Case Mod - In Progress Project: Hitman Tribute PC- Right Panel Completed- 3/8/08

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I just got a hold of an old Lian-Li PC-86 case along with some used MNPCTECH hardware, so I'm about ready to start a mod I've been thinking about for a while: a computer based on the Edios Interactive Hitman francise, my favorite game series.

Here's what the stock case looks like:

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My objective is a clean, well designed case. I want it to look spectacular but I don't want to anything beyond my ability and end up with a mediocre result. Ideally this case will be adorning my desk for a very long time.

I'm a sketchup noob, but I managed to produce a fairly accurate representation of what I want the case to look like. To the best of my knowledge, everything is to scale.






Here's a brief synopsis of my plan:

Front- If my budget allows, everything will be powder coated either black or red (except the mobo tray, more on that later). The color sceme for each exterior piece can be seen in the sketches. The drive bays will hold one CD/DVD cover, one Lian Li fan controller (I'll replace the LED's with red ones), vandal resistant power and reset switches along with a power and HDD light, and four toggle switches which will control the LED light strips inside the case. The drive bays will be trimmed with aluminum and the area below them will be red round hole modders mesh (hard to see in the picture that it's mesh). I'm going to put a 120mm aluminum blowhole on the front, but instead of putting a fan behind it, I plan to use a circle of translucent red acrylic with the hitman logo cut out of aluminum. The fans will be placed elsewhere...

Right Panel- To get the picture on the right panel, I plan to cut a window-like hole with transparent red acrylic behind it. Behind this acrylic sheet, I'm going to put a piece of mirrored red acrylic. Sandwhiched in between will be the image printed on a large transparency.

Left Panel- The larger window on the left panel will be similar to the right panel window except that both acrylic pieces will be transparent so that the case can be seen into. The smaller window is the "mission window." It will be transparent red acrylic and the names of eight key missions from the four games will be printed on it. However, it will be backed by a thin sheet of translucent black acrylic so the words will be difficult to distinguish when not backlit. Each mission will have a laser LED behind it (partitioned of so there's no cross contamination) controlled by the rocker switch next to the mission. If the mission's name is visible this indicates the misson has been completed.

Top/Bottom- I intend for this case to be almost entirely vertically cooled. Two 120mm fans on the bottom of the case will intake air and an exterior 92mm fan on the back along with a 120mm fan on top will exhaust it (the power supply will exhaust as well). There's a mistake in the picture of the bottom, the case will be watercooled so there should be a dual 120mm rad between the case and the fans. As shown the case will sit on MNPCTECH billet aluminum case feet. Billet handles will be mounted on the top along with an aluminum blowhole for the exhaust fan. Inside the blowhole with be another aluminum hitman logo.

Interior/Cooling- I intend to use carbon fiber vinyl on the mobo tray and powercoat the rest of the interior black. I've never watercooled before, so any suggestions here would be greatly apprieciated. To me, looks are as important as cooling. I plan to use black coolant and mount the res and pump underneath the drive bays. My tenative plan for the loop is: res→ pump→ bottom dual rad→ gpu→ 92m rad on back→ northbridge→ 120 rad under top fan→ cpu→ res.

I suppose that's about all. I don't want to be begin only to find I've made a major planning mistake, so any comment, criticisms, or suggestions would be greatly apprieciated.

 

ah i like this idea, very cool
if you're doing the intact fans at the bottom make sure you have some good fan filters or else it will just be a hover lol.
oh yea i'd suggest you use these fans to keep in the theme:

(Xilence Red Wing 120mm)

 

Awesome

Radical dude. I'm loving the idea and I love the Hitman series so I'm definitely interested to see where this goes. The artwork on the side looks awesome and the 'mission switch' idea is very original, though I wonder if you could get the switches to have functions other than lighting the mission names, like adding extra cooling perhaps, or switching CCFL's/lighting on and off?

Perhaps instead of using black coolant, you should use a really deep red, as if your machine has blood surging through its system, haha, and I think you've pretty much hit the nail on the head with the w/c arrangement, though to me, 3 rads seems a wee bit too much. I'd personally only use the dual rad, though I'd recommend maxxing the rad count at 2.

Just my suggestions, and I wish you the best of luck on your mission, lol. BTW, that fan is awesome, and would look good on your mod (the blade is actually quite a deep red, and not faded as it is in this pic). I think ebuyer do them in the UK, but I am not sure about your end of the pond...

 

Thanks for your suggestions. The lights inside the case will be controlled by the toggle switches on the front. The three rad idea has more to do with looks than cooling, so I'd like to keep those unless they actually impair the loop in some way. I've spent days debating the color of the coolant and I'm still not sure... I sort of want it to be all black inside but blood in the tubings would be cool. I'll have to think more about it.

 

Sweet. You seem to have a very good idea of exactly what is going on ... which is helpful on a fairly ambitious project such as this one. Just wondering if you have much experience at modding pcs, and if so, if you have any project logs/pics elsewhere?

 

I don't have much experience. I've painted some stuff before, and cut out windows and mobo tray holes. I added some nice lighting and window flames to my Antec 900.

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I hate to break your dreams just yet.. Why doesn't anyone read the rules.. I mean, they are there for a reason.. http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=113985

 

are you including a barcode

 

Great idea. I am now.



Just a quick mock up of where I might put it.

Thanks for all the interest everybody. I cut one of the three windows. I'll post the first pics when I finish doing the other two.

 

what rules are being broken? Sure, he could line up the pics a bit better but he has a concept and description.
I think this thing will rock! Good luck my friend, I will keep an eye on this.

 

I think he is talking about nothing has been done to this case yet other than the design. I think it´s some where in the forum rules.. hehe

Im looking forward to seeing this mod evolve though..

Hitman is a danish game you know

 

Project log rules state you need to have done some sort of modding, not just planning.
Nothing is done about it unless a Mod is notified, btw.

Anyways, this case looks like it can turn out to be great!

 

Come on guys! Give him a chance, it's only been 2 days!

Nice work, well ideas. Keep it up!

 

Hey guys, sorry about the rule breaking. I haven't had much of a chance to work on the case yet (school) but I did cut one of the left side windows and I figured I should post a pic so that I'm no longer breaking the rules. I used an old scroll saw to do the window. Shown here with the trim molding I'm going to use and with the panel still taped off.

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I'll try to cut the other two windows tommorrow but I don't know if I'll get a chance.

 

Keep it up looks good well done pat on the back slap on the 455 and a whip of the wet towel.....

errr ... good work ..

 

There you go... Good luck on the project..

 

just an idea w.r.t the barcode - maybe try it centred on the DVD drive tray front? Looks a little lost on the side IMO...

awesome looking idea otherwise!

 

I love the sketches great design. I love the idea for the SIN picture eagerly await to see how it turns out. Im on the lookin out for a Lian Li case of that style to begin my first mod. They are quite clean and look like great blank canvaases (spelling?) to work with. Damm annoying I lost out on one on ebay.

Subscribed.

-Fused

 

I finally got to cut out the other two side windows. I'm going to be using that trim molding on all three. As you can see, there's still tape on the left panel because I'm about to drill the holes for the rocker switches.





I also thought I'd post pics of some of the MNPCTECH hardware that I got with the case (got it off ebay, somebody apparent started a mod and them quickly lost interest).



I've got some vents and aluminum fans too but I don't know if I'll use them.

Still trying to decide whether or not to use a barcode and, if so, where? Any ideas would be apprieciated.

More updates coming soon.

 

If you put the barcode on the dvd drive as someone suggested and do it in red I think it will look great!