Proper optical drives are about 7" deep (mine is), which makes things a bit snug with the video card
It definitely is possible depending on the components you use.
But I don't think anyone has actually made one of these, so I'd have to build it myself. What would be the best way to make this, while still being pretty sturdy?
what about swapping the 3.5" and the cd drive, wouldnt that give you more headroom,btw nice pc design skillz
After switching them, there is just enough room, if you tuck all of the cables below the drive and use right angle sata cables on the ODD.
Last edited by FuturDreamz; 20 Oct 2012 at 21:08.
I think I'll use Ponoko to make this, because this way I can have a really nice looking system when it is done. I just need to know how it would be done. So far I'm thinking of lasercut sheet metal that's folded (or welded), but I need to know how they handle joining and bending.
I discovered the stock Intel cooler is too tall, but if found this which will work fine.
Newegg.ca - Phanteks PH-TC90LS 92mm PWM fan UFB (Updraft Floating Balance) CPU Cooler
I now have all of the electronic components planned, except for the front panel components (USB, audio, and I want to put in a card reader)
SAMSUNG 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model MV-3V4G3D/US
Transcend TS128GSSD320 2.5" Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) Desktop Upgrade Kit
Phanteks PH-TC90LS 92mm PWM fan UFB (Updraft Floating Balance) CPU Cooler
LG Black 10X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal 12X Internal Blu-ray Drive 3D Playback & M-DISC Support Model UH12LS29 LightScribe Support - Blu-Ray Drives
HIS iCooler H775FN1G Radeon HD 7750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
Intel Core i5-3470 Ivy Bridge 3.2GHz (3.6GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637i53470
ASUS P8H77-I LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
Western Digital WD Green WD30EZRX 3TB IntelliPower 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
SeaSonic SS-350SFE 350W SFX12V V3.1 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies
Vantec Thermoflow 60mm Double Ball BearingTemperature Controlled Case Fan - Model TF6025 (x2)
PCI Express Flex Riser Card
Delrin Vandal Resistant Illuminated Switch 16mm Black - Orange Dote (for reset and HDD activity)
Vandal Resistant Illuminated Switch 16mm Black - Green Ring (for power)
Last edited by FuturDreamz; 21 Oct 2012 at 01:18.
Is this PSU overkill? Newegg.ca - SILVERSTONE ST45SF 450W SFX12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Due to the difficulty of the custom case and making it perfect, this is definitely turning into a longer term project so I might as well go full fledged.
yet another update: I've been using formulator to create the case. It's pretty easy and I got the entire case designed (and figured out the lid). I just have to place all of the screw holes, the mount points for the motherboard (which is basically more screw holes), and the exterior cutouts. It is being done in acrylic, which actually makes it easier to do (as some of my planned joins would be difficult to do in steel without having solder get in the way). I will have to re-do it in Sketchup so I can show it to you better, but I like it.
Exterior parts
Interior parts
Exterior parts are 3mm matte black acrylic, while interior parts are 5mm shiny acrylic
Exterior parts are: 3.5" drive bay blank, sides, front, and top.
Interior parts are (counter clockwise): bottom, right sidewall, feet, left sidewall, back (no holes put in yet), backs of the blank (to hold it in place), angle supports, then interior hard drives/opticaldrives caddy.
the front and all interior parts (except for 3 small squares and the blank backs) will be fused together to make a box shape. the sidewalls will be indented 3mm to make room for the sides, and the feet will be doublestacked to make 4 10mm tall feet.
the top and sides will be fused together, with angle supports to make sure it's sturdy.
the backs of the blank is fused to the blank, so it will sit properly and not fall out (a hard drive can butt up against it to pin it in place)
I still haven't figured out how I'm going to do the graphics card mount... and with the flexible pci riser it's going to have very little support.
Last edited by FuturDreamz; 21 Oct 2012 at 14:47.
What do you think of the shape of the case so far? I don't know yet how i'm going to do the screw holes, I might just drill them out when the case arrives.
I still need to do the back plate and cutouts for the front ports, but I need to find some sort of template so I can get the holes for the SFX PSU, PCI cards, and front USB ports. I have a usb card reader here that I can use for reference so I don't have to worry about that. I don't know what shape to use for the vents, especially for the PSU...
Do you think this case has enough airflow?
Looking on what you are planning to achieve , it reminds me of Alienware X51 mini .
Physical System Dimensions
Height:
Front-Height: 13.504" (343mm)
Rear-Height: 12.54" (318.5mm)
Depth: 12.52" (318mm)
Width: 3.74" (95mm)
actually the case looked pretty neat .
you could drill or make some holes on top of where the cpu cooler would be adding more airflow, and maybe a small fan inbetween cd drive and 3.5" to increase airflow
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