so i have been toying with the idea of building my own computer case from scratch. i have been sketching it up using SketchUp. just discovered it. much nicer than Paint. it wont be a huge case. the planned dimensions were 14" x 17 5/16" x 8 3/8" (HxWxD). i was hoping to use steel or aluminum as the back, top, and bottom of the case. than framing it all in with acrylic. the motherboard would be inverted 90 degrees so the I/O was at the top. and the psu placed at the top as well. than all optical & hard drives placed at the bottom. not the most detailed design. but it is what i am thinking the case to look like. any and all thoughts/suggestions would be appreciated. i haven't ever done anything like this before. - lxrysprtmscl
Did you draw that in 3D or did you keep to the original plane when drawing? Anyway looks good, I would suggest building a frame with either aluminium, steel or even wood. Then add panels as you would them, using either acrylic, steel or aluminium. I would personally avoid wood for panels though.
generally speaking some parts are harder and some parts are simpler then you imagined. you have to prepare to get some tools (unless you already have them of course) depending on the material and it's thickness you could build the case without a frame or you could build a frame from whatever material you find apropriate.
How hard a case is depends on many factors... --Are you an experienced builder/designer/tinkerer? --Do you have junk parts you can use for templates or drawing software and a printer? --Will you paint or leave the materials raw? Mistakes and mis-fits can be covered with bondo and paint. --What kind of tools do you have?
Really plan out what you're doing Don't start the build and plan at the same time (the case doesn't usually turn out as good as you want)
When planning your mod I suggest at least browsing through the sketchup tuts from Google. I'd given up on SU thinking it wasn't intuitive at all and really clunky until I had checked a couple tutorials and it made all the difference. Makes planning much easier, especially with the components database. Course that wasn't really your question, but if you have a solid plan, it'll be like building an ikea cabinet from instructions.
once you've got the mobo tray done it's pretty simple. if you get a pre-built motherboard tray and build around that it'll be really easy. if you get a back piece from a donor case it's just a matter of putting the standoffs in the right place so the PCI slots line up with the PCI shield. the real problem is not building the case but coming up with a good plan. not like what you have there, but a real detailed plan with every screw and rivet mapped out, and every dimension totally accurate. use sketchup. try it . if it turn out rubbish, all you've lost is a couple hours and a bit of scrap metal.
not sure. just discovered SketchUp. i just started drawing as i would in Paint, just using exact lengths instead of guesstimating. well. i was hoping to do without a frame. though if it comes down to it, i most definitely will. the reason i am so interested in building a case is because of my interest in dipping my computer. (aka mineral oil pc). hence the reason for the i/o at the top. and since i wasnt sure of how to get power to the psu without an ugly cable in the case i put the psu at the top too. -- i have only moderate experience. and that is solely with wood. -- i am using SketchUp. does that count? and yes. i own a printer. but no junk parts, unless i take apart one of my cases i have. -- i dont plan on painting. but making a mirror shine on the metal does sound appealing. -- the tools i have are mostly woodworking tools. unless they too can be used on metal. oh yes. i definitely am going to plan before i begin. "measure twice, cut once." i will look into that once i get a chance. thanks for the suggestion. and building this case like i would a product from ikea sounds amazing. yes. i plan on using a mobo tray purchased from Performance-PCs. the one i am using in the drawing is from a Lian Li PC-6x. so it is can hold an E-ATX board. though i doubt i will ever need that much board space. so might go for a smaller tray to shrink the height of the case.
I'm all about being adventurous, but seeing as it's your first scratch build, I really wouldn't jump into submersion cooling just yet (I still don't have th 'nads to do so) If you feel you can do it, knock yourself out. I would love for you to have a kick*ss submerged PC. You've pretty much gotta build a frame for the case. You have to have something sturdy that'll hold the weight of the components, especially if you want to put oil in it. Don't ever skimp on structure, it will come back to bite you.The weight of a standard PC can get to be more than you'd think. I just shipped off a Dell XPS that weighed 55lbs! If you're comfortable with wood, there have been some amazing mods that's came from wood so I wouldn't rule that out as an option unless you are dead-set on submerged cooling. I'm not much of a sketchup user, I pretty much do my planning on paper, and lots of it. As I've told others before, Plan out everything, and then plan on your plan not going as planned I know this is a forum for advise and this is the place where some of the most gifted and helpful minds in modding hang out, but when it comes down to it there's nothing like good ol' hands-on experience Good luck, I hope it all works out.
well. i wouldnt say i was dead-set on dipping my computer, but more of it seems to be a lot less expensive then liquid cooling. i wouldnt need to purchase aftermarket heatsinks to utilize the cooling potential of liquid cooling. i would just need the leakproof case, some mineral oil, and the guts to do it. no. i definitely wouldnt skip out on a solid, sturdy frame. would just be trying to make the case as frameless as structurally sound. if it came to it. i would definitely build a frame. and weight isnt truly an issue. i hardly move my computer around. and when i do it is just a short distance. it is either on my desk or on the floor next to my desk. i have thought about using a fish tank as a case. but didnt find that idea to be as appealing as a case i personally built from the ground up. though it would get be a step closer to knowing submerged computer cooling first-hand.
you might want to try a fish tank, I know its not a fun as building a case, but if your going to start out building straight to a sub merged case, it could be the simplest way. good luck and I hope you find a solution
