Modding a case - need newbie tips ^^;

[Nagoshi]

Hello, first post on this forum And BTW I looooove the Doom3 case

So I am thinking about modding my case, currenly where it is placed it doesnt have much air flowing around it so I was thinking about modding the case itself and the environment a bit to help for the cooling. Basically Id like to have some ideas about what I could have done to my case - considering I am 16, no experience in modding, and my father got a bunch of tools where he works, so I should have everything I need - and I am asking you to help me on my first modding. Id also like you to tell me what I would need to do this and how I should do it.

First, here's a front shot of my case (only pic I got for now, Ill post more when Ill have more)

I am using an 80mm fan fixed at the front of the case, the thing I dislike about this case is the air holes in the front, they are kinda small. What makes it even worst, is that the fan is located on the right side. Meaning that, if I decide to make a hole in the front panel for a better fan flow, it won't be in the middle, which could make my front panel looks weird.

So I thought about first taking a drill and making some bigger holes (not LARGE holes, but a bit larger) and, since I am using a basic black fan, I thought about buying a new fan (maybe with LED lighting to add some effects) and maybe a new fan for the back of my case (it is making loud noises, maybe its the vibration but I dont know).

Where my case is located, there is like not even 2 inches of space between the desk's back panel and the case (just enough for the VGA cable so it wont be all twisted) and thus air flow aint great. Il ltry to draw something with PAINT to show this. I am thinking about using something like one or two 120v fans to put under my case (ive got some space between the case and the floor) to take the air from the back to push it out to the front.

Oh, another thing : my rig specs :

Pentium3 550E MHz OCed to 600MHz socket 370 sitting on a Slot1
ABIT BE6-II v1.0
448Mb Ram (1x128 100MHz, 1x64 66 or 100MHz, 1x256 133MHz, all crappy brands)
ATI Radeon 7500 64Mb
Sparkle 250Watts switched (I got a normal 450watts P4 PSU lying somewhere, and its new, so in case I am missing power, I may use it)

I may buy a new computer soon (piece by piece) so if this case is good-enough modded and air cooled I may take this case for my new comp.

Ill try to make some crappy drawings of what my case's location looks like, what I would like to do with it, and maybe you could post comments on what could be done to help the modding. I will also take shots of the inside of my computer, the rear of my computer like it is right now (with the 2 inches space), front of the case without the panel, etc, all you should need to help me further in this.

Thanks! -A modding newbie

[Slug Toy]

well it looks like you'll have your hands full as a first-timer. good to hear you've got access to an abundance of tools, it always makes life easier.

honestly, i dont like what i see. the hardware is old and very slow for today's standards, and the case is ugly, and you mentioned the front fan not being centered. dont even get me started on the lack of room around the case...

if you need help with anything to do with metalwork, i have a thread in "tips and tricks" about it. if you are thinking about putting in a window or some sort of acrylic feature, theres a thread about that too in tips and tricks. same for electronics. if anything hasnt been covered and you want to know, just ask, and one of us will answer and probably add to the tips and tricks section if need be.

actually, after having thought about the front fan for a good... 30 seconds... not having it centered might be an interesting thing to see. sort of like on a race car where there are ugly air ducts popping out everywhere. it gets the job done. i cant really say a heck of a lot more right now though.

definitely get some pictures going here. i want to see what you have in mind, and if possible i want to see the interior of the case (it would help us help you if we can get as much info as possible).

one last thing here. dont think small. the only reason i, and probably many others, have the skills we do is because we did what people said we couldnt. a year ago, i had practically no metal skills at all. now i know a fair amount (but forgot about welding) and am passing on what i know. point being is that you'll probably hear "ya right, like you can do that." a lot, but dont listen. listening is overrated, nobody got anywhere by listening...

[Cevinzol]

Your case looks like a normal mid tower to me. It needs a little cleaning. Considering its a P3-550 I bet its got some miles on it. There's a good chance the inside needs cleaning too. Remember dust works like an insulator.

A pic of the inside would really help us suggest ideas but here's a few based on what I see so far:

1) Your front to back air flow is limited but it looks like you have good space above the case. You might want to think of top venting the case (aka. a blowhole). Or rigging some PVC piping from the back exhaust to the front.

2) Extend the venting hole pattern throught the whole bottom front of the case and unless there is an obstruction, it should be easy to drill some new holes to center the 80mm fan in the front. To increase air flow remember to enlarge the holes in the steel under the plastic bezel as well. If your feeling brave cut out a nice big, neat, square at the botom of the case, install a 120mm fan and cover the hole with some metal mesh or speaker fabric.

3) I would stay away from venting from the bottom. First you'd have to drill through the shelf the case if on - not sure if thats an option. Second unless you put some filters on the botom fans, you'd probably blow a lot of dust bunnies into the machine.

4) Your case is stored in a tight place. Work on the front bezel and make it the showpiece of the case. A side window is cool but it and most internal lights won't be seen much on a daily basis.

Remember to take your components out of your machine before doing any modding to the case.

Aside from some venting changes, do you have an idea in mind for a theme or color scheme?

Good luck

[xmastree]

well it looks like you'll have your hands full as a first-timer. good to hear you've got access to an abundance

OMG! I thought that said ambulance...

Anyway, about cooling. An inlet at the front, low down would definately help. Assuming the rear fans are outlets and it's open at the back of the location.
Edit: I just re-read your OP, and see that it's not... Can you cut a hole in the desk, behind the computer? If not, it's probably better to move the rear fan to the top, since there appears to be more space above it.

Why not pop the front panel off and take a photo of what's in there? Let's see this off-centre fan.

An off-centre vent would look good IMO. I'm not a fan of symmetry.

Here's my fan:

Doing a nice job of cooling those disks. If yours is similar, then a vent in the front should make a big difference without being too difficult to make.

The easy and cheap way would be to simply make a large hole in the front, in line with the fan, then fit something like this to the outside.

(click it for more options)

Alternatively, you could go with Slug's racing scoop idea and use a short piece of plastic pipe set into the front. That would need more work as it involves using body filler, then painting it.

Paint woildn't be such a bad idea actually, that's one plain case...

[Nagoshi]

Thanks for all your encouraging replies

Sooo this morning it is a snowing day, I just thought I might share this information, considering last week it was 20C outside o_O Ill make some drawings if I have the time, if not Ill make some after school. Ill also take as many shots as posible.

I know my english is bad (16 years old French Quebecker) and you have misunderstood when I said I had space under my case. I have a good spacing under my case, and that is what I thought about taking the hot air from the rear of my case and push it in the front. Ill make a quick draw of this too.

The thing is, the case I am thinking about modding is the only working computer I have right now, the other powerful one I have is a Pentium2 and it doesnt have RAMs in it. so I was thinking about using another *damn ugly* case to make it a little more beautiful. As I may just switch the inside of one to the other. Since we use alot of the computer, I couldnt just bring out everything from the computer and not use it for like 1 week or more.. And if theres something I dislike in this, its the case switching, and the mobo switching, as I have heard death stories that happened to people who wanted to change their mobos or cases. Considering my father is agile in this kind of thing tho I may just ask him to help me out if I ever need to empty my case. In fact, I still havent talked to him about the modding o_O

Nuff talking, Ill get to scratching.

EDIT : About painting, I dont know if Id paint it, since I would have to paint my CD and DVD burners, and I like to keep my stuff originally-looking. Altho I was thinking about painting them the same color as my case if I would paint it, then take off the fromt CD Tray panel and paint it and then paint some kind of decals for the CD speed, brand, etc.

[xmastree]

The thing is, the case I am thinking about modding is the only working computer I have right now

You can still use it with no front panel. If you pop off the front, and remove the switches and lights from it the computer can still be used and you will have time to work on just the panel.

[Nagoshi]

Yea but if I need to bring the case to where my father works to make any holes, I wont bring the whole thing...

A thing I like from my case tho, the lights and switching are direcly in the case and not in the panel, which means I can take off the panel anytime with my computer working.

Ill be posting new shots when Ill have finished something, ill try to do it as fast as possible.

[Nagoshi]

Here are shots of my case. Couldn ttake one of the inside, but Ill take one when Ill be able to unplug it so I can take it off (cables are streched).

This one shows my case position, and I already wrote the color meanings in it but Ill repeat them. when it's dark green, it's the desk panels, grey means case, red means actual flow, blue means wanted flow, black n red square means actual fans, black n blue means wanted fans, pink shows the wiring. Should be it.

I may as well take a first step by just modding my intake hole in the front of the case, the question is if I am going to let my fan off-centre or drill new holes to make it centered? Since I am going to know it when I will be modding my front panel. I may only drill new bigger holes for intake in the front, I still dont know. Im asking for recommendations. I may go buy new fans (probly with LEDs to add some lighting) and a fan grill for the front intake, and maybe even paint my comp if I need to. Another thing, the case panels are made of some kind of steel, maybe aluminium, maybe steel, I dont know which one, but it aint plastic. Only the front panel is.

Thanks alot for your help again

EDIT : I may as well take one of the front 5.25'' bay panels and try to make a fan sit there to make a better airflow, altho the cabling is a mess, but if I need to buy new stuff I may buy new IDE round cables.

[Cannibal23]

hey there. Quebec eh. 20 C last week and snowing today you must be near where i am. Im in Ottawa your probably in Gatineau or Hull right.

you said quickly as possable. this is no good dude. take your time, make it nice and do it safely. if you rush your more likely to make mistakes or have an accident. Always do the work at your own pace.

if you need some ram or other componants and your near Ottawa let me know cause i have piles of stuff.

[Cannibal23]

The easy and cheap way would be to simply make a large hole in the front, in line with the fan, then fit something like this to the outside.

(click it for more options)

this fan grill looks amazing. it would totaly suit some ideas i have. thanks very much