My mod job (lots-o-pics)

[gvblake22]

This was my 1st mod project and it turned into a whole computer case/cooling overhaul but I am very satisfied with the result. I went in as a n00b and came out of the project as only slightly less than a n00b .
This project includes:
-Side window with chrome trim
-UV lighting with UV cables and sleeved wires
-regular and UV LED fans
-Front intake fan
-custom fan controller/rheostat for front and rear fans
-custom RAMsinks on video card (made from a stock AMD heatsink)
-custom black AMD sticker on front of case

This was the original case but in a black and silver color that they don't make anymore.

PICS below!

 

[gvblake22]

and a few more...


All criticism (good or bad) is welcome along with any suggestions or ideas for additional future mods! And I'll put more/better pics up upon request.

 

[-Superman]

for somereason on pic11 , i dont like the front light.

i like the wiremanagement, it looks twisted and **** all cool looking.

what was the original case looking like ?

 

[Drec]

nice that looks slick as hell and you gotta love the AMD sticker on the front.!

 

[Yuriman]

Looks good to me, except the paint. Did you paint it? I suggest you sand it down and do it again. Primer I find optional for most cases(pun intended). With my XPC I just sanded, put on a color coat and then a gloss coat. All purdy now.

 

[DarkDraco]

i like the colors. good job

 

[radium]

Nice, it's way better than I could ever do for my first mod.

(This comp in my sig has yet to come, then I'll make it say uncle!)

 

[gvblake22]

Thanks for the input. I didn't paint the case actually, those are the colors that it originally came in. The paint on the window side is kinda messed up from moving it around on the work bench a bunch, and it looks AWFUL in pic 21... There is a link in my fist post to the original case. They picture a beige and a blue one but I bought mine last year and they had the black and silver one that I got (still looks the same though).

And about the front light, it was a pretty shabby job, I didn't really know how I was gonna do it and I just tried something really quick to see how it would work and I just left it so there is some cracks and stuff that don't look quite right.

 

[El-Scotto]

uber that is nice looking, good job!!!

 

[Cetamega]

I don't like it that much, but I like the clean, sophisticated look. Lots of metal, no wires, one central cooler scheme. Like a silver, or blue, not a UV pruple or orange. I always loved Scandio's Coolermaster case. It was perfect.

But if this is the case I think you started with, you did a very good job transforming it into something better. If you like it is the only thing that matters.

 

[Cyrix_2k]

The UV wires look AWESOME!!! Don't really like the paint on the case though, but that's no biggy. I also would've done something different for the front of the case.

 

[daniel_dynasty]

all i can say is WOW for a first tymer and a pro. the heat sinks are just cut in half and are HUGE!!!!!!!! isnt that a lot of weight on ur card?

 

[termin@tor]

wow, you made something fugly look aweseme. Good job!

 

[gvblake22]

all i can say is WOW for a first tymer and a pro. the heat sinks are just cut in half and are HUGE!!!!!!!! isnt that a lot of weight on ur card?

Haha, the heatsinks are not really that heavy, they're just cheap aluminum, the VGA Silencer weighs MUCH more than those heatsinks on the other side. They probably are bigger than they need to be but I decided I didn't want to cut them for like the 6th time and they make a mid range card look kinda bad-*** [laf]; seems to be ok so far...

And thanks for the compliments! I really spent a lot of time on it trying to make it look good; and yeah, the one thing that is not up to par is infact the paint job but its what I could do with my limited time/money/painting skill. It's not as noticeable in normal light so I'm not too worried for now. Guess ya can't be perfect your first time around!

-->So what should I try next?

 

[mould_jesus]

i'm likin that AMD sticker. how 'bout something on how you mounted those custom VGA sinks? i'm trying to upgrade my video chip and ram sinks, and i have unlimited pentium 1, 2, and 3 heatsinks and fans at my disposal. i can easily cut and mod them to fit, but i need a way to mount them. nice looking case. the lights are the best part. and i like the way you have the fans mounted. the paint job is a bit cheap looking so it takes away from the appearance with the lights on, but who wants to use a box like that in a fully lighted room? i don't! i would turn off all the lights so i can see that badass mod job if i had that case.

hahaha. nice job.

 

[shard]

that front of the Case is smiling at me! hehe, on the front get rid of the fan grill and get something a little more symetrical, that is what is bothering me, it just doesnt fit. and make it not chrome.
oh and light up the smily face front

 

[Narcissus]

The "smiley face" front is a seperate piece of plastic that doesn't go all the way through the silver stuff - only a couple of points that are then glued on the inside.
Oh, and the front (can't really see from the pix) does this really wierd inward curve a little below the smiley, then pushes out again on the sides, but not on the bottom in the middle ... ... I'm an English major, and I cannot describe the contours with words, put it that way.

I have the same case, can you tell?

The smiley region is nearly impossible to dremmel with any real control - not only does it warp and curve, but the plastic is cheap and changes thicknesses for no discernable reason.

Without slicing open the front somehow, there is no intake on the front of the case. Oh, there is a spot for an 80mm fan behind the smiley, but no place for it to pull air from.

GVBLAKE22: nicely done job. If your comp. is in a safe place (and you don't mind the way this will look), take off the top, remove that V-shaped grille thing, and replace it with 1/4-inch wire mesh from your hardware store - nearly-instant blowhole. You cannot put a fan there, however, without sacrificing your top 5&1/4-inch slot.

That all said: mine's so blasted ugly that, even if I had a camera, I still wouldn't post pics. Seriously.

Oh, and thanks for starting this post. I bought my case from some discount store, and have had it for 9 months now, with no idea who made the case, as there are no manufacturer marks/serial numbers on it anywhere.

 

[PHILIP1193]

yea very tidy mate and i have to agree they are HUGH!!!! heat sink (or is that an understatement) o well nice job mate lots of colour although that top grill need cutting out and have a mesh put over it for better air flow

Phil

 

[gvblake22]

Thanks for all the feedback!

i'm likin that AMD sticker. how 'bout something on how you mounted those custom VGA sinks? i'm trying to upgrade my video chip and ram sinks, and i have unlimited pentium 1, 2, and 3 heatsinks and fans at my disposal. i can easily cut and mod them to fit, but i need a way to mount them. nice looking case. the lights are the best part. and i like the way you have the fans mounted. the paint job is a bit cheap looking so it takes away from the appearance with the lights on, but who wants to use a box like that in a fully lighted room? i don't! i would turn off all the lights so i can see that badass mod job if i had that case.

hahaha. nice job.

Yeah, I didn't paint it actaully, thats how it came stock

I used Arctic Alumina thermal adhesive to bond the "HUGH!!!" heatsinks to the RAM chips on the video card. Pretty easy actaully if you just follow the instructions, but when they say to use it in a well ventillated area, they're NOT joking! I got such a headache after using that stuff!! SERIOUSLY, be careful (unless you don't like your brain cells).

GVBLAKE22: nicely done job. If your comp. is in a safe place (and you don't mind the way this will look), take off the top, remove that V-shaped grille thing, and replace it with 1/4-inch wire mesh from your hardware store - nearly-instant blowhole. You cannot put a fan there, however, without sacrificing your top 5&1/4-inch slot.

That all said: mine's so blasted ugly that, even if I had a camera, I still wouldn't post pics. Seriously.

Oh, and thanks for starting this post. I bought my case from some discount store, and have had it for 9 months now, with no idea who made the case, as there are no manufacturer marks/serial numbers on it anywhere.

Narcissus,
I tried to get the top "V-grill" thing out and put mesh in there like you said but I can't seem to figure out how to get the panels apart from eachother. I can't get the front apart or seperated from the top panel, which I can't seem to seperate from the back.
Can you give me some tips on how I can get this sucka apart?!

 

[Narcissus]

Heh, it is a PITA, isn't it?

Umm... to be honest, I'm not certain at the moment...

Gimme an hour or so to take it apart and write down how I did it (it's the machine I'm using right now, so that's why the delay).
Posties later.
~N