After acquiring a new computer or upgrading an old one, a situation often arises that the computer case itself no longer meets certain requirements. This includes the noise level, the installation of new parts or an additional power supply, cooling. And your old case does not fit all these innovations, or the temperature level rises simply to prohibitive limits. And you start looking for the most affordable solution to the problem: buying a new case or making it yourself, on your own. This article will consider an example of how to make a computer case with your own hands or improve it. If necessary, you can watch the video instructions for making the case, for example:
As you know, when choosing a computer case, you need to think not only about the appearance, although the original approach and non-standard solution are also important. First of all, you need to clearly understand that the case is an integral part of your PC, and not just a beautiful box on the table or under the table. The design of the hull must be approached with knowledge of the matter. First you need to find out what types and types of cases are, their differences and functionality.
To date, only four main types of PC cases are known. There are, of course, many extraordinary solutions, but more on that later. Each of these types has its good and not so good sides, so it is impossible to say unequivocally which one is the best. Just read their advantages and disadvantages so that you have something to rely on in your design. Or, if you decide that you can’t do it yourself, then the criteria will be clear to you by which you can buy a suitable high-quality case from the manufacturer.
There are vertical (tower) and horizontal (desktop) versions of cases. Vertical cases usually allow you to put more drives and all sorts of other devices, while horizontal cases are more compact.
The first case type we will look at is called the Small Form Factor.
This type of housing is distinguished by compact dimensions. It's especially handy for office PCs, or for home PCs if you don't need a particularly powerful system. The dimensions of such a case are very small (about 25x25 cm), which allows it to easily fit into any interior and take up a minimum of space. Such cases have a big minus, such miniaturization requires a suitable "stuffing", small sizes of parts. In such a case, it is no longer possible, for example, to insert a modern powerful video card or processor. In addition, small dimensions can cause cooling problems, components can overheat, causing system failures and breakdowns.
The second type of cases is called Mini-Tower Form
Such a case can already be used for a fairly powerful office PC, or for a home media center. Such cases, as a rule, are initially equipped with power supplies with a power of 400W or more. In such a case it is possible to assemble good system with a dual-core processor, put a powerful video card, but many modern components for this option will have to be chosen on the basis of "mini". Another inconvenience is the need for monthly dusting.
The third type of cases is called Moddle-Tower Form
This case type is the most popular and widespread. In such a case, you can easily place a good ventilation system, several powerful video cards, put additional hard disks. This case is well suited for those who are not limited in size. system block. This type of case is difficult to fit into the interior, but it provides good system performance and will satisfy the requirements of even avid gamers.
The fourth type of cases is called Big-Tower
This case is very rare to find as a home PC. It is noticeably larger than all the others, and its height reaches at least half a meter. This case can accommodate not only about five good video cards or hard drives, it is suitable for creating servers or a computer that controls other computers in the office. Such a case allows you to place good ventilation in it, which will save the computer from the possibility of overheating. Thus, Big-Tower is ideal for the most advanced users who are engaged in the field of IT technologies and especially demanding gamers.
The first point that you need to pay attention to when selecting or designing a case is whether there is sufficient inner space. It is necessary to determine whether you can place devices there for the necessary cooling of the system unit, installation of fans. It is necessary that air circulate freely inside the case, thereby ensuring the cooling of all parts. Pay attention to the power of the power supply unit (PSU) located in the case or purchased separately. It should be sufficient for the planned PC system. You should also pay attention to the location of the power supply in the case. With high power PSUs, you need to think about its cooling. The PSU only needs to cool itself.
For optimal cooling and low noise, the PSU can be placed according to such schemes.
In the scheme, with the top location of the PSU, we get the following advantages:
- Sufficiently low noise level (19db) when installing a 430W PSU, ARX FD1212-S2142E 12V 0.36A 2400 rpm fan;
- The temperature of the elements rises slightly (+3 degrees in the PSU and +1 degree in the case);
- Standard location;
- Free air outlet.
Such a design can be assembled approximately as in the photo below.
SilverStonetek has launched the production of cases with a lower PSU location.
The advantages of this design are:
- The power supply only serves to cool itself;
- There is no need to redo the PSU;
- Low center of gravity for PC case.
Among the shortcomings, it can be noted: excessive fan noise and difficult air access to the PSU fan.
The body material is mostly aluminum or steel, although many homemade cases are made from wood or Plexiglas. The advantages of the aluminum case include light weight and good heat dissipation. But such a body bends easily and scratches are not uncommon. The cost of aluminum cases is higher than steel ones. The steel case has greater reliability and durability. All parts in such a case will be reliably protected. In addition, steel dampens vibrations better, which reduces the noise of the computer.
When considering different case designs, it is important to first determine which connectors and interfaces you will need now and in the future. Many of options, for example, a thermometer built into speakers, you do not need it, but others simply need it. Here you need to decide for yourself which design and construction to choose, based on the above. And don't forget originality...
Do-it-yourself computer case
So you've decided to make a homemade computer case. This case should allow you to install any possible components in it, give them fast access and provide good cooling. Case options are already possible that provide: almost complete noiselessness, high performance, the possibility of increasing the computing potential, and ease of maintenance. True, such a case cannot be made compact.
The computer case can be made of wood using the technology below.
The diagram shows the location of the main components and the circulation of air flows.
Working drawings of such a building can be downloaded. http://www.easycom.com.ua/downloads/skvorechnik_001.zip
Or look at the picture below.
The computer case is assembled from six walls and one transverse shelf in the middle. The top of the case will house the motherboard, CPU fan, video adapters, and the bottom will house all drives, a floppy drive, a card reader, hard drives, and a power supply. It was decided to equip the lower part with only one 120x120x25 mm fan, since there will be only one element that needs forced ventilation - this is the power supply. In the upper part for normal cooling of video cards and a processor, at least three fans must be installed, with a size of 120x120x25 mm. They are ideally located on the front wall of the future case.
The choice of case material is determined by your capabilities. Plexiglas or acrylic at a cost is quite expensive. Iron sheets, from which it is theoretically possible to make the same hull, are unacceptable, as they will greatly increase the weight of the hull. Already with a sheet thickness of only 2 mm. The manufactured body is likely to exceed 40 kg. And besides, the metal is difficult to process and its cost is also not small.
In our version, chipboard will be used to make the case. These are sawdust pressed into sheets with dimensions of 2660x1660x16 mm (W.L.D.) and impregnated with special glue.
The body parts are marked according to the given drawings and cut out. There is nothing complicated in this, but you can order from those who are engaged in the manufacture of furniture. If you decide to cut the blanks yourself, then you will need essential tool: electric jigsaw and wood saws.
You should get such blanks. Finish the edges well with sandpaper.
When all the blanks are made, you can begin to assemble the case itself. It is necessary to connect and fix the parts according to the drawings. A homemade computer case in a partially assembled case will look something like this.
For the reason that the front panel will be used not only as an “air intake”, but on it there will be buttons for turning on, restarting the computer and all the main indicators ( hard drives and the entire system), they must be embedded in a wooden panel. It is necessary to make holes for all ports, power and reset buttons, indication LEDs. Everything must be done carefully and strictly in size.
LEDs cannot work directly from the motherboard block, they must be connected to it in series with a resistance of 480-500 ohms and a dissipated power of 0.25 watts. All these parts can be bought at any radio store. Wires, for connecting buttons and LEDs with motherboard, are soldered into the Q-Connector that comes with ASUS boards. Heat shrink is used as an insulating material. This is a tube made of a special material (polyvinyl chloride), which can change its geometric shape (diameter) when heated. In practice, a piece of such a tube is put on a wire, soldered to another, and the piece of tube is shifted to the place of soldering. After that, it is heated up a little with a lighter. After that, the tube narrows around the soldering point and forms a good insulation. Shrinkage ratio reaches up to 30%.
This means that if the diameter of the tube is 6 mm, then when heated, it will change its value to almost 4 mm. Such a tube can also be bought in any radio engineering stores, and the price is only 2-4 UAH per meter. With such an insulating material, it is desirable to carry out all work related to the installation of wires for the manufacture of this case.
Connectors for power input and output from the ~220 V mains and a backlit power switch are installed on the rear wall of the case.
You should pay special attention to the choice of fans for the case. They must meet aesthetic requirements, as they will always be in sight. After all, the front panel pays the most attention. You need to choose the quietest fans suitable for your performance. Therefore, options for the type of gratings "grill" immediately departed.
A Thermaltake Cyclo 12cm Red Pattern or similar fan is well suited for this solution. His choice was determined not only technical specifications, which many fans can envy. This fan operates at a speed of 1500 rpm and at the same time the noise level is not higher than 17 dB, which is characterized as extremely quiet. Another advantage is a kind of animated backlight.
However, you can choose a more "advanced" model from this series of fans, Thermaltake Cyclo 12cm Logo Fan. In this model, as in the Thermaltake Cyclo 12cm Red Pattern, there are no various animated emblems, but the Thermaltake logo is “written”, the approximate temperature of the passing air is shown (built-in thermal sensor), and the relative noise level that the fan creates is also displayed.
All these fans are mounted on the front panel using wood screws in the following way:
To avoid the problem of bending the motherboard textolite, which occurs due to the rigid fastening of the cooler without a special pressure plate, you need to replace this pressure plate with something. You can choose a felt of the required thickness (about 7-8 mm) and cut out a square with dimensions slightly larger than the holes for mounting the cooler of the Socket LGA 775 processor socket. If you look at the height of the stand for mounting the motherboard, then the felt is 1-2 mm higher than it, which gives the necessary rigidity when bending the textolite of the parent stalemate. Felt can be bought at many hardware stores or "from hand" in the markets. The cost of such a piece will be approximately 5 to 20 UAH.
At the very end of the entire roughing of the case, it is necessary to make all the necessary holes in the motherboard shelf through which the power wires, cables of hard drives, disk drives, etc. will pass. motherboard in its place and mark and sign with a marker all the locations of the connectors. After that, with the help of an electric drill and a file, all these holes are made.
A self-made case for a computer on the outside of the case is easiest to paste over with self-adhesive. Such material is made of thick paper or a special rubberized oilcloth. The color scheme is limited only by your imagination or the assortment of the store (from pure white to various photo wallpapers). This self-adhesive is sold in rolls per linear meter. There are two types of roll width: 450 mm and 550 mm. The cost depends on the complexity of the pattern and width, and usually within 11 - 22 UAH per linear meter. For the manufacture of this case, a shiny black “self-adhesive” was chosen. After calculating according to the drawings, it was determined that five meters of “self-adhesive” would be needed to glue the entire body.
For processing cutouts, another material will be used, double-sided tape with a foam base.
It is necessary as a sealant in places where vibrating components (hard drives, drives) come into contact with the case walls. Foam rubber, from which strips 14-18 mm wide and 2 mm thick are made, is very soft in consistency and shrinks to 0.5 mm, having the ability to also spring. All this is very good for a compactor. The presence of an adhesive substance on both sides allows this seal to be firmly fixed, and individual components to be fixed with it.
It remains to make a "basket" for attaching all drives, hard drives, a floppy drive and a card reader. It is difficult and inconvenient to use a standard "basket", which is installed in serial cases, due to the non-standard location installed devices. You can use a piece of plexiglass 4 mm thick for these purposes. It will not need so much, somewhere a meter by a meter. The cutting of such material is carried out with a manual grinder or grinder. It is not difficult to make all these works. After that, it is necessary to drill the necessary holes in the blanks. Plexiglas is a rather fragile material, and sometimes crumbles if handled carelessly. To drill a hole with a diameter of 3.5 mm in it, you need to perform this operation in three or four passes, starting with a drill with a diameter of 1 mm, and finishing with 3.6 mm. You need to remember to drill out the "nest" for the bolt head to hide it. To do this, you need a drill of such a diameter as a hat. All drives, disk drives and a card reader are attached using the same double-sided tape seal.
To prevent hard drives from transmitting their vibration to the basket, thereby increasing the noise level, you can fix them with four erasers.
When all these operations are done, you can assemble the case. Collected Bottom part cases, with a "basket", hard drives, drives, a card reader, a floppy drive and an installed power supply looks something like this:
In a fully assembled form, this case will look like this:
A self-made case for a computer after testing the operation of the computer showed good indicators of temperature conditions. Price makeshift corps turned out to be significantly lower than the specialized Middle Tower or Full Tower cases. In order to make a computer case with your own hands, you only need certain skills in working with a soldering iron and a special tool.
Introduction
The idea of reworking the computer case appeared a long time ago. In the "standard" layout, the system unit is not particularly easy to use. Need enough frequent connection or switching connectors on the rear wall of the system unit… Placing the system unit at an angle to the wall to provide easy access to the drive trays…
The window in the side wall is practically inaccessible for observing the behavior of fans and other fillings of the system unit. And in the system unit itself, when installing hard drives or switching drive cables, you have to do it "by touch", without visual control over the process. Therefore, the "rotation" of the front panel on the side wall suggests itself. The case became a side wall to the wall, the front panel with a floppy slot and CD trays along with the side wall are available. It is easier to get to the back wall as it is now on the side.
First of all, it is necessary to examine the case for the possibility of such alteration, to prepare the necessary materials and tools. Then it doesn't hurt to measure everything and make sure that all the drives can be connected, and the cables and wires from the power supply mollexes will not rest against the side wall, which becomes "rear" in relation to the front panel. The execution of the necessary drawings is better on a scale of 1: 1. In addition, the part of the frame located under the front panel ensures the rigidity of the case, so you should think about additional structural elements designed to provide the required rigidity of the case after it has been reworked and assembled.
Of course, the specific solution depends entirely on the housing design available. In my case, the dimensions of the existing case made it possible to place devices that go to the front panel quite freely. And the dimensions of the side window made it easy to install the motherboard in an already converted case and make all the necessary connections.
Progress
The drawing was made in AutoCAD. The dimensions of the body elements and the filling are placed in the best possible way.
Then all the filling was removed from the case and removed away from the place of the forthcoming work. After removing the front panel, it became clear that the body frame elements are interconnected with soft aluminum alloy rivets. Some of them were “bitten off” with ordinary wire cutters, and some had to be drilled out, after which they were easily removed, and the front wall of the case frame was separated from the rest.
In the photo 1, the body elements after disassembly. Bottom left - separated front part of the frame, bottom right - separated chassis with hard drives and a floppy drive.
Photo 1
The next step was to "try on" the front of the frame in a new place (photo 2.)
Photo 2
In photo 2, you can see that part of the case cover covers the window for installing the CD-ROM. Therefore, after marking, this part of the cover was cut to the required size. In addition, I made sure that I will have to increase the size of the windows in the side wall of the frame, to which the motherboard is attached to provide free access to the hard drive and CD-ROM connectors after fixing them in the case. In addition, it was necessary to strengthen the corner of the body with an aluminum alloy corner, to which the side wall of the frame is attached.
Photo 3
This corner is clearly visible in photo 3. All elements of the newly assembled frame are assembled on screws with M3 nuts. I had to drill a number of holes in the frame elements with a drill with a diameter of 3.2 mm. After fixing the chassis for the hard drives and installing the CD-ROM, I made sure that there was enough distance to the side wall for free manipulation with power connector cables. Now you can fix the power supply in the case and install the motherboard in its place. After making all the connections and connecting the loops and power cables, several more advantages of this arrangement became apparent (photo 4.). All cables and loops are easily hidden behind the front panel block in the free space between the chassis and the side wall. This solution facilitates the organization of ventilation flows inside the case. The second positive feature is the possibility of installing additional fans at least for the entire height of the case on the former front panel. These fans effectively blow through the hard drives and effectively blow air into the case. Their reduced rotation speed, when sufficient, will not increase the level of noise they make, providing an efficient air flow.
Photo 4
After installing all the expansion cards and installing the front decorative panel, the case looked like it is shown in photos 5 and 6.
Photo 5
Photo 6
Now you can try on the case already to the place on the table where it will finally be placed. (Photo 7.)
Photo 7
This photo does not show later installed walls with ventilation holes and windows, a plug in the CDROM compartment, lighting, etc. In the process of working on the reconstruction of the case, the idea of installing a radio tape recorder, a tube for direct blowing of the processor cooler with outside air came up ... I plan to install the radio tape recorder in the wall next to the front decorative panel at the bottom of the side panel.
Conclusion
Using the case after the alteration is much more convenient. In addition, it takes up much less space on the desktop, located on the side and providing free access to both drives and connectors on the rear wall. The filling of the case after the alteration heats up less and is available for visual control, the noise level has decreased. Moreover, it works for me without a monitor, and I control it through remote access over the network. It is surprising that case manufacturers do not provide a "built-in" possibility for such a transformation of the case.
All work was done in 4 hours. Additionally needed: a piece of plexiglass 4 mm thick according to the size of the front panel for the manufacture of the side (former front) wall, trimming the padding polyester and metal mesh for installing air filters, an duralumin corner 25x25 mm long for the height of the case, M3 screws and nuts according to the number of mounting holes.
From the tool - wire cutters, a hacksaw, a drill, drills, a screwdriver, a hammer, a center punch, a mallet, a bench vise, a hardwood block as a lining (so as not to spoil the finish of the panels), metal scissors.
Igor Leonov
envelope-from leonov (a) atom.krasnet.ru
0
5
/03.2006
The purpose of this opus is not just to convey the torch of my great knowledge to poorly educated people around and not to brag about what a cool body I have (this is, in principle, a controversial statement), as some people for some reason think, who immediately begin to declare - "I already knew this" ( I knew - well, young man, take a pie from the shelf ..), but just an attempt to collect in one place some useful tricks that I found on the Internet or, independently of others, I invented myself in recent years.
I should also note that, although I am not an ardent opponent of liquid cooling systems, I still do not use them in principle in my designs, considering them not reliable enough (a couple of acquaintances had a sad experience ... although, of course, there is also a positive one, but having seen a couple of times what a leakage of a fitting or water block can lead to, you involuntarily begin to think) or rather expensive solutions, when using really high-quality components .. In the end, I quite calmly achieve an acceptable noise level for ME using only air cooling components. Therefore, too, there is no need to unsubscribe in the style - "the article is atstoy, dropsy rules." It's not about that..
1. Mechanical completion of the case
Well, you still can’t make candy out of shit, but you can at least try .. If there is no desire / opportunity to work with your hands, but there is some free money, then we go to the store and buy a quality one (not a show-off, but a quality one, otherwise the price usually the same) body. But we are not looking for easy ways. So, the main experimental Cooler Master Centurion 5. Why is it? Because:
Of the hidden shortcomings, it is necessary to note the critical distance between the shelf supporting the PSU and the top of the case - 86mm. PSUs with a height of 85mm always enter freely, and with a height of 86mm they can fit with some interference, as I had the last time with FSP. Although the fact that the PSU may have had an overestimated height by a couple of three dozen could play a role here. For any 87-88mm, it would be clearly better. Other shortcomings are typical for cases of this type and price. This is where they have to fight.
- - - first - - -
So. Where we start is to completely remove the fan grilles. It is clear that they are made with the best of intentions (I have experienced here a couple of times what it is like to get on the fingers from a 12cm Scythe 1600 - the blades on it are also sharpened to reduce noise. And if 2500-3000 rpm.?), but the implementation, to put it mildly, leaves much to be desired... Why are the lattices SO bad? There are two main points here:
Firstly, their permeability to the air flow from the fan is from 40 to 60 percent (relative to the flow from the free fan). And here the simple ratio of the area of the openings to the area of \u200b\u200bthe opening of the fan and the effect of reflection back, from the grate, of part of the air flow and the disruption, with its help, of the main flow play a role. You bring your hand to the working fan from the suction side and you can clearly feel the reverse flow of reflected air along the periphery of the blades..
Secondly, flow turbulence on such gratings creates a significant level of additional noise (as if the noise of the motor and impeller is not enough for us). Moreover, the sharp edges of the lattice holes exacerbate the effect of flow stall. Therefore - lattice down.
For those who do not believe in the need to remove the grilles, I recommend conducting a simple experiment to assess the air flow and noise level from a fan in a free state (holding it in your hand), and what happens to these parameters when a working cooler approaches the housing grill (outside or inside - it doesn't matter).
There are several ways:
At the same time, it is highly desirable to make not just a round hole, but repeat the internal contour of the fan fairing - such a kind of octagon with 4 convex faces. This will provide maximum airflow and minimum (or rather, its complete absence) additional noise from the edges, a hole cut in the body.
In principle, it is quite possible to find the correct gratings on sale (made of polished wire, see photo).
- - - h e t v o r t o e - - -
/optional, only if there are sufficiently hot elements in the case/
It is likely that standard variant(air intake through the front fan / in my case also through all the free 5.25 bays through the filter / and exhaust through the PSU fan and the rear fan) may simply not be enough. Then you have to work a little more with a jigsaw. So what does experience say? And experience says that the best place for air exhaust, this is the top side of the computer case. Therefore, we can well make a hole for a 12cm cooler there.
When cutting holes for them, I personally had a dilemma - either cut so that the holes of both standard grilles in the side wall "disappeared" (but then the flow to the CPU cooler does not go coaxially), or focusing on the CPU cooler, but it turned out not beautiful. I chose the first option, persuading myself that some of the air that did not get on the CPU would end up on the northbridge heatsink and memory. As anti-dust filters, a pair of grilles from some ancient auto-speakers was chosen. It was chosen, in fact, for the size, high-quality perforation of the grille and the presence of a very fine synthetic mesh inside. Unfortunately, at the same time, I once again made sure that you can’t bring anything closer to a running fan, turbulence immediately arises and the air flow becomes audible. The Scythe Minebea, which worked almost silently, became noticeably noisy when installing the grilles, and the air flow decreased noticeably. Actually, now it is they who determine the noise level of my computer, although not high, but quite noticeable at night half a meter from it. And, by the way, a pair of hemispherical strainers with a diameter of 15 cm, covered with a stocking, which I tried to use as an experiment, behaved absolutely perfectly in terms of noise. To my deep regret, installing them specifically on my computer was impossible - from its left wall to the wall of the secretary, where it stands, is only 3-4 cm. It's a pity.
2. Installing case fans
Well, the holes for the fans are prepared, let's proceed with the installation. Axiom - ALL fans vibrate during operation, respectively, hold one in your hand, and after mounting it in the case, we get an increase in the noise level, firstly, due to an increase in the vibrating surface, and secondly, due to the possible resonance of the case with the fan vibration frequency at a certain frequency rotation, if especially "lucky". Therefore - you need to somehow "separate" the fan from the case, hanging it on something vibration-absorbing thread. Having tried many ways, I came to one - fastening on home-made silicone bushings. It was not invented by me, the idea itself was gleaned from the expanses of the Internet. By the way, if you got such bushings complete with a fan, you are lucky. And we will talk about self-production, especially since, in my opinion, it is extremely simple.
First you need a tube with silicone, the color does not matter. Perhaps you can use silicone in tubes, as in the second photo, I have not tried it, it was unnecessary.
Then some kind of thread is a flat surface that is not a pity - a piece of glass, a sheet of thick paper, I used a plastic cover from something. We smear this matter with some lubricant that does not dissolve in the silicone plasticizer, and we don’t rub it, but we smear it, you definitely need to have 0.1 mm, otherwise it can still force out the lubricant and stick. I use lithol, some say you can even use butter, the author of the idea used a silicone spray. At the tube with sealant, we cut off the nose, including the thread for the protective cap (the hole is responsible for the final diameter of the extruded silicone sleeve), the diameter of the outlet should be 5-5.5 mm (since it is hardly possible to screw the protective cap onto the tube without a cut thread, for plugging we use or a screw/bolt of suitable diameter (M5-M6) or wrapped and sealed with a piece of wide adhesive tape). Unfortunately, it’s difficult to milk something out of this tube just like that, a special “gun” is also required (in the third photo), there are a lot of expenses (hefty tube + gun itself), so if you don’t have the opportunity to get these things, so to speak, “for rent "for free, it's better to cooperate with someone when buying a thread (on the other hand, it's who has what kind of earnings ...). In general, we carefully squeeze silicone sausages onto the oiled surface (the author of the idea called them "icicles", obviously because he used a transparent sealant) from 2.5 cm long, but better than 5-6 cm (without a "nose"), not forgetting to pull the tube a little in the end without squeezing out the mass, to obtain a conical spout 2-2.5 cm long. For him, this thing will need to be pulled through the holes of the fan and the computer case.
We dry this case for at least 24 hours, preferably 48. Remove from the oily surface and wipe. If not removed - use a razor (sharp knife) and cut them off from the surface. The fact that they are not completely round is completely irrelevant. They are installed as follows: we put the drawn nose into the ear of the fan and dragging it, we stretch the silicone sausage to right place. After preparing all 4 ears, we put the noses into the holes of the case and stretch them in turn until a gap between the fan and the case is 1-2 mm. We cut off the excess. If the sausages are long enough, then using their remains it is quite possible to put another fan.
In principle, you can also pay attention to the profile of plastic stretch marks that fasten the engine itself and the fan impeller inside the fairing. In decent fans, they are either round or, at worst, square with rounded edges. If the edges are clearly rectangular, then in principle you can bring them with a small file to a more or less rounded state. So to speak, the struggle for every little thing.
3. Installing hard drives
Cases in this regard come with a longitudinally located basket for the HDD or it is also across the case. In my opinion, the first option is preferable, because. in the vast majority of cases, it allows you to get a "free" extra. cooling screws with a fan from the "muzzle" of the case. On the side of the second option, there is more space for long video and other cards, as well as convenient replacement of the hard drive. To be honest, it's not impressive. On the first point - modern cases usually provide for the installation of long cards without resting on the HDD basket, and the second is not an argument for me at all, I climb to hard drives no more than once 1-2 years.
Axiom - ALL hard drives vibrate. Some are larger, others are smaller, some are completely imperceptible (especially when you hold them in your hands), but they all vibrate. Accordingly, these vibrations, in the case of a standard hard screw or screwless fastening, are transmitted to the body and, due to the increased area and possible resonance, sometimes become quite audible. If you got a case with an HDD mount in a basket through rubber or silicone bushings, then you don't have to read further - you're in luck. If not.. A little higher, I told you how to dampen vibrations in the case, but unfortunately this does not always help. You can, of course, stick more vibration absorber on the hard drive basket, but as I was convinced, this will definitely help only in the case of one hard drive. If there are more of them, and even of the same type, then the situation of low-frequency resonant beats is quite likely. I encountered a similar one on my last case when installing a pair of Samsungs. The screws, which behaved completely quietly when checking one at a time, seemed to go berserk as a couple and the floating vibrations were such that from time to time something rattled on my desk in the keyboard.
First option, is now a little outdated, unfortunately, due to a change in the design of the bulk of the cases. But maybe it will be useful to someone or will lead to some other useful idea. So, I ask you to love and favor - the suspension of hard drives with the help of vibration-absorbing sheet material.
Plus, one more nuance - modern PSUs are very fond of equipping a fan 12-14cm in diameter, but ONE. It turns out the following (usually noticeable at low speeds), the air blown in by the fan "hits" the elements inside the PSU and is reflected from them back into the fan. He categorically does not want to turn into a narrow gap, and even at 90 degrees. In a critical case, it turns out almost a circulation of the same air - the fan seems to work, but the temperature rises, and there is not even any exhaust from the rear grill of the PSU. It turns out that despite the huge size, the fan diligently blows perpendicular to the required direction and it does little (although it does, of course). That's why. If there is such an opportunity (allows space inside the PSU), it is highly desirable to install an additional one in it. 80mm cooler on the back wall, blown. The air flow through the PSU significantly increases. If it is possible to install additional there is no fan inside - put it outside, usually it is quite possible. It may look "not very", but it helps a lot. Also, if this is possible in your version of the computer case, but it can interfere, for example, with a large cooler on the processor, you need to move the main PSU fan outside. Those. fix it outside the PSU inside the case. This will give an increase in the distance between the fan and the PSU elements by 25-30 millimeters and, accordingly, the air flow will be able to more or less normalize. As a result, the power supply airflow will improve (even without an additional fan on the back wall), turbulent noise on the elements of the power supply board will decrease, and it may still be possible to install an additional. 80mm fan inside the PSU case (because sometimes it is the main fan that interferes with its installation and nothing else, as an example of FSP Optima xx-80GLN or Epsilon).
a little about the noise..
The terms "acceptable noise level", "low noise level" or "virtually inaudible" used in this article are completely subjective. Such assessments were made by me with the windows and vents closed, the TV and radio turned off and there was no extra noise from the neighbors and the street. Nevertheless, I live in a panel "Khrushchev", there are no double-glazed windows in the windows (but there are frames 40 years ago) and the standard industrial noise of the outskirts of the city is fully present - the road is 150m behind the houses, the train is 500m and a lot of greenery, and it tends to rustle in spring-summer-autumn with a sufficiently strong wind. That. if I have written "practically inaudible" it is quite possible that someone will be quite audible. According to an indirect estimate (by the method, so to speak, of comparison with different devices that have the noise level indicated by the manufacturer from a distance of 1m), the background noise in my room in the summer, under the above conditions, is in the range of 32-34dBA. Accordingly, devices with a noise level below 27-29dBA from a meter or more are practically inaudible ... Therefore, since I completely stop hearing the noise of the system unit from 8m (lucky, this is the maximum distance that you can get in the line of sight in my apartment) means it noise at such a distance is approximately 33-3 = 30dBA, then we get - 4m + 6dBA, 2m + 12dBA and 1m + 18dBA. Approximate noise of the unit under the hairy cube and TAT (at the same time, the coolers on the side wall and the video card spin up to the maximum, and they are the noisiest) 47-49db at a distance of 1m. In the "Internet" mode, I think so by 5-6dBA less .. In any case, with the window open, on the occasion of the summer, against the background of the street, it is not audible at all from half a meter, well, unless you really listen. But I only have 5 Carlsons in the case, 2 more in the PSU and, finally, one each for the CPU and 8800GTX
Just a little more for reference. general information about such a thing as noise level (I hope no one will be offended by a small educational program):
First of all, it should be noted that dB when measuring noise have, as it were, more correctly, a power character, where a 2-fold change in noise intensity corresponds to 3 db( 10 log10 (P2 /P1 )), and they should not be confused with the calculation of level differences for non-power quantities (for example, voltage or current), where a 2-fold change in value corresponds to 6 db( 20 log10 (U2 /U1 )). In principle, in the simplest case, those who know the formula for calculating the power at the load from the voltage and current in it will understand what the matter is. In general, we assume that 3 bells in power = 6 bells in voltage. This is so to say just in case, so as not to confuse the formulas for calculating the noise level of the ULF and the fan .. An approximate table of noise intensity ratios:
- 1 dB = 1.25 times
- 3 dB = 2 times
- 6 dB = 4 times
- 9 dB = 8 once
- 10 dB = 10 once
- 20 dB = 100 once
- 30 dB = 1000 once
The addition (subtraction) of dB values corresponds to the multiplication (division) of the ratios themselves. Negative dB values correspond to inverse ratios. For example, a power reduction of 40 times is 4*10 times or -6dB-10dB=-16dB. A power increase of 128 times is 2^7 or 3dB*7=21dB. An increase in voltage by 4 times is equivalent to an increase in power by 4 * 4 \u003d 16 times, this is 2 ^ 4 or 3dB * 4 \u003d 12dB.
Further, our ear perceives sounds that have the same intensity level but different frequencies differently: sounds with low and high frequencies seem quieter than mid-frequency sounds of the same intensity. Because of this, when measuring the noise level, the uneven sensitivity of the human ear to sounds of different frequencies has to be modulated using special frequency filters, measuring the so-called weighted sound level. The value obtained as a result of measurements has the dimension dBA. Here is a letter A means that the weighted sound level is obtained using a frequency filter of type A, as the most common this type measurements.
At the same time, another problem is that a person does not measuring device and it is quite realistic to introduce a certain scale of the subjectivity of perception of the noise level (for a normal, average person) based on the property of ear adaptability to noise intensity:
- 1 dBA - the limit of distinguishability of a change in volume (such a change in the sound level can only be noticed if its source changes intensity quite sharply, preferably instantly, with a smooth intensity drop of 1-2 seconds or more, it becomes indistinguishable for the vast majority of people)
- 3 dBA - confidently distinguishable change (distinguishable even with a smooth change in intensity for 4-6 seconds)
- 6 dBA - a significant change (even a smooth increase in intensity for a couple of tens of seconds cannot confuse anyone)
- 10 dBA - a subjective change in volume by half (absolutely clear difference, i.e. entering an hour later in a room with a noise level increased by 10dBA, you will immediately say - it has become noisier)
Well, a couple more passages on the topic of noise, so to speak for reference:
In accordance with the Moscow city sanitary standards, the noise in the apartment from 7 am to 11 pm should not exceed 40 dBA, and from 11 pm to 7 am - 30 dBA, since, according to studies, a person is not disturbed by noise with a volume of about 40-45 dBA during the day and 35 dBA at night.
At the same time, it should be noted that, according to studies on experimental volunteers, sleep disturbances in some people begin already with noise as loud as 25 dBA (!). When the noise level rises to 40 dBA, 10% of people wake up, and at 50 dBA, sleep is interrupted in 50%.
The attenuation of noise with increasing distance occurs with a geometric progression, i.e. if we have a noise source with an intensity of 40dBA at a distance of 1m from it, then at a distance of 2m the noise intensity will drop by 2x2=4 times (by 6 dbA) and become 34dBA, and at a distance of 4m by 4x4=16 times (12dBA) = 28dBA. Heh.., so I'm currently sleeping with a noise intensity of just over 40dBA. In winter, perhaps, this will no longer be masked by noises outside the open window ...
All subsequent additions to this article will be made only in the original version, located on my website.
Greetings! Today I will have an article for you that is rather unusual for my blog, but I hope many of my readers will be interested in it. This post is recommended for reading, first of all, to "computer maniacs" who like to mess with their PC in order to improve it appearance and functionality. So, below you will get acquainted with the project called "Black and White" - this is a do-it-yourself system unit modding. This miracle was created by my friend Anatoly Vasilenko and asked me to publish this review on my blog, which I do with pleasure. Below, its text without edits and changes.
Hi all! I recently purchased new computer and everything seemed to be cool, he suited me, everything seemed to be on top, but still something was missing ... After much thought, I came to the conclusion that I was not satisfied with his appearance! :)) Frame CoolerMaster K280. The design will do, but only for the first time, I decided, and a couple of days later I took up its modernization ... otherwise the case looked painfully cheap, not serious, boring and like an ordinary "stamping".
And so, in order for the body to have a more or less neat and balanced look, I decided to do the whole thing in black and white. Skip the design stage and go straight to the practical part!
Here is such a boring, default look the system manager has now:
Replacing the factory front panel
Unfortunately, not all the photos that I took in the process of work have been preserved, and I didn’t always think of taking pictures of some stages.
In a nutshell: for the front panel I used 2 sheets of clear plexiglass, which melted during improper drilling, which led them to a rough, unusable appearance ... But fools, as they say, learn from their own mistakes and had to cut the panel from scratch, but already using sheet getinak With. Lord, why didn't I immediately think about it?.. =) Unlike plexiglass, getinax is much more refractory, durable and not so brittle!
We drill a sheet with such a drill, the seller called it: "ballerina")), using a sheet getinaks 5 mm thick:
The drill is like a crown, only crowns come in fixed sizes, and the diameter of this drill can be adjusted by yourself from 30 to 125 mm! A very good buy in my opinion.
The drill did its job perfectly, I was pleasantly surprised by the result:
Further clean and degrease the inside of the panel, for gluing cooler fasteners (I didn’t film the gluing, but the fasteners will be visible at the painting stage), and, accordingly, we glue it with flexible glue: TYTAN professional Classic FIX. Next, painting the panel black matt NEWTON enamel. I applied 5-6 layers for greater confidence:
In the photo you can see a "lock" for fixing the panel in the frame of the case:
While I was painting, the long-awaited parcel with a braid arrived MDPC-X. Guess what colors? Right! Black(30 m) and white(10 m):
The enamel is dry, you can install the valves. Solder them to a 12 volt molex, we wrap the wires with a black braid, otherwise we don’t need incomprehensible multi-colored wiring in the case:
The factory-quality panel is out, and the case already looks pretty good:
Let's get braiding
Done with the front panel! But we still have almost 30m of black braid, and the white one is not touched at all! It's time to put them into action ... So, I arrived new block nutrition Aero Cool 650W, disassemble it and start braiding each wire separately:
One day was enough for me to wrap ONLY a 24 pin cable!! The lesson is incredibly routine, but interesting at first:
The peculiarity of this power supply is that the video card power cables are doubled, so we had to split them so that there was only one wire in one braid, if there are 2 or more, then the braid will be thicker compared to the others, but we don’t need this:
In total, I had the patience to wrap only those wires that I will use, and we will fix the unused ones behind the motherboard out of sight:
Trial run. We made sure that we did not confuse anything and that all nodes are working:
To avoid unnecessary bending of the 24 pin cable, we it is necessary to slightly extend the factory hole in the case down under this cable, and paint over the cut:
We stuff the remaining small wires into the braid:
We mount a new braided power supply and arrange the cables in their places:
(Click on the picture to enlarge)
Let's see what happened:
Enjoyed, rested, now let's move on to the acrylic window!
Acrylic window installation
We go to the building materials store and buy everything you need:
- transparent acrylic sheet - 300x300mm,
- molding tape - 1 meter,
- cutting engraver,
- led strip,
- dimmer to adjust the backlight.
Taped the case cover paper tape, this will protect the paint from scratches and any damage during cutting:
We turn on the engraver and cut out our window with a cutting wheel. And do not forget to give the engraver a rest! In the meantime, the engraver is resting, we cut the acrylic in parallel. We carry out a fine grinding of the cut, round off the bends and remove the already unnecessary protective tape. The adhesive tape did not come off completely, but it does not matter if there is a wet cloth:
As you can see, it turned out very neatly, without scratches and bumps:
We remove the protective layer on one side of the acrylic and glue it on the inside of the case wall and leave the whole thing to dry properly. After lying down overnight, the glue dried up and voila - we have a decent-looking acrylic window:
Setting the LED backlight
So we have: female 4pin, soldered cable molex - male 4pin (needed to connect to the power supply), dimmer with remote control, a piece of white led strip and a dumb wire to connect it all.
We solder all the elements together and get something like a backlit cord. We fasten the "cord with illumination" to the wall and connect the power:
New metal legs
A good friend of mine, who works at the same factory, machined new legs for me from a solid bar of stainless steel. The visible part of the leg is polished, and I glued a layer of rubber on the bottom, you know why. Attached with screws.
"Necessity is cunning for inventions," says the old proverb, and computer enthusiasts never complained about the lack of creativity. Unusual computer cases are one of the manifestations of developed imagination and resourcefulness. These people are not stopped by the fact that after buying a suitable hardware, there was no free funds for a case for it. "Kulibins" prove that the lack of funds is not a hindrance when assembling a computer. It is the creations of such creative people that this material about cool PC cases is dedicated to.
I bought a case, but there was not enough for iron
There are also situations when there is a high-quality case at hand, but there is nothing to put in it. What to do in such a situation? You can find a set of iron "dinosaur times" at a flea market, but not everyone will like this approach. Such components are noisy, collect dust, consume electricity, and even break down at the wrong time.
American enthusiasts have developed a Raspberry Pi mini-computer, priced at about $30, which is slightly larger than a credit card. The board of this little one contains a filling comparable to that of an average smartphone, and when installing Linux, such a PC can be used to watch movies, surf the Internet and other simple tasks. In the example above, just such a computer is installed in a desktop PC case.
The supermarket will help us
Do you have access to old fruit containers at the supermarket or vegetable market? Then you can make a cool PC case for just a hundred rubles. Potato box, a few cable ties - and the case is ready. 
Such a PC can be called an example of minimalism and ingenuity rolled into one, but there are also weirder cases for a computer.
All my life I dreamed of a laptop
I want to powerful laptop, but there is not enough money, and taking a loan is not an option? Then a tool box and a matrix from an LCD monitor come to the rescue. A little ingenuity, and with a flick of the wrist, it all turns into a laptop. 
Of course, in terms of mass, such a machine will be 2 times heavier than a laptop, and you have to carry a keyboard and mouse with you. But, of course, this example deserves a place in the selection of the most unusual computer cases.
DIY iMac
Apple computers are not a cheap pleasure, and Lenovo monoblocks, although they cost less, are also more expensive than a desktop. But what if you want an all-in-one PC? You can tighten your belt and save up for an iMac, or you can just take the filling from a laptop with a broken screen and a desktop monitor. A little double-sided tape, a couple of self-tapping screws - and we meet new model iMac. 
For a complete entourage, only a bitten apple is missing, as well as a silvery color. But this is not a problem either: a trip to building materials (for a can of silver) and a vegetable store (for a kilogram of apples) can solve the problem. At the same time, vitamins in the body, after a long winter. 
Another example of how to make a monoblock with your own hands. 
The second life of a cardboard box
In the era of the development of online stores, everyone in the house gradually accumulates great amount packaging containers in which purchases are delivered. Sometimes it’s a pity to throw away good boxes, and the place in the pantry quickly runs out. You can breathe new life into the box by using it as a PC case. This is especially rational if the brand new pieces of iron in it also came from the store. 
This approach is very popular among the people, the Internet is full of pictures showing such unusual cases for a computer. 
If there is no time to do needlework or all the skills gained in labor lessons in the lower grades were forgotten immediately after graduation, you don’t even have to bother with scissors and tape. 
And so it goes. And even like this: 
Subtle and tasteful
Sometimes unusual cases for a computer can pleasantly surprise you. Sometimes this is the fruit of careful work, and at a price they are compared with factory models.
The production of such a case, made in the spirit of minimalism, probably cost several hundred rubles per plexiglass. And given that all the details are carefully fitted, the owner also worked on it for more than one hour. 
And this is generally a masterpiece, and the manufacture of such a cool case for a PC definitely cost the craftsman a pretty penny. 
Poor fish
Efficient heat dissipation and a stylish look all in one also deserves a place in the selection of unusual computer cases. One can only hope that the owner purchased an aquarium specifically for the PC, and the fish did not have to go free swimming. 
By the way, if someone wants to repeat such a step, you need to take into account that water cannot be poured as a liquid. For these purposes, synthetic or mineral oil, for example, transformer oil, is optimal. In any case, the fluid must be electrically inert.
Computer in a canister
Another example of the use of obsolete containers, this time plastic. Such a machine would organically fit into some fuel depot or car service. There, such a strange computer case would not stand out against the background of the general situation. 
Cooling is not superfluous
It was this slogan, for sure, that guided the owner of this strange computer case, entirely made of fans. It just consumes so many turntables a lot, you probably need another power supply for them. Yes, and one can only imagine what kind of noise rises in the room when such a monster is turned on. 
Once and for all
That's what you can call such an unusual computer case. Mounting foam is very difficult to remove from surfaces, and if any part fails, you will have to sweat to get to it. 
By the way, this is another example of recycling vegetable crates.
For those who are tired of the constant overheating of the laptop
It seems that the owner of this laptop is tired of constantly dusting his computer, regularly changing thermal paste and fighting overheating. Otherwise, why else was it necessary to install a powerful water cooling system on a laptop. 
True, it is difficult to call such a design a laptop, because we are not talking about any mobility. That is why this masterpiece of "engineering" was included in the selection of the strangest computer cases.