I am use the LD964 with a Xeon E3 1220 myself in a modified Shuttle case.
I am use the LD964 with a Xeon E3 1220 myself in a modified Shuttle case.
It does over hang the pci-e slot for a graphics card, but as far as I'm aware all the larger low profile coolers do that, I was thinking that a raiser card would get around that.
But looking at that U2 raiser card it's probably still too tall.
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Pob's new mod, Soviet Pob Propaganda style Laptop.
"Are you suggesting that I can't punch an entire dimension into submission?" - Flying squirrel - The Red Panda Adventures
Sorry photobucket links broken
Here's MkII of the case so far. Added a hinge for the side panel and modified the cooler to the LD963's size, but still using a standard 120x25 fan; changed from 1x 3.5" + 1x 2.5" HDD to 3x 2.5". The back of the case is still a bit rough and needs tidying up, but the basics are there. Also added a power button (of sorts) and 2 USB ports on the front (under the flap). The dimensions are about 310mm x 310mm x 112mm. Finally, I've gone with a dragon theme for the panels!I would like to make the front panel a bit wider but I'm not sure on the structural integrity if I did that.
I did try to squeeze a PSU in, but it was all a bit tight and messy, so decided to stick with the standard PSU external. As such, I've added in the power connectors and a rough idea of the number of cables needed for power. Actually had to quickly add another layer to the top to allow for the GPU connectors which may still not be enough, adding another 10mm to the height of the case.
I think I'll wait until Haswell is out to hope for a slight drop in current CPU prices; probably not worth waiting until there's a Haswell mini-ITX MB. Until then, I won't be getting any bits, and as such probably won't be making many more additions to the model for the time being. Unfortunately, by then I will probably have to relearn how to use Blender!
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Wow, can't believe it's been 7 months since I created this thread! Anyway, here's an update.
I actually built this case back in August; well mostly. However, due to work commitments, I never had time to finish it off.
The parts used; I actually had to do two separate orders for the Lego; I think there were several hundred parts.
My "test bench" of the system running on the side panel of my SG03 case!
At this point, the case was mostly done. I later bought some PCI-E extension cables rather than having them just going out the side! Likewise, I didn't have enough bricks to build a sturdy enough HDD cage, so they sat outside of the case for the time being.
Since I didn't have the correct bricks, quite a bit of it was built more for prototyping than for style with the plan to order the correct bricks a later date once I had finalised the build.
The final size was comparable to a 360, with the width being just 96mm; not bad considering the walls are 1.6mm! And so it was used like this for 3 months (admittedly, I was only here for 3 weeks out of those 3 months!) before I fancied a change....
Having the PSU outside was annoying me; not that I was moving the PC around, but just seemed a bit too untidy. So I decided to have a rebuild...
Again, I don't have enough bricks to finish it at the moment but is fine for prototyping. I decided to go with a more traditional cube design. The depth remained the same but I doubled the width and this allowed me to have a 120mm fan at the front. I had also originally installed the PSU so the fan point outwards, thus the "grill" on the side. I later changed my mind and decided to use the PSU as an exhaust for the case. However, I didn't have the correct bricks to remove the grill, so it has remained for now.
The format I decided to go with is an inverted MB tower config (actually, very similar to my first idea). The PSU dimensions actually suit Lego very well! Since this picture was taken, I had raised the PSU slightly so it fits better and allows a more sturdy "shelf" to be built to support the graphics card.
I was hoping to get some bits delivered by yesterday that would allow me to modify the extension cables I'm no longer using into short power cables; trying to cram all the power cables into the case is a bit problematic thus the PCI-E cables sticking out the side...
It's width is the same as my old SG03 case, but a fair bit shorter and about the same in depth.
Future Plans:
I was a bit concerned with the CPU cooler blowing into the PSU and being exhausted that way, so yesterday I installed my H50 into the case. The radiator fitted fine into the front of the case, but the pipes are a bit awkward to contain. Also, whilst I can technically leave the PSU where it is, it is very tight on the pipes as they come out of the pump (really wished Corsair had made them come out at 90 degrees...), so will probably increase the width of the case by 2 studs (1.6mm) to accommodate it. A bit of a shame as that would make it a little bit wider than my SG03; the alternative was to get a SFX PSU. The radiator has made fitting the cables in even more awkward and the hard drives no longer fit in their current configuration. Currently, I've not got the side wall on and the PSU is sort of just hanging out of the side and the hard drives are back outside! When I get the shorter cables sorted out this week, I'll look into building it up properly.
I'll then also look into designing a lid (I had to use the lid of the old tower as part of the base). I'm thinking of making the back half a panel and having some sort of grill at the front half for the GPU intake.
Just out of interest, does a case in this configuration (inverted mini-ITX MB with ATX PSU) exist already? I did have a look but couldn't find any. Most seem to have a desktop orientation for the MB. Plus my graphics card is a bit on the large side as well, further restricting my choice.
Lovely idea and a great job.
I think my only worry is that because you've used only black lego it actually looks too good.
Some varied coloured blocks would of given it a more "lego" look
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Pob's new mod, Soviet Pob Propaganda style Laptop.
"Are you suggesting that I can't punch an entire dimension into submission?" - Flying squirrel - The Red Panda Adventures
Sorry photobucket links broken
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