PC Modding

placidcanyon2 said:It’s all a matter of taste. Personally, I’d take ten years of a beat-up Neverpower over spending even six months with that TermalDrek. 😁

A friend of mine owns a Kandalf, and frankly, the high-end TT models aren't bad at all. On the contrary. Though I personally prefer a more minimalist aesthetic.

Joseph Carter9 said:But man, it looks absolutely flawless right now—just imagine if we added a single 9-inch side vent...
I'll have to post a photo of that setup sometime...

By the way, there's a large side vent missing where those slots are visible in the shot, but he's hesitant to install it because he thinks it'll be too "loud"...
There's also a blue LED-ica in there that pulses in sync with the music, though you can barely see it since it's broad daylight out🙂

A man of his word. 🙏

Does anyone happen to have a link to a tutorial on how to install led-ica into an optical drive?

Edward Peterson70 said:Anyone got a link to a tutorial on how to mod some led-ica into an optical drive?

Man, I've seen people pull that off with PC Modding before. You thinking about lighting up the drive from the inside?

Basically, you'd have to cut out the cover to fit some thin plexiglass—gotta be thin, obviously—but make sure you leave that center piece intact so the disc still seats right when you slide it in. Just use some tiny led-ica and tuck them in so they don't get in the way...

It wasn't a 100% match for the PC Modding setup, at least not based on what I was looking at. My goal is for the light to shine only when the case is open—no acrylic panels involved. 😁
Connecting LEDs and resistors is such a headache. Honestly, I really don't feel like cracking open a physics textbook right now. 😬

Edward Peterson70 said:It wasn't 100% on the PC modding side, at least from what I saw. He just wants the lighting to kick in when it's powered up—nothing fancy with acrylic diffusers. 😁
Honestly, dealing with LEDs and resistors is such a headache. I really don't have the energy to dig through a physics textbook right now. 😬

Best way to do LEDs is in parallel, giving each one its own resistor.

Say you grab 5V, and if an LED pulls 10mA while running at 1.2V, then you just use R=V/I where V=5-1.2 and I=10mA.

Thank you. 😉

Edward Peterson70 said:Does anyone happen to have a link for a tutorial on how to install LEDs into an optical drive?

Maybe this will help you out. http://www.overclockersclub.com/guides/dvdwindowledmod/

I think I saw another guide somewhere too—one that actually went into detail about how to wire up the resistors and all that stuff...

That isn't quite right. The LEDs were positioned at the end of the drive so you could see exactly where to insert the disc in the dark.😁

Little bit of PC Modding 😬 on my old Logitech MX518 mouse. It looked pretty hideous right out of the box, so I figured... why not give it a makeover...

seriously though... how much is this actually gonna run me?

I reckon they’re sitting right around 250/$100... I managed to snag mine for $35 through eBay, plus factored in $20 for the spray, and honestly... what a complete nightmare dealing with this logo...

That looks absolutely stunning. Seriously, huge props to you!

Wait for things to warm up a bit first, just to see if the paint starts peeling. 😬
Otherwise, good job. 👍

Thanks, everyone... you can't really tell from the photo, though, since the logo is engraved😁
And no, it isn't chipping off, I took plenty of precautions... I made sure to clean it thoroughly, hit it with a primer, and then applied the paint in thin layers... I've tested it, and even water won't budge it...

Can anyone recommend some high-quality 5.25" fan controllers that can handle at least four fans? I've got a ton of them to manage. Let's skip the price talk for now—I care about quality and what specific specs I actually need. I stumbled upon this one, which fits my needs perfectly, but it's way too overpriced for what it actually does: LINK. Thanks.

Well, I have finally decided to dive headfirst into the ambitious task of refurbishing my aging computer chassis. My ultimate goal is to perform a complete hardware overhaul sometime this coming summer, but for now, it’s all about aesthetics.

I am reaching out to the community for some expert guidance regarding paint selection. Specifically, I need recommendations for high-quality paints that won't smudge, peel, or flake off after a few weeks of use.

My current vision involves a sleek black base accented by a stylized blue flame motif—something quite dynamic—complemented by a few blue cooling fans to tie the whole look together. 😉

As for the side panels, I am planning to fabricate them myself from scratch. I intend to use a hammer to hand-form the metal, eventually cutting a precise square cutout right in the center for visibility.

On a final note, does anyone know if there is a reliable supplier where one can purchase aftermarket front bezels for standard cases?

Sean Clark2 said:So now I'm diving into modding this old case. Planning to drop some fresh components in there sometime around summer

Any tips on which paint colors to grab? You know, stuff that won't smudge or peel off easily

Thinking about going with black and maybe adding a blue flame graphic or something similar, plus a few blue fans 😉

Pantone. Check out the Reddit thread over on XDA Developers.

I was thinking about making new side panels from scratch, maybe using a hammer to shape them and cutting a square hole right in the middle.

Making panels from scratch is a massive headache, honestly. Just stick to modifying what you already have. And whatever you do, don't use a hammer to cut holes—you'll just dent the whole thing and nothing will line up. Use a Dremel or an angle grinder instead.

can you actually buy replacement front bezels for cases????

Never seen that happen before.

No, I’m not talking about hacking away at it with a hammer. My plan is to use an angle grinder to prep the hole, and then I'll mount the side panels on the lathe. That way, instead of being perfectly flat, they'll have this slightly convex, bowed-out look to them

Hmm

I still need to figure out what the ultimate potential of this chassis really is. I don't have the bandwidth to dive into it right this second—I won't actually be starting for another week—but it's vital that I have a clear mental blueprint before I touch any tools 🙂