Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 16 of 26

Thread: dave87's MiniITX Project

  1. #1
    radix lecti dave87's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    England
    Posts
    12,806
    Thanks
    657
    Thanked
    931 times in 634 posts
    • dave87's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus
      • CPU:
      • i5 3470k under Corsair H80 WC
      • Memory:
      • 8gb DDR3
      • Storage:
      • 240gb SSD + 120gb SSD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Asus HD7950
      • PSU:
      • XFX 600w Modular
      • Case:
      • Lian Li PC-A05FNB + Acoustipack
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • 2x Dell S2309W (1920x1080)
      • Internet:
      • BT Infinity Option 2

    dave87's MiniITX Project

    Right, well as some of you may have seen from my other thread, I intend to bring new life to a rather nice case, which my sister knackered the internals of.

    The case is this one:




    So pretty nice looking. Thought it would be a shame/crime to throw it away, and wondered what I could do with it. Then I realised I'm moving into a new house next year, gunna have a bit more space than I would otherwise have, so it's going to be a media machine. First it is going to take care of my MP3 collection, then, if I can get hold of a suitable hard disk carrier (ala Wanted thread) mod it to be my home server.

    So, How big is it really?



    As you can see, I've already removed the motherboard, but the hard disk in there is a standard 3.5" drive, this photo would probably give you a better comparison though, against a 120mm fan.



    As you can see, once the caddies that came with it are removed, it's not a bad size. The PSU you see there is a 220w unit, so that should be more than adequate for the 25w board and 6-8w each hard disk would use. The PSU itself has a basic range of connectors on it:



    So I'm probably going to cannibalise leads from a dead PSU, then sleeve the lot to make it look good.



    This shows the back of the PC. As you may have guessed from the provision of two expansion slots, it was designed for ITX, not mini ITX. If I fit cathodes to the machine, then this could be a location for the on/off switch, otherwise it'll be the place for the spare usb headers, and maybe an ESATA port. Also, not sure if the Parrallel & Digital Audio out spaces (which I have the connectors for) will fit the new board, so might have to do something with them, not quite sure what yet. Might also replace the PSU fan, last time I started the machine one of the fans was making a bit of noise, if its that one then it will be replaced with a blue one, to match the power button. Haven't got an action shot, but its blue around the edge, which pulses with hdd activity.



    This picture also shows the layout of the front, not quite sure what to do with the 3.5" bay, but I'm going to try and get most, if not all the ports on the front working (the board I'm thinking of ordering has firewire & audio headers, not sure about the optical in/out though), so it remains as close as aesthetically possible to the original (which I must say, I thought looked pretty damn good).

    Oh, and one final picture, the dead board I pulled from it:



    Was a Athlon 2600+ with a Gig of RAM, GF4 inbuilt graphics (or for a time, Radeon 9600 Pro). Not bad, but did run hot Hopefully this incarnation will be a bit cooler

  2. #2
    radix lecti dave87's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    England
    Posts
    12,806
    Thanks
    657
    Thanked
    931 times in 634 posts
    • dave87's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus
      • CPU:
      • i5 3470k under Corsair H80 WC
      • Memory:
      • 8gb DDR3
      • Storage:
      • 240gb SSD + 120gb SSD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Asus HD7950
      • PSU:
      • XFX 600w Modular
      • Case:
      • Lian Li PC-A05FNB + Acoustipack
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • 2x Dell S2309W (1920x1080)
      • Internet:
      • BT Infinity Option 2
    Right, that sums up what I've got so far, now on to what I intend to do with it.

    Install a new motherboard - most likely this one, coupled with a single gig stick of DDR2, quite possibly this.



    Good range of connectors on the board itself, and headers (see above) for the front panel.



    The two above images sourced from LinITX.com

    1.5ghz Via C7 and a Gig of RAM, should be speedy enough for serving MP3s, and even serving files. It's the fastest board I could find without going to silly money (ie the Commell Core2Duo boards). It also has the benefit of being compatible with addon daughterboards, adding connectivity such as DVI or up to 3x Gigabit Ethernet. The PCI slot will most likely harbour a soundcard if anything, as it has 2 IDE channels & 2 SATA channels on board - allowing up to 6 hard drives - more than I am likely to be able to fit in the small machine.



    I thought I might have to modify the standoffs on the case floor, but on checking these images, they seem to be in roughly the same place. Here's to hoping I get lucky, and it bolts straight in. Again, I may have to modify the last two (they are fixed, not screw in unfortunately) to get the most space for the hard drive rack.



    One thing that will definitely need modding, however, is the cd-rom/floppy drive tray.



    This shows the likely location of the cut, thus leaving the DVD-ROM holder in place, and removing the Floppy drive holder I don't need Hopefully the mountings for the front panel connectors can stay in the same place, won't know until I get the hard drive carrier I want to use.

    That is pretty much as far as I've got on what I want to do with it, I'm sure new ideas will pop into my head as I go along, and as I receive the bits and test fit them, but I'm hoping to avoid biting off more than I can chew

  3. #3
    radix lecti dave87's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    England
    Posts
    12,806
    Thanks
    657
    Thanked
    931 times in 634 posts
    • dave87's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus
      • CPU:
      • i5 3470k under Corsair H80 WC
      • Memory:
      • 8gb DDR3
      • Storage:
      • 240gb SSD + 120gb SSD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Asus HD7950
      • PSU:
      • XFX 600w Modular
      • Case:
      • Lian Li PC-A05FNB + Acoustipack
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • 2x Dell S2309W (1920x1080)
      • Internet:
      • BT Infinity Option 2
    Little Update, the Via C7 board has been ordered, should be with me Weds or Thursday. Only problem being, I'm returning to uni sometime soon (was meant to go back today, but massive disruptions on the train due to a fatality @ Marks Tey ).

    Not sure which day I'm heading back, but it will be under two weeks between me returning to uni (final exam for the first year) and coming home for the summer. So the project won't be delayed too long

  4. #4
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    367
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked
    2 times in 2 posts
    I know this is a budget build but you could convert the 3.5" bay into a 2x2.5" hdd rack for added data storage.

  5. #5
    radix lecti dave87's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    England
    Posts
    12,806
    Thanks
    657
    Thanked
    931 times in 634 posts
    • dave87's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus
      • CPU:
      • i5 3470k under Corsair H80 WC
      • Memory:
      • 8gb DDR3
      • Storage:
      • 240gb SSD + 120gb SSD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Asus HD7950
      • PSU:
      • XFX 600w Modular
      • Case:
      • Lian Li PC-A05FNB + Acoustipack
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • 2x Dell S2309W (1920x1080)
      • Internet:
      • BT Infinity Option 2
    Ah, I haven't quite revealed what my plans are for the hard disk rack. But suffice to say I plan to fit 4x3.5" Hard drives in the space under the DVD drive. I'm hesitant to say anything more as I'm not quite sure how I'm going to get it all to fit, though I did hint to it in the first post

  6. #6
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    367
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked
    2 times in 2 posts
    thats got to be physically impossible that would need 120mm of clearance what about that cpu fan is surely going to get in the way

  7. #7
    radix lecti dave87's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    England
    Posts
    12,806
    Thanks
    657
    Thanked
    931 times in 634 posts
    • dave87's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus
      • CPU:
      • i5 3470k under Corsair H80 WC
      • Memory:
      • 8gb DDR3
      • Storage:
      • 240gb SSD + 120gb SSD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Asus HD7950
      • PSU:
      • XFX 600w Modular
      • Case:
      • Lian Li PC-A05FNB + Acoustipack
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • 2x Dell S2309W (1920x1080)
      • Internet:
      • BT Infinity Option 2
    Well, wait and see

  8. #8
    I've got a bad feeling about this
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Livingston
    Posts
    518
    Thanks
    9
    Thanked
    12 times in 10 posts
    • doddsy's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Gigabyte X58A-UD3R
      • CPU:
      • Intel i7-930
      • Memory:
      • 6Gb Corsair PC12800
      • Storage:
      • 2x74Gb Raptors; 1x Samsung 500Gb
      • Graphics card(s):
      • 6870
      • PSU:
      • 500W Enermax Liberty
      • Case:
      • Akasa Eclipse
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 7 64bit
      • Monitor(s):
      • Dell 2408
      • Internet:
      • 10mb Cable Broadband
    Yeah I was gonna say (it would be a bit more work) but 2.5" drives would possibly be better for this build. They're quieter, cooler and use less power. You could maybe even consider modding the HD caddy from a 4x3.5 to a 5x2.5?

    It's an idea anyway.
    Quote Originally Posted by The Joker
    I'f I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!

  9. #9
    Does he need a reason? Funkstar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Aberdeen
    Posts
    19,874
    Thanks
    630
    Thanked
    965 times in 816 posts
    • Funkstar's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Gigabyte EG45M-DS2H
      • CPU:
      • Intel Core2Quad Q9550 (2.83GHz)
      • Memory:
      • 8GB OCZ PC2-6400C5 800MHz Quad Channel
      • Storage:
      • 650GB Western Digital Caviar Blue
      • Graphics card(s):
      • 512MB ATI Radeon HD4550
      • PSU:
      • Antec 350W 80+ Efficient PSU
      • Case:
      • Antec NSK1480 Slim Mini Desktop Case
      • Operating System:
      • Vista Ultimate 64bit
      • Monitor(s):
      • Dell 2407 + 2408 monitors
      • Internet:
      • Zen 8mb
    This thread has given me an idea too. I have an old Shuttle system that is a little dead (not sure if it is the cpu, memory or mobo). I really should try and reserect it, if the mobo is dead i could always convert it into a mini-ITX based NAS box. hmmmmm.

  10. #10
    radix lecti dave87's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    England
    Posts
    12,806
    Thanks
    657
    Thanked
    931 times in 634 posts
    • dave87's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus
      • CPU:
      • i5 3470k under Corsair H80 WC
      • Memory:
      • 8gb DDR3
      • Storage:
      • 240gb SSD + 120gb SSD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Asus HD7950
      • PSU:
      • XFX 600w Modular
      • Case:
      • Lian Li PC-A05FNB + Acoustipack
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • 2x Dell S2309W (1920x1080)
      • Internet:
      • BT Infinity Option 2
    Quote Originally Posted by doddsy View Post
    Yeah I was gonna say (it would be a bit more work) but 2.5" drives would possibly be better for this build. They're quieter, cooler and use less power. You could maybe even consider modding the HD caddy from a 4x3.5 to a 5x2.5?

    It's an idea anyway.
    Indeed, but even if I could fit 2x2.5" drives in the space of 1x3.5", I'd be spending a lot on 160gb drives to beat the 320gb ones I've already got

  11. #11
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    367
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked
    2 times in 2 posts
    well you could make mesh on the sides which is bent to be a hidden hdd caddy so it kinda sticks out at the sides I think that would be much more effective both for cooling and for space saving so you make the inside of th case larger by using meshed sides

  12. #12
    I've got a bad feeling about this
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Livingston
    Posts
    518
    Thanks
    9
    Thanked
    12 times in 10 posts
    • doddsy's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Gigabyte X58A-UD3R
      • CPU:
      • Intel i7-930
      • Memory:
      • 6Gb Corsair PC12800
      • Storage:
      • 2x74Gb Raptors; 1x Samsung 500Gb
      • Graphics card(s):
      • 6870
      • PSU:
      • 500W Enermax Liberty
      • Case:
      • Akasa Eclipse
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 7 64bit
      • Monitor(s):
      • Dell 2408
      • Internet:
      • 10mb Cable Broadband
    Quote Originally Posted by dave87 View Post
    Indeed, but even if I could fit 2x2.5" drives in the space of 1x3.5", I'd be spending a lot on 160gb drives to beat the 320gb ones I've already got
    Yeah that's the one big problem with 2.5 drives.
    Quote Originally Posted by The Joker
    I'f I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!

  13. #13
    radix lecti dave87's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    England
    Posts
    12,806
    Thanks
    657
    Thanked
    931 times in 634 posts
    • dave87's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus
      • CPU:
      • i5 3470k under Corsair H80 WC
      • Memory:
      • 8gb DDR3
      • Storage:
      • 240gb SSD + 120gb SSD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Asus HD7950
      • PSU:
      • XFX 600w Modular
      • Case:
      • Lian Li PC-A05FNB + Acoustipack
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • 2x Dell S2309W (1920x1080)
      • Internet:
      • BT Infinity Option 2
    Right, I'd finally broken out the credit card.

    Ordered:

    1x Motherboard
    1x 1GB Stick DDR2
    1x Coolermaster 4in3 thingy.

    But, it appears the RAM I wanted and the Coolermaster thingy have now gone OOS

    So, after a conversation with Scan, it appears they are long overdue a consignment of the Coolermaster Drive Bay things, and the RAM I wanted (Corsair Value Select) wouldn't be in for a few days. So, ended up cancelling the order with Scan, and this is the revised order list:

    1x Motherboard
    1x 1GB Stick DDR2

    Got the RAM from Ebuyer - some nice OCZ Value stuff (everything except their value ram came as 2 stick packages, eg 2x512 or 2x1gb, not much use when you've only got a single RAM slot), and I still need to source a Coolermaster Drive Bay thingy

    In more positive news, the motherboard was dispatched today, so that should arrive tomorrow, the RAM is sheduled for delivery Friday. Should give me some time to experiment with the placement of the different bits, get an idea of how much space I'll have, and determine what sorta cooling will be required

  14. #14
    radix lecti dave87's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    England
    Posts
    12,806
    Thanks
    657
    Thanked
    931 times in 634 posts
    • dave87's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus
      • CPU:
      • i5 3470k under Corsair H80 WC
      • Memory:
      • 8gb DDR3
      • Storage:
      • 240gb SSD + 120gb SSD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Asus HD7950
      • PSU:
      • XFX 600w Modular
      • Case:
      • Lian Li PC-A05FNB + Acoustipack
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • 2x Dell S2309W (1920x1080)
      • Internet:
      • BT Infinity Option 2
    Parts have arrived!

    Got home this evening, and waiting for me was a parcel from City Link. Kinda forgot to tell Dad to expect delivery (sent it to his work address, always someone there vs hit & miss at home), so he was surprised to be bringing me a package.



    What was inside?



    Rather nondescript box, but it is what is inside which counts. And look, free Wotsits



    On a rather more serious note, a size comparison. This is the box the motherboard came in, with a 120mm fan on top:



    Not sure why they bothered putting a bin with a cross through it on the box, not as if I wanna chuck the £100 straight in the bin! Even for such a tiny box, the included contents are comprehensive, if not as numerous as with, say, a high end core2duo mobo.



    Close up of the motherboard itself, note the routing of the fan's power wire, not exactly helpful to either airflow, or should it sag towards the fan, conducive of a long lifespan. Easily fixed, but a couple of seconds in working out to mount the fan the otherway round, and it wouldn't have been a problem.



    Still, the motherboard has the full array of connectors, for USB ports, to 1394 (Firewire) and front panel audio, all of which, hopefully at least, will be the same pin outs as the existing cables. Unfortunately life is not all plain sailing. I thought I'd test fit the motherboard in the case to see how much space it would need, and to see how much space would remain, and I hit a small snag.



    What I had presumed to be a standard ITX/ATX back panel, was not. Bugger. The Firewire out socket, circled in red, is almost entirely hidden behind the metal part of the case. Same problem, but from inside the case:



    It also means that expansion cards won't fit as standard:



    So, I think the dremel may have to come out earlier than I expected. The bits in blue may have to be removed, I'm not sure yet, as I haven't really had a chance to contemplated what I'm going to do. May just remove part of them, but once I've done that, I might aswell remove the whole thing. Note the modder's essentials, electrical tape, and KFC for dinner



    The rear should be rigid enough, especially with the PSU bolted in to remove both of those sections, but I may fabricate a plate to convert the two PCI slots into one, right bang slap in the middle. Really depends on time, and if I can get hold of the materials and borrow my dear ol' Grandad's workshop for a couple of hours. That and avoid injuring myself during the process



    Unfortunately a rather blurry picture (still don't know how to work the bloody Sony camera), but it should give you an idea as to the difference in size between a normal backplate and the one that this case was designed around.

    Finally, a couple of pictures to show the mobo installed in the case, and the solution to the fan wire problem.



    Fair bit smaller than the mobo I pulled out of it!



    The solution to the fan wire - just tucked under the mobo so it doesn't disrupt the airflow (limited as it may be) in the case.



    And one to show the length of the PSU wire, and the amazingly short distance it has to travel. I don't really want to be cutting and shortening it, so I'll probably try the cable tie route, but something needs to be done to move it out of the way!

    Oh, and the final snaffu of the night, the Power/Reset and Power/HDD LED wires.



    Literally a centimetre too short. Still gotta find the best way round that, but for some reason I feel it may involve a soldering iron

    As Bugs Bunny would say, That's all folks!

  15. #15
    Senior Member joshwa's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Sheffield, UK
    Posts
    4,842
    Thanks
    123
    Thanked
    67 times in 62 posts
    • joshwa's system
      • Motherboard:
      • PC Chips M577 AT/ATX
      • CPU:
      • AMD K6-2 500Mhz
      • Memory:
      • 128mb PC100 SDRAM
      • Storage:
      • 8GB Fujitsu
      • Graphics card(s):
      • 3dfx Voodoo 3 3000 AGP (16mb)
      • PSU:
      • ATX 500watt
      • Case:
      • Midi Tower AT
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 98 SE
      • Monitor(s):
      • 22" TFT Widescreen
    Nice work
    Reminds me of my pc:

    Last edited by joshwa; 16-02-2009 at 12:27 AM.

  16. #16
    radix lecti dave87's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    England
    Posts
    12,806
    Thanks
    657
    Thanked
    931 times in 634 posts
    • dave87's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus
      • CPU:
      • i5 3470k under Corsair H80 WC
      • Memory:
      • 8gb DDR3
      • Storage:
      • 240gb SSD + 120gb SSD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Asus HD7950
      • PSU:
      • XFX 600w Modular
      • Case:
      • Lian Li PC-A05FNB + Acoustipack
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • 2x Dell S2309W (1920x1080)
      • Internet:
      • BT Infinity Option 2
    Looks nice Was your's prebuilt?

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. help needed building a c++ project
    By kasavien in forum Software
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 08-11-2006, 10:18 AM
  2. Project Mac Cube
    By Gordy in forum Chassis and Mods
    Replies: 23
    Last Post: 15-08-2005, 08:28 PM
  3. Project name suggestions?
    By atomicjeep in forum General Discussion
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 22-02-2005, 07:57 PM
  4. Project Silicon.... Being Remade
    By Gordy in forum Chassis and Mods
    Replies: 93
    Last Post: 06-06-2004, 11:07 PM
  5. Project Watermaster: Coolermaster ATCS 500 Modding
    By Gordy in forum Chassis and Mods
    Replies: 83
    Last Post: 20-05-2004, 05:17 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •