I've always loved micro itx but now mini is in the spotlight i love it even more i've always been wanting to build a mini itx machine using either the ion or just ordinary boards with the atom 330 it would be very inexpensive and i think it would work quite well as a media center pc just for basic movies no high def as of yet I was considering (being a modder) i could just fabricate my own case to save me the £40+ the retailers are charging i though of using aluminum angle and square bar to create a frame and clad it with small U channel sort of like a heatsink design then use acrylics to give some groovy light effects with maybe some mini gaps between the u channel i think it would look rather neat i may knock up some sketchup drawings when i get home just to explain it a bit easier but would the aluminum work well? or just cause more issues than its worth? i reckon i could get all the materials for way under £40 and a case that looks 20X better!
To my knowledge micro-itx doesn't exist. You can get; Mobile,Pico,Nano and Mini ITX but no micro. Perhaps you mean Micro Atx? Moriquendi
Aluminum is relatively easy to work worth, and fairly cheap. I'd certainly give making your own case a go. It sounds like you have a unique idea!
Ahh CraigBru king of SFF Yeh aluminum angles are really quite cheap not so sure on fixing though im thinking countersunk rivets but think that may look rather overkill depending on the size and amount of U channel cladding the frame
Haha, thanks man. Options for attaching aluminum together are limited. Most use rivets or cap screws, and either would work fine for you. Rivets would obviously be cheaper, and countersunk ones would look the cleanest. If you don't like the somewhat industrial look of exposed rivets, you could always use a body filler or JB Weld type product to cover the rivets (assuming your countersink is deep enough).
Hmmm yeh im kinda aiming towards the more industrial look i need to get in sketchup and make some drawings its kind of just a faint idea in my head which i need to keep evolving before i make a decision on whether to empty my wallet once again. Maybe i may make this a brain storming thread Im thinking something that looks rather industrial but at the same time futuristic so it looks as good from the outside as it does the inside that may make no sense to you but it does to me
