How to build your own case.

monkeymonk

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Mar 24, 2009
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I saw Little Devil's cases, and it got me thinking. Is it possible to build and/or design your own PC case? I want to be able to maximize cooling.

Would it be easier to just mod some cheap cases?

I had an idea about making the mobo lie horizontally so the heat raises straight up instead of accross all the other components on it's way up. Is this a logical theory? Also, can mechanical HDD's run on there sides?

Thanks in advance!
 
Solution
The motherboard lying horizontally won't necessarily make it run cooler. A modern GPU intakes air and vents in out the back directly, not back into the case. Heat isn't emitted from the motherboard and components uniformly

This means the CPU is also taking in fairly cool air, never really above room temperature.

Mechanical hard drives can be orientated in any direction you wish, it's often advised to minimise movement when they are being used though.

A good case with decent airflow, filters, decent heat sinks and fans and that's all that can be done. Also keeping your computer away from items like radiators.

Often an idea is to either have neutral or positive airflow (more intake than outtake) this means that instead of dust being...

evilgenius134

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Apr 20, 2010
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The motherboard lying horizontally won't necessarily make it run cooler. A modern GPU intakes air and vents in out the back directly, not back into the case. Heat isn't emitted from the motherboard and components uniformly

This means the CPU is also taking in fairly cool air, never really above room temperature.

Mechanical hard drives can be orientated in any direction you wish, it's often advised to minimise movement when they are being used though.

A good case with decent airflow, filters, decent heat sinks and fans and that's all that can be done. Also keeping your computer away from items like radiators.

Often an idea is to either have neutral or positive airflow (more intake than outtake) this means that instead of dust being drawn in through gaps in your case, it's expelled out and air is only taken in through filtered regions.
 
Solution

monkeymonk

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I was not aware of this but I guess it makes since. Why was the change made to towers? Are there desktop cases designed for performance?
 

monkeymonk

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http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/260426-28-fits-here-building-case-ground
I am looking to build a case like this one.
After hours of internet searching I have realized that it is not nearly as popular to build your own case as it is to build your own computer. Has anyone seen any sites with details about this or experience with this kind of thing?
Any advice I think I will be buying a cheap case and welding the mobo tray backplate and hdd cages to a steel frame and aluminum panel case. I am looking to build one almost exactly like that one but with fans on the back of the mobo tray and fans on the bottom and side.
What is the largest fan that is sold? I will gladly invest in a larger one than this guys if one exists.