Case Rebirth: Granny's PC: A Budget Build gone horribly wrong! - Overclock.net

retrogamer1990 · 07-16-09

I'll start with a joke

An elderly woman called, furious.

Tech Support: "How can I help you ma'am?"
Customer: "You had better help me!"
Tech Support: "That's why they pay me!"
Customer: "Don't get smart with me!"
Tech Support: "Of course, ma'am, how can I help you?"
Customer: "Well, I've been waiting for quite some time!"
Tech Support: "Yes ma'am, our current wait is about twenty minutes. It usually isn't that bad."
Customer: (yelling) "Twenty minutes! I've been waiting three days!"
Tech Support: "You've defied sleep and other bodily functions for a full 72 hours?"

Isn't it wonderful when they get vague? Turns out she clicked on the "Help" button in Word or something three days prior and was waiting for us to call her...despite the fact that her computer had no modem and was not near a telephone line.

hey guys,
this is distracting funds from the current project but I had to do something about my grandparents current PC. they just moved house after 58 years (literally) of being in their old one and they have had their current computer for that long it would seem - so i thought i'd give them a present of a nice shiny new pc to go with their house

this wont be anything particularly special, and cheap is the name of the game!

...or so I thought.

I think ive gone over the top. a bit. hehe.

parts list:

DFI Lanparty X38 DK2 Mobo
Intel E2160 (1.6ghz)
2gb Geil 800mhz
Sapphire X1900 XTX
Generic sata DVD Drive
200Gb SATA hard drive
Jeantech 420w PSU
Some crappy case left over from years ago (not sure what it is at all)

thats where the usual person would stop, especially for their grandparents. but i had a spare PA120.2, and there was a WB for that X1900 on ebay for 99p...so I thought what the hell, lets make my granny the coolest silver surfer ever!! :beerchug:

Cooling:
Danger Den TDX
PA120.2 with silverstone fans (may replace with 120mm Xigmatek orange LED fans)
Danger Den Tyee WB for the X1900 XTX
Laing DDC 10w pump with XPSC res top (may mod to 18w)
XSPC UV Orange hose
2x 80mm Xigmatek Orange LED Fans

hehe. I hope my granny likes day-glo orange

List of mods To be completed:

remove hdd cage
spray interior black
Custom acrylic front panel
Cut holes for radiator mounting
mod side panel & get rid of that tacky design in favor of a simple window.
replace fans
mod 5.25" bay so odd drive is flush with new front
hook up the WC

and I MAY spray the exterior depending on how the interior comes out.

pics before:

^not a bad finish

missing parts, mismatched colours...ugh

what a mess!

thats all folks! stay tuned! updates tomorrow!

retrogamer1990 · 07-16-09

reserved for finals...*edit* wait, just look down a post or two *facepalm*

retrogamer1990 · 07-16-09

progress so far:

The MSI mobo and 8800GT are just in there temporary to see how everything fits and the 120.2 isnt straight becuase its not attached to anything yet XD

you may also notice in the first pic i accidentally drilled an extra hole in the front panel...im kicking myself for it but ill make it into a usb port or something.... and there will be a radgrill on there as well

retrogamer1990 · 07-16-09

after some well timed packages, and a spare 12 hours, i've finished the pc! pics also added to front page

list of mods:
* resprayed black
* side panel window mod + new acrylic
* 5.25" bays modded to allow HDD and further back placement of dvdrw
* Hard drive bays removed
* custom front made of acrylic & grill
* watercooled
* added xigmatek 80mm fans
* made acrylic PSU / cables / drives cover (it dosent really work from the angle in the pics but it hide the cables pretty well)
*custom painted the HSF on the X1900XTX to black
*uv lighting/cable management etc etc.
*a few other minor mods

hope you like it! I hope my grandparents do too...lol

there you have it. grannys new WC'd PC! just waiting to be stuffed full of pictures of cats, cake recipes and knitting patterns

thanks for looking !