Posidon42
01-05-05, 10:52 PM
*edit* I decided just to buy an Aria and mod the heck out of it. Look for updates in the near future! **
I have a Dream!! My dream is to not pay $100 for a poorly designed case! :) Actually, I have been following the Antec Aria following for some time now with great interest. The concept of upgradability and the diminuitive size (comparatively) of the Aria is very appealing. However, some of its "features" are not so appealing. So, for the last couple months or so, I have mulled over some design features for my new case with the Aria as the initial inspiration. Below is a schematic, or my hopeless attempt at one, for what I intend on building. But some information first:
My target motherboard is the Biostar M7NCG 400 which is why it is pictured in the design.
The heatsink dimensions are exact and are taken from the Thermalright SLK800 which I know people have been able to use in the Aria.
The DVD drive was measured from my current DVD burner
The overall case design uses a 120mm fan in the front of the case to blow air into the top region and the bottom region. The two regions are separated by some type of material that will ensure the air between these regions does not mix. Of course, there will be holes in this to allow the IDE (currently) connections and the power connections to pass through.
http://home.woh.rr.com/sammjm/images/My_Case2.jpg
I intend on using modders mesh or some other material for the back panel so I don't have to use the 80mm exhaust fan I currently have listed. But if it improves airflow, I might keep it.
This next pic shows how two of the supported three hard drives sit as well as the orientation of the fan and power supply.
http://home.woh.rr.com/sammjm/images/My_Case1.jpg
In both pics, airflow is from the left to the right, with the 120mm fan depicted as the large blue box on the left side of the case.
If you are clever, you will notice there is the possibility of this system having 4 hard drives in the bottom bay. However, since all of my drives are currently still IDE, I can't separate them sideways like that with my current cables.
The power supply I am going to modify is a 300W fortron standard supply. When I bent one of the toroids over, the whole thing (without the case) is only 2.25" tall. Since I also plan on moving the power connector, I didn't need all the extra depth the current case has either, which makes it 4.25" deep and 6" wide. Turns out these power supplies are just wasting space!
Actually, if it wasn't for the fact that I could get the PS this small, I wouldn't even have begun this project.
My design currently has overall dimensions of: 13.13" deep by 8" tall by 9.93" wide. Compare that to the Aria, which has 13.2" deep by 7.9" tall by 10.6" wide and you will see they are quite comparable. However, I feel my design has better thermal properties and I can even add a port tube to the top of the case to route fresh air directly to the cpu heatsink.
So, what do you guys think? I am going to do a 1/4" plywood mock-up first to see how it performs and then think about building a 'real' version.
I have a Dream!! My dream is to not pay $100 for a poorly designed case! :) Actually, I have been following the Antec Aria following for some time now with great interest. The concept of upgradability and the diminuitive size (comparatively) of the Aria is very appealing. However, some of its "features" are not so appealing. So, for the last couple months or so, I have mulled over some design features for my new case with the Aria as the initial inspiration. Below is a schematic, or my hopeless attempt at one, for what I intend on building. But some information first:
My target motherboard is the Biostar M7NCG 400 which is why it is pictured in the design.
The heatsink dimensions are exact and are taken from the Thermalright SLK800 which I know people have been able to use in the Aria.
The DVD drive was measured from my current DVD burner
The overall case design uses a 120mm fan in the front of the case to blow air into the top region and the bottom region. The two regions are separated by some type of material that will ensure the air between these regions does not mix. Of course, there will be holes in this to allow the IDE (currently) connections and the power connections to pass through.
http://home.woh.rr.com/sammjm/images/My_Case2.jpg
I intend on using modders mesh or some other material for the back panel so I don't have to use the 80mm exhaust fan I currently have listed. But if it improves airflow, I might keep it.
This next pic shows how two of the supported three hard drives sit as well as the orientation of the fan and power supply.
http://home.woh.rr.com/sammjm/images/My_Case1.jpg
In both pics, airflow is from the left to the right, with the 120mm fan depicted as the large blue box on the left side of the case.
If you are clever, you will notice there is the possibility of this system having 4 hard drives in the bottom bay. However, since all of my drives are currently still IDE, I can't separate them sideways like that with my current cables.
The power supply I am going to modify is a 300W fortron standard supply. When I bent one of the toroids over, the whole thing (without the case) is only 2.25" tall. Since I also plan on moving the power connector, I didn't need all the extra depth the current case has either, which makes it 4.25" deep and 6" wide. Turns out these power supplies are just wasting space!
Actually, if it wasn't for the fact that I could get the PS this small, I wouldn't even have begun this project.
My design currently has overall dimensions of: 13.13" deep by 8" tall by 9.93" wide. Compare that to the Aria, which has 13.2" deep by 7.9" tall by 10.6" wide and you will see they are quite comparable. However, I feel my design has better thermal properties and I can even add a port tube to the top of the case to route fresh air directly to the cpu heatsink.
So, what do you guys think? I am going to do a 1/4" plywood mock-up first to see how it performs and then think about building a 'real' version.