No Compromises ATX LAN Computer.

[jonsmith9847]

Okay, So all solutions start with a problem.

 

How do I get my my full sized ATX gaming PC to LAN's and to university without it getting damaged? How can I possibly keep it portable?

 

While you can purchase "portable" PC cases from well known brands such as the HAF XB EVO by coolermaster. Still remaining within the ATX form factor though will keep your options very limited.

 

Over time the LAN community has produced two solutions to this problem:

• Solution 1: Buy a rolling trolley and hope nothing falls off and breaks.
• Solution 2: Admit defeat and downsize your motherboard and buy a Bitfenix Prodigy.

I decided to break away from tradition and embark on an entirely new endeavour. Please note however that I am not claiming to be the inventor of this method, In fact this method has been used by the military ever since computers and front lines came together.

 

So what is this new magic solution #3? Rack mount your PC and then wack it in a rack mount flight case!

If you host your own Lan's you can purchase a rack mount network switch and throw It in their also. My Flight case even has enough room to fit my 27" Monitor in the top with even more to spare for cables.

Now the case is a little heavy so I am going to purchase some castor wheels and mount them on the bottom but you can usually buy flight cases with wheels pre-attached.

I intend to buy a power distribution panel for the back and a 1u drawer so I can store my mouse, keyboard and other little bits and pieces.

Whats also great is when your lining up and waiting to get into the LAN center you can use it as a conveniently placed seat or cards table!

LAN security is also improved with a locking front panel and the fact that the side panels dont "pop off" you'll need a screw driver and a few minuets of looking dodgy before you get anywhere near my ram.

I could list specs if people are interested.  Thanks to TheRandomness for requesting spec's:

• CPU: i7 4790k
• GPU: GTX980, reference exhaust style. (wow that got out of date fast...)
• MOBO: Asus Maximus VI Formula
• RAM: Corsair Dominator GT(2x4GB)
• PSU: Corsiar HX1000i (1000w PSU, very overkill the system draws a maximum of 350w)
• SSD's: 2x 128GB SSD's 2x 64GB SSD's
• HDD: 1x 3TB WD RED (and room for more If i wanted)
• CPU HEATSINK: Noctua NH-l12 (its a low profile style)
• Additional fans: 2x 120mm Fractal Silent Series 120mm's
• RACKMOUNT CASE: X-Case Studio 4
• FLIGHTCASE: Spider 8U 550mm Deep

 

 

[TheRandomness]

'I could list specs' Please do. People will be interested.

[jonsmith9847]

13 minutes ago, TheRandomness said:

'I could list specs' Please do. People will be interested.

Updated with specs for you, thank you for the interest.

[OddsCrazyStuff]

If portability was the only concern, I would get something like this case: http://www.caselabs-store.com/bullet-bh7-atx-case/

 

But a good set of wheels, packing material and some mussels, and you can get just about anything with you.

[jonsmith9847]

2 minutes ago, OddsCrazyStuff said:

If portability was the only concern, I would get something like this case: http://www.caselabs-store.com/bullet-bh7-atx-case/

 

But a good set of wheels, packing material and some mussels, and you can get just about anything with you.

That case looks really interesting in terms of LAN potential, thanks for pointing it out to me! Only issue Is that case labs isn't UK based so id have to import it.

Agreed with the packing material and mussels, but with this case I can save the packing material to stuff into my shirt to make it look like I have mussels!

 

Personally I was trying to remove the need packing material with this project as i often find it gets in the way and is difficult to store at Lans. I like the idea of this case where I my monitor and case are properly protected in once self contained box that will (once castors are fitted) become a rolling platform that is easy to get setup and shutdown quickly. Its just a case of taking off the front and back panels, plugging in the power and Ethernet and setting my monitor on the desk. 

[OddsCrazyStuff]

3 minutes ago, jonsmith9847 said:

That case looks really interesting in terms of LAN potential, thanks for pointing it out to me! Only issue Is that case labs isn't UK based so id have to import it.

Agreed with the packing material and mussels, but with this case I can save the packing material to stuff into my shirt to make it look like I have mussels!

 

Personally I was trying to remove the need packing material with this project as i often find it gets in the way and is difficult to store at Lans. I like the idea of this case where I my monitor and case are properly protected in once self contained box that will (once castors are fitted) become a rolling platform that is easy to get setup and shutdown quickly. Its just a case of taking off the front and back panels, plugging in the power and Ethernet and setting my monitor on the desk. 

Yeah, its harder to get Caselabs cases, but its worth it when its just about the only case that fits your needs.

 

I wrote packing material, as you normally wants to protect it from the weather and interested strangers (as you cant always keep an eye on it during transport). There is always room for it, in a backpack or where ever you store things like monitor.

 

As for having it all in 1 box, that is a nice way of doing it, as long as you have enough room on the LAN.

I always end up having a car to stuff things in or pack it in such a way that I can pack the extra stuff in as small area as possible.

[jonsmith9847]

9 minutes ago, OddsCrazyStuff said:

As for having it all in 1 box, that is a nice way of doing it, as long as you have enough room on the LAN.

I always end up having a car to stuff things in or pack it in such a way that I can pack the extra stuff in as small area as possible.

Agreed small packing material can be stuffed away, I do see a lot of people transporting their cases in the original cardboard box, so at day 2 of the line the walls of the LAN Hall are suddenly lined with cardboard boxes.

 

Plus having a car is always an added bonus, So where do you fit your 5 monitors? Roof?  Sorry I was stalking your build log, and I love the clear blocks and white cooling liquid.

[OddsCrazyStuff]

1 minute ago, jonsmith9847 said:

Agreed small packing material can be stuffed away, I do see a lot of people transporting their cases in the original cardboard box, so at day 2 of the line the walls of the LAN Hall are suddenly lined with cardboard boxes.

 

Plus having a car is always an added bonus, So where do you fit your 5 monitors? Roof?  Sorry I was stalking your build log, and I love the clear blocks and white fluid.

There is a lot of room in the car, but only have 4 monitors now (sold 2 and got a 4k one).

And yeah, I have had original boxes with me, but thats when I got the space for it.

 

As for my build, so will my new case will be http://www.watercoolinguk.co.uk/p/Phobya-WaCoolT-cube-1-medium-Water-Case-Black-Aluminium-Edition_48970.html

Its still portable, just need some wheels for long distance. And I will not be focusing on looks, as it eats too much of the budget. So basicly focus is performance over looks, but I will still try and make things match so its not a total rain bow build.

[jonsmith9847]

14 minutes ago, OddsCrazyStuff said:

There is a lot of room in the car, but only have 4 monitors now (sold 2 and got a 4k one).

And yeah, I have had original boxes with me, but thats when I got the space for it.

 

As for my build, so will my new case will be http://www.watercoolinguk.co.uk/p/Phobya-WaCoolT-cube-1-medium-Water-Case-Black-Aluminium-Edition_48970.html

Its still portable, just need some wheels for long distance. And I will not be focusing on looks, as it eats too much of the budget. So basicly focus is performance over looks, but I will still try and make things match so its not a total rain bow build.

I like the look of that case also, The only thing I would do personally Is swap the castor wheels on the bottom for more robust ones that can survive being pushed across a car park, a bit like these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Swivel-Castors-Wheels-Casters-Polyurethane/dp/B01A8PC8CO/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1465599704&sr=8-12&keywords=castor+wheels+20mm

 

I also understand with going down the performance over aesthetics, The rackmount build was actually a transfer, originally the build looked like this: (sorry couldn't find decen't photo on my NAS in time)

 

As you can see it was quite a downgrade over aesthetics.

 

I also found a picture of my old LAN gear all packed up: as you can see not very fun to shuffle around.

[OddsCrazyStuff]

2 minutes ago, jonsmith9847 said:

This is my lightest trip. Have had 2 PCs, several monitors and a mattress on a home made dolly, that I could turn into a shelf and a bench (which was a nightmare to travel with).

[OddsCrazyStuff]

10 minutes ago, jonsmith9847 said:

I like the look of that case also, The only thing I would do personally Is swap the castor wheels on the bottom for more robust ones that can survive being pushed across a car park, a bit like these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Swivel-Castors-Wheels-Casters-Polyurethane/dp/B01A8PC8CO/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1465599704&sr=8-12&keywords=castor+wheels+20mm

 

I also understand with the going down the performance over aesthetics, The rackmount build was actually a transfer, originally the build looked like this: (sorry couldn't find decen't photo on my NAS in time)

I will take a look at the wheels when I get the case and see if I should upgrade them.

And yeah, looks are nice, but I have found out that I rather want more performance then having it look good.

[jonsmith9847]

2 minutes ago, OddsCrazyStuff said:

This is my lightest trip. Have had 2 PCs, several monitors and a mattress on a home made dolly, that I could turn into a shelf and a bench (which was a nightmare to travel with).

Aha the similarity in our travel gear is pretty close. Agreed with the performance over looks, I just reached the end of being interested in draining and refilling my loop every time I wanted/needed to change something. I also had tubing sticking out the top of my computer that made it even more fragile for lan transport:

[OddsCrazyStuff]

4 minutes ago, jonsmith9847 said:

Aha the similarity in our travel gear is pretty close. Agreed with the performance over looks, I just reached the end of being interested in draining and refilling my loop every time I wanted/needed to change something. I also had tubing sticking out the top of my computer that made it even more fragile for lan transport:

Yeah, I will most likely use soft tubing and quick disconnects, so I can easily do something with it.

With all the stuff I'm putting in it, so wont air cooling be effective without loud fans.

 

Also, if you really wanted your PC to be all in 1, find a way to mount the monitor on a panel, so you can just flip it have it finish setup.

Also, you can use the panel you remove for the cables and such, as a keyboard and mouse table.