Ongoing I must be crazy! (1 Viewer)

[NeoLuddite]

OK so here it is, the start to my HTPC.

(sorry about the bad picture, it was taken with my phone)

That there is a sheet of 16 gauge aluminum of which i am going to make my first HTPC case with, hence the title of this thread! I have no idea how this is going to turn out but i am hoping for the best.

I made a case about 2 years ago when MP first came out that was made out of plexi glass. It worked great but didn’t disperse heat very well. It was a very small case (8"x10"x6" Tall) which was nice, but left no room for upgrades which were needed as MP got more demanding. I will add a picture of it later (at work now).

I will also keep you (if anyone actually cares, lol) updated as the project moves forward. Any suggestions are HIGHLY recommended as i think i am going to need them.

Thats all for now

 

[Spragleknas]

Very interesting.... when it comes to heatdisposal, have a look at Antecs NSK2400 for tips (if you are makeing a "desktop"). Read the great review done by silentpcreview

 

[NeoLuddite]

That’s funny you bring that case up because i did base my design around something very similar, i am separating the "heat zones" to allow for better cooling of core components. The big difference that my case will have is the HDD's will sit under the DVD drive, which will be in the same zone as the power supply. Allot of people may say that this will create too much heat but there are going to be 2 internal fans circulating the air in that zone, and possibly a copper enclosure around the HDD's ( this will also reduce interference that can be caused by the power supply being so close to some components).

 

[Spragleknas]

HDDs fastned with rubber in 5.25"-bays is a success when considering noise and cooling...

 

[NeoLuddite]

ok so i have moved forward now, i sheered all the pieces for the body of the case, here is a side view

here is a top view.

all being held together by trusty electrical tape for now

As you can see i have one compartment for the PS, HDD's, DVD drive and the other one for the mobo and pci cards.

the dimensions are as follows.

5.5" tall x 18.25" wide x 10" deep

I gave myself enough room to play with in case i decide to move things around a little

 

[NeoLuddite]

I have made a lot of progress, i finished the bottom panell, ie drilling all the holes for the the mobo spacers, HDD rack and PS mount. I also finished the back pannel which i think was going to be the hardest part because of all the holes for everything but it turned out not to be that bad. I then welded 3 sides onto the bottom and am working on the front pannel now. here's a picture.