With my parents nicking all the wood i'd got for The Hive to use for "more important things", that project was put on hold till this coming summer.. But with me now being at Uni and having access to decent cutting machines etc, i'm needing to do some modding! I have my setup which was in a 250D, but in my Uni room, even that seems big! So i'm going to try and fit the following into a Elite 110, then add some additional bits in too! It will be a white theme with an orange glow, hence the nickname "Baked Alaska". Existing Parts: - MSI Z97I Gaming AC - Intel i3-4130 - EVGA 750Ti SC - 2x 4Gb Avexir Core Orange RAM (1600Mhz) - Silverstone SFX PSU (450w) - 1x 120mm Fan - 2Tb HDD - 240Gb SSD Modding Parts - Window - 5.25" Bay for Card reader & Slim Blu-Ray - 140mm fan (More airflow) - Lighting - Custom exterior - Spray the case white - Case Feet - Carry Handle My initial thoughts of a layout would be like this, with a box on top for the 5.25" bay. ... But then, when I put it all together to get my pc running again, I noticed a lot of space in the front.. So now i'm more leaning towards this sort of layout, with the 5.25" bay on its side and the green bits being a vanity cover to hide cables for the window.
Update time! With some new tools arriving [pics coming soon] I felt it was time to start work on this project.. I've started with the colouring of my case (white spray), but what I feel is more of an achievement so far is what i've done to my GPU! Say hello to the EVGA 750Ti "Krait Edition" I know it still needs sanding down, another coat of spray and some touching up.. But i'm liking how it looks! Btw, the reason i've had to put it together again.. Is to post this. Long story short, I dont have another PC.. So i'm having to put it together again when I'm posting updates etc!
Good stuff! Will be great to see the 110 black cube in a different colour. Big fan of handles, as you see from Luggable LAN rig... Good luck with the assembly/reassembly treadmill
Thanks I love the look of that LAN rig! Just too plain and big for me! Just so I dont double post.. Here's some pictures of what i'll be trying to do for the 5.25" bay! But first, the mess that currently is my PC And finally, a close-up of my Blu-ray/Card reader enclosure
Yes, I never did get round to getting some patterns on it [should have been more desert military looking]...I just take it out every week! It is also too big, my build guide insisted that I needed mATX [He doesnt do ITX!]*, and now I regret it. Which is why I have a White Parvum case to build with an Asus Maximus VI Impact being bench tesred for it. * used to take an SG05 to LAN nights until it was commandeered by SWMBO for home use
UPDATE! After careful measuring and planning, i've settled on a way of how the exterior will look! This will of course be helped by an order i'm placing of a few items from MNPCTech! They have awesome things in their store, so finally brought myself to raising this build's budget and incorporating a few things into the design! Also, i've been doing some more spraying (now the top hoop cover and front grille are also white!) and practicing sleeving for the first time! I'll post the results when the paint is dry and my camera has some battery! EDIT: After looking in further detail, I feel I may be able to rig up a 200mm LED fan on the underside of the case, not just a 120mm.. Drafting out a cutting template now, to see how it would work!
Another small update, no pics again i'm afraid.. (Sorry!) Whilst i'm waiting upon my order from MNPCTech, i've ordered more spray to finish the rest of the case. Also, i've gone and purchased some bits for the window (Clear Acrylic and U-Channel stuff) and also, some Orange acrylic to hide the DVD drive and other cables from within the window! Hopefully I wont ruin it and need to buy more.. Things are going to become very visual soon, as I have a load of photos I need to get around to getting on to this thread!
After a quick wait.. Something arrived at my door! I wonder what this could be? Well, in the little one.. It's this! A paint pen! (I couldn't find any orange spray in a colour I liked that was in my sort of budget.. But then I found this for £2!) This'll be used to give my GPU some highlights, and maybe some detailing on the case.. The other, larger, package had my acrylic sheeting! Orange, for the internal vanity cover (to hide the DVD drive from the window enclosure) and Clear for the window! ALSO.. (I told you it was gonna be a biggish update!) Here's a picture of the front panel: I'm not too sure if I should spray the outer ring white, or leave it black for some contrast? (Although the rest of the build will be white and orange..) Finally.. Whilst waiting for my MNPCTech order (Which has been dispatched! ) I mentioned looking at fitting a 200mm Fan underneath. Here's the outline of my proposed cutout and where the screw holes would be.. The feet would be in the same place. Till next time!
Did someone say they wanted some actual modding? If they did, good! Because here's the start of it! Throwing my normal conservative self to the wind, I dove in and just decided to cut out the lower fan hole (ignoring the fact I may need to re-fit it if it blocks the MNPCTech feet!) Using the well-known technique of taping over the section with thick masking tape, then drawing out the design.. I came to this: D - Drill Hole, M - Motherboard Hole, F - Case Feet Hole, Shaded - Area To Be Cut The usual sparks from a dremel.. I can't really cut and take pictures, hence the really awkward grip! The Final Product! I've also got a rough idea of how i'll make the vanity cover and the window, so they'll be coming soon! But before that, i've got to get some sandpaper.. I'm going to re-colour my fans, smooth off the edge of that hole. Oh, also finally get around to drilling out the rivets and spraying the internal cage of the case that i've not gotten around to doing somehow...! NEXT UPDATE TOMORROW!
Sneak preview of what's happening today! I must say, taking the case apart was not a riveting process.. (I have terrible humour, I know! ) But whilst I was doing that, I had a thought.. If I don't have any other drives to fit in the extra drive spaces in the case, do I really need them? I could buy a 4-6Tb HDD and sell my 2Tb! So.. I dont need this side panel! Meaning I can put in a window and actually see my GPU! Although, speaking of GPU's, Mine isn't really fitting into the build much, as it's got a curved shroud, and this is going to be straight edges etc.. Time to start look at other alternatives!
Wow! 1k Views on this?! (I know it's a modding forum, but I never thought people would be this interested in my first full project!) Unfortunately it's been raining, so I've not been able to finish spraying the case. This process never ends! HOWEVER, as some will know from another thread.. AVEXIR have given me support with the project! (Not a sponsorship, but they've told me that I can RMA the ram, even if I play about with the heatsinks!) So, the black heatsinks are coming off and getting the full white treatment! Original: Mid-way: ^You can also see some of the internal parts that are getting the white treatment too! Things are getting exciting over here for me!
It was going to be another small-ish update today.. But when I checked my mail, I saw something there! This was what had arrived: No clues? Here, have another! Maybe that'll help? ..Or this! Yup, my MNPCTech box of awesomeness has arrived! So before all else, some pictures of the parts and where they'll be going! The case feet: These are gorgeous feet that actually dont seem too big when they're put on the Elite 110 (see below), due to it's cubed nature! I'll have to extend them for the fan that'll be under-slung on the bottom, though. The Handle: I opted for a chunky billet handle, as it'd look silly having two handles on something this size! Also, if i'm taking this to a LAN or moving it, it was the most comfortable type of handle I could have! No pics of it on the roof part, as that's still drying from the last layer of spray paint! Now, on the picture of the feet attached to the case.. You might have noticed the power button was gone. This was because I hadn't thought about that when you use a 140mm fan, it "has" to be inside the frame else it is obstructed by the power button.. So I decided to move the power button! Here's a rough layout of what i'm thinking for the front panel. It's NOT central, which i'm sure will spike the OCD of some people.. But even the 120mm fan mount which can fit with the power button isn't central! Since i'll be using LED fans, I couldn't just go the 120mm route and have a central fan, I may as well go 140mm and have better airflow! Another thing you'll notice in that plan is that i've left a space for a vandal switch. BUT I may not be able to afford one for this project (student life sucks at times!). So I may be forced to re-use the original CoolerMaster switch. Only there isn't enough space for it to be horizontal because of the USB's and audio out, so it'd have to be mounted vertically.. Meaning the Writing would be skew-iff. Not happening! So off came the CoolerMaster logo and the clear backing was sanded: With plans in place for a new power cover! Just wanted to say a big thank you to MNPCTech for their help, especially with making the custom 140mm Overkill ring! I had a slight issue with the handle (One of the Bolts wasn't threaded right, so I could barely tighten the nut before it'd jam) but I can always pick up some cheap bolts! I'd thoroughly reccommend them for parts!
Glad they arrived safely. ....1st time I've heard of this thread issue. Let me know if need me to send replacements via PM Lookin forward to seeing more of your progress, too btw, here are the links to Impatience's case mod parts from mnpctech CNC Machined Diamond Knurl PC Case feet, http://mnpctech.com/pc-computer-stereo-desktop-case-feet/diamond-knurl-pc-feet.html CNC Machined Billet PC Case Handles link, http://mnpctech.com/pc-case-lan-par...ver-tower-handles/billet-grooved-handles.html
Thanks! Currently working on modding my RAM, it's a bit of a PITA with what i'm doing.. But the results look a lot better than standard!
Unfortunately I don't have enough time to post a full update, but i'll finish this off on monday! The work i've been doing recently is adding more white to my components! I've now modded: - RAM (White heatsinks) - Mobo (Heatsinks) - Intel Stock Cooler (Who would've thought it looks AWESOME in white?!) I know i'm being a bit of a tease.. But pics coming soon!
Sorry for the more than delayed promised pictures! Unfortunately I fell rather sick this weekend, so i've been slowly recovering and hence been unable to do this update till now.. Here's the Motherboard and CPU heatsink after getting the white treatment! Unfortunately it's a bit of a 2ft job atm, i'll need to go over the shield with a cotton bud and rubbing alcohol! Also, I have some carbon wrap, which i'm thinking of using to cover the top layer of the HSF.. It's a little shoddy atm as I was trying to avoid the cables! The RAM turned out just how I wanted it to be! Unfortunately I can't re-stick on the warranty label.. So I'll have to find some double sided tape? Also, I have done some more cutting with the to fit the 5.25" bay: Fitting the handle was easier than expected, as I just had to enlarge the top vents a little! Finally, I have also made the cutout for the case window! The next steps I see happening will be designing a new front panel and getting that made.. Also I have to sort out the feet Spoiler then attach the lower fan and mounting the 5.25" bay. Then, if there's any space left Spoiler I'd be surprised! i'll be looking into making a vanity cover and possibly making custom PSU cabling! After that it's the final lick of paint and clear coat before final build!
Time for another update! I've started work on the front panel! Here's the design i've made for it: As you can see, it's going to be a plain front panel without the mesh.. But as it's plain, the power switch and MNPCTech Overkill ring will be more prominent! Also, i'm thinking of having it cut out of matte orange acrylic, to provide a highlight to the bland white case. So, I started cutting out the central bracing pattern of the front panel! As you might have noticed, there's also a hole in the top part of the front panel.. ^That one! It's not been fully sanded down etc, but i've got something that needs a controller and there was no space! So it had to go there. Any guesses to what that's for? Yup, it's my LED's! Now i'll be able to turn on and off, as well as adjust the brightness of them without opening the case etc ^And there's a rough idea of what it'll look like when finished! Obviously the front panel has yet to be sprayed white.. I'm also thinking of spraying the power button white as well, but that's yet to be fully decided! Now, just before I finish this update I have one more thing to discuss! After a quick email to E22, it turns out there is a Orange variant of the Teleios sleeving coming within the end of the month! So I had a look at pricing on their site and I've worked out that i'll be able to have some real custom cabling done for this build after the next installment of my student loan comes through! So I had a quick sketch of some sleeving designs, what do you guys think is best? (1-3 are 24pin & 4-6 are CPU, as I don't have a GPU which needs power input..) If you could comment which one you prefer, i'd really appreciate it!
It's been too long since I've last updated this, so here's an update on what's been going on in the background! - Contacted Parvum about getting the front panel cut. It's doable with them and affordable for my budget! - Contacted E22 about the Teleios again as no word yet on the orange sleeving.. - Sprayed the front panel white, needs only one more final coat now. - Received all the parts from MNPCTech, so have drawn up some spacers that'll boost the looks of the feet! - Roughly sorted out how i'm going to mount the ODD bay in the case.. Potentially mounting my SSD to it as well, to have it on display! But whilst that's all been happening.. I've been at work. As low on funds and i'm still waiting upon my student loan to have the safety to get the final pieces cut and ordered to try and finish this project!
