My MM-like custom case

[alphadog009]

So basically i want to get a new case that is good for watercooling, can hold an EVGA x58 4x sli classified motherboard, a full internal system, 3x120 rads for cpu, gpus and etc... and i want it cheap... so mountain mods is out of the question. I have decided to try and build my own but before i do I want to find out the feasibility of it. Note i will be using tools that are in my schools wood shop so i wont have to pay for any type of cutting and my friend's dad owns a body shop so painting shouldn't be a problem either. Note i went a little over the top with this design in sketchup but hey why not oh and if someone could tell me how to take pictures within sketchup and not use print screen i would be grateful lol

here is the front:



2 x 360 rads, 6 5.25 drive bays, 3 of which will be used for a combo res and pump housing from xspc (This one). I will also use an extra pump in a gpu loop should i have 4x 360 rads, (1 for each gpu potentially.... insane, i know)



This is the back... i plan to use an inverted e-atx mobo tray from Mountain Mods for the mobo and 2x 360 rads in the back. I have to see how tall the mobo tray and then decide on the mounting of the psu.



This is the top, i was initially planning to have a 3x120 rad up top but the drive bays would get in the way of that, so a 2x120 would fit here perfectly.....i may extend the case depth a bit so i could add an extra rad on the side of the case as well....




and a no panels view...

comments please cuz i have no experience with building cases... tell me if i have forgotten something important...

building materials:

1in by 1in tall aluminum right angles, what thickness should i get? i would need about 18 feet of this because the case will be 18x18x18... i also plan to use this to create a fan mounting system as i do not want the fans to be attached to the panels as that would make it a pita to remove the panels for any reason. Also i plan to make full mesh grills for the rads, kinda like the TJ07. I also dont want many screws visible from the outside of the case cuz i have 2 rads on the front of the case.

Aluminum sheets- i would need 6x 18x18 sheets of this... i would like it as thin as structurally possible i will also try to make some sort of shroud for the wiring.

Screws: what kind of screws would i use for this? M3 and M5 are the most common for this kind of application and i would need countersunk screws for everything... please tell me...

Thanks for looking and please comment

[MetalWaterBox]

I see no pics....

[alphadog009]

oops sorry about that fixed

[Junimrox]

cool, but there are too many rads... anyway, this is XS, the project is great!

[adam9977]

Looks like a great project! @ Junimrox...too many rads?? There's no such thing!!

Hope the project works out for you alpha.

[Asylum1]

Looks like a good design.
Are you going to weld it or pop rivot?

[Power5]

Why not mirror the front rad layout in the back and have the bottom of the case for rads, pumps, psu and the top half for the mobo laying flat? Heh, or you could have rads on three of the sides and the 4th side could be the exhaust fans and PSU side.

[Computurd]

Man that looks nice, there is not enough cases out there that match the requirements you need, as i am needing a similar setup, and outside of a few vendors there just isnt mucho out there for e-atx form factors, etc

[SoulsCollective]

Looking nice.

cool, but there are too many rads...

Are you crazy?

[alphadog009]

cool, but there are too many rads... anyway, this is XS, the project is great!

lol yeah there are a lot of rads... this is baisically like me saying "at least i can have a 320 rad for each gpu if i want...."

Looks like a great project! @ Junimrox...too many rads?? There's no such thing!!

Hope the project works out for you alpha.

Thanks im not sure when i can get started ill have to make sure i have a good method to cut the aluminum before i get anything, and im going to have to decide on a general theme...

Looks like a good design.
Are you going to weld it or pop rivot?

thanks! for me at least welding is out of the question i was probably going to pop rivet the frame and use thumbscrews for all the other panels. I was also going to devise a method to connect the radiators and there fans to the frame rather than to the panels, thus taking some stress off of the panels.

Why not mirror the front rad layout in the back and have the bottom of the case for rads, pumps, psu and the top half for the mobo laying flat? Heh, or you could have rads on three of the sides and the 4th side could be the exhaust fans and PSU side.

i was initially intending to do the "Horizon" as Mountain mods calls it back side... baisically i can do that with this should i wish... only thing is i dont trust my building skills enough... i was going to also put a radiator on the left side panel (opposite motherboard tray) and possibly one up top. I will have to see how the initial building goes.

Man that looks nice, there is not enough cases out there that match the requirements you need, as i am needing a similar setup, and outside of a few vendors there just isnt mucho out there for e-atx form factors, etc

Thanks yeah i was initially looking at mountain mods but that is just way way out of my budget. Also i feel it would be a better challenge to build my own case. I was initially planning to get the TJ07 but once again, my budget would never stretch that far...

Looking nice.
Are you crazy?

Thanks!

[trekie86]

I gotta give you credit, my SketchUp skills are terrible. I'm just trying to design a desk and its one disaster after another. Keep up the good work. I love the design, manufacture that thing!

[alphadog009]

haha i didnt model that whole thing!!!!! i had a little help from the handy dandy sketchup components collection!!!!!!

http://scc.jezmckean.com/home

look in cases -> standard -> cubes for the various cases i hacked apart and then modded all within the safety and comfort of my desk chair!

[trekie86]

haha, that makes me feel a lot better. Thanks for the link, the plan for the desk is to physically house the computer, so I can model it with these components!

[alphadog009]

oh yeah that sounds awesome! i would go on the 3d warehouse, get a similar desk, then use these components to model the computer inside the desk. Or you could build the desk then use these to build it inside

[NFC]

This project needs more cowbell...err..rads!

Looks to be a cool one thus far. What materials are you using and how are you planning on cutting it? I know you said you were using your school's tools but I mean specifically.

I'll be keeping up =D

[alphadog009]

Thanks! I was going to use aluminum for the frame and side panels. I was going to use a jigsaw in addition to a router table to cut out the individual panels and their respective holes. For the frame I was inteding to use a bandsaw. Ideally, I would use a cnc machine to cut the panels but I'll have to find somewhere to do that. I understand that a jigsaw is not necessarily the greates way yo cut the panels so I may try to do it some other way. Any suggestions are helpful!

[trekie86]

A jigsaw might work if you put the appropriate blade on it. I would suggest finding a high quality tin snipe that won't bend when it cuts, possibly a powered tin snip, to cut the panels. Just make sure you use a good drill bit when you drill the starter holes, I would suggest one at each corner, so you don't get any movement on the bit and scratch up the panel. Might not hurt to tap the panel when you cut to prevent any flacking. Are you using bare aluminum or pre-painted sheets? Don't know how thick of aluminum you are using, but if it isn't really thick, try to build two wood frames and clamp them together to prevent any warping of the aluminum during cutting. I'm not a metal expert but I hope that gives yuo some ideas.

[alphadog009]

thanks trekie!!! yeah i was afraid of using a jigsaw as my limited budget will limit the amount of extras i can have... as far as the base goes i am probably going to end up doing it like nysoO here i really like the fact that it is very sturdy as it is made with solid aluminum bars and that it is all screwed together, which is probably a hell of a lot easier should i wish to modify the case in any way later on. Thanks nysoO for giving me such a great idea!

[trekie86]

Looked at mysoO's posts, love it. I think if you can execute the construction as well as he did, your case will be awesome! Really looking forward to a build log.

[b3nder]

Looks pretty cool. Slightly off topic - what design software are you using (in the screen shots)? I'm in early stages of designing a system and would like to dable with my own design too.

Edit : Don't worry - re-reading looks like your using sketchup......

[lsdpigeon]

can hold an EVGA x58 4x sli classified motherboard

Looking at your sketchup drawing I only see 7 pci slots (to run quad sli u need at least 8 pci slots, unless your planning to use super thin gpu waterblocks and wafer them all together i think you need to check your drawing again )

[alphadog009]

Looks pretty cool. Slightly off topic - what design software are you using (in the screen shots)? I'm in early stages of designing a system and would like to dable with my own design too.

Edit : Don't worry - re-reading looks like your using sketchup......

yeah i used sketchup, mostly because its free and easy to learn to use. I am learning to use Pro/Engineer for reasons other than computer modeling but it is pretty tough to learn. I guess it also depends on what you can get your hands onto and fool around with. Good luch with your system!

Looking at your sketchup drawing I only see 7 pci slots (to run quad sli u need at least 8 pci slots, unless your planning to use super thin gpu waterblocks and wafer them all together i think you need to check your drawing again )

You're right, there are only 7 pci slots.... i couldnt find a 10 pci slot motherboard and as such had no idea about the dimensions or how it would fit within the case, so i emailed Mountain Mods for the dimensions of their 10 PCI slot motherboard tray and am going to use that to make a new design. The initial design i posted has been changed slightly as i want to see if its possible for me to go with a horizon board. I will post a new model when i finish it. For those of you who are interested, the dimensions of the 10 PCI Slot motherboard tray are 15.125 inches x 10.94 inches


I am currently "building" this system in sketchup right now... i want to get the majority of the kinks out of the plan before i move to a wood model. This model will let me get working before i actually start using aluminum.

[Anemic]

cool, but there are too many rads... anyway, this is XS, the project is great!

What? Are you sitting there typing high? Do you even know where you are at?!?
Just kidding =)

Very nice and Very Xtreme case. Looks like it could become one epic build if you get it all together =)

[alphadog009]

im going to start a wood model in school on tuesday... this is just to make sure i can get the general idea of things going....

[trekie86]

can't wait to see how it turns out...I really need to get a workshop