making a custom case?

[notquitedead]

Hi,
I'm building a new pc and I figure if I'm going to spend a bunch of money I might as well have some fun with it, so I want to make my own case. Are there any tutorials anywhere that explain what the case needs to have inside (i.e. mobo tray, hdd trays, etc.)? Does anything need to be grounded somehow?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Malignus Wingnut]

Well the best way to learn is to take your existing computer, take it apart, look at the case and where screw holes for mobo are, etc... You're going to want to figure out what kind of mobo you plan to use in your future pc. There are different types such as ATX...the different kinds have different sizes, so that matters. Secondly you want your case to be deep enough to fit your hard drives, psu, and cards, as well as the mounts for such items. Some cases have motherboard covers, pumps for water cooling, fans, etc, so make sure you have room for that as well.

After you have the base dimensions and requirements, develop a concept. You can get creative with hdd mounts, materials, lights, etc. Really just have fun, and be original. Get ideas for lights and such from other mods, look at how fans were installed / water cooling, and google is always your friend. Good luck man, and happy modding.

[notquitedead]

Thanks.

I know this probably isn't the right place to ask, but I plan on using a DFI LanParty Ultra-D mobo. A micro ATX mobo would help save some space for the design I'm thinking about... would there be any problems running an AMD Athlon 64 3700+ on a micro atx board? I've never used a micro atx mobo so I don't know how they are different other than size.

[crazybillybob]

I'm not familiar with that DFI board, but as long as it's rated to run the 64 3700, you shouldn't have a problem. The micro part just denote the size of the mother board, It still complies with the ATX guidelines it just 3/4 the size of an ATX mother board (9.6 inx9.6in Vs the Atx @ 12inx9.6in) if you want to know more about the specs MicroATX board specs (http://www.formfactors.org/developer/specs/matxspe1.2.pdf) Check this pdf out or go to Formfactors.org (http://www.formfactors.org/)

Good luck!
Crazybillybob

[notquitedead]

Thanks! I'm sure I'll probably have some more questions later when I actually start building the case lol.

[snefan]

also you know the DFI boards are specifically made for overclockers?

[notquitedead]

Yeah. I don't plan to overclock (although I may), but out of the other boards I looked at it got the best reviews.