nOOb modder wantin some suggestions on the basics

[bcampbell91]

hello, first post. Looking into re-doing my entire enclosure and was wondering if i could get some suggestions on: what case to purchase, how to paint it or make it look nice(decent artist), and any suggestions on what lighting to use in it. I know its a vague and large question, but would really appreciate some replies. Also, ive been intrigued by the idea of mounting a small monitor in the place of two 5.25 drive bays, any ideas?

[DaveW]

Well, the first thing you should do is look at whatyou allready have. Post up your skills, tools, prevous experience, and then we know what we're working with ;)

For example, what is your current case like? It might be better for modding than any case you could buy.

-Dave

[bcampbell91]

well as far as what i have, my hardware is actaully decent (AMD 3200+ 2 gigs ati x800 ram 80 gig hdd) but what is holding me back from a good system is my case (cheap 40 dollar psu combo). As far as skills go, im good with hardware assemby and have a good general knowledge of powertool. im not experienced at all in case mods, but decently experienced in hardware.

[DaveW]

So what sort of mod are you planning to do then? Are you going for a paintjob and window simple start, with a bit of lighting thrown in, or perhaps a themed mod, like a lot of the guys on the forums? If you look around the forums there are plenty of things about tools and windows etc. So you should be able to pick up pretty much whatever tutorials you need from about the forums. If there's something else you need and you can't find, it feel free to ask. Before you do any modding, remember to plan everything thoroughly, right down to your workspace. Everyone here will do everything they can to help you out, but you need to get yourself a plan. Knowing your hardware is imperritive to modding, because you'll probably be taking everything appart a good few times. Stock cases aren't always that bad-sometimes, you can make something amazing out of it, and it might be cheaper in the long run than buying a new case. Post back a photo of your case, and maybe we can toss some ideas around.

-Dave

[bcampbell91]

my current comp is a custom build so the case isnt stock from any particular company, but it really does suck (falling apart, broken bezels, front ports have a short, poor construction, flimsy with dents) just falling apart. Im pretty set on wanting to go with a new case, i could use the led fans from this case in the new one, but still want some good lighting, a theme paintjob( i dunno like halo 2, hl2 or cs would be nice) that would be done by myself. I like the idea of a window, but want something more than the basic kits offered on some of the sites ( so prob custom window w/ etching). Lastly im pretty into the idea of liquid cooling for my chipset, vidcard, and cpu so would be curious on what anyone has to say for reccomendations( no experience w/ liquid cooling ). I like the cases with the mini monitors in the front 5.25 bezels but think thats outta my league for my first true mod.

[andrew.glesener]

Well most of the paint and lighting choices are your dicisions. Case modding is about you and what you like. Not what other people think. (Although others ideas are still a good way to spark you imagination.) A good way to get a idea about case modding do a search on case modding on google. Find the best site with the cheapest prices and find some stuff that you like. but even before you do that think about what you want to do. Do you want to do a half-life look, counter strike etc. Then think about it make a few sketches and then write down what tools paint and lighting you will need. And what do you mean by monitor? Like a mini lcd to display what you are actually doing or something to tell you the tempature and fan speed?
Good Luck!

[andrew.glesener]

Do you have a tight buget, because liquid cooling is a ton of money.

[bcampbell91]

well i think im goin to go for a halo 2 theme, but how hard is it to do a custom paint job. Im decent at art and stuff but lack experience in this type of painting. id probally be willing to drop about 200 for the cooling system.

[DaveW]

well i think im goin to go for a halo 2 theme, but how hard is it to do a custom paint job. Im decent at art and stuff but lack experience in this type of painting. id probally be willing to drop about 200 for the cooling system.

$200 or £200?
If it's £200 that's a nice cooling system you're gonna get: I don't know how far $200 goes these days. But the Americans get the parts for cheaper, so it probably evens out i guess.

The custom paint job depends on the amount of time you want to put into it. At the end of the day, it's time and patience that will determine your custom paintjob, although artistic talents makes up about 40%, i've personally got no artistic tallent whatsoever but recon I can do a pretty fair paintjob with some time and patience. Practice is also important. For a really nice painjob, you'll want to get to grips with an airbrush-some of the best paintjobs are airbrush jobs, and there's no denying that.

-Dave

[Jetty_200]

well yu could manage with that, that i know for sure but with specifically what system you should go with you have to ask someone else. Post what one you choose to go with though i'm very interested myself in liquid cooling.

[DaveW]

Just make sure you check out good ol' fans and fins before you chuck away 200 of any currency. There's nothing wrong with a big ass silent Zalman-in fact, i think they look damn sweet. :)

-Dave

[bcampbell91]

I really like the koolance kits because for the price they seem like they do a good job, they look nice, and have heard pretty decect reviews about them but i would like to hear from some experienced water coolers how nice they really are. As for price thats 200$ but ill definantly look into that fan, maybe i could use the extra money on some nicer modding. i dunno anyone with an airbrush, how much would it cost, and what type of paint should i use w/ it? Also ive always used newegg for comp parts, but the other day stumbled upon xoxide.com which seems to specialize in modding how good are they

[bcampbell91]

http://images.gruntville.com/casegallery/albums/album194/spartan2.jpg
http://images.gruntville.com/casegallery/albums/album194/spartan.thumb.jpg
http://images.gruntville.com/casegallery/albums/album194/edited.jpg

heres a very rough first sketch i put together today w/ a spartan on one panel, other panel with halo etched or painted on (not sure which produces better results), and a top window. this would all contain a consistent background of red-orange or black throughout the case but havent decided on the color yet. Is this possible without an airbrush, maybe by using high quality spray cans or just a brush and some acrylic paint? I also really like those fans but am skeptical as to how quiet they are, a minor concern in the building process. If i do go with the red scheme i would use red lighting to compliment the paint, if i do black ill go with blue or green not sure yet. Beyond this i have no idea what to do for lighting (i dunno whats best led, cathode, neon, or el?). also jw any suggestions on a decently priced psu

[unknownconcepts]

if you know how to use bondo and know how to use a dremel you can do alot.

[bcampbell91]

i suppose i have decent experience in both, but the bondo and dremmel experience both involve body repairs on my friends ****ty car. im sure ill be fine with the slicin and dicing part of the mod.