I needed looked even worse lol.

On a last note this has been a good practice to me and ill definitely do another build log once I have money to make an actual beast machine

[Cheezzzus]

I hope this doesn't come off as invasive or aggressive, but this looks hideous to me. However, taking into account that it's a "bargain" build, I suppose it's not THAT bad. If it works for you and you're happy, it isn't a bad computer. I personally would've preferred to leave the cables as is if you're not sleeving, and maybe paint some things on the white boxes, whether they be geometric or more so artistic. Again, nice nonetheless if you're happy with it.

Also just noticed you're new here: Welcome to the linusTechTips forum!

Great build logs to check out are the dark knight pc and Helios, they will make you cry... In a good way

[alpenwasser]

If I ever stumble upon anyone claiming that you need a huge budget to make a

nice mod I shall point them to this log for a counter-argument. The PCB actually

doesn't look too bad to me, at least on the photos. And while I've never been a

huge fan of those kinds of bendy tubes, I actually like how they look here because

you've routed them so neatly (straight lines with 90 degree bends, not just a random

criss-cross inside the case).

So, thumbs up from me! (seriously, how do we not have a thumbs up emoticon?!)

[crocski]

very impressive indeed. would of like to see some decals on those boxes, but the case is gonna be closed anyway. Nice work!

[JLCitadel]

yes, I actually thought of that haha you know what they say "great minds think alike" But as this is a budget build that plan would have cost me more money. I would have had to buy some black paint for that and that would've cost me 15 extra euros. Plus If i wanted to make it really awesome I would have worked with aluminium and bought a dremel to make the inside even more streamlined.

 

Just wanted to test my creativity out on a pc (this is my first actual mod on a pc ) and prove that you can make a cheap and clean pc.

 

And thanks so much that you think this is BL of the week worthy, I would fanboy a bit if that were to happen...

 

your cable management system is a little ingenious, i love how you handled it.

[JoeyLuckey]

I just recently built one of this budget systems for my grandparents with an exception of a hard drive instead of ssd, the love it and it does anything a normal consumer could throw at it! (Cheaper than a box pc at Best Buy)

[Giddyguy]

Good money management! But it's a bit of a sketchy PSU. Also, my WD black boots faster than that SSD. Does that mobo have 6 gb/s SATA on there? if it does make sure it is plugged into one of those

He really isn't running anything that power-demanding (no graphics card too!) nor is going to be using the computer very intensely so the generic psu is perfectly fine.

 

As for OS, i don't see what the issue is with windows? Unless your mom has experience with Linux and likes it better, i would just put win 7. Its easy to use and has a bunch of support.

[l34therf34thers]

Last update for the day guys

 

I drew out all the cutting lines on the plywood:

 

IMAG0589.jpg

 

after this I got ready to cut everything out nicely:

 

IMAG0590.jpg

 

IMAG0591.jpg

look at it, so nicely cut (Oh god i need a tripod and a decent camera)

 

Now the best part of the day... sanding ._.

 

Before:

 

IMAG0592.jpg

this is why you need to sand plywood after cutting

 

After:

 

IMAG0595.jpg

smooth as a babys bum 

 

IMAG0596.jpg

 

I also tried bending the tubes (which was 50-50 according to my co-worker) as this was 19 mm and 16 mm is what the bending spring is ment for. So this is what happened:

 

IMAG0597.jpg

 

Not that pretty, right? I'll go back to the store tomorrow and buy some decent bendable tubes, these were only a 1 or 2 bucks

 

So I also decided not to spray paint, but to paint everything regularly. When I'm getting new tubes I'll also get some normal blue and white paint to make this thing gorgeous!

 

I hope to be able to get some more progress tomorrow than just buying some more supplies, but I can't guarantee you that. This week university is really kicking in, but i hope to deliver some more updates by atleast the next weekend!

 

 

Stay tuned

 

 

~Cheezzzus

You have to heat them. 

[Cheezzzus]

You have to heat them.

And you need a bigger bending spring, if I would've heated these it would have become even worse due to the non evenly distributed pressure from the spring. But thanks for trying to help anyway

[Lord Pantaloons]

cool

[Cheezzzus]

cool

 

hot

 

 

He really isn't running anything that power-demanding (no graphics card too!) nor is going to be using the computer very intensely so the generic psu is perfectly fine.

 

As for OS, i don't see what the issue is with windows? Unless your mom has experience with Linux and likes it better, i would just put win 7. Its easy to use and has a bunch of support.

 

Indeed I'm probably keeping win7 on it cause I know that will work for everything she

needs ^^

 

 

I just recently built one of this budget systems for my grandparents with an exception of a hard drive instead of ssd, the love it and it does anything a normal consumer could throw at it! (Cheaper than a box pc at Best Buy)

 

It feels awesome doesnt it? Making something cheap that does exactly what you need

it to do! I actually build my gaming rig for next to nothing. I spend around 300 euros

thanks to the awesome second-hand market and it runs crysis 3 without a problem

(check the link in my signature). Sadly it isnt that good for editing, which I do more than

gaming nowadays lol.

 

 

your cable management system is a little ingenious, i love how you handled it.

 

Thank you so much! One of the biggest compliments I've had on this build

 

 

very impressive indeed. would of like to see some decals on those boxes, but the case is gonna be closed anyway. Nice work!

 

Happy to have impressed you A lot of people are asking about those decals yea,

I might do it sometime on this build or a future build. But for now I prefer the big planes

of white and black contrasting each other

 

 

 

Neat idea. I don't think I've ever seen this before! Good log

 

I´m happy to have build something unique, although I think i could have executed it better with a bigger budget Thanks!

 

 

If I ever stumble upon anyone claiming that you need a huge budget to make a

nice mod I shall point them to this log for a counter-argument. The PCB actually

doesn't look too bad to me, at least on the photos. And while I've never been a

huge fan of those kinds of bendy tubes, I actually like how they look here because

you've routed them so neatly (straight lines with 90 degree bends, not just a random

criss-cross inside the case).

So, thumbs up from me! (seriously, how do we not have a thumbs up emoticon?!)

 

Wow. just wow. Thanks man, this means the world to me! (especially coming from you ).

Yea I've got a bit of the perfectionistic traits so I would have killed myself if the tubing

wasnt need enough haha. The PCB only looks like crap (literary) when in direct bright

light, otherwise its fine. That's why i choose it above my other two options. 

 

And yea we need a thumbs up emoticon... mods?

 

 

ps happy with my spacing?

[alpenwasser]

ps happy with my spacing?

Oh yeah, that's the stuff! *unzip* Right there, that's the spot to put a line break,

that looks sooooo goood!

<censored>

*zip*

Ahem, right, where was I? :lol:

[Cheezzzus]

Oh yeah, that's the stuff! *unzip* Right there, that's the spot to put a line break,

that looks sooooo goood!

<censored>

*zip*

Ahem, right, where was I? :lol:

 

Hahaha I knew you would enjoy it I I'll give you some more of it in this mini update

 

 

So guys I've basically ran a few benchmarks and atm I'm running prime95on the system.

I've also done 30 startup runs and benchmarked using different kinds of startups. One

of them includes loading up the Linus Tech Tips forum at startup. I can already say that

the temperatures are looking pretty good on this stresstest!

 

Meanwhile the case has been "modded" further as my mother has given it her own

personal touch

 

 

I'll be back at you guys with the next update that will include benchmark results and the

startup times put into a nice graph and excell sheet. I guess a build is never really finished.

 

 

~Cheezzzus