Mini LAN rig mk.II (12" x 15" x 3.5")

Tbird man said:

go for the current case and get a shuttle fv25 mobo and use a bigger PSU

Click to expand...

Well, this will be a gaming rig and I already have a lovely All-in-one nForce board with onboard Geforce2. It's smaller than I thought and will fit. I just need to use a beefier Power supply (135 watts might work but could prove uncomfortable).

i see. the mobo i got might be shot (hey for 20 bucks not a bad deal) so i might be interested. what company makes that mobo?

Tbird man said:

i see. the mobo i got might be shot (hey for 20 bucks not a bad deal) so i might be interested. what company makes that mobo?

Click to expand...

You have two manufacturer options for pretty much the exact same board.

Asus A7N266-VM (includes usb and SPDIF/optical risers, NO overclocking, has much better northbridge passive cooling)
or
Abit NV7m (doesn't have risers, supposedly overclocks)

Average price = $75

Socket A + PC2100 DDR support + Geforce 2 IGP + Onboard LAN (as fas as the PCI cards I've tried) + MCP-D 5.1 digital audio chipset (only works in WinXP and 2000. Neither of which I use)

Okay, I've broken down and ordered the new case. I was going to paint it chrome... But black is much more forgiving of finger prints (and painting a slim CD-ROM face is soooooooooo scary).

I was just too squeemish to further hack away at the 300w PSU I was trying to squeeze into the Netvista case, and buying a TFX 135w PSU and the bracket I need to mount the slim CD-ROM would cost more than ordering the newer case.

It should be easier to put a large window in.
It should be lighter
It already has a holder for my slim CD-ROM
And it's garaunteed to fit my motherboard without me having to undergo further dremel surgery.


Fewer headaches and I should be finished sooner. The Netvista cases I have will be used for a system I'm building for my brother (christmas present) and an MP3 server/stereo for the basement.

FINALLY I'm near completion and I'm getting soo antsy about finally having the computer I've been waiting 8 months to have in my mits.
YIPPPPEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

damn, that is smaller than I thought....jeez...nice LAN rig tho

Doh!

I couldn't get my slim keyboard apart to paint it chrome and the chrome paint I have gets melted by clear coat. So I have been unable to paint my keyboard and mouse to match the case.

That, coupled with limited funding options has led me to purchase the Enlight Slim Micro-ATX case that I've been eying for two months. It's already clad in balck plastic and should provide for better cooling options. I'll let everyon know what I do to it in the coming weeks. But for now I just need to work on recovering from ever is ailing me and earn some much needed cash.

Captain Slug said:

I can either

a) go with this case and upgrade to a different TFX PSU
b) go with this case and further modify the regular 300w PSU I have
c) wimp out and spend $75 on a similarly sized case that includes a PSU and is roomy enough to provide good cooling yet meets all of my needs

Click to expand...

I chose option C because I'm out of time and energy and siimply want this project to be finished. I'm holding a LAN party in November and I really don't have time to wait for a special Power Supply to be freight shipped all the way from China.