[freakdiablo]

I havent started yet, I know I shouldnt post in here until I do, but I figured to act on the side of caution and take advice/ideas from members before I start working and ordering parts.

First, a little background. Some people I know seem to think that big and flashy equals a better computer (no comments from those who've seen mine). So what Im going to do is put some parts into a SNES and use it as a low end gaming computer/low end media center computer/SETI cruncher/internet computer/emergency backup (your average jack of all trades but master of none computer, thats how it goes right?). But most of all its going to show a few of my friends that a full tower and using half of your PSUs power for lights isnt going to increase your frame rate. Not well, unless someone in my thread in the general vid card section can turn up a decent low profile gfx card, but its gonna have a C2D

Now, on to the parts list. Its going to change since this is just a rough copy I whipped up in the past hour or so. Comments/ideas for better parts please.
Hard drive: here. I chose a laptop hard drive simply because of its small size, space will be an issue in this project. Ill use one of these to connect it.

Mobo/CPU:I was going to use this mITX mobo with the T5500. Its the cheapest one I could find with a swappable cpu socket, but you have to admit, its not that bad. And I chose the T5500 because I don't like the idea of a $110 increase for a boost in speed that I probably won't notice.

RAM: I went with 1GB (2x512mb) OCZ Gold. I would go with 2gb, but since I might only game on this occasionally I see this as one of those areas where I could save a couple $$$.

PSU: For space and temperature reasons, Im going to leave the PSU out of the SNES and run the wires in through the back. Also since its a mobile CPU and probably won't be a high end card, I decided to go with this Antec Earthwatts. After reading the reviews and seeing that some people are saying the wires are a bit long, this may turn out to be a plus. Since Im leaving the PSU out of the case, this would make running the wires a bit easier.

I WILL be adding/changing things and any help is...helpful. I left a few threads lieing around about different things, so you could either reply in those or in here. Just one question up front. Which name do you think is better? Project 1UP or Project HYP3R SNES?

EDIT: Ill buy a USB dvd burner, just didnt add it cause its going to be shared with my desktop. I might also pick up a cheap wireless mouse and keyboard for it.

[petteyg359]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814129069 - VisionTek 900106 Radeon X1300 256MB GDDR2 PCI Low Profile Video Card with L-P Bracket - Retail

Might fit your video needs?

[nd4spdbh2]

may i suggest a SATA laptop hd.... there would be a lot less cabling, and smaller cables... a BIG PLUS

check this out for sata lappy hds


as for psu this sounds like a PERFECT sitch for a pico psu you can get them up to 120w and they are the size of the actualy atx connector!!! and you would have 1 plug in the back for power!!!

http://www.mini-box.com/picoPSU-120-...=8&category=13

i have always wanted to make a small lil silent box for web surfing and whatnot.

btw what kinda monitor you gonna be hooking the thing up to?

[freakdiablo]

petteyg359:Thats one of the cards I was looking at and have in the possible list in the vid card section.

nd4spdbh2:I looked for an adapter and dont know if the laptop SATA ports are the same as desktop ones, any idea? And Thanks for the psu, My moms laptop has a slightly lower end laptop (R60, Core duo T2300 512mb DDR2 533 (I think) and a 60gb 5400 rpm drive) and it uses 65w, I wonder if this would use much more. And for the monitor, I was going to plug it into the tv in my room, a SEG widescreen lcd, I think 24". I know TVs generaly dodont have the best resolutions, but its either that or plugging it into the vga port of the sony screen my desktop is using and switching back and forth.

[freakdiablo]

Small update: Enablingwolf gave me the idea for this heatsink: Thermaltake beetle. I might take the wings off the top and if I can find them maybe stick some Super mario bros. case badges on it. Im also considering hooking up the standard power and reset buttons on the SNES so they actually work, and if I cant do that I might get one of these. And one question: does anyone think itll work if I take the controller ports out and maybe put USB ports in their places? It looks like that mobo Im using has the standard 9-pin USB expansion plugs, so just use the PCI slot ports and cut off the ends.

[Italidonian]

Laptop SATA ports are the same as desktop ports. I have been using a spare 120GB laptop HDD in my rig for a while now for backup.

[freakdiablo]

Originally Posted by Italidonian

Laptop SATA ports are the same as desktop ports. I have been using a spare 120GB laptop HDD in my rig for a while now for backup.

I looked at some pictures and they looked the same, just didn't know if they were like IDE 2.5" drives where they were smaller and transmitted power over the same connection as data. Thanks. Now I guess its down to the only SATA 3GB/s drive newegg has or a 7200RPM SATAI. (the SATA2 is only 5400rpm). Size wont matter since I have a couple external backup drives and like I said before my main rig and project 1UP/HYP3R SNES (still dunno why no one has come up with a better name) will be sharing an external dvd burner.

[petteyg359]

For the name, I think 1UP sounds better. Make a paper mache green mushroom to put on top of it. You can buy a pizza-dough-masher thingy from a gourmet kitchen store to base the paper around. If you're going to be using the hard drive internally, I'd go with the 5400RPM one just for heat reasons.

[freakdiablo]

Originally Posted by petteyg359

For the name, I think 1UP sounds better. Make a paper mache green mushroom to put on top of it. You can buy a pizza-dough-masher thingy from a gourmet kitchen store to base the paper around. If you're going to be using the hard drive internally, I'd go with the 5400RPM one just for heat reasons.

Ok, project 1UP it is.

As for whether its going to be used internally, that comes to my next question. Does anyone know the dimensions of the game cartridges? A site on google says 5.5"x 4.1", while amazon.com says a 2.5" drive is 3.94"x2.75". I was just wondering how accurate those measurements are, since in case you haven't figured it out for yourself, Im considering putting the drive in the cartridges (probably super mario bros. to go with name . If theres any room (depth wise) I might also get a slim profile fan for added cooling, even though if there isn't enough room Ill still drill some holes for vents. The whole idea is based on the concept that the cpu heatsink Im putting on doesnt block the game port, since thats going to be the only things thats normal size (in this case it will appear giant and since its a mobile cpu is going to be overkill. But of course this is OCforums where overkill sometimes isn't enough).

I know there are people that are wondering when Im actually going to order the parts, but as you can see Im still working out product details and then I MIGHT go visit my house in the states in a week or two, in which case Ill have the parts shipped there so international shipping doesnt destroy my budget. (I want to keep it below $1300 or so, so I still have a few bucks left for a new gfx card and mobo for my desktop. And peripherals such as the dvd drive and possibly a cheap wireless mouse/keyboard.)

[petteyg359]

You should be fine fitting a laptop drive into a cartidge case, but I don't think you'll have room for any fans. If you have room for even a single 80mm fan in the SNES case, though, you'll have more "fannage" than a normal laptop, so you should be fine.

[freakdiablo]

Originally Posted by petteyg359

You should be fine fitting a laptop drive into a cartidge case, but I don't think you'll have room for any fans. If you have room for even a single 80mm fan in the SNES case, though, you'll have more "fannage" than a normal laptop, so you should be fine.

Ya, I was going to mount a fan in the case itself as an exhaust blowing up through the top. Even if I don't have room for a fan on the top, I might be able to fit a couple 40mm fans on the side. I could possibly get a 60mm fan on the side (2.8" tall...2.54cm in 1"...) Ya, 7.112cm, or just over 71mm. I could put a 60mm high-RPM fan on one side as an intake and a similar exhaust fan on the opposite side.

[JamesXP]

just botch some so they stick outside on the back

its all you need :P

[freakdiablo]

Originally Posted by JamesXP

just botch some so they stick outside on the back

its all you need :P

No can do, going to have the mobos I/O panel sticking out of the back, and even THATs going to barely fit in the back.

[Neuromancer]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161074

Dual slot PCI low profile vid card. x1550 for a little extra rendering power and doubles and will help cool the PC overall

[petteyg359]

The X1550 has an additional 100MHz on the core and 266MHz on the memory, but only a 64-bit bus. The X1300 has a 128-bit bus. The X1300 can probably be overclocked if needed, and with the 128-bit bus, is likely better even without overclocking. Both have dual DVI, but the X1550 only comes with a single DVI>VGA converter, the X1300 comes with two. Both have S-Video ports.

[freakdiablo]

Originally Posted by Neur0mancer

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161074

Dual slot PCI low profile vid card. x1550 for a little extra rendering power and doubles and will help cool the PC overall

I was considering that, but a SNES is 7.8" wide and a mITX board is 6.7" wide, and that means if that card does fit the airflow is going to be heavily restricted. But I guess I could always cut a fan hole out of the side of the case...but it needs a 450w psu (according to one of the reviews) and the reviews overall are mixed.

[nd4spdbh2]

i would stick with the onboard graphics.... any addon stuff is just going to add tons of extra heat that will not be a good thing in such a small case.

heck the onboard may even be good nuf to run some lil games.... i think the best thing would get a SNES emulator on the thing haha.

[Sam__]

sounds like an awesome idea freakdiablo......i am actually quite tempted to get one of these mini-itx boards and build a pc in something silly.lol

[freakdiablo]

Originally Posted by nd4spdbh2

i would stick with the onboard graphics.... any addon stuff is just going to add tons of extra heat that will not be a good thing in such a small case.

heck the onboard may even be good nuf to run some lil games.... i think the best thing would get a SNES emulator on the thing haha.

Ya but part of the point of this project is to show some of my friends that you don't need a big and flashy computer to play CS or something at a decent FPS. And Im goin to externalize the psu and CPU heatsink, so theres not going to be massive amounts of heat pumping into the case, plus Im going to fill every possible inch of free space with fans.

[freakdiablo]

Originally Posted by Sam__

sounds like an awesome idea freakdiablo......i am actually quite tempted to get one of these mini-itx boards and build a pc in something silly.lol

SHOEBOX PC FTW

[Sam__]

Originally Posted by nd4spdbh2

i think the best thing would get a SNES emulator on the thing haha.

u gotta get an amulator on it...no question lol.

[Sam__]

Originally Posted by freakdiablo

SHOEBOX PC FTW

lol...sounds like a plan....it will be my next project.

It will have to happen in a while as i am currently cutting up my current case and adding fans in every viable space.

[Sam__]

on the fan front tho....you could just have a low rpm 120mm fan on the top blowing out. blowhole style.

[freakdiablo]

Originally Posted by Sam__

on the fan front tho....you could just have a low rpm 120mm fan on the top blowing out. blowhole style.

I was going to put it all in the case and then take measurements for fans, since I still don't know what size I can get after the cpu heatsink (it WILL be sticking out of the top, no discussion) and possibly the game cartridge/hdd idea. After its all done, it may turn out theres only enough room for the side mounted 60mm fans.

[QuietIce]

An interesting idea, overall - can't wait to see the end result!


If you go with the Thermaltake heatsink maybe you can fab up something that looks like a blower sticking out of the hood of an old Muscle Car. Aluminum tape for a finish on something that small makes for an easy shiny-chrome look ...

[freakdiablo]

Originally Posted by QuietIce

If you go with the Thermaltake heatsink maybe you can fab up something that looks like a blower sticking out of the hood of an old Muscle Car. Aluminum tape for a finish on something that small makes for an easy shiny-chrome look ...

Good idea, if only I had the tools and expertise to pull it off. If I go back to the states, Ill have access to a few saws and some power drills, even less here in Switzerland. Thats why I chose this, cut out a few holes in the case and file down a few pieces of plastic that may be sticking out on the inside, drill a few holes for screws and Im ready to start installing stuff. If worse comes to worse, my friends dad does recreational car racing so theres a chance I have access to a few other things, but knowing his dad I wont count on it. Plus, this being my first full system mod project (I SAID IT!!!) I want to keep it moderately simple.

I just checked on Ebay, and I just want to say I have no more worries about there being a shortage of old SNESes (cheapest being $10, most expensive being $75 but most averaging $20-$30)

And look what I just found. If Im going to put an emulator on this thing, I need a controller with a SNES port to usb adapter. I figure if I get the SNES of ebay theres a good chance Ill also get a controller.

[nd4spdbh2]

well what kind of gfx card are you going to get thats going to pump out decent fps thats PCI? i mean ya cs is easy but any other game would be eh on a pci gfx card.

[freakdiablo]

Originally Posted by nd4spdbh2

well what kind of gfx card are you going to get thats going to pump out decent fps thats PCI? i mean ya cs is easy but any other game would be eh on a pci gfx card.

Well right now it looks like its coming down to a Geforce 6200 or a Radeon X1550. In my thread in the General gfx card section, QuietIce posted the benchmarks of the 128mb version of the 6200, and it looks ok.

[freakdiablo]

Ok, time to start finalizing the list before a mod thinks this threads going nowhere. I decided to go with the toshiba drive, its $10 cheaper and is 60gb bigger.

Ive also decided to go with either the X1300 or the 6200. To nd4spdbh2: I WILL be adding a 60mm fan next to it, with another 1, 2 possibly 3 other fans if I get lucky.

I don't know what the power requirements are on those, so I might have to switch back to my original idea of the 380w antec earthwatts.

For the cpu heatsink, Im going with this sad excuse for an attempt to make art. Still have to find a site that sells them.

So far, the total for what I have decided on (ram, mobo, cpu, hdd, controller adapter, and psu) the total comes to $707 not including shipping. Add $30 for a SNES off of ebay, probably another $50 for the heatsink, and $137 just in case I go with the x1300, and I get $924, rounded up to $1000 for shipping. besides fans, optical drive, screen, and mouse/keyboard, am I missing anything?

[QuietIce]

Looks doable!


Do you have the extra game cartridge for the HDD ...?