Greetings, all - I'm back. I've been out of circulation for a while as I haven't needed a new case and because all of my money has been going into my two-wheeled mod project.
Recently bought a new machine, and it is of the "reverse" arrangment, meaning that everything is upside down, and the case opens on the right-hand side. Because of this, I realized that I could actually have a window on the side that I see for once. This meant that I had to do something about that.
The case is a smallish form-factor HP case, so I don't have much room to work with. Also, this is going to be a minor mod, so it won't be a long build. I'm pretty much just looking to spruce up the side of the case.
The name comes from the fact that this is an upgraded version of my old machine, named Archangel (the naming convention on my network also includes Saint, Oracle, Prophet, etc.)
Here is the unmolested case (file photo):
...And this is a mockup of what I plan to do to the side of the case:
The plan is to use blue plexi for the window, and redrill the stock vents. Also, the idea is to cut out the HP and the surrounding areas to replace with more plexi. (This part is a maybe - I need to decide if it will be worth the effort vs how it will look.) Next, I will apply vinyl decals to the window for the name and the namesake angel. Finally, it will be backlit with white CFFLs.
Last weekend while I awaited supplies, I got into it to get some other work done. First off, I replaced the fan screws with some rubber mounts that I had around:
These are very easy to install. They are just inserted from the outside, then you pull the tails until they pop through.
They don't make a huge difference, but they cut the sound vibrations down. This machine is fairly quite, and this knocked it down even farther.
With the sharp, pointy stock screws replaced, I could wrap a power cable around the fan to keep it out of the way and open up the airflow a bit more. With the non-stock PSU I have in here, I was having some cable-management issues.