I intend to perform some surgery on my recently acquired CM Elite 361 case. I have a plan of action outlined, but considering that this is my first true case mod, I would like as much advice as possible before I even begin getting equipment. 
For reference: Case with side removed and various components visible. (Click to show)
Case with all panels and bezel removed. (Click to show)
Bezel (exterior). (Click to show)
Bezel (interior). (Click to show)
Front I/O PCB. (Click to show)
Airflow design possibility. (Click to show)
Goals:
That's pretty much the extent of the modding I would do to the case. Cooling components I'm considering include two Noctua NF-P12 120mm fans (top, not sure if it should be intake or exhaust \ side, not sure either), one Noctua NF-F12 120mm fan (front, intake), two Noctua NF-R8 80mm fans (both rear, not sure if it should be intake or exhaust), a Noctua NH-L12 fan+heatsink for the CPU, and fan filters. I'm slightly wary of the high prices on Noctua stuff, so hopefully it's worth it.
All advice is appreciated.
Cheers.
Edited by Fauxrrite - 6/11/12 at 5:55am
For reference: Case with side removed and various components visible. (Click to show)
I made an error: the XClio Greatpower X14S8P4 PSU I have doesn't have an 80mm fan, contrary to what the image shows - only a 120mm fan.
Goals:
- Remove the present front I/O, fill in resulting empty holes with bondo (following this tutorial here), and pop this USB 3.0 2x panel into the 3.5" bay at the top of the case. I'm content with losing the 3.5mm audio jacks as I don't and won't need them (already have an audio interface with lots of I/O along with a small external hardware mixer). I should note I will paint that USB panel as part of goal 6.
- Directly to the right of the open 5.25" bay is where the power supply mounts (two fake 5.25" covers are in front of it), which means the PSU switch isn't accessible without removing the bezel. I would like to add another switch to the back of the case (next to the male plug and above the two 80mm fans), but I'm not sure of the best way to implement it so that it can work for any future PSU I put into the case without voiding its warranty.
- Make the internal (bottom) and external (top) 3.5" cages detachable. I hope I can simply remove the rivets (which I know how to do) and put screws in their place. Already did it, just need washers now. Never mind this one.
- Make the back panel and motherboard panel slide out of the case on tracks. I don't think this is entirely feasible, but if it is, I'm all for it. While it's easy enough to remove the back since it's connected to the rest of the case using only rivets, the metal plane that the MB attaches to is one large piece; I would have to take out the power tools and make a vertical split somewhere. I'll pass on this one.
- You can see in the photo with the front bezel removed that there's a recessed, open area in front of the HDD cage; I want to modify that area to accept a 120mm fan to act as an intake. This is possible provided that I carry out the first goal. The only caveat is fixing the hole where the front I/O component fits into (looks like an overly-wide 3.5" bay) so that a fan can be mounted with all four screws instead of just the bottom two. Replacing the area of the bezel - where the Cooler Master badge normally goes - with a grille would be required as well.
- I plan to paint most of the front bezel white and its sides blue. The left, right, top, and bottom of the case will be blue. Most of the back will be blue, with the recessed area (where the motherboard I/O and expansion slots are) white. The interior will be painted black, with the drive cages painted blue as an exception. The three paints I plan to use are gloss white, gloss black, and "metal specks" ocean blue. I'm not sure how to best go about the bezel considering its complexity. For the chassis itself, I could just remove all of the rivets and paint the parts separately. I'm not sure if this is complete overkill with better options available though. I'm also unsure of what primer(s) and base coat(s) would be best to use for the job, so I'm still researching those).
That's pretty much the extent of the modding I would do to the case. Cooling components I'm considering include two Noctua NF-P12 120mm fans (top, not sure if it should be intake or exhaust \ side, not sure either), one Noctua NF-F12 120mm fan (front, intake), two Noctua NF-R8 80mm fans (both rear, not sure if it should be intake or exhaust), a Noctua NH-L12 fan+heatsink for the CPU, and fan filters. I'm slightly wary of the high prices on Noctua stuff, so hopefully it's worth it.
All advice is appreciated.
Cheers.
Edited by Fauxrrite - 6/11/12 at 5:55am
