case mod pictures

[n_ick2000]

Well, I said I'd post some pics of my case one day, and now I am. It is an Ahanix Platinum XP Dark Grey case, with a side window, a blue cold cathode light, a UV cold cathode light, rounded IDE cables, and my nifty red colored motherboard.

http://www.buriedshadows.com/images/casepics/front.jpg. This is the front of my case. If there wasn't a flash, you would be able to see the temperature of my cpu on a cool lcd screen. The two stickers at the bottom are from my cool Enermax power supply and my Athlon XP.

http://www.buriedshadows.com/images/casepics/inside1.jpg. This is a pic inside my case through my side window. You can see the edge of my psu, my rounded ide cables, and some other things.

http://www.buriedshadows.com/images/casepics/uvcoldcathode.jpg. This is a pic of my UV blacklight cold cathode light. You can also see my video card (Gf3 Ti200), sound card (Audigy [I know it's a bad card]), and my hard drive. The UV light is really being overpowered by my blue light.

http://www.buriedshadows.com/images/casepics/inside2.jpg. This is another picture of inside my case.

http://www.buriedshadows.com/images/casepics/nameplate.jpg. I got this at a Lanparty I went to a couple of weeks ago. I think it's pretty cool.

http://www.buriedshadows.com/images/casepics/inside3.jpg. I think this is the best (and last) picture of inside my case.

http://www.buriedshadows.com/images/casepics/bluecoldcathode.jpg. This is a pic of my blue cold cathode light. You can also see my rounded ide cables.

So those are the pictures of my case. There are a few other things I want to do to it, but later. So if you have any pictures of your case (modded or not), post them.

[MetallichicA]

Hey n_ick, we've been looking at that case (or one very similar, at least) and that's one of our top picks for when we build our puter... how do you like it? Good points/bad points?

[n_ick2000]

I think it's very nice. The only problem with it I have is that there is no slide out motherboard tray. If you are going to get it, I suggest newegg.com because they are the most reliable store I could find it at.

[Curi0us_George]

Definitely go with newegg.com. They really are a good place to buy. I bought my case there, and have definitely not regretted it.

[MetallichicA]

Well, we've got a few links... newegg.com is one of them. Also infotechnow.com, pcmods.com, tigerdirect.com

And I know NOT to buy from colorcases.com, or at least so I've heard... but I do have a question... some of the cases listed there are pretty cool, but I can't find them anywhere else! What gives? Do they rename them or something? They must, right? Cuz I believe that's n_ick's case at number 0406, but it's called "Neon Light" and none of these say who actually makes them. Frustrating. And I see that big Enermax server case, but they don't list the company, just "Phat Max".

[n_ick2000]

Originally posted by MetallichicA
And I know NOT to buy from colorcases.com, or at least so I've heard... but I do have a question... some of the cases listed there are pretty cool, but I can't find them anywhere else! What gives? Do they rename them or something? They must, right? Cuz I believe that's n_ick's case at number 0406, but it's called "Neon Light" and none of these say who actually makes them. Frustrating. And I see that big Enermax server case, but they don't list the company, just "Phat Max".

They reneame them. The one about the Platinum XP is kind of strange though. 3R Systems in Korea actually makes the Platinum XP case, but they call it the Neon Light case. Ahanix just resells them in America under the Platinum XP name. But colorcases renames most of their cases. Defidently do not buy from them though.


Also, if any of you have feedback on my case or have pictures of your own cases, post them.

[Xerxes]

I've been thinking about going into business selling cases made of classic polished woods (cherrywood, birch) with brass fixtures. Computers should not always, in their plastic/metal facades, attempt to stand out in a room and yell "look at me". A lot of the world still sports traditional decor...

[Curi0us_George]

By the way, I'd strongly suggest that you search for some reviews of whatever cases you are seriously looking at. You either need third-party reviews, or you need to see the case (up close, looking for high quality construction, ease of access, rounded edges so you don't slice a hand open, and whatever else you think is important) before you buy it. Buying on looks alone can get you a 20 dollar case with a 100 dollar price tag.

Originally posted by Xerxes
I've been thinking about going into business selling cases made of classic polished woods (cherrywood, birch) with brass fixtures. Computers should not always, in their plastic/metal facades, attempt to stand out in a room and yell "look at me". A lot of the world still sports traditional decor...
Well, I don't know where you live, but in my neighborhood, everyone's houses are decorated with bright colors and cheap plastic. ;)

Actually, my aluminum case (ATC-410) blends quite well in my room, due to the other electronics, specifically the stereo system.

Your idea sounds nice, but it would only fill a niche market. But then, the ATC-410 only fills a niche market, and it's very quietly humming next to my right foot. :D If you realy get into that, make sure that you can pull in a decent profit. That woods aren't cheap, and most people don't want to spend more than 100 - 200 dollars, even in a niche market.

[n_ick2000]

Originally posted by Xerxes
I've been thinking about going into business selling cases made of classic polished woods (cherrywood, birch) with brass fixtures. Computers should not always, in their plastic/metal facades, attempt to stand out in a room and yell "look at me". A lot of the world still sports traditional decor...

I don't think you can do that. Computers need to be grounded to a metal frame like a case. Otherwise I'm sure you would have seen wood, plastic, and other cool looking cases.

[Curi0us_George]

Originally posted by n_ick2000
I don't think you can do that. Computers need to be grounded to a metal frame like a case. Otherwise I'm sure you would have seen wood, plastic, and other cool looking cases.
You can buy all-plastic cases. Most of them are just ugly. I've seen custom wood-cases before, too. A metal case setting on your floor isn't really grounded any more than a wooden case is.

[n_ick2000]

Originally posted by Curi0us_George

You can buy all-plastic cases. Most of them are just ugly. I've seen custom wood-cases before, too. A metal case setting on your floor isn't really grounded any more than a wooden case is.

well, i guess that's right. But in the old days with AT power supplies, there was a wire you had to ground to the case. So they were all metal back then. I guess they never left the trend.

[Xerxes]

Remember just because the outer layer is wood doesn't mean there isn't a metal skeleton to it... (just has to be cooled a little bit more...)

George- it would definitely be a high end market... this is southern california where people will pay all for image (and little for substance...)

[Curi0us_George]

Well, then I suggest you get to work on it. :D

It might actually be easier to convert existing radios, cabinets, and whatever else than to make each case from scratch. That'd be harder to mass-produce, though.

Make sure you use good, quiet fans (and include a front intake). Of course, if you really want to go for class, you should use water cooling. That way, only the radiator would need a fan.

[Xerxes]

Yeah.... conversions are where it's at. I've been mulling it for some time.

Plan A: Buy lots of paneling... about 1/2 inch thick or so... then basically take all the plastic off and build around the metal frame. For the front use thinner pannelling custom cut for the individual PC- because the setups of CD's, DVD, CD-Rs, floppys, etc etc are all unique nowadays.

Either that, or completely disembowl someone's PC and put it into a somewhat completed case, with a configurable front to it... (but it does set you up for liability...)


Either way, due to the nature of things and uniqueness of components, it has to be a custom job.

I only wish I knew a little bit more about woodworking........... :o

[Monkee_Of_Evil]

i started a case moding site back in jan. with my friend matt, but I later left the project due to a disagreement we had about what direction the site should go..

http://www.twistedmods.com

:)

edit: i plan on doing a case mod myself, cold cathode lights, rounded glow in the dark IDE/SCSI cables, window kit on top, blowhole in the front, more fans, the usual...it's gonna be a Lian Li server chasis *nuts himself at the thought*

[n_ick2000]

Nice site. I don't know why everyone wants Lian Li cases. They are extreamly expensive and don't even look good. They are aluminum which is pretty cool, but other than that, I don't see why they are so good.

[Monkee_Of_Evil]

eh, i duno, bragging rights? im gonna go to Comp USA and Frys today with mah uber $200 (wow, so much!) and buy a new chasis for my case....

black aluminum...mmmmmmm

[eleet-2k2]

Very nice looking case nick! :)

I like the case, unfortunately I do not have money for any fancy cases. :(

[I am Jesus]

Originally posted by n_ick2000
Well, I said I'd post some pics of my case one day, and now I am. It is an Ahanix Platinum XP Dark Grey case, with a side window, a blue cold cathode light, a UV cold cathode light, rounded IDE cables, and my nifty red colored motherboard.

http://www.buriedshadows.com/images/casepics/front.jpg. This is the front of my case. If there wasn't a flash, you would be able to see the temperature of my cpu on a cool lcd screen. The two stickers at the bottom are from my cool Enermax power supply and my Athlon XP.

http://www.buriedshadows.com/images/casepics/inside1.jpg. This is a pic inside my case through my side window. You can see the edge of my psu, my rounded ide cables, and some other things.

http://www.buriedshadows.com/images/casepics/uvcoldcathode.jpg. This is a pic of my UV blacklight cold cathode light. You can also see my video card (Gf3 Ti200), sound card (Audigy [I know it's a bad card]), and my hard drive. The UV light is really being overpowered by my blue light.

http://www.buriedshadows.com/images/casepics/inside2.jpg. This is another picture of inside my case.

http://www.buriedshadows.com/images/casepics/nameplate.jpg. I got this at a Lanparty I went to a couple of weeks ago. I think it's pretty cool.

http://www.buriedshadows.com/images/casepics/inside3.jpg. I think this is the best (and last) picture of inside my case.

http://www.buriedshadows.com/images/casepics/bluecoldcathode.jpg. This is a pic of my blue cold cathode light. You can also see my rounded ide cables.

So those are the pictures of my case. There are a few other things I want to do to it, but later. So if you have any pictures of your case (modded or not), post them.


That's nice man!:up:

[Nofx Guy]

its nice.. looks good.. my only recommendation would be to try and clean up the cords and cables a little bit so there not all over the place.. then you can see more of you mobo and other things ect....

[n_ick2000]

Yeah, the problem is the lack of zip ties lying around in my house. Plus my Enermax Power supply has a ton of extra molex connecters and they are like twice as long as ones on normal poser supplies. I plan to do water cooling soon, so I will need to clean things up in there soon.

[Bilbo Baggins]

I wish I could mod my case. I would be the sort of person to cut a square hole for a circular window though :)

[Nofx Guy]

yeah.. i know what you mean.. usually what i do is just stuff the extra cables into a spare drive bay... once i get batteries for my digi cam i will take some pics of my case.. its cool.. its green , window kit, neon light ect ect

[BMWboy]

Originally posted by Xerxes
I've been thinking about going into business selling cases made of classic polished woods (cherrywood, birch) with brass fixtures. Computers should not always, in their plastic/metal facades, attempt to stand out in a room and yell "look at me". A lot of the world still sports traditional decor...

It is a good idea, but it would be difficult to ventilate the case well enough.


the only modifications made to my case are some carefully placed thin pieces of styrofoam, to cut down on the noise, and they work quite well. considering my case has four fans in it.

[Curi0us_George]

Originally posted by BMWboy
It is a good idea, but it would be difficult to ventilate the case well enough.
No more difficult than venting a metal case.

Originally posted by Monkee_Of_Evil
eh, i duno, bragging rights? im gonna go to Comp USA and Frys today with mah uber $200 (wow, so much!) and buy a new chasis for my case....

black aluminum...mmmmmmm
Bragging rights? I think Lian Li cases are both overprice and ugly. Blarg.
Get an ATC-410 (http://coolermaster.com/products/atc/atc410.html) if you want bragging rights :p

How can you buy a new chasis for a case? Wouldn't that just be a new case, sans side panels?

Originally posted by Xerxes
Yeah.... conversions are where it's at. I've been mulling it for some time.

Plan A: Buy lots of paneling... about 1/2 inch thick or so... then basically take all the plastic off and build around the metal frame. For the front use thinner pannelling custom cut for the individual PC- because the setups of CD's, DVD, CD-Rs, floppys, etc etc are all unique nowadays.

Either that, or completely disembowl someone's PC and put it into a somewhat completed case, with a configurable front to it... (but it does set you up for liability...)


Either way, due to the nature of things and uniqueness of components, it has to be a custom job.

I only wish I knew a little bit more about woodworking........... :o
You need thinner paneling, I think. 1/2 inch is still pretty thick. Go for 1/4, especially if you are going to layer it on top of the existing metal.

Have you though about just putting a door on the front of the case instead of trying to make custom drive plates? (ala, ATC-410 (http://coolermaster.com/products/atc/atc410.html))

[Xerxes]

Mmmm.... a door. Interesting idea... plus it would allow for a nice classic woodburned filgree ornament on the front.

I really need to plan it out....

[squell]

That's a very nice case you have there. Beautiful, I'm very jealous.

[BMWboy]

No more difficult than venting a metal case.

actually, yes it would be. wood is a far better insulator than metal, and if you want it to be elegant, you have to hide the fans well, not to mention muffle their sound. if these can be overcome, it will sell very well.

[liquidmotion]

http://www.morphedmedia.com/winamp_users/phisherman/leetcomp.jpg

my once-posted cooling system :)

roundabouts november i will post some pics and stats of my new system...be prepared for the second coming of jesus, because he will come when he sees my computer :)

[Xerxes]

Originally posted by BMWboy


actually, yes it would be. wood is a far better insulator than metal...

That was always my understanding... even with my limited physics knowledge, I remember the elementary school "science eth-perimant" where you put the stick of wood and the metal spoon in the boiling water.

As far as cooling goes, I would probably just double the number of fans... and i've heard of all kinds of new gadgets anyhow that use water cooled air or something like that.

I can design it, but my biggest hurdle is the actual woodworking- I might have to outsource it.

[fwgx]

Looks like you've done a good job there n_ick :up:.



Mine is still 1337 than all of j00's

Pics posted a few months back

[Curi0us_George]

Originally posted by BMWboy
actually, yes it would be. wood is a far better insulator than metal, and if you want it to be elegant, you have to hide the fans well, not to mention muffle their sound. if these can be overcome, it will sell very well.
Look at some old radios. See how they've got a sort of baffling in front of the speakers (so that you can't actually see the speakers), one could easily do the same thing with the fans (provided that a very thin baffling was used). In fact, it could be made quite ornamental, if enough plan went into it.

Obviously, a wooden case isn't going to be as thermally efficient as an aluminum case, but that's not what we are talking about. We are talking about venting it, and that would be just as easy.

(Anyway, most of the cooling actually comes from the flow of air in and out of the case, not through radiation from the sides. A wooden case could certainlt be made efficient enough.)

[fwgx]

I would expect a wooden computer to have cogs and gears in it though :blah:

[liquidmotion]

Originally posted by Phily Baby
I would expect a wooden computer to have cogs and gears in it though :blah:

all the more reason to have said wooden box; people think your computer is amish or something :) hehe

[n_ick2000]

I remember seeing some pictures on time of somebody that make a case out of Legos.

[Xerxes]

Originally posted by Curi0us_George

Look at some old radios. See how they've got a sort of baffling in front of the speakers (so that you can't actually see the speakers), one could easily do the same thing with the fans (provided that a very thin baffling was used). In fact, it could be made quite ornamental, if enough plan went into it.



Oh riiight... I could make a sort of "Grill" with severel paralell holes with that thin wooden grid stuff...

Phily baby- the entire idea is supposed very retro retro- hearkening from a time when amazing things were called "Curiosities", the universe was comprised of ether, and all machines no matter how industrial still had victorian scrollwork on them. :)

http://datacore.sciflicks.com/the_time_machine/images/the_time_machine_large_01.jpg