HP Pavilion Revamp: Plan B

[QueenDemetria]

Right now I'm in the process of gathering tools and materials for the "big update", but for now I'm still in the planning stages of the case and still deciding what hardware I want to use. I got a new graphics card, its a msi Radeon r7 265, which is essentially a HD7850.

It will be plenty for my needs, that is if I can get the thing to work...

CCC doesn't recognize it, Windows 8 doesn't detect it when trying to "add a device", and the troubleshooter recognizes that hardware changes have been made, but it won't do the things required to finalize the hardware changes... Sigh, but this brings me to the last update for today: Even though I was going to use the love/shitbox as a machine to test Windows 8, I'm done. It ruined my workflow, it ruined any kind of productivity that I had, and it causes more problems than its worth. Seriously, I would rather use a malware infested 32 bit XP(non service pack even) than Windows 8, and this is coming from someone who hates XP with a passion. I have my Windows 7 USB stick ready, just a little busy at the moment, but I need to validate the R7 265 just to make sure that it has no problems. I did put the new card in a Windows 7 machine and it recognized it just fine, its just that I cant properly test it in that machine since it only has an 80w PSU.

 

So enough with my Windows 8 rants, but expect updates for both machines within the next few days. I'm pulling the cooling system out if the HP and temporarily converting it back to air, and I've decided that I want to give that makeshift radiator a try.

 

 

So my single core XP laptop from 2005 would be better?

Your laptop makes my (now) old Inspiron look like a joke. I was considering replacing it with a $30 Latitude D630(a very low spec'd one). Its funny, I was way out of my return period and they still let me return it no questions asked, which I really have to wonder if there was a recall or something on it.

[Decon]

 I did put the new card in a Windows 7 machine and it recognized it just fine, its just that I cant properly test it in that machine since it only has an 80w PSU.

 

What system has a PCIe slot but can run on only an 80w PSU?  My laptop requires an 85w PSU lol

[QueenDemetria]

What system has a PCIe slot but can run on only an 80w PSU?  My laptop requires an 85w PSU lol

My temporary HTPC, it has one of these bad boys:

[QueenDemetria]

Last nights installation of Windows 7 went smoothly, just it took two tries since I'm an idiot. I used my usual USB stick which is loaded with Win7 Home Premium, but for this build I needed Win7 Professional, so yeah I spent an hour installing the wrong OS lol. It was worth it though, not only have I not ran into any glitches*, but my new graphics card recognized within seconds. Actually, there was one glitch, but its just one of those #justamdthings kind of glitches, lol:

 

But anyways, I got off of work early today which means two things: 1, I'm probably going to get canned soon. and 2, its time to get out my tools

I know this $20 case is crap, but with some little "adjustments" I can make it a little less crappy... lol. The front panel is very airflow restrictive, but that can be fixed easily with my Dremel on steroids.

 

Kinda hard to see, but you can see the vent is not much of a vent:

better view from the back side, but eww its dusty:

 

a few trims later aaaand:

 

A little butchered I know, but the results are pretty good:

 

So was it worth it? I have no idea, I haven't done any thermal testing yet. As I'm typing this I can tell the CPU fan is idling with a lower RPM, so hopefully I get the same results under load. Also I did have more stuff planned for today, but my work got cut short when my neighbors came over complaining about the noise. Funny that the party animals are the ones complaining... 

 

If you look back at the first picture(with the tools), you will notice that I have a piece of blue electrical tape covering the power LED. I did this since it was the quickest way of covering up that F***ing bright LED, but the tape reduced the brightness and actually made it look better(not as plasticy), so I thought I would make it look a little better:

tape, light, tape on the light:

and finished:

 

Overall I'm pretty happy with my butchered front panel, its now less annoying and hopefully will increase performance, but that's all I have for now. I have a small list of things that I want to do on the lovebox before I work on the HP again, which I might as well list:

• New HDD cage, the original one is crap.
• potential water cooling, mostly want to test out that ghetto radiator I made.
• more trimming on the case: the fan grills are just terrible. I might also want to add another fan too, and a "cheap as possible" Window mod would be fun.

I won't be able to do any of that^ tomorrow, but I probably can this weekend.

[Frankie]

[Ceatra]

Dem ghetto, gurl!

[QueenDemetria]

Alright, so my plans of working on my PC yesterday got ruined with crappy weather, but luckily I found some time today(which at this point I'm not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing lol). Before I show what I did tonight I just have two things to say: My latest "mod" is going to be a 2 part post, only because of the poor lighting conditions making my pictures look like poop. and 2, I now have a new saying or "motto" for this project: "Creating excellence out of butchery".

 

So uh, prepare your eyes:

So this is the computer before I did anything tonight. My plans for tonight was to switch out the HDD cage since the built in one is just annoying. Its flimsy, has sharp edges, rattles, and best of all isn't actually a HDD cage(Its for floppies but I drilled out the holes to make HDD's fit). My solution is to remove the stock cage and replace it with the one from my NZXT Phanton, since that case really didn't need two HDD cages.

 

Here is just another image before I tore things apart:

 

and here is the entire drive mounting cage removed:

Now, at this point I realized that I was up shit creek without a paddle. I had done no measuring prior to removing the cage, so I guess it wasn't surprising that it wasn't going to fit(my eyeballing math had failed me QQ). My options at this point was to say "F*** it" and use a different case, or spend wayyy too long thinking about how I can make something work. Well, you guys know me, I don't accept "no" as an answer, so here is my genius solution.

 

Here is my new HDD cage, note the mounting hole pattern:

 

And here is my solution, the cringe is real:

^Yes, I drilled holes in the top of the case, and yes hardly any of the holes are actually circle, because QueenDemetria, that's why.

 

And here is the cage finally mounted:

 

I hate to leave you guys hanging, but trust me, the final result is goooood .

Dem ghetto, gurl!

You got that right lol.

[QueenDemetria]

Sometimes I scratch my head and wonder why physics have to be so harsh. I know this case has terrible airflow(which, spoiler: The new HDD cage helps), but I didn't realize it was this bad. Basically, the power supply fan is doing all of the work and in return the 92mm exhaust fan is doing nothing(well, obstructing air flow). The power supply fan is actually sucking air through the exhaust fan, which is just counter intuitive huh? Well, see this nonsense for yourself:

And I thought I was doing the right thing with the TT R1 fan(Insert joke about ThermalFake airflow).

 

So where do I go from here? Turn the (currently) exhaust fan into an intake, of course. Will I also strap a radiator to that fan? maybe, I have to test some things first And as far as scheduling things goes: I shouldn't have to work tomorrow, so I should have time to work on PC's. I need to tear apart the HP in preparation to converting it to full ATX, and I really want to test that silly radiator that I made, so tomorrow might be fun .

[Smooth Bunz]

Updates on fleek!

[QueenDemetria]

And here it is, the shitbox is reborn! Actually, I'm not ready to use that title just yet, but for butchering a $20 case its looking pretty good:

 

Its amazing, the HDD's are now easy to mount, the airflow is even better, and that annoying rattling noise is finally gone! And there is room to manage the cables too:

And for anyone wondering how I remove the HDD's, click here.

 

That's enough shitbox for this post though, lets bring it back to the HP, you know, the computer for what this build log is for lol. Here it is in a very very sad state. Its ugly, the side panel no longer fits(due to a kinked tube) and its extremely dusty from the numerous places I've had this PC(been traveling). Although I am very impressed with it so far, not only has it been keeping up with my heavy workload, but even with its problems its proven to be a very reliable machine.

It is time though to tear it apart. I've decided that I'm going to build the HP the right way, since I actually like it now lol. This means that I will finally make it look good, but I also want the cooling system to look like something that hasn't been "thrown" together, so all of the current stuff has to come out. I'll get new water blocks, radiator(s), etc. at a later time, but for now, its going to be aircooled. Also, time to clean:

Edit: Oh yeah, here is the kinked tube

^grosssssssss. Luckily dust build up was the only thing nasty, the loop was surprisingly clean and nothing was growing in it.

 

And one fix that I've wanted to do for a verrrrry long time: redundant PSU for the RAM Drive:

^Now I can leave my PC off for longer than 4 hours, I can finally sleep with silence!(Other than my loud neighbors)

 

a bunch of undocumented steps later and I have my self a built machine:

It feels kind of.... empty now lol. Actually it runs great, and when I have to tear it apart it will be really easy now(ATX conversion hype!). I really wish I could have used the CM TX3, but I only have one AMD bracket for it and its currently being used on the HP motherboard(the future linux box). Instead I went with a Xigmatek Cobra that I had on hand and basically it will get the job done, but down draft coolers really don't work good in this case(although I have it set up to cool the VRM, so I might try a few extra Mhz lol).

 

I'm just glad that I still have two running computers.... or do I?

^The shitbox is looking a little... empty. Stay tuned, I have some updates coming soon(and prepare your eyes too, I did something very cringe worthy things).

[Frankie]

(and prepare your eyes too, I did something very cringe worthy things).

 

You saying that like that's something new.

 

Btw I was bored and got an idea. And yes, that's a MSI r7 265 PCB.

 

[pckid]

Doesn't this thread want to make anyone else take their old pc out of the closet and put faster / more powerful parts in it?

[flibberdipper]

Doesn't this thread want to make anyone else take their old pc out of the closet and put faster / more powerful parts in it?

I'm putting a dual-PIII system in a 300R, if it counts. Assuming it fits.

[CydiaDash]

This project has come a long way

[iHardware Shelden]

I love these type of builds, built to last

[iHardware Shelden]

Like this? (Was my old case before I got my older case )

[RollinLower]

I'm putting a dual-PIII system in a 300R, if it counts. Assuming it fits.

does it really have to fit to make it work tough?

[flibberdipper]

does it really have to fit to make it work tough?

If there's motherboard touching metal in a bad way... Yes.

[QueenDemetria]

“updates coming soon” Lol I'm funny... So, its been a little while since the last update, but two things have happened since then(excluding my IRL BS): 1, I have done one of the best mods ever and 2, I took the shitbox on a plane(cargo, not carry on) and it survived with the only 'bad' thing happening that was the HDDs sliding out of their slots(so no big deal). 

 

I really wanted to avoid this:

This machine is supposed to be one that can stay assembled until I can finish the HP, but I just couldn't stand my HDD's running at 55c at idle so compromises had to be made. So whats next? Drill four more holes!

What could those be for? They are in a square pattern, and roughly 92mm apart, you aren't... no... don't!

Ouch, why would I do such a thing to a beautiful/sleek looking case? Well, its too soon to judge, I guess I'll wait for the aftermath.

TF is that shit? The hole isn't even round Demetria! What are you doing? And whats that notch for?

So, this is where my attitude changes with this side project. Before, I wanted to keep this case as pristine as possible since even though it was cheap, it at least looked good. But now, form follows function. Most people mount their fans inside of their case, but remember that HDD cage I installed? Well, that takes up all the room, so I had to mount the fan outside of the case. Before you judge, look at it for yourself:

I have to be honest, in person it actually looks pretty good, almost badass. I am breaking the meld of Corsair/Noctua fans and the perfected “elegant” designs that most people follow, but my borderline Mad Max work is turning out be being a thing of beauty.

 

The end.... Actually no, I dun goofed one morning when the power button got stuck on this cheap ass case, things happened so TL;DR its now broken. The correct action would be to replace the button right? Well, I did, kind of, but I didn't want to reuse anything from the original button, so I came up with this instead:

Okay, a hole, in the vent, but why?

Okay, now three holes, still, why? (And yes I am fully aware of the center hole not being centered. I can't use it anyways and its not visible, so calm down )

Ah, buttons and a switch, Interesting...

Okay, now that's just cool. Yep, I went for the stealth button and switch approach. I felt like they would be “too much” if I mounted them in a visible place, and after using it for a few days I'm glad I made this decision. So now I have a power button, a two pole switch(for something that I'm not going to spoil), and a headphone jack, that I have to remove since it gets in the way of literally everything(future project).

But I don't measure anything, adding these things to the front panel couldn't of gone that smoothly. Well, it didn't. You see, the switches stick out too far and either got jammed in the fan or hit the front of the case. Since I have plans that I'm not ready to announce(hue hue hue), I don't mind hacking apart this case for a temporary solution, so here's my fix:

Step 1: Cut that stupid fan grill out:

I hated this thing, cutting it out felt to good, but as you can see from the Sharpie I'm not done just quite yet:

There we go, finished. I can now fit the front panel on with nothing getting in the way, and I removed some of the restriction so my GPU can finally breathe(spoiler, not fixed). So it leads me to this:

I have a working machine. It doesn't overheat, doesn't make any of the annoying rattling sounds that it previously did, and the only bad thing I can say about it is that due to the lack of airflow the fans have to work a little harder to keep things cool, at the cost of acoustics. I'm not sure what to do now, I want to say “It aint broke, don't fix it” and move on to actually finishing the HP, but I see a ton of potential with this build. I added that switch for a potential cooling upgrade, there are some structural integrity things I want to fix(that I recently created), and I have a fan controller that would fit and look great right next to my external HDD fan. But all of that would defeat the purpose of this machine, to be something I can keep together. I want to make another machine(to be the temporary machine to the temporary machine), but it too is turning out to be a huge project in my head(Project Tux, a Linux Machine made out of wood), but would it be worth it since I need to improve my carpentry skills so I don't jack up the “final product” HP? I don't know, I'm going to drive home on a long trip, so I will have plenty of time to think this through, and will hopefully have a decision made when I get home(I also got layed off, so I don't have to worry about that anymore. More time for PCs I guess).

 

And to wrap things up, I do want to give my latest update on the HP. I'm at the point now where I just need to work on the case, so I'm going to remove all of the components from it and install them in a Logysis case I picked up for $25, so I'll post pictures of that if you guys want. Along with the Logysis case, I acquired some more ATX cases that are missing most of their pieces, so I'm going to look at the motherboard trays and choose the best out of all of them. I'm thinking: wood exterior and black matte(or satin) interior, but I also want to add some color so I might go crazy with the cable sleeving(maybe something a little, FABULOUS!). Updates on the actual HP will be coming hopefully by this next weekend, since I want to start using the new motherboard(I'm at the point where all of my data is backed up, so its a perfect time to do this).

 

 

@Frankie I love that shield thing, its going to be a case badge for sure, now that I have a good quality printer

@CydiaDash its come a long way, but it still has a long way to go lol

[pckid]

I am assuming this build will never end.

[Frankie]

I've been summoned. I'm glad that you like it, now I wish that I did better job centering the font.

^^ I've wanted to say that, cause reasons.

[ThE_MarD]

Heyyo,

Heh, modding up an old HP case! Love it!

I still remember when I spotted a classic HP tower from the Windows Vista days in Tropic Thunder in that..

on the left-side of that pic...

Is one of these...

Because I'm awesome like that.

Also... Resident Evil 5 features an HP DV6000 series notebook in it.

Right around 3:20

Is one of these:

 

Yeah, I really wish high volume PC manufactures took pride in the machines they build. Its clear that HP wants you to have a high quality feeling machine, but skimps on the things that consumers usually don't see. The case has a fantastic build quality(the design is questionable), but the motherboard is kind of sketch and the nVidia chipset/DDR2 RAM shows that HP likes adding artificial value while cutting corners. Oh well, at least there are other options, nobody is forcing me to buy a HP or Dell or whatever .

Too true! Especially on their notebooks these days... before I quit being a computer Tech? I freaking hated HP notebooks slim designs... they sacrificed so much cooling for aesthetics...

 

Feminine species, lol. Its ihascupquake from YouTube. I'm a huge fan, but I needed to see that picture today since I needed a smile

Indeed. I enjoy some of her playthroughs of games I'd probably never play lol like Desperate Housewives because the game looks horrible but funneh.

 

God I wish there was more case manufactures that flipped the motherboard like HP and Compaq, I know Lian Li has a case that does but more manufactures need to do it :blink:

Gigabyte did that as well. BTX boards, they were neat.

Inverted ATX though? They did pose some issues at the same time though as heat from the CPU would rise up to the GPU... and in most gaming PCs of course the GPU tends to run hotter than the CPU... or at least that's how it is on my PC heh.

 

Like this? (Was my old case before I got my older case )

That's hardcore man. I dig it lol.

[pckid]

I think Dell would make a lot sales by selling Alienware cases for custom pcs.

[QueenDemetria]

I am assuming this build will never end.

You know, I don't think I've ever finished a PC. All of my PC's have been a part of a constant revolution(is that the words I'm looking for?) and always get new parts, tweaks, and things to makes it better(or worse, but only to make it better eventually). When I say I'm finished with a PC, I should really put "for now" on it.

(now that I think about it, I think the only PC I've ever finished is my homes server, since it hasn't been touched in 4-5 years, and I am going to retire it instead of upgrade it.)

 

I've been summoned. I'm glad that you like it, now I wish that I did better job centering the font.

^^ I've wanted to say that, cause reasons.

Summoned... lol . I think it looks good, although if you want to make changes that fine with me .

 

 

snip

lol

 

I think Dell would make a lot sales by selling Alienware cases for custom pcs.

Especially if they left all of the features intact, like the light FX and the motorized vents. I think they would need to clean up so of the internal stuff though, most DIYers value the internals looks and Alienware does some things that just aren't pretty.

[Frankie]

Summoned... lol . I think it looks good, although if you want to make changes that fine with me .

 

I would try to make it follow the line a little bit better. But because I'm idiot, I only have the jpg file, not the PSD one. Soooo.... I guess it's good how it is.

 

Yes, I'm lazy and don't want to do it from scratch/edit again.