Trying to build a PC myself for the first time - with this ancient case

[Bramimond]

 

I really liked the idea of pimping out old computer cases and always wanted to try to build a computer myself. So here I am, being more on the Dennis side of things when it comes to build stuff hoping to get some help from people that know how to insert a CPU into wherever a CPU goes.

 

Datapoints:

• Germany
• I'm not trying super hard to stay within some budget, but it would be nice to stay below 3.000€
• I don't know any online shops to buy computer parts
• There's actually a floppy drive in there and I plan on keeping it, but can I make it work?

 

What I want it to be

It's supposed to become a file server. I was hoping to somehow get harddrives in the upper space. (There used to be harddrives there, but I lost the means to fixate them.) Should be powerful enough to convert flac to mp3 for streaming on the go and generally just be as powerful as possible, because that's kind of the point. But. It's more important to be energy efficient as energy costs really much around here.

 

Monitors or other peripherals are not needed, I'm planning on accessing the box via shell. It's going to run some flavor of Linux, maybe Void Linux. Some port for video should be there for inital setup, though. Also, for the same purpose USB ports for keyboard and mouse. But these are standard anyway, I hope.

 

The point of doing this is because I think it's cool and I need a new project to work on. Also, having a dedicated file server is nice and fiddling with Linux to make it work sounds like fun to me.

 

The main question is,... can it be done? By some idiot like me who never build his own PC before, because he got into Mini-PCs about a decade ago? (My workstation is this.) I bought the ifixit tool kit thingie and amazon send my some chinese rip-off that seems to be just as good, which is also pretty much all the tools I have. I used it to successfully fix a laptop, so I'm not a complete idiot, but really close.

 

[keskparane]

If she starts at all then....

If you don't have PS2 keyboard then get a PS2-USB converter. If you don't have a monitor that can connect to de15 socket then get an adapter to do that. Then start her up.

else

Go through the process of manually identifying parts.

 

Compile a list of what you have then come back.

 

A linux shell can be run on very basic harware. You may just need some drive bay adaptors and a few ide cables.

[Bramimond]

I haven't ripped the motherboard and power supply (and some fans) out yet. I only want to keep the case. (And maybe the floppy drive, but that's not important.)

[grss1982]

You might want to go for a sleep build i.e. looks dull from the outside but awesome components inside since this is a big case.  IIRC, LTT did several Sleeper PC build before.

 

Wow! That's one of those server cases that were a fad back in the late 90s to early 2000s.

 

Reminds me of the InWin Q500 ATX Full Tower Case (http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=570) something that I wanted back then but is not anymore available in this day and age.

 

Another case from that era that I lusted after was the Antec Plus 1080AMG File Server Case: http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1258

 

I think this is the case in the first sleeper PC build LTT did. Or was it the smaller Antec SX1030B File Server Case: http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=976

 

The nostalgia is really strong in this thread.

 

[Bramimond]

Yeah, that's the general idea, but I never build a PC before and don't know where to start. Or where to shop.

[brob]

What does the back of the case look like?

Also, can you provide a full shot of the motherboard that is in there?

[grss1982]

1 hour ago, brob said:

What does the back of the case look like?

Also, can you provide a full shot of the motherboard that is in there?

Based alone on pthe artial shot of the inside where you see motherboard it's a regular ATX case. There's also IDE and SATA cables. So 90% likely to be a regular ATX case with a possible slide out motherboard tray. Very common in old full tower cases of this era.

 

Kind of reminds me of this no name full atx case: https://www.mannikko.org/water/

[Bramimond]

Pictures from the back and from the motherboard. It's pretty much what grss1982 suspects. It didn't have the usual gray and flat PATA cables, though, but shiny, colorful round ones.

Spoiler

 

 

 

[grss1982]

If you're gonna cram a modern system in there you might need a PCI card that gives you a floppy port since modern stuff don't come with a floppy port anymore.

 

I understand you have not assembled your own PC but you should not worry since assembling a PC in this day and age is just as simple as following a YouTube guide. You just need to be handy with a screw driver and have some common sense i.e. if it does not go in to the particular slot don't force it since most PC parts are now slotted so you can't plug a part in reverse.

 

Also edit you first post so you can solicit others in this forum for a PC Part Picker list for a file server.

[Bramimond]

If there's no simple way to make the floppy drive work, I'll just keep it in there for looks. What should I edit into the first post? Just a line at the end that I need a PC Part Picker list for a file server? (I also need some pointers for where to shop those parts. As it stands I only know amazon.)

[brob]

You need to indicate the country in which purchases will be made. Also some sort of budget number really helps. 

[Bramimond]

I have that stuff listed under "Datapoints" in the first post.

[brob]

Just now, Bramimond said:

I have that stuff listed under "Datapoints" in the first post.

Sorry, I should have reviews the OP before posting. 

[grss1982]

23 minutes ago, Bramimond said:

If there's no simple way to make the floppy drive work, I'll just keep it in there for looks. What should I edit into the first post? Just a line at the end that I need a PC Part Picker list for a file server? (I also need some pointers for where to shop those parts. As it stands I only know amazon.)

Follow this format: https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/3061-build-plan-thread-recommendations-please-read-before-posting/

 

[brob]

You may have to experiment with different models of 3.5" to 5.25" drive bay adapters, but you should find one that can be securely mounted with a few screws.

 

Cooling the case may be troublesome. The pictures show some fan grills, but sizes are difficult to judge. Ideally you will be able to add fans to draw in from the front and exhaust out the back of the case.

 

Something like the following is not the most powerful possible, but it should have no problems meeting the outlined needs. The case will have to be measured to check on the cpu cooler fit (height). (It might be necessary to get a different cooler.)

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor  (€377.99 @ Mindfactory) 
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler  (€34.99 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Motherboard: Asus - TUF H370-Pro Gaming (WI-FI) ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  (€154.63 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  (€250.44 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  (€74.90 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Platinum 550W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  (€92.99 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Total: €985.94
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-25 20:53 CEST+0200

 

 

[Bramimond]

@grss1982

I used that post as a guide while writing the initial post. All the info should be there. Is it necessary to make all those points bold and address them that way?

 

@brob

Thanks, from the current motherboard there's about 13cm left until the case ends.

 

[grss1982]

5 minutes ago, Bramimond said:

@grss1982

I used that post as a guide while writing the initial post. All the info should be there. Is it necessary to make all those points bold and address them that way?

 

@brob

Thanks, from the current motherboard there's about 13cm left until the case ends.

 

I guess you don't need to since brob's already suggested a build.  My suggestion to edit was more to avoid additional questions by putting everything you've answered so far in the first post.

 

As for brob's motherboard suggestion it should fit, your current motherboard in the case is an ATX one so there should be no problems on that front.  The cooling though is a concern when you have multiple hard drive on this case. Also you've need 5.25 to 3.5 converters to mount hard drives in the top bays of the case.

[Bramimond]

Yeah, the thing with the hard drives will become troublesome. There's room for nine (six on top, and three where the floppy drive is, the size of 3.5 ones), but one slot I'll keep for the floppy drive. And I'll probably also put in some old dvd drive, since I don't have enough of the plastic thingies for the front. Being able to occasionally rip a CD is also useful. Probably. (I still buy CDs)

 

Can the motherboard and power supply support that many drives? At first, I won't put too many drives in, but I'll be needing to put more in as my media collection grows.

 

I was also thinking to go for 2.5 drives from the start, since they use less energy (at least as far as I know) and as I said, energy efficiency is among the most important things for me.

 

 

[brob]

2.5" hdd are intended for laptops/notebooks. It's true they usually use less energy but it is mostly because they typically have lower rotation speeds and go into sleep states much faster.

 

Most consumer current motherboards support up to six SATA III ports. However, lowend chipset motherboards may not and most motherboards disable one or more SATA III ports when certain M.2 connectors are populated.

[Bramimond]

As far as I can tell the suggested motherboard only has slots for up to four drives. Any chance to get a motherboard that fits with more? I was hoping to eventually cram up to 100TB into this tower, but maybe that won't happen after all. (Until 25TB drives become a thing.)

 

Also, the suggested CPU cooling fan is too big. The limit is 12cm and according to amazon it measure 12,3 x 9,8 x 14,5cm.

 

Any suggestion for general cooling? The case has three mounting points. Two on the case with 7cm space between screws and one smaller on the part with the motherboard that can be slided out with 5cm space between screw holes.

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

Would be nice if the thing could be as silent as possible, since I'm used to mini-PCs that are basically not audible. (The noise 2.5 hdds make is louder than my PC.)

[brob]

You have to be more specific about the motherboard you are talking about. With the exception of low end chipsets, most mainstream motherboards support up to 6 SATA III devices. But that number may be affected by installed M.2 devices.

 

Use the stock cooler if the cpu comes with one.

 

Install as many fans as the case supports.

 

Silence is going to be very difficult. 70mm fans tend to be noisy when moving sufficient air.

[shadowvalkone]

If the case is ATX, then 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor	€437.99 @ Mindfactory
CPU Cooler	Corsair - H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler	€119.90 @ ARLT
Motherboard	Asus - Prime Z370-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard	€137.99 @ Mindfactory
Memory	Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	€137.99 @ Amazon Deutschland
Storage	Samsung - 970 Pro 1.0TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive	€368.72 @ Amazon Deutschland
Storage	Seagate - BarraCuda 4TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive	€94.88 @ Amazon Deutschland
Video Card	Gigabyte - GeForce RTX 2080 8GB GAMING OC Video Card	€846.95 @ Amazon Deutschland
Case	Corsair - Crystal 570X RGB ATX Mid Tower Case	€156.85 @ Amazon Deutschland
Power Supply	Corsair - 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply	€199.90 @ Amazon Deutschland
Other	USB Floppy Disk 3.5" USB External Floppy Disk Drive Portable 1.44 MB FDD for PC Windows 10/7/8 Windows XP/Vista/Mac(Black)	€14.99 @ Amazon Deutschland
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	€2516.16
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-28 16:40 CET+0100

.

Regards,

SV1

[mxk]

4 hours ago, shadowvalkone said:

If the case is ATX, then 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor	€437.99 @ Mindfactory
CPU Cooler	Corsair - H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler	€119.90 @ ARLT
Motherboard	Asus - Prime Z370-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard	€137.99 @ Mindfactory
Memory	Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	€137.99 @ Amazon Deutschland
Storage	Samsung - 970 Pro 1.0TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive	€368.72 @ Amazon Deutschland
Storage	Seagate - BarraCuda 4TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive	€94.88 @ Amazon Deutschland
Video Card	Gigabyte - GeForce RTX 2080 8GB GAMING OC Video Card	€846.95 @ Amazon Deutschland
Case	Corsair - Crystal 570X RGB ATX Mid Tower Case	€156.85 @ Amazon Deutschland
Power Supply	Corsair - 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply	€199.90 @ Amazon Deutschland
Other	USB Floppy Disk 3.5" USB External Floppy Disk Drive Portable 1.44 MB FDD for PC Windows 10/7/8 Windows XP/Vista/Mac(Black)	€14.99 @ Amazon Deutschland
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	€2516.16
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-28 16:40 CET+0100

.

Regards,

SV1

I don't think all of that will fit in the case. Just because it's ATX doesn't mean it can fit full size stuff. ATX for cases pretty much means that it has a certain number of PCIE slots and that it can fit ATX and smaller motherboards. I think ATX cases have 7 PCIE slots.

[mxk]

For your build you're probably going to need a smaller graphics card and a smaller CPU cooler. If you can give us some measurements of the case's interior that would help

@brob isn't a b360 Mobo better than the h370? Or is h370 better.

[brob]

53 minutes ago, mxk. said:

For your build you're probably going to need a smaller graphics card and a smaller CPU cooler. If you can give us some measurements of the case's interior that would help

@brob isn't a b360 Mobo better than the h370? Or is h370 better.

 

No. H370 has a few more resources than B360. Most particularly it supports both SATA and PCIe  RAID while the B360 does not.