Pure(ish) Wood 500

Shch00r · January 4, 2021

Hi all,
Long time lurker, first time project log writer.

As I'm switching platforms from oldie but goldie i4790k to something more modern (Ryzen), I was looking for a new case for it. And mod it obviously.

The premise: I want to incorporate wood into the build. I always liked the aesthetics of wood when it comes to electronic equipment. I totally adore how the 60s and 70s hifi equipment looks like. Couple of years back I made a crude, but pleasantly looking (not only my opinion!) Raspberry Pi case shown below.
http://jurzysta.com/pure500/rpi_2.jpg
http://jurzysta.com/pure500/rpi_1.jpg

My initial idea was to do a scratch build, but I decided it’s a bit too much for my first big project, so I decided to mod an existing case instead.

I always liked Bequiet’s products, so when I got a chance to put my hands on a cheaper Pure Base 500 with a window (purchase return), I didn’t hesitate. I thought for a sec to buy the DX version, but as I’m a cheapskate, I decided to stay with base version as I will be modding it anyway, and the changes are not worth extra money IMHO.

Hardware
MSI B550 Tomahawk
Ryzen 5 3600X
16GB HyperX Predator
Bequiet Dark Rock 4
* MSI 1660Ti GamingX
* Samsung 840 Evo 256 GB
* Samsung 840 Evo 750 GB
* Samsung 970 Evo 1TB
* Bequiet Pure Power 750W
Items marked with asterisk are being transferred from my existing system

Plans
Below is a crude mockup I did in Photoshop to highlight the planned changes to the case:
Front/Top view
Side View

Top vent cover. With Base (non DX) version of the case come 2 covers: mesh and hardtop with triangle cutouts. I plan to recreate it with MDF covered in veneer either with metal mesh (with dust filtering below it) or (if I find someone with laser cutter) with cutouts matching the pattern below, just covering the whole area, not only the back of it.
Front IO. Depending on the construction (I don’t have the case yet) it will be either covered in veneer, or recreated from scratch in solid wood or 3d-printed and then covered in veneer. I’m missing USB-C module, so I plan to add it there too.
PSU Shroud. The plan is to make a custom PSU shroud covered with veneer. I’m not a fan of the fact that the shroud is a tad short and doesn’t reach to the front (minus the thickness of fans obviously).
Custom cabling. Custom extensions with paracord sleeving matching the woodgrain for 24PIN, EPS & VGA cables. I might give a try with fan cables too, but don't have a decent sleeves yet.
Internal cable cover and disk mounting. The plan is to recreate if from acrylic or MDF to improve cable management. No firm decision on this one yet.
ARGB lighting. The DX version of the case has very subtle ARGB LED strip at the top, and 2 slim strips at the front. The inside of the case will likely be lighted similarly to the DX version. Not sure about the front though (see below). No illuminated fans for sure (for now that is). Not a fan or RGB puke.
Front of the case. That’s the unknown zone for now. I kinda like the DX version’s approach, and I definitely want to the case breathe more. I was also thinking of putting some subtle ARGB lights there too. I don’t want to mess with the existing front cover, so I’ll very likely build one from scratch from MDF and the cover it with veneer to match the rest of the elements.
Bottom. I will be wither replacing the legs with wither solid wood, or MDF covered in veneer. Another option is to add additional woodpiece(s) at the bottom, and put everything on hifi feet (like the RPi case above).