This Old Case - iMac Killer

System Details

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Notes

Note: a build thread can be found here: http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.aspx?&m=1595331&mpage=1

Because I have found that moving monitors is a pain, I wanted a computer that was a like a lan-box but with a monitor on the side. I wanted to make the case portable and strong enough that it would hold together when it is moved from place to place, but keep it as light as possible.

I try to reuse things. I had a older Lian-Li PC-60 case that had 3 - 80mm fans. Wanting something quieter, first I hacked out the 80mm opening in the back, allowing a 120mm fan to just squeeze in there. While working on the back, I drilled out the blow-by vent holes wider. I deburred them with a countersink, all of them. I swapped the card block-out plates with cheap ventilated ones.

Because I wanted sound deadening in the case, it needed to breath well. I removed the small hard drive carrier and RAID cage from the case, leaving only 4 bays in the front. I had a mid case that could fit almost any video card. I drilled a series of holes in the sides of the case internals to keep the warm air from pooling the top of the case. You can see these in the 6th picture. I tried to lay them out like those from the back. I drew them in CAD, and printed out a template, and used double-sided tape to locate it on the case, before using an automatic/pushy center punch.

I made a hard drive vibration isolation bracket from an old CD drive case, an old hard drive tray, and some very soft silicone bushings in something I took apart, as well as some scraps of Sorbothane I had kicking around. I can actually push the hard drive down a half-inch with just a finger; it is that soft. The hard drive runs quiet. Currently, I use a reader and dual 2.5 bay in the front. The computer came out heavier than I anticipated because I used a 4-platter Hitachi 3GB 7200rpm drive for speed, on the cheap. I cannot afford a SSD at this time.

Moving to the front, I took the two 80mm fans out of the front. In their place, I made a template for an aluminum patch plate, from which I cut out a 120mm fan. Working in the front bezel, I hacked out the center section and added some perforated aluminum bought from Onlinemetals.com. I (blind) pop-riveted the panel in. I used a nibbler like your might find at Radio Shack for the thin metal, but for the outer front panel, I drilled a series of holes to knock out the old grill. Behind the grill, there is quite a lot of space around the hard-drive for air to be drawn past it.

I worked on strengthening the case. I added more rivets connecting the metal sheets in the case wherever I thought they would help. I added a few L-channel aluminum strips to the backplane. The resulting case is something that I have stood on. I added drawer handles from Home Depot for carrying. I made reinforcement plates so that the handles do not want to pull out of the case, or warp it. Unlike MacPro handles, you can use them to lift the computer without cutting into your hands.

Because I mounted a monitor on the side. I added 2 internal L-channel extrusions, and used 1/4"-20 U-nutplates to secure them to the aluminum. I also drilled holes in the side for a VESA monitor mount, and lightened the mount (somewhat) using a step-drill. Because I did not want to dimple the side of the case, I added a few washers to the inside of the case, fastened with contact cement so they stay in place while the screws are being secured. It's a cheat, but it works.

Because my old 24" monitor is heavy and sticks out, I made a set of swing-out feet. I used Dyechem blue to lay it the feet parts. I used a Sawz-all type tool to rough them, and files to smooth them. I needed to make round spacers as well, which I getto-lathed by spinning them in a drill to make the round. I used countersunk-type screws and thick rubber feet. The VESA mount bolts to the monitor, and then the monitor hooks on the other half of the mount.

Because the case might be put down hard, I made a video-card support bracket, made from more extruded L-channel. Parts of it are slotted to clamp under and over the video card. Small Allen-bolts hold the support fingers in place. The fingers cushions are made from an old mouse pad, with an added piece of plastic to make sure there is no possibility of an electrical short. The rails are drilled and tapped for adjustment. The top rail is bolted to a small filler strip, while the bottom one is screwed to the bottom of the case. I also added a small rail to hold the cables clamps in place. The top rail is removable so that the motherboard can be removed.

Always striving for quiet case, I fitted indoor-outdoor carpeting to deaden the panels. The rubber-backed carpet worked well, and it is much cheaper than specialty deadening material. It is secured with spray contact adhesive. It get's a little dusty, but the carpet lets go of the dust easily. The carpet could also be glued furry side down.

When doing this amount of sheet metal work, it is imperative to make sure that ALL of the metal chips and dust are well out of the case, including in the corners and trapped between the overlapping panels. After banging out the case and rotating it end-over, I washed it out with a garden hose and a paintbrush. I also used Scotch-Bright conditioning pads to make it nice and shiny.

The came the drama.... After finishing the build, but I discovered that I wanted USB3.0 ports up front in the original location, but all the parts were in. The bezel was no problem to work on, but the case structure was. What I did was fabricate a cardboard box/dam to surround the area to be worked on and taped it to the case structure. This way, all of the metal dust would be caught. Peeling the box away, I was able to vacuum out the rest. I gently turned the case and tapped it to inspect and make sure that no metal dust remained in the case.

Most of the rest of the build was normal. The rails also offer something to tie cables to. I needed to use a low-profile cooler. The Cooler Master has a good general design, but has sleeve bearings in the fan. I will replace it in a few more months.

Because of the straight-through design, the computer runs quiet and cool. It was just a garage project that I did not know if I was going to finish, but I am pleased with it.

I wish I could post the build pictures, but we are only allowed 6.

(Please tell everyone about this so I get sponsorship : )

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